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BRUNSWICK, MAINE THE NATIONS OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY PUBLISHED COLLEGE WEEKLY VOLUME 142, NUMBER 0 AUGUST 27, 2012
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T
ORIENTATION ISSUE
FALL 2012
DEAR DR. KINSEY BOWDOIN PROTIPS UNDER ONE ROOF
Tips and tricks for finding your way around
the College from the Orient staff
An explanation of the College House system,
from current and former house residents
Caleb Pershan 12 on the namesake of his
sex column and Fifty Shades of Grey
ILLUSTRATION BY LOUISA CANNELL
PAGE 3 PAGE 6 PAGE 2
2 1ui vowuoi ovii1 mou.v, .UcUs1 i,, io1i
QUOTABLE

Te only sex
act that is unnatural is
that which you cannot
perform.
Alfred Kinsey, Class of 1916.
See page 7.
BLOGROLL
inthecac.com
The brainchild of Daisy Alioto 13, In The
Cac has correspondents in art, culture,
and news at all 11 NESCAC colleges.
BOWDOIN PROTIPS
In a long line at the pub, call in and order over the phone to jump the line.
When entering the Coles Tower elevator lobby, use the left door; way faster
Get on a course's waiting list before the course cards are even out
The caf gives out free leftover food in Smith Union late at night
Ask for a coee card at the Cafget it stamped every time you buy a coee and
every sixth coee is free
Download the Bowdoin Dining app
BSG sponsors free Brunswick Taxi rides every weekend night
We have a radio station, WBOR 91.1 FM
The water fountain on the second oor of HL (in the staircase) is the best on campus
If you check out a reserve book an hour before closing, the remaining hour pushes
into the next day, so you turn two hours into ten
Bowdoin has two woodworking shops
Befriend the shuttle drivers
And the housekeeping and dining sta
Its nearly impossible to get transported by drinking beer
If youre trying to get into a high-demand class, declare a temporary minor in that
subject to get priority
Make your periods 14-point to instantly lengthen any essay
Social houses and rst year bricks are good places for upperclassmen to steal
household essentials (trash bags, toilet paper, etc)
Thanksgiving dinner: a) dont miss it b) arrive very early or very latethe food will
still be there. And all three lines lead to the same spread
There is only one easy way to get out of the Reed basement, so dont descend on a
crowded night unless youre prepared to stay down there for a bit
Studzinski is not just for music majors
When applying to social houses, check the box on the application
Use the computers in the basement of HL, but print upstairs
Buying Bean Boots, or the equivalent, is a worthwhile investment
If you have Verizon and live in West or Osher, youll only get reception near the outer walls
Use your OneCard downtown: Domino's Pizza, Aki Sushi and Hibachi, Big Top
Delicatessen, Flipside Pizza, Henry & Marty Restaurant, Joshua's Restaurant and
Tavern, and Wild Oats Bakery & Caf
wbor.org
The home of Bowdoins radio station.
Tune in at 91.1 FM.
bowdoindailysun.com
The o cial news organ of the College,
complete with regular blog posts from
President Mills and more.
bowdoinorientexpress.com
The Orients Tumblr blog features slide-
shows, videos, and commentary beyond
the scope of the printed paper.
TRENDING #
Bowdoin twitter feeds every
rst year needs to know:
@bowdoinouting
O cial feed of the Bowdoin Outing Club
@dhirajmurthy
Assistant Professor of Sociology,
Director of Bowdoins Social
Networks Innovation Lab
@nbites
The Northern Bites, Bowdoins
RoboCup Team
@bowdoineboard
The Entertainment Board: be the rst to
know which bands are coming for Ivies
@CampusFoodTruks
For deals on their specialty snack wraps
@BDNPolitics
The Bangor Daily News has the best
election coverage of any paper in Maine
@jaykaspiankang
Class of 2002, Kang writes for
Grantland and just released his rst
novel, The Dead Do Not Improve
@AngusKing2012
The former Maine Governor and front-
runner in Maines Senate race
bowdoinorient.com
o-therecord.com
Launched this year by Bowdoin
students, the site hosts anonymous
discussion groups on national issues.
@nescac
For play-by-plays and breaking news on
action from around the NESCAC.
1ui vowuoi ovii1 Mou.v, AUcUs1 i,, io1i 3
Under one roof
So are there fraternities at Bow-
doin? Get readypeople are going to
ask you this question over and over in
the next four years, and probably long
afer. Tere is no Greek life at Bow-
doin, and the student handbook explic-
itly prohibits fraternities and sororities.
Bowdoin phased out its co-ed fraterni-
ties in the 1990s and the College Hous-
es (or, as theyre more commonly called:
social houses) were instituted to replace
the Greek system.
Tere are eight social houses on
campus, primarily inhabited by sopho-
mores. Each house is am liated with a
frst year brick: Ladd to Osher, Baxter
to West, Reed to Moore, Macmillan
(Mac) to Coleman, Quinby to Apple-
ton, Helmreich to Maine, Burnett to
Hyde, and Winthrop to Howell. Ev-
ery frst year is paired with a buddy
or two from his or her am liated social
house. Te houses take varied ap-
proaches to the buddy system from
year to yearwhen I was a frst year, my
roommate and I had one buddy; when
I lived in Ladd last year, every frst year
was buddies with one girl and one boy
in the house.
Te buddy relationships are what
you make of them, and they tend to
be the strongest during the frst few
weeks of school. Dont be afraid to ask
your buddy to a meal; its a great way
to connect with people you wouldnt
otherwise get to know. And if youre not
a huge fan of your buddy, dont worry
about itsome people just dont click.
A lot of frst years and social house
residents will view the dynamic be-
tween frst year bricks and the houses as
one fueled exclusively by alcohol. With-
out a doubt, beer and a few boxes of
Franzia will be present at many College
House functions. Am liates are invited
over early when College Houses throw
parties, and houses will occasionally
host pre-games with a keg or a few thir-
ties. But the social houses do not exist
solely to give frst years alcohol.
My relationship with the College House system beganas I imagine it
does for most rst yearswith pilgrimages to whichever house happened
to be hosting a campus-wide party. But once the awkwardness of the rst
few weeks (What dorm do you live in?Where are you from?Which pre-
o were you on?) had faded, I no longer felt the need to take drunken refuge
in the anonymous crowds of campus-wides. I preferred smaller, less rowdy
evenings, and found them at my a liate house, Reed.
Eventually I realized that the distinction between sophomore and fresh-
man did not prevent me from befriending house residents, and by the time
the year ended, many Reed residents were friends of minepeople I met
for breakfast nearly every day. Looking back, I wish I had acted less sheep-
ishly at the beginning of the year. Reed House had welcomed me from the
start; I was just too shy to take advantage.
-Garrett Casey 15
Reed House 2012-2013
My new classmates and I could hardly contain our excitement for the rst
campus-wide party of the year last August. We had been through a dryori-
entation week and were ready to nally see what Bowdoin had to oer in
terms of the fabled college party.
Theme of the campus-wide event: Happy New Year. Location: Baxter House.
Attire: Happy New Yearcrowns and hats. Being a liates of Baxter, my dorm
mates and I arrived early and got to spend some time with our Baxter bud-
dies before the event opened up to the whole campus. A great majority of the
Class of 2015 showed up. There was a ton of dancing downstairs, mingling
upstairs, but most importantly, and palpably, an overriding sense of excite-
ment for the beginning of a new year at Bowdoin. It was clear to me that the
upperclassmen hosting and attending the party were truly celebrating the
fact that they all found themselves back in Brunswick for another school year
at a place they loved.
-Kate Witteman 15
Baxter House 2012-2013
First Year Bricks and the College House system
BY NORA BIETTETIMMONS
ORIENT STAFF
When I lived in Ladd last year, there
were a few incidents when frst years in-
dicated that they believed our purpose
was only to get them drunkone night,
the house was very casually hanging
out, and a handful of am liates came
over and blatantly asked for alcohol. It
was really weird and uncomfortable
and we didnt have any to give them.
Tat being said, social house resi-
dents really do want you to feel com-
fortable coming over, watching TV,
playing video games, doing homework,
or asking for advice.
College House residents are on cam-
pus now for their own orientation, a lot
of which involves getting to know their
am liates. I should note that even though
Orientation is a dry week for everyone,
in the past the alcohol prohibition has
been, in practice, less strict for sopho-
mores, juniors and seniors on campus.
For me, College House orientation was
easily one of the best weeks Ive had at
Bowdoin.
Orientation is a bizarre time for frst
yearsbeing herded to various ac-
tivities feels like day camp, and youre
probably hearing from friends at other
colleges who are getting drunk at frat
parties every night. Ive been there. Last
year, in reaction to the Colleges expan-
sive defnition of hazing, the Orients
editorial board likened Orientation to
hazing: frst years are singled out based
on age and forced to participate in ac-
tivities against their will.
Obviously, Orientation is not hazing,
but it isnt a particularly fond memory
for most students, either. Rules apply
during this week and are more strictly
enforced. First years have been kicked
out during orientation, so being a new
to campus doesnt necessarily give you a
free pass to be stupid.
It will be over soon, though, and
youll be starting classes, making
friends, joining clubs, partying, and
stressing over homework before you
know it. Try to live in the moment this
week and actually experience Orien-
tationbecause when its over, youll
know just how good you have it.
ILLUSTRATION BY SOPHIE MATUSZEWICZ
BURNETT HOUSE
(Neon Turns Me On)
HELMREICH HOUSE
(Dubstep Glitter Rave)
HOWELL HOUSE
(Red Carpet Party)
LADD HOUSE
(Epicuria)
MACMILLAN HOUSE
(Oktoberfest)
QUINBY HOUSE
(80s Party)
REED HOUSE (It Used to be Cool)
BAXTER HOUSE (Jersey Party)
COLLEGE HOUSES
(and their biggest parties)
4 1ui vowuoi ovii1 mou.v, .UcUs1 i,, io1i
1. Go to an igloo party on the elds
2. Tour the Bliss Room in Hubbard
3. Streak the Quad
4. End the night at Brunswick Diner
5. Find your way into Bowdoins network of
underground tunnels
6. Visit the glow in the dark rock room in
Druckenmiller Hall
7. Stop by Frostys when it opens at 4 a.m.
8. Pull an all nighter in the Chamberlain Room
9. Eat at all of Brunswicks Asian restaurants
(10 and counting)
10. Win dinner at Thornebe the rst to
arrive and last to leave
11. Hang out with Security at a College House party
12. Throw a College House party
13. Attend o ce hours with President Mills
14. Tuesdays at Joshuas
15. Charter a club
16. Attend a BSG meeting
17. Do an independent study
18. Be mentioned in the Security Report
19. Find the red spoon in all the art in The Gelato
Fiasco (even the ship)
20. Climb Mt. Katahdin
21. Be retweeted by @bowdoincollege
22. Write your name on the chapel bathroom door
23. Go squirrel shing or ice shing
24. Visit Professor Morgans o ce
25. Go to a concert in Portland
26. Win an intramural championship
27. Skip a class
28. Write a Letter to the Editor
29. Spend a night at Colby or Bates
30. Attend a naked party
31. Take a class on the 16th oor of Coles Tower
32. Find the Brunswick commons, then explore
33. Go swimming in the Androscoggin
34. Hit the cycle -get an A, B, C, D, and F. Bonus
points for a W
35. Get drinks with a professor
36. Go to four Brunswick bars in one night
37. Go to Crack House (even if you pledged you
never would)
38. Get a lobster roll from Libbys Market
39. Get your recipe used at Thorne or Moulton
40. Go polar-bearing
41. Be a part of a spontaneous dance party at
Super Snack
42. Befriend a Brunswick resident
43. Do something inappropriate at the
Inappropriate Party
44. Get invited (and go) to a professors house
for dinner
45. Have an ice-skating date on the quad
46. Go to an air show at the air force base.
47. Become real friends with someone
you meet at Ivies
48. Attend a Bowdoin Film Society screening
49. Go to free cone day at Ben and Jerrys in
Freeport, or to the Moxie festival in Lisbon.
50. Be (mis)quoted in the Orient
50 Things To Do Before You Graduate
An updated list of essential traditions for every Bowdoin student
Adapted from the original list compiled by Bowdoin
Student Government and the O ce of Residential Life
1ui nowuoi ovii1 Mou.v, A0c0s1 i,, io1i 5
Bowdoins Dining Service is consis-
tently ranked as one of the top dining
services in the countrytheres no de-
nying that it defnitely helps to be well-
fed when youre working as tirelessly as
the typical Bowdoin student.
Five things to know as you begin
your journey with Bowdoin Dining:
1) e timeless question: Moulton or
orne?
Tis is a question you will have to
answer on your own. Te answer may
change throughout your time hereit
may even vary from one extreme to
the next. I dont want to make blanket
generalizations, but I will provide my
personal advice and opinions on this
very important debate. For breakfast,
Moulton is a no-brainer. It gets very
busy during rush periods right before
class times, but the selection of fruit
and yogurt far out-rivals Tornes. For
the most part, lunch is where the debate
begins. Lunch at Moulton gets really
busy right before and afer classes, but
it is also much more centrally located
on campus. Tough I prefer Moultons
lunch atmosphere, I am defnitely not
opposed to Torne lunch, which should
be praised for its every-day ofering of
hot dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers,
and grilled-cheese sandwiches. Te
battle becomes really heated when it
comes to choosing a venue for dinner
and brunch. Its not unlikely that this
will become a point of contention on
your foor when your roommates argue
over the online menus showing quesa-
dillas at Torne and Hungarian mush-
room soup at Moulton. Wherever your
loyalties lie, my advice is to wander over
to the other side occasionally.
2) Brunch is a thing here.
If you took a Bowdoin tour, you may
have been confused when you heard
that a full meal plan amounted to 19
meals per week instead of 21. Tis is
because on Saturdays and Sundays,
breakfast and lunch are combined into
one glorious event: brunch. Its much
When you fnd yourself getting overly
excited about Tollhouse cookie pie, re-
mind yourself that they will have this
again in at least two weeks when the
menu rotates. Im not saying dont eat
the cookie pie, but instead of gorging on
three pieces today, enjoy one piece and
have another in two weeks. Its not going
anywhere.
4) Regarding Special Events and the
Bowdoin log:
Dining cranks out impressive meals
on a daily basis, but there are three
landmark occasions in the fall when
dining really shows of its talent: Par-
ents Weekend, Tanksgiving dinner,
your class dinner this week, the Bow-
doin log is typically served for dessert.
Te traditional treat is a log-shaped por-
tion of vanilla ice cream covered with
chocolate fudge, Oreo cookie crumbs
and garnished with the optional almond
shavings and strawberry slices.
5) Other Dining terminology:
Bowdoin Express: Convenience
store on the lower foor of Smith Union,
open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the week
and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on the weekends.
Come for late night chips and salsa or
ice cream (try Maines own Dolcelino
cookie sandwiches), stay to replenish
your stock of basic medications and
just-add-water pad thai or brownie mix.
Cafe: Upstairs in Smith Union--
check the board for daily specials and
seasonal drinks, and try the Sunrise
Smoothie with a shot of expresso for an
afernoon pick-me-up. Opens at 7:30
a.m. on weekdays but closes during the
dinner hours, than continues to cafein-
ate most nights until midnight.
Jack Magees Grill and Pub: Swipe
your card for express lunch here 11 a.m.
to 2 p.m. during the week, and, with a
midnight (Saturday to Wednesday) or
1 a.m. closing time (Tursday and Fri-
day), take advantage of phone pre-or-
dering so your bufalo chicken calzone
is waiting for you when your late-night
study group ends.
Polar Points:As a frst year, you begin
each semester with 100 points, which
work as OneCard dollar equivalents in
all of the above Bowdoin dining options
as well as various vending machines
(located in Smith Union, Coles Tower,
Stowe Hall, Osher and West, Haw-
thorne-Longfellow library basement
vending cafe, and Farley Field House).
Most people run through these quickly
and end up restocking OneCard funds
online, but its all about the pacing-
-theres no rollover if you dont fnish
them by the end of the semester.
Super Snack: Come to Torne
Tursday to Saturday nights from 10
p.m. to 1 a.m. to eat nachos, cookies,
grilled cheese, lefover dinner entrees,
and other comfort foods under color-
ful dimmed lights to a soundtrack of
guilty-pleasure sing-a-longs in the back-
ground. Swiping in counts as a meal, so
budget accordingly.
Pepper Flip: A Bowdoin dining
hall social phenomenon. Make a bet to
someone (if I make this pepper fip you
have to print an assignment in Webdings
font/ talk in an Australian accent all day/
start a Super Snacks dance party) and
fip the pepper shaker. If they accept it
and you make it land right-side-up, they
have one chance to rebut the bet with
their own chance to land a fip. If they
dont make it, the bet is on. On the other
hand, if you land the pepper shaker up-
side-down on the table, the bet is yours
instead. Traditionally, you only get one
fip per meal (no practice rounds), but
the rules vary.
-Erica Berry contributed to this report.
Te insiders guide to dining at Bowdoin
BY TASHA SANDOVAL
CONTRIBUTOR
more than a mealbrunch is a chance
to recuperate, decompress, and catch
up on the last nights mayhem. Its also
probably the frst place youll come to
understand just how small Bowdoin is,
because chances are, you will see people
you may have encountered the night
before.
3) e food isnt going anywhere.
I will be honest and say that during
my frst year at Bowdoin, I had no self-
control when it came to dirt cake, the
sundae bar, and Tursday Rice Krispy
treats. Tis over-indulgence resulted in
a very real freshman ffeen situation.
and the holiday dinner. During parents
weekend, regular meals are amped up to
be slightly more sophisticated, includ-
ing local cheese selections, apple cider,
and even mini appetizers. Tanksgiving
dinner, which is served at both Moulton
and Torne, is a full course Tanksgiv-
ing meal featuring every traditional
food imaginable. Te holiday meal,
served just prior to fall semester exams,
comes in at a close second as the best
meal of the year. Apart from vamping
up its quality during these occasions,
dining also goes above and beyond for
its catered events. At these events, like
For breakfast, Moulton is a no brainer...
lunch is where the debate begins.
6 1ui vowuoi ovii1 mou.v, .UcUs1 i,, io1i
Te Bowdoin experience extends
well beyond academics, but a large
part of college is unavoidably spent
in the classrooma Bowdoin stu-
dent with four classes will spend on
average 12 hours in class per week,
and much more than that hitting the
books in the Hawthorne-Longfellow
or Hatch Libraries.
Te days of evenly-spaced periods
of history, math, science and English
are over: you are no longer obligated to
have a well-rounded schedule. It is well
worth your time and efort to put some
thought into choosing courses frst se-
mester. Tis is the time to experiment
with new disciplines and to see what you
like and what you dont; try not to con-
fne yourself to the handful of depart-
ments you liked most in high school.
Tough some frst years may have
mapped out your whole life in seventh
grade and already know exactly what
you will be taking all eight semesters
of college, most will be going into
frst semester with only a hazy idea of
where your academic interests lie.
Find below a few thoughts on how
to fgure it out:
Professors
Te critical factor in course selec-
tion. Classes with fascinating de-
scriptions can be mind-numbing
and awful when entrusted to a bor-
ing professor. Conversely, the most
eccentric, niche courses taught by
a passionate and engaged professor
ofen end up being the ones you will
enjoy and remember.
If youre having trouble narrowing
your list down to four, ask upper-
classmen for advice, starting with the
proctors in your dorm. Go through
the course reviews on the Bowdoin
Student Governments website.
Keep in mind that its not a com-
prehensive database and some re-
views are outdated, so its a good
idea to double-check with someone
in person. Online reviews tend to
oscillate between extremesthose
who post reviews probably took the
time to do so because they had either
a fantastic or terrible experience and
wanted to encourage or dissuade oth-
ers from making the same choice.
Pre-major adviser
Te frst professor you will likely
interact with is your pre-major ad-
BY ELIZA NOVICKSMITH
ORIENT STAFF
Course selection: a how-to guide
viser, and youll probably be able to
tell what kind of resource he or she
will be pretty quickly.
Some professors will tell you ex-
actly what courses they think you
should take; others will let you to
chart your own course and only give
advice if you ask for it.
My pre-major advisor of the latter
sort, and I personally found it very
frustrating that he didnt do much
more than sign my forms. If you fnd
yourself in a similar situation: fear
not! Use it as an excuse to get to know
other professors who can fll that role.
Distribution requirements
Meeting Bowdoins requirements
is pretty painless. Its really just three,
maybe four classes that you will have
to budget out time forthe rest can
be taken care of in the course of com-
pleting your major, and the frst year
seminar is mandatory.
People will tell you that you have to
fnish the distribution requirements
by sophomore year; this is a sugges-
tion, not a rule. Im a junior and have
yet to fulfll my natural sciences re-
quirement. If you aim to get one out
of the way each semester, you should
be in the clear come senior year.
Course times
If timing is everything for you, you
can probably make it work so that
you never have class before 11:30
a.m. If youre really strategic, and do
not plan on taking science classes,
you may never have to set foot in a
classroom on a Friday.
Figure out what you want the struc-
ture of your day to be, which will au-
tomatically help you narrow down
classes. But let that be a guideline, not
a hard and fast rule; a great professor,
or a class you are psyched about taking
is worth waking up a bit early for.
Add/Drop
Lastly, but most importantly,
nothing is written in stone until the
end of add/drop period. If you go to
a class on the frst day and get a bad
vibe, or see the syllabus and real-
ize its not quite what you thought it
would be, switch into another class.
Fifeen weeks is a long time to be
studying for tests and writing papers
on a topic that doesnt interest you.
Te semesters when I was too lazy to
follow that advice have been my least
favorite at Bowdoin.
HOLD YOUR GROUND: Students queue up for Phase II registration after not being placed in their rst-choice courses in Phase I. Coveted spots ll up
quickly, and students have been known to camp out in Moulton Union to secure a space at the front of the line.
PHOTO BY AARON WOLF, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
I promise that I only meant to
hate-read Fiy Shades of Grey. To be
clear: I lef the book in my bathroom
and mostly fipped through to the sex
scenes. Tere are nine or ten of them,
depending.
Yes, its vaguely racist that E.L. James
only character of color, Jos, says dios
mio in all his lines.
Yes, the book unfairly pathologizes
kinky people by locating the origins
of Christian Greys BDSM tastes in his
ffy shades of f***ed up past. And
obviously it kills the mood when An-
astasia Steelean American college
senior without an email address, we are
DEAR
DOCTOR
CAL PERSHAN
asked to believeuses the authors na-
tive Briticisms like arse and the mind
boggles.
But why should I criticize the unof-
fcial summer read of the Class of 2016?
Because its ridiculous?
Somehow criticism feels futile, may-
be because part of the point of reading
Fiy Shades is that youre not supposed
pass judgment. Tat is the books illicit
appeal. No one is supposed to think
critically about something as trivial as
a sex fantasy, right?
Tough I do think we can do a lot
better than Fiy Shades, I dont think
we can aford not to apply our intel-
lectual curiosity (which brought us to
academics and to Bowdoin) to our fan-
tasies and ourselves.
Dating, hooking up, having sex, not
having sex, talking animatedly with
friends about the relative merits of Fiy
Shades: this is the background of col-
lege life, and its full of opportunities to
foreground self-discovery.
Even at the Bowdoin of Alfred Kin-
seys daya monastic, boy-scouts-
only afairyoung men sought to fnd
themselves in nature, books, and rela-
tionships.
sized diversity to dispense with the idea
of normal altogether.
To give a better idea, Ill quote from
his scandalizing, best-selling volumes
Human Sexuality in the Human Male
and Female:
Normal seems to me like a chimerical
standard that still haunts us today, even
at an abnormal place like Bowdoin.
What Kinsey did brilliantly was to
apply his studies of biodiversity and
psychology to human sexualityand
ofen to his own life (he practiced what
he preached).
By interviewing thousands of Amer-
icans afraid to speak publicly about
themselves and their sex lives for fear
they werent normal, Kinsey empha-
e world is not to be divided into
sheep and goats e living world is a
continuum in each and every one of its
aspects. e sooner we learn this concern-
ing human sexual behavior, the sooner
we shall reach a sound understanding of
the realities of sex.
e only sex act that is unnatural is
that which you cannot perform.
As long as sex is dealt with in the cur-
rent confusion of ignorance and sophis-
tication, denial and indulgence, suppres-
sion and stimulation, punishment and
exploitation, secrecy and display, it will be
associated with a duplicity and indecency
that lead neither to intellectual honesty
nor human dignity.
Normal seems to me like a chime-
rical standard that still haunts us today,
even at an abnormal place like Bowdoin.
A lot of people are going to talk about
campus culture and what its likeI
dont mean to dismiss any advice, since
I wrote this column as a your questions
answered sex column last semester
but it changes year to year and its all
what you make it. Let me guess that as
long as you want to, youre going to be-
long at Bowdoinwhoever you are and
whatever you like.
Cal Pershan is a member of the Class
of 2012.
As a freshman, avoid taking two
classes in the same department in the
same semester...Ask your advisor what
class (in another department) they
wish they could take. Be it because the
material looks interesting, the professor
is one of their best friends, or they
always harbored a secret desire to learn
about something like archaeology or
volcanoes, it will be good advice. Dont
waste a Credit/D/Fail in your rst two
semesters. Seriously.
DREW ZEMBRUSKI 13
Take a wide variety of classes at the beginning. Even if you know
exactly what you want to major in and which prerequisites you have
to take early, it is denitely worth it to embrace your rst semester
of college by trying a bunch of dierent things. Fill a distribution
requirement, take an unexpected intro class, and do something just
for fun. If youre like me you will discover a department you had
never considered trying before, and end up minoring in it.
EMMA JOHNSON 14
Take the time and go to each building
you have a class in, to make sure you know
where to go when class time rolls around.
JOE SISE 14
Advice on choosing classes from upperclassmen
Christian Grey, Alfred Kinsey and normal sex at Bowdoin
1ui vowuoi ovii1 Mou.v, AUcUs1 i,, io1i 7
Nvws Eo:1on
Garrett Casey
Fvn1cnvs Eo:1on
Kate Witteman
AaE Eo:1on
Nate Torda
Svon1s Eo:1on
Ron Cervantes
Ov:N:oN Eo:1on
Luke Drabyn
SvN:on Rvvon1vns
Dylan Hammer
Diana Lee
Zohran Mamdani
Sam Miller
Lnvoc1 Eo:1ons
Ted Clark
Leo Shaw
Bcs:Nvss MnNncvns
Maya Lloyd
Madison Whitley
Pncv Two Eo:1on
Sophia Cheng
Pno1o Eo:1on
Kate Featherston
INvonmn1:oN Ancn:1vc1
Toph Tucker
L:Non K:Ns1tvn, Editor in Chief
En:cn Bvnnv, Executive Editor
Et:zn Nov:c-Sm1:n, Managing Editor
Snm Wvvnnccn, Editor-At-Large
Nonn B:v11v-1:mmoNs, Editor-At-Large
6200 College Station
Brunswick, ME 04011
Te Bowdoin Orient is a student-run weekly publication dedicated to provid-
ing 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. Te Orient is committed to serving as an open forum
for thoughtful and diverse discussion and debate on issues of interest to the
College community.
e material contained herein is the property of e Bowdoin Orient and appears at
the sole discretion of the editors. e editors reserve the right to edit all material. Other
than in regards to the above editorial, the opinions expressed in the Orient do not neces-
sarily reect the views of the editors.
Ctn:nv AnsvN, Managing Editor
bowdoinorient.com
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O
rientation is dizzying and over-
whelmingthe days are long and
laden with programming, you en-
counter a wide variety of people and remem-
ber very few names, and you travel constantly
with your floor. Its a marathon meet-and-
greet that will make the first few days of class-
es seem simple in comparison.
Take advantage of Orientation for what it is:
an opportunity to face your peers with a clean
slate, to get to know administrators and fac-
ulty, and to begin the process of shaping who
you will become at Bowdoin.
Dont worry if you dont meet your crowd
right away; even if you arent best friends with
your floor, you will always have a special re-
lationship with the random people you hang
out with early on. Some of your first impres-
sions will be right, but most will evolve over
the next four years as you become more famil-
iar with this place.
Explore the disparate opportunities that
Bowdoin offersjust because you go out for
varsity soccer does not mean you cant also
audition for a part in a musical.
In four years, you will not be the same per-
son you are today, and the school will have
changed with you. The first year housing sys-
tem is currently under review; the College
has plans to build and renovate new facili-
A message to the Class of 2016
ties; Amtrak has finally arrived in town; and
Distinguished Lecturer and former Maine
Governor Angus King is poised to win a seat
in the U.S. Senatethis year is the first time
in many years that he will not be delivering
his annual address at the convening dinner.
Brunswick and Bowdoin are closely linked,
and as the town changes so will the College.
Stay apprised of local news and familiarize
yourself with the community; youre just as
much a resident of Brunswick as you are your
first year brick.
Do not underestimate your role at the Col-
lege this yearyoure arriving to Brunswick
with fresh eyes, which makes your opinions
and feedback about how the school works all
the more important.
Speak up if you have something to say or
a problem with the school. If you want to be
heard, go to a BSG meeting; visit President
Mills or Dean Foster during their office hours;
talk to your professorsmaybe even submit
an op-ed to the Orient. Be an active member
of the community, because this is your home
for the next four years.
This editorial represents the majority view of
The Bowdoin Orients editorial board, which
is comprised of Erica Berry, Nora Biette-Tim-
mons, Eliza Novick-Smith, Linda Kinstler, and
Sam Weyrauch.
As returning students may remember from a couple of sto-
ries in this paper and a series of emails sent out by Director of
Safety and Security Randy Nichols last spring, three Bowdoin
students were given a criminal charge of forgery in connec-
tion with the use of fake I.D. cards in Brunswick. As one of
those three students, I can say the situation blossomed quick-
ly into much more stressful than a disciplinary headache.
Since April, the whole process has had me in a sort of
emotional half-nelson. Ive never really been a troublemaker.
Never in high school did I fnd myself in the principals of-
fce, and even the odd teenager-y fght with my parents would
keep me up at night feeling guilty. So to all of a sudden face
the possibility of a felony conviction started an ongoing exis-
tential freakout that has been hard to put out of mind.
Te fear of punishment has done more than just induce a
steady fow of low-grade anxiety. In alliance with an already
neurotic personality, it has made me do some serious think-
ing about how I ft into the communities I belong to at Bow-
doin, from my foormates to the state whose laws Im bound
to obey. Ultimately, Im having to ream rm a few lessons I
thought I understood pretty well.
Probably like many Bowdoin students, I learned through
adolescence to take responsibility for my actions and be ac-
countable for my behavior. Ive taken care of small children
full-time at a summer camp, edited a school newspaper,
stayed vigilant about grades, and so on. But what is being
painfully illustrated to me now, and what Id like to share with
frst years as they settle into campus life, is that its possible
to forget these things in a new atmosphere free of the con-
straints of high school and parents.
Being successful up to this point in life is not the same
thing as being invincible, and there is no great cosmic rule
that says you cant make the Deans List and be convicted of a
felony in the same year. It only takes one moment of incred-
ibly stupid judgment to do something that may end up fol-
lowing you for years and years to come. We have the right to
relish the time we spend in college, but we cant expect to get
of with double secret probation when it comes to breaking
the law.
While college kids may inevitably act immaturelyI dont
think anyone would contest thatits important to keep in
mind that Bowdoin is deeply, and legally, contiguous with its
surrounding community. We must be responsible citizens of
Brunswick as well our own campus.
Tose new to Bowdoin will soon fnd that its not so hard to
do. With very reasonable alcohol policies and an understand-
ing ResLife staf, the school goes to great lengths to contain
the occasionally hazy judgment of its students. Its also both
easy and rewarding to make a positive impact locally through
the McKeen Center, Common Good Day, and numerous oth-
er ties between Bowdoin and the Brunswick community.
For now Im hoping for the best with legal proceedings and
eagerly awaiting a return to normal life. I intend to make the
most of my three remaining years here without stepping over
any more serious boundaries, and I hope the Class of 2016
can easily do the same for four.
Leo Shaw is a member of the Class of 2015.
BY LEO SHAW
ORIENT STAFF
Standing outside
the law
ILLUSTRATION BY YOUNGSHIM HWANG, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
1ui vowuoi ovii1 mou.v, .UcUs1 i,, io1i 8
Annotated Campus Map
Important places and where to nd them
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