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BRUNSWICK, MAINE BOWDOINORIENT.COM THE NATIONS OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY PUBLISHED COLLEGE WEEKLY VOLUME 146, NUMBER 23 APRIL 28, 2017

String of J-Board computer science cases prompt concern

By Elizabeth Fosler-Jones
Orient Staff
Students and professors are concerned
about an uptick in academic dishonesty
cases brought before the Judicial Board
(J-Board) that have originated in the
computer science department. Students,
who have received punishments ranging
from a warning to a four semester sus-
pension from the College, have said they
feel the departments plagiarism policies
are unclear. Other students say that fear
of plagiarism inhibits collaboration and
has discouraged them from taking high-
er-level computer science courses.
So far this year, 18 total academic
dishonesty cases have been brought to
the J-Board. The Orient confirmed with
individual students involved in the cases
that at least six of these cases involved
plagiarism in the computer science de-
partment. Last year, 11 students were
brought to the J-Board for academic
dishonesty in Introduction to Com-
puter Science.
The increase in academic dishonesty
cases in the last two years has largely
been due to cases in the computer sci-
ence department. Between the 2002-
2003 academic year (the last continuous
year for which statistics are available)
and the 2014-2015 academic year, the
J-Board heard an average of 8.7 aca-
demic dishonesty cases per year. Prior
to the 2015-2016 academic yearwhen
it heard 22the J-Board had not heard
more than nine academic dishonesty
ANN BASU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
cases in any year since the 2006-2007
ACADEMIC HONESTY: The number of students brought to the J-Board over academic dishonesty in computer science has spiked in the past two years, worrying students and the department.
academic year.
Chair of the Computer Science De- age plagiarism, its just that the discipline students enrolled in computer sci- Toma said that collaboration is crucial that opportunity for everybody else for
partment Laura Toma said she is con- and the learning curve is more aggressive, ence classes. in computer science but must be done [whom] its really useful.
cerned about the plagiarism cases but said Toma. Its unforgiving for people Computer science is now the fifth properly. Toma said that the department makes
thinks that they reflect students des- who start late. most common major at Bowdoin. In We want people to have the op- clear the difference between plagiarism
peration to get their work done, rather Toma noted that while the num- the class of 2016, there were 60 com- portunity to learn to collaborate in the and permitted collaboration. Although
than flaws in the departments policies. ber of computer science-related puter science majors compared to just right way. And most everybody does the exact policies vary based on each
Its not that we are doing something cases brought before the J-Board 10 computer science majors in the class that, said Toma. Those who dont do it
wrong in [computer science] to encour- has increased, so has the number of of 2012. properly, we dont want to compromise Please see J-BOARD, page 4

What does it take to put on Ivies? Rose to meet with Congressional

Months of planning, hours of staff overtime and a $129K budget
By Harry DiPrinzio
Orient Staff
While Ivies officially kicked off
with last nights concert, planning
began months ago. The Student Ac-
tivities Office, Facilities Manage-
ment and the Office of Safety and
Security have been discussing Ivies
for monthsand staff will be work-
ing around the clock this weekend to
make sure students have a safe and
enjoyable experience.
This year, the Student Activities
Funding Committee (SAFC) allocat-
ed $129,500 for the weekends bud-
get which goes to the Entertainment
Board (eBoard) and Bowdoin Stu-
dent Government (BSG). The Orient
could not obtain a clear breakdown
of the cost of each aspect of Ivies, but
the eBoard spends the majority of
this budget on booking musical acts.
Additional costs include Facilities
work orders for setup and clean up,
extra staff and overtime pay for Secu-
rity, Dining and Facilities employees
and at least $4,500 for food trucks.
Ivies is almost entirely paid for
with money from the SAFC, whose
budget is paid for by a $484 fee in
each students tuition bill, accord-
ing to Director of Student Activities
Nate Hintze.
This year, the only funds from the
College will go to helping to pay for
a food truck on Friday, Hintze said.
Planning begins with the eBoards
survey in September, which samples
the student bodys music opinions.
After assessing student preferences,
the eBoard selects musical acts.
We place bids based on the out-
come of the survey, and from there
people say yes or no, or ask for more
money or less moneythey never
ask for less money, Hintze said.
And sometimes we say, Yeah we can
cover that in our budget, or some-
times we have to go on to somebody
else. And we go back and forth, the
eBoard comes up with their lineup,
and from there I write up the con-
tracts and work with the treasurers
office to get them signed.
Planning for Ivies involves many
hours and negotiations with several
different parties.
It could be a full time job, Hin-
tze said.
Bowdoin hires an agent to attract
acts and help negotiate details of the
musical contracts, which include
accommodations and performers
arrival and departure times; Hintze
and his staff take care of the hotel
bookings. Hintze works with Moon-
lighting Production, a local produc-
tion company, to sort out sound and
lighting equipment and coordinates
with Facilities, Dining, Security and
a tent rental company. Each year,
he reserves a 80-by-150 foot tent in
case of rain.
There is also a company that sets
up barricades in front of the stages.
Student Activities books hotels for
them as well.
Hintze and Student Activities staff
will be working the events all weekend.
Security began its intensive plan-
ning about a month ago, according
to Director of Safety and Security
Randy Nichols.
We have detailed operations,
Please see IVIES, page 3
leaders amid worries about
loss of federal research funding
By James Callahan
Orient Staff
Every year Bowdoin professors and
students receive hundreds of thousands of
dollars in federal research funding. How-
ever, with a new administration in Wash-
ington, the College could soon see some
of that funding disappear.
President Donald Trumps budget pro-
posal combines increased spending on
defense with cuts to discretionary spend-
ing. Those cuts include $5.8 billion from
the National Institute of Health (NIH)
and the elimination of the National En-
dowment for the Humanities (NEH) and
the National Endowment for the Arts
(NEA).
As Congress considers the new budget
in the coming weeks, President Clayton
Rose plans to meet with Maines congres-
sional delegation to discuss the potential
changes. Rose declined to comment on
when the meetings would occur.
Issues that I plan to discuss with them
on my visit include immigration, Title IX
and issues of funding for arts, the humani-
ties and the sciences, Rose said.
Interim Dean for Academic Affairs Jen
Scanlon stressed the importance of the
Colleges federal funding. Four Bowdoin
professors are currently using grants from
the NIH and one professor currently re-
ceives project funding from the NEH.
We count on support from the [NEH],
the [NEA], the National Science Founda-
tion and also from private foundations,
she said. If theres a shrinkage of federal
funding then therell be more pressure on
those private foundations, so everybody
will feel the squeeze.
Examples of funding for research in-
clude $50,400 from the NEA to study
the history of diabetes, $299,273 from
the NIH to study an oral fungal infection
and $10,000 from the NEA to help fund
the Bowdoin International Music Festival,
which performs to traditionally under-
Please see RESEARCH, page 3

N NEW PRESIDENT F BEHIND THE NAMETAG A SENIOR STUDIO S HOME TRACK ADVANTAGE O CHANGING GOVERNMENT?
Irfan Alam 18 takes the reigns of Bowdoin Officer Sonny Toscano is a renaissanance Twelve senior visual arts majors debut Track and Field hosts the NESCAC Rachel Baron 17 has suggestions for
Student Government. Page 3. man. Page 5. their final pieces. Page 7. championships this weekend. Page 9. the government department. Page 10.
2 news the bowdoin orient friday, april 28, 2017

CROSSWORD
ACROSS 67 Portent
Created by Gwen Davidson

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
STUDENT SPEAK:
1 Lend ____ (help) 70 Broadcasted 14 15 16 What does the "S" stand for in Clayton S. Rose?
6 Drink garnish 71 Sacks 17 18 19
10 Records for later, as 72 Game on horseback 20 21 22 23
a new episode 73 So ____ so forth 24 25 26 27 28 29 Jacob Russell 17
14 Blender option 74 Woodwind
15 April forecast instrument
30

36
31 32

37
33

38
34

39
35
"My first thought was Shirley. I have
16 Adversary 75 They may be inflated
40 41 42 43 44 nothing to defend that. I'd say I'm
17 Cartoon hunter 76 ____ Wap, rapper
Fudd with hit "Trap Queen"
45 46 47 48 49 about 20% sure."
50 51 52
18 Looked at
19 Piece of cake DOWN 53 54 55 56 57

20 Jump from a plane 1 Gorillas and chimps 58 59 60 61 62 63

Sophie Friedman 20
22 Observes 2 Member of the 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
24 Saudia Arabia Avengers 71 72 73 "Sophie."
neighbor 3 Military group 74 75 76
27 Choir platform 4 High-maintenance
4/28/17
30 French possessive 5 Obtain 32 Declined 59 Urban pollution
33 Road: Abbr. 6 Mine output 35 Suffix for Rock 61 "I smell _____!" (suspect
34 Water container 7 Set in place 37 Fool something)
36 Airport org. 8 What's going on this 38 Canvas holder 62 Camp shelter Emilie Montgomery 18
37 The "D" in LED weekend or the pair of 43 Start the day 63 Whirlpool
39 Build letters featured in this 46 Extreme 64 Prefix with logical
"Suede. I feel like he's a suede type of
40 Painful peeing puzzle's special squares 48 Bowdoin leaders' org. 65 Metered vehicle person. Like the fabric. Tough but soft."
problem: Abbr. 9 Rear - ____ (type of 54 Wed in haste 66 Musician Yoko
41 Moose relative car crash) 56 The ____ Good Feelings 68 "Evil Woman" band, Abbr.
42 Word that can 10 Furniture item (1820-29) 69 Words of denial
follow new or stone 11 "____ Las Vegas" 57 Angelic
44 Capture (1964 Elvis Movie) D I S P OD D S T E VA Bridget Hoke 20
I C E AMA E T E R N A L
45 Battlefield doctor
47 Buddy of "The
12 Dorm overseers, for
short GENE RAL BAR I S TA "Swag Daddy."
Beverly Hillbillies" 13 Crafty D I S T R I B UT I ON
49 In concert 21 How you get the S TOP S AGE A S L
50 Tube-shaped pasta digestine P E R AM I S S D R I P
51 Fixed 23 Name in a hit FA S I DO L AR EA S
52 Word of agreement by Dexys Midnight ROD E E A S E Shawn Bayrd 19
53 Accompanier of Runners VA S E S ARCH LOL
means and opportunity 25 Bring to mind OP T S S O MM E OFA "Sneaky. "
55 Pasted 26 Stark or Flanders N S A TR E N OWA Y
58 Snaky swimmers 28 In equal amounts R E QU I R EME NT S
60 Confidential 29 Take in I NT RUD E M I S S I ON
64 Supply-and-demand 30 Baffle THE RA I N TNT DRY
subj. 31 Revere S L R DOT S I S E T E
Last week's answers COMPILED BY GWEN DAVIDSON, ANN BASU, AND JAMES LITTLE

SECURITY REPORT: 4/21 to 4/27

COMPILED BY THE OFFICE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY
Friday, April 21
Brunswick police warned
residents of an off-campus student
apartment at 5 Carlisle Avenue for
disorderly conduct in response to
a loud noise complaint. The police
chief served the residents and the
property owner with a disorderly
house ordinance notice.
Saturday, April 22
A visiting rugby player was tak-
en to the Mid Coast Walk-In Clinic
for treatment of an on-field injury.
Brunswick Rescue transported
an intoxicated student from Reed
House to Mid Coast Hospital.
Sunday, April 23
An officer checked on the well-
being of a student whose alcohol
consumption contributed to elevat-
ed blood sugar.
An officer checked on the well-
being of an intoxicated student at
Coleman Hall.
A student took responsibil-
ity for damaging a wall at Helm-
reich House.
Smoke from a burning candle
set off a fire alarm at Quinby House.
Forced entry into a locked
basement chapter room at Reed
House resulted in property damage.
Monday, April 24
A student reported the theft of
a College-owned Yamaha musical
keyboard from the common room
at Maine Hall. The keyboard has
since been found and it was learned
that a student had borrowed it.
A College-owned stop sign
was found in the basement of
Ladd House and returned to its as-
signed location.
The deans office reported
the theft of a framed color pho-
tograph from a hallway wall out-
side of the Chamberlain Room at
Moulton Union.
Tuesday, April 25
A student reported the strong
odor of marijuana smoke at Apple-
ton Hall. Two students took respon-
sibility for having smoked outside
the building.
A female student reported en-
counters with two unidentified lo-
cal men at Rite Aid on Maine Street
that made her feel uneasy. An offi-
cer responded and escorted the stu-
dent to campus.
Wednesday, April 26
Burnt food on a stove burner
activated a smoke alarm at Bruns-
wick Apartment Q.
A student with a sprained
ankle requested a ride to the Mid
Coast Walk-In Clinic.
A student reported the April 20
theft of Giant mountain bike from
the south end of Maine Hall. The
bike is white with black and red trim.
Thursday, April 27
An officer assisted a house-
keeper who was complaining
of dizziness. DIANA FURUKAWA
friday, april 28, 2017 the bowdoin orient news 3

NEWS IN BRIEF Alam 18 elected BSG President COMPILED BY JESSICA PIPER

TAMPON DISPENSERS TO BE By Isabelle Hall

Orient Staff

SET UP IN MENS BATHROOMS After being announced as winners

in the Bowdoin Student Government
As a continuation of the Free Flow initiative, baskets of menstrual products will (BSG) elections on Sunday, BSG Pres-
soon be replaced with mounted dispensers in six mens bathrooms on campus. ident-elect Irfan Alam 18 and Vice
Administrators and student leaders hope that the dispensers will help to stop on- President-elect (VP) for BSG Affairs
going incidents involving the products being damaged or thrown away. Ben Painter 19 are looking forward
Dispensers were installed in several womens bathrooms in March. to enacting their vision for a bet-
The dispensers each cost $750, according to Senior Vice President for Finance ter Bowdoin.
and Administration and Treasurer Matt Orlando. Facilities has already ordered Alam and Painter decided to run on
the dispensers, but Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) has said they will reim- an unofficial ticket in this years elec-
burse the College for some of the cost. tion while working together on the
Harriet Fisher 17, BSG president and one of the students involved in the proj- current BSG Executive Committee.
ect said she believes that replacing the baskets with dispensers is a positive step. Their platform focuses on improve-
Orlando echoed this sentiment, noting that the dispensers made damaging the ment of upperclassman housing, revi-
menstrual productswhich has happened in several mens bathrooms on mul- sion of social policies and changes to
tiple occasionsmore difficult. the structure of BSG. JENNY IBSEN, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
There was a recent incident in Thorne where the products were tossed around The Collegeand the administra- OVAL OFFICE: Irfan Alam 18 is thought to be the first Muslim student elected BSG president.
the mens room by a visiting youth, Orlando wrote in an email to the Orient. tion in particularis thinking about
This sort of thing could happen repeatedly, and it is unfair to the housekeepers the social spaces and living spaces for Student Affairs. The pair hopes to I think that a lot of this year we
who would have to clean up afterward. We could still have incidents occur, but the on campus already, said Painter. So meaningfully alter BSGs structure in were trying to find a way to get people
hope is that the dispensers will serve as a deterrence. part of my vision is just to be at that the coming year. to come to BSG, said Alam. I think
In March, feces was found in the receptacle for used menstrual products in conversation, to really advocate for One of the changes that were look- moving forward, using the connec-
the first-floor bathroom in David Saul Smith Union. The investigation into the improving on-campus housing. There ing to do is work throughout next year tions that the [Executive Committee]
incident remains open. [are] also working groups think- with different multicultural leaders has across campus, we want to work
ing about alcohol and party policies and multicultural coalition depart- directly [with] and go and directly
in relation to the spread off campus, ment heads to think about the best talk to multicultural leaders, club

RESEARCH what it would be at a research university,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
served groups in and around Brunswick.
Associate Professor of Biology Wil-
liam Jackmans lab received a $300,000
grant from the NIH for cellular analy-
sis of hedgehog signaling in zebrafish
tooth development.
Due to their remarkable ability to re-
grow their teeth throughout their lives, ze-
brafish may hold the key to human teeth
regeneration.
The idea would be that eventually we
would know enough about organogenesis
that we could just cause a new tooth to
grow in an adult human, said Jackman.
Its pretty sci-fi.
However, Jackman worries about the
potential funding cuts and, as someone
familiar with the grant process, fears that
they could disproportionately hurt Bow-
doins chances at getting future funding.
Even in the final [grant] application
that was accepted there [were] a lot of
comments about how Bowdoin is an ex-
cellent school for a liberal arts college, but
how productivity of the professors isnt
said Jackman.
He also noted that there is a perception
among some grant-givers that smaller
schools like Bowdoin are not fully com-
mitted to research.
Theres definitely this kind of bias that
we do a lot of teaching here which, from
their perspective, is not necessarily a good
thing, he noted.
As for his zebrafish research, Jackman
is thankful for the money from the NIH
which allowed him to pay students, pur-
chase expensive kits for extracting and
synthesizing specific pieces of DNA or
RNA, buy chemicals and get a new micro-
scope with 3D-imaging capabilities.
Were doing competitive research here,
and its not just a facsimile of something,
said Jackman. Its the real deal.
The Bowdoin Corporate and Founda-
tion Relations Office declined to reveal
how much money the College receives
from the federal government for research,
only saying that Bowdoin was awarded
over $42 million in the past 10 years be-
tween both private and public sources of
funding.
and a big part of my vision is to work
to loosen some of those restrictions
way we can further create voice on
[the Executive Committee] for issues
leaders, faculty, administration, and
just have casual meetings with them
so on-campus living is more attrac- of diversity and inclusion, said Alam. and say like, Whats on your mind?
tive and the party policies are kind of Its going to take a year-long process Whats going on? What do you think
more common-sense, the way I see it. But I think that putting that voice about campus climate? And what can
Alam and Painter will be joined by [in the Committee], which is where we do to help?
newly elected committee members VP a lot of the decisions for the student The election had an added signifi-
for Student Affairs Salim Salim 20, government are made, is really really cance for Alam, who is believed to be
VP for Academic Affairs Mohamed critical. the first Muslim BSG president, al-
Nur 19, VP for Student Organizations In addition, Alam is considering re- though BSG does not keep records of
Leah Matari 20, VP for the Treasury fining the role of at-large representa- past presidents religious beliefs.
Ben Hopkins 20 and VP for Facili- tives in order to differentiate the posi- I hope that becoming the first
ties and Sustainability Ana Timoney- tion from that of class representatives. Muslim president only serves to echo,
Gomez 18. He also envisions a change in the as Muslims, our unwillingness to be
This year, Alam served as VP for way BSG communicates with the rest silenced and be marginalized, and to
the Treasury, while Painter was VP of campus. say that we do belong here, Alam said.
IVIES
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
planning and operations orders that
highlight how we deploy our re-
sources. So, we know where most of
the events are taking placecertain-
ly the ones that are supposed to take
placeand we have staff [at] several
of them, Nichols said.
This weekend, every available of-
ficer on the Security patrol staff of
over 20 members, as well as shuttle
drivers, will be on the job. Many will
work double shifts.
Our overtime budget takes a little
bit of a hit during Ivies. All available
officers are assigned, Nichols said.
Nichols will be taking periodic
naps on a cot he keeps in his office.
Facilities is responsible for the set-
up of the weekends events, starting
with assembling the stage in David
Saul Smith Union on Wednesday.
On Friday, a crew moves it to Farley
Field House in trucks. Facilities will ELIZA GRAUMLICH, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
blanket the Field House with giant SLEEPING ON THE JOB: During Ivies, Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols sleeps
tarps to protect the turf and position on a cot in his office. Security increases its patrol to keep students safe over the weekend.
trash cans in locations where stu-
dents might be drinking. sure that athletic teams can resume messes that students leave behind
When Ivies weekend is over, Fa- practice on Monday. Housekeep- in the common areas of dorms and
cilities takes everything down to en- ing also works extra to clean up the College Houses.

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4 news
Brunswick, College work to combat browntail moths
By Sarah Bonanno
Orient Staff
After town residents experienced
persistent rashes and respiratory issues
last summer, both the Brunswick Town
Council and the College are seeking to
mitigate the effects of browntail moths in
the coming months. The moths inhabit
the branches of oak trees across Midcoast
Maine.
The major health concerns associated
with the moths come from their caterpil-
lars hairs, which are shed in metamor-
phosis and easily blown in the wind.
These hairs are microscopic, hook-like
and can attach themselves to clothing or
skin, giving people skin rashes and respi-
ratory problems.
In addition to health concerns, the
Council is also worried about the moths
potential effect on tourism, a major source
of revenue for coastal Maine.
Theres frustration in this because I
believe this a regional problem. I believe
that the state should be participating be-
cause it impacts various townships, var-
ious counties. Its moving up the coast
and this will have potential impact on
tourism, on public health, on ecological
health, said Brunswick Town Council-
or Sarah Brayman.
According to Ted Stam, director of fa-
cilities operations and management, there
had been a decline in the moth population
for many years, until last summer when
they flourished after an unusually dry
spring. Oak trees normally grow a fun-
gus that kills caterpillars, but the fungus
needs rain.
It is another bad year for browntail
moths and I think next year is predicted
J-BOARD
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
professor and class, the general policy
of the department is that students are
encouraged to collaborate but cannot
use any written medium or look at each
others laptop screens.
Associate Professor of Computer Sci-
ence Stephen Majercik suggested that the
computer science departments attitude
toward plagiarism does not differ greatly
from that of other departments.
You think about two students writing
programs. Then you think about two stu-
dents writing an essay, he said. It would
be fine if they discussed ideas But then
they would need to go off and write their
own paper. I dont think anybody would
ever think, Oh, I couldthe two of
uscould sit here and we could discuss
what to say in this paragraph. And then
we could write down that paragraph and
because we both worked on it, we could
use it.
To detect plagiarism in lower-level
classes, computer science professors can
run code through a program called Mea-
sure Of Software Similarity (MOSS). If
the program detects that students code is
particularly similar, the program flags the
code and professors can choose to inspect
the code manually.
What that software says, its not set in
stone, Toma said.
Professors can then decide whether to
bring an academic dishonesty case before
the J-Board. However, Associate Dean for
Upperclass Students and Advisor to the
J-Board Lesley Levy said that the College
encourages faculty to bring all cases be-
fore the J-Board rather than handle them
internally.
One student, who spoke with the Ori-
ent on a condition of anonymity, was
brought before the J-Board on charges
of academic dishonesty last semester
after he was accused of plagiarism in his
Introduction to Computer Science class.
He said that he had explained a program
to be a bad year as well, said Stam.
Neither the rash nor respiratory prob-
lems are life-threatening, according to
Director of Health Services Jeffrey Ma-
her.
Its mostly a nuisance. It was a pretty
regular nuisance for people who were
working their lawn on a dry day or mow-
ing the grass, he said.
In Brunswick, the moths are primarily
found in the upper and lower malls, near
the towns athletic fields and along the bike
path. On College property, the moths are
most prevalent on the Quad, near the ath-
letic fields and around the Bowdoin Col-
lege Childrens Center.
Last summer, hospitals in the area saw
an increase in patients coming in with
symptoms associated with the moths, ac-
cording to Brayman. Bowdoin students
and faculty also visited the Health Center
at the end of August and September for
the moths, which Maher said was un-
usual. He mentioned a pharmacy in Ken-
nebunk that had created its own spray to
calm the rashes. Last year, the pharmacy
sold anywhere between 40 and 50 bottles
a day.
Bra Eriz 17 was working as a senior
admissions fellow last summer when she
began experiencing a rash on her arms,
legs and chest. The Mid Coast Hospital
Walk-In Clinic was able to immediately
diagnose her.
I went to a farmers market. It was a
beautiful daythe sun was shining, ev-
erything is just green and beautiful. A day
later, I start seeing these little red spots and
feeling very itchy, she said.
I had never heard of browntail moths,
she added.
In addition to students, faculty and
conceptually to two other students
who were likewise brought before the J-
Boardbut did not feel that his actions
amounted to academic dishonesty.
In preparation for his hearing, the stu-
dent reached out to computer science pro-
fessors at other colleges and received let-
ters from two scholars stating that MOSS,
the plagiarism detection software used in
computer science courses at Bowdoin, is
not effective on simple programs, like the
ones students create in Introduction to
Computer Science. However, the student
said he was told that he was not allowed to
use this evidence during his hearing.
This student said he feels that the
structure of the J-Board hearings makes
it difficult for students to prove their in-
nocence, particularly when professors are
seen as experts.
I wasnt allowed to put [letters from
outside professors] into evidence, which
I felt was wrong, he said. I felt I needed
to introduce expert evidence for my own
part to combat this expert that was kind of
challenging [me].
Although the J-Board gave him only
a warning, the student said he does not
plan to take another computer science
class. He said he feels the collaboration
policies were not defined clearly enough
and has had difficulty grappling with the
disconnect between the departments
collaboration policies and the impor-
tance of learning from others in a liberal
arts education.
From a liberal arts perspective, theres
a lot that you can say in the favor of work-
ing with other people and being in a set-
ting where you can figure out ideas, which
is one of the reasons everybody comes to
Bowdoin, he said. [It] is one of the rea-
sons I came to Bowdoin.
In a separate case this semester, three
first-year students in Data Structures
received punishments of three or four-
semester suspensions after they were
brought to the J-Board for academic dis-
honesty over collaboration on the first lab
of the semester. These students likewise
spoke to the Orient on the condition
the bowdoin orient
staff, Bowdoin is also home to various or-
ganizationssuch as Maine State Music
Theater, the Bowdoin International Sum-
mer Music Festival and a chapter of Up-
ward Boundthroughout the summer.
Stam said that the College will primar-
ily treat the trees on its property through
either pruning or spraying. In pruning, fa-
cilities will remove the nests from the trees
and then burn the nests. This is Stams pre-
ferred form of treatment.
[Pruning] doesnt involve the use of
chemicals but its not as effective as chemi-
cal treatmentapplication of pesticides,
Stam said. For example, on our Quad we
have done the best we can to prune and
wed like to avoid using sprays there. In
other areas it makes more sense to spray
and we will spray.
Facilities will spray near the athletic
fields and Childrens Center, since chil-
dren are particularly susceptible to the
moths. Stam said that facilities will co-
ordinate with the staff at the Childrens
MANAGING THE MOTHS
If you come into contact with browntail moths this summer:
Take a cold shower with soapy water
Receive a prescription for spray to calm rash from the Health
Center or Mid Coast Hospital Walk-In Clinic
Prevent rashes by wearing long sleeves and pants when
doing outdoor work
advice from Director of Health Services Jeffrey Maher
of anonymity.
Two of these students were in a Data
Structures class taught by Majercik while
another was in Visiting Assistant Pro-
fessor of Computer Science Allen V. R.
Harpers section of the same class.
The students were accused of collabo-
rating on the first lab of the semester but
did not find out that their cases would
be taken to the J-Board until just before
Spring Break.
[The accusations] really caught me off
guard. I thought at the time I hadnt done
anything wrong, but apparently, accord-
ing to the J-Board, I did [do something]
very wrong, said one of the students.
The students said that they collaborated
on writing code for the lab together. Al-
though they said they did not look at each
others laptops or code, they did write the
code together on a piece of paper, which
they did not realize was a violation of the
departments academic dishonesty policy.
[Professor Majercik] specifically told
us not to copy and paste, said another
student. We thought that as long as we
dont do that, were fine.
Majerciks Data Structures syllabus
reads: Sharing of code is expressly pro-
hibited. At no time should a student copy
code written by another student, even if
slight modifications are made.
Right before Spring Break, the three
students were respectively called into
their professors offices and told that they
would be brought before the J-Board.
Their hearings were scheduled to take
place during Spring Break, but they kept
being rescheduled and were eventually
held on April 8 over the course of the day.
Decisions about the students sanctions
were released later that night.
The students all had individual hear-
ings on April 8 and were not allowed to
talk to each other between their hearings.
Up until then [during the trial], we
feel pretty good about it, said the student
in Harpers class. But then we did some-
thing wrong. We texted each other in be-
tween the hearings.
One of the students in Majerciks class
Center and its neighbors to coordinate an
appropriate time to spray.
It just is what it is and were doing an
approach where we try to preserve our
more important trees for the campus, but
we just cant get everything, Stam added.
For the College, the entire operation,
including the outsourcing of spraying,
will cost somewhere between $15,000
and $20,000.
Treating the trees will be cost-inten-
sive for both Bowdoin and Brunswick,
and there is no way to ensure that moths
will be completely eradicated. Brayman
attributes the difficulty of eradicating the
moths in part to the lack of state fund-
ing and the fact that each town along
the coast is choosing to treat trees its
own way. According to Brayman, some
towns have not yet made plans to attack
the issue. Even with government plan-
ning, there is no way to ensure that pri-
vate homeowners can or will remove the
nests from their properties.
confirmed that the three students knew
that they should not have texted each
other but said their goal was to check in
on one another, not mislead the J-Board.
I know we did a bad thing. Looking
back, we wouldnt have taken that kind of
action, he said.
The deans presiding over the hearings
discovered that the three students had
been texting after a dean had seen a Face-
book message between two of them.
Right after that, the entire feeling [of
the hearing] changed, said one of the stu-
dents. Everyone seemed mad and [the
J-Board] didnt seem to believe what we
[had] said before. We never lied.
The decision regarding the students
punishments was delivered after the
hearings. Two of the students received
three-semester suspensions; one received
a four-semester suspension after he de-
leted the texts messages between the three
students. All three received Fs in their re-
spective classes.
The students decided not to appeal the
decision. The J-Board does not allow ap-
peals except in the event of a procedural
error or if new information becomes
available. Currently, the three students
plan on coming back to Bowdoin after
their suspensions are complete.
One student said although he feels the
J-Board process was fair, the experience
felt intense and emotionally draining.
For me, it was particularly scary and
taxing, and the punishment seemed very
harsh at the time. But I guess if the severity
of the J-Board [process] was made more
clear and how Bowdoin expects you to
act, it may have prevented my situation in
general, he said.
Another student questioned the sever-
ity of his punishment.
How is kicking someone out educat-
ing them? he said.
Other students in the computer sci-
ence department have noticed the up-
tick of plagiarism in the department.
Beleicia Bullock 19, a computer sci-
ence major and math minor, has not
been accused of academic dishonesty.
friday, april 28, 2017
At a council meeting in February, the
council passed a resolution that autho-
rized up to $40,000 from an unappropri-
ated general fund and allowed the town
manager to take any appropriate action.
Brayman called the amount of money a
drop in the bucket.
At this point theres no state resources.
So in some ways were at this wait-and-see
perspective because we dont know, she
said. If they die off thats great, nature will
solve the problem. If [not], we have a huge
problem on our hands and were going to
have to fight for as many resources as we
can to deal with this.
In addition to the Councils actions, cit-
izens are also working each other on how
to properly dispose of the moths when the
nests are on private property.
We really wanted to get to at least do
something because being outside and be-
ing able to enjoy Maine in the summer is
a huge part of living in the state, Bray-
man said.
However, Bullock feels that the de-
partment could be clearer about what
constitutes plagiarism, particularly in
lower-level classes.
Theres really no transparency on
how plagiarism is decidedthe ques-
tion of what plagiarism is, but also
how you identify it, said Bullock. For
projects, especially in [Intro] and Data
Structures, there are so many similar
answers. Theres a lot of confusion over
what plagiarism means.
Mackenzie Schafer 19, a computer
science major currently enrolled in In-
troduction to Systems, said she avoided
collaborating with other students in her
lower-level computer science courses.
I just never really got into the habit of
working with other people just because I
didnt want to accidentally do something I
wasnt supposed to do, she said.
Majercik said the computer science
department wants to encourage stu-
dent collaboration.
People collaborate in the real world.
If youre going to go out, if youre going
to graduate and go out and get a software
[or] a programming job, youre going to
be collaborating with people. Youre not
going to be sitting there writing your
ownso that ability to collaborate is
important, he said. Its an ongoing dis-
cussion in the departmenthow can we
structure things so that students get the
benefits of collaborating but dont cross
over the line into plagiarism?
As students move to upper-level com-
puter science courses, assignments be-
come more difficult and students say that
collaboration becomes more necessary.
Bullock expressed concerns about the ef-
fect of so many academic dishonesty cases
on the departments culture.
Having all these incidents happen
and not having any clear resolution or
next step definitely leaves people in a
space where people are always going to
be on alert, fearful of doing things that are
wrong, said Bullock. Were no longer go-
ing to talk to each other.
Liza Tarbell contributed to this report.

friday, april 28, 2017
BEHIND THE NAME TAG
ITS ALWAYS SONNY: Bowdoin Security Officer Sonny Toscano has worked at Bowdoin for just over three years. Over the years, he has
mastered a variety of other jobs and hobbies including working in retail, being a firefighter and playing five instruments.
Safety, security and some music
Officer Sonny Toscano shares his life beyond the badge
By Julian Andrews
Orient Staff
As students flock to the Brunswick
Quad and Farley Field House in cele-
bration of Ivies this weekend, members
of the Office of Safety and Security will
followand among them will be officer
Sonny Toscano.
A New Jersey native, Toscano has
been working at the College for a little
over three years. Before moving to
Maine, he attended Glassboro State
(now called Rowan University), worked
as a retail manager for 20 years and as
a fireman for 10. Ever since he came to
Maine, Toscano wanted a job at Bow-
doin. He said he appreciates the cam-
pus, the students and the people who
Why some (autistic) people do not like spring
Ben York
AN AUTISTICS
GUIDE TO AUTISM
I know that for many students at Bow-
doin, the onset of springs warm weather
is welcomed with open arms. For others
(namely, myself), the warm weather is
not so welcome. In Maine, warm weather
and insect life come hand-in-hand, and
there are few things I find more bother-
some than insects.
To be fair, it is not exactly the insects
themselves that are the issue. I have no
personal grudge against our fellow or-
ganisms of class Insecta. Nor is it just the
more commonly bothersome insects that
I have a problem with. I doubt that I am
alone in my dislike of mosquitos, ticks
and black flies, and there arent many
outside of the biology department who
would call the drosophila an intimate
friend. I just wish that they would stay in
their own corner of the world, preferably
far away from mine.
No, my issues with insects relatelike
many things doto my being autistic.
Like many on the spectrum, I have sen-
sory difficulties. There are certain noises,
tastes and touches that I find unpleasant
and overwhelming in a way that others
FEATURES
work on and visit campus. When a job
opened up with Bowdoin Security, he
jumped at the chance to apply.
Toscano is a music lover whose love
is not restricted to any one genre. He
plays five instrumentsguitar; trum-
pet; trombone; baritone saxophone; and
he is learning the keyboard.
Im a music nut, he said. I wasnt country supergroup made up of Johnny
a music majorI was a business ma-
jorbut I studied a lot of music because
I was able to take the classes, and they
were amazing. From theory to history, it
was awesome.
Though Toscano is not currently in
a band, he enjoys both playing with his
older brotherwho often plays gigs
and playing by himself.
I dont think I have a favorite [genre]
dont. While insects might be annoying
to most, the buzz of wings next to my ear
or the crawling of tiny legs along my arm
is to me a jarring and unpleasant sensa-
tion. The presence of such insects elicits
a powerful fear response that wrenches
my attention from whatever is on hand,
preparing me for a threat
that is not so threat-
ening (or large).
While I am better
at dealing with the
presence of insects
now with years
of practice under
my belt, as a child
I found the sensa-
tions so overwhelm-
ing they would bring
me to tears. I could
sometimes be seen in my
front yard, running around
and swatting at my head with
the frenzy of a gazelle trying
to outrun a cheetah. I find no
shame in admitting that some
may see me on the Quad this spring
doing the very same thing should I be
stupid enough to try and enjoy the
warm weather.
The changing of seasons, in all
their myriad varieties, can often raise
ELIZA GRAUMLICH, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
because I could be sitting here talking to
you and listening to Frank Sinatra and
Dean Martin, and then two minutes lat-
er Im listening to Metallica, [and then]
a couple minutes later I put on Mozart,
or [am] playing any one of them. And
then 20 minutes later I put on country.
He mentioned The Highwaymena
Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson
and Kris Kristoffersonas one of his
favorite bands.
Toscano built his own house in Bow-
doin, Maine, where he currently lives
with his mother. His older brother
recently moved up from New Jersey
with his family, and Toscano hopes his
Please see TOSCANO, page 4
challenges for the autistic. I have a friend
who, like myself, doesnt like the warm
weather, but unlike me, finds the feeling
of sunlight unpleasant on her skin. An-
other friend, quite unlike myself, much
prefers the warmer months, because they
find wearing heavy clothing overwhelm-
ing. I suppose there is no one place that
would work for all of us.
CAROLINE CARTER
Perfect Stranger, the perfect
wine for new and old friends
BOTTOM OF
THE BARRELL
Will Schweller and Justin Ramos
Nostalgia is one hell of a drug.
Its been a wild ride folks. Weve re-
viewed a lot of wine and a lot of juice we
tried to pass for wine. But after this weeks
column hits the printing press, our tenure
as Bottom of the Barrel columnists comes
to an end. Weve had some semi-serious
white and red wines. Weve had some ab-
solute jet fuel. Frankly, its all been a treat.
Weve learned very little about wine in our
journey together as writers and readers,
but I think we can all say weve had fun.
Regardless, before our tone turns mel-
ancholy, its worth celebrating the cur-
rent season:
In years past, for Will at least, Ivies be-
gan Friday morning following an early
morning shift fighting the good fight as
a Student Circulation Assistant at Haw-
thorne-Longfellow Library. For Justin,
due in large part to pesky professors and
pesky procrastination habits, Ivies began
after pulling an all-nighter for academic
pursuits. This year was different. This
year began, coincidentally enough, seeing
as the two of us, for those unfamiliar, are
wine columnists, with wine. On
a routine trip to Bootleg-
gers Beverage Warehouse
in Topsham, Maine,
minds devoted prose and poetry alike
PHOEBE ZIPPER
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Appearance:
Legs:
Aroma:
Taste:
Overall:
Justin: I regret waiting to write my
nostalgic blurb until after finishing this weeks
bottle.This being our last column has me up
in the feels. Bowdoin is such a special place
and I am so grateful to have found a commu-
nity that is simultaneously so comforting and
challenging. Im also absolutely frightened at
the prospect of no longer having that com-
munity in a few short weeks. So much thanks
to The Orient for letting us write this column
vaguely about wine.
the bowdoin orient 5
this last Saturday, the two of us, alongside
noble companions Tyra and Sam*, found
ourselves in the stores backroom, par-
ticipating alongside several old souls in a
wine tasting from CellarDoor Winery. To
complement the wine, there were cheese,
crackers and grapes. The whole affair was
oddly delightful. Such a merry occasion,
at which Justin and Will tried a multitude
of red, white and dessert wines produced
in Vacationland, seems like the natural
way to start Ivies. We decided to stock up
on a bottle or two of CellarDoors finest
to join us on our long, sacred journey to-
ward the light at the end of the tunnel that
is brunch on Sunday, April 30.
CellarDoor Winerys complex and wise
Perfect Stranger 2014, produced up the
road in Lincolnville, is the perfect wine
for Ivies. Its not super sweet, so you arent
gonna slug it like water and end up feel-
ing all kinds of sorry afterwards. It aint
big and brazy, so you wont have two sips
during Vanic and end up yelling embar-
rassingly intimate things to friends while
waiting for Ferg.
The bottle does not bear the typical
Schweller & Ramos rendition of Bottom
of the Barrel kookiness. Its a tame beast,
bearing some sort of medieval imagery,
maybe. Frankly, it has an image on it that
looks kind of like a shield but may have
something to do with a cellar door, we
dont know, the point is fairly tangential
to the rest of this article. Simply put, the
bottle is simple, but the wine itself isnt.
Ivies need not be a mindless pursuit of
the bacchanalian. Many of historys great
to the merriment found in compliments
of fermentation.
We have a ton of sway at The Ori-
ent. We are generally the first in the
building on Thursdays, and the
last to leave the offices early Friday
morning. (Just kidding, lots of great
people grind really hard to produce
this awesome newspaper each week.
We just write some silly sentences.
Thanks a ton to all who let us do this,
but for the sake of shenanigans bear
with us.) That being the case, we are
currently accepting applications for
next years Bottom of the Barrel col-
umnists. We earned our stripes in
the vino world through schmooz-
ing up Will Danforth 16 and Martin
Krzywy 16. Schmooze us: jramos
and wschwell (@bowdoin.edu).
Tonights Soundtrack:
Perkys Calling by Future
Will: Being a senior is both a really
cool thing and a thing that sucks a
lot of rocks. Like, I love being a king
of the campus. I love the friends Ive
made. I love my haters. Ive loved
all of my roommates, except Jack
Weiss 17. I love saying good morning
to Irene every morning. I loved the
feeling of coming back from abroad
and seeing everyone and everything
I missed. I love posting stupid jokes
about my radio show on Facebook. I
love being a sadboy on Sunday morn-
ings. I love my carrel on the second
floor of H.L. I love that The Orient
Editorial Board has been forgiving to
Justin and I for taking a wine column
and using it as a vehicle for self-
deprecation and self-promotion.
6 features
Moonlighting Production brings light, color and fun to Bowdoin
By Jane Chang
Orient Staff
Although most students on campus
have long been familiar with the Ivies
headliners A$AP Ferg, Vanic and Small-
pools, only some students have heard the
name Moonlighting Production Servic-
es, LLC. This production company has
been working with Bowdoin to provide
light fixtures and sound services for the
yearly Ivies concerts and many other
Bowdoin events for over 20 years.
Founded in 1987, Moonlighting is
based in Portland, Maine, and is one of
the largest event production companies
in northern New England. They have
worked in a variety of different settings
from providing rentals to middle and
high schools in Maine to servicing the
T-Pain concert at Bates College.
Founding Partner Gary Massey
has worked with Bowdoin for around
two decades.
In the first few years of Bowdoins part-
nership with Moonlighting, the company
mainly supplied commencement lighting
fixtures before expanding its involvement
to include events like Spring Gala, Upright
Citizens Brigade shows, theater and dance
performances and more.
Theres a certain amount of insti-
tutional knowledge that we have at
our company of how events occur,
and have occurred, at Bowdoin, said
Massey. In this business, long-term
relationships dont always happen, but
when they do, its fun.
In the service industry, youre only
as good as your last job, and I think that
the fact that weve been able to maintain
a relationship with Bowdoin College for
[approximately] 25 years probably says
that theres mutual respect, he added.
Massey explained that the close part-
TOSCANO
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
younger brother will follow.
Job responsibilities for a Security of-
ficer vary a great deal depending on
which shift an officer works. There are
three Security shifts over each 24-hour
period: the first shift runs from 7 a.m.
to 3 p.m., the second from 3 p.m. to 11
p.m. and the third from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Especially when working the later shifts,
Toscano tries to keep in mind that while
he may just be starting his workday, the
same is not true for students.
I get that mindset where some-
times when Ive worked third shift, I
figure you guys have had a whole day
and everything and Im coming in at
the beginning of mine, when you call
for something whether its help or just
a simple thing as a lock out, he said.
A lot of people say to me, Oh I forgot
my key! and Im like Pfft, dont worry
about it. Youve been at school all day
long, who knows what you were doing
after it, its [11 p.m.] at night, you dont
have to explain it to me, dont worry
about it.
Most of the calls Toscano receives,
especially on weekdays, are residential
admittancessomeone being locked
out of their dorm.
Thats the kind of call I never mind
going on, because nobodys in trouble.
Nobodys hurt, nobodys in trouble, no-
bodys sick, he said.
While it is Toscanos and other Secu-
rity officers jobs to make sure students
follow College policy, their primary goal
is always to keep students safe.
Toscano said his least favorite part of
his job is writing tickets to students who
violate policy.
A lot of people come over and theyre
like Ah, you wrote me a ticket! Its not a
happy thing to me. Its something thats
the bowdoin orient friday, april 28, 2017
DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT: Moonlighting Production Services, LLC has serviced
Bowdoin concerts, shows and other events, including in Thorne Dining Hall, for over the past 20
years. The company is one of the largest event production companies in northern New England.
nership between the company and the Bowdoin so well that they understand our
College has even reached the point where budget and the limitations of our spaces
Tony Sprague, director of events and sum- I never worry about them for any of
mer programs, can omit some job-de- our shows, he said.
scription details since Moonlighting is al- Hintze said he does not anticipate
ready so accustomed to Bowdoins needs. hiring any other local production
Director of Student Activities companies in the near future.
Nate Hintze appreciates Moonlight- We have such a great relationship
ings reliability. [with Moonlighting] that I havent
They are incredibly helpful in work- seen the need to look for other op-
ing with the artists and their manage- tions Its comforting to know that
ment when it comes to backline needs or Moonlighting is going to come in and
sound and lighting requests. They know do a great job.
COURTESY OF MOONLIGHTING SERVICES, LLC.
one of those necessary evils. Some peo-
ple realize it and it gets taken care of and
some people dont, and I dont like that
part of it, he said.
I like to be able to help people, he
continued. When we get a health and
wellness check and Im the one thats
able to be the person thats calm to be
able to help somebody, and know-
ing that I did help somebody, thats an
amazing thingan amazing feeling.
I know that I can pretty much handle
anything, you know, and I know that I
can pretty much stay calm doing it, and
that makes a major difference.
In a sharp contrast to his own college
experience, Toscano has always found
that the relationship between Security
and Bowdoin students is a good one
and he hopes to keep it that way.
When I was in college it was insane.
The police department, if it was a Fri-
day or Saturday night, they were there
constantly, and its just hard to sort of be
when that is. Here I think people have
a lot more respect, he said. Theres a
respect between us, between [students]
and us. We hold that very high and we
hope that you do, because that means
a lot to us. To know that you can call
us for anythingit may not be a good
thing, but we will respect you.
While one might think that Ivies
would be a Security officers worst night-
mare, Toscano actually says he does not
mind it. In some ways the weekend is
easier to manage because most students
are concentrated in the same place.
I like [Ivies]. I think its pretty cool. I
think the whole idea of the Ivies is pretty
cool. To tell you the truth I dont mind
doing Ivies, we just make sure we staff it
properly, he said. You got to have the
right attitude, its Ivies, its a fun thing
it should be fun! And things do happen,
but things happen on a Thursday or Fri-
day night thats not Ivies.
friday, april 28, 2017
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Senior Studio exhibition highlights non-traditional mediums
By Claudia Pou
Orient Staff
Senior visual arts majors presented their
final exhibitions on Monday evening in an
eclectic display of video monitors, sound
art, photography and large oil portraits on
canvas. In the culmination of their Senior
Studio class, many students utilized both
traditional and non-traditional mediums
to reflect on their personal experiences at
Bowdoin and at home.
I was really excited for Senior Studio
because it was an opportunity to do what-
ever I wanted. Ive been wanting to not be
restricted by any kind of class model, said
Haleigh Collins 17, whose work was pre-
sented in the show.
One of Collins pieces is titled Get-
ting My Hands Dirty and Presenting
My Craft. It features a constant loop of
three videos of herself, along with sound
sourced from YouTube videos and a Bow-
doin Career Planning meeting she record-
ed. In one video, Collins puts many fake
eyelashes on her face and paints them.
Im kind of interested in traditionally
feminine forms of craft or art and why its
not seen as high art and then also surreal-
ist elements because I think it looks really
creepy, she said.
In all three videos, the sound and video
work to grab the viewers attention. Col-
lins said her works connection to current
events was a big goal in her art.
I think its tough to feel like you are ac-
tually commenting on whats going on in
the world, but its definitely a goal of mine
to be in conversation with things outside
of just art for arts sake, she said.
Evan Stevens 17 centered his final proj-
ect around his experience of synesthesia
the association of colors with different
people, numbers and words.
Im obsessed with color and use it in
a very meaningful and symbolic way. Ive
kind of characterized people my whole
life, like certain personalities, in terms of
color, and this has made me focus a lot on
Youre not that woke: on the importance of music, culture and self-doubt
Connor Moore
TO THE CROSSROADS
The other day I came to the uncomfort-
able realization that I am not as woke as I
had once thought. Ive always held the be-
lief that music simply reflects the values,
circumstances and realities of whatever
environment it comes out of. In an in-
terview with Trevor Noah on The Daily
Show, T.I. once espoused a similar opin-
ion, saying, Hip-hop traditionally has al-
ways been a reflection of the environment
the artist had to endure before he made it
to where he was. So if you want to change
the content of the music, change the envi-
ronment of the artist.
I like this argument. Its a great way to
shut white people down when they come
at you saying that violence in black neigh-
borhoods is the fault of hip-hop music
(and by extension, the predominately
black performers who make it) and not
the result of generations of housing dis-
crimination, systematic racism and po-
lice brutality. It is an argument that Ive
relied on many timesand that is going
to make it all the more difficult for me as I
now go about dismantling it.
The notion that music simply reflects
faces. This has kind of fostered my love for
portraits as well, Stevens said.
Stevens work, titled Family Portrait,
features three oil paintings of himself, his
mother and his father. The paintings are
monochromatic and projected with the
light of the color he associates with each
personorange for himself, red for his
mother and blue for his father.
The light aspect is kind of trying to
represent this process thats intangible,
trying to have people see my own world
in my own head, said Stevens.
The paintings are in a room with a tele-
vision playing sounds and showing colors
he associates with his family.
So the whole thing together is meant
to represent the sitting room kind of aes-
thetic, and its looking at representations
of myself and my family and our history
and our idiosyncrasies through color,
said Stevens.
Heather Chan 17 similarly focused her
work on the importance of family. Chans
piece, Divergence, is meant to represent
the anxiety and loneliness Chan antici-
pates feeling upon being separated from
her twin, Felice Chan 17, for the first time
after they graduate in June.
She has been by my side for 22 years
and next years going to be the first time
were ever going to be apart, and I think
not many people understand the close
bond we have as twins and that we rely
on each othershes been my biggest
competitor but also my biggest support-
er, said Chan.
Chan was influenced by the story of the
Gemini constellation, in which the im-
mortal twin, Pollux, sacrifices his immor-
tality to share with his mortal twin, Castor,
in order to keep them together.
Chans piece is a set of five black and
white photographs: two of each twin and
one of them together. The piece is interac-
tive, with a frame that can be opened on
each side to see the picture of the twins in
the middle. The photos are suspended on
binder clips, which making them flutter
culture is productive in certain contexts
but entirely untrue in others. Currently,
I live in a house that hosts a lot of par-
ties. At one such party, I witnessed an
exchange that disheartened me. Drakes
song All Me, a favorite of mine, was play-
ing through the small Bluetooth speaker
that sat on the ledge of the faux hearth in
my kitchen, and eventually it came to the
point in the song where the beat drops off
and the only sound that can be heard is Big
Sean delivering his iconic line, Ho, shut
the fuck up! As this happened, I watched
as a boy turned to the girl next to him and,
slightly when the frame is openeda nod
to the idea of her diverging from her twin.
The Senior Studio class is com-
prised of 12 students: Chan, Collins,
Katie Craighill, Ben Eisenberg, Laura
Griffee, Alice Jones, Teddy Lyman, Ju-
lie ODonnell, Henry Quinson, Kenny
Shapiro, Elizabeth Snowdon and Ste-
vens. Although the artists were excited
to have the opportunity to work without
a defined structure, they also found the
freedom somewhat challenging.
My biggest challenge was definitely fig-
uring out how not to go too big, not to go
too colorful and in your face and kind of
have these more subtle representations of
ourselves and the video and the sculpture
aspect kind of speak for itself, said Stevens.
The Senior Studio Final Exhibition will
be on installed at the Edwards Center for
Art and Dance through May 5.
bringing his face in close to hers and smil-
ing a dumb, drunken grin, shouted those
lyrics right in her face. The boy was obvi-
ously quite amused with himself at having
remembered the lyrics and successfully
delivered them with the correct timing
and cadence. The girl, on the other hand,
did not seem so amused.
This exchange reminded me of similar
situations that Ive found myself in here at
Bowdoin. On multiple occasions, Ive had
to choke back the impulse to make a scene
in response to one of my white peers
shouting the nigga word in my face. Even
DIANA FURUKAWA
GET THE PICTURE: (TOP) Carly Berlin 18 looks at Heather Chans 17 piece, Divergence at
the opening of the exhibition. (BOTTOM) Sofi Lopez 18 admires Laura Griffees 17 installation.
though the majority of these instances
have come about as the result of some-
body singing along to rap lyrics, the trau-
matic effect of a white person calling me
nigger isnt at all mitigated by the inno-
cence of their intent. Moreover, the fact
that some people only feel comfortable
using racial slurs when they hear them in
songs is a clear example of music influenc-
ing culture.
Often times, my adverse reaction to
being called a racial slur will elicit a sur-
prised and indignant response. But you
know that Im not a racist, I was just sing-
ing along, theyll say. You know that I
was just joking around. When rhetoric
like this is used on me, all that I hear is,
For whatever reason, I consider myself
beyond reproach when it comes to issues
of racism and shame on you for suggest-
ing otherwise.
This is an easy trap to fall into at a place
like Bowdoin. Liberal ideology dominates
the political discourse on campus, and
there seems to be a general sense that if
you buy into that way of thinking, you are
safe from being called out as a racist, sexist
or homophobe. The truth is, though, that
no matter how woke you think you are,
it is still possible that your behavior might
serve to reaffirm and reinforce certain op-
pressive power structures. Thinking back,
most of the white people who have called
the bowdoin orient 7
JENNY IBSEN, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
me nigga have been very liberal, open-
minded people. Theyve been people
with whom Ive shared Africana Studies
classes, people who have led programs
about issues that face people of color on
campus, even people who have gone on
to become class councilors and leaders in
our student government. I feel as though
it is not in spite of their political beliefs but
because of them that they consider them-
selves too woke to be racist.
Im guilty of this too. In my time here,
Ive read enough bell hooks and Judith
Butler to feel comfortable calling my-
self a woke feminist. However, watch-
ing that boy scream in that girls face to
silence her and call her a ho, I realized
that I was complacent in what was going
on. Not only was my house the space in
which the exchange occurred, it was my
playlist that contained the song that con-
tained the problematic lyric. That trou-
bling exchange only took place because I
created the right environment for itand
I created that environment out of igno-
rance. Because of my opinions on music
and culture, I hadnt considered that the
sexism in my music might influence the
vibe of the party. Had I the gumption to
doubt myself and recognize the role that
I was playing in making my house a gen-
dered, unwelcoming space, maybe that
girl wouldnt have left crying.
8 sports the bowdoin orient friday, april 28, 2017

friday, april 28, 2017
Tufts ends softball win streak, team looks to recover
By Anna Fauver
Orient Staff
After losing two of three games to
Tufts (18-12, 6-4 NESCAC) last weekend,
the Bowdoin softball team (24-8, 6-3
NESCAC) dropped to No. 2 in the
NESCAC East. The Polar Bears must now
win all three games against Bates (10-13,
1-6 NESCAC) this weekend in order to
clinch a spot in the NESCAC playoffs.
According to Head Coach Ryan
Sullivan, the team had a hard time
recovering from rough innings in both
games on Sunday. During the fifth inning
of the first game, Tufts managed to get
seven runs on Bowdoin, rendering the
Polar Bears unable to make a comeback.
It was kind of a tale of two days.
I thought on Saturday, particularly
considering the weather conditions, we
played pretty well, he said. On Sunday,
we had one bad inning in each of the
two games that we played in the double
header, which really let us down. This is
uncharacteristic for us this year, so its a
little surprising that that took place.
Captain Lauren Nguyen 17 believes
that the prospect of facing Tufts, which
has won three national titles in the past
four years, intimidated the team and
contributed to Bowdoins defeat.
Its not that we didnt want it or
anything like that, Nguyen said. We
were too much in our heads about it, and
that affected how we playedboth our
physical game and our mental game. I
think it was the name on the jersey that
kind of got us in our heads, and it affected
how we played the games.
Captain Marisa OToole 17 agreed
with Nguyen and thinks that this mindset
allowed Tufts to control the game.
We didnt make the adjustments,
OToole said. I think a lot of times we
were pushing to get that big hit when our
strength all season has been stringing
together singles or doubles and not
Track and field gears up for home NESCAC Championships
By Julius Long
Orient Staff
This weekend, Bowdoin will host the
NESCAC Track and Field Championships
for the first time since 2006. The womens
and mens track teams are coming off
of first-place finishes in their last two
respective meets and will look to extend
their success through this weekend.
Last weekend, the mens team won
its first Maine State Championship title
since 2009, an impressive recovery after
a disappointing state meet during the
indoor season.
We were seeded to win [the indoor
state meet] and we lost. That really
caught us by surprise and that was a huge
motivator for us to put in the work for the
outdoor season, said Alan Banks 18. I
saw that we had a really good team and
a really good freshman class. I just kept
telling myself that we are definitely capable
of beating themit was just buying into
that mindset.
With outstanding performances in the
110m hurdles, long jump and high jump,
Joseph Staudt 19 was named the Alan
Hillman Track Athlete of the Meet as well
as the NESCAC Mens Field Performer of
the Week. Wins in the steeplechase, 10k,
1500m, 100m and 200m dash also helped
bolster Bowdoin towards a first-place
finish over the five other Maine colleges
competing at the event.
Meanwhile, the womens team hosted
SPORTS
SWINGING STRONG: Caroline Rice 19 warms up with a practice swing in the teams double-header against Tufts on Saturday.
getting those big hits. If we had just relied
on our own game and tried to play our
game, our tempo, our pace, we wouldve
been better off.
Though upset at losing the 13-game
win streak, OToole is confident that the
team can move past these losses as it
focuses on this weekend.
Were definitely disappointed with
how it went but pretty determined to
not let that derail us and push on and
approach these games tomorrow and
our games against Bates with as healthy a
mindset as possible, she said.
Despite Bates six conference losses and
its spot on the bottom of NESCAC East,
Sullivan is expecting a close game.
the Aloha Relays, where it swept the relays
and the 10k as well as attaining several first
place finishes. Samantha Schaeffer 19,
Meghan Bellerose 17, Julia ORourke 19
and Sarah Kinney 19 claimed first places
in the 200m dash, 800m run, 10,000m
run and 3000m steeplechase respectively.
On the field, Stefanie Mueller 19 won the
high jump, Pamela Zabala 17 won the
discus and Ellen Masalsky 20 placed first
in the javelin.
The teams success this past weekend
sets them up well heading into NESCAC
Championships, both on and off the
track. Since athletes qualify to compete
at NESCACs on an individual basis,
the entire team will not be competing,
thus strong team performances have
ON THE RUN: Charlotte Oster 20 leaps to a tenth-place finish in the womens 400m hurdles.
NESCAC weekends are going to be
competitive games no matter what the
records are, he said. You play three times
within 36 hours, so you tend to have some
close games because its really hard to beat
somebody three times, especially within
that short time frame.
Bates strengths lie in its pitching, which
has given the Bobcats 33 conference
strikeouts compared to Bowdoins 24.
Furthermore, Bates has many young
players that Bowdoin has not yet faced.
They have a very good first-year pitcher,
so we havent seen her, so thatll be new and
different. That obviously can take the game
in a lot of different scenarios, said Sullivan.
Theyre a very young team, which is both
united both teams as they head into this
important weekend.
I think its nice to have people striving
to qualify for NESCACs, said Demi Feder
17. And since not everyone can go, its
really good to have a meet where its team-
focused the weekend before NESCACs
so that people are not only motivated for
individual qualifications but also to have
the team motivation behind it.
Historically, Tufts and Williams
have dominated the womens and mens
NESCAC Championships. Both teams
look strong this year as well, as the Tufts
mens team just moved into the top 10 and
the Williams womens team sits at No. 2
in the USTFCCCA Division III rankings.
We definitely know that the most
LEAH KRATOCHVIL, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
ELIZA GRAUMLICH, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
good and bad. Theyll have nothing to lose.
Ivies and end-of-the-semester
classwork this weekend also pose
additional challenges for the Polar Bears.
Ivies does present some challenges
just because the campus can be very loud,
Sullivan said. And then as we work to the
back end of the semester, there tends to
be more papers and projects that students
have to focus on. Unavoidably, there are
guarantees that my players are going to
have late nights.
However, the team is staying focused
and gearing up for a competitive weekend,
as the Polar Bears face the Bobcats at 4
p.m. today at Bates and at noon and 2 p.m.
tomorrow at home.
competitive teams in the NESCAC are
Tufts and Williams, said Banks. This year
we are trying to go for third, maybe higher.
I want to say we can even push for second.
Neither Bowdoin team has finished in
the top three at NESCAC Championships
since both took second place in 1998, but
this years Polar Bear squad has the talent
and demeanor to be a real contender.
We were never this amped before a
meet, Banks said. Before the meet, one
of our captains gave a hyped talk. I wasnt
used to that because generally track is
a more of individual sport, but I liked
how before the meet we were all brought
together and that honestly contributed
to our win that day. So hopefully going
to NESCACs well have that energy and
really push for third or second.
While similar weather conditions to last
weekend will likely lead to a slick track, the
team hopes to gain a sizable home-track
advantage. With the added element of Ivies
this weekend, hopefully the meet will draw
a large crowd, which will give Bowdoin an
edge over visiting teams.
I think it will be nice, as seniors, to
have it here. Not having to travel is really
good for everyones sleep and eating; its
just far more comfortable. So that will be
a huge benefit of hosting it, said Feder. I
think people will really be excited to be
home and have a huge crowd at our track.
NESCAC Championships will
begin tomorrow at 10 a.m. on Magee-
Samuelson Track.
the bowdoin orient 9
HIGHLIGHT
REEL
Smooth sailing. The sailing team
competed in two regattas last
weekend. Finishing seventh out of
18 teams, the windless Admirals
Cup significantly limited racing.
At the Womens New England
Championship, the Polar Bears
battled it out with Harvard,
ultimately winning a tiebreaker
against the Crimson to secure the
final qualifying spot for Womens
Nationals. That competition
will be hosted by the College
of Charleston on May 23. This
weekend the team will compete at
the New England Dinghy Cham-
pionships at Boston College on
Saturday at 10 a.m.
Round Two. Mens lacrosse (10-5,
7-3 NESCAC) ended its regular
season with three consecutive wins
after beating Tufts (11-4, 6-4 NES-
CAC) 19-15 at home on Wednesday
to clinch the No. 4 seed and a home
quarterfinal matchup in NESCAC
playoffs this weekend. The decisive
win sets the team up well as it
will face Tufts again on Saturday
at 1 p.m. in the first round of the
tournament and look to repeat its
strong performance.
Lucky No. 7. Womens lacrosse
(10-5, 5-5 NESCAC) will enter
NESCAC playoffs as the No. 7
seed after a disappointing loss
to Tufts (10-5, 5-5 NESCAC)
on Wednesday. After ending the
first half down 9-5, the Polar
Bears outscored the Jumbos 7-4
in the second half, yet it wasnt
enough to come back and they
fell 13-12. The team will look to
bounce back on Saturday when
they face No. 2 Hamilton (11-4,
8-2 NESCAC) at noon.
Teeing off. The mens golf team
opened its spring season with a
fifth-place finish at the Williams
Spring Invitational, improv-
ing from its eighth-place finish
at the competition last year.
The team finished the two-day
event with 647 points, 23 points
behind fourth-place Hamilton.
The Polar Bears were led by cap-
tain Thomas Spagnola 17, who
placed eighth overall, followed
by Tom Dunleavy 20 in 19th.
COMPILED BY ANJULEE BHALLA
 OPINION
10 the bowdoin orient friday, april 28, 2017

Support the staff Bowdoins government department

must be revamped and modernized
The sun is shining and the tank is clean. Yes, its that time of year again
the long awaited Ivies week(end). Droves of students flood Salvo to update
their mandatory Ivies uniforms: fanny packs, overalls, velvet track suit, jorts,
obnoxiously bright neon... everything. First years get way too hyped, but
weve all been there. College Houses collect last minute dues because it turns Ethnicity, and Politics for next year, but outmoded understanding of how to divide
out alcohol costs money. Every champagne supplier in Brunswick rejoices. hiring a professor to teach about racial politicsessentially by region and histori-
Its as much a part of spring as freshly mown grass and allergies. Rachel Baron issues should been done years ago. Our cal discipline. In contrast, Bates concentra-
But, seriouslyas we look to enjoy this weekend, its important that we all ZERO CHILL political theory department only teaches tions are much more forward-thinking.
remember that our Ivies celebration is a big privilege. We spend a combined Western political philosophy, the vast ma- Its concentrations include: institutional
total of $129,500 on concerts, set-up, food, staff overtime, clean up and more. jority of which is from the 19th and early politics; identities and interests; political
Its important to be cognizant of how much this event costs in order to Bowdoins Department of Government 20th centuries (or earlier). This seems economy; philosophical, literary and legal
properly appreciate it. and Legal Studies has an incredible repu- to imply that the only political theory studies; and governance and conflict. These
Many members of our campus community drop everything and endure tation. But it is clear to me that its highly worth teaching is from a specific part of categories reflect a global and multi-faceted
inconveniences to work hard to make this weekend special for students. ranked status has in fact impeded the de- the world and a specific era, while ignor- understanding of the world, one that works
For us, the biggest inconvenience is having to drag ourselves to class again partments motivation to improve. Bow- ing contributions from a much more di- across regions to look at broader themes.
next Monday. doins government department was the verse group of individuals writing closer Introducing these important topics at
After Ivies every year, facilities and housekeeping staff members are re- only department that escaped criticism in to today. Bowdoin would not necessitate a trade-
sponsible for cleaning up our messthe littered beer cans and Solo cups on the 2013 National Association of Schol- A look at the course catalogue at Bates off. We can continue to teach classics
the Brunswick Quad, the food and used paper plates covering the fields, the ars (NAS) reporta report in which the College will quickly indicate what Bow- while also expanding our offerings. Bates
vomit in the fieldhouse bathrooms and the sticky champagne floors that cake major criticisms of Bowdoin were that it doins government department is missing. is able to offer Western Political Theory,
the common areas of our dorms and houses. You wouldnt so belligerently is accepting of different gender and sexual (I choose to discuss Bates here because of three different types of Constitutional
leave a mess at home, so dont do it here. identities, that it emphasizes multicultur- its proximity to Bowdoin, but this trend Law (one more than we do), a wide vari-
Dining Service mobilizes an army to set up meal outside the fieldhouse on alism and that it does not focus enough holds true at other NESCAC schools as ety of courses on American politics and
Saturday and has to deal with much larger rushes of students at the dining on traditional American and Western well). Based on its list of courses from also offer classes like The Household and
halls throughout the weekend as parties die down. political values. The fact that such a reac- this past year, the Bates government de- Political Theory, Race and U.S. Womens
Neighbors around the campus endure the echos of our loud music, stu- tionary report singled out the government partment offered (based on their titles) Movements and Politics of Race, Gender,
dents stumbling down their blocks and the litter we leave on their lawns and department for praise suggests some- nine courses that deal with gender, and Sexuality in Brazil.
sidewalks. As part of the Brunswick community, it is our responsibility to be thing concerning. three courses on sexuality and This critique is in no way a criticism of
respectful of those who live near us. Our government department six courses that address race any professors or their classes. It is not that
Ivies is one of the most difficult times for security. Randy will be sleeping woefully undercovers issues and ethnicity. our current offerings are somehow bad,
on a cot in his office all weekend with a walkie-talkie next to his bed. Security of contemporary politi- Similar to Bowdoin, but that we need an expanded range of
beefs up staff and makes sure were safe while traipsing around campus from cal importance. We do Bates has concentra- offeringsofferings that are more reflec-
one location to ingest alcohol to another. not have any classes tions within the tive of contemporary politics. Traditional
Each of these these underappreciated members of our community deserve about gender and major. However, understandings of who and what is ac-
our respect and appreciation, especially during Ivies. Be considerate and do politicsa pretty its concentrations ceptable to study is becoming less and less
not inconvenience these people by drinking too much, littering or leaving a standard sub- are more relevant important, except here and at places like
mess in your living area. Thank your housekeepers, the dining staff, security ject at our peer to today than the Bowdoin that refuse to change. This could
team and other support staff members and keep doing so even after Ivies is schools. We also ones Bowdoin has. positively impact and diversify the group
over. These members of our community all work hard to make life at Bow- rarely have had Our concentra- of people who chooses to study govern-
doin possible and they go above and beyond during Ivies. classes that fo- tionsPolitical ment at Bowdoin as well. Perhaps classes
cus on race and Theory, Ameri- that focused more on gender in the politi-
This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orients editorial board, politics. It is can Politics, cal theory department might attract more
which is comprised of Julian Andrews, Harry DiPrinzio, Jenny Ibsen, Dakota Griffin fortunate that International women to a concentration that is over-
and Meg Robbins. Bowdoin has Relations whelmingly dominated by men.
hired a ten- and Com- The wide acclaim of Bowdoins govern-
ure-track p ar at ive ment department means that it should be
professor Politics a leader in what colleges are learning, not
to teach reflect a stuck in the past. Its time to bring the gov-
Race, somewhat ernment department into the modern era.
SOPHIE WASHINGTON

bowdoinorient.com orient@bowdoin.edu 6200 College Station

ESTABLISHED 1871

Brunswick, ME 04011
Ode to Alone(liness): campus engagement and anxiety
by the person Im talking to. where I have too often managed to
I often consider my social anxiety feel lonely.
The Bowdoin Orient is a student-run weekly publication dedicated to providing news
and information relevant to the Bowdoin community. Editorially independent of the
Maurice Asare to be somewhat identity based: my Loneliness appears to have a re-
College and its administrators, the Orient pursues such content freely and thoroughly, AFRICANXIOUS identity is often at the center of my ciprocal relationship with social
following professional journalistic standards in writing and reporting. The Orient is attention, thus influencing the way I anxiety. Once again, social anxiety
committed to serving as an open forum for thoughtful and diverse discussion and comport myself. For instance, when is a condition in which an individual
debate on issues of interest to the College community.
A few months ago, I wrote an arti- having a casual conversation with has an excessive and arbitrary fear
cle about my experiences navigating an acquaintance, I find myself hung of social situations and interactions.
Julian Andrews Meg Robbins small talk at Bowdoin. The tenor of up on how my identity is being per- Therefore, social anxiety is known to
Editor in Chief Editor in Chief that article was focused on the func- ceived by the other person, and not facilitate loneliness, but this loneli-
tion of small talk as a mechanism of on the actual conversation. ness also increases social anxiety. It
forming solidarity: Bowdoin students The nature of such conversa- becomes difficult to form friendships
Layout Editor Managing Editor News Editor use small talk to commiserate over tions is, at least on my part, ostensi- when people interpret your general
Emma Bezilla Sarah Bonanno Jessica Piper shared experiences. Small talk then bly scripted. fear of social interactions as personal
Ian Stewart Harry DiPrinzio serves as a springboard for greater Nevertheless, my identity has of- dislike or loathingpeople begin to
Joe Seibert Sports Editor and more meaningful connections. ten hinged upon feelings of anxiety, pull away.
Sr. Photo Editor Sarah Drumm Anjulee Bhalla As an individual with social anxi- which in turn has produced feelings This vicious cycle stymies the for-
Eliza Graumlich Emily Weyrauch ety, however, navigating these obliga- of undesirability. Ive realized that mation of many friendships for indi-
Features Editor
Associate Editor Amanda Newman tory forms of social pageantry often being gregarious is not only con- viduals who have social anxiety.
Photo Editor results in my avoidance of small talk ducive to having a part of the Bow- As the semester comes to an end,
Jenny Ibsen Olivia Atwood
Ellice Lueders A&E Editor altogether. These small talk scenarios doin social scene, but it also serves these past few weeks have been
Hannah Rafkin Surya Milner are awkward and anxiety-provoking. as a means of not feeling excluded somewhat devoted to self-reflection.
Ezra Sunshine Eli Lustbader
Calder McHugh Individuals with social anxiety thus or lonely. Ive accepted that it is rather difficult,
Opinion Editor often feel excluded from these typical There is an (unspoken) Bowdoin sometimes, to simultaneously deal
Web Editor Copy Editor Julia ORourke conversations, which can sometimes social standard, that places friendli- with social anxiety and thrive in the
James Little Marina Affo lead to feelings of loneliness. ness and outgoingness on pedestals. Bowdoin social scene. In these mo-
Dakota Griffin Page 2 Editor
In general, people tend to put We have a tendency to attach some ments of difficulty, I have realized
Data Desk Lucia Ryan Gwen Davidson too much pressure on themselves measure of social success to these the importance of alone time: I have
Lexi Gray Liza Tarbell
Gideon Moore Calendar Editor when engaging in small talk. Instead virtues. The notion of being alone or learned to embrace and cultivate, in
Sr. News Reporter Rohini Kurup of outwardly focusing and listen- refraining from social engagement is doses, these necessary moments. At
Business Manager James Callahan ing to the other person, we are of- antithetical to the Bowdoin standard Bowdoin, we tend to pillar the con-
Maggie Coster Steff Chavez Social Media Editor ten hindered by stressful ideas that of community. cept of engagement.
Vivien Lee Cameron de Wet Jono Gruber we must be funny, interesting and/ Interestingly, Bowdoin is the first While being engaged with both the
or entertaining. place where I have never managed community and our fellow peers is
The material contained herein is the property of The Bowdoin Orient and appears at the sole discretion of the When I am making small talk, I to be alone (roommates and a small invaluable, we must not forget that
editors. The editors reserve the right to edit all material. Other than in regard to the above editorial, the opinions am often preoccupied with thoughts school with limited study spaces will engaging with ourselves is equal-
expressed in the Orient do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors.
concerning how I am being perceived do that). Nonetheless, it is a place ly valuable.
friday, april 28, 2017
Get Out confronts the intersectionality of race and mental health
By Osa Omoregie
Op-Ed Contributor
The other weekend, I was talking
with my best friend from Bates Col-
lege when the subject of the surprise
hit thriller Get Out came up in
conversation. He asked me, What
did you think? I gave the usual
response, saying it was so good
and so funny. He disapproved of
the response and retorted, No, but
what did you really think about it?
Honestly, I had to put a great deal of
thought into my response.
After talking more with my friend
about the film, I started to frame
Get Out less as a horror comedy
about casual racism and more as a
piece to raise mental health aware-
ness. The story begins with black
photographer Chris getting invited
by his white girlfriend Rose to meet
her parents, her father a neurosur-
geon and her mother a hypnothera-
pist. Delving deeper into the hidden
messages of the film, my friend rea-
soned that Chriss descent into The
Sunken Place plays on the fears that
black communities have about go-
ing to therapy. The Sunken Place is
a hypnosis-induced stateinvoked
by Roses momthat results in full-
McKeens address prompts evaluation of the moral focus of a Bowdoin education
Ryan Ward
HOLDING FAST
In Joseph McKeens inaugural ad-
dress, delivered at the opening of
the College in 1802, this one line has
stood the test of time and continues
to influence Bowdoins self-image
to this day: ...It ought always to be
remembered, that literary institu-
tions are founded and endowed for
the common good, and not for the
private advantage of those who re-
sort to them for education. But in
the two centuries that have passed
since McKeen delivered his address,
we have become disconnected from
the original meaning of the com-
mon good.
I think the typical way we handle
the topic of the common good today
is to sidestep the full moral implica-
tions of the term. We take it to mean
that a liberal arts education is meant
to educate students to make a mean-
ingful impact in the world and that
the very act of being here and receiv-
ing an education is in some way con-
tributing to the common good. There
is a very progressive faith in the unal-
loyed power of knowledge to improve
the good of society as a whole.
But this optimistic reading is en-
tirely at odds with McKeens mes-
sage. In the very next paragraph of
his address, he warns his audience of
GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?
1 2
SUBMIT AN OP-ED
500-700 words
body paralysis. I kept my friends
thoughts in mind as I spoke about
black peoples aversion to and dis-
trust of mental health professions on
last weeks mental health panel spon-
sored by Bowdoin Student Govern-
ment called Its Okay Not To Not Be
Okay. It was there that I understood
Get Out to be a cinematic caveat
against African Americans practice
of trivializing mental health, espe-
cially in a time when they are being
increasingly burdened with race-
based stress and hardship.
The writer and director of Get
Out, Jordan Peele said that the film
was designed to be a period piece
for white liberals who believe that,
since Barack Obama was elected
President, they must be living in a
post-racial America. This film
also illustrates a time when ra-
cial tensions are so high that black
Americans must work harder to sur-
vive both emotionally and existen-
tially. Get Out constantly evokes
current black American fears start-
ing with the films opening scene,
which channeled the shooting of
Trayvon Martin in 2012. This scene
certainly played into my existential
fears as a black man. Chris is forced
the dangers of a student who absorbs
knowledge in all disciplines without
the necessary moral guidance that
teaches him how to serve God and so-
ciety. In fact, such a student is more
dangerous than a madman, armed
with instruments of death, and let
loose among the defenseless inhabit-
ants of a village. McKeen argues that
there is a deep connection
between the common
good and moral educa-
tion of the individual
student, for all the
knowledge in the
world cannot
turn ones heart
away from self-
ish ambitions
and toward the
good of others.
This does not mean
the College must enforce
a strict code of morality
among students, since we
are all responsible adults
capable of making our own
decisions. It has more to
do with the way our educa-
tion equips us with the tools
necessary to make educated
moral decisions, for the
process of moral reasoning
involves much more than de-
ducing right behavior from a
set of precepts that we learn
in a classroom. In our daily
lives, we all face the question
what ought I to do? in a variety
the bowdoin orient
to defend his humanity in the face of
endless microaggressions, like when
Roses brother remarked that Chris
genetic makeup would make him a
beast in a capoeira fight. As usual,
Chris laughs it off with Rose a few
scenes later before they start kissing.
Laughter serves as his temporary
coping mechanism, as it does for
many African Americans, but there
is a breaking point.
Throughout the film, I found my-
self screaming at Chris to get out,
worrying that him being in Roses
hometown in white suburbia would
be detrimental to his emotional and
physical well-being. The microag-
gressions pile up at Roses family so-
cial when a white woman fawns over
Chriss muscular build and indirectly
asks if he is well-endowed, as the
myth suggests that all black men are.
Later, an older white male tells Chris,
immediately after meeting him, that
black is in fashion. These stereotyp-
ical remarks might sound harmless
to a white person, but they actually
compound the pre-existing struggles
of black Americans by treating them
as a monolith and reducing them
to sexual objects and hot topics. I
view Roses family and company as
of situations, and the idea of a liberal
arts education has never been to pro-
vide simple answers but to enrich the
minds of students so we have some
intellectual foundation from which
to make reasoned judgments.
We all know from experience that
doing the right thing for ourselves
and for others often requires a lot of
thought. British
theologian Oli-
ver ODonovan
describes the
PHOEBE ZIPPER
SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE
EDITOR
200 words or fewer
a collective of
white Americans
who do not think
they are racist, yet
their obsession with
blackness makes them
unwittingly treat black
people like non-human
beings, as was historically
done in America.
My movie theory prompts a power-
ful question: What is Chris supposed
to get out of? I believe the answer
rests in the term The Sunken Place,
which draws several parallels to men-
tal illnesses like depression. After all,
The Sunken Place results in victims
becoming paralyzed by their per-
sonal traumas. Perhaps my theory is a
process of moral reasoning in terms
of self, world and time, where
each decision we make requires us
to tread a path between these three
considerations in order to ultimately
take action. In other words, doing
the right thing involves knowledge
of ourselves, of the world around us
and properly apprehending the rela-
tion between the two at the proper
time. McKeen understood that a lib-
eral education in literature, theology,
mathematics and sciences is crucial
to forming students who are able
to navigate this complex process of
moral decision-making.
As well as Bowdoin educates its
students, I argue that this moral side
of our education is conspicuously
lacking today. This may not be an in-
dictment of Bowdoin specifically but
of college education more generally,
which is today far too fragmented to
properly enable inquiry into funda-
mental questions about human na-
ture, purpose and destiny that laid
the groundwork for the moral educa-
tion envisioned by McKeen.
But there are still places at Bow-
doin where you can get this sort of an
education. In my four years at Bow-
doin, I have found such a place in the
Joseph and Alice McKeen Christian
Study Center, home to the Christian
Fellowship at Bowdoin. Through
intensive scriptural study, we press
hard on fundamental questions about
creation, justice and redemption that
help us live out our lives as faithful
Send all submissions to
orientopinion@bowdoin.edu by
7 p.m. on the Tuesday of the
week of publication.
Include your full name and
phone number.
opinion 11
CAROLINE CARTER
complete stretch, but as an active ad-
vocate for mental health, I believe that
black people can get out if they des-
tigmatize mental counsel and learn to
address traumatic experiences in their
lives for the sake of their mental well-
being.
Osa Omoregie is a member of the
Class of 2018.
Christians. Our studies enable us to
think more comprehensively about
what God requires of us in our lives
today and force us to confront the
complex and beautiful realities of
His creation in order to consider our
place within it.
We believe that the one good thing
that all humans truly hold in com-
mon is God himself, who offered his
Son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice to bring
lost souls to Himself and reconcile
the broken bonds between Himself
and humanity. All thinking about the
good, be it private or common, starts
from the fundamental reality of His
sovereign rule over every aspect of
our lives. When we ask ourselves
what we are to do at each moment,
the decision-making process always
starts from this point, from an ap-
prehension of Gods purpose for our
lives in this time and at this place, so
that we may act in a way that brings
glory to Him.
McKeen understood this and dedi-
cated himself to preaching weekly
chapel sermons to help his students
form the sort of hearts that would en-
able them to use their education to
fulfill their duties to the community
and most importantly to God. Such
a message may no longer find a place
in the halls of Bowdoin, but I will be
forever grateful for the privilege of be-
ing part of a community that carries
on faithful witness to these timeless
truths that help me navigate my own
way through life.
 APRIL/MAY
12 the bowdoin orient friday, april 28, 2017

FRIDAY 28
EVENT
Brunswick Apartments BBQ
Pinky Ds Poutine food truck will serve food for the Ivies
celebration.
Brunswick Apartments. Noon.

LECTURE
Base Excision Repair: Kinetics
in Context
Katharina Bilotti 10, who is currently finishing her Ph.D.
at Brown University, will discuss the kinetics of DNA
repair enzymes.
Room 020, Druckenmiller Hall. 3 p.m.

VICTORIA YU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

SATURDAY 29
LIVE FROM BRUNSWICK: Emma Newbery 19, Brian Thompson 19 and Hugo Hentoff 19 perform at Bowdoin Night Live on Wednesday in Kresge
Auditorium. The show, presented by Bowdoin Sketch Comedy, follows the format of Saturday Night Live and satirizes the Bowdoin experience.

TUESDAY 2
PERFORMANCE
Ivies Concert
Rapper A$AP Ferg will headline this years concert with an
opening act by EDM artist Vanic. Students are limited to two
THURSDAY 4
guest per person. Guest registration is available at the David PERFORMANCE DISCUSSION
Saul Smith Union Information Desk. ORIENT
Chamberfest I and II The Listening: Visions of Violence in
William Farley Field House. 3 p.m. PICK OF THE WEEK Student ensembles will play two different programs of classical Hip-Hop Music
chamber music. Performances will include the works of Bach, There will be a discussion on the role of hip-hop music in
Beethoven, Mozart and more. The first group is coached by promoting and condoning violence.
Dean Stein and George Lopez. The second group is coached Russwurm African-American Center. 4 p.m.
by Kirsten Monke and Mary Hunter.

SUNDAY 30
Kanbar Auditorium, Studzinski Recital Hall. 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
LECTURE
EVENT
Why Draw?
To celebrate the opening of the exhibit Why Draw? 500
Study With Sound Years of Watercolors and Drawings at Bowdoin College
The Center for Learning and Teaching will host an event for
at the Museum of Art, artist Natalie Frank, whose work is
students to do homework with study-conducive music.
part of the exhibit, will deliver a lecture on drawings and
The Center for Learning and Teaching. 2 p.m.
their subtexts.
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. 4:30 p.m.
PERFORMANCE
Spring Dance Concert
The annual event will feature student performances of original
works choreographed by students and faculty. There will also
be performances on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are free and
are available at David Saul Smith Union or at the door.
Pickard Theater, Memorial Hall. 7:30 p.m.
LECTURE
Risk, Trust, and Control in Global
Health Partnerships
Johanna Crane, assistant professor at the School of

MONDAY 1
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of
Washington, Bothell, will deliver a lecture as part of the

WEDNESDAY 3
Public Health and the Liberal Arts Lecture Series.
Room 315, Searles Science Building. 7:30 p.m.
FILM SCREENING
Roundabout in My Head EVENT
There will be a screening of the 2015 documentary film that DISCUSSION Sampson: Stand-up Comedy
looks at the lives of workers in a slaughterhouse in Algiers. Memes and Intersectionality Stand-up comedian, activist and writer Sampson will perform,
The screening will be followed by a Q&A ORIENT
There will be a discussion and Q&A with Shannon Gilb of addressing themes of race, sexuality and ORIENT
with the filmmaker, Hassen Ferhani. PICK OF THE WEEK @sensualmemes about memes, art and issues of identity. social justice.
PICK OF THE WEEK

Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. MacMillan House. 7:30 p.m. Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. 8:30 p.m.

5 PERFORMANCE 6 EVENT 7 8 CONCERT 9 10 11

Quadzilla Spring Gala Pop and Jazz

Recital