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The Nation’s Oldest Continuously Published College Weekly Friday, February 22, 2019 Volume 148, Number 17 bowdoinorient.com

Summer research leads to

first masculinities summit
by Danielle Quezada
and Anthony Yanez
Orient Staff
The Office of Gender Vio-
lence Prevention and Educa-
tion is hosting Bowdoin’s first
ever Masculinities Summit.
The two-day event, de-
signed to address how per-
ceptions of masculine identity
shape men’s lives, grew out of
research by Isaac Greenawalt
’19 on gender violence pre-
vention.
Although this is the first
Masculinities Summit on
campus, Bowdoin hosted a
similar event on a smaller
scale a couple of years ago
called “Men’s Room.” That
event was open to a limited
of number of students invited
by nomination, all of whom
identified as men.
The summit kicked off
yesterday evening with a
keynote speaker—comedian,
actor and podcast host Chris
Gethard—who was inter-
viewed in a Q&A discussion
by Eduardo Pazos, director
of religious and spiritual life,
and Jay Sosa, assistant profes-
sor of gender, sexuality and
women’s studies (GSWS). The
conversation, which garnered
a nearly full crowd in David
Saul Smith Union with a high
number of men in attendance,
focused on masculinities and
dialogue around being a man.
Andrew Walter-McNeill
’19, who attended the Q&A
discussion, said he appreci-
ated opening dialogue on a
topic that can be difficult to
engage with. He deemed the
discussion to be valuable and
described Gethard as funny,
personable and approachable.
“I think most of what he
spoke about was this notion
of masculinity that he expe-
rienced when he was a kid,
about this idea that you can’t
show vulnerability as an adult
man,” said Walter-McNeill.
Greenawalt has taken the
lead in organizing the summit
with Lisa Peterson, associate
director of gender violence
prevention and education. Gre-
enawalt explained that bring-
ing Gethard, someone whose
work is not directly focused on
masculinity, to discuss diver-
sity within masculinities was
part of an effort to attract as
many people as possible, not
Please see SUMMIT, page 3

Career Planning refocuses on

practical skills, internships
by Jessica Piper
Orient Staff
Helping students develop
practical skills is the focus of the
newest initiative from the Career
Planning Center (CPC). The re-
newed push comes on the heels
of a report released by President
Clayton Rose last fall, which
found that students felt they
lacked important professional
skills such as personal finance
Brennan said.
Demonstrating the continued
relevance of the liberal arts in the
job market was an issue raised at
the Board of Trustees’ meeting
earlier this month.
Brennan noted that a survey
by the National Association of
Colleges and Employers found
that companies see previous in-
ternship experience as the most
important characteristic in job
applicants, rather than students’
some of these things,” Brennan
said. “Some of it’s a matter of just
naming … [Saying] ‘you are ac-
tually receiving this skill which is
very useful for employers.’”
Brennan noted that, in her
own college days, she had stud-
ied conflict resolution, but she PJ SEELERT, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
didn’t think to negotiate a salary
at her first job. She believes that BIRTHDAY BASH: Students and community members gathered in the Walker Art
Bowdoin students have the skills Building for music, cake and celebration of the arts. SEE PAGE 6.
to succeed in the workforce but
don’t always know how to list

0
and public speaking. majors or extracurriculars. them on a resume or articulate
LOSSES

Executive Director of the

CPC Kristin Brennan said that
employers’ expectations for
student job preparation have
changed over the last few de-
cades. While critical thinking
and writing skills are important,
so are experiences that aren’t in-
cluded in Bowdoin’s traditional
liberal arts education.
“There is so much emphasis
now on gaining pre-professional
experience before you graduate,”
The CPC’s new initiatives,
Brennan said, will broadly
take three forms: scaling up a
“sophomore bootcamp,” which
launched this year, additional
programming throughout the
year and improving partnerships
with colleagues on campus, par-
ticularly extracurricular activ-
ities that provide students with
important skills.
“There are a bunch of people
around campus already doing
them to potential employers.
The new programming will
The women’s basketball team
be led by Assistant Director of
Career Planning Bethany Walsh
remains untouched in its
who will be named to the new
position of associate director for
quest for a perfect season.
professional development.
Walsh currently advises stu-
Cheer the Polar Bears this
dents on STEM careers. She, along
with Brennan and Associate Di-
Saturday at 2 p.m. in Morrell
rector of Career Planning Nancy
Gym. SEE PAGE 8.
Please see SKILLS, page 3

Student moderators engage first years in dialogue on diversity

by Diego Lasarte
Orient Staff
Every Monday and Thursday
for the past few weeks, first-year
students have gathered with their
floormates in classrooms across
campus for a “Real Talk on Race,”
a moderated conversation about
the experience of being a person
of color at Bowdoin.
These new mandatory discus-
sions are facilitated by two upper-
classmen—one white student and
one student of color—who have
undergone a seven-week inter-
group dialogue training with the
Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
Facilitators ask students to think of
themselves simultaneously as in-
dividuals and as part of the larger
Bowdoin community. The meet-
ings are 90 minutes long, and they
will continue on a biweekly basis
until every first year has attended.
Moderator Ryan Telingator ’21
said he thinks it is paramount that
Bowdoin students have conversa-
tions like those had in Real Talk
on Race.
“I love being a part of these
conversations as a listener and
hearing all these people talk about
their experiences with race,” Telin-
gator said. “I think it has been re-
ally rewarding to see the program
expand from what it was this fall,
to now hitting every freshman
brick.”
He added that he has enjoyed
facilitating.
“I just love being able to hear
the different conversations—the
different perspectives—and being
a part in making conversations
about race more prevalent on
campus,” he said.
The initiative was primarily
organized by Kate Stern, associate
dean of students for diversity and
inclusion, and Eduardo Pazos, di-
rector of religious and spiritual life.
Pazos said that their main goal for
the dialogue was to bring the di-
verse group of students in the first-
year class together and enable them
to have productive conversations.
“What happens when you have
people from all over the world, all
over the country, you bring them to
this single community, it’s import-
ant to give tools for engagement,”
Pazos said. “Real Talk on Race is
informed by the research of inter-
group dialogue, and intergroup
dialogue is a really effective way of
having conversations and creating
empathy, creating compassion and
mutual understanding.”
Pazos added that he under-
stood the limitations of the talk
but hoped that it could lead to
more substantial changes.
“This [talk] is just a little snip-
pet of that, just starting the con-
versation,” he said. “It’s 90 minutes,
but it’s hopefully a way to get
students engaged with each other,
start talking to each other, and this
would hopefully evolve into bigger
actions on campus.”
Stern said that part of her and
Please see DIALOGUE page 3

N QUINBY FIRE F DARING TO DISCUSS A ARTISTIC HUB S SOFTBALL IN THE SNOW O COMMUNITY RESPONSE
An effective sprinkler system prevented A new debate group on campus hopes to Local Brunswick gallery supports Maine The softball team overcomes winter Diego Grossmann ’20 and Benjamin Ray ’20
further injury or damage. Page 3. bring political diversity. Page 4. artists. Page 7. weather to prepare for spring. Page 9. weigh in on housekeeping wages. Page 11.
2 Friday, February 22, 2018

2
Friday, February 15
PAGE TWO
SECURITY REPORT
2/15 to 2/21
burning electrical smell. It was determined that at wall
STUDENT SPEAK:
What invention does not get enough love?
• An officer conducting a routine building check light ballast failed.
found stove burners left on after midnight at 30 Col-
lege Street. Monday, February 18
• A wooden chair was destroyed by vandalism at
during an event in the basement of Ladd House.
• A smoke alarm at Osher Hall was activated by the
use of a hair straightener.
Cooper Dart ’21
• An ill student at Kresge Auditorium was given an
escort to Mid Coast Hospital.
• A candle flame or ember ignited a significant fire in
a first floor room at Quinby House at 4:52 a.m. The
“Ziploc bags.”
• Excessive noise was reported on the fourth floor of room sprinkler system activated and doused the fire.
Chamberlain Hall. The fire alarm sounded and the building was evac-
uated. The room resident, who was asleep when fire
Saturday, started, received second-third degree hand burns and
February 16 was transported
• Students burn- to Maine Medical
ing a pot of pasta Center. The room
at Stowe House Inn sustained fire,
Owen Tuck ’20
caused a full build- smoke and water
ing fire alarm and
KODIE GARZA
damage, and re- “Glasses—people forget that before
evacuation. Bruns- pairs and clean-up
wick Fire Depart- are continuing. The they were invented, people just
ment responded. building was closed
• Brunswick po- until noon for in- couldn’t see.”
lice encountered an vestigation and re-
intoxicated minor charging of the fire
student walking suppression system.
on Bath Road. The Safety Advisory: Ricky Tsang ’21
student was turned Candles are strictly
over to security
and there were no
prohibited in cam-
pus buildings.
“My AirPods.”
charges. A security • A minor stu-
officer escorted the dent was found
student to his resi- in possession of
dence. four fraudulent
• A student who state identification
was hit in the face cards.
with a lacrosse ball
Tuesday.
during practice
was escorted to the February 19
Henry Hodge ’21
• A Coles Tower
Mid Coast Walk-In
Clinic. student with flu- “Egg laying chickens. (A GMO chicken
• Security officers helped stabilize a roommate con-
flict at a residence hall.
like symptoms was given an escort to Mid Coast
Hospital. averaging one egg a day is like a person
• Loud noise was reported coming from the third
floor of Chamberlain Hall. Wednesday, February 20 ejecting an eight pound object
Sunday, February 17
• An officer assisted a student who became ill in Smith
Union. everyday.)”
• Officers responded to a dispute between two stu- • An officer checked in the well-being of an ill student
dents over personal property. The matter was referred at Hyde Plaza.
to the Office of Residential Life for follow-up. • A student took responsibility for accidentally break- Francesca Haines ’20
• An officer checked on the well-being of an intoxicat- ing a mirror at Studzinski Recital Hall.
ed minor student at Appleton Hall.
• Security officers assisted the Brunswick police with Thursday, February 21
“Floss.”
a 9-1-1 hang-up call that originated at MacMillan • A student at the Buck Fitness Center with a dislo-
House. It was determined that the emergency call was cated kneecap was transported to Mid Coast Hospital.
dial by mistake. • A dining employee at Jack Magee’s Pub was escorted
• A student with an arm injury was taken to Mid Coast to the Mid Coast Walk-In Clinic for treatment of a
Hospital for treatment. lacerated finger.
• Moore Hall residents reported popping sounds and a COMPILED BY THE OFFICE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY COMPILED BY HAVANA CASO-DOSEMBET

Eight reasons to #abolishICE Answers for Word-Up!

CREATED BY AUGUST RICE
by Diego Lasarte and Nell Fitzgerald
Orient Staff

1. It’s slippery.
2. It’s cold to touch.
3. You fall in front of your Moulton Light Room Crush.
4. Who likes to ice skate anyway?
5. The Ice Bucket Challenge. Enough said.
6. Smirnoff is gross.
7. It sunk the Titanic, and separated Leo and Kate.
8. The Bowdoin hockey teams’ records this year.
Friday, February 22, 2019 NEWS 3

NEWS IN BRIEF Fire causes more than of $10,000 in damage

COMPILED BY LUCIE NOLDEN

BSG VOTES TO BUY CONDOMS

AND DENTAL DAMS FOR UPPER-
CLASS RESIDENCES
In an almost-unanimous vote, Bowdoin Student Government’s
(BSG) General Assembly voted to purchase $500 worth of con-
doms and dental dams for upperclassmen housing. The initiative,
which was introduced for the second year in a row, was proposed
by Tessa DeFranco ’21 to address a lack of access to contraceptives
and sexual protection in many residential areas.
“Right now [condoms and dental dams] are only available in
the health center and on the first-year floors, and not every student
knows what’s available to them,” DeFranco said. “We really just
need to eliminate as many barriers to access as we can.”
According to BSG president Mohamed Nur ’19 the project will
be a joint effort between BSG’s student affairs committee and the to his college-issued trash can
Office of Residential Life (ResLife). BSG will purchase condoms by Anna Fauver beside his bed. Investigators
Orient Staff
and dental dams for upperclassmen residential buildings, such believe that Young’s hand fell
as Brunswick Apartments, Coles Tower and Chamberlain Hall. Students were evacuated off the bed and knocked over
ResLife will then coordinate with the Residential Assistants in from Quinby House Monday the trash can, causing tissues
those buildings, who will distribute the condoms and dental dams morning after a fire broke out to fall into the candle. Young
to residents. in a student bedroom. Tristan woke up with his hand in a
“There should be condoms everywhere, all the time,” said De- Young ’21, the resident of the three-to-four-foot flame.
velopmental Rep to Diversity and Inclusion Lily Tedford ’22. room, was taken to the Maine “He thought he blew [the
Tedford argued that, while it should be the job of ResLife—not Medical Center for treatment candle] out. Who knows. It
BSG—to purchase condoms for the student body, BSG should take for second- and third-degree ignited,” Nichols said. “It prob-
pride in spearheading the project. burns on his right hand, but ably took several minutes to
In addition to assessing the proposal on condoms and dental has since been treated. catch if it was an ember, and if COURTESY OF RANDY NICHOLS
dams, BSG was joined by Executive Director of Career Planning Due to water damage, the it was a flame, it wouldn't have HOUSE FIRE: A fire broke out next to a student’s bed in Quinby House early
Kristin Brennan, who offered insights into the future of Career floors must be replaced, and the taken long. But you can imag- Monday morning. The student is recovering from second and third degree
Planning at Bowdoin and answered student questions. walls must be completely dry ine how quickly a pile of tissues burns and will be able to move back into his room this week.
BSG also debated the merits of a proposal that aimed to increase before repainting. The damage is going to go up.”
the fairness of student government elections by limiting the num- to both the room and the base- Young attempted to extin- Young has been discharged ted in campus residence halls.
ber of official campaign posters available to candidates, depending ment, which sustained water guish the fire by dousing it from the hospital and has re- Nichols hopes that accidents
on whether they chose to run individually or on a joint ticket. BSG damage as well, comes out to an with water, but eventually was turned to classes. According to such as this may demonstrate
has until after Spring Break to choose the best system before elec- estimated $10,000 to $14,000. forced to evacuate and receive the doctors that treated Young, a to students the importance of
tions occur in April. Fire alarms went off at medical attention when the plastic trash bag melted around these regulations.
Quinby at 4:52 a.m., with Bow- sprinkler directly above the fire his hand, protecting him from “Any open flame or any-
doin Security arriving on the was activated. sustaining worse injuries. thing like that is just strictly
DIALOGUE “Knowing college freshmen,
I had low expectations, but the
scene two minutes later. With-
in 10 minutes, both the Bruns-
“Fortunately, we've got some
really good fire suppression
Young’s room will be un-
inhabitable for about a week,
prohibited,” he said. “We have
to think—Quinby House and
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
[talk] definitely exceeded what I wick Fire Department and the sprinkler systems in place here, according to Nichols. many of our buildings on cam-
Pazos’s goal was to contextualize thought,” he said. Brunswick Police Department and that really saved the day,” “We hired a professional pus are wooden structures.”
the conversation within the expe- Adedunmola Adewale ’22, arrived to find that the build- Nichols said. crew to come in,” Nichols said. Ultimately, however, Nichols
riences the students have had so whose floor missed the talk due ing’s sprinkler system had sup- The other residents of Quin- “They had to work that day and stresses how fortunate he feels
far at Bowdoin. to lack of coordination, said that pressed the flames. by House were evacuated to the next day, and they were that the situation was not worse.
“[We] have been working with she felt race is not talked about According to Directory neighboring MacMillan House even over there again today.” “We’re just glad he’s safe,” he
the first-year deans and the Office enough at Bowdoin. of Safety and Security Ran- until Quinby was reopened Candles and other flam- said. “I’m not here to criticize
of Residential Life (ResLife) to put “In the Bowdoin community dy Nichols, Young had been at noon, allowing time for an mable materials, such as fire- anything he did. We'’e just all just
this in the context of orientation,” in general, [conversations about awake at 4 a.m. when he placed investigation to take place and works, incense, lighter fluid so delighted that he's safe and
she said. “During Orientation, race] are not a thing. After we talk- a large, burned-out candle next for the fire system to be reset. and gasoline, are not permit- sound [and] here with us today.”
you’ve had ‘Perspectives’ and ‘More ed about it at Orientation, every-
Than Meets the Eye’ … and then thing sort of died down,” she said.
the conversation in Pickard with
Dr. Jamie Washington, and so we
“I feel like we should talk about it
… I think it’s important for us to
SUMMIT ment of healthy masculinities.
Tappan’s focus differs from
sponse to Greenawalt’s find-
ings, he and Peterson started
Counseling Center, the Office
of Residential Life the Center
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
conceptualize [Real Talk on Race] acknowledge our differences.” Sosa’s work in the field of planning the Masculinities for Multicultural Life, and the
as the third part of Orientation.” Usira Ali ’22, who has not yet just those interested in strictly GSWS and from Pazos’ expe- Summit with the goal of ad- Sexuality, Women and Gen-
First years were not the only attended the workshop, was ex- academic discussions. rience working with people dressing masculinities at a der Center. He hopes that the
students invited to the conversa- cited for a space to talk about race. “We also wanted someone on mental health and rela- larger scale. presence of these groups will
tions—eight sports teams attended but also expressed frustration that who had a good personality tionships. Together, Tappan, Although the Q&A and key- bring in different networks
in the fall. Some student-athletes, the school can only do so much. for discussing things [and] Sosa and Pazos reflect a few note speakers at the Masculin- associated with Bowdoin.
including Per Black ’22, attend- At the end of the day, she said, it’s would be open about it—per- of the many different avenues ities Summit were open to all “We wanted to open up
ed the talk both with his floor in really up to the students. sonalities beyond academia,” to approach a discussion on genders, the final reception to more of the summit [to] peo-
Maine Hall and with the sailing “It’s the school’s job to raise said Greenawalt. “Chris Geth- masculinities. close the summit is exclusive ple [who] identify with all
team. He said that the difference awareness about the topic of race ard … [has] talked about his Last summer Greenawalt to people that identify as “men genders because [if ] there’s
in demographics between the two but it’s imperative of students to own struggles with mental worked with Peterson, investi- in a way that is meaningful to some interplay between dif-
groups changed his perspective on take the initiative and involve health, his own relationships gating how to reshape some of them,” as described by the Of- ferent gender identities and
the workshop. themselves with these incredibly and his own career failures, the groups that operate under fice of Gender Violence Pre- facts and ideas from other
“Our sport team is not super important topics.” and how he’s bounced back. the Office of Gender Violence vention and Education. people, it would be really
diverse, and our floor and build- Ali added that the failures of He’s touched on some of the Prevention and examining Greenawalt has worked helpful,” Greenawalt said.
ing are a lot more diverse,” he said. these talks are not solely the fault things we want to talk about how the community could ex- extensively to elicit partici- “But there’s also, we thought,
“That was something that was in- of the college, but equally of stu- relating to masculinity.” pand gender violence preven- pation from groups beyond a kind of value in having a
teresting—to have some different dents. Today, the summit included tion on Bowdoin’s campus. the Office of Gender Violence space that’s just for men to
perspectives.” “[It is] the fault of the audience a conference with Mark Tap- As part of Greenawalt’s Prevention and Education. share in, maybe try to decon-
Some first years expressed feel- to address these issues in their ev- pan, a professor of education work, he looked into factors In an attempt to foster di- struct some of these ideas,
ings of doubt when approaching eryday lives. There has to be sub- at Colby, who teaches courses that could influence the prev- verse and engaging discus- because I think the barrier for
the discussion. Ethan Strull ’22 said stantive recognition of how privi- and conducts research that alence of gender violence at sion at the Friday morning sharing and for maybe intro-
that he was wary of the conversa- lege is a multifaceted and complex focus on male ways of social- the College. A culture of mas- workshops, he has recruited spection is a little bit lowered
tion beforehand, but was pleasantly discussion that stretches further ization, the construction of culinity on campus emerged help from the Athletics De- if there’s a space for just peo-
surprised at how it went. than a one and a half-hour talk.” masculinities and the develop- as a recurring theme. In re- partment, Peer Health, the ple who identify as men.”

SKILLS nities. The program included

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Gibson, launched the sophomore
bootcamp this winter. Twenty stu-
dents came back to campus at the
end of Winter Break for three days
of intensive career advising.
Brennan said the CPC tar-
geted sophomores because that
is often the year during which
students begin to think about
finding professional opportu-
workshops on resumes and cov-
er letters, as well as networking
with alumni, and received posi-
tive reviews from participants.
“I kind of knew there were
resources out there, but they
showed us all the tools they have
and gave us actual advice,” said
Annabel Winterberg ’21.
Students also videocalled
with alumni volunteers, getting
their first taste of networking.
“It was awesome. I was ter-
rified when they told us that
we were going to do it … but
it was nice to have that experi-
ence networking,” said Victo-
ria Williamson ’21. “I’m not as
scared anymore.”
In addition to her new role,
Walsh will also continue to
advise students on technology
careers. The CPC will hire a
new adviser to help students in
other areas of science, includ-
ing healthcare. Brennan noted
that STEM is one of the more
popular career fields among
Bowdoin students.
The CPC also announced last
week that two longtime staffers
will be leaving Bowdoin at the
end of this semester—Senior As-
sociate Director Dighton Spoon-
er and Director of Employer
Relations Todd Hermann. The
CPC will hire replacements for
both of them by next fall.
4 Friday, February 22, 2019
F FEATURES
DEBATE AND DASH: The Merciless Debate Society’s quick, 10-minute debates happen in a flash, but provide students, like Jack Moynihan ’19 (pictured center), to engage in a spectrum of political discussion.
New group promotes discussion across political spectrum
by Kathryn McGinnis
Orient Staff
The Merciless Debate Society,
an unofficial discussion group
based in Coles Tower, is dedicated
to President Clayton Rose’s of-
ten-mentioned principle of “intel-
lectual fearlessness.” The students
of this group hope to “mercilessly”
confront and debate topics that
they believe are often ignored on
campus.
A typical evening involves three
10-minute debates on hot-button
political topics, and all are welcome.
Peter Slovenski, head track
coach and co-author of “Old
School America,” formed the de-
bate society last semester with help
from athletes on his team. A Bow-
doin coach for more than 30 years,
Slovenski remembers an era when
athletes would gather outside his
office door and debate policy while
Brunswick welcomes new upscale dining option downtown
by Emma Sorkin
Orient Staff
Brunswick is home to many
cafes, coffee shops, stores and a
variety of well-liked restaurants.
As for upscale dining, selection
has been slim—until now.
Odd Duck, which opened
January 1, prides itself on filling
this niche. Located on Pleasant
Street, just slightly off Maine
Street, the establishment con-
tains a bar, full kitchen, ample
dinner seating, a room for
breakfast and daytime dining
as well as an event space on the
second floor.
“From the feedback that I’ve
gotten from folks that have come
in, Brunswick was essentially
missing a newer, upscale place,
somewhere they hadn’t been
before,” said General Manager
Richard Ferraro. “A lot of people
mentioned places right outside of
town and a couple of local estab-
lishments, but nowhere that was
dedicated as a special occasion
date-night spot casual enough to
not be off-putting.”
The restaurant has been in the
they iced after practice. There was
no prompt or encouragement;
debate was a natural byproduct of
conversations and students were
eager to share their opinions. But
in the last two decades, according
to Slovenski, freeform, contro-
versial discussions have gradually
disappeared from campus.
Facilitated debates, such as
More than Meets the Eye and
What Matters, encourage debate
in creative ways, yet some students,
namely conservatives, say they are
reluctant to speak out and share
their views. As a result, some stu-
dents searched for a space where
they could feel more comfortable
speaking up.
“Whenever something [is led
by] the institution, people tend to
be more careful about what they
say,” said Symone Marie Holloway
’22. “There [have] definitely been
times where I’ve been offended
works for about two years. The
owners of Odd Duck—who also
own the Lighthouse Variety &
Deli on Harpswell Road, a Bow-
doin favorite—were partners of
the building before they began
developing the idea for a full-ser-
vice restaurant.
“When [the owners] first
bought into this building, it was
just going to be a kind of break-
fast cafe,” Ferraro said. “Then
they found out how much space
they had available for the kitchen
and got the advice to just open a
larger restaurant.”
Odd Duck’s event space sets
the restaurant apart from many
others in town and it’s one char-
acteristic that originally drew
Ferraro to the project. The top
floor of the restaurant features a
large open space which used to
hold a bowling alley—a fixture
put in by previous owners. The
space can hold over 100 occu-
pants and will be used to host
private events, concerts and
other gatherings, though a team
is still renovating the space and
plan to open it March 14.
Odd Duck’s large restaurant
by something said in the society,
but that’s a fair opinion and they’re
entitled to it. Nobody’s saying let’s
specifically talk about [a topic] in
this way.”
With faculty donations in the
2018 election going only to lib-
eral campaigns, some members
of the Bowdoin community feel
there is a left-leaning bias. While
conservative speakers sometimes
visit campus and some professors
are known for more conservative
views, Slovenski believes these
stalwart few cannot be expected
to be the sole champions of op-
posing thought.
“I think colleges have created
[a] division in our country because
they have taken sides on every big
issue, and the side they always take
is the same side as the Democratic
Party,” wrote Slovenski in an email
to the Orient. “Colleges are not
supposed to take sides; they are
space has allowed the owners
to expand its team, filling it
with experienced and passion-
ate members. Executive Chef
Dirk Yeaton has been in the
culinary industry for nearly 40
years, including serving time
as a Food Service Specialist in
the US Army. The line chefs in
the kitchen are also well-versed
on the ins and outs of a pro-
fessional kitchen—each cook
has at least five to ten years of
experience.
While Odd Duck’s specialties
do include duck, the restaurant
is still determining what its
“flagships” will be as the restau-
rant is new and still developing.
The experience on the staff and
the novelty of the restaurant
allow for a heightened spirit of
exploration and innovation.
“As far as our show-stopping
dishes go, it changes nightly with
the specials. That’s where we get
a lot of excitement,” Ferraro said.
“The real creativity shines through
on those nightly specials.”
While the creativity and ex-
perience help the Odd Duck
stand out, the sheer passion
supposed to be the unbiased ref-
erees of our cultural debates and
culture war. No one party has all
the right answers, but you wouldn’t
know that by going through fresh-
man orientation at college.”
The Merciless Debate Society
tries not to take a side, encourag-
ing students from across the politi-
cal spectrum to air their views.
“I think most people are not
on the left of everything or not
on the right of everything. But it
seems like when you’re looking
at issues you kind of just tend to
match up with the liberal or con-
servative side,” said Katja Grum-
man ’20. “But if you are able to
accept ideas based on their logic
[instead of] instinctively grav-
itating toward whatever side
you’re on, I think that most peo-
ple are a mix of both sides.”
Past debate topics, chosen by
Slovenski, include NFL players
DINING WITH DUCK: The new upscale restaurant, The Odd Duck, on Pleasant Street offers a variety of fresh and fun
dishes for a fancy night out. The owners, local Brunswick residents, have been conceptualizing the space for years.
and joy that employees share is
apparent from the first step into
the restaurant.
“One thing that stands out,
that makes us different, is we tru-
ly love doing this. We do this be-
cause we love this. And the entire
team here, they’re here because
kneeling for the anthem, toxic
masculinity and capital punish-
ment. In each debate, Slovenski
introduces the topic, then offers
it to the dozen students gathered
around the table for debate. Ac-
cording to Holloway, the group has
never seen more than 15 people at
a meeting. The debate tends to lean
conservative, as the “regular” stu-
dents tend to lean right politically.
“When I first went, it was defi-
nitely heavily conservative. I still
think, among the regular mem-
bers, it remains that way,” said
Grumman. “It’s definitely where
I found that the most indepen-
dent-minded people.”
One student, after attending
one of the meetings, vowed nev-
er to return, citing racist rhetoric
in a discussion about students’
success in school. The group ac-
knowledges the tension that can
surround some opinions being
they want to be,” Ferraro said. “It
shines through when people talk
about the exceptional food and
the exceptional service.”
Odd Duck, though new to the
Brunswick community, has al-
ready left a profound impression
on its patrons. The zeal is evident
REUBEN SCHAFIR, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
voiced, but most believe the in-
vigorated and lively debate adds
to the groups understanding of
complex problems.
If conversation stalls between
the opposing sides, Slovenski
might ask “how does the other
side see this argument? What
compromise can be made?” But
with only 10 minutes to debate
each topic, there is not enough
time to draw final conclusions.
The quick nature of the event al-
lows space for these few conserva-
tive and liberal views to be voiced,
but usually ends without extend-
ed discussion or a “winner.”
“The points that I remember
most are the ones [where] we’re
able to create a good dialogue
and I [can] leave with more infor-
mation or a change of opinion,”
Holloway said. “[But] every time
I leave, I find new possibilities for
an argument.”
KATIE BACALL, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
through both the food the staff
cooks up and the service the staff
provides.
“The food was delicious,”
one customer said, thanking
Ferraro upon finishing his
meal. “And the service was ab-
solutely exceptional.”
Friday, February 22, 2019
Language tables add foreign twist to Bowdoin’s dining halls
by Ayub Tahlil and
Andrew Bastone
Orient Staff
As you move towards the
private rooms in Thorne Hall
during dinner on any given
night, you may be able to
catch the sounds of an unfa-
miliar language. From Span-
ish to Hebrew, dinnertime
language tables provide stu-
dents with an opportunity to
practice their native tongue
or develop skills learned in
the classroom.
Every week, various lan-
guage departments and clubs
host nine different language
tables that cater to both novice
and native speakers. But for
many, these language tables ar-
en’t merely an opportunity to
practice. Rather, participants
say they create an opportunity
to be immersed in a different
culture in an intimate, casual
environment. It’s a place where
people from all over campus
and beyond can interact and
share their love for a language
and culture.
“We share the culture, then
translate it into the commu-
nity,” said Senior Lecturer
in Japanese Language Hiroo
Aridome.
Attendees at the language
tables include students, pro-
fessors, teaching fellows and
even Brunswick residents.
Without the constraints of a
classroom, conversation flows
freely.
L’Chaim: exploring Israel’s burgeoning wine culture
The Common
Food
by Sophie Friedman
A young boy, yarmulke on
head and Kiddush cup in hand,
tentatively sips Manischewitz
wine on the occasion of his Bar
Mitzvah. It’s his first taste of wine.
He’s relieved to find its saccharine
taste familiar, not too different
from grape juice. This cautious
first sip sets a low bar for a life-
time of Kosher-wine-drinking, a
bar that winemaker Paul Dubb is
determined to raise.
We—a group of American,
French and Israeli Hebrew Uni-
versity students—drove through
Jerusalem, leaving the sweeping
limestone buildings, the surly
honks of cars and the brisk strides
of French Hill commuters. We
traveled westward toward the
Judean Hills, where Kibbutz Tzu-
ba’s Vineyard is nestled in wide
stretches of greenery and expans-
es of open air, excited to sample
Israeli wine.
Here we met the ac-
claimed Paul Dubb, a
SHONA O
RTIZ
“With the opportunity to
meet with students in an-
other atmosphere … it’s a lot
more harmonious and friend-
ly,” said Coline Cumond, a
French teaching fellow.
Each table has a different
style, with some encourag-
ing free discussion about any
topics, while others focus
more closely on certain cul-
tural topics. Japanese student
Emma Kellogg ’20 said that
when a professor wasn’t lead-
ing the discussion, she just
has a normal dinner with her
friends, but in Japanese.
It’s no accident that these
opportunities happen at
dinner. Lecturer in Chinese
Language Xiaoke Jia noted
that “food is often the main
attraction,” especially for stu-
dents interested in Chinese.
He explained the department
often will bring dumplings,
mooncakes or other Chinese
foods to add a distinctly cul-
tural element to the typical
dining hall fare.
The tables strive to create
a sense of family—some-
times literally so. Thirteen
years ago, for example, when
Associate Professor of Asian
Studies Vyjayanthi Selinger
moved to Brunswick, she be-
gan taking her baby girl to the
Japanese table and soon after,
her newborn son.
“I think it’s kind of cool
for students to see professors
raising children, and some of
those children scurrying un-
South African-born Israeli who
came to Kibbutz Tzuba to learn
Hebrew but ended up staying to
become both the winemaker and
CEO of the Tzuba Winery.
Kibbutz Tzuba started in the
early 20th century along with
many other Kibbutzim, all found-
ed when romantic socialist and
Zionist ideals were faced with ag-
ricultural necessities. At these early
Kibbutzim, all work, produce and
property were shared communally.
While most Kibbutzim have
since been privatized, Kibbutz
Tzuba remains traditional. In
addition to running a vineyard,
Kibbutzniks communally operate
a hotel, offer Hebrew classes and,
for their primary source of reve-
nue, produce bulletproof glass.
Dubb spoke to us about a
dearth of Israeli wine produc-
tion and consumption. Despite
fertile Mediterranean soil that
should lend itself toward robust
wine culture, Israelis drink an
average of 6.5 liters per capita
annually, compared to Amer-
ican’s 10.25 liters, the French’s
42.5 liters and the remarkable
FEATURES
der the table,” said Selinger.
“Now, sometimes my son,
who is 10 years old, will be
helping out some of my col-
lege students.”
Participants say the tables
provide space to speak and
practice a language without
the pressure of class. Gannon
Leech ’21, who attends the
Italian table, explained that the
low-stress setting made him
more comfortable practicing
speaking.
“It’s easier because you don’t
have to be perfect, just because
most people understand what
you’re saying. And so if you
don’t have the correct tense,
people aren’t going to correct
you,” said Leech.
This intimate environment
at the language tables also al-
lows upperclass students to
54.26 liters in the Vatican City.
There’s a growing community
of Israeli-born winemakers, but
much of Israeli wine production
is spearheaded by non-natives
and funded by European or
American Jews.
He pointed to religious and
cultural trends to explain these
phenomena.
First, there are the rules of
Kashrut to consider. Kosher wine
must be handled only by reli-
gious Jews, specifically those who
observe Shabbat. Additionally,
the Torah stipulates a three-year
waiting period for new vines, no
cross-breeding with other fruits
and a mandated land sabbatical.
While these rules present logis-
tical challenges, there’s no reason
that quality should suffer.
The Kosher label can be a
boon—Kibbutz Tzuba exports
40 percent of its wine globally,
and Israel is the top producer
of Kosher wine international-
ly—but some high-quality wines
are limited by their Kosher label,
confined to the Kosher aisle, out
of the sight of potential non-ob-
servant buyers. “It’s Kosher, but
you can’t tell” seems to be the best
review a successful Kosher
wine can receive.
Next, there’s what Dubb
refers to as an illogical di-
saster. Despite Israel’s desert
climate, 85 percent of wine
consumed is red and only
15 percent is white. He
wishes the market would
shift toward wine meant
to be enjoyed in the mid-
dle of a sweltering Israeli
5
guide younger students in the
language and create new rela-
tionships.
“What is amazing is that
first-year Japanese students
who just started the language
are probably terrified out of
their minds of speaking their
language. [But they] always
come and always have a good
time because they have these
upperclassmen. We’re helping
them out,” said Selinger, who
began learning Japanese while MILES BRAUTIGAM, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
she was an undergrad. TABLE TALK: On weekday nights in the dining halls on campus,
While it may be intimidat- students, professors and the occasional child or town resident convene
ing to try a new language with for an hour or two in order to practice a foreign language.
more experienced speakers,
the Japanese table retains a munity,” Kellogg said. “And if languages spoken at these
high turnout through profes- you don’t come, then they’ll tables creates a spirited com-
sors’ encouragement. [ask], are you OK? What’s go- munity of learning, allowing
“I think it’s more just [that] ing on?” students isolated in snowy
they want you to come so that The different levels of flu- Maine a free passport to a new
you can be part of the com- ency and experience with the way of expression.
WINE NIGHT?
Sauvignon 2017
Dubb instructed us to engage with this white wine with all of our senses. He told us to notice the visual delicacy
of it—it’s easier to identify faults in a white wine. We heeded the fresh, citrusy smell that joined forces with its light
quality. Some objected to the bitterness, but Tel Aviv-born Chen says it reminds her of “terraces and picnics with
cheese. And flowers.”
Red Sera 2017
Dubb recommends his Red Sera as table wine—meant to be enjoyed during a family meal, corked and then
enjoyed again the next day. It’s an easy, light drinking wine. It’s full bodied and dry, but not up to snuff, according
to Parisian Judith. “It has no depth. It’s like that friend who has no personality,” she said with a raised eyebrow, a
cocked head and a heavy French accent.
Bordeaux 2016
This red wine is 80 percent Cabernet, 15 percent Merlot and 5 percent Sera grapes, and Dubb insists that it’s not
any everyday wine. “Dominance” is the first word that comes to Ben’s mind when he takes a sip. “A little like a fox.
Or a wife that secretly wants a divorce.” It’s a classic Bordeaux-style blend, and it reminds Texas-born Rebecca
of “a long dress, red lipstick and a fire in the woods.” Unclear whether the forest is on fire or the wine just recalls
wintry, fireside memories.
Chardonnay
This dessert wine, though encased in a smaller bottle, requires an exorbitant amount of grapes. A normal bottle
requires 1.2 kilos of grapes per bottle, but this one uses 3-4 kilos of grapes. Dubb says to serve it with a few ice
cubes on a hot day. It’s meant for small, slow sipping, perhaps while reclining, belly full of food, after a hearty
meal. Judith pairs it with “something acidic, so there’s a contrast. Apple pie with green apples and a thin crust.
And cheesecake. Not sweet. With dairy sauce.” “Dairy sauce” must have gotten lost in translation. This last one
received raves across the board.
summer. He speculates that this order forcefully in clear Hebrew students tried their hands at the
tendency toward red wine stems and practically catching a flying art of wine criticism. I offer no
from the fact that red wine is prepared pita. All of this proved pretense of an experienced wine
central to many Jewish ceremo- impossible, but did confirm critic but instead aim to celebrate
nies, so young Jews are exposed Dubb’s notion that daily Israeli Israeli wine, while capturing the
to red wine first. life rewards the loud, the pushy reactions of the motley, interna-
Lastly, Dubb suggests that and the efficient, not the leisurely tional crew of college-aged wine
Israeli’s fast-paced day-to-day wine-sippers. tasters, more excited at the pros-
life doesn’t lend itself to leisurely Dubb was quick to reassure us pect of free wine (our visit was
wine drinking culture. I was un- that it’s not that Israelis don’t im- included in our program’s tuition)
convinced by this theory until bibe or indulge. He jabbed loving- than that of good wine. We raised
I tried to order falafel during ly, “Don’t worry, they are drink- our glasses and echoed Dubb’s
a lunch time rush—a task that ing. They just have no culture.” “L’Chaim” or “To life,” the familiar
requires pushing aggressively to So let’s return to the sunny day salute that marks the start of all
maintain a spot in line, yelling an in the Judean Hills, where five Jewish and Israeli festivities.
6 Friday, February 22, 2019
A
O ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Bowdoin College Museum of Art celebrates 125 years
by Sabrina Lin
and Penelope Mack
Orient Staff
The bronze figures of Soph-
ocles and Demosthenes, set
in niches on the facade of the
Walker Art Building, are turning
125-years-old. As the Bowdoin
College Museum of Art celebrates
the quasquicentennial anniver-
sary of its iconic home, students,
faculty and community members
gathered on Tuesday evening to
celebrate the legacy of art and vi-
sual culture at the College.
Opened on February 19, 1894,
the Walker Art Building embod-
ied the visions of two women—
Mary Sophia Walker and Har-
riet Sarah Walker—to establish,
preserve and commemorate the
fine arts. The sisters offered the
building in honor of their uncle,
Theophilus Walker, a Boston
businessman and former Col-
lege trustee, who first proposed
housing the College’s extensive art
collection in a dedicated building.
Author Hannah Tinti talks fiction and storytelling
by Esther Wang
Orient Staff
The audience snapped their
fingers in unison on Tuesday
as Hannah Tinti began singing.
The author of three critically-ac-
claimed novels, Tinti knows how
to captivate an audience. Singing,
she says, does just that.
Tinti, who was at Bowdoin as
part of the Alpha Delta Phi Soci-
ety Visiting Writers Series, read
from her most recent best-sell-
ing novel, “The Twelve Lives of
Samuel Hawley.”
It’s not Tinti’s first time receiv-
ing critical acclaim. Her 2008
novel “The Good Thief ” received
the First Novel Prize from the
Center for Fiction, and her 2004
collection of short stories, “Ani-
mal Crackers,” was a runner-up
for the PEN/Hemingway Award.
Tinti is also the co-founder and
executive editor of One Story,
a literary magazine dedicated
to the short story form, and she
Fondly nicknamed “the Jewel
Box,” the building was designed
by Charles Follen McKim of
McKim, Mead and White, the
prominent architecture firm
that built the original Pennsyl-
vania Station, the Boston Public
Library and Columbia Universi-
ty’s Low Memorial Library. The
structure’s domed roof, sprawl-
ing front staircase and neoclas-
sical columns are quintessential
examples of the nineteenth cen-
tury Beaux-Arts style.
“[The Walker Art Building] is
the only building perched up high
above all others. It’s like a sacred
little temple that sits atop a great
staircase,” said Senior Lecturer in
Environmental Studies Jill Pearl-
man in an email to the Orient.
Tuesday’s anniversary festiv-
ities, however, honored more
than just the building’s grand
aesthetic. Co-directors of the
museum Anne Collins Goodyear
and Frank Goodyear explained
that they planned the celebration
to highlight the significance of the
teaches fiction writing at New
York University.
Born and raised in Salem,
Massachusetts, Tinti grew up
among the same setting in which
her characters reside. Tinti’s novel
weaves the story of Samuel Haw-
ley’s 12 scars, written in “Bullet”
chapters that tell how he received
each gun wound with the pres-
ent-day teen struggles of his
daughter, Loo. The book is both
a gripping mystery and a com-
ing-of-age story—a cross-genre
masterpiece.
After Tinti witnessed the
Greasy Pole Contest—a competi-
tion in which contestants traverse
a greased pole that is suspended
over a body of water and attempt
to claim a flag tethered at the oth-
er end—she knew a story set in a
rough-and-tough fishing village
would come naturally to her.
Tinti said her stories often
begin with something familiar
and start to unfold as she visual-
izes a scene and a character. The
museum’s collection to Bowdoin’s
broader intellectual mission.
“We welcomed this 125th an-
niversary as an opportunity both
to look backwards, to reflect on
what we’re doing today and to
look forward … We wanted to
take advantage of the opportunity
to reframe our collections in the
context of why we find them so
meaningful,” said Anne Good-
year. “Especially in this day and
age … we realized that art is not
about the production of objects
for the sake of decorating spac-
es. Rather, art is an expression of
philosophical questions that in-
spire, motivate, puzzle humanity.”
The desire to place the larger
philosophical tradition of the
fine arts at the center of a Bow-
doin education began before
the Walker Building opened its
doors. The purpose of art was
rooted deeply in the philosophy
of James Bowdoin III and his
founding of the College.
While the museum is 125 years
old, explained the Goodyears, the
process for her becomes about
“rewriting.”
“The first draft, you’re just kind
of vomiting on a page, and then
you have to take that vomit and
turn it into something that maybe
someone else would want to look
at,” said Tinti.
She likened the process to her
childhood habit of recounting
dreams to her family members.
“Nobody wants to listen to
[me],” she said. “Editing takes that
overwhelming feeling that could
come from your dreams and fi-
nesse it so that someone would
want to experience your dream.”
Aside from the editing pro-
cess, Tinti confessed that, like any
writer, building up confidence in
her writing projects is certainly a
challenge. Even as an established
author, Tinti nonetheless faces
struggles whenever a new project
comes along.
“It just feels completely over-
whelming, and [you feel] like
you’re never going to be able to do
CURATING CULTURE: A gift from the Walker sisters, the Walker Art Building first
opened on February 19, 1894, establishing the fine arts as central to a Bowdoin education.
College’s art collection actually
dates back to 1811, when James
Bowdoin III bequeathed his col-
lection of Old Masters drawings
to the College, making them the
oldest public collection of draw-
ings in the country at the time.
He also donated two paintings by
the prolific American portraitist
Gilbert Stuart, one a portrait of
James Madison and the other of
Thomas Jefferson. He commis-
sioned both portraits upon his
diplomatic appointment to Spain
and later France.
The connection to France is
particularly noteworthy, as James
Bowdoin’s story coincided with a
greater historical moment—the
opening of the Louvre Museum
in 1793 following the French Rev-
olution. As a diplomat in France,
James Bowdoin saw firsthand the
civic significance of making art
available to the public and incul-
cating an appreciation of the fine
arts tradition in the population.
“We really have in France and
in the United States at that time
it. Finding something that makes
you feel excited enough to push
past that insecurity is difficult.
Once I actually have the material,
I’m good at shaping [the story],”
Tinti said.
The key, Tinti revealed, is pa-
tience and allowing the piece to
flow by itself.
“Oftentimes, when I’m at the
beginning of the project and my
attention keeps drifting, I’ll set it
aside and start working on some-
thing else. It’s just not quite there
for me yet,” said Tinti.
Whether it’s writing a nov-
el or reading another author’s
work, Tinti believes that timing
is vital. The first time Tinti read
“Les Misérables” at 15, she found
herself underwhelmed. Howev-
er, when she picked up the book
again at 26, she fell in love with it.
To Tinti, the connection
between books and readers is
extremely powerful. Books pro-
vide a sanctuary for the reader,
she explained, and connect with
experiments going on with repub-
lican government and democracy.
And what I find very exciting is
the idea that access to cultural
resources is seen as an essential
ingredient to building a respon-
sible democratic citizenry,” Anne
Goodyear said. “So [establishing
an art collection] is not just about
educating people to be kind of
connoisseurs. It’s really more, in
my view, in the spirit of educating
people to be citizens.”
Important to the organizers
of the celebration was the inte-
gration of the rest of campus into
the programming around the
anniversary. Student voices were
featured in the festivities, with
performances from the Bowdoin
College Modern Dance Company,
the Bowdoin College Longfellows,
Mindfulness over Matter Club
and the Bowdoin Slam Poets.
“I recognize that sometimes
[the museum is] an intimidating
structure to enter … so developing
programs where a wide variety of
audience members can come and
SEARCHING STORIES: Critically-acclaimed author Hannah Tinti came to
campus to read from her latest novel, “The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley.”
them in a mutual transformative
experience.
This is why empathy and at-
tention are at the heart of Tinti’s
practice. She compares her writ-
ing process to zooming on a single
character’s life with binoculars—
PJ SEELERT, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
feel welcome and feel like they
belong is something that’s really
important to me,” said Curatorial
Assistant and Manager of Student
Programs Honor Wilkinson.
In his remarks at the cele-
bration, Frank Goodyear read
from an article published in
the Orient on March 7, 1894 to
mark the original opening of the
Walker Building.
“We ought to sing more than
we do,” read Frank Goodyear. “We
want to get together on some of
the balmy days and nights so near
at hand, and, from the band-stand
at the Oak, or better still, from the
terrace of the Art Building, let our
voices ring out the good old col-
lege glees and minstrel gems that
used to be part and parcel of such
a life as ours.”
Filled by the melodies of the
Longfellows, the celebration
showed the museum for what
it truly is: not only a collection
of valuable objects, but as the
Goodyears would attest, a collec-
tion of people.
LAUREN CAFFE, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
noticing the small details, like how
a character drinks their coffee.
“We become writers because
we notice things that other
people don’t,” she said. “We are
observers. We are watchers.
That’s powerful.”
Friday, February 22, 2019
Contemporary art comes alive in downtown gallery
by Sabrina Lin
Orient Staff
You may not think of down-
town Brunswick as the hub for
cutting-edge contemporary art.
Yet tucked away in a former
furniture shop, just mere steps
from Gelato Fiasco, the Frank
Brockman Gallery is filled with
colors, energy, vision and cre-
ative expression.
The gallery was founded two
decades ago by Brockman, who,
in addition to previously run-
ning a famed Omelette shop on
Maine Street, is also an artisan
and art enthusiast.
“Frank Brockman—I mean,
he’s a real benefactor here be-
cause he allows this to happen.
This is a very, very unusual
space,” said gallerist Mark Little.
Little, a New York-native and
artist, has known Brockman for
years and previously displayed
art at the gallery himself. When
Brockman approached him
three years ago, Little traded his
city life to serve as guardian to
this artistic enterprise. Under
Little’s care, the space continues
its dedication to experimental,
avant-garde work.
Little seeks out all the artists
he wishes to bring in, emphasiz-
ing the opportunity for people
to see work they wouldn’t nor-
mally see elsewhere. With pieces
ranging from the bold colors
and textured impastos of Deer
Isle artist Katy Helman current-
ly on view to the large-scale en-
vironmental installations by Ian
Trask ’05, at the Frank Brock-
man Gallery, one never quite
knows what to expect.
Portland Museum of Art might just surprise you
Arts In These
Parts
by Kayla Snyder
“Claustrophobic.” “Elitist.”
“Boring.” Worse has been said
about museums. Maybe you’re
imagining pairs of women in
patterned scarves and narrow
red glasses with beaded straps
gliding through cramped hall-
ways spitting nonsensical art
jargon. Staring at yet another
oil portrait of Jesus and some
other guys that looks like ev-
ery other painting in the hall,
you can’t help but feel that
museums are only a place for
art historians and pretentious
hipster wannabes.
Forgive my generalizations,
but many people associate mu-
seums with this kind of toxic
pseudo-intellectualism. Upon
suggesting a visit to a muse-
um, I’ve often been met with a
suppressed grimace: “Sorry, I
just really don’t like museums.”
While staring at your feet may
seem equally as enticing as
looking at the walls, I encourage
you to adjust your lens and take
a drive down I-295 to the Port-
land Museum of Art (PMA).
Pulling into a street-side
parking space, I wondered,
“Where is it?” The muse-
um doesn’t assert itself into
Portland’s arts district with
towering marble columns or
glass structures that seem to
AIMING AT ART: The Frank Brockman Gallery, a hidden gem among the restaurants and shops on Maine Street, has been at the forefront of showing contemporary art for the past 20 years in
Maine. Now curated by artist Mark Little, the gallery seeks to represent a diverse range of creative voices and serve as a hub for the local artistic community.
“It’s an organic [process] that
makes it such that we give artists
a chance to show when nobody’s
really shown,” said Little. “This is
an artist-run gallery and I have
intimate knowledge as to what
it means to make art to have it
shown … You know, it’s [an ar-
tistic] tribe.”
As parts of Maine become
increasingly gentrified, Little ob-
served that some of the art-pro-
duction has shifted to conven-
tional landscapes favored by
tourists; despite this, Brockman
Gallery still insists on showing
exclusively abstract work.
“There’s two different types of
challenge gravity. Instead, with
flat-faced brick marked only by
large, half-moon windows, the
building seems to ask only one
thing of you: look inside.
Pushing through the ro-
tating glass door, I was over-
whelmed by the space I en-
tered. Do you remember the
first time you visited Smith
Union, astonished that a simple
brick exterior encased the most
chaotically designed space you
likely have ever seen? Hidden
inside the PMA’s brick exterior,
white walls soar upward toward
octagonal domes, natural light
flooding in through hidden
slits. The bare surface is dec-
orated with massive, colorful
works—from a huge mural
resembling ink blots upon a
canvas to neon slabs of paint-
ed wood with unrecognizable
curved forms, to a portrait of
a woman grinning in front of
a chestnut forest. Even more
haphazard is the arrangement
of vacant rectangles in the
walls, revealing hallways in
the upper floors and providing
gorgeous aerial views of the
lobby from above.
Continuing on to the galler-
ies, the diversity of the pieces
on view and architecture of the
space overwhelms the senses
(how is there natural light in
every room?). Admittedly, I
am a regular visitor of muse-
ums, but I have learned that
they are more than just struc-
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 7
GWEN DAVIDSON, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
art in Maine,” Little said. “[There “It’s difficult for galleries to [visitors] get to add something to ed. “People don’t leave when
are the] lighthouse sort of land- exist because usually they have their life,” he said. there’s an opening here. It’s a
scapes, seascapes that appeal to rent or something like that. Indeed, the Frank Brock- hub and other artists meet other
… tourists or people who have Well, Frank owns the building, man gallery could be the fur- artists … It’s a meeting ground
a second or third home here, but so we don’t have to worry about thest thing from the traditional and things happen.”
then there is serious artwork. it,” said Little. “So I have the op- pristine white box. Not shy to Little described the gallery
When I say serious, I mean peo- portunity to show the stuff that reveal the markings of time, the as an artist’s living room, which
ple are going to make [this kind I want to show; it’s not [that] we squeaking floors, high wooden captures it perfectly. It’s com-
of art], whether they show it or don’t care to make a sale, but it’s beams and textured walls im- fortable and inviting, while still
sell it or anything. They are com- not a big deal.” bue the gallery with a sense of being just the right amount of
pelled to do it.” Featuring many up-and- warmth and informality. “niche”; Little does not belabor
One of the major differences coming artists, Little also wishes “And what’s great about this the need for publicity.
of the Frank Brockman Gallery to remove the stigma of contem- [space] is that the walls are very “We want to have people
is the lack of financial concerns porary art as distant and inac- gnarly. That’s part and parcel of find us … it’s a matter of effort.
that plague many other galleries, cessible. it ... The walls speak for them- We don’t flog it. And we don’t
as the building itself is owned by “When people come to a selves,” said Little. really advertise in magazines,”
Brockman, in turn enabling its gallery, it’s accessible, hopefully “This is a space [a lot like] Little said. “We’d like to be a
experimental practice. the art work is affordable, and 1970s Soho, New York,” he add- surprise.”
tures to hold precious works. frequented. Spend time with posed like kings on a throne side of their minivans. Go for
Everything that you see (and the works that don’t feel as easy (seriously, what did babies look the sake of actually reading the
don’t see) in a gallery has been to walk past. like in the 19th century?). Go description next to a piece of
carefully selected to influence You do not need to have tak- for the photo-op in front of the art and thinking, “Shit. That’s
how you view a piece, so don’t en an art history class or ever three massive apple sculptures, kinda cool.”
just walk by. Would you view a picked up a paintbrush to enjoy jutting out of the wall like those Don’t take the PMA too se-
Picasso with the same reverie if the PMA. Go for the portraits of three-dimensional golf-ball riously. You might just enjoy
it weren’t encased in an ornate babies with far too large heads, stickers dads put on the out- yourself.
gold frame double the size of
the piece itself?
Take a moment to read
the description posted
next to a piece. While
these labels are often ac-
companied by a highly
unreadable paragraph,
full of ridiculous art-
speak that reads like a
second language, the PMA
does an exceptional job
bringing these descrip-
tions to a lucid level. Take
a minute. Read the blurb.
Someone spent a long
time creating this
artwork—ar-
en’t you at all
curious what
they were try-
ing to say?
While I
tried to read
many descrip-
tions, I confess
that I couldn’t
be less bothered to
read about yet anoth-
er marble bust. You don’t need
KA
to pretend to care about every YL
AS
piece on view. Visiting an art NY
DE
R
museum does not mean check-
ing a box for each gallery hall
8 Friday, February 22, 2019
FS SPORTS
HIGHLIGHT
REEL
SQUISH, SQUASH:
The men’s squash team
ended its season at
nationals last weekend,
finishing 23rd in the
country. After two losses
to Middlebury and
Amherst, the Polar Bears
were able to defeat Tufts
6-3 to place seventh
in the C-Division. The
team concluded its
season with a 7-10 record
overall, bolstered by key
wins against Colby and
Hamilton.
FOUR’S A CROWD:
Last weekend, Bowdoin
hosted its fourth indoor
track invitational of the
year in anticipation of
the NCAA DIII New
England Indoor Track
Championship. Although
the invitational was non-
scoring, athletes used
it to perfect technique
and speed. Megan
Dustin ’19 and Belinda
Saint Louis ’21 ran away
with wins for the Polar
Bears in the 5,000 m and
shot-put, respectively.
The championship meet
will kick off with the
pentathlon this afternoon
at 2 p.m.
LEADING THE
TEAM: Women’s
basketball senior Taylor
Choate was recently
named the Maine
Women’s Basketball
Coaches Association
player of the week in
addition to the New
England Women’s
Basketball Honor Roll.
Choate has started in
every game this season
and has scored 304
points, averaging 12.2
points per game. Choate
is sure to be integral to
the team’s strategy in
Saturday’s NESCAC
semifinal game against
Middlebury.
BATTLE ROYALE:
The women’s squash
team (0-14) headed to
Wellesley on Thursday
to begin competition
in the E-Division of the
CSA Team National
Championship. The
Polar Bears will face
Denison University
first, with the winner of
that match moving on
to face Wellesley. The
tournament is expected
to conclude on Saturday.
COMPILED BY KATHRYN MCGINNIS
NESCACs yield new records, poor overall finish
by Benjamin Mason
Orient Staff
Last weekend the women’s
swimming and diving team
competed in the NESCAC
Championship at Wesleyan.
The Polar Bears placed seventh,
failing to score as many points
as in years past after challenges
throughout the season.
“I think we’re missing some
of the depth [we’ve had in years
past],” wrote Head Coach Brad
Burnham in an email to the
Orient. “While we had some
women ... winning events and
finishing in the top three, we
just didn’t see as many people
scoring.”
Scoring was also impacted
by an injury to one of the div-
ers who was sidelined for the
entirety of the weekend. Fellow
divers Thea Kelsey ’20 and Re-
becca Stern ’19 went on to place
in the top eight.
Expectations going into
the championship were high;
the Polar Bears defeated ev-
ery NESCAC competitor they
faced in dual meets over the
course of the year.
“It wasn’t our greatest perfor-
mance,” Burnham wrote. “But I
really appreciated the way that
the women kept their focus on
improving and doing the best
they could, [given] where they
were [at] physically.”
Burnham also recognized
the result was not solely a result
of athlete performance.
“Certainly a lot of the per-
formance problems were ...
things that I need to improve,”
he said. “I certainly came out
Women’s basketball NESCAC championship bracket
by Anjulee Bhalla
Orient Staff
The women’s basketball
team secured its 25th consec-
utive win with a 96-75 defeat
of Connecticut College in the
NESCAC quarterfinals last
Saturday.
Now the team will face No.
5-seed Middlebury. The game
promises to be a tight match-
up given that the Polar Bears’
closest game of the season was
their four-point win over the
Panthers on February 1. The
Panthers upset No. 4 Trinity
75-71 to make it to the semi-
finals, as Maya Davis ’20 was
named NESCAC Player of the
Week for her 22-point perfor-
mance. Davis is Middlebury’s
leading scorer this year, with
14 points and 11 rebounds
in the two teams’ last faceoff,
and will be a major weapon
for Bowdoin to defuse. The
matchup is sure to make an
exciting semifinal.
No. 2 seed Amherst will face
No. 3 seed Tufts in a rematch of
GAME DAY
Doors to Morrell Gymnasium open at 1 p.m. on Saturday and 11
a.m. on Sunday. Tickets for Sunday’s championship game will be
available immediately after the semifinal games.
ON THE FLY: Nadia Eguchi ’21 competes in the butterfly portion of the individual medley. The team finished 7th in the NESCAC championships last weekend.
of the meet realizing that as a
coaching staff, we have to get a
lot better.”
Even with a disappointing
end, most swimmers had a pos-
itive outlook on the NESCAC
Championship.
“I think the vibe of NES-
CACs is pretty awesome,” said
Sterling Dixon ’19. “By the end
of the meet, I think people were
just happy with their individual
swims. And even if they didn’t
do as well as they wanted, we
all definitely had a really good
time.”
Dixon swam a 2:02:07 in the
200 m butterfly for a new school
last year’s NESCAC champion-
ship match, in which Amherst
won 44-40. The game will be
an interesting battle of offense
versus defense, as Tufts has
only allowed 47.8 points per
game—the best in the NES-
CAC—and Amherst’s Made-
line Eck and Hannah Fox lead
the league in points per game
with 16.4 and 16.3 respectively.
When the two teams last faced
each other, the Mammoths de-
feated the Jumbos 50-40.
The NESCAC requires that
the host sell tickets for the
Final Four matches, with $6
tickets for adults, $3 tickets for
students, seniors and children
and free tickets for Bowdoin
students with their ID. There is
an allocated percentage of tick-
ets set aside for Bowdoin stu-
dents, and the Athletic Depart-
ment anticipates running out
of general admission tickets
before student tickets. How-
ever, if the student tickets run
out and there are still general
admission tickets available,
students will not have to pay.
record. The team of Dixon, other teams’] to spread, we are
Marshall Lowery ’20, Amanda trying to spread the positivity.”
Banasiak ’20 and Mary Laurita Dixon also looked positively
’21 also earned a school record on the season as a whole.
in the timed trials of the 200 m “I think our women’s team
freestyle relay. as a whole has been a lot closer
According to Laurita, the this year,” said Dixon. “Every
disappointing team result, single one of our seniors was
despite impressive times, is super happy with how we did
reflective of a new trend in the and how we ended our season.”
NESCAC. The season is not over for all
“I almost feel like the confer- of the swimmers, though. Four
ence as a whole is getting faster, members of the team will likely
which is really exciting,” Lau- participate in Nationals from
rita said. “I think [that] rather March 20-23 in Greensboro,
than taking that negatively and North Carolina. However, be-
allowing [the] contagion of ‘oh cause several DIII conferences
we’re not keeping up [with the have not yet had their champi-
((1)) Bowdoin 96
Bowdoin
(8) Conn. College 75
Saturday, 2 p.m.
Morrell Gym
(4) Trinity 71
Middlebury
(5) Middlebury 75
(3) Tufts 75
Tufts
(6) Williams 51
Saturday, 4 p.m.
Morrell Gym
(2) Amherst 60
Amherst
(7) Wesleyan 40
COURTESY OF BRIAN BEARD
onship meets, spots still remain
uncertain.
“Nothing is set in stone,”
Dixon said. “There could be a
couple of swimmers who actu-
ally swim faster than the times
that we swam last weekend
which could knock people out
of swimming at Nationals.”
Dixon still feels confident
that at least three of the wom-
en are locked in for Nationals,
with the fourth waiting for re-
sults from the other conference
championships. The four swim-
mers in contention for spots
are Dixon, Laurita, Lowery and
Banasiak.
Winner of semifinal
Sunday, 12 p.m.
Morrell Gym
Winner of semifinal
Friday, February 22, 2019 SPORTS 9

Men’s and women’s hockey confront disappointing season

by Dylan Sloan
Orient Staff
Sidney J. Watson Arena is
festooned with an extensive
collection of banners celebrat-
ing the accomplishments of
Bowdoin hockey teams past.
However, the year 2018-2019
will not be appearing on any of
these decorations.
For the first time in 18 years,
both the Bowdoin men’s and
women’s hockey teams failed to
reach the NESCAC playoffs. This
means both teams placed below
the top eight teams in a league
with only 11 teams. The women’s
team finished with a record of
3-19-2 (NESCAC 2-13-1), their
worst record in the program’s 34-
year history, and the men’s team
finished 6-16-2 (NESCAC 3-14-
1), their worst record since 1963.
For women’s head coach Ma-
rissa O’Neil, the immediate after-
math of the season is about un-
derstanding what held the team
back throughout the winter.
“We have to do our [due]
diligence in terms of breaking
down what took place this year,”
she said. “One of our goals that
we weren’t able to attain very of-
ten—just a few times this year—
was scoring three goals in the
game. At times, hockey can kind
of be a race to three [goals].”
Over the season, the women’s
team averaged only 1.33 goals
per game. They scored three
goals in just two games, both of
which they won.
The men’s team fared slightly
better in front of the net, aver-
aging 2.46 goals per game and
hitting the three-goal mark nine
times over the course of the sea-
son. However, the team conced-
ed an average of 3.96 goals per
game and only won two-thirds
of the games in which it scored
three goals. This is the second
year in a row that the men have
missed out on a NESCAC playoff
berth–last year was the first year
the Polar Bears missed the tour-
nament in program history.
In an email to the Orient,
men’s team captain Pat Geary
’20 was blunt about his feelings
towards the past season.
“We expected to have more
success than we had,” wrote
Geary. “We’ve underperformed
for three years … All the piec-
es necessary for success have
been there every year, and for
whatever reason things haven’t
clicked … Three years of that is
way too long, and [it’s] pretty
embarrassing.”
Head Coach Jamie Dumont
said tough competition made it a
tough year.
“We had trouble scoring key
goals and [taking advantage of]
key moments,” Dumont said.
“That wasn’t by a lack of effort,
and wasn’t by lack of opportuni-
ty. At the end of the day, we have
to respect the fact that this league
is pretty good. It’s not easy to
score in this league.”
O’Neil characterized the main
hindrance to the women’s team’s
performance as mental.
“I think [our main obstacle]
was more internal,” she said.
“The first couple games got to
our head, and it’s easier said than
done to remove that sort of men-
tal block … We just couldn’t find
a way to put [the puck] in [the
net]. That’s a big mental hurdle.”
Angelina Joyce ’22, the
women’s second-highest scorer,
agreed that scoring was a chal-
lenge for the team.
“We were consistently keeping
up with our opponents in terms
of shots on goal, but we couldn’t
finish. That led us to overtime
eight times. From there, we were
just unlucky,” said Joyce.
The women won only one of
the eight overtime games they
played. Overtime games are
sudden-death, so the first team
to score wins the game. With no
opportunity to come back after a
goal is scored, the race to score
the game-winner often involves
some degree of luck.
The challenges both hockey
teams faced this year go beyond
simply individual performance
or mindset. Dumont stressed
the age and physicality of the
men’s league as a major factor
contributing to its overall quality.
It’s becoming increasingly com-
mon for men’s NESCAC hockey
rosters to include first years who
are 20 or even 21 years old. That
age gap can make a significant
impact on the ice.
“It’s a challenge for an
[18-year-old] true freshman
to come in and play against
a 21-year-old freshman. The
amount of Division I transfers
entering our league is increasing,
too,” said Dumont. “It’s especial-
ly a challenge when you have to
play five games in nine nights,
sometimes games on back-to-
back days … It’s a big learning
curve for young players.”
After all the hardships of the
past season, O’Neill expressed
her desire to “close this chapter”
COURTESY OF BRIAN BEARD
and move on to preparing for
next winter.
Joyce felt the same way.
“We have no lesser expec-
tations for ourselves next year.
We are still going in with [the
goal of winning the] NESCAC
championship in our mind,” she
said. “We will keep [the] relent-
less positivity and determination
from this season with us as we
move forward.”
Perhaps next year another
banner will be added to the
walls of Watson Arena. Un-
KAYLA SNYDER, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
til then, the Bowdoin hockey
teams must prepare for another HOCKEY STOP: (ABOVE) Julia Surgenor ’21 skates past an opponent.
campaign. (BELOW) Pat Geary ’20 looks down rink in a game against Tufts.

Softball gets fired up for the spring season despite the snow
by David Yang
Orient Staff
What makes prospective
students who visit Bowdoin’s
snow- and ice-covered campus
in the middle of winter want
to come here? Similarly, what
makes a prospective softball
player want to be a Polar Bear—
faced with indoor practices in
Farley or out on the turf lacrosse
field throughout February and
March, and even shoveling the
softball field in April?
This is a reality faced by
most New England spring
teams, and the softball team has
learned how to not only rise to
the challenge, but greet it with
excitement.
“We’re really excited for the
season and all the challenges
that it faces as a spring sport
here,” said captain Caroline Rice
’19. “Just rolling with the punch-
es and just making the most of
everything that we have all of
our resources—whether we’re in
Farley or on the field or in Flori-
da. We just love to play.”
Hopefully the 34 high school
student-athletes, who showed
up to a recruitment program put
on by the team last weekend, felt
that excitement too. The recruits
got to meet the team for a Q&A,
a short tour of campus and a
clinic in Farley Field House.
“We’ve been able to attract
really talented players that want
to look at a place like Bowdoin
College or similar institutions,”
said Head Coach Ryan Sullivan.
“We’re in here for three hours,
and we’re throwing and hitting,
and running and pitching and
catching and doing all the things
softball players do. A lot of kids
were very impressive.”
Luckily Farley provides a
great space for the team to prac-
tice while there’s still snow on
the ground.
“This is home for us, you
know,” said Sullivan. “And we’re
fortunate to have a facility that
from a spatial standpoint we
can almost put a whole field in.
Short of scrimmaging in [Far-
ley], we can get a lot of skill and
drill work done, so we try to be
creative with what we’re doing
in here.”
The team held its first prac-
tice of the season on February
15 as it prepares for the upcom-
ing season. Last year, the Polar
Bears came in second in the
NESCAC championship; this
year, the team is expecting an-
other great run.
But first the team must con-
front a variety of challenges—
one of which is a new roster
including three first years. Six
seniors graduated last year,
including three of the team’s
strongest hitters and its starting
catcher, but the Polar Bears are
prepared to adapt.
“It’s this unique situation
where we have to reinvent our-
selves a little bit from our lead-
ership model,” said Sullivan.
“I think we have a lot of really
talented people on our team to
do that on the field and off the
field. So we’re in a very good
place right now.”
“The first week of practices
has gone well. I think everyone’s
looking good, feeling good. And
I think we all work together re-
ally well, which is a big compo-
nent,” agreed Rice.
However, the team does need
to fill the large gaps left by the
graduated class, which demands
a high degree of versatility and a
steep learning curve.
“This year we are going to
have younger players step into
more playing time and poten-
tially different positions in some
cases,” said Sullivan. “So it’s a
little bit of practicing those po-
sitions, and everybody being on
the same page and getting used
to playing next to each other on
the field, and how that all fits
together.”
In addition, having a bal-
anced roster allows the program
to maintain a higher level of play
from year to year.
“We haven’t had to rely on
one or two individuals to carry
the team. We have really good
depth throughout the roster,”
said Sullivan.
While the small team
size—13 players this year—can
pose challenges, captain Sam
Valdivia ’19 noted that there
are definite perks.
“It gives you an ability to get
to know girls a lot better than
we might on a 20-plus person
team,” said Valdivia. “Another
thing is that a lot of girls show
up because they know that if
they don’t show up to prac-
tice we’ll be short-staffed, like
there’s a certain accountabil-
ity that comes with our small
size.”
The coaches also promote a
close-knit family culture with-
in the team.
“[They] encourage the fami-
ly culture that we have and give
us the space to be honest with
them about what we need.”
The team’s first match is on
March 13 against Westfield St.
in Minneola, Florida, and the
first home series will be on
April 5 and 6 against Tufts.
The excitement to get out-
side and on their field is clear.
“Being from California, I’ve
never been more excited, like
a kid on Christmas morning,
when I tie up my cleats and
then my metal cleats take
that first step in the dirt,” said
Valdivia. “We spend our whole
preseason in tennis shoes in
Farley Field House and some-
times we’ll occasionally get to
go outside on the turf, still in
tennis shoes, but it’s so nice to
finally get to be in cleats and
step in dirt and not be cold. It
just makes you appreciate the
sport a lot more during those
moments.”

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10 Friday, February 22, 2019

O OPINION
Real talk
Almost exactly three years ago, on February 20, 2016, a group of (mostly white)
Bowdoin sophomores infamously gathered in a room in Stowe Hall, donning sombre-
ros and drinking tequila. Although this story is a familiar one to Bowdoin seniors, it
The integration of Israel gave up on preventing further settlements affairs cannot be blamed solely on Isra-
might not be to first years. in the West Bank, and since then the osten- el-Palestinian leadership has been obsti-
The campus was outraged. The Tequila Party, as it came to be known, occurred Our America sibly Palestinian territory has swollen to nate, unreasonable and flat out anti-Se-
only months after another racially-charged party, the Gangster Party, where students by Lorenzo Meigs hold some 400,000 Jewish settlers. These mitic since the beginning, and Hamas,
wore cornrows, baggy clothes and other accessories stereotypically associated with Af- settlers are full Israeli citizens, represented which can only be described as a terrorist
rican-American culture. Dozens of students attended Bowdoin Student Government As swastikas were painted onto nearly in the Knesset (Israeli’s Parliament), and group, now controls Gaza. Further, as
(BSG) public comment time to demand that the student representatives condemn the a hundred Jewish graves in France and they can drive in and out of the West Bank many Palestinians have never accepted
events and remove students who attended the Tequila Party from the BSG assembly. the British Labour party splintered over almost without noticing they are moving Israel’s fundamental right to exist, Israel
After the story went viral, first thanks to a post on Turtleboy Sports, several students of the release of Jeremy Corbyn’s nasty 2013 across state lines. has been subject to brutal and unrelenting
color who had spoken out faced vitriolic online harassment. A Washington Post col- remarks on Jews, anti-Semitism in Europe Palestinians, meanwhile, are subject to attack. Indeed, much Israeli aggression
umnist weighed in. It wasn’t good. boiled over yet again this week. Mean- strict movement controls, denied equal has been necessary to protect its people.
Those of us who were here during the parties remember conversations about race while, in America, we continued to wres- access to water and governed by Israeli However, as the interposers, the primary
dominating campus. We remember the outrage and the discomfort that rippled across tle with our own issues of anti-Semitism military law—not the civil law settlers responsibility has always lain with the Zi-
the student body. The events heavily shaped our first year here and have followed us in light of Representative Ilhan Omar’s are subject to. In Gaza, Jewish settle- onists. Zionism needed to figure out how
since. This experience taught us to do better. (D-Minn.) tweet last week about the ments were removed, but Israel has also to avoid pure colonialism, and it failed.
Since then, these conversations have been happening less, if at all. Institutional Washington consensus around support maintained complete functional control, And so, Israel will soon fail, too.
memory is short-term, and we are worried that the memory of those parties is fading for Israel being “all about the Benjamins.” preventing the region from developing Netanyahu knows this, and by allying
and may disappear once current seniors graduate. Our worry is reasonable: according These incidents are by no means equally through the imposition of a decade-long himself with the Republican Party, he has
to an honors research project conducted by Pamela Zabala ’17, racial bias incidents bad—Omar’s remark, for example, seems economic blockade. A United Nations bought himself some time—the strange al-
happen every 3.5 years. If the calendar is correct, we are due for another soon. like a genuine mistake, free of hatred—yet report recently found that the area may be liance of American evangelicals and Israeli
But we don’t have to be. We need to be proactive. That’s why the new Real Talk these incidents do all underscore a fact the rendered “unlivable” as soon as next year. neo-Zionists is now one of the primary
on Race program, which facilitates conversations for first years, is so important. The Western left seems to be rapidly forget- In short, Israel has conquered Palestine forces propping the state up. However, this
College is providing students with the environment to hold these discussions. Even ting: the need for a Jewish state remains and unilaterally implemented its own move has set the stage for a break in the bi-
though Bowdoin promotes “intellectual fearlessness,” most students still try to avoid strong. twisted vision of a one-state solution. If partisan American support of Israel, and it’s
confronting race in their daily lives. We commend the administration for demonstrat- Seventy years after the World War Two, you squint, Israel is the sole democracy only a matter of time before the Democrats
ing its dedication to creating space for these conversations. many Jews still do not feel safe in their na- in a region of autocracy, but if you open abandon Israel. And without American
Now it’s up to all students to carry their end of the burden, because it should be tions, and rightly so. The events of these last your eyes, it’s hard to see anything but moral and military aid, Israel will finally
everyone’s responsibility. Students of color have repeatedly expressed frustration about few weeks pale in comparison to the Tree a humanitarian disaster. J-Street, a Jew- become a pariah state and begin down the
the expectation that they educate their white peers about issues related to race. While of Life massacre in Pittsburgh last year and ish-American lobbying organization, and road of South African-style decline.
conversations with peers are important, white students should also take the time to the 2014 siege of the Don Abravanel syn- the rest of the international community I love Israel—the two weeks I spent
educate themselves. Read the “Diversity Matters” series published in the Orient last agogue in Paris. Now more than ever, the can continue breathlessly debating how there at the end of my gap year were a
spring, which stemmed from intensive sociology research (including 48 interviews) Jews of the world need and deserve a strong to implement a two-state solution, but wonderful mixture of meeting family,
with last year’s senior class. Read Zabala’s thesis; it’s available in the library and online. state—a state where they are guaranteed that possibility died years ago: 400,000 reveling in historical riches and floating in
And when people of color come to campus to speak about their work—next week, sanctuary and a state that will advocate for settlers cannot be moved, and the Pales- the turquoise blue waters of the Asi Riv-
there is Senegalese storyteller Boubacar Ndiaye, the week after that will be White House their interests abroad. Unfortunately, Israel tinians are totally incapable of supporting er—but at the same time, I’m convinced
correspondent April Ryan—show up. may soon no longer be that state. themselves. Thus, to support a two-state that the Israel we know today must come
Three years ago, our school was in the news for all the wrong reasons. Since then, we Israel was always an unstable and con- solution now is to support the status quo, to an end. Even as I am reminded daily
may have learned not to post culturally appropriative photos on social media. But it’s troversial project. Its founding resulted for there will never be any real movement of the need for a Jewish state, I am simul-
important to learn more than that. We should actively attempt to counteract our biases in the horrifying expulsion of 700,000 towards those two states—Netanyahu has taneously forced to conclude that a truly
in our actions and words, and call out others to do the same. These are tools that will Palestinians and, surrounded by nations already said as much. This is a tragedy of Jewish state can no longer exist. For while
not only make our campus a more inclusive, accepting place for all students, but we can that want it gone, its continued existence epic proportions, but ignoring it will not the Jews undeniably deserve their own
hopefully take them with us beyond Bowdoin. has forever been a fight. Yet, somehow, solve it. state, the Palestinians’ need for basic rights
this parched piece of land has become a To be sure, the current state of and recognition is even greater. With the
This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, wonderful modern state. Indeed, to visit it death of the two-state solution, the
which is composed of Emily Cohen, Nell Fitzgerald, Roither Gonzales, George is to fall in love with it. The energy of Tel only way to meet that Palestinian
Grimbilas, Calder McHugh and Jessica Piper. Aviv, the beauty of Haifa, the thickness of need is to integrate the Palestinian peo-
community in the still-thriving Kibbut- ple into the Jewish state—the Israeli state.
zim—these goods constitute the man- In America and Israel, the right have al-
ifestation of a dream that has been ready recognized the reality of a one-state
millennia in the making. The chosen future. The left must finally do the same.
people have finally returned to their The only legitimate fight that remains is
ESTABLISHED 1871 land and built themselves a home. over the character of this impending,
However, this home is rotten singular, Israeli-Palestinian state.
bowdoinorient.com orient@bowdoin.edu 6200 College Station Brunswick, ME 04011 and fast decaying. As unarmed It’s beyond the scope of this col-
The Bowdoin Orient is a student-run weekly publication dedicated to providing news and information Palestinians fighting for freedom umn to lay out a coherent left-wing
relevant to the Bowdoin community. Editorially independent of the College and its administrators, continue to be gunned down, the one-state solution, but morally, it is
the Orient pursues such content freely and thoroughly, following professional journalistic standards in mask of Western values Israel has the only way forward. For the good
writing and reporting. The Orient is committed to serving as an open forum for thoughtful and diverse been hiding behind for decades of all, occupation must end and
discussion and debate on issues of interest to the College community. is finally starting to slip, and the reunification must begin. Both
world is beginning to grasp the peoples’ claim to the land must be
Calder McHugh Jessica Piper sorry fact that Israel is—and has recognized, and new institutions
Editor in Chief Editor in Chief
MO

been for years—an unapologetic in which they can both participate

LLY

apartheid state. and thrive must be created. It will

KEN

In 2010, Prime Minister Benja- be a long and arduous process, but

NE
DY

Digital Director Managing Editor News Editor min Netanyahu and his Likud party it can be done.
James Little Anjulee Bhalla Nina McKay
Emily Cohen
Photo Editor Nell Fitzgerald Features Editor
Dakota Griffin Mitchel Jurasek
Ann Basu Rohini Kurup QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Mindy Leder
Ezra Sunshine Associate Editor Sports Editor

Layout Editor
Anna Fauver
Roither Gonzales
Kathryn McGinnis
HAVE YOU VISITED THE BOWDOIN COLLEGE
A&E Editor
Jaret Skonieczny
Ian Stewart
Amanda Newman
Lucia Ryan Sabrina Lin MUSEUM OF ART?
Ian Ward
Data Desk Editor Copy Editor
Opinion Editor
Kate Lusignan Answer at bowdoinorient.com/poll.
Drew Macdonald Sam Adler
Gideon Moore Sydney Benjamin Calendar Editor
George Grimbilas (asst.) Conrad Li Cole van Miltenburg
Nimra Siddiqui (asst.) Devin McKinney
Page 2 Editor
Last week’s response:
Multimedia Editor
Business Manager
Surya Milner Diego Lasarte Q: HAVE YOU BEEN SICK THIS SEMESTER?
Molly Kennedy Head Illustrator Coordinating Editor
Avery Wolfe Phoebe Zipper Gwen Davidson 69% YES
The material contained herein is the property of The Bowdoin Orient and appears at the sole discretion of the
31% NO
editors. The editors reserve the right to edit all material. Other than in regard to the above editorial, the opinions Based on answers from 153 respondents.
expressed in the Orient do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors.
Friday, February 22, 2019
Workers and students respond to Orient’s report on low
housekeeping wages and mislabeling
by Diego Grossmann
and Benjamin Ray
Op-Ed Contributor
Disclaimer: We, the authors of
this response, are willing to speak
our minds about the deceptive
practices of Bowdoin College
revealed in last week’s issue of
the Orient. We understand that
making such public statements,
even anonymously, poses risks for
those employed by the College.
We commend those workers who
have been willing to speak their
minds, as well as those who work
tirelessly and have not yet been
able to engage in this conversa-
tion.
Ever since the living wage
campaign at Bowdoin began,
the administration’s silence and
denial has revealed its profound
discomfort at the idea that its
low-wage workers should live
financially secure lives. Now,
the administration’s argument
against a living wage has lost its
footing.
From the start, Bowdoin set
its own terms to justify paying
workers an unlivable wage. The
College conducted its own mar-
ket-factors study, used to cal-
culate its wages, by comparing
Bowdoin to corporations like
Walmart and local businesses
like Amato’s, an Italian fast-food
chain. This is how the College
decided to pay its housekeeping
staff $12.35 an hour—a solid
10 cents above the local Burger
King’s enticing offer of $12.25.
New findings reveal that
the College has also set its own
terms to justify this unlivable
wage by intentionally mislabel-
Preparing for Maine’s future without paper mills
Pine Tree
Perspective
by Lowell Ruck
Growing up in Orono,
Maine, I was never far removed
from Maine’s paper industry.
On some days, when the wind
was right, the acrid scent of the
paper mill in Old Town would
waft down the Penobscot Riv-
er and into my house. Freight
trains rolled by every week
carrying the white and black
liquor used and produced in
the papermaking process. On
the way to Hannaford, I reg-
ularly passed the mill with its
tall towers belching smoke,
huge vats of mysterious chem-
icals and mountains of wood
chips ready to become pulp.
Nowadays, the Old Town
mill doesn’t smell anymore and
its towers no longer smoke.
It has changed hands several
times during my lifetime, and
during my junior year of high
school, it stopped running
altogether. This was not an
isolated occurrence—countless
other mills in the state, from
Madison to Millinocket, have
also ceased operations in
recent years. Out of the eleven
paper mills that operated in
Maine in 2014, five have since
closed, either due to poor
ing workers as “housekeepers”
when their work is more accu-
rately described as “custodial” or
“cleaning and janitorial.”
The Maine Department of
Labor’s (DOL) “Occupational
Employment and Wage Esti-
mates” provides estimates to
help local employers determine
wages by occupation. According
to this database, compensation
for “housekeeping” work in
Cumberland County is estimat-
ed at $11.28 an hour, while com-
pensation for “custodial” work,
done by janitors and cleaners,
is estimated at $14.10. Unlike
Bowdoin, Colby and Bates la-
bel campus cleaning staff as
custodians. Down the road at
Brunswick and Mt. Ararat high
schools, cleaning staff—also la-
beled as custodians—make be-
tween $17 and $23.07 an hour.
The Maine DOL defines
“custodial” work done by “jan-
itors and cleaners” as the per-
formance of “heavy cleaning
duties [such as] cleaning floors,
washing walls and glass and re-
moving rubbish,” while “house-
keeping” work is strictly limited
to “light cleaning … to maintain
private households [such as]
making beds, replenishing lin-
ens and cleaning rooms.”
Bowdoin’s “Job Code De-
scription Details,” however,
demonstrates that “housekeep-
ers” are expected to perform
duties beyond the scope of
the Maine DOL’s definition of
“housekeeping.” These duties
include “floor (refinishing) …
carpet (extraction) … two-way
radio … general cleaning” with
“hand tools, (buffing and bur-
markets or because of shifting
ownership. Some are already
being demolished, such as the
one in Bucksport, while others,
like the ones in Old Town
and Madison, stand
dormant,
abandoned
by the
international corporations that
bought them and promised
revitalization. It’s a familiar
pattern in this northeastern
corner of mostly post-
industrial
America, and
with demand
for paper
decreasing and
international
competition
increasing, it
seems as though
it’s only a matter of
time before all of Maine’s paper
mills go under. Whether or not
this day might ever come is up
for debate, but Maine needs
to be prepared for the loss
of one of its longest-running
industries, and our mill towns
need to find new ways to
support themselves.
One promising solution
may be through the promotion
of recreation. While Millinock-
et, an isolated community in
northern Penobscot County,
closed its mill in 2014, it has
OPINION
nishing),” requiring workers
“to walk behind and ride-on
scrubber/sweepers, vacuum
(including backpack), (and
[operate a]) shower/foam gun.”
Furthermore, the “Housekeep-
ing Team Guidebook” states
that “housekeepers” are expect-
ed to perform “limited snow
removal, service bathrooms …
maintain clocks, [and] inspect
fire extinguishers.” Some are
even expected to handle “pool
maintenance.”
As the Orient reports, “the
majority of custodial staff at
schools, colleges, hospitals …
are categorized as janitor and
cleaner” according to the Maine
DOL. According to Merrill
Huhtala, program manager for
Occupational Employment Sta-
tistics at the Maine DOL, the
“housekeeping label is actually
used quite sparingly at educa-
tional or residential institutions
such as Bowdoin.” Huhtala also
states, “My experience has been,
most of them get coded into the
janitor and cleaner title. Because
they’re running floor buffers
and that sort of thing.”
“Housekeepers” are con-
scious that their title does not
reflect the work that the College
demands from them or the in-
adequate compensation they
receive:
“I’ve got the wood floor that I
gotta maintain … the windows
inside and out in the hallway.”
“I do floors, vacuum them,
wash them, I use the scrubber,
I do trash and recycling ... clean
the mirrors and carpets with the
machine.”
Workers are each assigned to
PHOE
BE ZIP
PER
seen a boost in
tourism from the re-
cent establishment of
the Katahdin Woods
and Waters National
Monument. Other mill
towns like Rumford and
Madison, located on the An-
droscoggin and the Kennebec,
could feasibly draw on their
locations and proximity to
outdoor recreation centers like
Sunday River and Sugarloaf
to stimulate a new post-paper
specific buildings that they
are responsible for keep-
ing in working order:
“We try to fix ev-
erything ourselves as
much as we can before
calling anything in.”
“I submit a work
order at least once
every three weeks
… sometimes even
one each week … for
broken things.”
“Look at what they
do at motels and what
we do here. It’s totally
different.”
Yet, when “house-
keepers” bring up these
contradictions, manage-
ment is quick to uphold
the label. “Housekeepers”
have reported being told by
their management, “You’re not
custodians, you’re housekeepers.”
As students, we are horrified
that our college would willingly
deceive its community simply to
avoid paying its workers a wage
that reflects the quality of their
work. In our conversation with
workers, they too expressed dis-
appointment:
“It makes me feel really rot-
ten,” stated one housekeeper.
“You mean degraded?” re-
sponded another.
“Housekeepers” describe
their work environment as one
defined by fear, miscommunica-
tion and intimidation, especially
towards those who have en-
gaged with the Bowdoin Labor
Alliance. Thus, we are voicing
these sentiments ourselves and
making the following demands.
We, members of the Bowdo-
economy. In others, dam re-
movals and water improve-
ment projects might promote
the return of sea-run fish and
would open rivers once choked
with development to canoeists
and anglers. This has already
in Labor Alliance, call upon the
College to:
1. Immediately relabel its
cleaning staff from “housekeep-
ers” to “custodial staff ” to ap-
propriately reflect the hard work
they perform on a daily basis.
2. As per recommendation
of the Maine DOL, increase the
base wage of cleaning staff to
$14.10, at minimum.
3. Proactively set up path-
ways for communication with
management and the College
administration, so workers
themselves can freely voice
these thoughts and concerns.
Workers should be able to
participate in this public conver-
sation without fear of intimida-
tion and interrogation. Even if a
platform is created to find solu-
tions for this issue, the College
been done on the Penobscot
River, and it could
certainly be done
elsewhere in the
state.
Another op-
tion may be
investment
in other in-
dustries.
Bucksport,
though now
struggling
without its
mill, hopes
to break
ground
on a new
large-scale
salmon
farm on
the mill
site this
spring.
With ideas
like the Green New Deal
floating around in the politi-
cal ether, it’s not inconceivable
that mill towns could repur-
pose their economy around
renewable projects like wind
or solar farms. Biomass energy
generation, which uses many
of the same products as pa-
permaking, could also be em-
ployed as a greener alternative
to coal and natural gas plants.
The state itself must also
secure pathways for former
11
DALIA TABACHNIK
must also step up and engage
in this conversation. Silence on
the part of the College is deafen-
ing and gets us nowhere.
With time, it will become
increasingly difficult for Bowdo-
in to keep people in jobs while
denying their dignity, humanity
and right to a fair wage. Some
workers are already fed up and
looking for options elsewhere:
“Every time I drive up to
Lewiston, I’d be darned if I don’t
apply to Bates … do what you
got to do.”
Please call or email President
Rose to ask the College to re-
spond and make a change:
(207) 725-3221; crose@bow-
doin.edu
Diego Grossmann and Ben-
jamin Ray are members of the
Class of 2020.
millworkers to find jobs, even
if these jobs no longer involve
working in a mill. Job training
programs must be fortified,
and more support must be
given to our technical schools,
community colleges and state
universities so that laid-off
workers can be reintegrated
into the workforce. The state
must strengthen social ser-
vices, especially in the face of
a rising opioid epidemic which
disproportionately afflicts the
unemployed.
While the sudden decline of
an industry—especially one so
rooted in our state’s history—
may be uncomfortable, there
are certainly ways to surmount
the initial challenge. As sev-
eral mill towns have already
demonstrated, there are a
range of possibilities for future
economic success, provided
that state and local residents
are willing to support the tran-
sition from paper to other in-
dustries and provided that the
state broadens its safety net to
facilitate this transition. And
though the smell of money
may no longer hang over Old
Town in the years to come,
I’m confident that it, along
with Maine’s other former mill
towns, will forge a new path.
I’m excited to see what their
futures hold.
 12 Friday, February 22, 2019

FEBRUARY
FRIDAY 22
EVENT
Wicked Smart Fridays: SMART Goal
Setting with Tina Chong
As part of a Center for Learning and Teaching (CLT) events
series on study habits, researcher Tina Chong will lead a
workshop that reviews methods of setting, formulating and
planning SMART goals. Snacks will be provided.
117 Sills Hall. 11:45 a.m.

EVENT
“Topophilia: A Love of Place”
The Ramp Gallery will display art from all class years in the
opening of its new exhibit displaying work that pertains to
students’ love of place. The exhibit is curated by Blanche
Froelich ’19.
The Ramp Gallery, Hawthorne Longfellow Library. 2 p.m.
MINDY LEDER, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
PERFORMANCE CAN YOU FEEL THE LOVE TONIGHT?: Tobi Omola ’19 (center) performs with the rest of the Longfellows. The Longfellows joined forces with
Miscellania on Thursday night for the annual ValJam performance in the Chapel.
A Night of Comedy With Teddy Ray
Los-Angeles based stand-up comedian Teddy Ray will deliver
a set. Ray has become popular over the past two years after

MONDAY 25 WEDNESDAY 27
landing a role on BET’s Comic View and joining the Season 8
cast of MTV’s Wild N’ Out.
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. 7 p.m.
EVENT FILM SCREENING
Knit and Crochet for the Common Good Searchers (Maliglutit)
The Joseph McKeen Center for the Common Good will pro- The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum will sponsor the
vide supplies for students to make warm-weather clothing for screening of “Maliglutit,” a film set in the early 1900s which
those in need. No previous knitting or crocheting experience follows the journey of an indigenous Caribou hunter who

SATURDAY 23
is necessary. returns home to find his wife and daughter kidnapped and
Beebe Room, Schwartz Outdoor Leadership Center. 4 p.m. the rest of his family murdered.
Beam Classroom, Visual Arts Center. 7 p.m.
PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP
Improvabilities Stress Management Workshop
Improvabilities, one of the two improv groups on campus, In a one-hour drop-in session, counselors Bryan Mendiola
will perform. and Chris Johnson will help students find ways to identify
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. 8 p.m. and manage sources of stress in their lives. Areas of focus will
include mindfulness, emotional awareness, self-affirmation
EVENT and breathing techniques.
Ebony Ball 102 Kanbar Hall, Center for Learning and Teaching. 4:30 p.m.
In a tradition dating back more than twenty years, the Afri-
can American society (Af-Am) will organize a dance to bring
students together during Black History Month.
THURSDAY 28
LECTURE
Main Floor, Moulton Union. 10 p.m.
An Evening with Poet Tariq Toure
As part of Black History Month celebrations, poet Tariq

TUESDAY 26 Toure will visit and talk with students. His poetry addresses
issues such as black Muslim narratives and social justice.
Thomas F. Shannon Room, Hubbard Hall. 7 p.m.
PERFORMANCE

SUNDAY 24 Voyage sans Visa, Tukki saa sune

(Voyage without a Visa)
Senegalese performer and storyteller Boubacar Ndiaye,
PERFORMANCE accompanied by musicians Baye Cheikh Mbaye and Pape
BernsteinFest! N’diaye Paamath, will tell stories about the emotions that
Musicians will perform works from esteemed composer come with leaving one’s home country. They will reflect on
Leonard Bernstein’s theater piece “Mass.” There will be a memories from home and portray the emotional pain of
continuation of the event in Studzinksi Recital Hall at 7 p.m. individuals and families caused by the immigration process.
Chapel. 3 p.m. Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. 7:30 p.m.
DISCUSSION
The Progressive Roots of ALEC:
Familial Wealth and Anti-Democracy in
the Conservation Era
Historian Joseph E. Taylor III will discuss the use of dark
money by groups including the American Legislative
Exchange County to influence legislation and the subsequent
impact this can have on environmental conservation efforts.
Lantern, Roux Center for the Environment. 7 p.m.

1 LECTURE 2 EVENT 3 4 5 LECTURE 6 7 LECTURE

“Haunted SWEAT by Looking at Rachel Beane:

Bauhaus” Lynn Chinese Art with “Stories from
Nottage Expert Eyes Earth”