You may have researched Bates extensively prior to applying, or maybe you applied thinking “Maine; that sounds nice.” Either way, The Bates Student wants to help familiarize you with Bates and the Lewiston community through these stories from the past five years. They range in subject from health to healing to technology, but all encapsulate Bates’ compassionate and dynamic community.
COVID Coverage: ‘Balancing Mental and Public Health’
The struggles of the pandemic need little explanation. For most, time itself became fluid as the end of quarantine slipped from next month to next year. By the beginning of 2022, Bates was in a difficult position: Confusion peaked among students who lamented restrictions as the mildness of omicron coupled with near total vaccination rates. The restrictions, however, remained.
This article by Alexi Knight ‘23 chronicles one student’s experience of COVID restrictions in 2022. Knight’s timely piece on the difficulties of socializing during the COVID-19 pandemic encapsulates the experience of students from previous years. She argues that the suspended card access to other dorms severely limited the potential for socialization and created worse mental health outcomes on campus. In fact, Bates Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) reported that 33% of students engaged with CAPS programs during the 2021-2022 year (https://www.bates.edu).
New ways to get around Maine with the LAP
On a cold January night, returning from break, I strolled down Alumni Walk carrying my beige-oak duffle bag in my right hand. A friend came closely behind on the Lewiston, Auburn, Portland (LAP) bus. I greeted him as he asked me how I’d gotten from the airport to Bates. “An Uber, obviously.”
I took a confused look at the bus, and returned the question, to which he answered, “The LAP, obviously.” Needless to say I was baffled that I hadn’t known about the LAP bus that costs $8 (as opposed to my $50 uber).
In fact, I admittedly didn’t know much about the local services available to me in Lewiston. Leah Belber’s ‘26 article, “Resources You Didn’t Know Existed” luckily details the many of the hidden perks of being a Batesie. She includes how to get free entry to Maine state parks and how to rent drones from the Digital Media Studios. And, of course, my new favorite: how to use the LAP bus.
AI in Education: Professors weigh in on AI in the classroom
Who hasn’t sat behind a person copying an essay prompt, loading up a fresh tab of ChatGPT (or similar generative AI) and generating an efficient, yet vague essay. Everyone, whether they want to or not, has had to grapple with the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Lexi Wachen ‘24 and Hadley Blodgett’s ‘26 article, “‘It’s here, We have to deal with it’: AI in the classroom and higher education” grapples with differing campus perspectives on AI’s capacity and usefulness.
A number of professors expressed interest in AI’s capabilities. Jennifer L. Koviach-Côté, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, argues that AI is simply a recent iteration of novel educational tools, stating that “when Wikipedia came out, everyone freaked out and thought, ‘oh, students are just gonna copy the Wikipedia page.’”
Professor Dale Chapman in the music department expressed a more nuanced opinion, noting the value of AI in certain instances while expressing concerns that it could take jobs away from actual musicians.
Each professor is different, and students should have open dialogue with their professors on when and how they should make use of AI.
The Student’s reporting on the 2023 Lewiston mass shooting
October 25 is a difficult day for Bates and the Lewiston/Auburn community. Far from evoking images of the crimson and amber foliage, it marks the day Robert Card killed 18 people and wounded 13 others in Lewiston in a mass shooting in 2023.
The tragedy, however, forced the community to band together, as Carly Philpott’s ‘27 article “Motivated by Religion and Compassion, Nation Rallies Around Lewiston” details. A Michigan man, Dan Beazley, traveled nearly 900 miles to provide prayer and support for the Lewiston community. Bonnie Fear, a representative of Lutheran Church Charities from Colorado, also traveled to Lewiston with a group of therapy dogs to support grieving Lewiston residents. Other dogs and their handlers came from Indiana, Minnesota, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Ohio.
October 25 is an anguishing day for Lewiston, but one that shows the importance of showing up for each other, especially in our most difficult moments.
Max Cory ‘26 breaks a DIII swimming record
In addition to notable season performances by the women’s field hockey and basketball teams, the swimming and diving program produced a record-breaking performance at NESCACs in 2025. Max Cory ‘26 recorded a DIII record relay split of 18.59.
President Jenkins’ 2024 Inauguration
We couldn’t compile the most impactful Bates stories without highlighting the inauguration of President Garry Jenkins on May 4, 2024. His presidential address, “Rising Together,” detailed financial challenges and accessibility issues to prospective low income students.
