Spooky season! Carving pumpkins, sipping the seasonal coffee flavors, and putting on a costume as someone other than yourself. It seems that on one night of the year, people can dress up however they want, and no one can have an opinion about it…wrong! In regards to how open people are about wearing the least […]
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A Coward’s Retreat
A couple of weeks ago, President Donald Trump announced that he would pull U.S. troops out of northeast Syria, the previous epicenter of Islamic State’s (IS) extremist caliphate that managed to take over large portions of Syria and Iraq. The U.S. military stressed long ago that IS was not “defeated” and that thousands of ex-fighters […]
The Body Toxicity at Bates
I’m not a calculating person. Since coming to Bates, however, I’ve learned how to be one. The body toxic culture here at Bates has led me to deliberate over everything I chose to wear or eat. I’ll put on a shirt in the morning, look in the mirror, and ask myself if I really feel […]
Stop Dominating Space: White Party Culture and Exclusion Across Campus
The first thing you probably see as you swipe into Commons is the long “POC (people of color) table” which lays itself out in front of a room full of white students. Both lower-class and upper class students of color retreat to this table during breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but they also retreat to similarly […]
The Myth of Self-Segregation
“The legal battle against segregation is won, but the community battle goes on.” This quote by Dorothy Day highlights how, legally, people have the ability to be in the same space with people who come from backgrounds different from their own; however, due to societal hierarchies not everyone has the ability to express themselves in […]
Den Delivery: The Hero Bates Needs
The dining options at Bates are great. Commons provides diverse food options, gourmet meals, and is consistently ranked as one of the best cafeterias in the country. The Den has mozzarella sticks! But on those nights when it’s too late to swipe into Commons and too cold to walk to the Den, Bobcats turn to […]
“Bernie or Bust” Batesies Aren’t Being as Bold as They Believe
Many Bates students I speak with are at least passively supporting Bernie Sanders’ candidacy for the 2020 Democratic nomination for President. Unfortunately, most of those students barely seem to know the names of the other candidates running. At the same time, my peers try to argue for Sanders’ campaign as if they are experts on […]
Where It’s Easy to Get Hard Copies
If there’s one thing they left out of the Bates tour, it’s the unreliable, bordering on malevolent, nature of the school printers. Despite the convenience of needing only your I.D. card to print anywhere, you’ll go to three or four printers sometimes before finding one that works. Between crippling malfunctions and tedious lines, it’s a […]
Maine’s Bane: Internet Access
As college students, we all have a substantial investment in the internet. From everything from finishing that paper exactly two minutes before the submission tab closes on Lyceum to blasting Lizzo on Spotify at 1:00am on Saturday nights. The internet has made our large and diverse world so much smaller, with friends being able to […]
Respecting, Recognizing, and Restoring Indigenous Rights
What does it mean to be a modern, indigenous person today? How am I supposed to dress, act, speak, even breathe like a Native? These thoughts have lingered on my mind for as long as I can remember and were especially highlighted on Monday, Oct. 14. Holding sorrow, anger, and violence but also pride, happiness, […]