Non-BCSG Student Organizations
There are several organizations that are not recognized by BCSG or supported by Campus Life, but still maintain healthy membership and make meaningful contributions to the campus community.
Bates Club Sports are competitive student organizations, recognized and overseen by Bates Athletics and formed by students motivated by a common interest. These programs are run by the students themselves with support from Bates Athletics staff and student employees that make up the Club Sport Organization (CSO). More information about Club Sports in general can be found on the athletics website.
Bates Club Sailing Team
The Club Sailing Team at Bates is open to everyone, regardless of ability. Come learn how to sail or hone your racing abilities! We practice at the lovely Taylor Pond Yacht Club in nearby Auburn in the Fall and Spring on Monday-Thursday with Friday afternoon being a travel day to regattas. In a given season, we sail at anywhere from 15-20 regattas in 8 weeks across 7 states and two countries. We’re a fully-student run team (with an amazing volunteer head coach!) focused on teaching new sailors and developing our skills to compete in the most energetic conference of College Sailing. Learn more about the team with the social media links above or by going to linktr.ee/batessailing. Reach out to us through the website or any of the other platforms above!
Bates College Alpine Competitive Ski Club
If you love to ski and want to join an amazing community that shares that passion and knows how to have a good time, come out and join Bates College Alpine Competitive Club Ski. Whether you are an experienced racer or have never even gotten near a gate, there is a place for you on our team. We will get *everyone* race ready come our competition season! We train at Lost Valley, only a 15-minute drive from campus, and get out to Sunday River and Sugarloaf often in the winter months. Don’t worry if you do not have the necessary equipment, we’ve got you covered! To keep in touch and learn more about the club, check out our Instagram: @batesclubskiing
Bates College Equestrian Team
The Bates Equestrian Team was founded in 1995 and competes in traditional hunt seat with the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) in Zone 1, Region 2. The team practices year round and competes in intercollegiate horse shows in the fall and spring. In accordance with the IHSA mission, the intercollegiate program attempts to eliminate the expenses of students owning horses and allow more students to compete. The theory behind this structure is to equalize the variables of the competition and test the horsemanship of the contestants. There are classes available for all abilities ranging from walk/trot classes to Open Division for more experienced riders, so all members are encouraged to show with the team!
Bates Men’s Water Polo
Bates Men’s Water Polo is a competitive club team that plays against other schools around the Northeast. We compete in the fall, with our season running from early September to the end of October. We have been to Club Nationals every year since 2017, finishing first in our conference and top 5 at Nationals. Although we are competitive and do our best to win, we focus on having a good time, learning and enjoying water polo, and building a strong team community. No prior experience required!
Bates Men’s Ice Hockey Club
The purpose of the Bates Men’s Ice Hockey Club is to provide opportunities for the campus community to learn about and appreciate everything the sport of Ice Hockey has to offer.
We always look to create an inclusive and welcoming community and encourage student participation regardless of skill level. Each season, we as a team, look to compete at a high level and pursue the New England Club Hockey Championship.
Participation in Club Ice Hockey will grant students opportunities to give back to the local community through community service,
provide opportunities for leadership development as well as provide social opportunities for those interested in Ice Hockey.
Bates Underrepresented in Medical Professions (BUMP)
Bates Underrepresented in Medical Professions (BUMP) is a club created to foster an environment for minority students interested in pursuing a career in medicine. We invite pre-med, pre-dental, pre-PA, pre-nursing, and other pre-professional students interested in medical careers to join. The club values creating a community where minority students feel comfortable and encouraged to pursue careers in medicine.
Bates Votes
Bates Votes is a student-led initiative to inform and engage students and the greater community about voting as part of informed civic action. Bates Votes is nonpartisan, led by a diverse cross-section of student leaders, and coordinated through the Harward Center for Community Partnerships. Our mission is to promote voter registration, education, and civic engagement on and off-campus.
Bates Women’s Club Ice Hockey
The Bates College Women’s Club Ice Hockey team is a competitive club program with a season that runs from October to March. With daily practices and games almost every weekend, we are a team that emphasizes dedication, teamwork, and competition. We uphold the values of committed student athletes, while also incorporating a fun atmosphere both on and off the ice. Although we are a serious, competitive club program, the team is open to athletes of all skill levels. We practice four days a week and play our games on the weekends, with home games at Underhill Arena, located right on the Bates College Campus. We frequently travel throughout New England competing against other collegiate club teams and strive to qualify for the IWCHL playoffs at the end of the season.
Bates Women’s Club Lacrosse
The Women’s Club Lacrosse team welcomes players of all levels. Our team is made up of players with competitive lacrosse experience and those who are learning the sport for the first time. We’ll occasionally meet up for fall ball practices before transitioning to regular games and practices in the spring. We host games on Garcelon turf field against other club teams in our league, such as Tufts and the University of Maine. Sometimes we travel on weekends to play club teams such as the University of Vermont and the University of New Hampshire. Women’s club lacrosse strives to create a team dynamic that is fun and supportive. If you’re looking to meet some awesome people while playing lacrosse, then this is the club for you!
Bates Women’s Water Polo Club
The Women’s Water Polo club competes against other colleges across New England in the spring season. We accept anyone, no prior experience in water polo needed. We are a club that balances having fun, learning water polo and competing to win at all our matches. Scratch them up cats!
Bobcat Ventures
Bobcat Ventures is a Bates College student organization dedicated to entrepreneurship. The organization provides a platform where student-led entrepreneurship can flourish, and hosts the annual Bobcat Ventures Pitch Competition! For more information, or if you want to become involved, please email jcarranz@bates.edu.
Brooks Quimby Debate Council
Debate and Bates are practically synonymous. Today, as one of the world’s premier debating societies, we compete domestically against other teams in the American Parliamentary Debate Association, and participate in a number of international debating events, such as the World Universities Debating Championships. Debate is a great way to develop your mind, compete successfully against the top schools in the country, travel around the country and the world, and have a lot of fun. No prior experience is necessary; some of our best debaters started while at Bates. Visit our Facebook Page! Come join us!
Advisor: Jan Hovden
Practice Space: Pettigrew 300
Club Basketball
Welcome! We are back running after covid slowed us down for a few years! Club Basketball will be having pick-up/ practices as well as scrimmage games against other college club basketball teams like Bowdoin! Email Evan at ewells3@bates.edu to be added to our email list and keep an eye out for upcoming dates and times.
Cold Front Ultimate
We are Bates’ Women’s, Non-Binary and Gender Non-Conforming Ultimate Frisbee Team! We are open to anyone (many people who join have never touched a disc) and have opportunities to play at different skill levels. We hold practice throughout the year, outdoors in the fall and spring and indoors in the winter. We also attend tournaments and host scrimmages with OrangeWhip (the other Bates team). Other than frisbee we love our flair, our Mamas and our Babies. Check out our instagram (@bates_coldfront) or our website to learn more. We can’t wait to meet you!
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Bates Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a Maine licensed EMS service that provides emergency care to the Bates College community. All members are volunteers that have completed the Emergency Medical Technician course and the service is entirely student run. Bates EMTs volunteer their time to be on call and are ready to respond to any campus emergency 24 hours a day, 7 days a week whenever school is in session. While on call, EMT’s carry radios to communicate with other crew members and Bates Security. Bates EMS not only provides medical care to those in need, but offer lectures and training sessions to keep their EMT skills proficient. They also sponsor blood drives for the college and hold information sessions in residences at the beginning of the year to give information about the service and campus safety.
Francophone Club
The Francophone Club is an opportunity to meet and speak with other Francophone students. It’s open to non-French speakers and anyone who wants to come and discuss about Francophone related topics. Past meetings have included interactive cooking demonstrations of French cuisine while listening to French music. We are non-committment but we highly encourage attending French Table that’s held every week which is a great way to meet other students! With a local French influence in the Lewiston and Auburn area, future meetings include community engaged activities, discussions about current events in Francophone countries, and celebrations of French culture. The Francophone Club is offered through the French and Francophone Department.
Advisor: Alexandre Dauge-Roth
Men’s Ultimate Frisbee (Orange Whip)
Orange Whip, the Bates Men’s Ultimate Frisbee team, is a fun and competitive team who play ultimate fall, winter, and spring. We hold practices, go to tournaments, and play other schools in the DIII college division. In the fall, we welcome and teach new players how to play, and when winter rolls along we have tryouts for the A-team for the competitive spring season. All frisbee experience is welcome, most of our members start fresh to the sport and learn over their time at Bates. We also work closely with the women’s team, Cold Front, with mixed practices and a mixed tournament or two. Come join this great group if you’ve always wanted to try ultimate, or have been playing for years. All players find something to enjoy, whether it be fun, friends, or a way to stimulate that competitive spirit.
Spanish Club
The Spanish Club is meant as an outlet for the students of Bates who would like to practice their Spanish language skills in a comfortable, fun, and informal way. We host activities such as Spanish movie showings, encouraging discussions about Spanish literature and current events, making classic Spanish food, listening to Spanish music and even going to local Spanish events. The club does not intend to exclude anyone, however we do host our meetings in Spanish.
Stillpoint
Stillpoint is a student group that draws from the vital stream of Christian spirituality to cultivate wonder and foster spiritual exploration through arts-based spiritual practices. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month at 5:30 in the Multifaith Chaplaincy Common Room. The 2nd Sunday we will gather for a homecooked meal and discussion. The 4th Sunday will include a spiritual arts practice, such as painting, collage, or journaling. We are an inclusive community and are excited to meet each person who wants to explore their faith in a new and unique way.
Follow us on Facebook at Stillpoint at Bates College and Instagram at Stillpoint_at_Bates.
Student Museum Group
The Student Museum Group (SMG) is an organization comprised of dedicated students with a passion for academic and cultural enrichment through the arts. They understand the value of having the Bates College Museum of Art on campus and wish to take advantage of its presence. In part, they serve as a student advocacy board that helps organize upcoming events for the school year. They also serve as ambassadors between the museum staff and the student body. They bring a diverse range of skills to the museum which include but are not limited to marketing, event planning, graphic design, content development, and educational programming.