I offer the following summary of recent announcements:

Jim Morrison from Human Resources sent a reminder that the Maine deer hunting season with firearms begins October 28 and continues through December 10 with the muzzleloader season.  Hunting is allowed in many parks and preserves, including land surrounding the Bates Outing Club Lean-to in Greene, the Traquina Boathouse in Greene, the Bates Morse Mountain Conservation Area, and other areas not posted against it. Though hunting is not allowed on Sundays, it is still wise to be vigilant.  Remember to wear blaze orange when you’re in the woods and be alert!

The Committee on Faculty Governance is looking to understand the opinions of the faculty when it comes to faculty meetings, discussions, legislation, and general attitudes people have about our various processes. We are hoping to understand the wants and needs of the community so that we can best align our practices. In order to collect this information, we have built a short survey that will ask you indicate how much you agree or disagree with a series of statements. Your answers will be completely anonymous, but you must be logged in with your Bates account to access the survey. Your email will not be shared, nor will anyone on CFG be able to tell how you answered any question. 

We ask you to complete this survey by November 5th so that we can discuss the findings and data at the November faculty meeting. If a particular issue is not covered by the survey, please use the optional last question to share your concerns/ideas/thoughts.

Jason Scheideman from the Dean of Faculty’s Office announced that on Monday, October 24, Daphne Comeau became the AAA for the 1st floor of Pettengill, supporting the department/programs of History, DCS, Anthropology, Politics, Latin American and Latinx Studies, and European Studies. She can be reached at dcomeau@bates.edu and her office will be in Pettengill 125.  Daphne joins Pettengill with an extensive background at Bates, including the last twelve years in Advancement. Many of you know her through her work and volunteering across a range of Bates activities.

My many thanks to Tobie Akerley Gordon, who has been filling in efficiently and valiantly for the last year with the various AAA vacancies in Pettengill and Olin, and to Matt Von Vogt for doing so over the last few months.

Andrea Conklin Bueschel ’90, and Gregory Ehret ’91, P’23, Co-Chairs, Presidential Search Committee, wrote with an update on the presidential search.  Over the last month, our search consultants at Isaacson, Miller have met with faculty, staff, students, trustees, alumni, parents, and the presidential search committee to gain a deep understanding of Bates, the opportunities and challenges facing our next president, and the qualities and experience we are seeking in candidates for the position. On behalf of the entire search committee, we want to thank you for contributing your time and perspectives to this important process, either in listening sessions or via the survey.  Your input helped shape a comprehensive position profile, which we have posted on Bates’ presidential search website.

This document will be used by the Isaacson, Miller team as they engage in an intensive recruitment effort, contacting potential candidates around the country to garner interest in and suggestions for the search with the purpose of building a deep and diverse pool for the search committee’s consideration. Please continue to share any thoughts you might have about the search process, the college’s needs in its next leader, or possible candidates at presidentialsearch@bates.edu.

Joe Hall from the Program in Environmental Studies sent a link to a recording of Carolyn Finney’s Otis Lecture on October 12.  It can be viewed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2UD8io2E3Q

President Spencer wrote with important information regarding the safety of students, faculty, and staff on campus. Please take a moment to read this message.

Laura Conforte from the Ladd Library wrote with a link to last week’s presentation “Pathways to Open: CBB Libraries and Open Access.”  The recording can be found by clicking this link.  The slides from the presentation, including links to the resources discussed therein, are attached to Laura’s October 26 email.  If you have any additional questions about Open Access or our institutional repository, SCARAB, please feel free to reach out to us at any time via email: batesscarab@bates.edu.  You can also explore the Publishing Open @ Bates page of our library guide on scholarly communications.

Megan McHenry from the Registrar’s Office wrote to alert us that the winter 2023 draft schedule is visible, and they would be grateful if you take a minute to review your course offerings (and the offerings of your department or program).  Couple items of note:

You’ll recall that a few semesters ago, we moved away from making the live schedule visible as part of the draft review process and instead sent out the information in a Google Sheet.  For a number of reasons, that’s not the right tool to use at this point in time, so we’ve reverted to asking you to check the schedule itself.  A note will be added to the top indicating to students and community members that the information’s not final, and the note will be removed before students are directed to view the schedule on Monday.

The turnaround time for reviewing the draft is quite abbreviated this time; I apologize for that, but it couldn’t be avoided.  We needed to receive corrections no later than noon on Thursday, October 27 in order for them to be available when students are notified to view the schedule on Monday, October 31.  If you can get your corrections in sooner than that, it’ll be much appreciated.  Please email your corrections to me directly, and the RO staff will work through them as quickly as possible.  We’re dealing with an immense amount of information with very limited staff, so there’s a decent chance we missed something!  

As a reminder, we’re not taking any substantive changes or additions at this point; the draft review is for you to identify places where the information that was submitted via your grid didn’t make it into the schedule exactly as intended.  Pay particular attention to your meeting times (including for discussions and labs) and to any cross-listings you expect to see (Remember that you can find that information by clicking on the CRN – it’ll show you exactly what sections are cross-listed with that section.).

If you see something that needs correcting, don’t panic!  Do email me about it ASAP though.  Now’s also a great time to enter a class mix if your course requires one.  It’s best if we can get those listed in the schedule early in the process so that students can include that information in their decision-making.

Cheryl Lacey of Dining Services wrote to update us on this year’s Harvest Meal.  This year’s Harvest Meal is scheduled for Wednesday, November 16th. As has been our tradition, we are looking for volunteers to help set up and work the event. Following you will find the times we need folks. To sign up, please send me an e-mail with the time that works best for you. For volunteering, you will receive passes for you and a guest to attend dinner and a special edition Harvest Meal t-shirt, designed by Quinn Berry ’25.

Set-Up : 2:00-4:00 pm (we need a limited number of volunteers)
Work as a Buffet Runner or a Cashier: a 5:00-7:00 pm commitment works best

Tyler Harper from the MLK Committee wrote with changes in information from the Committee.  

The deadline to submit workshop proposals has been moved to Monday, November 7th. 

The workshop brainstorming session has been moved to this Monday, 10/31. It will take place from 4:30 to 6:00 pm in Pettengill G65. The brainstorming session is an informal opportunity to chat with MLK Committee members about any workshop ideas you have. Please feel free to stop in at any time in that window!

If you would like to brainstorm an MLK session but are unavailable during that time slot on Monday, please reach out to me directly and Tyler will be more than happy to find a time to chat with you one-on-one.

Next, upcoming events.

A Group for Compassionate Grieving
Mondays, 4:15-5:15, 163 Wood St.
October 31 and November 7
Please sign-up here.
Facilitated by Brittany Longsdorf and Raymond Clothier

ON THE MENU: CHILLING TEACHING TALES

Monday, October 31- 12-1 pm
Commons 221
Go through the Commons lunch line (charge CITL) and join us for the first in our On the Menu: Workshop Series. Lindsey Hamilton, CITL Director, will share terrifying teaching horror stories and provide practical tips on how to avoid these sticky situations. There will be Halloween candy if you dare.

Black Queer and Trans Care Practices for a New World:
Black Feminist Practices of Embodied Abolition
Presented by Dr. AK Wright
November 1 – 4:15 pm
Pettengill G52
Sponsored by the GSS Program, the Dean of the Faculty’s Office, and the A.W. Mellon Foundation.

Screening of the 1971 Tsuchimoto Noriaki documentary Minamata: The Victims and their World (Minamata – kanjasan to sono sekai)
Wednesday, November 2, 7:30 pm.
Please refer to the series site for the details of each event. (https://sites.google.com/bates.edu/minamata)

The Program in Asian Studies presents, with co-sponsorships of Film, Rhetoric and Screen Studies Department, and Environmental Studies Program, and the grant from the NEH Language Support Fund, the Humanities Division Lecture Fund, and the Interdisciplinary Divisions Lecture Fund

Healthy Substance Use Group
every Thursday – 11:30-12:30
Commons 211

Looking for a supportive space to talk about your relationship with substances and have regular thoughtful check-ins?  Professor Stephanie Kelley-Romano (SKR), Bates Health Services, and the Multifaith Chaplaincy are holding a Healthy Substance Use Group once a week.  Faculty, staff, and students are all welcome. Drop in for any amount of time you can.  Whether you are in recovery or simply looking to redefine your relationship with substances, feel very welcome to come and join this warm community as you process! 

Ananya Dance Theatre’s Dastak: I Wish You Me
November 7 at 7:30pm
Schaeffer Theatre 

Please join the Bates Dance Festival and the Department of Theater and Dance for our presentation.  You can learn more about Ananya, her work, and her new book Dancing Transnational Feminisms: Ananya Dance Theatre and the Art of Social Justice here. She will be in residency with Dance for two weeks following this performance.  Tickets for Dastak are pay what you wish, $25 or $5. Bates students get free admission with their ID but we ask that they reserve in advance. All tickets and reservations can be booked here. 

“Being Black in White Space,”
November 10 at 4:15 (online lecture)
Professor Elijah Anderson. Register at https://elijah-anderson-bates.eventbrite.com

Bates College Choir – ‘At the Water’s Edge’
Sunday, November 13th, 2022 at 3:00 pm
Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bates-college-choir-tickets-425253182717

STUDENT EVALUATION OF TEACHING

Thursday, November 10, 2022
4:15-5:30 pm – Dana 219
This is the first part of a CITL workshop series on student evaluations of teaching. This first session will center around talking with students about evaluations before they complete them. CITL will provide a summary of the research on bias in student evaluations and then share practical tips and suggestions for how to elicit better feedback from students before they fill them out this semester. Snacks will be provided. The second workshop in the series next semester will focus on interpreting student feedback in evaluations.