Our latest in an occasional roundup of quotable quotes from Bates people, including the dean of students’ advice to be kind to one’s self; a Bates professor praising her summer researchers; and a Bobcat volleyball player going for the victory.
Running at Roy’s
“When we were running on the course last year, someone was throwing a disc while we ran past, and that was definitely odd.”
Cross country runner Kahryn Cullenberg ’24 of Chesterville, Maine, recalling what it felt like to practice for the first time at a local disc-golf course, Roy’s All Steak Hamburger and Golf Center in Auburn, which has become a valuable and appreciated training location for Bates cross country, now in its second year as a unified men’s and women’s program.
Running at Roy’s
“When we were running on the course last year, someone was throwing a disc while we ran past, and that was definitely odd.”
— Cross country runner Kahryn Cullenberg ’24 of Chesterville, Maine, recalling what it felt like to practice for the first time at a local disc-golf course, Roy’s All Steak Hamburger and Golf Center in Auburn, which has become a valuable and appreciated training location for Bates cross country, now in its second year as a unified men’s and women’s program.
A Warm Welcome
“Learning is not a steady, linear progression. It’s disorderly and tumultuous. You will learn how to ask questions, how to construct arguments, how to develop and test theories. You will learn how to critique and how to create. You will learn how to learn.”
— Associate Professor of Biology Andrew Mountcastle, delivering this year’s Opening Convocation address to the first-year Class of 2027.
You Belong at Bates
“Be kind to yourself, particularly when you may experience moments of self-doubt. It takes time to build your life in a new place. If no one has told you yet, let me be the first: You are here for a reason. You belong at Bates.”
— Dean of Students Erin Foster Zsiga, welcoming new students and families to campus on Opening Day, Aug. 31, was joined by Leigh Weisenburger, vice president for enrollment and dean of admission and financial aid, and President Garry W. Jenkins.
Victorious in Volleyball
“It needs to be done.”
— Volleyball player Katie Kortekaas ’25 of Manhattan Beach, Calif., recalling for the Bates Bobcast what she was thinking when she received a perfect set from teammate Chrissy Chu ‘25 of Old Tappan, N.J., that let her deliver the match-ending kill vs. Connecticut College.
Social Justice Parenting
“The discourse has become a grab bag — and, one suspects, a cash grab — where serious research mingles with New Age sloganeering and self-care practices designed to soothe the troubled souls of guilty liberals.”
— Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Tyler Harper criticizing a parenting trend he calls “social justice parenting” in his opinion piece for The New York Times.
Gift in Kindness
“There’s an undercurrent of kindness here.”
— Jenny Fellows, mother of first-year student Heath Fellows of Reno, Nev., describing the welcoming vibe of the Bates community during her Bates to Bates visit to campus with husband, Chris.
Rock and Roll
“Smooth and small enough to fit under a door, but won’t roll.”
— Fran Miele ‘26 of Forney, Texas, explaining how he went about finding the perfect rock to prop open the door of Parker Hall on Opening Day to aid first years with the move-in process.
Bonding Through Song
“They’re really good singers, actually.”
— J.J. Marscal ‘26 of Mission, Texas, talking about the first-year students on his AESOP trip, and how well they bonded on their Lakes Chillin’ trip, including singing karaoke together. Since 2010, AESOP (Annual Entering Student Orientation Program) has diversified its range of trips — from intense backpacking excursions to on-campus activities — creating space for every incoming student to feel included.
‘We Work Together’
“Find ways to be part of the solution. We are a community organized around the ideals laid out in our mission statement.… But we are also part of a community of humans, which means that we are imperfect. We don’t always achieve these ideals. But as a community, we work together to do better. Each of us must be engaged in the work and ambition for fuller realization of our goals. There’s no us versus them at Bates. There’s only us. And each of us is a part of the solution.”
— President Garry W. Jenkins, encouraging the Class of 2027, during his Convocation address on Sept. 5, to strive toward strengthening the solidarity of the Bates community.
Sticker Shock
“I’ve got sticker-commitment issues.”
— Amanda Power ‘26 of Scottsdale, Ariz., commenting on her still-blank laptop case for a story about how students at Bates are fond of decorating their laptop cases with stickers that represent their identities, interests, and experiences.
Rewarding Research
“This is the most productive summer I have ever had with students.”
— Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences Beverly Johnson, praising the work of her student researchers this summer as they gathered sediment cores from four Maine salt marshes to help inform the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ongoing understanding blue carbon.
Big Tuna
“Ready to get to work, Ben? This one is going to have a lot of blood in it!”
— Walt Golet, welcoming Ben Morse ‘24 of Sunderland, Mass., to his fieldwork at a Maine tuna tournament, where they collected otolith bones from severed tuna heads to glean data that will allow researchers to assess the health of the tuna population in the northwest Atlantic.
Golet, who supervised Morse, a Purposeful Work intern, is an assistant professor at the University of Maine’s School of Marine Sciences and the lead biologist at the UMaine Pelagic Fisheries Lab located at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.
Inclusivity in the Industry
“Queer is partly what you make it; it also isn’t whatever you make of it.”
— Professor of Art and Visual Culture and Gender and Sexuality Studies Erica Rand, commenting on the movie of the year, Barbie, and the very few queer moments in the film.
Movie Magic
“Movies are among an increasingly rare number of spaces where people from different backgrounds and perspectives can come together and use their reaction to a film to discuss more controversial social and political issues.”
— Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies Jon Cavallero, commenting on how movies, including Barbie and Oppenheimer, create safe spaces for important conversations.
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