In the last 30 days, we’ve photographed on and off campus, switched from daylight saving to standard time, and adjusted to the arrival of winter in Maine. Bates business as usual, right? Of course, there’s no such thing, as each season and time has its own rhythm and particulars. That’s why we have included these representative moments from This Month at Bates.
Lewiston Love
At Tree Street Youth, Emily Walsh ’24 of Cambridge, Mass., distributes signs on “Love Lewiston Day,” a community event held in early November and organized by Tree Street, a longtime community partner of the college, as an “opportunity to love on our community” following the shootings on Oct. 25.
A volunteer with Goodwill NeuroRehab in Lewiston, Walsh had helped to organize a sign making gathering a few days before on campus. She brought some of the signs to Tree Street. “I’m trying to do what I can.”
Our Civic Duty
Shortly after 8 o’clock on an overcast Election Day morning, President Garry W. Jenkins walks with student members of Bates Votes, the civic engagement team, to the nearby Lewiston Armory, the election place for Ward 1, which includes Bates.
President Jenkins was no mere supporter for the Bates group: At the Armory, he cast his first ballot as a Maine resident.
From left, Inez Johnson ’25, Tammy Namangale ’27, Carly Baker ’27 (behind Jenkins), and Neil Grover ’27. At right is a sign supporting the successful re-election of Professor Emerita of Anthropology Elizabeth Eames to the Lewiston school committee.
You Do You
Students gather at the Multifaith Banquet at the Benjamin E. Mays Center, an annual event that brings people together to celebrate the abundance of identities and worldviews at the college. The banquet, hosted by the Multifaith Chaplaincy, included music and storytelling to help celebrate the gifts of individuality, community, art, and spiritual growth.
Something To Think About
The Thanksgiving Play, a fast-moving satire that ricochets between hilarious, ridiculous, and troubling, was performed in mid-November in Gannett Theater.
The play follows the chaos when four people who consider themselves liberal, woke, and forward-thinking, go about rehearsing a Thanksgiving pageant that attempts to celebrate Native American Heritage Month for elementary school students.
Here, the play that occurs within the play spirals into chaos as artistic differences become physical between two characters: Caden, played by David Walker ’24, and Jaxton, played by Adam Joseph Matos ’26.
At far left is Paige Magid ’24, who plays Logan, director of the fraught Thanksgiving pageant that is at the center of the play. At far right is Ruby Marden ’27, who plays Alicia, a Los Angeles–based actor hired on the pretense of being Native American.
Never Forget
Bates Campus Safety Officer Kevin Michaud lays a flower at Veterans Plaza during a Veterans Day observance. For Michaud, it was a day to remember his brother, George, who died two years ago and was a veteran of the Air Force, like Michaud.
During the observance, the Rev. Brittany Longsdorf, the college’s multifaith chaplain, asked those who came to the plaza for the tribute to remember the veterans in their lives — the family, neighbors, and colleagues.
“It means an awful lot. It’s nice to know (Bates) remembers us,” Michaud said.
Fun and Games — in Math
Professor of Mathematics Meredith Greer (standing third from right) directs her First-Year Seminar students as they play with — and learn from — robots in games directed by a team of educators with Lewiston Public Schools in Chase Hall Lounge.
Greer’s First-Year Seminar, “Learning Math Using Crafts, Coding, and Games,” involved a collaboration with the Lewiston Public Schools technology coaches. The educators made three visits to Bates, bringing age-appropriate robots each time.
Connecting with the Lewiston educators, said Greer, “has given us multiple chances to connect our studies with specific grade-level-based math learning standards that are used across the state of Maine.”
Sunny Smiles
EcoReps Izzy Larson ’25 (left) of East Aurora, N.Y., and Martin Carriere ’24 of Davis, Calif., are greeted by sunny, blue skies during a tour of the college’s solar array in Skowhegan.
Built by ReVision Energy, the photovoltaic array on more than 20 acres is the college’s latest initiative toward its goal of being carbon positive by 2030. The array comprises of nearly 18,500 panels that will generate seven megawatts.
Mood
The new moon rises (left) as Chase Hall glows at dusk in mid-November.
Trashion Treats
First-year students Amy LaBelle (left) of Barrington, R.I., and Haley Dwight ’27 of East Kingston, N.H., enjoy baked Alaska in a cone at the Trashion Show in the Gray Athletic Building, where a sumptuous spread of desserts was offered by Dining Services following the Harvest Dinner.
This year’s dessert spread included fall-themed cookies, apple-pie bars, gluten-friendly rice crispy bars, and a giant baked Alaska — which was bruleed on the premises and fashioned in the form of a Maine license plate. Yum.
A Tall Order
The 23rd edition of the Trashion Show drew one of the largest fields with nine teams of designers and models comprising staff, faculty, and students. The show promotes recycling and reusing by showcasing outfits created by students, faculty, and staff from reclaimed campus trash.
Here, designer Sloan Phillips ’25 (right) of Evergreen, Colo., poses with their Trashion Show outfit, modeled on stilts by Miguel Angel Pacheco ’24 of Caracas, Venezuela. Phillips’ design is made from cardboard boxes that were shredded and then woven them into something beautiful: a giant skirt, arm bands, and mask complete with huge lashes.
“My experience as a trans person in our society is that it doesn’t allow many trans people to be fully themselves. So the cardboard box is metaphorical — the fact it’s shredded, because by shredding it, you redefine it,” Sloan said.
Take a Bow
Students perform at the Cultural Performance Showcase at Schaeffer Theatre. The show is a celebration of diversity and talent, featuring a dynamic blend of student performers and faculty members, who all hail from diverse cultural backgrounds.
The event was organized by Kae Yan ’24 of Shanghai, China, Kendall Jones ’25 of Plymouth, N.H., Annie Li ’24 of Oslo, Norway.
Can You Believe This?
Josie Brohard ’24 (left) of Timnath, Colo., and Dylan McAfee ’23 check out the swimming and diving team’s shiny new locker rooms next to Tarbell Pool in Merrill Gymnasium during a gathering for the dedication of the donor-funded new facilities.
Breathe Deep
Mark Southern ’25 of Virginia Beach, Va., cuts through the water swimming butterfly as he competes in the 200-yard individual medley in a dual meet against Wesleyan at Tarbell Pool in November.
Driving the Lane
Men’s basketball guard Jaelen Jackson ’27 of South Portland, Maine, drives to the hoop against Babson College in Alumni Gym.
Jackson is already well-known in Maine, having helped lead the South Portland High Red Riots to back-to-back Class AA boys basketball titles.
A Ducky Assignment
“You can observe a lot by watching,” said Yogi Berra.
Or, as Kai Anderson ’27 of Poland, Maine, phrases it, “I’m just hanging out, watching ducks.” He was gathering visual data for an assignment for “Lab-Based Biological Inquiry: Wildlife Sampling and Identification,” taught by Assistant Professor of Biology Eric LaFlore.
He counted 40 to 60 mallard ducks, 11 domestic dogs, and four American crows.
Flying High
Women’s basketball captain Morgan Kennedy ’24 of Oklahoma City goes up for the bucket against Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Alumni Gym.
She recently earned Maine Co-Player of the Week honors from the Maine Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
Something’s Cooking
Alex Provasnik ’25 (left) of Arlington, Va., works at a kiln with Lecturer in Art and Visual Culture Susan Dewsnap in the ceramic studio in Olin Arts Center.
The campus job is a surprisingly good fit for the Bates junior, incorporating skills she’s learned in both her majors: art and visual culture, where she is on the studio art track, and chemistry.
The chemistry comes in when it’s time to glaze a piece of pottery, she said. “If you look at any ceramic glaze recipe you are going to see a lot of chemistry. Not only are most of the materials written in their chemical formulas, but you are also dealing with concentrations as well as oxidation and reduction reactions depending on the type of firing you are doing.”
Organized Chaos
As students dashed up and down Alumni Gym, it all seemed chaotic when, in fact, it was creative and purposeful.
As part of coursework in the First-Year Seminar “The Sporting Life,” taught by Visiting Professor of Psychology Su Langdon, the students used class readings, discussions, and their own observations to invent a pro-social, cooperative game children’s game. On this late-November day, they headed to the gym to practice the game, getting feedback and practicing how to teach the game.
The project is part of the students’ work with two Lewiston elementary schools, Farwell and Geiger, through Playground Pals, a program of the college’s Harward Center.
Magic Hour
Brilliant evening light covers the Historic Quad at dusk with the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul towering in the distance, providing a regal backdrop.
Dynamic Dress
Sakina Saidi ’26 of Auburn, Maine, strides down the fashion show runway in Chase Hall during the inaugural CBB International Fashion Show, hosted by the Bates International Club. The program involved a show of cultural attire, related music, and stories shared with the audience.
‘Tis the Season of Snow
A student walks by Hedge Hall following the winter’s first significant snowfall, five inches of heavy, wet snow, on Dec. 4–5.
A Helping Hand
Ellie Forcier ’25 (right) of Weston, Mass., helps friend Collin Madalena ’25 of Jemez Pueblo, N.M., by recording a short video for Madalena’s class project on Native American visibility. The course is “College for Coming Times” with Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies Rebecca Herzig.
Snow Glow
In early December, about a half hour after its 7 a.m rise, the morning sun emerges over Commons, illuminating Alumni Walk. As we head toward the solstice, the amount of daylight has dipped under nine hours.
A Warm Haven
A campus winter wonderland provides the backdrop as Aislinn Carty ’24 of Mountville, Pa., studies for physics class Ladd Library, while sporting a winter hat that prepares her for the snow and chill outside.
Expert Advice
In the studio of the Bates Communications and Marketing Office, President Garry W. Jenkins prepares for a video interview with multimedia producer Theophil Syslo.
Looking Glass
In the men’s squash team’s home opener against Trinity, Ashton Monteiro ’26 of Riverside, Conn., competes on the Bates Squash Center’s glass court.
A glass court, featuring transparent walls, gives spectators a clear view of the game from all angles. Fans can see the players’ reactions, strategies, and the fast-paced action up close.
Beauty In Motion
Dancers perform routines created by student choreographers in a dress rehearsal for the Fall Dance Concert at Shaeffer Theatre.
The concert features student compositions created during an advanced composition seminar. During the semester, student choreographers cast their pieces and conduct a semester-long rehearsal process that includes collaboration with designers. The dancer in the center with her hand raised is Megan Billings ’26 of North Andover, Mass.
Eye to Eye
Bates squash head coach Rei Hergeth (right) huddles with women’s team captain Andy Martagon ’24 (left) of Puebla, Mexico, during the Bobcats’ first home match of the season against Bowdoin in December at the Bates Squash Center. At center is Aasya Patel ’26 of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India.
