As we enter the home stretch of the academic year, the pace intensifies. What’s new? The inauguration of our ninth president, the introduction of an athletic tradition called “the Catsbys,” the dazzling solar display of the Northern Lights.
We draw immense pleasure from our annual and biennial rituals, too. The Mount David Summit, the Bates Film Festival, the Annual Senior Exhibition. From blooming trees to repeated explosions of joy as students bind their senior theses on the Historic Quad, we offer you these moments — and more — in the latest edition of This Month at Bates.
Blue Hue
The pediment atop the Lane Hall portico, which underwent a restoration this spring, now sports a new blue hue, a stunning complement to a bluebird day in early May.
Mask Task
Six Bates students and their teacher pose wearing masks they painted in the style of Peking Opera, the traditional Chinese theatrical art form characterized by elaborate costumes, stylized movement, singing, and martial arts.
“Different face colors represent different characters and personalities,” explained Learning Associate in Chinese Veronica Huang. For instance, the color red on a mask suggests the character wearing it is “brave and loyal.” Huang plans to hang the masks in Roger Williams Hall, home of the Chinese academic major, which is within the Program in Asian Studies.
Grateful Bobcats
After the April 3–4 snowstorm left hundreds of thousands of Mainers without power, Bates swiftly opened Alumni Gym and Commons to house and feed utility crews aiding in the power restoration. Seventy-five beds were set up, each with a Bates chocolate placed on the pillow as a gesture of gratitude.
Associate Vice President for Dining, Conferences, and Campus Events Christine Schwartz said the chocolates were a “symbol of welcome and thank you from Bates for the work that is being done.” The work to open Bates to the crews was also supported by Bates Facility Services.
Hope Within Catastrophe
Mac Gaither ’24, an environmental studies major from Palo Alto, Calif., presented his thesis research on science fiction literature at the annual Mount David Summit on April 5. He looked at representations of reproduction and other-than-human lives in the context of anthropogenic catastrophe.
He studied authors including Octavia Butler, Paolo Bacigalupi, Ray Nayler, and Becky Chambers.
Cosmic Campus
As semi-darkness descended on Bates during the “deep partial” version of the April 8 solar eclipse (about 98 percent of totality) Garcelon Field was one of the campus places to be.
Skies darkened, smiles brightened, and temperatures (noticeably!) dropped. Folks with eyes to the sky included faculty, staff, and students, plus families with newly admitted students who were on campus to participate in Bates Beginnings, the Admission program that provides newly admitted students with a deeper, in-person feel for the Bates community.
Back to Class
Religious studies graduate Khushi Choudhary ‘23 (right) returned to Bates in May to speak to a class taught by her honors thesis adviser, Professor of Religious Studies Cynthia Baker (left).
Choudhary, a master’s degree candidate at Harvard Divinity School, gave a talk to Baker’s course “Introduction to the Hebrew Bible.”
Choudhary’s honors thesis explored the place of eroticism in religion, and how some texts — Song of Songs and Gita Govinda — invite “speculation about the place of desire and passion in human-divine relationships.”
Gun Laws, and Love
Emilia Bois ’27 of Provincetown, Mass., collaborated with fellow students on an art installation advocating for strong gun laws and spreading messages of hope and love.
The display, comprising 168 handmade linocut prints at Ladd Library Arcade, shows Chinese propaganda prints and posters from the 1930s to the ’60s as well as the work of the U.S. artist and activist Shepard Fairey.
The display was created by students in a winter-semester course devoted to the theories and practices of art as a social change technique. Visiting Assistant Professor of Art and Visual Culture Michel Droge taught the course, supported by the Harward Center for Community Partnership with help from the Maine Gun Safety Coalition.
One for the Books
Sponsored by the folks at Ladd Library, the annual Edible Books Festival featured a gingerbread based on the Heidi novels, created by students in the course “Adaptation,” taught by Associate Professor of German Raluca Cernahoschi.
The annual festival invites Bates folks to create edible creations that play off the title or theme of a well-known book. That was perfect for Cernahoschi and her students, who were studying how various cultural products get reinvented for new contexts, like a novel turned into a film — or, in this case, a Swiss children’s novel turned into a gingerbread house.
Smashing Success
Nicky Desai ’24 of Hopkinton, Mass., gets airborne as he smashes a backhand vs. his Endicott College tennis opponent. Bates won the match, 9-0.
Stellar Scholar
Emily Scarrow ’25, a biology major from Washington, D.C., is the recipient of a prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship.
Goldwater Scholarships provide funding to college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering.
At Bates, Scarrow has worked in the lab of Assistant Professor of Biology Lori Banks, who served as one of Scarrow’s references. Banks calls Scarrow, who will co-author at least one paper with her, one of the brightest students she’s had. “She is such a go-getter and really excited about what we were doing in class. She kind of doesn’t see any limits.”
First-Gen Cheers
Beginning in the winter and hitting a crescendo in the spring, Bates seniors take to public spots on campus to celebrate their completed senior thesis, joined by friends, faculty, and staff.
In April, Aaliyah Moore ’24 (seen here) of Phoenix and her friend Prinnes Wilson ’24 of Las Vegas took to the steps of Hathorn Hall to celebrate their three completed theses (Africana and politics for Moore; psychology for Wilson).
Moore said the event gave her a chance to “bust out my Truman and my first-generation stoles,” which prompted a round of cheers from friends, faculty, and staff gathered. A first-generation college student, she won a Truman Scholarship during her junior year that will fund her post-graduate studies.
Strike a Pose
George Peck ’24 of Philadelphia poses for a photo with Caroline Cassell ’24 of Woodstock, Vt., during the opening reception for the Senior Thesis Exhibition in the Bates Museum of Art.
The exhibition presented artwork by this year’s eight studio art majors, including Peck, who presented oil paintings based on his memories of a camping trip last fall along the Maine Down East coast.
Title Hopes
Seneca Moore ‘27 of Lansing, Mich., cruises to a state title in the 110-meter hurdles during the 123rd annual Maine State Pine Tree Classic, hosted this year by Bowdoin. The Bates men’s track and field team rolled to their fourth straight title in the venerable event, taking first place out of nine schools.
Senior Send Off
During Senior Day introductions for the women’s lacrosse team, Emma Austin ’24 of Sharon, Vt., walks with her parents, Theodore (left) and Martha (second from left), and her brother, Conor Austin (right), who flew in from the West Coast to surprise his sister.
The Bobcats honored Austin and her senior classmates Hanna Matthews, Isla Cotter, Madeleine Donovan, Sadie O’Neil, and Maddy Roelofs.
Caribbean Celebration
Costumed in the style of Carnival, Lucy Batres Rodriquez ’26 of East Boston, Mass., takes part in a late-March dress rehearsal for the popular annual Melting Pot Cultural Showcase, a celebration of the culture, creativity, and self-expression of Carnival season, sponsored by the Caribbean Students Association.
Grapes and Priorities
Tossing and catching a grape at lunch with friends, Livia Bernhardt ’24, a biochemistry and mathematics double major from Leicester, Vt., talked about priorities.
Especially as finals approach, “grades and exams are heavily important, but it really is the connections and friendships you make at Bates that you’ll remember in years to come.” Her exam week routine includes ample sleep, balanced meals, and a particular love for grapes.
Pup Strut
Phil Dostie, the lab manager for the Department of Earth and Climate Sciences, walks his mixed-breed pup, Cooper, along the path between Hathorn Hall and Dana Hall.
“He loves walking around campus searching for turtles at the puddle and watching squirrels in the quad,” Dostie said.
Heading Home
Kennedy Jones ’26 (No. 19) of Ocean Springs, Miss., is nearly swallowed up by her softball teammates after crossing home plate following her first-inning home run vs. Colby. The blast put Bates ahead 1-0, en route to a 5-4 victory over the Mules.
Bobcat Birder
As a way to feel settled amid the ups and downs of college life, biochemistry major Ingrid Lam ’26 of Portland, Ore., took to birdwatching around Lake Andrews.
“It’s a way to separate myself from academics, so while I’m still thinking about and processing all this information that’s just been pushed into my head, at the same time I’m acknowledging nature and engaging in my other hobbies — for example, bird watching.”
Taking a walk around the Puddle on the Burgoyne Lakeside Walk “is a quick walk, and you can do it multiple times.”
High Water Mark
Holding the winning trophy up high, President Garry W. Jenkins and the rowing program’s senior captains celebrate Bates rowing’s 11th straight victory in the annual President’s Cup Regatta on April 28 outside the Traquina Boathouse along the Androscoggin River.
From left are Hope Stamp of Hermosa Beach, Calif., Lucy Del Col of Wellesley Mass., Jenkins, Andrew Frey of Berkeley, Calif., and Charlie Berman of Merion Station, Pa. Bates defeated Colby and Bowdoin colleges and the University of Maine.
Cheers and Celebrations
Mallika Jena ’24, a double major in mathematics and economics from Hong Kong (right) gives a cheer after binding her thesis on the steps of Coram Library with first-year friends Josie Kim of Santa Monica, Calif., and Rohini Kandasamy of Neshanic Station, N.J.
Helping Hand
Profiteroles in the morning, and plant life in the afternoon: That sums up Short Term for Miles Miller ’25, a double major in politics and French and francophone studies from Houston. He’s posing by a blooming cherry blossom tree in front of Gillespie Hall.
In the morning, Miller is taking “Cooking Up French Culture” with Professor of French and Francophone Studies Mary Rice DeFosse. In the afternoon, he’s among 20 students who have joined the Facility Services’ grounds crew to help bring the campus into full beauty in the weeks before Commencement. “It’s very relaxing, but satisfying too,” he says.
Sweet Swings
Ally Friedman ’24 of East Hampton, N.Y. goes to the backhand in her match vs. Amherst.
Go With the Flow
Associate Professor of Music Hiroya Miura leads the Bates College Orchestra in a final run-through of the music they performed at President Garry W. Jenkins’ installation ceremony on May 4.
The orchestra performed music by William Grant Still, who received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Bates in 1954 for creating music that placed him “among the leaders in interracial influence.”
The orchestra performed Still’s Festive Overture, specially selected by Miura for the day, “knowing that this is the first Black president that Bates is inaugurating, and also that Still was the first Black American composer to have his music played by major American orchestras.”
Happy Treads
Ali Priganc ‘24 of Richmond, Vt., a facility manager at Merrill Gymnasium, exercises on one of the building’s second-floor treadmills
Dressed for Success
President Garry W. Jenkins responds to well-wishers along the path to his installation ceremony in Merrill Gymnasium on May 4. At left is Greg Ehret ’91, chair of the Bates College Board of Trustees. Leading the academic procession is mace bearer Mary Rice-Defosse, professor of French and francophone studies.
Best Bench
![The magnolia tree signals the true arrival of spring on the Bates campus. After a rainy Monday morning on May 6, the sun emerged. We visited in the late afternoon and found two students reading in proximity. Kendall Jones ‘25 of Guilford, N.H., a double major in biochemistry and theater, sought the sun after a satisfying day in her practitioner-taught Short Term course, “Critical Museum Interpretation and Storytelling,” taught by researcher, curator, and educator Ashleigh Coren ’07. After class and an office-hour chat with Coren, Jones made a beeline for the outdoors. “This is the best bench, if you ask me,” Jones said. “You get a full view of the Quad, with the sun shining. And if you sit on this side [reclining, with her head toward Hathorn] the sun lights your book, but it’s not in your eyes. And you’re by the tree.” The magnolia tree, she means. On the other side of this magnificent tree, framed by adjacent azaleas, we photographed Hannah Kothari ’26, a politics major from Houston, reading field notes for her landscape ethnography Short Term course, taught by Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Jamie Haverkamp, in preparation for a class visit to Nezinscot Farm in Turner, Maine, tomorrow..](https://www.bates.edu/news/files/2024/05/240506_Campus_0030.webp)
Kendall Jones ’25 of Gilford, N.H., a double major in biochemistry and theater, reclines on a wooden bench near the beloved Hathorn Hall magnolia tree. “This is the best bench, if you ask me,” Jones said.
“You get a full view of the Quad, with the sun shining.” And if your feet face Hathorn, she added, “the sun lights your book, but it’s not in your eyes. And you’re by the tree” — the magnolia tree, of course.
Jones had sought the sun after a satisfying day in her practitioner-taught Short Term course, “Critical Museum Interpretation and Storytelling,” taught by Ashleigh Coren ’07.
Culinary Competition
In a culinary showdown dating back to 2005, Bates students showcased their gastronomic prowess in the annual Iron Chef competition. Here, the judges sampling the delectable creations of the contestants.
From left, Leah Belber ‘26 of Washington, D.C., a member of the Dining, Conferences, and Campus Events Food Advisory Committee; Kirk Read, professor of French and francophone studies; Health Taylor, assistant to the vice president for finance and treasurer and also a member of the DCCE committee; and Susanna Dundore, who works with the dietetics program at the University of Southern Maine.
Elizabeth Holcombe ’26 of Takoma Park, Md., and Audrey Cole ’26 of Minneapolis claimed first place, earning a $100 gift certificate to the Lewiston restaurant Fishbones with a mouthwatering foursome of sandwiches paired with a spicy chocolate-dipped strawberry.
Hannah at Hathorn
![The magnolia tree signals the true arrival of spring on the Bates campus.
After a rainy Monday morning on May 6, the sun emerged. We visited in the late afternoon and found two students reading in proximity.
Kendall Jones ‘25 of Guilford, N.H., a double major in biochemistry and theater, sought the sun after a satisfying day in her practitioner-taught Short Term course, “Critical Museum Interpretation and Storytelling,” taught by researcher, curator, and educator Ashleigh Coren ’07. After class and an office-hour chat with Coren, Jones made a beeline for the outdoors.
“This is the best bench, if you ask me,” Jones said. “You get a full view of the Quad, with the sun shining. And if you sit on this side [reclining, with her head toward Hathorn] the sun lights your book, but it’s not in your eyes. And you’re by the tree.” The magnolia tree, she means.
On the other side of this magnificent tree, framed by adjacent azaleas, we photographed Hannah Kothari ’26, a politics major from Houston, reading field notes for her landscape ethnography Short Term course, taught by Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Jamie Haverkamp, in preparation for a class visit to Nezinscot Farm in Turner, Maine, tomorrow..](https://www.bates.edu/news/files/2024/05/240506_Campus_0063.webp)
Framed by azaleas and the Hathorn magnolia, and sitting on the granite bench within the Margaret B. Brearley Commemorative Garden, Hannah Kothari ’26, a politics major from Houston, reads field notes for her landscape ethnography Short Term course, taught by Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Jamie Haverkamp, in preparation for a class visit to Nezinscot Farm.
Far Out
The aurora borealis made a rare visit to Maine on May 10 and 11, captivating many Bates students, including Huck Triggs ’24 of Malibu, Calif.
He and friends headed away from Lewiston lights to nearby Leeds, Maine, to view the show, and he captured this image. “As I’m about to graduate, I know that cool experiences like watching the northern lights with all my friends are what I will look back on as my most cherished Bates memories.”
Feast Festivities
Students, faculty, and staff gather for the traditional group photo at this year’s Ramadan Banquet on April 5 in Memorial Commons. The banquet is hosted each spring by the Muslim Student Association with assistance from Dining, Conference, and Campus Events.
Dance the Night Away
Performers in the Marcy Plavin Spring Dance Concert reach for the stars during a performance of “Doin’ Our Thing” in early April in the Schaffer Theatre. The performance was choreographed by Kate Marchessault, an applied dance instructor.
Garry on Air
President Garry W. Jenkins joined the WRBC radio show Spill the Tea, hosted by Alexis Gonzalez ’26 of Hanford, Calif., and Verina Chatata ’26 of Lilongwe, Malawi. In a freewheeling interview, Jenkins shares thoughts on the campus traditions he’s experienced, saying he loves “stumbling upon” the various and festive senior thesis binding celebrations occurring on the Historic Quad during the spring.
He also offered some personal advice to students. Jenkins, who has proven to be a savvy social media user as he promotes Bates on his Instagram account, offered a caution about the intersection of social media and relationships. “Trust your real-world relationships,” he said, and don’t let social media be a troublesome intermediary.
Behind the Scenes
Members of the Bates Film Festival‘s board of directors have dinner on the upstairs level of Commons with two-time Oscar winning documentary filmmaker Rob Epstein (center) on the festival’s opening night on May 14. The festival screened Epstein’s film “Paragraph 175” that evening in the Olin Arts Center.
Honeysuckle
Bates students competed in Bobcat Ventures on April 6, presenting their startup ideas in front of alumni judges for cash prizes for their business ideas.
Seen here, Aidan Stark-Chessa ’26 of Falmouth, Maine, won the $8,000 top prize for Honeysuckle, a drink that he hopes will enter the booming market for non-alcoholic drinks.
Hosted in Commons on April 6 and judged by three Bates alumni entrepreneurs, the annual student pitch competition featured 11 student teams for the morning-long competition, which concluded with three winners collecting $15,000 in prize money.
“I have to tell you, the horsepower that Bates students pitch with and present is just second to none,” said judge Ben Schippers ’04, co-founder of HappyFunCorp, a software design and engineering firm. “I mean, it’s really incredible.”
Hosts with the Mosts
The senior hosts for the inaugural edition of “the CATSBYS,” the end-of-year celebration and awards program for Bates Athletics, warm up their audience at the start of the show in Alumni Gym.
From left are seniors Simon McCormick of Whitefield, Maine, who played men’s basketball; Cole De Magistris (football) of Emerson, N.J.; and Ella Blum ‘24 (field hockey) of South Salem, N.Y.
Featuring a red carpet entrance, video highlights of Bobcat performances, and many awards, the show was organized by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
