October’s physical beauty and warmth provided just the elements we needed to engage in a range of events filled with joy, wonder, learning, competition, and remembrance. With gratitude, we share a visual review in the latest edition of This Month at Bates.
Uprooted Reality
Rebecca Clark Uchenna, director of Bates–Morse Mountain Conservation Area, inspects the root ball of a spruce tree that was uprooted during last April’s late-season snowstorm. The combination of heavy, wet snow and strong winds uprooted trees and snapped limbs all across southern Maine.
Art from the Heart
Yun Garrison, assistant professor of psychology, talks about artwork displayed in Olin Arts Center in early October that reflects an emergent theory of healing.
The project flows from a collaboration, supported by the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, between Garrison and Fowsia Musse of Maine Community Integration.
Together, they have developed a theory of intergenerational healing among Somali refugee women, recently partnering with artist Won Kyoung on Ka Bogso (“Be Healed”) — artwork that depicts the five dimensions the healing theory: Running, Resettlement, Residual Stagnation, Reconciliation, and Resolution.
EMS on the Move
Bates Emergency Medical Services co-chiefs Aoife Spiesel ’26 of South Orange, N.J.,and Noah Bachner ’25 of Weston, Conn., pose with the organization’s new vehicle, whose cost was offset by a Bates family. The 2022 Ford SUV replaces the aging 2007 Toyota Highlander, affectionately known as “Heidi the Highlander,” used by generations of Bates students. The new vehicle’s name is “Felix.”
The Key to Community
Jahan Baker-Wainwright ’25, a biochemistry major from Cottage Grove, Wis., plays Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata at the Looking Ahead Clubhouse, a vocational center for adults living with mental illness.
Baker-Wainwright, Marrich Somridhivej ’26, a biology major from South Windsor, Conn., and Zen Kuriyama, a newly appointed assistant professor of music, performed as part of the national Gather Hear Tour, led by pianist Miki Sawada, who is visiting various towns and cities to perform for audiences who may not typically have access to live music.
Smooth Sailing
A warm and dry Maine fall meant nice weather for the club sailing team at Taylor Pond, including Lily Hausler ’28 (left) of Bend, Ore., and Harrison Nash ’27 of Dedham, Mass.
Nature’s Light Show
The northern lights danced across the Maine skies, and above Olin Arts Center, in early October as a major solar storm reached Earth.
A Taste of Home
Held in mid-October, the annual Taquiza Familiar — a party, dance, and celebration — was hosted by the student club Raíces Unidas.
Catered by the local restaurant El Luchador, the event, which culminated Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month, “gave an opportunity for all students, regardless of their background, to taste and appreciate Latine culture,” said club president Alexis González ‘26 of Hanford, Calif.
“For those who identify as Latine, it’s a chance to enjoy a comforting taste of home, while for others, it serves as a welcoming introduction to our vibrant traditions. The Taquiza fosters a fun and inclusive atmosphere, allowing students to connect, share stories, dance, and meet new friends.”
A Friendly Face
Franky Urueta, a custodian with Facility Services, responds to the camera and photographer as he walks down Alumni Walk in front of Dana Hall.
Well-known by Bates students, Urueta, who is an Apache Native American, delivered the annual faculty-staff address at Baccalaureate in 2019. He urged the seniors “to give positive energy to people” so that “they give you positive energy back.”
Starry Heights
Evan Berthiaume ’27 (left) of East Greenwich, R.I., and Matthew Hamilton ’25 of Sudbury, Mass., stand atop Mount Battie in Camden Hills State Park during the show of northern lights in early October. The image was captured using a tripod, with the camera set on a 10-second timer.
The iconic circular stone tower was built in 1921 as a memorial to men and women of Camden who served in World War I.
Swing into the Sunset
With the sun setting and the course at Martindale Country Club in Auburn nearly deserted, members of the men’s golf team played one hole as a seven-some (photographer Matt Hamilton was their seventh).
Big Wins – On and Off the Field
Before kickoff of the Bates–Middlebury football game, the Bobcats players met with roughly 60 local youths from the Lewiston Area Youth Football League and signed autographs on Bates baseball hats for the players.
Bates knocked off Middlebury 21–20, the first win for the Bobcats over the Panthers since 1988.
Look Up!
“I do admit that I spend a lot of time walking around looking up at trees,” said Heidi Nydam ‘25, an environmental studies major from Ithaca, N.Y., seen looking up at the maple tree outside Hedge Hall.
(Speaking of looking up: At Bates Commencement in 2012, the late journalist Gwen Ifill advised the seniors to “look up” in a metaphorical sense: “If you look up, you will see the chance to speak and to act on behalf of the discouraged and the diminished…. If you look up, you will realize you have a responsibility to build a set of steps for those following behind you to climb up. If you look up you will see that a Bates degree is the beginning of your life’s education but not the end.”)
Scales of History
Assistant Professor of Music Zen Kuriyama displays the classic passion of a Bates teacher as he talks about the history of music notation and performance in the Western classical tradition with prospective students during Admission’s annual Fall Open House in early October.
More than 200 prospective students and their families came to campus to gain a first-hand, insider’s look at the campus experience by engaging with the people who make it so special.
Kuriyama’s presentation was among six offerings by Bates professors, covering topics like Berlin’s literature, film, and urban landscape and the neuroscience of hearing and balance.
In his welcome, President Garry W. Jenkins said that a Bates education is about academic excellence in a highly personalized setting. “That’s where everything begins. That’s at the core of our mission, and the vibrancy of the educational experience that you will find here at Bates is stunning.”
Autumn from Above
In this aerial photograph of the Historic Quad during the peak of the fall foliage season, Gomes Chapel is at left, Coram Library at right, and Hathorn Hall at middle center.
Muskie Minutiae
During a Election Trivia Night in the Den, a cheer goes up in the Den as teams offer a correct answer (favorite Bates son Edmund Muskie ’36) — to a the question, “Which Bates graduate was a nominee for vice president of the U.S.?”
Part of the college’s Election 2024 programming, the trivia night, hosted by Bates professors Stephen Engel and Stephanie Kelley-Romano, offered students a chance for political engagement, community building, and some fun.
“A lot of students at Bates want to be politically engaged and but don’t know how,” says Kelley-Romano. “They don’t know how to find their information, don’t know how to have these conversations. So trivia night is a super low-stakes way to laugh and learn stuff — like about the electoral college.”
Grit on the Grass
Mohammed Mohammed ’26 of Iowa City practices with the men’s club rugby team on the Page Field in early October.
Apocalypse Now?
Professor of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies Stephanie Kelley-Romano talks with math student Colby Michaud ’25 of Hopkinton, Mass., in a Hathorn Hall classroom.
Students in Kelley-Romano’s course “Presidential Campaign Rhetoric,” who are conducting a mock presidential election campaign this fall, met with students in Professor of Mathematics Meredith Greer’s course “Mathematical Models in Biology” to discuss a “crisis” in the campaign: an outbreak of zombie virus.
Running the Pines
The No. 30 nationally ranked Bates women’s cross country team defeated six teams to capture first place at the Bates Invitational at Pineland Farms.
Sweet Spot
“It’s like Candyland,” said Isabelle Larson ‘25, a double major in biology and earth and climate sciences from East Aurora, N.Y., as she settled into an Adirondack chair on the Historic Quad to do some reading before the start of a morning class.
“I like the way the light hits it in the morning, so I try to come out here in the mornings. It’s so beautiful.”
Foliage and Flow
Colorful fall foliage crowds the shoreline as Bates rowers practice on the Androscoggin River in Greene in mid-October.
Family Goals
The women’s soccer team honored nine seniors and their families before their NESCAC home finale vs. Middlebury in October.
Here, Kristen Reimann, mother of senior captain Ruby Reimann of Oak Bluffs, Mass., runs through the spirit tunnel, followed by fellow members of the family: father Christopher, a cousin, and the family dog.
Class in Full Color
Brittany Longsdorf, the college’s multifaith chaplain, took her students in the First-Year Seminar “Arts and Spirituality” onto the Quad for a class session in October.
The course guides students in both the creation and consumption of art, helping them see the connection between art and reflection through a range of spiritual practices and traditions from around the world.
Nature’s Necklace
Theo Adams ‘27 of Charlottesville, Va., sews a chain of leaves on the Historic Quad.
All In!
Members of the field hockey team lean in for a cheer before their Senior Day game vs. Middlebury.
Fall Fireworks
Each year, the maple tree outside Hedge Hall puts on a spectacular show.
Building Connections
Seniors Daniel Snider of Belfast, Maine, and Zach Van Dusen ’25 of Vashon, Wash., examine a meticulously detailed Lego creation that was on display in Ladd Library during a Lego showcase that invited students, faculty, and staff to participate and attend.
Blake Edwards, a staff member at the Center for Purposeful Work, created the explorable Lego City, including Lego IP and Jurassic Park, and reflecting some of Blake’s personal experiences. “It’s been a hobby of mine for a while and I get to share with adult fans of Lego, aka “AFOL.”
Leafy Leaps
Seniors Sloan Phillips of Evergreen, Colo., Chloe Santucci of Falmouth, Maine, and Cassidy Meyer of Carbondale, Colo., take a leafy leap on the Historic Quad.
A warm and dry October made for perfect leaf-gathering weather. Nearby, another student noted that “we saw all these leaves out here and thought, well, they’re not going anywhere—gotta use them!”
Armed with rakes borrowed from friends who work in Facility Services, students rallied their classmates. “We just wanted everyone to get out of their heads, escape the stress, and connect with a little childlike whimsy on this beautiful afternoon.”
Giving Blood, Giving Back
Bates students teamed up with the American Red Cross in late October to hold a blood drive in the Gray Athletic Building. “There’s always a need for blood to be taken and donated,” said Annie Robinson ’26 of Atlanta.
The event was held as part of remembrance efforts in the community one year after the mass shootings in Lewiston. “And with the anniversary coming up, I feel that everyone’s kind of itching to do something,” Robinson said. “I’ve never donated blood before, and it was so easy.”
Sivani Arvapalli ‘26 of South Windsor, Conn., who is co-president of Bates Student Government served as the student coordinator for the blood drive.
“I’m a universal donor type and I just feel like I have an obligation,” said Angus Carter ’25 of Camden, Maine. He stumbled upon the event and decided to donate blood on the spot. “I want to give, and I have the ability to do it.”
Ties That Bind
The names and photographs of the 18 people killed on Oct. 25, 2023, were displayed at the altar during the Remembrance Service in Gomes Chapel. Multicolored ribbons, on which Bates community members had written blessings, wishes, and hopes for Lewiston, hung in a garland.
“We have tied these many blessings and words of love to a common rope, a single thread, as a symbol of our ties in this community,” said the Rev. Brittany Longsdorf.
“We belong to one another, we have carried one another in this past year, and we will always tend to one another amidst celebration and grief. Not only are we strong when we are together, but like this garland — we are beautiful.” Thank you.”
Team Tribute
After lunchtime on Oct. 25, members of the college’s Dining, Conferences, and Campus Events gathered in the Commons dining room for a moment of remembrance. Christine Schwartz, the department’s associate vice president, offered words of appreciation to the team for their work to support students during the three-day lockdown following the Lewiston shootings.
Nature’s Curtain Call
Leaves falling from the gingko tree in front of Carnegie Science Hall made Heidi Nydam ‘25 of Ithaca, N.Y., a bit late to class. But her professor was highly predisposed to give her a pass.
Nydam was on her way to Huggett’s plant physiology course when she spotted the yellow leaves cascading to the ground.
As magical as the foliage on the campus maples and elms has been this fall, ginkgos have a dramatic trick of their own, dropping all of their foliage in just hours. Leaves fall in autumn when an abscission layer forms between leaf and stem. This happens gradually in most trees, but for ginkgos, this happens on all leaves simultaneously.
The tree has been a topic of discussion in class, with Huggett giving students updates. “Even last week we were like, ‘Is the gingko going to show up? When is it going to drop?’” said Nydham, an environmental studies major.
In the course of just a few hours, the ground under the tree went from bare to densely, intensely yellow with piled up leaves and the fruit of the tree. “They’re so soft,” Nydam marveled, scooping up handfuls of the leaves.
