We’re off and running in 2022. Our new year began with a week of remote classes followed by a collegewide observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Mid-month frigid weather kept the campus community moving quickly through studies, sports, and scenics. Yes, we’re at full throttle and all warmed up, as we lunge into February. Stay tuned, but first, check out This Month at Bates.

Never Mind the Weather

Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

Weren’t we lucky that the 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance was virtual? As sloppy snow-to-rainstorm precipitation swept through campus, more than 500 viewers easily attended the keynote panel on decolonization and liberation.


In the Stacks

Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

After a three-hour lab in her course on earth surface environments and environmental change Julia Neumann ’25 of Norwell, Mass., found a warm and cozy spot on the ground floor of Ladd Library to read Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing for a course taught by Assistant Professor of English Katie Adkison.


A Special Season

Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

Mia Roy ’22 (middle) of Bedford, N.H., and the Bates women’s basketball team celebrate a win over then-No.3 nationally ranked Amherst. With impressive wins over ranked teams this season, “Bates has taken its game to another level,” the Portland Press Herald recently noted.


Field of Birches

Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

A compressed view of the birches on Alumni Walk, looking toward College Street.


Through a Glass Wall

Matt Hamilton ’25 for Bates College

Harris Ramlee ’25 of Dengkil, Malaysia, takes on his opponent from Columbia University in a men’s squash team’s match at the Bates College Squash Center.


Golden Hour

Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

The lights in Hedge Hall classrooms are on as dusk settles on campus.


Hands On Assignment

Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

At a Perry Atrium table overlooking Lake Andrews, Modou Sissoho ’24 of the Bronx, N.Y., studies for his education course.


By Leaps and Bounds

Theophil Syslo/Bates College

Men’s track and field’s Evan Koch ’23 of Shelburne, Vt., competes in the heptathlon at the Bates Invitational in Merrill Gymnasium.


‘Bonkers’ Over Ruby Jean

Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

Ruby Jean and Bridget Fullerton, lecturer in humanities and acting director of writing, go for a twilight walk on the Historic Quad. Ruby is an 8-month-old Chinook, a rare breed of sled dog developed in New Hampshire. “I’m a little bonkers over this unique breed,” Fullerton says.


Upside Down in 2022

Huck Triggs ’24 for Bates College

Diver Connor Sahs ’24 of Miami, Fla., competes in the first home dual meet of his career as the Bates men’s swimming and diving team defeated Bowdoin at Tarbell Pool.


A Bit of Outside Indoors

Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

Jack Johnson ’22, a neuroscience major from Brewster, Mass., reads in Pettengill Hall’s Perry Atrium for his “Culture and Interpretation” course taught by Visiting Instructor in Anthropology Jen Hughes. “I like P’gill for its big windows, excellent lighting, and indoor trees,” he says, referring to the room’s two ficus trees that reach two floors high.


Hoop Attack

Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

Men’s basketball captain Stephon Baxter ’23 of Worcester, Mass., attacks the hoop on his way to a game-high 29 points against nationally ranked Wesleyan at Alumni Gym. 


A Warm Moment

Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

Nick Brown ’25 (right) of Hopkinton, Mass., uses his coffee cup to warm the bare hand of Aidan Rooney ‘25 (center) of Bay Shore, N.Y., as this trio makes its way down Alumni Walk on a frigid January morning. At left is Calvin Capelle ’25 of San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Temperature: 0° Fahrenheit. Windchill factor: Yikes.


Senior Gauntlet

Men and women’s swimming and diving host  a meet against Bowdoin at Tarbell Pool in Merrill Gym on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022.
Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

Suzy Ryckman ’22 of Riverside, Conn., was one of 17 Bates women and men honored during the swimming and diving team’s Senior Day at Tarbell Pool prior to their dual meet against Bowdoin.


All Iced Up

Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

Lake Andrews is all iced up. Be careful out there.


Surf’s Up

Huck Triggs ’24 for Bates College

“Extra effort is needed to surf Maine in the dead of winter, but the experience can be very rewarding,” said Nash Holley ’24 of Freeport, Maine, as he took advantage of some beautiful Maine surfing conditions at Old Orchard Beach.


Let It Snow

Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

“It’s about time,” said Tad Koenigsbauer ’24 of Seattle, walking along Alumni Walk in early January as light snow accumulated on campus. Until then, the weather had been mild and benign.


Hurdles

Anna Gouveia ’22 for Bates College

Women’s track and field captain Amanda Kaufman ’22 of Somers, Conn., races to the finish in the 60-meter hurdles at the Bates Invitational at Merrill Gymnasium.


To A Fine Dust

Essie Martin ’22 of Newscastle, Maine, prepares samples of dried kelp to be ground down to a fine dust before being weighed and then ran in the IRMS for isotope analysis. Shot on January 26, 202, in Carnegie building , Room 215.(Theophil Syslo | Bates College)
Theophil Syslo/Bates College

As part of her senior thesis, Essie Martin ’22 of Newcastle, Maine, prepares samples of dried kelp in a Carnegie Science laboratory, where she ground the substance down to a fine dust in preparation for isotope analysis.


Light Show

Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

A spotlight at the base of the campus flagpole on the Historic Quad, with Hathorn Hall in the background, captures a mixture of falling snow and rain.