BOC Minutes 5/14/14
***If you’re someone normally skims/ignores these emails please just skip right to the end and read my final request (of sorts)***
Hello Faithful BOC Listserv Subscribers,
This email will serve two purposes. For one, it will act of the final set of minutes from our last BOC meeting which occurred way back on the 14th of May. My deepest apologies for not getting this out sooner—between the Legend and general end-of-year madness, I was quite bus[t]y. Secondly, this email is important because it acts as my last set of minutes as BOC secretary. “Why is that important?” -You. Well, to be completely honest, it isn’t. I just wanted to inform you all of an artificially significant milestone as it exists in my mind.
To continue tradition I will include complementary [Audio] [Also, your next summer jam]
Announce
- Clambake as per usual was amazing. Even despite John “Ivory Knight” Barbadooble’s uncharacteristically late entrance, the set-up, cook, and clean-up crews handled the day with unending grace.
- Jonathan Labonte: The head of the Andro. Land Trust (and mayor of Auburn *cough*) joined us at or mountaintop meeting to inform us a big river clean up that is happening on the 16th of June. The twin cities will unite in the spirit of charity and stewardship and give it their best at cleaning up our sacred and vital river. Lunch will be provided for free at the firehouse grill. Additionally, the first ever Great Falls Brewing Festival, hosted by Baxter Brewing, will coincide with the clean-up. This is an even that you shouldn’t miss if you’re going to be around the area!
- Jonathan also informed us of some more long-term river improvements that he is trying to head. A recreational white water area was part of this discussion. If interested contact the ALT here.
- On a similar note: Are you on or near campus on the 16th and want to do a great service to the BOC, Andro. Land Trust, and Humanity? If so then PLEASE PLEASE, email me.
Trips
- Well, this is awkward. Here’s to the fall!
Gear
- At the time of the meeting we had lots of cash. We discussed many quasi-suspicious plans of how to spend this money. Gold (of course) made an entrance into this conversation. I’m not sure how this resolved. Maybe email Sasha to find out?
- We passed two whitewater kayaks—one more fun/sporty and the the other more aggressive. George’s younger bro, a kayak boss, is coming to Bates in the fall and along with Billy should be able to teach us how to use these boats. Woop.
- We passed and bought more first-aid shit.
Story:
- Julia: Went rafting on the Kennebec on a Big Release Day (do these happen once or twice or many times a year!?). She witnessed a foolish group of paddlers launch out in what is sometimes refereed to as a ‘K-mart coffin’ —or a cheap, inflatable raft. At the bottom of her guided run she saw the wreckage of this shoddy vessel. No one knows whether the crew lived to tell the tale themselves. Scary stuff.
- Dani and Audrey slept on Mt. David one night a couple of weeks ago. [CONFESSION: I’m quite certain I saw them covered by their sleeping bags and at the time thought to myself, “wow, I hope those kids eventually have a home to go to…”] They said that it was actually great fun and that they even saw a mystical duck at the top of the mount the next morning @ sunrise. QUACK QUACK. —Aside—Has anyone seen the Louie episode about the baby duckling in Afghanistan? It’s a must-see; equally mystical, equally cute.
- Emma M went on a Bradbury mtn bike ride with Coleman and Charlie. With company like that, things were bound to get spicy and that’s exactly what happened. Instead of going down the moderately sloped trails, the crew went down the SKETCHY steep face of the mountain—WOW—but everyone, including Charlie with his crimson red bike and turquoise shorts, made it down without a scratch. That trip sounded like ‘hella’ fun.
- In other Mtn Bike news, George went up to visit Jordan @ Grey Knob and afterwards went biking at Cranmore. Things got interesting before the ride even started, as the crew of 5 people with their 5 bikes had to pack into a car that probably was no bigger than this. The solution was that two people would stand on the running board as car made its way up a precarious mountain road.
So this is it…
Thanks to everyone who took time out of their busy lives over these past several months to read the minutes. Thanks also to our graduating class, who needs no further explaining as to why they are great or will be missed.
I’d like to officially end things with a final request of sorts:
The other day I was looking over the total list of people on this listserv. The totally count was surprisingly large: 1124. Being entirely conservative, out of this total count maybe 500 actually get the emails; maybe 300 people actually read them. How many people on average attended our meetings throughout the year? At most, I would say 30. My request of you all comes from the huge discrepancy between these two numbers; it is a direct plea to the 270 people that read BOC emails, but who maybe don’t always join us when we actually do the fun stuff! For you 270, I simply ask you that during next fall, you come to one of our meetings, or go on one of our trips. I know this might sound biased, but some of the most fun I’ve had at Bates has been directly because of the BOC. I want all of you to get in on this fun too. We all can feel sheepish or intimidated at times; I never even went to a meeting until second semester of freshman year. Just don’t let these natural reactions get in the way of your own enjoyment! And if you don’y like it, I’ll even give you your money back.
Love, Always,
Bryan