"I am not sure which factor dismays me more: a college applicant's decision based on the dining hall menu and one meal, or the whole idea that what is served appears to be a more important factor than a college's academic program. . . . I ate at Bates College in its new dining room. The food was delicious, the service impeccably polite, the choices beyond belief. That is a big change from the '50s, but the academic rigor has never changed." -- J. William Mees '60. His was one of three letters published in response to the April 9 Times article "Latest College Reading Lists," in which a non-Bates student criticized Bates' food. Letters by Peter Gault '11 and Bates executive chef Roger Ouellette also defended Dining Services.

All college students should reach deepened levels of learning and understanding, as well as develop a strong sense of self-direction, and self-realization or well-being, and a greater sense of civic identity and responsibility. These are three separable, equally important categories of outcomes, related to the core purposes of liberal education. The integration, the reassertion and the achievement of these all-important aims and outcomes can and must become the priority of our colleges and universities. And if we are to seek reliable indices of quality and achievement at our institutions, we can and must develop reliable means that get at each of these outcomes and their interrelatedness. -- Donald W. Harward, Bates president emeritus, is director of the Bringing Theory to Practice Project.

At a recent gathering in Maryland for the Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference, business officers joined campus planners and the latest subgroup to make its presence felt: campus sustainability coordinators. Five years earlier, those coordinators would have had little to no representation at such an event. But as colleges commit to reducing their carbon footprints, a growing number are introducing or redefining a staff position to organize the efforts. Julie Rosenbach, environmental coordinator at Bates, said she appreciates the fact that as the first person to fill the position full time, she's setting precedent. Much of her time is spent working with students and coordinating with an existing sustainability committee of faculty, staff and students that reviews and makes recommendations on building projects and other greening efforts.

"The Bulgarian argument is that [the Macedonian language is] a dialect of Bulgarian. And the argument you often hear in Greece is that it's not a language [unto itself], it's a linguistic idiom . . . But that's not sound linguistics. Linguists recognize that determining whether something is a dialect of something else or a separate language depends on a political situation, not something that can be answered purely linguistically . . . In the Balkans, each nation-state wants its own language. And so throughout the world, Slavicists recognize Macedonian as a South Slavic language even though it's very similar to Bulgarian." -- Bates anthropologist Loring Danforth on the Macedonian language and the tension between Greece and the Macedonian republic over the name "Macedonia"

Baldwin-Wallace College is the region's first to make the SAT and ACT tests optional for the freshman class of 2009-2010. B-W is small enough that admissions staff can take the time to review essays and take a long look at applicants. Picking students based on individual traits is one factor in the decision to go with test-optional admissions, but de-emphasizing testing was a big factor. Luis Martinez '05, a graduate of St. Ignatius High School, chose Bates, which has a 20-year history of test-optional admissions. Bates finds students who have exceptional talents even they might not have fared well in all subjects, he says. "Test-taking is an ability much like any other, but unique in its own right. It's like evaluating a receiver's athleticism by how well he shoots free throws."

Molly Taber '95 could be on her way to the Beijing Olympics, if she qualifies for the trials in a 26.2 mile race in April. Taber, a competitive marathon runner, has to come in third out of 150 runners in the April 20 qualifying marathon in Boston. She tried out for the American Olympic team in 2002, and ran the 26.2-mile course under the qualifying time of 2 hours and 42 minutes. In 2006, she qualified for this year's trials with a time of 2:44, the fastest American at the tryouts and third overall. If she doesn't make it this year, Taber said this might be her last try at the Olympics, but she would always keep running. "I'm 35," she said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Lauren DuBois, Manchester Essex: A 2004 graduate of Bates College in her third year coaching basketball, DuBois led Manchester Essex to a Division 4 North title this season when it defeated Mt. Alvernia, 59-56, in overtime. She was named Cape Ann Coach of the Year.

As Barack Obama pitches the attractive prospect of a postracial society, artists have, as usual, already been there and sent back skeptical reports. Bates lecturer and acclaimed artist William Pope.L short-circuits the very concept of what artists, black or white, "should" be. In his performance pieces, he smiles as he inches up the street on all fours; he uncomplainingly devours news of money he’ll never have. He makes sculpture from Pop-Tarts, the stuff of welfare meals. His main subject might seem to be class, not race, but race is everywhere in his art. He works with white materials — mayonnaise, milk, flour — but also runs the Black Factory, a mobile workshop-van equipped to transform any object of any color into a "black" object. How? By covering it with cheap black paint.

Garcelon Society chair Barbara Trafton says that the Garcelon Society is a Bates-community partnership launched two years ago and named after 19th-century Lewiston civic leader Alonzo Garcelon. "Our goal is to enhance the relationships between the community and the college, provide activities such as receptions and opportunities for the community to hear from professors and others associated with the college. And also to inspire giving to the Androscoggin Fund, a dedicated endowed fund that supports local students' opportunities to go to Bates College. We currently have raised half-a-million dollars, and we're able to send four Androscoggin Scholars who are currently at Bates."

A book-signing packed with friends and admirers was a fitting reward for author Bob Labbance '74, whose passion for golf has benefited the game and its fans. The event in Montpelier, Vt., recognized two new books by Labbance. One, written with Brian Siplo, was The Vardon Invasion, about Harry Vardon's historic 1900 North American tour in which the British Open champion played against the best talent he could find. The other, written with Kevin Mendik, is The Life and Work of Wayne Stiles, a salute to one of golf's great course architects. The fact that Labbance has done this work while taking on a battle with the insidious disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a testament to an admirable spirit. "It's been a labor of love, no doubt," said Labbance.

George Cole, formerly a top executive in the field of interactive voice technology and now head of the local boat service, has joined the Bates board of trustees. Cole, of Brookhaven, N.Y., was elected to the board in February, said President Elaine Tuttle Hansen. Cole worked at Periphonics, a maker and vendor of interactive voice response systems, from 1975 until 2000, rising through the ranks to serve in various vice-presidential positions. Periphonics was purchased by Nortel Networks in 1999, and Cole retired from Nortel in 2000. Since 2002, he has served as president and general manager of Isle au Haut Boat Services, a nonprofit that operates year-round passenger, mail and freight service to the island. Cole is also a member of the board of trustees of the Island Institute.

From the Fire Department's Sept. 11 memorial to the Empire State Building, some of the city's most hallowed sites bear the mark of a company founded 110 years ago. Stained glass and intricate metalwork are specialties of Rambusch Decorating, co-owned by twins Edwin '88 and Martin Rambusch and launched by their great-grandfather. The only time the twins, who both live in New Jersey, spent apart was during their undergrad years -- their parents encouraged them to split up for school. Edwin went to Bates and Martin went to Tulane in New Orleans. Edwin, who has a master's in lighting design from Parsons in Manhattan, heads a Rambusch division that makes custom lighting fixtures, and he is now making lobby chandeliers for the Empire State Building.

Lawrence University in Appleton is among a growing list of colleges and universities that have some kind of test-optional admissions. After Lawrence went test-optional in late 2005, about a quarter of admitted students were non-submitters. A study of students admitted in 2006 showed that non-submitters had lower test scores, but ended up with roughly the same GPAs at the end of their first term as those who submitted test scores. Lawrence's results mirrored the findings of a 20-year study at Bates, released in 2004. Bates found no differences in academic performance or graduation rates between score submitters and non-submitters. "America is apparently throwing away some substantial portion of its future talent by relying far too heavily on its standardized tests as a screening system," said Vice President Bill Hiss '66.

Hazing is not just confined to locker rooms, fraternities and sorority houses. It's also a problem in performing arts groups, honor societies and other student groups, say two University of Maine researchers who surveyed 11,487 students at 53 large and small colleges and universities. Tedd Goundie, dean of students at Bates, said he believes the athletic department at Bates does a good job informing student athletes of what constitutes hazing. But most students outside athletics probably would be less certain if they experienced hazing. Goundie said instances of hazing are rare at Bates, but borderline incidents crop up every few years. And even if an incident were funny and voluntary, college officials would call that group in. "We would use it as an educational moment," he said.

Literary agents and publishers wanted no part of a novel about a professor with Alzheimer's. But the compelling Still Alice was the book the life of Lisa Genova '92 had led her to write. She'd long been interested in how the brain works, and when she was at Harvard researching this, right down the hall were other scientists trying to break Alzheimer's genetic code. Later her grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. And after countless rejections, a marketing rep who loved the Still Alice wanted to distribute it. But Genova didn't have a published book. "I thought then I could put the book on hold," she says. "Or I could put it out now, self-publish, and increase awareness." She self-published. And with no regrets.

After 40 years of directing for the stage, Bates professor of theater Paul Kuritz decided to make a movie. He made "New Life" as part of developing a new course on acting and directing for film. Based on a Mary Ward Brown short story, the piece premiered in the college's Olin Arts Center in March. The movie included a cast and crew from Bates and the local community. Kuritz, who has studied filmmaking at the Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, found directing a movie was not all that different from directing a play. "The process is very similar once you realize you're dependent on the skills of other people," he said. "But the star of a movie is the camera and the star of a stage play is the actor."

Colleges and universities are anxiously taking steps to address a projected drop in the number of high school graduates in much of the nation starting next year and a dramatic increase in the proportion of minority students. For colleges, the demographic changes will mean new ways of recruiting and educating students. Bates President Elaine Tuttle Hansen said the school has started to boost its aid budget by a few percentage points to "keep ahead" of the trend. Out of an $83 million budget, she said, $18 million went this year for financial aid. "This is all going to be huge for schools in a planning and financial sense," she said. "But we also have to look upon it as an opportunity."

Sylvan Ellefson '09 placed fourth in the 10K freestyle at the NCAA Skiing National Championships in Bozeman, Mont. It was the Bobcats' best finish since 1997, when Justin Freeman '98 was third in a 10K classic. "Basically, whatever I had left in me, I left out on the course," Ellefson said. "I had a really good sprint into the finish. I was guessing I finished anywhere from sixth to eighth." When the announcer chimed back in with Ellefson's result, it was music to Ellefson’s ears. "Our alpine team was out there cheering me on, too, and I was sitting down trying to recover in the finish area, and I heard all of them yelling at me. It seemed so surreal," Ellefson says. "It was amazing. I was overcome with emotion."

Actors are often worried about being flat at the beginning of a performance. It happens to John Ambrosino '02 -- every time, all the time. That's because Ambrosino plays the title role in the Intramusical Theatrical's production of "The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley," based on the Stanley Lambchop character from Jeff Brown's popular books. Struck one day by a bulletin board, Stanley wakes up the next morning flattened out -- and decides to get into a big envelope and travel the world as a giant letter. Ambrosino, who spent five years as founding artistic director of the acclaimed Animus Ensemble in Boston, called children "an amazing audience. In some ways, they're more picky than adults. You have to keep it real or they'll check right out."

There's suffering for your art, and then there's Kate Gilmore '97. For her video "My Love is an Anchor," Gilmore uses a hammer to free her foot from a bucket of plaster. In "Before Going Under," she's dragged along the ground by a rope. Gilmore sets up physical challenges for herself to overcome in her performance-based videos, exploring notions of struggle, identity, failure and achievement. "All my work has this desperate wanting, this desperate desire for something," she says. "Humor is a huge part of the work," Gilmore adds. "I have to have humor in the work to actually get the message across." Eight of her videos are on view in "Girl Fight" in the Hudson (Show)Room at Artpace San Antonio through April 20.

When Jere Calmes '92 was looking at colleges, his father's one piece of advice was to study Russian or Chinese. Like any intelligent teenager, the younger Calmes decided to study Russian; "Chinese classes were early in the morning." This decision, coupled with a competitive spirit borne of a youth spent downhill ski racing at the national level, has shaped Calmes' life. Calmes, who first visited Russia while still a Bates student, recently became CEO of 36.6, Russia's largest pharmacy chain. It's the latest in a series of positions that Calmes has worked in Russia, including involvement in the creation of Russia's second-largest cell-phone company. "Russia is a country on the move," Calmes said. "For the last 15 years, this has been the land of opportunity for risk takers."

"The Roger Clemens case presents parents, coaches and teachers with an opportunity to engage young people in stimulating discussions on issues that transcend baseball, such as why steroid use is wrong, the satisfaction of honorable competition and understanding the concept of 'presumption of innocence.' . . . The notion of fair play is central to any discussion of steroid use. Young adults might consider a salient point proposed by ethicist Michael Josephson to anyone who heeds a conscience: Victory without honor is profoundly unsatisfying." -- from an op-ed column about the dispute over Roger Clemens' alleged styeroid use by Trustee Daniel Doyle Jr. '72, founding executive director of the Institute for International Sport and author of The Encyclopedia of Sports Parenting

Federal recruiter Jesse Tampio visited nearly 100 Bates undergraduates recently to bust the "myths" of government work. The presentation by Tampio, a State Department lawyer and volunteer pitchman, sold the upsides of federal service -- one slide depicted federal workers at a chili cook-off. The session came as the government strives to recruit a new generation of civil servants amid the biggest hiring crisis in Washington history, as an unprecedented number of federal employees are expected to retire in 2008. At Bates, Tampio found willing listeners. "I want to be part of the change sweeping the government," says Becky Rubenstein '08, a psych major who wants to work in public health. Maybe there's hope for Uncle Sam: After Rubenstein's summer interning at a struggling nonprofit, government chili might sound good.

If you still think that knitting is something only your great-great aunt is doing, take a look around Chatham, Mass. In recent years knitting has come into vogue with girls and women of all ages. They find it relaxing, they enjoy making hand-made gifts, and they treasure the camaraderie with other knitters. Marilyn Brown '52 learned to knit in high school and continued with it through her time at Bates. "I've come from a family of knitters," Brown says. "My mother always knit." In her dormitory, Brown's classmates knit and played cards in the smoking room. "It was very relaxing while waiting for dinner," she says. And what treasures did these women knit in the 1950s? Argyle socks for their boyfriends. "They were quite the rage," Brown recalls.

Last May and again in February, the media went to town speculating about the college writings of someone involved in the current presidential race. First it was Hillary Clinton's senior thesis for Wellesley; this week, Michelle Obama's for Princeton. "I'm torn on whether it's a useful/informative exercise," said Emily Kane, Bates sociology chair. Senior theses are fair game because their authors are responsible adults, Kane said. On the other hand, college seniors are encouraged to explore ideas and take risks within a conceptual framework imposed by their discipline -- all of which may result in a product hardly relevant to that individual now. Kane wrote, "It would never have occurred to me to advise a thesis advisee to be careful how their thesis might come across 25-40 years later!"

"You have to understand that reggae came from the blues. So if you can play blues, you can play reggae. . . . Blues is the blueprint, it's the foundation for Western music. Blues is the beginning of a story where people were taken in bondage and brought over here . . . I just am a musician coming from the black diaspora, and that's what I represent, and those are just places I've been, places that speak to me. And when I look at history I know that I share a common root with these different places." -- Visiting Bates in February, Corey Harris '91 spoke with MPBN's Tom Porter about the reggae influences on his latest album, Zion Crossroads, and about his wide-ranging musical explorations

Under Chairman Mao Tse-tung, the camera was a propaganda tool to be used only by the government. But post-Mao China has produced its first generation of artists who focus on photography as art, and the exhibition "Documenting China: Contemporary Photography and Social Change" shows 57 images by members of this group. Organized by Shanghai scholar Gu Zheng, the exhibit premiered at the Bates Museum of Art in 2004 and was so well-received the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service took it on. Now it's at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Ariz. "Everyone was talking about China, but what Gu Zheng wanted to do was show what it was to be Chinese," said Mark Bessire, director of the Bates museum. "It's the influence of what's taking place on the people."

"So this is going to have more of a community feeling, and certainly [give students] more of an understanding of where the food comes from, and what that means . . . And [they'll be] able to have interactions with the individuals who prepare three meals a day for them." -- Christine Schwartz, director of Bates Dining Services, on the opening of the College's new dining Commons

Ted Hopkins has survived seven ownership changes to remain head professional at the Hidden Hills Country Club for nearly 30 years. But he's counting on the most recent ownership change at the Arlington club to be his last. Fellow club professional Russ Libby '89 bought the club in 2003 after a series of owners including golf management companies, absentee investors and banks. "It was a relief to finally have the club owned by someone who had been in a pro shop, and who would be here every day," Hopkins said of Libby. "Russ had been in the [Northern] chapter and knew the club and the area. It's been enjoyable to work for him." And the club, site of two Greater Jacksonville Opens, has thrived since Libby purchased it.

For many children of blue-collar workers in the 1990s, college wasn't in the cards – especially if they went to Lewiston High School. That's no longer the case. The percentage of high school graduates going on to college has increased significantly, as have college aspirations. In 2000, 58 percent of LHS students intended to go to college. By 2007, Lewiston had improved its intent rate to 87 percent, and actual attendance last fall was 78 percent. "Lewiston has done a tremendous job," said Colleen Quint '85, executive director of the Mitchell Institute, created to help get more Mainers to college. "Lewiston has focused very deliberately on kids who face significant barriers to go to college." Lewiston faculty have reached students "and lit a fire academically," she said.

Associate professor of psychology Amy Bradfield Douglass contends that eyewitness accounts less reliable than people think. In a talk hosted by the Lewiston Public Library, she said that eyewitness identifications are often right, but they're often wrong as well. Of 213 defendants exonerated using DNA testing by the nationally renowned Innocence Project, 61 out of the first 70 included mistaken eyewitness identifications, said Douglass. She engaged her audience in exercises to illustrate her point, including watching a video in which two groups of people pass basketballs around. Asked to concentrate on the ball-passing, many in the audience failed to notice a figure in a gorilla suit coming in and beating its chest. "It shows you how the mind is vulnerable to these pretty profound errors," she says.

William Worthy '42 reported from Communist China, the Shah's Iran, and Cuba in the early days of Castro. He aroused the ire of the State Department by slipping into nations off-limits to Americans. He was the subject of a celebratory Phil Ochs song, "The Ballad of William Worthy." And now this journalism legend sits nearly forgotten in an assisted-living facility. At 86, he is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. One of Worthy's professional highlights was his time as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard, and the Nieman Foundation honors him today with the Louis M. Lyons Award. "We're going to make this a real celebration of Bill's life and career," curator Robert Giles said. But the honor won't do enough to rescue Worthy from his undeserved obscurity.

An industry reading of the new comedy Half-Married will be presented in Manhattan Feb. 18. Directed by John Simpkins, the reading of this play by Ryan Cunningham and Charles Antin '02 features the talents of Jill Abramovitz, Stephen Bienskie, Colin Hanlon and Lisa Howard. Half-Married follows a young couple through the most trying time in any New York City relationship: moving in together. Antin's writing has appeared in Alimentum, Ballyhoo Stories, Food & Wine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Rosebud and Glimmer Train. He won an award for short fiction for his work in that last publication. The reading will be presented under the auspices of Paradox Productions.

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are using television ads in Maine this week to build support as they head into Sunday's Democratic caucuses across the state. The two campaigns refused to disclose the size of their ad buys on Friday, but the candidates have become a staple on Maine television stations. Local advertising is less valuable when the candidates themselves campaign in a state, as Obama and Clinton are doing in Maine today, because campaign stops provide "alternative sources of information" in the form of heavy news coverage, said political scientist Douglas Hodgkin, professor emeritus at Bates College. Advertising is "probably only a small piece" in persuading caucus voters, said Hodgkin, who said the recommendations of family members, friends and neighbors may be more persuasive.

"I have such an ambivalent relationship to Maine," Elizabeth Strout '77 says, although her novels are all about life in her home state. She grew up in Harpswell and in Durham, N.H., but for the last 20 years, has lived in New York City. Mining her ambivalence, Strout's two novels -- the bestselling Amy and Isabelle and Abide with Me -- explore Mainers' rough lives, the claustrophobia of small towns and the encroachments of the world beyond Maine. Her new book, a novel-in-stories called Olive Kitteridge, is about a quintessential Maine character, Olive Kitteridge, a retired teacher in Crosby, Maine. The book's linked stories trace several decades in the lives of its titular character and other Crosby residents. -- By Craig Teicher '01

Q: [In one scenario,] you're a contestant on Iron Chef. The secret ingredient is bean curd. The judges are Ted Nugent, John Rambo and an American black bear. How do you take down Bobby Flay? A: How do you take down Bobby Flay? That's easy, because he doesn't use bean curd. Well, bean curd can be made in different ways: pies, stews, you can make sautes [or desserts] with it . . . Sauteed and deep-fried bean curd with sugar and molasses is amazing. . . . [For a dish that a meat-eater would eat,] Well, I think bean curd would be pan-seared with chipotle lemon-pepper glaze, served with a red onion marmalade and a potato pie. -- Writer Nick Altschuller '02 interviews Dinner: Impossible chef Robert Irvine

Vicki Toppses wants her president to reflect her values. A Republican, she wants a president strong on economic and foreign policy, and one whose policies support her views on immigration and her spirituality. Still undecided which Republican candidate to support, she criticizes the media for focusing more on polls than policy. "The Founding Fathers didn't put before us a popularity contest," she says. Brian Pfohl, another Bates staffer, supported John Edwards but now is "ambivalent," he says about the Feb. 10 Democratic caucuses. Observers see the struggles of people like Toppses and Pfohl as typical for New England voters. "The D or R beside the name does not influence their vote. It is about the candidate's views and opinions," says Will Fessenden, chairman of the Androscoggin County Democrats.

Jay Surdukowski's interest in politics began early. Befriended by long-time state Sen. Susan McLane of Concord, the then-13-year-old Surdukowski sat behind her during Senate sessions on an old couch. In the ensuing years, Surdukowski became student body president at Bates College, president of the law school senate at the University of Michigan and managing editor of the Michigan Journal of International Law. He co-chairs the state Democratic Party's platform committee. "Now that the Dems have some power, we should go back to the voters and hear what they want in 2008. We need to go all around the state and do some hard listening," he said. -- The Union Leader's "Forty Under Forty" are people younger than 40 who are making a difference in New Hampshire.

"That makes me feel pretty good. Short of finding a pilgrim ancestor or a member of the royal family, I think that's pretty remarkable. . . . But it does mean, I think, that the image of black folks in America is much more nuanced than most of us grew up with. We weren't all slaves. Not even in the South. . . . I wonder what life was like for free Negroes in the South. It must have been terrifying sometimes, because if they were without all this paperwork, they were going to be snatched back into slavery." -- The Rev. Peter Gomes '65, commenting on his ancestor, Isaac Bailey, being a free man in the South in the early 19th century

In 1976, Emily Tennyson flew to Paris for her junior year. After she left, "my parents didn't even know I was hitchhiking around Europe" part of the time, she says. Now, Tennyson's daughter Chloe '09 is doing her own junior year abroad at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She has a few things her mom didn't have: An international cell phone to talk to her mother every day. The Internet to stay in touch with home. And a visit from her family over Christmas. As the number of students studying overseas reaches a historic high, parents are increasingly involved. "If you have a webcam, you can see each other," says Emily Tennyson. "I can make sure she's OK. I feel better seeing she has her hair washed and clothes clean."

John Rossi '88, design principal for PowerHouse Enterprises, has completed work on a three-bedroom home prefabricated in a factory and assembled on-site in less than a day. The house is "eco-friendly" as well as inexpensive, which PowerHouse hopes will prove that ecology and economics can coexist. Rossi oversaw many design elements in the project, and particularly loves the windows. "It's great to be able to open the windows and listen to the rain," he said. "It's a little romance at no extra charge." The house also boasts a $324,000 price -- much lower than many expected. In wider production, "this can have a really big impact," PowerHouse President Quincy Vale said. "Our houses use 30 percent of the energy, so you're cutting 70 percent of your carbon output."

The Jason Program, which helps families care for dying and critically ill children, has long wanted to be able to reach more families. Now it can. The organization has attracted enough donors to morph from a volunteer group into a full-time team of palliative care workers led by a medical director. And it now has an outpatient clinic in Portland for checkups and counseling. The program has worked with 50 to 75 families at a time, but can take more than 100 since Dr. Gary Allegretta switched from being a consultant to a full-time medical director in September, thanks to a grant from the Sunshine Lady Foundation. "Everyone on this staff is driven passionately by the needs of the kids," said founder and executive director Kate Eastman '82.

Basketball's Derby Trailblazers have made two new signings but may face the loss of one of their key players. Tom Sherlock was to find out the extent of a knee injury yesterday and the club is waiting to find out if the forward faces a spell on the sidelines. But the good news is that Derby have completed the signings of forwards Ben Middleton and Rob Stockwell '07, who were both left without a club following Mansfield Stars' withdrawal from Division Three. Stockwell, a 6ft 5ins American, came to England this winter after finishing leading scorer and rebounder for NCAA Division III Bates, and has been a hefty scorer for Mansfield. Both make their debuts in the Division One match away to London Leopards tonight.

For the first time in the history of Hofstra University, a woman is head of the Law School. Nora Demleitner began her tenure as dean on Jan. 1, after serving as interim dean since March. University President Stuart Rabinowitz selected Demleitner, a former faculty member, after a committee of faculty, administrators and trustees conducted a nationwide search. She had been a finalist at dean searches at several other universities. "I am pleased that Nora Demleitner, who is both a distinguished legal scholar and a superb academic administrator, will lead Hofstra Law School into a new era of academic excellence," Rabinowitz said. Demleitner focused primarily on criminal, comparative and immigration law in her teachings and writings. She holds a particular expertise in the area of sentencing and collateral sentencing consequences.

When someone first suggested that Beth George '85 look into spelt, her first thought was . . . huh? But George started baking with this ancient cousin of wheat when her son proved wheat-sensitive. Now she has a spelt bakery in Portland, Spelt Right, and sells bagels and other goods in natural foods stores. Her biggest customer is Bates, where Dining Services director Christine Schwartz said that the bagels provide an option for students sensitive to wheat. Spelt Right is successful enough that George is leaving her position at a law firm to give it more time. Spelt has a sweeter, nuttier flavor than common wheat, but it isn't chewy the way some people like their breads to be. "I think that's why kids like it," George said. "It's soft."

Idaho native Kim Gamel '90 has worked as a news editor for The Associated Press in Iraq for the past year. A Russian major at Bates, Gamel took her first job in journalism in Russia as a reporter for The Moscow Tribune. She first went to Iraq in 2005, and in December 2006 became the AP's first news editor there. Reporting in Iraq isn't the safest of jobs, but Gamel said she and her reporters keep a low profile and always travel in armored vehicles with armed guards or with the U.S. military. Gamel works an intense six-week, non-stop shift of approximately 14-hour days -- and she's on call around the clock -- before getting two-week breaks that she uses for travel, mostly in Asia and Europe.

"For years we've had white candidates and nobody talked about whether they were white enough, because there was no other alternative to that. Of course they were white enough -- they were white. Now that we have [Barack] Obama, and until recently [Bill] Richardson, we have the option to talk about race. And I, for one, don't want to see that debate stymied by this insertion of ritual, by this discussion about woman vs. man, these conversations about white and black becoming parenthetical and the larger conversation about peace forgotten altogether." -- Ru Freeman '94 on gender and race in the 2008 presidential campaign. The interview expands on a piece Freeman wrote for the Web site of the organization Common Dreams, which promotes progressive visions for America's future.

"This council believes that regardless of all the mandates and rules and regulations, we as Lewiston family members do have the willingness and the capability to find solutions to our problems. . . . It has been said that the difference between accomplishment and failure lies in the willingness of the people to come forward and give of their time, ideas and energy. As a united council, we believe there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. . . . Divided, there is little we can accomplish. . . . A snowflake has little power, but an avalanche is unstoppable. -- Excerpt from the inaugural address by Lewiston City Council President Tom Peters '72

Dan Rice '73, manager of the BlackRock Global Resources Fund, says the equity market is pricing some oil stocks as though the commodity were trading at a much lower price. Right now, he figures the market is valuing assets of oil stocks at $60 a barrel crude, natural gas at $7 per million cubic feet and that coal had a $13 per ton cash profit. His long-term expectations of $70 oil per barrel, natural gas at $7.50 to $8 per million cubic feet and a $25 per ton cash profit on coal allow for lots of upside in these stocks. He expects coal to be one of the best-performing natural resources in 2008. "Shortages in certain areas of the globe will translate, over time, into higher prices world-wide," he said.

Amanda Ayotte '08 of Chelmsford directed The Birthday Party, the first full-length play by the renowned Harold Pinter, as her thesis project in theater in late November. "It's definitely a thinking person's show," said Ayotte. Ayotte, whose interest in stage began in her teens, began directing theater in high school. Her directing projects at Bates have included Still Life with Iris and I Dream Before I Take the Stand. Ayotte said she finds the technical and aesthetic sides of theater equally attractive. "I love how lighting and sound can just come together and make the show look awesome," she said. "And then I love making an audience think and making something really beautiful happen on stage."

In cubicles across the country, lunchtime has become the new prime time as workers click aside their spreadsheets to watch videos on YouTube, news highlights on CNN.com or other Web offerings. The trend -- part of a broader phenomenon known as video snacking -- is turning into a growth business for news and media companies, which are feeding the lunch crowd more fresh content. Will Coghlan '02 is the host of a popular three-minute Webcast reaching 10,000 to 20,000 viewers per week. Called "Political Lunch," it's filmed every day at 10 a.m. for uploading by noon. "It's an Internet version of appointment viewing," Coghlan's partner Rob Millis said. The Webcast was started this past September and is filmed in an apartment in Greenwich Village.

Joseph Phaneuf '78 works to curb illegal logging. As executive director of the Northeastern Loggers' Association, he shares many landowners' concerns about the rise in illegal logging -- in essence, stealing trees -- by rogue loggers, who tend to prey on the elderly and the absent, cutting down thousands of dollars worth of trees on private property. He believes the individuals affected need to push for greater legal action against illegal logging. "Those kinds of stories reflect very poorly on us and create distrust in the marketplace," he said. "We don't even call them loggers -- basically they're just thieves." But, Phaneuf adds, "The authorities who have dealt with it as a property matter are starting to look at it as more of a criminal matter."

"Bates offered dedicated professors and a great sense of community. The equestrian team was almost nonexistent my first year, and I spent my three years as captain working hard to grow the team's roster and visibility. I was captain of the Bates team for three years. My senior year, I was regional champion out of 10 schools." -- An excerpt from a Q&A with Elizabeth Pemmerl '05, a competitive equestrian who last year was the reserve champion at the Massachusetts Amateur Adult Hunter/Jumper Championships, placed fifth at the Rhode Island Amateur Adult Championships and was also adult equitation champion at the Vermont Summer Festival. A rhetoric major at Bates, she is also a marketing officer at Bank Rhode Island.

"The language barrier was massive; describing proper treatment for a case of ectopic pregnancy is hard enough in English let alone through a whisper-down-the-lane style translation, in addition to the fact that many medical terms do not even exist in Bambara. . . . Many students -- even adolescents -- were illiterate, even in their own language, thus adding another obstacle. We devised [lessons] based on images, symbols and physical actions to facilitate learning. . . . Instead of memorizing a French lesson, their hands could memorize how to tie a solid knot, and their bodies could remember how to build a stretcher. -- With Claire Wagner of Dartmouth College, Emma Scott '10 created and taught a health and rescue course for 60 students in Mali during summer 2007

The Center for African American Studies at Princeton University, established last year, has made tremendous strides in just a short time. Under the direction of Valerie Smith '75, Woodrow Wilson Professor of Literature, the center is quickly becoming a black studies powerhouse. This past October the center moved to its new headquarters in Stanhope Hall in the heart of me Princeton campus. Since the center was founded, six new faculty members have been hired with joint appointments in other academic departments at Princeton. The center's visiting scholar program will begin this academic year. The first visiting scholar is Imani Perry from the Rutgers University School of Law. Also, the center launched two lecture series this fall honoring Toni Morrison and James Baldwin.