1. Bates responds to Katrina
The College announced Sept. 1 that Maine undergraduates enrolled at colleges or universities in the New Orleans / Gulf Coast area devastated by Hurricane Katrina are welcome to take courses for credit without charge at Bates this fall semester. As of noon today, the Dean of Students Office had received inquiries from 22 Tulane and Loyola students. Story at www.bates.edu/x72578.xml.

With scores of Bates alums living in New Orleans and adjacent areas, Bates has created a Web page to post updates about our alums. If you live in the affected areas, or if you have heard from a Bates alum in the area, and wish to provide updates regarding safety and/or status, please e-mail the Office of Alumni and Parent Programs at alumni@bates.edu. We will post your message on the Bates Web site at www.bates.edu/x72610.xml. To facilitate alum-only conversations, we have also set up a BatesNet message board accessible with your BateNet user ID and password. [Note: BatesNet services have been folded into the Bates Alumni Community.]

2. Class of 2009 at a glance
Bates is welcoming 491 new first-year students and 21 transfer students as fall semester starts Sept. 5. The College received the largest number of applications ever - 4,508 candidates. According to the Office of Admissions, more than 85 percent graduated in the top fifth of their high school class. Eighteen percent of the new students are U.S. students of color, international students or dual citizens. New students represent 23 foreign countries, from Azerbaijan to Venezuela. Almost 90 percent of the new enrolling students had an admissions interview either on campus or through the Alumni-In-Admissions network. Some 1,688 students are expected on campus this fall, with another 156 in Bates-sponsored programs off-campus, including 11 in the Bates Fall Semester Abroad Program in Russia, 106 on Junior Semester Abroad Programs, and 39 in Junior Year Abroad Programs.

3. Bates continues to receive high marks in major college guides
Following The Princeton Review's spring ranking of Bates as the nation's No. 1 "Best Value," a bevy of other college guides are hitting the newsstands. In U.S. News & World Report's 2006 America's Best Colleges, Bates is ranked 21st among 215 national liberal arts schools. The magazine says its rankings are based on a mix of peer assessment, rates of student retention and graduation, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving. www.bates.edu/x72388.xml

4. Homecoming Weekend Sept. 23-25
Come back to Bates for a crisp fall weekend in Maine. Homecoming Weekend highlights include sesquicentennial celebrations, a Fall Leadership Conference for all Bates volunteers, Reunion planning sessions for classes ending in '1 and '6, a Young Alumni BBQ for the classes of 1996-2005, a Volunteer Recognition Dinner and the closing reception for the Faculty Exhibition: Innovation and Opportunity. Cheer on the Bobcats as they play soccer, field hockey and football against Trinity! For more information about the weekend, please visit www.bates.edu/homecoming-2005.xml

5. Welcome to the cities
On September 21, Bates alumni clubs throughout the United States and in London and Tokyo will host the Eighth Annual Bates, Bowdoin, and Colby Welcome to the City events. These events, all happening on the same night across the country, are an opportunity for recent grads to meet local alumni, as well as network with alums from Bowdoin and Colby. No RSVP required - just join in the fun! www.bates.edu/x57659.xml

6. Australian research suggests human potential to change environment
The reasons that one species of flightless bird survived in Australia while another went extinct 50,000 years ago have implications for mankind's impact on our environment today, according to a geological study published in the July 8 issue of Science magazine and co-authored by Bates geochemist Beverly Johnson. www.bates.edu/x72018.xml

7. Grant supports middle-school outreach at Museum of Art
The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation of New York City has granted $150,000 to support the Thousand Words Project, a middle-school outreach program at the Bates College Museum of Art. The program helps students better comprehend parallels between writing and making art. www.bates.edu/x72128.xml

8. Parents' support breaks records for 'Our Bates'
Bates students aren't the only family members breaking records and making goals. Bates Parents are supporting Bates on campus and off, ensuring a great Bates education for their children and a great Bates experience for alumni, parents, and the entire Bates community. Bates parents have hosted about 300 members of the Class of 2009 "family" this summer at welcome receptions across the country. And last year, Bates parents on the Parents Fund Committee helped raise a record $659,000 from 34 percent of parents and family members. www.bates.edu/parents-support-success.xml

9. New England alumni invited to career workshop
Make the next 40 years before retirement meaningful to you. Join other New England young alumni in Boston on Saturday, Oct. 15 for a one-day event focused on illuminating the path to a rewarding career. Early registration ends September 24. To register or find out more, visit www.bates.edu/career-workshop.xml or contact Alli Lambert at 207-786-6239.

10. Attention, sports fans
The fall sports season is swiftly upon us. If you haven't already, don't forget to sign up for Weekly Sports Updates, compiled and sent each Wednesday by Sports Information Director Jenny Allen. www.bates.edu/sports-update.xml

11. This Month in Bates History: A new library
A front-page story about Bates' new library in the Sept. 6, 1973, issue of The Bates Student concluded on page 3 alongside a review of Lewiston hangouts and bars. Thirty-two years later, most of those dives - Pete's Lunch, Trader Joe's, Lou's Place - are gone (the building that once housed the notorious Holly blew up in a 2004 gas explosion). Meanwhile, the Bates library has proven to be "efficient" and "fluid in its concept...to adapt to the unforeseeable needs of the future," in the words of then-librarian Iva Foster '30. Named for benefactors George and Helen Ladd in 1979, the library was a design challenge and its unusual look, intended to create "spatial interest," according to the architects, prompted comments and justifications back in '73. www.bates.edu/x72429.xml

12. Bates oral histories now online
From the influence of "cultch" to student hijinks, learn about Bates history from those who lived it! The Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections Library is pleased to introduce the Bates College Oral History Project Web site. Enjoy full transcripts and select audio clips from alumni, faculty, staff, presidents and students. The oral history project is being conducted by the Archives in celebration of the College's Sesquicentennial. www.bates.edu/oralhistory

Also from the Archives: This month's historic slideshow on the Sesquicentennial Web site looks at past classes and some of their experiences - moving in, registration, bibs and beanies and, of course, the Stanton Ride. www.bates.edu/x62318.xml

13. Bates People in the News
In a conversation with the Lewiston Sun Journal editorial board, President Hansen pointed to the valuable role played by service-learning in the social contract between college and community. Farther from home, the "Voice of Vietnam" radio service was among the major media organizations to cover workshops that Bates students held for Vietnamese youth interested in American colleges. Finally, Bates athletes were also in the news, Phil Barr '05 for his NCAA Sportsmanship Award and Andrew Byrnes '05 for an international rowing victory. www.bates.edu/bates-in-the-news.xml