Not much snow, but enough. Lots of winning (there’s never enough, but we’re close). The winter semester is hurtling along with academics, arts, volunteering, and play. Join us in a celebration of This Month at Bates.
‘You, Glitter, Flair’
The invitation to a Nordic relay race during Winter Carnival offered this value proposition: “Picture this: You, glitter, flair, stoke, snow, falling.”
The event, held on Page Field, was all that. And costumes!
Don’t Dessert Me
Winter Carnival events this year included a grilling competition where students used expertise and creativity to create the best (or quickest…) dessert in just 30 minutes.
Lily Miller ’25 of Claremont, Calif., and Gwendolyn Anderson ’27 of Boone, N.C., show off their group’s dessert featuring homemade chocolate mousse and toffee meant to mimic the layers of the Earth.
Having a Ball
Ami Evans ‘26 of Honolulu works with a young girl during a National Girls and Women in Sports Day program in the Gray Athletic Building, where students and coaches from Bates’ women ‘s teams worked with community children during an afternoon of team-based activities, empowerment stations, and sport specific skill sessions led by Bates student-athletes.
Community Fabric
Bora Luganda ’25 (left) of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Grace Acton ‘24 of Harvard, Mass., are at work in the Department of Theater’s costume shop. For Luganda, Acton, and others through the years, the shop has been a screen-free, community-building space where they can feel the flow of working on costumes and other projects with Carol Farrell, supervisor of the shop and provider of afternoon tea, seen in the background.
“We think of this as the good-vibe zone,” Farrell said. “We all benefit from spending a little time getting to know each other and creating a community. Because when is creating community not important?”
Lax Attack
Caroline Keating ’26 of Rye, N.Y., and her women’s lacrosse teammates felt the joy as the Bobcats built a 13-0 lead by halftime, en route to an 18-1 victory over Worcester State University on Feb. 28.
Portrait of the Artist, Part I
George Peck ‘24 of Philadelphia, seen painting in his Olin Arts Center studio, is among eight seniors who will exhibit at the annual Senior Thesis Exhibition in the Bates Museum of Art, April 12 through May 25.
The oil painting that Peck is working on is based on memories of a camping trip last fall to Cutler Coast Public Lands along the Maine coast. He took no photographs during the trip. “I am just building this world from the way that I remember it,” he says, using themes of driftwood and fire as metaphors for how the vivid moments that we experience become memories that shift, change, and sometimes fade away.
“After you’ve lived a moment and have a memory in your head, it’s subject to change. It’s impermanent — kind of loose and vague.”
Portrait of the Artist, Part II
Amelia Hawkins ’24 of Sun Valley, Idaho, seen working on her oil paintings in her Olin Arts Center studio, is another senior who will exhibit at the annual Senior Thesis Exhibition.
Her oils capture the phenomenon of forest fires in Idaho. Fires have occurred for eons and can be part of a healthy forest ecosystem, but are now more frequent in the era of climate change.
“Once August rolls around, smoke from forest fires rolls in with it,” Hawkins says. Growing up, she recalls summer activities being canceled due to unhealthy air quality. “I remember asking my mom, ‘Where are all these ashes coming from?” Such memories fuels her current work. “I portray the various stages of forest fires. From the fiery inception to the tranquil regrowth, I’m captivated by the juxtaposition of chaos and serenity.”
Seniors Say Goodbye
Before the men’s basketball game vs. Wesleyan on Feb. 10, Bates honored the concluding collegiate careers of seniors Trace Gotham of Medfield, Mass., Devin Harris of Bear, Del., Simon McCormick of Whitefield, Maine, and Stephen Ward of Brighton, Mass. during the program’s annual Senior Day celebration.
Here, McCormick is congratulated by head coach Jon Furbush ‘05 on Senior Day. In the background are assistant coaches Quinn Newton (left) and Graham Safford ’15 (right).
Duck, Duck, Puddle
Relentlessly mild and rainy days means that ice-out is fast approaching at Lake Andrews — a moment not lost on the Puddle’s ducks on March 5, 2024.
Proximate Pettengill
Students work on calculus and physics coursework in Perry Atrium of Pettengill Hall in early March. Why choose Pettengill? “It’s close to Commons” (and thus food), they say. From left are first-year students Luke Johnson of Lexington, Mass., Aiden O’Brien of Upper Saddle River, N.J, Haley Ganzer of the Bronx, N.Y.
The blue hearts on the window expresses unity following the Oct. 25 shootings in Lewiston.
Asynchronous Swimming
Bates swimmers who earned a trip to the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships later in March celebrate their coming adventure with a group tumble into Tarbell Pool.
Among the Bates athletes heading to the championships is Max Cory ‘26 of Dublin, Calif., the top seed in the country in the men’s 50-yard freestyle with his Bates-record time of 19.66 seconds. The championships are March 20–23 at the Greensboro (N.C.) Aquatic Center.
‘Best Feeling Ever’
Members of the women’s basketball team react jubilantly to their selection as hosts for two games of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship during a watch party in Commons on Feb. 26, 2024.
“It was a surprise,” said co-captain Davina Kabantu ‘24 of Portland, Maine, seen getting a hug from Ava James ’26 of Bethesda, Md. “And the best feeling ever to know that our days in Alumni are not over yet.”
“It’s so amazing. It’s so much to take in. And I’m just so proud of us and so proud of our team. We’re so excited to get a couple more games in Alumni Gym,” said co-captain Morgan Kennedy ’24 of Oklahoma City, Okla.
Bates won both games, defeating Brooklyn College and Widener University, and will next play Wartburg College in the Sweet Sixteen round of the tournament on the campus of Rhode Island College at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 8.
Getting Carded
On the first Friday of each month, Well-Being at Bates hosts a tabling event at the Fireplace Lounge in Commons where students can grab a pen and postcard and write a quick note of gratitude to a person of their choosing. Once written, the postcard was given to the staff of Well-Being at Bates, who handled delivery and postage, if needed.
Here, Asmayt Medhanie ’27 of Cambridge, Mass., poses with her gratitude postcard on Feb. 2, 2024.
Well-Being at Bates collaboration offers resources and hosts events encompassing nine dimensions of well-being: academic, environmental, financial, mental, occupational, physical, relational, social, and spiritual.
‘We Want Garry!’
It was a historic two days for Bates athletics as the women’s basketball team hosted and won two games in the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship, March 1–2, 2024.
In both games, President Garry W. Jenkins took a moment to join the student section, the second time being beckoned by “We want Garry!” chants.
Bates defeated Brooklyn College and Widener University to advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the tournament, where they will face Wartburg on the campus of Rhode Island College at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 8.
‘Every Dish Tells a Story’
In early March, members of the International Club sponsored the annual International Dinner in Gray Athletic Building, serving a wide variety of dishes from many of the home countries of Bates students, from Malawi to South Korea. Around 80 countries are represented by Bates students.
“An international dinner is not merely a meal,” says Yun Zhang ’24 of Changsha, China, who is president of the club. “It’s a vibrant celebration of cultures, a feast where every dish tells a story, weaving together the diverse threads of our global heritage into a shared experience that enriches and unites us.”
At the event, flags of various nations hang from the Gray rafters. These flags represent Nigeria, Palestine, Italy, Israel, Kosovo, Nicaragua, Mongolia, Somalia, Kenya, and Japan. The student seated at center, Erik Janzon ’25 of Ridgefield, Conn., holds the flag of Bohuslän, “the region in Sweden where my family is from,” he said.
Happy Leap Day!
Olivia Reynolds ’25 of Cumberland Center, Maine, leaps on the path to Merrill Gym and Underhill Arena on this year’s leap day, Feb. 29, 2024. As this special day only happens once every four years, we lept back in time to previous Bates moments on Feb. 29 over the years.
Go West, Young Women
Before heading west for the National Collegiate Men’s and Women’s Skiing Championships, alpine skier Juliette Hoder ’27 (left) of Stowe, Vt., and Nordic skier Olivia Cuneo ’24 of St. George, Vt., posed for a portrait in front of the Bobcat statue.
Hoder is the first Bates women’s alpine skier to qualify for the championships since 2019 and the first rookie to qualify since 2012. The championships take place in Steamboat Springs, Colo., hosted by the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Quiet and Bright
The interior of Pettengill Hall’s Perry Atrium is aglow at dusk on Feb. 19, 2024.
Snow Much Love
After one of the winter’s rare snowfalls, a member of Facility Services works a plow near Lake Andrews. (It’s a Ventral 4520 tractor that can take many different attachments for all four seasons, including the salt spreader that’s on it now.)
Lot of Bates folks love the snow, and everyone appreciates the effort it takes to shovel and treat all the Bates walkways, paths, steps, driveways, and parking lots.
Eye on You
A new multimedia performance space in Coram Library is getting a workout this year, including presentation of Beyond Midnight, an immersive collaboration with Bates faculty members Michel Droge, Carolina González Valencia, Asha Tamirisa, and Tristan Koepke
Presented in the Immersive Media Studio, Beyond Midnight uses video footage from an undersea expedition off Costa Rica that Droge participated in as a visiting artist, the installation takes the viewer deep under the sea, for a captivating dream-like 30-minute auditory and visual experience.
It’s in Our Blood
Jamie Shelton ‘27 of Zurich, Switzerland, gives blood during an American Red Cross blood drive in the Benjamin Mays Center.
Bates has hosted blood drives on regular basis in the past, but the pandemic disrupted that tradition, so Sivani Arvapalli ’26 of South Windsor, Conn., stepped up.
Following the Lewiston shootings in October 2023, she said that she wanted to donate blood locally, “but every donation spot to donate blood was filled for weeks. I contacted the American Red Cross to see if Bates could help out in any way, and here we are with our first blood drive on campus in four years. This is the start of many more.”
Winter Carnival Fun: Maine State Approved
Maine Gov. Janet Mills (left) cheers with Connor Gerraughty ’26 of Hartsdale, N.Y., after the governor lit the ceremonial Bates Winter Carnival torch outside the Maine State House on the morning of Feb. 7.
Mills joined a small Bates contingent who came to the Maine State House in Augusta for the ceremonial Winter Carnival torch lighting. Created by the Bates Outing Club, the tradition dates to 1958 when then-Maine Gov. Edmund Muskie ’36 lit the torch to kick off that year’s Olympic-themed Winter Carnival.
Jump Right In!
A tradition since 1975, this year’s Puddle Jump was held on Feb. 9 as part of Winter Carnival festivities.
The event was joined by hundreds of Bates students who seemed to take to heart the advice of one Henrietta Kraker of Long Prarie, Minn., who said in 1928 that she “would advise everyone to go outside in their bathing suits during the winter months. They will find it healthful and enjoyable.”
Puppy Love
“This is the best thing ever. It warms my heart,” said Sophie Jullienne ‘27 of Hong Kong during a recent gathering the Fireplace Lounge of Commons where students had the chance to hold and cavort with three puppies brought to the event by Bates staff members.
She’s holding Poppy, a golden retriever puppy owned by Suzie Nattress of Campus Safety, which sponsored the event. Also on hand was Yukon, a Great Pyrenees-Newfoundland mix, and Daicey, a Labrador retriever.
Another Happy Landing
Jillian Sheltra ’19, a LifeFlight of Maine paramedic, answers questions about her work shortly after arriving on campus by helicopter for Public Safety Awareness Day in February.
Sponsored by Campus Safety and Bates EMS, the day featured Maine first responders offering demonstrations that both educated and entertained the Bates community.
Waiting near Bardwell Field were dozens of students with eager ears and cellphones pointed skyward, ready for the sound and sight of Sheltra’s helicopter. And shortly after 11:30 a.m., the AgustaWestland A109 appeared over the top of Hedge Hall and landed next to Garcelon Field as oohs and ahhs echoed through the crowd.
“My favorite part of the event was seeing how excited all the students were and how engaged they were with all the first responders,” said Bates EMS co-chief Ned Friedman ‘24 of Park City, Utah. “When I turned around and saw dozens of people, students, staff, faculty, and their children eagerly watching — it was a really cool moment.”
Sweet 16 Sendoff
Women’s basketball player Elsa Delauerio ‘26 (center), followed by teammate Alexandra Long ‘25, receives hugs from Lauren Wong ‘26, Caroline Keating ‘26, and Amanda Edge ’26 of the women’s lacrosse team as the Bates women’s basketball team departs Alumni Gymnasium on Thursday, March 7.
The Bates women’s basketball team will take on No. 7 nationally ranked Wartburg College on the campus of Rhode Island College at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 8, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III Championship.
