{"id":167230,"date":"2025-02-04T09:51:48","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T14:51:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=167230"},"modified":"2025-12-22T15:26:28","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T20:26:28","slug":"slideshow-this-month-at-bates-65","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2025\/02\/04\/slideshow-this-month-at-bates-65\/","title":{"rendered":"Slideshow: This Month at Bates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Despite the chilly temperatures, we’ve had a warm start to the winter semester. Thesis bindings, invigorating sports matches, community events, and inspiring MLK Day events made January a month to remember. Take a look at some heart-“warming” moments in the latest edition of This Month at Bates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thesis Takes a Bow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ananya Rao \u201925 (left), a triple major in environmental studies, politics, and theater from Bedford, N.H., gets a hug from her senior thesis advisor, Sally Wood, a visiting assistant professor of theater, during a thesis-binding ceremony on the steps of Schaeffer Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rao\u2019s acting-focused senior thesis included a role in Wolf Play<\/em>, staged last fall. She was joined on the Schaeffer steps by her friend and fellow theater major Sophie Wheeler \u201925 of Skowhegan, Maine, who directed Wolf Play<\/em> for her directing-focused theater thesis. Wheeler is also majoring in rhetoric, film, and screen studies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thesis-binding ceremonies represent a “new” tradition over the last decade. Seniors take to public spots on campus, whether Coram Library terrace or the walkway in front of Hathorn, where they place a print copy of their completed thesis into a rigid black binder, as friends and faculty and staff gather around offering good cheer for a job well done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

First Day Feels<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Katie
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After breakfast, students file out of Commons in anticipation of their first day of winter semester classes, shortly before 8 a.m. on Jan. 8, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Back to Bates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Jakub
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the first day of the winter semester, Associate Professor of German Jakub Kazecki welcomes students to his course, \u201cGerman Language and Culture,\u201d in Roger Williams Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Hitting the Books <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Lilah
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From left, Sam Manogue \u201826 of Wynnewood, Pa., Lydia Frew \u201825 of Norwich, Vt., and Lilah Rousso \u201825 of London, England, catch up in Ladd Library on the first day of winter semester classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Fierce on the Court <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Bates
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bates women’s basketball guard Alexandra Long ’25 of Newtown, Pa., does what she does so well, blocking a shot as the Bobcats defeat Babson in Alumni Gym. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long’s 55\u00a0blocked shots last year were\u00a0the second-most in the NESCAC, behind only her teammate Elsa\u00a0Daulerio ’26. The teammates are among NESCAC leaders in blocked shots again this year (Daulerio is third, Long 12th).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Winter Awakens <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"First
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A sunrise casts a golden glow over the Bates campus the first day of the winter semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Push and Pull<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\u201cWorking
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Students go through their workouts in Davis Fitness Center, located in Underhill Arena, one of two dedicated fitness and strength\/conditioning facilities at Bates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Working out is very therapeutic for me. I love coming to the gym because it\u2019s a break after classes and a great chance to focus on me,” says Kyra Ong \u201826 of Kahului, Hawaii.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Teaching with Passion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Associate
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Associate Professor of Education Mara Tieken, recipient of the 2024 Kroepsch Teaching Award, leads a discussion in her \u201cPerspectives on Education\u201d course in Pettigrew Hall. Students engage with foundational educational theories and their real-world applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tieken was described by one former student \u201cas a fantastic planner, a fierce advocate for education, [and] a compelling teacher, a mentor for those pursuing careers in education and those who are not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Focused and Fearless<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Men\u2019s
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Alec Spiro ’25 of Portland, Ore., defeated his Middlebury opponent in three games to earn a victory at the No. 1 top spot in the Bobcats’ lineup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Reaching for the Sky<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Theophil
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Aiden Habas ’28 of Hulmeville, Pa., peers into the spotting scope of the Stephens Telescope located atop Carnegie Science Hall on a night when Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and the waning gibbous moon appeared close together in the January sky over Lewiston. The viewing was sponsored by the Bates Astronomy Club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Victory Profile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Avery Lehman ’25 for Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Scarlett Hine ’28 of Bronxville, N.Y., reacts during her victory over her Hamilton opponent during the Bobcats’ 9-0 triumph at the Bates Squash Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Connected Celebration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Joint
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kendall Jones \u201925, a chemistry major from Plymouth, N.H., poses with her mom, Kristin Snow, on FaceTime, who had virtually joined her daughter’s thesis-binding ceremony on the Coram Library terrace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“She was so supportive to me throughout the thesis process,” says Jones. “I called her all the time for advice and encouragement, so it was important to me that she got to see me bind the thesis.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also binding her senior thesis was Emily X. Huang \u201925 of San Francisco, whose thesis explores the effects of music therapy on physiological markers of stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Weighty Matter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Track
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Matt Charpentier ’27 of Cape Neddick, Maine, competes in the weight throw during the Bates Invitational in Merrill Gymnasium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Model Research <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Ryan
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ryan Bavis, the Helen A. Papaioanou Professor of Biological Sciences at Bates, poses in his Bonney Science Center office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bavis, with colleagues from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, is part of a multimillion-dollar research project that will tackle a subject that is notoriously difficult to study: sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. Until now, scientists have not identified a reliable animal model to study SIDS. Bavis and his colleagues are aiming to change that<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Setting the Stage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Film
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tyler Harper, Stephanie Pridgeon, and James Reese share a light moment while solving tech issues before a screening of Children of Peace<\/em> and a follow-up discussion in Pettengill Hall on the day before Martin Luther King Jr. Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harper is an assistant professor of environmental studies, Pridgeon an associate professor of Hispanic studies, and Reese an associate dean of students for international student programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Unity in Celebration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"President
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At the Bates President’s House, President Garry W. Jenkins hosted a dinner for students, faculty, staff, and visiting guests on the evening before Martin Luther King Jr. Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guests included keynote speaker Erica Chenoweth, members of the college’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Planning Committee, and student debaters from Morehouse College who traveled to Bates to take part in the annual Benjamin Elijah Mays Debate with debaters from Bates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Movement in Reflection <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"7\u20138pm
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The night before the full day of programming on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Bates community gathered in Gomes Chapel for the MLK Spoken Word Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misaki Fukushima, a Hirasawa Scholar from Tokyo, evoked the horrors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki through her performance, in which she danced to Beethoven\u2019s sonata Path\u00e9tique<\/em> and read a poem by a Japanese physician and survivor of the Nagasaki attack, Takashi Nagai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlthough I am not from Nagasaki or Hiroshima, I grew up hearing stories of the devastation caused by atomic bombs,\u201d says Fukushima, who hand-wrote the poem on Japanese paper and carried it in the form of an origami crane throughout her dance to symbolize peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs an artist, I often feel powerless to directly impact immense issues like war and peace. However, through dance, I can empathize with the suffering of others and convey those emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Honoring the Dream<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Erica Chenoweth, an expert on nonviolent protest who gave this year\u2019s Martin Luther King Jr. keynote address in Gomes Chapel, listens to a speaker’s introduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘The Greatest Form of Black Resistance’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Student
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just love talking about rich Black folks,\u201d quips Andrew Goddard \u201927 of Enfield, Conn. as he presents the history of the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Okla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through the early 1900s, the Black neighborhood became famous for its economic prosperity \u2014 then became infamously known for being destroyed by a white mob over just two days of murder and mayhem in 1921.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goddard\u2019s presentation grew out of a project he completed last fall for the course \u201cBlack Resistance from the Civil War to Civil Rights,\u201d taught by Frances Bell, a visiting assistant professor of history. \u201cI thought about the concept of Black wealth,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI concluded that garnering capital in a nation where our ancestors were once viewed as capital may be the greatest form of Black resistance possible under capitalism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Championing Dialogue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Restorative
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A workshop focused on \u201cBuilding Bridges for Healing\u201d offers restorative justice exercises. Andrew Forsthoefel, the restorative practice systems specialist with the Cumberland County Public Health Department, guides workshop attendees through a restorative justice circle practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Debating the Issues<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"4:45pm
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bates debater Ari Hahn \u201927 of Carbondale, Colo., and Morehouse College debater Quentin Davis of South Orange, N.J., chat and strategize during the annual Benjamin E. Mays Debate, held in the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s topic was \u201cResolved: Law and order exists for the purpose of establishing justice.\u201d It drew from Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s \u201cLetter from Birmingham Jail,\u201d in which King decried the inaction of the country\u2019s faint-hearted \u201cwhite moderates\u201d who professed allegiance to the civil rights movement yet seemed to prefer inaction to action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mays, a 1920 Bates graduate, was a longtime Morehouse College president known as the \u201cSchoolmaster of the Movement\u201d for mentoring Martin Luther King Jr. and other future civil rights leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Fearless on the Floor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Basketball
Eno Little ’27 for Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Peter Psyhogeos ’26 of Cumberland Foreside, Maine, dives for a loose ball during the men’s basketball team’s game vs. Colby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Full Speed Ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Track
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Alannah Ardrey ’27 of Absecon, N.J., strides out during her approaches to the long jump during the Bates Invitational at Merrill Gymnasium. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Swimming Seniors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Bates
Carly Philpott ’27 for Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Teammates cheer on Stephanie Tropper ’25 of Solon, Ohio, prior to a Senior Day meet vs. the University of New England and Maine Maritime Academy at Tarbell Pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Making a Splash<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Swimmers
Matt Hamilton ’25 for Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From left, Marrich Somridhivej ’26 of South Windsor, Conn., Nate Oppenheim ’28 of Easton, Conn., and Tim Johnson ’27 of Brewster, Mass., cheer the fourth member of their 400-yard medley team, Max Cory ’26 (in the water) of Dublin, Calif., after the foursome took first place and sett new school and pool records with their time of 3:15.75. vs. Tufts University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Gliding into the Night<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Carly
Carly Philpott ’27 for Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bates students take over the ice at The Colis\u00e9e in Lewiston for a night of skating, laughter, and Winter Carnival fun in late January. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Strength in Motion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Phyllis
Phyllis Graber Jensen\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Seniors Ava Lyon of Naples, Fla., and Drew Williams of Guilford, Conn., bring good cheer to local children during National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Feb. 2, 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event, held in the Gray Athletic Building, introduced young athletes to various sports through interactive drills and games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite the chilly temperatures, we’ve had a warm start to the winter…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":167257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":["sally-m-wood","jakub-j-kazecki","mara-c-tieken","ryan-w-bavis","stephanie-m-pridgeon","frances-r-bell"],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"_table_of_contents_display":false,"_table_of_contents_location":"","_table_of_contents_disableSticky":false,"_is_featured":false,"footnotes":"","_bates_seo_meta_description":"","_bates_seo_block_robots":false,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_id":0,"_bates_seo_sharing_image_twitter_id":0,"_bates_seo_share_title":"","_bates_seo_canonical_overwrite":"","_bates_seo_twitter_template":""},"categories":[223,11012,11009],"tags":[11075],"class_list":["post-167230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-slideshow","category-student-life","category-the-college","tag-this-month-at-bates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167230"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":167527,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167230\/revisions\/167527"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}