{"id":174389,"date":"2026-09-29T14:39:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T18:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/?p=174389"},"modified":"2026-10-01T15:28:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T19:28:37","slug":"slideshow-this-month-at-bates-72","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/29\/slideshow-this-month-at-bates-72\/","title":{"rendered":"Slideshow: This Month at Bates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

August and September at Bates were, as always, vibrant and engaging, with students returning and campus once again teeming with events, sports games, musical performances, and more. Revisit the final moments of summer, and the earliest glimpses of fall, in the first installment of This Month at Bates for the 2026\u20132027 year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcome, new Batesies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On move-in day for the Class of 2030 and transfer students, President Garry W. Jenkins greets students arriving to Bates, welcoming them to their home for the next four years. Jenkins is part of a greeting committee that each year assembles outside of Commons to ensure that everyone\u2019s Bates experience begins with a personal \u201cHello.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bates women\u2019s soccer players gather on Garcelon Field on a warm August morning for their first practice of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AESOP kickoff<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The air is abuzz with excitement at the Florence Keigwin Amphitheater as the 2026 Annual Entering Students Orientation Program (AESOP) kicks off. New students fill the amphitheater\u2019s rows, while AESOP leaders \u2014 returning students \u2014 line up along Lake Andrews, eager to greet the students they will spend the weekend with exploring Maine, whether on-campus or deep in nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open house festivities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"People
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From left, Frances Hochleutner \u201928 of Brookline, Mass.; Marisela Flores Pineda \u201924, graphic designer and communications coordinator for the Center for Purposeful Work; Kayla Bridgeman, assistant director of first-generation programs for the Student Center for Belonging and Community (SCBC); and Josiah Lee Johnson \u201929 of New York City gather in the SCBC during the center\u2019s lively fall open house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alumni (re)run<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"More
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bates cross country alumni join current Bobcat runners for the Bates XC Alumni Race, a 5K around campus. At center, with his arms stretched upward, is Ross Tejeda \u201926. On the right is Alex Rodgers \u201929 of Lowell, Mass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pure jubilance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Field
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jumping into each other\u2019s arms, Bates field hockey players celebrate their 3-2 overtime win against Bowdoin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remembering 9\/11<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"From
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Bates Deansmen perform an a cappella<\/em> rendition of \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d during Lewiston\u2019s 9\/11 remembrance ceremony at the Lewiston Central Fire Station, marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bateschella<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Student DJ Alex Lee \u201929 of Fulton, Md., performs during Bateschella, an on-campus, outdoor music event featuring inflatables, local food from Pinky D\u2019s Poutine and North East Ice Cream, dancing, and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Touring the liberal arts <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A group of visitors tours campus during the Colby, Bates, Bowdoin Tour, which invites counselors from secondary schools and community-based organizations to Maine to learn more about the three liberal arts institutions in order to better advise their students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Musical pause<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sitting along Alumni Walk, Amelia Dougherty \u201930 (left) of Ellicott City, Md., and Maria Tilley \u201930 of Gilford, N.H., spend a sunny September afternoon strumming away on a guitar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soccer and a sunset<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bates men\u2019s soccer players huddle beneath a setting sun during a game against Husson University, which ended in a 5-2 win for the Bobcats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bring it in<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Benet Pols for Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During their 3-0 winning match against Nichols College, Bates volleyball players cheer and embrace on the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


2026 Dempsey Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hints of garnet and white distinguish Bates athletes among the runners participating in the 2026 Dempsey Challenge, the annual flagship fundraiser for the Dempsey Center. Founded by actor and Lewiston native Patrick Dempsey, the center provides free, comprehensive care for cancer patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dual-ing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Benet Pols for Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Briana Bartels \u201930 of Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, delivers a powerful serve during the first day of the Bates Hidden Duals. Bates collected 22 victories over the six sessions of matches against visiting teams from Colby, Trinity, and Vassar colleges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diamond chats<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Two
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At left, Dale Plummer, coordinator of athletic equipment and operations and pitching coach for the baseball team, discusses strategy with player Luke Yoon \u201927 of Honolulu during a fall practice on Leahey Field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amador returns to Bates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Singer-songwriter Alisa Amador \u201918 performs during the student-run Village Club Series, which brings free musical performances to campus, in Benjamin Mays Center. Amador\u2019s genre-bending music, sung in English and Spanish, incorporates elements of jazz, funk, and alternative music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open-air rehearsal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Eli Eib \u201930 of Baltimore plays the guitar, practicing a Chinese song he\u2019s learning for a course.\u201cI’m doing it for fun,\u201d says Eid, who has played the instrument since his sophomore year of high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home opener<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Football
Benet Pols for Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Quarterback Jack Gilmore \u201929 of North Arlington, N.J., passes to his left against Trinity in the football team\u2019s home opener at Garcelon Field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new cat in town<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"A
Theophil Syslo\/Bates College<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Meet the all-new Bates Bobcat mascot, a reimagined version of the signature cat we all know and love. Sporting a Bates T-shirt and matching garnet sneakers, the Bobcat made its debut at the first home football game of the season against Trinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Revisit the final moments of summer, and the earliest glimpses of fall, in the first installment of This Month at Bates for the 2026\u20132027 year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":148,"featured_media":174395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_hide_ai_chatbot":false,"_ai_chatbot_style":"","associated_faculty":[],"_Page_Specific_Css":"","_bates_restrict_mod":false,"bates_author_byline_override":"Alexandra DeMarco and Theophil Syslo","_estimated-read-time":"","_post-template":"\/usr\/local\/webserver\/webpve\/htdocs\/new-www.bates.edu\/wp-content\/themes\/b\/news\/single-big-header-image.php","_header-color":"","_photo-credit":"Theophil Syslo","_header-effect":"parallax","override_related_with_tag":"","_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":[1],"tags":[1757,6889,8099,8246],"class_list":["post-174389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-batesnews","tag-bobcat","tag-performing-and-visual-arts","tag-sports","tag-student-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174389","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\/148"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174389"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":174468,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174389\/revisions\/174468"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}