10%

BEGIN AT START

The Class of 2026 arrives for Orientation

By Bates College

September 9^th, 2022

Welcome! It's Opening Day!

For some, the 2022–23 academic year began even before Aug. 31's Opening Day — there were pre-season practices for varsity athletes, Bobcat First activities for first-generation-to-college students, and training sessions for the many students who serve as Junior Advisors and Residence Coordinators.

Then came Opening Day, which saw hundreds of Bates community members turn out to welcome first-year students as they moved into their residence, to guide them through their first-ever AESOP trips, and to introduce them to their first college classes.

By Convocation on Sept. 6, new and returning students alike were on campus and geared up for the year to come, which began the following day with the first day of classes and the annual Clubs & Orgs Fair.

Moving into Page

Opening Day for the 520 members of the Class of 2026 dawned cloudy and rainy, and ended sunny and warm. Check out some moving (pun intended) scenes as Junior Advisors, Resident Coordinators, and OWLs greet first-years and families and move belongings into their new residences.

Orientation 2022: The Video

From Move-In Day to Convocation, watch a highlight video as the Class of 2026 makes itself at home.

Theophil Syslo/Bates College

Welcome to Chu and Kalperis

And Heres' Parker!

Meet Bates TikTok !

Bates has just launched its new TikTok account. See Move-In day the TikTok way.

Video produced by David Ernst

A Welcome, Then Goodbye

Following lunch (and maybe a nap?), families gathered on the Historic Quad for a welcome from President Spencer and Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Leigh Weisenburger.

The morning showers gave way to a brilliant late-summer afternoon as Spencer and Weisenburger welcomed everyone.

“A Bates liberal arts education prizes the relationship between knowledge and values,” said Spencer. “The most important goal of a liberal arts education is not the accumulation of information and skills; rather it is meant to create the conditions under which you will become agents of your own destiny, possessing the knowledge, insights, and confidence to figure out what you want to do with your life and how your wish to move through the world. We are here to walk along with you on this journey.”

When the president her completed remarks, the goodbyes began. Remember, it's only the beginning.

First Meeting of First-Year Seminars

“It was a great day to be talking under the trees,” said Associate Professor of History Joe Hall, describing the first meeting of his first-year seminar, “This Land is Whose Land?” on the Historic Quad.

The class, along with all other first-year seminars, met for the first time on Thursday morning, Sept. 1, 2022, as an opportunity for classmates to connect with each other and their instructor, who will also serve as their first-year advisor.

We also photographed a few other first-year seminars, including Assistant Professor of History Patrick Otim teaching "Beyond Nelson Mandela: Themes and Personalities in South African History” in Carnegie Science; Lecturer in the Humanities and Multifaith Chaplain Brittany Longsdorf walking after class with students in “Arts and Spirituality: Art Making and Aesthetic Experience as Conduits for Reflection and Connection,” and Associate Professor of German Raluca Cernahoschi teaching “Reading Refugees and Migration in European Children’s Literature” at Lake Andrews.

AESOP begins with a swim

AESOP, which stands for “Annual Entering Student Orientation Program," is the fabled three-day, two-night, student-led Orientation trips, kicked off on Sept. 2 with an official welcome at Lake Andrews’ Keigwin Amphitheater.

And what a welcome: As AESOP coordinators Ayah Ghazi ‘23, Khadeeja Qureshi ’23, and Sam Faasen '23 introduced themselves to the unsuspecting first-years, trip leaders bedecked in costumes emerged running and shouting from behind the amphitheater. Leaders introduced themselves to the crowd, and before breaking into groups of trip leaders and first-years, the leaders pelted the coordinators with water and shaving cream, sending the trio for a cleansing dip into the Puddle.

The following morning, small groups of students would depart for a long weekend of activities, from camping, kayaking, or community service, to arts, art, filmmaking, and surfing, both locally and throughout Maine and New Hampshire.

Supported and guided by the Office of Residence Life and Health Education, this year’s edition of AESOP marks the return of overnight trips for the first time since 2019, and also features some equity- and inclusion-inspired improvements.

Kickin' It Off

AESOP Moments in Our Backyard

AESOP trips traveled far and wide. This year we caught up with two groups who spent some of their time on campus.

ArtSOP, led by Risa Horiuchi ’25 of Oakland Gardens, N.Y., and Dhruv Chandra ’25 of Kolkata, India, led their group in a morning of drawing and painting at the Keigwin Amphitheater.

AESOP Beach Chillin, a BIPOC affinity trip, shopped at a local supermarket for ingredients to bake a cake on a rainy day, and punctuated their morning by registering to vote, making art, and playing board games in Pettigrew Hall.

Convocation launches the academic year

Convocation marks the official start of the academic year, and as the 520 members of the Class of 2026 took those steps into their Bates future, they followed Alumni Walk onto the Historic Quad, passing Hathorn Hall before arriving at their seats in front of Coram Library, where President Spencer and other speakers welcomed them to Bates.

In Spencer’s welcome, her final as Bates president, she thanked Bates staff, faculty, and friends for their efforts through the past two and a half years, saying they have “repeatedly gone above and beyond to keep our students on track and moving forward in their education and their lives.”

Student Government co-presidents Ali Manning ’23 of Sydney, Australia, and Kush Sharma ’23 of New Delhi, India, shared the lectern to offer greetings to the Class of 2026 at Convocation. “You should always lead with compassion, forgiveness and care. And this holds true for yourself as well as all the people around you,” said Sharma. “Now is the time to question without much consequence. Never stop asking yourself uncomfortable questions that may dislodge your place in the world. That is when we learn and that is when we become Bates College students,” Manning said.

Professor of Economics Daniel Riera-Crichton, who delivered the Convocation address, quoted his favorite poet from his homeland of Spain, Antonio Machado: “Caminante, son tus huellas el camino y nada más; Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar.” Translated to English: “Traveler, your footprints are the only road, nothing else; Traveler, there is no road, you make your own path as you walk.”

In Memoriam: Tree Planting Service

Convocation concluded with a multifaith benediction from the Rev. Brittany Longsdorf, the college’s multifaith chaplain. She expressed the community’s hope for the new class, that they would find kind and open hearts, a place to rest and find joy, and space to be and discover themselves, from their own dorm rooms, to their classrooms, to the tables of Commons.

“On these sidewalks soon canopied with the brilliance of autumn leaves, may you be reminded of all that is bigger than you, remember those that hold you close in this moment of transition, and slow down to pause and breathe.”

A Winning Opener

The fall sports season began on a high note Tuesday, Sept. 6, when the Bates volleyball team defeated Husson by a count of 3-1 at Alumni Gym. Junior caption Emma Eide of Ramsey, N.J., turned in a terrific performance with 28 assists, 11 digs, and nine service aces. Meanwhile, sophomore Alyssa Lowther of Wyckoff, N.J., led all players with 15 kills on the evening. An enthusiastic crowd was on-hand to witness a promising six-person first-year class experience their first collegiate volleyball match. Five of the six first-years competed in the contest, with Ami Evans ’26 of Honolulu contributing a team-high 12 digs.

Photographs by Theophil Syslo

The First Day of Classes

On the first day of classes for the fall semester, the operative word was “excited.”

Professor of Environmental Studies and Christian A. Johnson Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies Holly Ewing taught her “Soils” class at the Keigwin Amphitheater and Visiting Assistant Professor of German Andrew Hamilton taught intermediate German language and culture in Pettengill.

“It’s exciting to be back,” said senior Ben Cohen of Wellfleet, Mass., as he reconnected with two fellow seniors, Kate Middleton of Big Sky, Mont., and Cal Schrupp of Gilford, N.H. The trio of besties had not seen each other in person in almost three years.

'Calling All First-Years!'

The fall 2022 Clubs and Orgs Fair took place on Wednesday, Sept. , from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Bardwell Field and the Library Quad tents. More than 80 clubs and organizations were excited to welcome students to Bates and their communities. High energy was the order of the evening.