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December and January at Bates

a little something from each month as we transition into the new year

By Bates College

January 29^th, 2026

Her Place

Eileen Dockery ’26 of Rye, N.Y., plucks a banjo in the Turner House living space she shares with two housemates, the walls covered in decorations and ephemera that the trio have collected during their various travels.

Lean Dockery '26 plays a banjo in their Turner House dorm room. Walls are decorated with posters and artwork. A Sublime poster hangs above a lamp.

Humor in Literature

Psychotherapist Elcha Buckman, left, chats with students from Associate Professor of German Jakub Kazecki’s first-year seminar, “Humor in Literature and Visual Media.” Kazecki invited the Lewiston-based Buckman to speak to the class about her experience using humor in couples therapy.

Dr. Elcha Buckman, in a pink hat and sweater, gestures with hands raised as three college students laugh. They stand indoors, warmly dressed for winter.

Take a Break with Squash

President Garry W. Jenkins gets some tips on playing squash from the Bates men and women’s teams and their coaches out on the court during the teams’ open campus study break — and a break from work for Jenkins.

Lisbon Street Stories

Bates College students and faculty gather in a brick-walled room, with a large projector in the foreground. Shelves of pottery line the back wall. — Bates faculty, staff, and students gather for a digital storytelling presentation about Lewiston's historic downtown district, created by students in Associate Professor of Theater Courtney Smith’s “Introduction to Digital Media” course.

Two men stand indoors, possibly at Bates College. One man wears glasses and a jacket with — Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline and Bates Associate Professor of Theater Courtney Smith celebrate a project exploring Lewiston’s historic downtown, created by Bates students.

Spectators gather on Lisbon Street to watch a digital storytelling presentation projected through one of Munka Studio’s windows, featuring archival still and moving images of the street across the years.

Seasonal End

Men’s soccer players Cesar Hoover ’26, Sebastian Iacovitti ’26, Craddock Bridge ’27, Benny Bogyo ’27, David Ortiz ’26, and Kobby Nimako ’26 pose with electrolyte drink mixes during their end-of-season team banquet and awards ceremony in Commons.

Six members of the Bates Men's Soccer Team stand arm-in-arm at their end-of-season banquet. They smile and hold up energy bar snacks in a brightly lit room.

State of the Econ Theses

Student presents economics thesis to Bates faculty. He gestures beside a poster, while a woman listens with arms crossed. — Associate Professor of Economics Sandra Goff, left, speaks with Quinn Frank ’26 of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., about his thesis during a poster session for senior economics students in Pettengill Hall.

Students present economics senior theses to Bates faculty. A woman gestures to a research poster as others listen. Charts and graphs are visible on the posters. — Jillian Pastore ’26 of Ridgefield, Conn., explains her senior economics thesis project, "Money and State Politics: State Legislature Partisan Dynamics and Ideology Outcomes Following Citizens United vs. FEC," to a group gathered in Pettengill Hall.

A Bates economics student presents senior thesis research. He gestures while standing in front of a poster with graphs. — Brian Gallucci ’26 of Wilmington, Mass., discusses his economics thesis, "Salary Cap Allocation and Team Performance in the NFL: Evidence from Continuous and Tiered Spending Models."

Women's Basketball takes on Bowdoin and Amherst

The women’s basketball team puts up a good fight against Bowdoin during their first game to reach double overtime in over seven years.

Bates women's basketball game: Player #22 reaches for the ball contested by Amherst players. The Bobcats wear white and maroon uniforms. — Elsa Daulerio ’26 of Auburn, Maine, goes for the rebound during a game against Amherst ending in a 63–54 Bates win. At right is Mya Hicks ’27 of Ann Arbor, Mich.

Bates women's basketball player battles for the ball. The player wears a white jersey with — Lily Lambo ’28 of Watertown, Mass., battles for a loose ball during a game against Amherst.

Finishing the Term Together

During a special joint class session between first-year seminars “Beyond the Rainbow” and “Sex in the Brain,” a student pets a rabbit visiting to entertain students on the last day of the semester.

Wells Castonguay, assistant director of the Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning, gives an overview of what their first-seminar students learned — touching on everything from physics to linguistics to art — in their course “Beyond the Rainbow.”

Regan Clute ’29 (left) of Tahoe City, Calif., and Wynn Harward ’29 of Erie, Penn., hang out in Dana Hall on the last of classes for the fall semester after giving their classmates a presentation about what they’ve learned in “Sex in the Brain.”

From left, first-year students Regan Clute, Wynn Harward, and Sofia Rossi lead their classmates in an activity to demonstrate behavioral sex differences during a presentation drawn from their experience in the first-year seminar “Sex in the Brain.”

Winter Choir Concert

The Bates Choir performs their winter concert, “Hope and Resilience: African American Spirituals,” featuring 13 songs, including choral arrangements of African American spirituals by Moses Hogan and William Dawson, with direction from Assistant Professor of Music Zen T. Kuriyama.

A conductor smiles and gestures with open hands in the Olin Arts Center auditorium. He wears a black suit and turtleneck. The background is a muted red.

The Bates College Choir sings in the Olin Arts Center auditorium. Singers in black hold music, conductor leads, pink light on grid backdrop.

Tie It Up

The men’s club hockey team faces Colby’s club team during a match in December, ending in a 3–3 tie.

Bates hockey player in white and red uniform skates with stick and puck on ice during game. He wears a black helmet with a cage.

Two hockey players face off on the ice, sticks down, ready to play. One wears a white jersey with red and black trim, number 14. The other wears blue, number 2. A referee in black and white stripes stands between them.

During the Bates vs. Colby hockey game, a Bates player in white and maroon battles a Colby player in blue for the puck. Other Bates players watch from behind the rink wall.

Holiday-Themed A Cappella Concert

Bates a cappella groups TakeNote, the Manic Optimists, the Merimanders, the Deansmen, and the Crosstones perform their annual holiday concert in a joyfully-decorated Gomes Chapel.

The Makers Meet

Students gather at student-run coffeehouse Le Ronj for a Makers Market featuring work from student artisans and organized by the Bates Arts Collaborative, just before the winter break. At top, event organizers AJ Matos ’26 of Springfield, N.J., Zi Li ’28 of China, and Liz Nahigian ’26 of Needham, Mass., take a quick pause at the end of the event — a moment of rest amid the end-semester-rush.

AJ Matos, Zi Li, and Liz Nahigian, Bates Arts Collaborative Organizers, sit on a blue couch smiling. A colorful tapestry hangs on the wall behind them.

People at tables selling handmade items at the Bates Arts Collaborative

Three young women sit behind a table covered with art. The table has a green and white checkered tablecloth. A basket holds prints of art. A sign says

Celebrating with Friends

Seniors Jillian Pastore of Ridgefield, Conn., Sivani Arvapall of South Windsor, Conn., and Sophie Man-Hudspith of New York City, celebrate the binding and completion of their senior theses with friends — including one furry friend — on the Coram Library steps.

Young woman wipes away a tear while smiling, holding papers outside Coram Library.

Five students on the steps of Coram Library pass bound senior theses to each other. Bottles of sparkling cider line the snowy brick walkway.

Group of seniors stand on the snow-covered steps of Coram Library. The students are celebrating binding their senior theses. The library has brick walls and white columns.

A small, white dog in a pink puffer jacket stands on a stone surface between three bottles of wine. A hand points at the dog. A black binder and papers sit to the left.

Employee Holiday Party

Bates faculty and staff and their families gather in Commons for the annual employee holiday party, featuring live music, delicious hearty food, and community.

A jazz band plays at the 2025 Employee Holiday Party in Commons on Dec. 16, 2025. Five musicians play saxophone, guitar, bass, and drums in a brightly lit hallway.

Seasonal Moments

Gingerbread house with — A gingerbread house sits on the snowy Historic Quad, mimicking Hathorn Hall in the background. The gingerbread creation was a gift from Lewiston printer Penmor, which prints many materials for the college.

Snowman on Lake Andrews has twig nose, pretzel eyes, cracker mouth. Snow covers the campus. — On the shores of a frozen Lake Andrews, a snowman with eyes of pretzels and lips of crackers cheerfully watches over campus.

Pine tree branches with snow on the needles. — After a fresh snow, dollops of white fluff dot plants along Lake Andrews.

Men's basketball defeats Bowdoin, Maine Maritime

Chiwer Mayen ’26 of Lewiston shoots the ball during a game against Maine Maritime Academy, ending in a 107–59 Bates win.

At center, Associate Athletic Communications Director Aaron Morse grins while serving as the play-by-play announcer for a men’s basketball game against Maine Maritime Academy.

Cole Decker ’27 of Pound Ridge, N.Y., embraces teammate Chris Bianco ’29 of East Greenwich, R.I., during a game against Bowdoin, ending in an 88-76 Bates win.

Peter Psyhogeos ’26 of Yarmouth, Maine, goes for the goal against Bowdoin.

Keenan Sparks ’28 of York, Maine, staves off Bowdoin players for a 88–76 Bates win.

Bates Invitational

The men’s and women’s track teams compete against nine other schools during the annual Bates Invitational and Multi, with both Bates teams ending in first place.

Swimming hosts Gettysburg

Bates swimming hosts Gettysburg College at Tarbell Pool during a dual meet with the men’s and women’s teams.

A Bates swimmer prepares to dive. Wearing a red

A Bates swimmer wearing a red cap and goggles competes, face emerging from splashing water in an indoor pool.

A Bates swimmer in a red cap and blue goggles swims freestyle, water splashing around them.

A Bates swimmer celebrates a victory, raising a purple towel above his head as teammates applaud.

A Bates swimmer in a red cap and goggles swims butterfly, churning up water.

Bates squash defeats Conn College

During their first games of 2026, the men and women’s squash teams defeat Connecticut College at the Bates Squash Center.

Squash match at Bates. Player in black swings at the ball; opponent in blue stands back.

The President's MLK Day Dinner and a Chapel service

President Garry W. Jenkins hosts members of the MLK Day Committee, keynote speaker Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of California Riverside Myisha Cherry, artist Bill Jeter ’76, and Morehouse and Bates debaters for dinner.

Two men stand at an MLK Day Committee meeting. One smiles in a cream cardigan with a maroon — Student debaters from Morehouse College Junias Lunsford-Peaks, left, and Acie Abner, right, speak with Christine Schwartz, MLK Day Planning Committee member and associate vice president for Dining, Conferences and Campus Events.

President Garry W. Jenkins smiles with MLK Day Committee members and Myisha Cherry at a table with cake, glasses, and a blue tablecloth. — From left, Bates MLK Day Planning Committee members Melani McGuire, director of Bates human resources operations and compensation; Associate Dean of Students James Reese; and Title IX Officer Gwen Lexow enjoy dinner and conversation.

During a presentation exploring interfaith interpretations of human dignity on the eve of MLK Day, an event participant places a painted handprint over a Nelson Mandela quote.

This thesis is a love letter

Aleisha Martinez Sandoval ’26 of Mexico City, celebrates the binding of her senior thesis, “Exploring Health Policy as a Critical Mechanism of Expression of Right-Wing Government Policy,” on the Coram Library stage with the help of friend Jil Moukarzel ’28 of Beirut.

‘Weather is cold, hearts are warm'

On a snowy Monday, Kestrel Goldberg Little ’29 of New York City heads down Alumni Walk toward Commons.

Halima Guliye ’27 of Kenya studies in a cozy corner of Ladd Library, overlooking the Library Quad.

As snow falls across campus, students trek toward Alumni Gym.

Footnotes

Produced by Bates Communications and Marketing, with photography by Phyllis Graber Jensen, Theophil Syslo, Eno Little '27, Carly Philpott, and Sammy Weidenthal '27, and text by Alexandra DeMarco.

Button Label

FootNotes

Produced by Bates Communications and Marketing, with photography by Phyllis Graber Jensen, Theophil Syslo, Eno Little '27, Carly Philpott, and Sammy Weidenthal '27, and text by Alexandra DeMarco.