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THEY'RE HERE!

Orientation week for the Class of 2024 sets the stage as Bates students return to campus

By Bates College

September 4^th, 2020

Over three historic days, Bates welcomed back to campus some 1,700 students. From Move-In Days on Aug, 25, 26, and 27 to the Opening Day of classes on Sept. 2, the 480 members of the Class of 2024 had nine days to settle in, meet their classmates and fellow Bobcats, and get a taste of Bates academics and extracurricular life — in the COVID-19 era.

It Started on Move-In Days

Students arrived at the Bates College Testing Center at Underhill Arena, where some 1,700 students will be tested twice weekly, stopped by Merrill Gymnasium to pick up their IDs and keys, and then continued on to their residences, where they were greeted by faculty, staff, OWLs (Orientation Week Leaders), and movers.

Following the Class of 2024 on Move-In Days

Move-In Days for the Class of 2024 were Aug. 25, 26, and 27. The Bates community turned out in friendly force to welcome and guide Bates’ newest students.

Watch a time-lapse video below produced by Theophil Syslo.

Testing

“Where do I stand?” asks Harris Manganiello ’21 of Collegeville, Pa., first in line at the Bates Testing Center, a repurposed Underhill Arena, on the first day of arrivals.

Luckily, that question had been anticipated: spray-painted squares, the familiar distance of 6 feet apart, told students where to queue up.

“I’m nervous to see how it goes,” he says. “But I suppose in a few minutes, it will be normal.”

Please Stand Here

On exiting the Underhill testing center, a student receives a color-coded wristband that signifies his dining schedule.

Alyssa Shije '24 of Alhambra, Calif., checks the Bates map to determine where her residence is located.

'So Happy To Be Back'

Walking on Campus Avenue to her Chu Hall residence, OWL Katia Ryan ’23 of Amsterdam, N.Y., swings her arms to express her excitement about returning to campus.

The Welcome Wagon

“At the end of the day, despite no football, it’s exciting to welcome our Bobcats back to campus because we still have each other,” says head football coach Malik Hall. Dollies at the ready, Hall joins Sarah Pearson ’75, vice president for college advancement, to greet students at Kalperis Hall.

Ridge Kelly ’23 of Bremen, Maine, moves a couch into his residence at Chu Hall.

Nicholas Gonzalez '24 of Chappaqua, N.Y., gets a goodbye hug from this father, Greg.

Proud, From the Sidelines

The pride and enthusiasm on display was evident by all who participated, including Francisco “Franky” Urueta, a member of the college's Facility Services staff, who cleaned the exterior of the building he's assigned to, Roger Willliams Hall.

Andrea Allen and David Allen Sr., parents of David Allen Jr. ’24 of Dorchester, Mass., watch as he moves into Parker Hall.

OWL Claire Kelly '21 says this sign was brainstormed by a group of Orientation Week Leaders.

Welcoming, From a Distance

After months apart, students greet each other with joy — at a distance. Arms extended, they did not hug.

Goodbye for Now

From quick drop offs to long hugs, emotions were on display.

Krista Bussell and her daughter, Sarah Bussell ’23 of Mohegan Lake, N.Y., get in one last hug at the 280 College St. residence.

The Last Day of August

Students gathered throughout the campus to relax and prepare on Aug. 31, 2020, the last day before the start of classes. And everyone did their best to stay in touch while modeling appropriate social distancing.

Just Before Classes

Sun and warmth brought everyone outdoors.

Seated on a bench by Hathorn Hall, Tim Perry '24 reads "Somali: The Complete Course for Beginners" by Martin Erwin.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Andrew Kennedy meets with his First Year Seminar student Matt Schreiber '24 of Mount Sinai, N.Y.

Recreational Moments

Whether engaged in activities organized by OWLs or a simple swing on a hammock or a sunset meal on Garcelon Field, there was something for everyone.

Stephanie Dominguez '24 of Las Vegas plays frisbee on Garcelon Field.

This sunset wowed those on Garcelon Field, says BCO student photographer Samuel Mironko '21 of Watertown, Mass.

'I Mask, Therefore I Am'

"Je me masque, donc, je suis."

— Riffing on Descartes’ "Cogito ergo sum," Professor of French and Francophone Studies Kirk Read created this T-shirt. Read’s version: “I mask, therefore I am.”

It’s a “comic, but not really so comic, encouragement to follow the rules and stay safe,” he says. “We can ‘be’ together if we agree to mask up!”

Read modeled his shirt, matched with a face mask suggesting “In French? If you please” outside Roger Williams Hall on Sept. 2, 2020, the first day of classes. He had just completed teaching the first class of a 200-level course that delves into the experience of childhood in North Africa through memoirs, historical accounts, novels, films, and short stories.

Read says he had the first-class jitters more than ever: Four students participating remotely via Zoom, seven in class, and Read navigating in between. But it worked, he says. “I think both the ‘roomers’ and the ‘Zoomers’ found a way to meet in the middle. We’re still figuring this out and with patience and grace will make it!”

After a summer focused on a zillion new protocols and academic adjustments, finally “being in class and concentrating the mind is so restorative,” he says. “Whether from a distance or on site, I feel a palpable energy.”

Blake Shepherd '23 of Baltimore, Md., writes his first assignment for a class on transgender studies taught by Ian Khara Ellasante.

Madie Donovan '24 of Cohasset, Mass., enjoys lunch on the Quad after taking her first class in microeconomics with Assistant Professor of Economics Luke Chicoine.

The Six-foot Measurement Man and Others

Students, faculty, and staff participated in the kickoff for the 2020-21 Academic Year with classes —indoors and out — a re-opening ceremony for the Peter J. Gomes Chapel, and thesis meetings. And the College's Senior Project Manager Paul Farnsworth, crossed campus checking in on classroom locations with one of two six-foot sticks he has used to measure the distance between every chair in every Bates campus classroom .

Puddle Pleasures

As always, Lake Andrews included opportunity for study and recreation. Below, Aaliyah Moore '24 of Phoenix, Ariz., took her first leisurely campus stroll around Lake Andrews, where she enjoyed reading inscriptions on benches, watching wildlife, and imagining what the Puddle will look like frozen in winter. She's excited to see her first snowfall.

Convocation 2020

The Bates community heard from two faculty speakers chosen by the graduating Class of 2020 as a gift to the incoming Class of 2024: Benjamin E. Mays ’20 Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies Charles Nero and Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies Stephanie Kelley-Romano.

Below, watch Convocation speakers and rhetoric colleagues Charles Nero and Stephanie Kelley-Romano high-five each other after completing their keynote addresses, pre-recorded on Zoom.

Student Leaders Speak

At Opening Convocation on Sept. 1, speakers included Bates College Student Government co-presidents Perla Figuereo ’21 and Lebanos Mengistu ’21. At the beginning of their shared talk, Mengistu said, "We want to address how difficult this year has been for many folks. Especially for Black people. We want you all to know that we see you, we hear you, and we stand with you. The injustice that Black folks have faced and continue to face is a challenge on and off campus."

At the conclusion, Figuereo said, "Let yourself fall in love with the new things in your life, whether that is academically, socially, or individually. Keep each other safe, and find your authentic self."

Footnotes

Produced by the Bates Communications Office, with photography and video by Phyllis Graber Jensen, Theophil Syslo, Samuel Mironko '21, H. Jay Burns, and David Ernst

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FootNotes

Produced by the Bates Communications Office, with photography and video by Phyllis Graber Jensen, Theophil Syslo, Samuel Mironko '21, H. Jay Burns, and David Ernst