Interview with Suraj Karmacharya
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The Bates Student THE VOICE OF BATES COLLEGE SINCE 1873 WEDNESDAY March 5, 2014 Vol. 143, Issue. 14 Lewiston, Maine FORUM ARTS & LEISURE R e c i p e s SPORTS Matt Furlow ’14 interviews Suraj Riback ’16 discusses her Com- The Swimming and Diving team Karmacharya ’14 about the his- mons Creation cookbook with have record-setting showing at tory and inspiration behind his Bassell ’16. NESCAC Championships. Nepal-based fashion company, Himalayan Spirit 8848. See Page 4 See Page 7 See Page 12 Gatherings bring Bates community together to remember John Durkin ’15 Students speak at a gathering for John Durkin ‘15. PHYLLIS GRABER JENSEN/COURTESY PHOTO brances of John in a safe and supportive MARY ANNE BODNAR environment. The atrium was packed CO-MANAGING NEWS EDITOR full as hundreds of students attended Messages from students currently abroad in Rome the event to reflect on John’s lasting im- The first Sunday back from Feb- pact on Bates. 4,000 miles of separation can feel Even from Rome, those of us Batesies on the Trinity ruary break, students gathered around To honor John this week, The Bates like 10 because of the strength and uni- program could feel the warmth of the Bates community Garcelon Field for a candelight vigil to Student displays beautiful photographs ty of the Bates community. I am trying back in Lewiston. The amount of messages we received remember John Durkin, a Bates student from Phyllis Graber Jensen that capture to think of something else to write but from Bates friends as well as faculty was incredibly sup- who recently passed away in Rome, the supportive spirit of those who were I’m at a loss for words. We all miss John, portive and infinitely appreciated, and really it just made Italy. In this time of immense sadness, able to attend these events. as he was such a huge part of the Rome us realize even more how grateful we are to be a part of a the support that could be felt in looking A funeral Mass will be held for John program and our Bates family. community with so much integrity and kindness. up to see a football field completely sur- on March 7th at Saint Theresa Church in – Hilary Throckmorton ’15 – Lydia O’Brien ’15 rounded by loving community mem- Rye Beach, New Hampshire at 12noon. bers was surreal. Calling hours will be held on March At a gathering the next day in the 6th from 4pm- 8pm at the Community Pettingill Atrium, some of John’s close Campus, Portsmouth. friends and teammates shared remem- The hunt for a new dean is on Ailes ’14 investigates HANNAH GOLDBERG STAFF WRITER value of the W2 courses as well as the pedagogical goals Once again, the Bates Bobcats are AMELIA OLIVER and strategies professors used in struc- on the hunt, and this time it’s not for CONTRIBUTING WRITER turing their W2 courses. their next meal in Commons. This Oc- In order to learn about the student tober, it was announced that the beloved At a liberal arts institution, Bates- perspective of W2 courses, Ailes sent Dean of Students Tedd Goundie is step- ies are fortunate enough to have a bit out announce emails and held focus ping down at the end of the 2013-2014 of freedom when constructing their groups open to all students to discuss academic year. Replacing Goundie as academic plan, but they are not im- and express their opinions on the writ- the Dean of Students will be no simple mune to core educational requisites for ing experience at Bates. I attended one task. He has had a profound impact on graduation, including the W1, W2, and of these focus groups where several stu- the ever-changing Bates Campus since W3 writing requirement. Katie Ailes dents, predominantly seniors, came to- his arrival in 2004, working on projects is a senior English and Dance double gether and eagerly shared thoughts and ranging from the development of the major, minoring in Educational Stud- personal experiences on the ways their 280 College Street dorms to the revision ies, and has been exploring the student writing has progressed at Bates, specifi- of the Student Code of Conduct. experience of the W2 writing-intensive cally discussing their W2 courses. Ailes To spearhead the search efforts, stu- course, as a capstone project in comple- articulately guided the conversation ask- dents, faculty, and administration mem- tion of her minor. ing questions such as “can you always bers formed a Dean of Students Search While many Educational Studies tell you are in a W2 class, what do you Committee, which is representative of minors chose to investigate projects feel the goals of your W2 courses are/ the multitude of interests of Bates Col- outside of Bates, Ailes decided to take a were, and how did professors balance lege community members. In addition Dean of Students Tedd Goundie. OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS more internal approach, saying, “I chose AND MEDIA RELATIONS/COURTESY PHOTO teaching content and teaching writing?” to the DOS Search Committee, Bates is to study higher education, because as a From this conversation, it seemed working with outside executive search stitutions, particularly residential liberal is the most diverse class thus far, and if senior I’m now able to reflect on my col- one of the tensions surrounding the W2 firm Isaacson, Miller. arts colleges similar to Bates. Normally we want to continue our commitment lege experience at Bates, notice which was that often these courses tended to Isaacson, Miller and the Search based out of Washington, DC, Ponneh to diversity, we have to be mindful of aspects supported and challenged me, be discipline specific, particularly in the Committee encouraged students to Varho and fellow associate Natalie Le- the issues surrounding it.” Bates em- and look more critically at those which sciences. While Bates students have the come to lunch in the Commons Fish- onhard wanted to visit the Bates cam- phasizes its commitment to diversity I feel could be improved.” option to take their W2 course outside bowl to share their thoughts on student pus, hoping to learn what it is to be a and incorporation of all cultures into Ailes also works as a Peer Writing of their major, many students prefer to life at Bates and the qualities they would Bobcat and what the students want to the student body; the new Dean of Stu- Assistant and feels that she has received stay within their area of study as these like to see in a new Dean of Students see in a new Dean. Why did students dents needs to continue to take on that a great deal of writing training over her classes often hinge on some prior expo- this past Friday. choose Bates in the first place, and what responsibility. four years at Bates. Ailes was promoted sure or understanding of the material. “People describe us as matchmak- would they like to see in a new Dean? The Dean of Students Search Com- to consider if seniors felt prepared to One of the goals of completing the ers,” said IM Associate Ponneh Varho. Batesies were not shy about sharing mittee and the IM Associates listened to write their theses across disciplines, spe- writing program at Bates is that every “We are here now learning about Bates their thoughts. the different relationships students have cifically asking questions about “where student graduates with the skill-set and the existing leadership in the insti- Sophomore international student with the current Dean of Students Of- and how Batesies are receiving their to be a good writer; however, some of tution, looking at what has been his- Phillip Dube articulated a popular con- fice and Tedd Goundie. Student mem- writing instruction, and how the W2 the concern arising in this focus group torically strong and what career patterns cern at the meeting. “I would like to see bers of the Search Committee noticed a develops their writing abilities.” For the was that since students often opt not to leaders currently possess.” Isaacson, someone versed in matters related to capstone project, Ailes wanted to exam- Miller specializes in non-for-profit in- minority students. The Class of 2017 See NEW DEAN, PAGE 6 ine both the student opinion of such See W2, PAGE 6 Forum The Bates Student March 5, 2014 2 Genes, ethics and the future of treating disease with a nucleus from the prospective has already been successfully tested in CURTIS RHEINGOLD mother. The final product is a healthy several key settings. Shoukhrat Mitali- MANAGING FORUM EDITOR egg with the mother’s nuclear DNA and pov, a researcher at the Oregon Health functional mitochondria. But since any & Science University, has already pro- An FDA panel will convene this resulting fertilization of the cell will cre- duced five healthy adult monkeys using week to consider approving human ate an embryo containing DNA from this technique. Additionally, in 2012 trials for a lifesaving new fertility tech- the mother, the father and the donor, researcher Daniel Paull and colleagues nique for women who are genetic carri- this technique has been described as published results in Nature describing a ers of a potentially fatal class of diseases. creating “three-parent babies.” successful implementation of this pro- Mitochondrial diseases disrupt the Much of the criticism of allowing cedure in unfertilized human eggs with- functioning of mitochondria, structures this technique stems from a slippery out any harmful side effects. found in every cell of the human body. slope argument that suggests that once A few important questions about Mitochondria are colloquially known as genetic modification in any form is le- the procedure still remain, mainly the “power plants” of cells because they galized, it will eventually lead to “de- whether the genetic modification will Comics from top produce the chemical energy needed for signer babies” with selected traits such have effects not on the healthy baby it proper cellular functioning.