Beings of Bates

Inspired by Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York phenomenon, Bates photographer Phyllis Graber Jensen pairs images with text to explore another way to get close to Bates students, faculty and staff.

[batesnews]

"Genevieve is the kind of colleague who makes you want to come work everyday. And, lucky for me, she has also become a great friend." — Christina Estabrook, at left, director of special projects, Office of the President "Christina was my first boss at Bates. I admire her so much, and she is an invaluable professional mentor and a friend, too. Though we work in different departments now, I still rely on her for guidance and support." — Genevieve Leslie, director of annual giving, Office of College Advancement (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College) #beingsofbates

[batesnews]

"Genevieve is the kind of colleague who makes you want to come work everyday. And, lucky for me, she has also become a great friend."

-- Christina Estabrook, (left) director of special projects, Office of the President

"Christina was my first boss at Bates. I admire her so much, and she is an invaluable professional mentor and a friend to me, too. Even though we work in different departments now, I still rely on her for guidance and support." -- Genevieve Leslie, director of annual giving, Office of Advancement

(Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

[batesnews]

"Art is the greatest tool for teaching, connecting, and healing that I know. I get to see this in action every day that I work with ArtVan art therapists in the Lewiston Public Library. Everyone who comes -- and they are of all ages and from all over the world -- brings their own brand of creative curiosity. Artmaking is the vehicle through which we fully realize our interconnectedness." -- Alisa Amador '18 of Cambridge, Mass, a women and gender studies major, discussing her volunteer experience with ArtVan, a mobile arts therapy organization in Maine. ArtVan @artvan_program was one of six community organizations to recently receive grant funding from the Bates College Harward Center for Community Partnerships to expand or advance programs that improve the lives of local residents. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

[batesnews]

“I love playing the banjo because it really connects me to the music of my hometown in the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can gather with any group of people who are familiar with old-time music, and you all have a common repertoire that you play. You can instantly sit down, feel so good to be in a big group, where you start jamming, sort of harmonizing, and learning new techniques and new tunes. I’ve started expanding my genres, using the banjo to play with more indie alternative bands, such as January River, my band at Bates.” -- Madeline Legro ’16 of Charlottesville, Va., a double major in music and classical and medieval studies, describing her love of old-time southern Appalachian and traditional folk music. She plays the banjo clawhammer style, which refers to a down-picking  direction. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College) 

[batesnews]

"Piano for me is a way to express myself. It gives me solace, and I couldn't live without it." -- Economics major and music minor Matt Marcus ’18 of Newton, Mass., in one of the many practice rooms in the Olin Arts Center, where he plays regularly. He has played the piano since age 3. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College) 

[batesnews]

"You should enjoy it while the snow is still here," says Josh Moise-Silverman '18 (left), a biology and religious studies major from New Rochelle, N.Y., who along with classmate Max Watson, a bio major from Yarmouth, Maine, agreed to pose cheek-to-cheek with a snowman on the historic Quad. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

[batesnews]

"We have this convergence of people on the political left and people on the political right who are seeing that mass incarceration is no longer sustainable. People on the left think that it's damaging to humans. People on the right now see that it's damaging to the economy because of the cost to build prisons, to keep prisons up, and to incarcerate two million people." -- Assistant Professor of Sociology Michael Rocque, co-chair of the MLK Day Planning Committee, discussing the importance of "Mass Incarceration and Black Citizenship," the theme for the 2016 MLK Day observance at Bates. See the link in our profile to read more about the college's three days of programming beginning Jan. 16. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College) 

[batesnews]

“Working here allows me to see the diversity of interests. You learn how to approach and solve problems differently. The most surprising thing is that you think that there’s only one way to do it, and then you see all these different cover letters and resumes. There are many ways to succeed.” --Thuy My Do ’16, a fellow in the Bates Career Development Center, advising Quinn Gardner ’18, an econ major and math minor from Tucson, Ariz, on applying for a 2016 Purposeful Work Internship. Do, of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is a politics major with Chinese and French minors. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College) 

[batesnews]

"Art is the greatest tool for teaching, connecting, and healing that I know. I get to see this in action every day. Everyone who comes here — and they are of all ages and from all over the world — brings their own brand of creative curiosity." -- Alisa Amador '18 of Cambridge, Mass, discussing her volunteer work with ArtVan, a mobile arts therapy organization that was one of six local organizations receiving grants from the Bates Harward Center's Carignan Fund for Community Programs. Amador is a women and gender studies major. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College) #batescollege #artvan_program #beingsofbates

[batesnews]

“Working here allows me to see the diversity of interests. You learn how to approach and solve problems differently. The most surprising thing is that you think that there’s only one way to do it, and then you see all these different cover letters and resumes. There are many ways to succeed.” --Thuy My Do ’16, a fellow in the Bates Career Development Center, advising Quinn Gardner ’18, an econ major and math minor from Tucson, Ariz, on applying for a 2016 Purposeful Work Internship. Do, of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is a politics major with Chinese and French minors. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College) #beingsofbates

[batesnews]

"It gives me an escape, but an escape that I have to work really hard at. Every time I play, I think of all the cellists who have played these notes in their own way. I’m a part of this other world that’s completely separate from being in school, from being with my friends. It's my own little space that I can occupy." — Rhetoric and Spanish double major Rosy Depaul ’17 of Los Angeles has played the cello for 13 years, now with the Bates College Orchestra (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College) #beingsofbates

[batesnews]

"What I love about it is that it kind of gives me an escape, but an escape that I have to work really hard at. I think the history behind each piece of music is incredibly beautiful. Every time I play, I think of all the cellists who have played these notes in their own way. I’m a part of this other world that’s completely separate from being in school, from being with my friends. It's really just my own little space that I can occupy."

-- Rhetoric and Spanish double major Rosy Depaul ’17 of Los Angeles, a cellist with the Bates College Orchestra, who has played the instrument for 13 years (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

[batesnews]

"I am doing this project to further understand the Jewish population of Lewiston-Auburn, to learn where they come from and to find the special memories that have kept them alive for many years." — Religious studies major Melissa Carp '16 of Newton, Mass., talking about her community-engaged research project on the history of the Lewiston-Auburn Jewish Community Center, once located in a historic College Street building that is now home to the Ann Geiger Center for New Beginnings, a program of youth outreach and education. Carp reflected on her project during a recent reception and tour of the Geiger Center for members of the local Jewish community. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

[batesnews]

Welcome and congratulations to the first members of the sure-to-be great Bates College Class of 2020! #bates2020

[batesnews]

"The biggest thing I'll take away from this experience is the intersection of community building and scientific innovation. Whiting Farm is building the agricultural community in both Auburn and Maine. It's a really beautiful thing to see and be a part of." -- Environmental studies major Isobel Curtis '17 of Fairfield, Conn., working collaboratively on a community-engaged research project with Whiting Farm in Auburn (on the way to Lost Valley). The family-owned farm closed in 2013 and was slated to be developed but was able to reopen with support from new owner J.F. Murphy Homes in 2015 as a nonprofit dedicated to community agriculture. (Phyllis Graber Jensen) #batescollege #beingsofbates

[batesnews]

“I love football but I’ve never played, so I don’t really know the insides of it. I’m learning all of that, the calls and the cadence and those kinds of things. I also want the players to feel comfortable with me, so if they do have something they’d like to talk about, they’ll feel comfortable to come to me.”

 -- Assistant Professor of Sociology Michael Rocque, faculty liaison to the football team for the last two seasons, videotaping action on the sidelines during the recent 31-0 Bates Garcelon Field blowout against Bowdoin. He and the team have created a Bates_Football Twitter account, where he tweets action clips during the games.

(Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

[batesnews]

"I really believe in the power of social science to make people's lives better. It's the reason a lot of us do what we do. Let's debate in the data. Let's start a discussion based on data. Let's try to make all neighborhoods just, fair, and productive. It's not about beating the odds; it's about changing the odds."

-- Roland G. Fryer Jr., Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard and the 2015 recipient of the American Economic Association’s John Bates Clark Medal, concluding his Nov. 8 Olin Arts Concert Hall talk titled "Understanding Racial Differences in Police Use of Force." At a time of close and passionate scrutiny directed at relations between police and African Americans, the Harvard economist is known for pioneering research into racial inequality.

(Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)