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The Dwellers of Davis
Looming in the southeast corner of campus, daunting and dark, sits the Davis Science Center. The building referred to as ‘Davis’ is home to the college’s math and computer science departments, two of the most rigorous majors at the college. Many of the students pursuing these majors dwell in Davis, taking advantage of the dozens of computers and ceiling length chalkboards, which they decorate with complex math problems that would make the average human head explode. There are, no doubt, some people who camp out in Davis for long days and nights, torturing themselves with code and arithmetic. For some students, their time spent in Davis has starved them of human interaction outside of the building. As a result, tight bonds have been formed amongst those who squat in the science center, hence why I’ve chosen to call them ‘the dwellers of Davis.’
I visited Davis on a gloomy Monday, before a busy week of exams in many math classes. Ava Wu `28 was the first person I ran into. She was frantically studying vector calculus in preparation for her exam on Tuesday. When asked how she was feeling, she momentarily glanced away from the chalkboard, replied “stressed,” and promptly turned back around. I pointed out the lack of windows in the building to which she replied “the lack of natural light helps you lock in.”
Curious as to why a student would devote so much of their time and energy to a concept as abstract as math, in as daunting a building as Davis, I asked math major Tim Gatto `28. He said, “Math is like lots of little puzzles, and puzzles are fun!” Wu agreed, “puzzles are fun.” Robbie Bennett `27, a computer science major, explained that he pursued computer science because it was “fascinating,” and enjoyed Davis’s vending machines. Ruby Dwyer `28, a recent math major, was at the large table central to the second floor, where various math students sat studying. She was preparing for the same test as Wu; “The nice thing about Davis is knowing you’re going to find someone in your class who is doing math that can help you.”
Wu and Dwyer both excitedly called over Pedro Alves `26, a student they claimed was “a Davis legend.”Alves is a math and physics major, with a minor in computer science. When asked how much time he spends daily in Davis, he mumbled “I spend more time here than I spend in my room,” calculating approximately 10 hours a day. His favorite thing about Davis, other than the chalkboards, was the social environment: “From a math standpoint this is a great place to collaborate. It is a social place for math people, and math is a social subject.” Michael Tenkorang `26, a computer science and math major, remarked that he also spends 8 hours a day in Davis. His favorite thing about the building is simply, “the boards!”
Walking by, one math student explained that she enjoyed the Davis atmosphere because “you feel the pressure to do the work.” “We jokingly say Davis is our home because we spend a lot of time here,” her friend chimed in. The student then said, “It’s a borderline prison.” Dwyer `28, sitting nearby, then said “so, by transitive property, your home is a prison?” to which everyone in the room laughed. I didn’t get it.
Unsure if they were joking, I followed up with Luke Phytila `28, a math sciences and computer science major, who I asked earlier to describe Davis in one sentence. He admitted, “I don’t know, I was thinking about math too much.”
The chalkboards surrounding me in Davis were covered in algebra, art, chemistry, calculus, and even quotes from Colombian writer, Garcia Marquez. These chalkboards truly reflected the liberal arts education that Colby College preaches. One person didn’t write all these things, yet knowing students, like me, had the capacity to solve advanced math and chemistry problems, draw beautiful pictures, and study the impactful quotes on the boards was an unexpected comfort of the building.
~ Molly Garvey `28
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All Eyes On Sudan
Trigger Warning: This article discusses mass killing and sexual assault. I debated what topic I wanted to write about for my article this week. I considered doing one on the ongoing Serbian protests, but my colleague Cristina Panaguta did a wonderful job with her column in last week’s edition. I was about to do a summary of the Russia-Ukraine war, but right before I started writing, breaking news of the Sudanese humanitarian crisis hit. The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale’s School of Public Health published satellite images that provided evidence of mass killings outside the former Children’s Hospital in the east of El-Fasher, North Darfur. I was horrified at the evidence and slightly ashamed that Sudan’s civil war wasn’t something I have been keeping up to date on, and neither has Western media. Due to the fact that over 150,000 people have died and over 12 million have fled their homes, Sudan needs more coverage.
Sudan has an unfortunate history with violence. After it gained independence in 1956, the country has experienced 20 military coup attempts, the most of any African nation.
The focus of the most recent atrocities has been in Sudan’s western Darfur region. This area has experienced prolonged instability and social strife, in large part due to ethnic tensions and disputes over land and water. In 2003, this boiled over with a rebellion against the central government, led by then President Omar al-Basir. The resulting war in Darfur was marked by widespread state-sponsored acts of violence that left 300,000 dead and 2.7 million displaced. This is considered one of the deadliest conflicts since World War II. Although Western states condemned these actions, their response was limited and divided. For example, signatories of the International Criminal Court did not honor the ICC’s warrant of arrest for al-Bashir. One of the most important consequences from the 2003 conflict was al-Bashir’s reliance on the Janjaweed — a collection of Sudanese Arab militias led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (more commonly referred to as Hemedti) — for support. This group would later be the foundation for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Bashir passed a new law that gave Hemedti gold mines in exchange for RSF protection of the president. This position also allowed the RSF to develop a working relationship with the Russian private military outfit Wagner Group, who are infamous for their ineffectiveness and human rights misconduct in Africa and Ukraine.
Despite the RSF’s tight control, domestic protests led the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to perform a coup d’état in April 2019. Protests extended from anti-al-Bashir to pro-civilian rule, which subsequently saw both groups perpetuate a massacre of over 100 protesters and the raping of dozens of people. A civilian-military joint government was established in August 2019, thanks to international pressure, but this was short lived, as a coup in 2021 led by the RSF and SAF restored military dominance over the government. However, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan — head of the SAF and the president of Sudan — and Hemedti could not come to an agreement on the power dynamics of an integrated SAF–RSF force. By April 2023, the most recent civil war that has seen what the UN describes as “one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century” broke out, leading us to the events of recent weeks.
In addition, this conflict has involved regional actors. Amnesty International has reported that China, Russia, Turkey, Yemen, the UAE, Egypt and Serbia have been sending weapons to the RSF. The UAE and Saudi Arabia specifically have been known for their support of the Arab-dominated RSF and their policy of marginalizing ethnic minorities for a stable government. Others, like the United Kingdom and Ukraine, have used this conflict as a proxy, with the former trying to build better relations with the UAE by facilitating weapons transfer and the latter by sending special forces to combat the Wagner Group and its allies.
Why is this issue not as prominent in our minds as Palestine? This is not a critique of the conflict in Gaza. However, I suspect many reasons for the lack of coverage of Sudan. One of them is the identity of the belligerent. Israel is a controversial topic, but they have a strong democratic institution and are widely seen as a ‘Western’ nation. By contrast, Sudan’s domestic politics has been dominated by its military. Secondly, race may be a factor. The African continent has historically been underreported by mainstream media, and only one off ‘significant’ events tend to make the front page. Finally, foreign interests in the region dictate that more news sources do not reach out. Nations do not want the instability of the region to spread to their own territories, and foreign governments are willing to back whoever can offer stability in the region, regardless of their human rights standard. Sudan is also rich in natural resources like oil and gold, which have already been prime targets for resource extractions, as seen by the Wagner Group’s involvement. Sudan also has strategic access to the Horn of Africa, which many nations want more influence over.
In a climate where it seems that individual voices are losing out to strategic interests, we sometimes feel powerless. But that’s not the case. We’ve seen people stand up and win (see my last article on youth movements around the world). Social media activism, combined with concrete action, has provided results.
This is not a fairy tale. There are no good sides here. However, we must try to spare those caught up in the conflict — defend the defenseless, protect the vulnerable. Sudan should not be exploited in the global geostrategic game. The people deserve better. All those suffering deserve better.
~ Roy Li `28
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“One Meal, One Neighbor, One Act of Kindness at a Time”: Selah Tea Cafe’s $10 Meal Tokens
On October 30, 2025, Selah Tea Cafe announced on their Facebook page that they are running a $10 Meal Token program. The flyer reads, “Buy a $10 Meal Token — Selah Tea Cafe will match it, meal for meal. Pay it forward: one meal, one neighbor, one act of kindness at a time.”
By buying a $10 Meal Token, you are in turn helping pay for a meal for someone in need. The program was started during the ongoing government shutdown, which impacted funding for Supplement Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. SNAP provides food benefits to low-income families for their grocery budget so they can afford nutritious food. With this program on pause as of November 9, those affected can simply show their SNAP or Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card at Selah’s checkout to redeem a meal token, which provides one menu item of each guest’s choosing per visit.
This is not the first time Selah Tea Cafe has stepped up to help the community. Bobby McGee, who owns Selah Tea Cafe with his wife, Rachel McGee, said, “One time [in Waterville] we all lost electricity, so people were down with power during the snowstorm. We did a donation only day — whatever you could pay. They paid a dollar, great. They paid nothing, great. If they could pay $20 bucks for a cup of coffee, great. It didn’t matter to us.”
McGee further said, “It’s a burden that we can’t carry on our own, so we try to partner with those who might have a little bit extra to help. Then we are the means to funnel and be the bridge between those who need and those who have. Usually works out. We don’t usually make any money off of it, but that’s not the point.”
After his wife got texts from friends asking if Selah Tea Cafe was going to do anything with SNAP funding paused, McGee said, “That’s a great question. Let us think about it.”
They then began brainstorming the easiest way to get food to people. They considered putting food packages together “but didn’t want stuff to go bad.”
Ultimately, McGee said they decided doing meal tokens would be the easiest way to provide accessible food: “I thought this would be the easiest way. They just have a meal token, people can pay for it, then we will match it, and then they come in and they can get food. They have their family, they feel normal.”
McGee also said “We see a few people [using the tokens] every day,” demonstrating how the meal token program has been running well.
When asked about what he enjoys about running a business in downtown Waterville, he said, “That’s an easy one. I just like helping people. Whether it is getting people jobs or getting people to leave with food.”
He went on to say how they are able to continue to give back to the community through donations: “We get tons of donations. Every week we are given donations whether from events or charities and raffles and things so we can be a place where we can help people.”
While SNAP benefits are said to be issued starting November 10, 2025, this meal token program shows Selah’s commitment to helping the community when they can. Plus, members of the community stepping up to donate demonstrates the Waterville community’s resilience during difficult times. Whether by donating (when able) to Selah Tea Cafe’s program, possible future donations the cafe may run, or to other donations run by other small businesses in the area, one meal at a time we can help members of the community.
~ Haley Hegarty `28
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Women’s Soccer’s Loss Against Tufts Led To Many Life Lessons
While losing is never pleasant, it often teaches lessons that ultimately lead to more success in the future. Following their loss to Tufts University in the NESCAC semifinals on Saturday, November 8, the Colby women’s soccer team recognizes their strengths and feels confident in their ability to attack their weaknesses.
About 10 minutes in, the Tufts University Jumbos scored, and they found further success a couple of minutes later. Soon after, Abigail Jarvi `27 scored for the Mules, bringing the score up to 1-2, which lasted through halftime. Minutes after resuming play, Ella Caraluzzi `28 scored, tying the game until Tufts scored a third time, ultimately winning the game and getting set to play in the NESCAC finals on Sunday, November 9, against Williams College. Williams won with a score of 1-0.
Back in Waterville, days before the game even took place, Colby’s team, including Kaya Singh `29, knew that it would not be easy and worked to prepare ahead of time. “Tufts is an amazing team, so I think for us, [a challenge was] playing with that chip on our shoulder, knowing who we [were] going against, and [wanting to prove] something to everyone. So I think it [was] more of an internal challenge,” Singh said. “I mean, obviously there’s nerves…[but] I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.”
Once the group was out on the field, the players were able to see their training in practice, and to then further dissect the team’s overall strengths and weaknesses. “We move the ball really well. There’s no selfishness on the field, and we all trust each other, so we all feel comfortable playing it to each other,” Singh said. “There’s just positivity, everyone’s rooting for everybody, and just knowing that you have everyone behind you gives you the extra confidence to take that shot or take that player one on one, or make that hard pass.”
First-year Maya Ouramdane `29 noticed this sense of team-wide confidence and resilience on Saturday. “When Tufts scored two goals, I think 20 minutes into the first half, they were pretty happy because they thought it was over…But [everyone] really put their body on the line, doing it all game and never stopped breaking,” Ouramdane said.
Singh agrees, noting how this has led to team-wide improvement that could be seen, even within the season itself. “Each practice, everybody comes and they give it 100% of what they have. You could see the growth week by week,” Singh said.
Despite the group’s strong performance, they drove back to Colby on Sunday with new ideas on how they can improve over the next couple of months. “We learned that no matter what team we have in front of us, and no matter how high they’re ranked, it all comes down to who believes more and who wants it more,” Ouramdane said. “Because at this point, for semifinals, finals, or [a] national tournament, every team has the ability to beat every team. It really doesn’t matter what strength each team has, or what strength we have, it is really much more in the head. It’s more than just their body on the line.”
Keeping these lessons in mind, the athletes are looking forward to playing in the upcoming NCAA tournament. “Last year, we made it far and we lost to the team that ended up winning the whole tournament. So I think our goal this year is to continue forward and hopefully win the tournament,” Singh said.
After the NCAA’s completion, the team will begin to focus on physical training, such as lifting in the gym, with their practices being led by team captains.
~ Isabella Boggs `29
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Football Defeats Bowdoin to Secure CBB
This Saturday, the Colby football team capped a successful season with a 16-6 defeat of their rivals, the Bowdoin College Polar Bears, securing the team’s second consecutive CBB championship and a second-place finish in the NESCAC. Their 6-3 final record represents the first winning season that the program has posted in the past twenty years, speaking to the team’s development under Head Coach Jack Cosgrove. The result on Saturday put the Mules back in the all-time rivalry lead, having now won 49 matchups to the Polar Bears’ 48.
The team was led by a continuation of quarterback Patrick Miller `29’s outstanding season, which saw him thrust into the starting role by injuries before leading the group to three consecutive wins. He was stellar in this game as well, passing for 92 yards and rushing for a further 72 yards. His throw to receiver Jack Nye`28, which Nye then ran 55 yards down to the Bowdoin five-yard line, was by far the biggest offensive play of the day. Two plays later, Miller would punch the ball over the goal line himself for the team’s only offensive touchdown of the day.
It was the defense that accounted for the majority of the Colby scoring, as they opened the game by earning a safety. Under pressure in his own endzone from the Mule pass rush, Bowdoin quarterback Soren Hummel threw the ball away, earning an intentional grounding penalty that resulted in an automatic safety and two points for Colby. Later, senior Declan McNamara `26 jumped a Hummel pass on third-and-long, running the interception back for a touchdown and giving the Mules a 16-point lead. Fellow defensive back, Trevor Smith `26, had an interception of his own to begin the fourth quarter, and Hummel’s tough day in the pocket continued when Amir White `28 added another later in the frame. None of these takeaways were able to be capitalized on, and Bowdoin was able to mount something of a comeback during the game’s final minutes.
The Colby drive following the White interception stalled, and Bowdoin took over with a minute remaining in the game. Helped along by a costly penalty on the Colby defense, Hummel found his receiver Slade Postemski for a 28-yard score. The two-point attempt failed, but the Polar Bears had a chance to take the ball back with a successful onside kick. Their attempt did not travel the required ten yards, allowing the Mules to kneel out the remaining time on the clock.
The team will look to build on this success in the coming years, and the emergence of Miller in his first several games provides promise. The Mules graduate none of their top three rushers, an encouraging sign for Cosgrove’s run-heavy offensive scheme. On the defensive side of the ball, the team loses more of its core, as Dennis Dougherty `26, Sebastien Romain `26, Jack Mullen `26, McNamara, and Smith all graduate. Each had started at their respective position for multiple years, and their departure opens a hole that younger players like Nicholas Cox `27, Drew Ramos `27, Cooper Bunnell `28, and White will look to fill. Following the results of the other conference games, the NESCAC standings were finalized, with Trinity College and Wesleyan University sharing the conference title, each having a 7-2 record, while Colby stood alone in second at 6-3. The Mules had beat Trinity in the first game of the season, but later fell short against Wesleyan.
Next season, the NESCAC will allow its football teams to participate in the NCAA Division III playoffs, which offer new opportunities for schools on the national stage. With a strong season to build on, the Mules will hope to continue their season next year at the national level.
~ Matt Quealy `26
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We Inherit Heirlooms. Here’s Why You Should Care.
On Saturday, November 8, 2025, the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts hosted its TEDxColby College event, a day dedicated to hearing the stories of Colby students in relation to one common idea: heirlooms. A small group of speakers each gave presentations, approximately fifteen minutes in length, which investigated what we pass down and what we carry forward. Topics varied from genetically transferred smiles to inherited language. The theme, which was purposefully broad, invited the Colby community to explore the artifacts intrinsic to our own lives, whether a physical object transmitted from generation to generation or a non-material possession—perhaps an ideology—that diffused over time.
Heirlooms are essential. They denote what endures, and what endures has implications not only for individual values, but also communal ones. When we collectively agree on what lasts, we are collectively forming our fundamentals — the commodities, doctrines, mottos, and wisdom that we deem bear some sort of universal criticality. But society is also flawed. We don’t always choose the right heirlooms. We perpetuate phrases, language, and materials that are damaging. We allow the infiltration of certain abstractions or judgements because heirlooms are not just inherited items, but also normalized ones.
Almost synonymous with an heirloom is the concept of standardization. Once we accept what endures, we often forget to question why we’ve chosen such a thing to constitute inordinate importance. That is not to say all heirlooms are bad. Some are beautiful souvenirs of the past, a reminder of our shared heritage, a token of persistence or bravery or accomplishment. There is a reason we hold onto things, and most often that reason is a good one. We hold onto things because they promise some kind of substance, gravity, notion or conviction we believe is deserving of remembrance. Yet, admittedly, there are times when we choose to commemorate the wrong things, when we allow the endurance of an heirloom that is not worthwhile. So, what do we do then?
Christine Park `26 spoke extensively about smiles. Yes, the legacy of grins. Park notes that “growing up, smiles were heirlooms in [her] family, … [carrying] power.” But this power, she asserts, “is unevenly inherited.” Surely smiles are products of former generations, but they have a heritage beyond simply DNA. They are also a result of our monetary environment. “Some people inherit dental disease not through genetics but geography,” Park explains. “Smiles follow socioeconomic lines long before braces even do.” Though an orthodontist in many parts of the United States may serve a vain purpose, in other places, dentistry is a scarce necessity, a lacking resource that is imperative for survival. But, how do we solve the problem of poor smiles and its associated economic pedigree? Perhaps another student’s TED talk has the answer.
Lamiyass Chen `28, once an ESL student, spoke on the importance of language. The vocabulary we pass down is difficult and inherent to our constructs of speech as biased ideologies. Chen ended the talk by stating that while “we do inherit the heirloom of language,” we don’t “have to inherit its flaws.” Chen’s argument can be extrapolated to offer a broader way of thinking. Few heirlooms are intrinsically bad. They endure for reasons that are most often well intended. So, while heirlooms are transferred, communities have the responsibility of deciding which parts of these artifacts carry importance.
Colby’s TEDx event concluded that agency is indisputably attached to heirlooms. It is our obligation to assess what should last. But, we must also recognize that these legacies are complex. They are imperfect. We must do our best to sort out what survives— to allow that which is worthwhile to persist and correct that which is embedded with inequity.
– Maya Corrie `29
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The Lasting Environmental Legacy of Covid
It has been nearly six years since COVID first caused nationwide shutdowns. However, COVID’s legacy is still visible at Colby. In an effort to continue on-campus classes through the worst of the pandemic, single-use plastic became much more widely used everywhere, including on campus. Students were switched to a three-swipe-per-day meal plan, packaged in plastic, in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. The plastic water bottle ban, in place since 2011, was scrapped. These ‘temporary’ changes are still in place today.
One place on campus where the lasting change is particularly visible is the Spa. The Spa has always served quick, grab-and-go food. But before COVID, it featured a sandwich bar, bagels, and dramatically less plastic packaging. Back in 2011, one student described it as an “upscale Starbucks,” and it was somewhere you could meet your professor for lunch. Food was served on metal trays, and students brought to-go mugs for their coffee. It was open from 8am-1am and
still served late-night quesadillas, but seemed like a real dining hall. Today, the Spa could accurately be described as a sea of plastic. Whether you want cheese and crackers, a salad, or grapes, your food will come in a single-use plastic clamshell container. This may have been a necessity during COVID, but this waste has long overstayed its welcome.
Plastic water bottles are back, too. The “Take Back the Tap Campaign” was a three-year student-led effort to eliminate bottled water on campus and promote sustainable alternatives. The initiative culminated on Earth Day in 2011, when the remaining bottled water stock was removed from the shelves in the student center. Sarah Sorenson `11 played the key role in organizing and leading the campaign to success. As part of the effort, Colby Athletics announced that starting in the fall of 2011, teams would stop purchasing cases of bottled water for games and road trips. This campaign seemed to mark an important milestone in Colby’s sustainability history, especially in regards to student leadership driving change.
However, all of this progress faced a major setback during COVID. In an effort to reduce the spread of the virus, Colby temporarily disabled water fountains and bottle refill stations, limiting access to tap water across campus. With reusable options no longer convenient or sanitary under health guidelines, many students and staff reverted to using single-use plastic water bottles. While the locked fountains were temporary, it seems that the use of plastic water bottles was not, as they quietly have made their way back into campus life.
The sustainable practices we lost during COVID weren’t there by coincidence. Students like Sorenson fought to implement them, and Colby’s environmental ethic was a practice as much as a marketing tool. But we’re at college for just four years, and student body memory is fleeting. Colby’s shift in plastic use is part of a larger global trend since the pandemic that has contributed to millions of tons of excess plastic, but it’s something that we have the power to reverse. Colby has already proven that it can reduce plastic waste; the last few years have been the exception and not the rule. It’s time to get back to where we used to be.
– Brynne Robbins `26 and Jane Kulevich`29
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Bleed Blue: Why Colby Students Bring Unmatched Pride and Spirit to Every Game
When I first stepped onto Colby’s campus, the first thing I could feel was the energy, a sea of blue and white roaring with pride. Every weekend, students, families, and fans pack the stands to cheer on our Mule athletes with unstoppable spirit. The support is constant, contagious, and unlike anything else in the NESCAC. Walk through Waterville on a game day, and I saw it everywhere: Mules gear, face paint, and smiles that say we bleed blue. Whether it’s the thunder of the crowd at Harold Alfond Stadium or the electric atmosphere courtside at a women’s volleyball match, Colby’s community shows up loud, proud, and all in for the Mules. And I loved it.
But I began to realize that this energy doesn’t just appear on game day; the community builds it. Here at Colby, students don’t just watch their teams, they know the athletes personally. They might share a writing seminar, grab lunch at Dana, or celebrate each other’s wins both on and off the field. Together, we’re a community of friends united by our love for our school and sports. That closeness turns every cheer into something personal, the pride of being part of something bigger than yourself.
Once game day arrives, that sense of connection bursts into full force. The walk I have with friends to Harold Alfond Stadium feels electric: music thumping, Mules colors flying, and students decked out in head-to-toe blue and white. The stands fill long before kickoff, packed with voices ready to cheer every tackle and goal. You can feel the pride in every chant and see it in every high-five. Whether it’s a crisp fall football Saturday or a packed hockey night at Jack Kelley Rink, there’s nothing quite like being part of the Colby crowd — loud, loyal, and all in together.
Recently, I went to watch Colby football in their final game against Bowdoin, and the atmosphere was incredible. Despite the cold Saturday night, the crowd was huge. Students, families, and even other athletic teams came out to support the Mules. The tailgate before the game was just as special, with tables full of food, lights strung across the lot, and families sharing hot drinks and laughter. It felt warm and welcoming, the kind of scene that reminds you what the Colby spirit is all about. Because here, showing up isn’t just about cheering from the stands, it’s about connecting, sharing, and being part of something bigger together.
For the athletes themselves, this support is everything. Hearing the roar from the stands, seeing friends and classmates cheering them on, and feeling the energy on every play motivates them to push harder and perform their best. At Colby, the connection between players and fans goes both ways; the crowd lifts the team, and the team inspires the crowd.
As a player on the men’s soccer team, I know firsthand how much it means to my teammates and me to look up into the stands and see people cheering, whether it’s family, friends, or even someone we don’t know. That support is incredible, and it pushes us to give our absolute best on the field. I remember our first game against Thomas College, when an amazing crowd turned out, some fans even traveled from Thomas, and their energy made us want to play harder, not just for ourselves, but for everyone cheering us on.
That’s what makes Colby’s spirit so special. It’s more than just cheering at a game or wearing blue and white: it’s a shared energy that connects students, families, alums, and athletes alike. Every chant, every high-five, every tailgate conversation is part of a larger tradition of showing up for each other, celebrating one another’s achievements, and taking pride in being part of the Mules community. At Colby, we don’t just watch the games, we live them together. And that’s why, week after week, season after season, we all bleed blue.
~ Kameron Mohammed `29
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Sharing Music, Sharing Community
Two years after its opening in fall 2023, the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts has become one of the College’s most defining spaces, having the unique ability to connect the campus with the greater Waterville community.
Before the Gordon Center, music at Colby lived mostly in Bixler Memorial Library and Lorimer Chapel. The jazz band filled Bixler’s recital hall with brassy improvisations, while the wind ensemble echoed across the chapel’s vaulted ceilings. Those spaces still hold a sense of tradition, but the Gordon Center has made performances more accessible for the Waterville community, allowing residents to enjoy Colby’s music without navigating the College’s hilltop campus. The building’s location on campus has reshaped how students and locals experience the arts. All performances are free and feature Colby’s student musicians and professional musicians from around Waterville, drawing residents, families, and visiting high school students: audiences who might not have visited campus otherwise.
For many student performers, that broader audience adds a deeper sense of purpose to every rehearsal. “One of the best parts of playing with the Wind Ensemble is knowing that people from the greater community [Waterville] are coming to hear us,” said Chase Kanitz `26, a member of the Colby Wind Ensemble since his first year. “It makes the music feel like something we’re sharing with the whole community, not just the College.”
The Colby Wind Ensemble, which recently performed its fall concert Present and Past on Tuesday, November 11, showcased the balance between musical tradition and innovation. The program included Kalos Eidos by Carol Brittin Chambers, a piece reflecting the vivid colors and shifting patterns of a kaleidoscope, and Folk Suite for Band by William Grant Still, who presents traditional spiritual themes in an innovative and celebratory way.
For students, these performances are a chance to explore a wide range of musical styles and traditions. The ensemble’s repertoire includes both modern works and pieces inspired by composers like John Philip Sousa, whose marches helped define American wind music. “Performing in the wind ensemble has helped me appreciate how alive this kind of music still is,” said Tristan Kanitz `26, also a member of the Colby Wind Ensemble since his first year. “We get to play everything from classic marches to contemporary pieces, and the Gordon Center provides that mix with the perfect stage.”
Performances in the Gordon Center are an unforgettable experience for both the Colby students and Waterville. The acoustics are crisp, the lighting draws attention to every instrument, and the energy in the audience reflects a blend of campus and community applause. It’s a space built not just for students but for anyone eager to experience live music in Waterville.
Even with new facilities, Colby’s older buildings remain part of its musical identity. Today, Bixler and Lorimer Chapel are used mainly for academic classes, but their history as performance spaces still resonates on campus. Bixler Library even serves as a hub for music and art books. Once home to student concerts and rehearsals, they reflect Colby’s continued commitment to the arts. The Gordon Center will continue to carry that legacy forward. In a shared appreciation for music and learning, each concert, whether instrumental, choral, or jazzy, will ultimately bring together the students and the Waterville community together.
~ Summer Woo `28
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Voting Is For Everyone: Colby Votes During Election Week
When Olivia Oeltjen `27 arrived on campus in January 2024 as a mid-year GES student, she didn’t know anyone. While most of her new friends hit the slopes, she wandered through Diamond one afternoon, opening random doors just to see what was inside. This act of curiosity led her to a sticker that would end up molding her entire experience here at the College.
“I was just kind of walking around Diamond, opening doors, checking stuff out,” Oeltjen said. “And I see this Colby Votes sticker on the wall, and I’m like, wait, that’s something I’d be really interested in doing. I really believe in civic engagement and voting.”
After emailing Colby Votes to ask about getting involved, Oeltjen soon found herself on a Zoom call with Elizabeth Jabar, the Dean of Civic Engagement. What she thought would be a simple statement of club interest, turned into something so much bigger.
“I really thought it was just a silly little club where I’d get a tabling shift or something,” she said, laughing. “But on the Zoom, she [Elizabeth Jabar] offers me a job. I was literally fresh off the boat from Spain…two weeks later, I’m working the club fair.”
A year and a half later, Oeltjen has become one of the key driving forces behind the College’s civic engagement efforts. She helps organize everything from voter registration events to volunteer coalitions and educational events. This fall, she worked to expand on election education leading up to the pivotal week of November 4th.
“This year was kind of an off-off season, it wasn’t like a midterm or presidential election, so people weren’t as engaged,” she explained. “But I wanted to build a coalition of volunteers who are interested in working with us so we can tap into it for later years. So I really advertised and pushed trying to get as many people involved as possible”.
To raise this awareness, Oeltjen and her team of 30 volunteers went and hosted tabling events in the Spa, designed bright orange postcards explaining local referendums, and worked with Colby Libraries for National Voter Registration Day.
“Honestly, this year was definitely more low-key,” she said. “Last year we had concerts with CMI and tie-dye T-shirts…but this year it was about making sure people knew the election was happening.”
Her efforts were extremely relevant given the issues at stake. In the November 4th, 2025 Maine elections, voters faced two major referendum questions that drew a semi-high turnout from an off-year vote. Question 1, which proposed adding photo-ID requirements and structure rules on absentee and early voting, was rejected by about 64% of voters, preserving Maine’s existing election system. However, Question 2, a “red flag” run law measure allowing courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed dangerous, passed with about 63% of support.
“These referendums on the ballot, [guns and voting access], were the kind of ‘sexy questions,’” Oeltjen said. “Stuff that’s already in the news, and highly politicized issues that people talk about…people actually care about that. It gets them talking.”
For Oeltjen, that curiosity is something she hopes continues to grow. “The kind of student who’s going to policy events or reading the news, those are people who are already civically engaged,” she said. “You just have to make sure they know when elections are happening.”
One of Oeltjen’s main goals is to make voting accessible for everyone, especially first-time voters. She recalled a chaotic moment before Election Day this year when she realized first year students couldn’t access their residency confirmation letters on the MyColby platform, which are required to register to vote in Waterville.
“I found out the day before the election,” she said. “I jumped out of bed, ran to the registrar, called the city clerk, my boss [Elizabeth Jabar], even Dean Gus…So I was running around on the phone with so many different people because it means so much to me. It was chaos, but we figured it out.”
She laughed, remembering the frenzy of it all. “I was like, this group of kids is getting to the polls, so help me God. I am going to do everything in my power to make sure this group of 700 kids are able. Even if only three freshmen voted, it would’ve been worth it.”
Some of the most rewarding moments, for Oeltjen, come from helping students who are new to the voting process. “Sometimes people come up embarrassed, like, ‘I don’t know how to register,’” she said. “But I never want anyone to feel that way. I want to create a nonjudgemental environment where asking questions is okay because voting is hard, it’s complicated, and there are a lot of barriers…There’s no such thing as a dumb question. My job is to help you vote, that’s literally what I study and what I’m paid to do.”
As the state rejected stricter voter ID laws and upheld its current voting access, Oeltjen reflected on how it felt like a form of validation of all the work her and Colby Votes do on campus and in the community. “I’m really excited for 2026 because Maine is such an important state,” she said. “People always say, ‘My vote doesn’t matter,’ but it really will. This election’s going to be close, and Colby students’ voices make a difference.”
When asked about the future of voter education on campus, Oeltjen paused and smiled before saying, “Voting is for everyone. And I think it’s so cool that this community can influence real elections in that way.”
~ Mia Dinunzio `28
March 13, 2026
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