The Undiscussed 2011

Life as a Bowdoin student is an unique experience.  Each of us has diverse capabilities, interests, and backgrounds.  Everyone plays an active role in creating a vibrant community – in and out of the classroom.  But how often do we stop and think about our lives?  How often do we have important conversations about difficult topics?  The Undiscussed offers a challenge: participate in meaningful discussions about your experiences at Bowdoin with a diverse group of students and use them to create positive change.

Welcome to the Bowdoin Undiscussed Spring 2011! Our mission is to provide students a space for discovery and reflection on their individual attitudes about different aspects of identity and then turn these thoughts into action. In other words, participants and facilitators engage in personal discussions, identify problems, and come up with ideas of how to address these issues at Bowdoin. Although we present suggestions that come out of these groups to administrators, this effort is completely student-run.

How it works:

Based on their schedule, participants are placed into groups of 8 to 12 students led by two impartial student facilitators. The groups meet for 1 1/2 hour sessions once a week for 5 weeks to discuss topics that typically go “undiscussed.” In the past, groups have discussed how socio-economic class, race, ethnicity, religion, substance-free housing preferences, sexuality, and other identities affect our Bowdoin experiences. However, discussion is not enough. We ask each group to get specific and generate an implementable action plan to address specific problems at Bowdoin found in these conversations. The steering committee and other interested students compile these findings, present them to student leaders and administrators, and work in the late spring and fall to make them happen.

This spring, we are tackling three related questions: How do “spaces” shape our identity?  How do the places we spend our time (or do not) shape the perceptions of others?  What impact do “spaces” have on our individual Bowdoin experiences and those of others?

How to get involved:

Check back here the second week of classes for a link to sign up to participate in a dialogue circle in 2011. Circles will meet the second week of February through the second week of March.

Explore this site or email us at [email protected] to find out more!

The 2010-2011 Steering Committee:

  • Will Cogswell ’11
  • John Cronopulus ’11
  • Chester Eng ’11
  • Liam Killion ’11
  • Chelsea Noble ’12
  • Nicole Woo ’12
  • Manuela Ekowo ’13
  • Tyler Silver ’13