Talk:Bates College

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Maine C‑class Mid‑importance

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Whoops - sorry about rolling back two revisions; I just meant to roll back the last one, that accidentally duplicated some copy. - DavidWBrooks 18:30, 1 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Oh, no problem. Wikipedia burped and I got an edit conflict, so I copied the "existing" into the "new" article and made my modifications there, without realizing that I was only editing the "External links" section. That's why it duplicated. I'm glad you caught it, because I wouldn't have looked at it again without your edit. -Rjyanco 23:16, 1 Nov 2004 (UTC)

-It seems as though "Cobb Divinty" warrants a distinct entry, as it was not part of Bates for half of its time as a Divinity School, I'll add a few more facts eventually (and to the Stephens entry).

Jewish quotas at Bates

Part of this article isn't totally true -- Bates HAS NOT always admitted students without regard to relgion. In to the 1950s, Bates Admissions maintained a quota on the number of Jewish students they would amit each year. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.81.199.243 (talk • contribs)

Really? Is that true? I've never heard that but I'm willing to believe it. I would be even more willing if you left your name or some kind of evidence that what you say is true, or if you had spelled "admit" or "religion" correctly. I need to see some proof, otherwise, I'm going to remove your edit. User:Cdogsimmons 15:05, 18 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've never seen actual evidence of Jewish quotas at Bates, beyond rumors...It doesn't seem as though there were large numbers of Jewish applicants to the college in the 1950s, so it seems doubtful that they would be turned away. Although anything's possible, I guess. I agree with Cdogsimmons...a source is needed for the allegation. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Swampyank (talk • contribs)

For substantiation of the existence of the quota, please see Bates Through the Years (by Charlie Clark). Specifically, see pages 105 and 108. [And sorry about the spelling in the original post!] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.81.207.240 (talk • contribs)

soccer photo?

The name of the photo is Brendan_O'Connell_'06.jpg but the caption says it is Terrence O'Connell - and an anon just added a "photo by" note that is not on the picture description page. Does anybody know what is true? - DavidWBrooks 21:29, 23 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bates confers only bachelor's degrees?

The article as it now stands says that Bates confers bachelor's degrees. Yet the article about Richard Buckminster Fuller states that Fuller received a D.Sc. from Bates. What's the story here? Were master's and doctorate graduate programs discontinued at some point? Joel Russ 17:37, 13 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

While it is true that Bates used to grant master's degrees, Buckminster Fuller received an honorary doctorate from the college. Swampyank 23:09, 13 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Bates was New England's first coeducational college?

Is this true? Is there a cite? Thank you. --70.109.223.188 (talk) 17:43, 3 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, it is true. Women were admitted in the first classes at Bates and the earlier seminary institution. Mary Mitchell, Class of 1869, was the first female B.A. in New England. Various sources confirm...just check it out on google book search. Mitchell worked in the mills and later became a professor and friend of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott according to one source.Swampyank (talk) 21:53, 3 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Can you provide a cite? Thank you.--70.109.223.188 (talk) 14:58, 4 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I already added it to the article.Swampyank (talk) 15:59, 4 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you. --70.109.223.188 (talk) 18:42, 4 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Highly selective

The phrase "highly selective" has no place in the article, least of all in the opening sentence of the lead, which is why I have removed it. It is a weasel phrase and peacock term that conveys no actual meaning than to serve as boosterism for the institution. Furthermore, no institution or publication classifies colleges as "highly" selective, so it's not even verifiable. Assert facts, not opinions and just describe the admissions numbers (number of applicants, number admitted, number matriculated, and freshmen retention) in the body of article and don't tell the reader what to think. Madcoverboy (talk) 18:27, 27 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Fragment Sentence in History Section

Towards the end of the section on Bates history, there is a fragmented sentence that I will quote below...

"During World War II, when male students abandoned college campuses to enlist in the armed forces, Gray established a V-12 Navy College Training Program Unit on campus,[10] assuring the College students - men and women - during wartime."

This sentence lacks an actual description of what it actually assured men and women of, and should be corrected. I'm not confident enough and not aware of the program in question to the extent that I feel comfortable performing this edit myself. Anyone willing to fix this typo?

74.101.160.253 (talk) 02:27, 30 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Bates College 2015 controversies

Hi all. I am hoping that experienced Wikipedia editors and contributors to the Bates College page can take a look at the major new section titled "Controversies," that has been added by a new Wikipedia contributor, as well as the text at the top that sums up the new section.

I understand why this section has been added -- there have been events at Bates -- but am hopeful that experienced contributors can look at the tone/hyperbole (e.g., that the college administration is "mired in controversy") of the text and the fact that some of the source material is from opinion stories in the campus newspaper that have been printed anonymously or with scant attribution.

Specifically, the new text makes major, unsubstantiated charges regarding confidential personnel issues. The accuracy of these accusations, and their potential for libel, have already been called into question by college's Communications Office. As a member of that staff, I am not the right person to weigh in on these changes to the Bates page. I made an edit that I believed adhered to Wikipedia guidelines for conflict of interest but the original text has since been restored. So, I welcome the Wikipedia community's authoritative look at the style, tone and attribution of these recent changes.Hjayburns (talk) 01:44, 22 March 2015 (UTC)hjayburns[reply]