Bates College: Difference between revisions

{{short description|Private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine, U.S.}}{{Infobox university

| president = [[Garry Jenkins]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bates.edu/president/welcoming-garry-w-jenkins/garry-w-jenkins/ |title=Garry W. Jenkins |date=28 June 2023}}</ref>

[[File:V12-kennedy-910-D-0051.jpg|thumb|258x258px|[[Robert F. Kennedy]] (second from left), in front of Smith Hall, during [[Bates College traditions|Winter Carnival]].]]

In 1894, [[George C. Chase|George Colby Chase]] led Bates to increased national recognition,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/150-years/bates-greats/george-c-chase/|title=George C. Chase {{!}} 150 Years {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=22 March 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> and the college graduated one of the founding members of the [[Boston Red Sox]], [[Harry Lord]].<ref name="ReferenceC">{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/150-years/history/|title=A Brief History {{!}} 150 Years {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=22 March 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref name="sabr.org">{{cite web|url=http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/7ef30196|title=Harry Lord {{!}} Society for American Baseball Research |website=sabr.org|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> In 1920, the Bates Outing Club was founded and is one of the oldest collegiate outing clubs in the country,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/campus/student-orgs/student-clubs-and-organizations/|title=Student Clubs and Organizations {{!}} Campus Life {{!}} Bates College|website=www.bates.edu|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123144204/http://www.bates.edu/campus/student-orgs/student-clubs-and-organizations/|archive-date=November 23, 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> the first at a private college to include both men and women from inception, and one of the few outing clubs that remain entirely student run.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/150-years/months/january/outing-club/|title=January 1920: The Outing Club's winter birth {{!}} 150 Years {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=22 March 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The debate society of Bates College, the [[Brooks Quimby Debate Council]], became the first college debate team in the United States to compete internationally, and is the oldest collegiate coeducational [[Debate|debate team]] in the United States.<ref name=":42">{{Cite book|title=Bates Through the Years: an Illustrated History|last=Clark|first=Charles E.|publisher=Bates College, Lewiston, Maine|year=2005|location=Edmund Muskie Archives|page=37}}</ref> In February 1920, the debate team defeated [[Harvard College]] during the national debate tournament held at Lewiston City Hall. In 1921, the college's debate team participated in the first intercontinental collegiate debate in history against the [[Oxford Union]]'s debate team at the [[University of Oxford]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/150-years/months/february/debates-harvard/|title=Bates debates Harvard at City Hall {{!}} 150 Years {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=22 March 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> Oxford's first debate in the United States was against Bates in Lewiston, in September 1923.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19230829&id=_bMgAAAAIBAJ&pg=1100,3668337|title=Oxford and Bates to Meet in Debate August 23, 1923|website=Google News Archives|publisher=Lewiston Daily Sun|page=14|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> In addition during this time, numerous academic buildings were constructed throughout the 1920s. DuringIn 1943, the [[V-12 Navy College Training Program]] was introduced at Bates. Bates maintained a considerable female student body and "did not suffer [lack in student enrollment due to military service involvement] as much as male-only institutions such as Bowdoin and Dartmouth."<ref name=":42" /> During the war, a [[Victory ship|Victory Ship]] was named the [[SS Bates Victory|S.S. ''Bates Victory'']], after the college.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usmm.org/victoryard.html|title=Victory Ships built by the United States Maritime Commission during World War II |website=www.usmm.org|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> It was during this time future U.S. Attorney General [[Robert F. Kennedy]] enrolled along with hundreds of other sailor-students.<!-- RFK's stay of Bates has been called into the question and removed from time to time - thus extra citations. --><ref name="rfkenn">{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/150-years/months/july/navy-arrives/|title=July 1943: The Navy arrives {{!}} 150 Years {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=22 March 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Walter Isaacson">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RKzUqXc3BHgC|title=Profiles in Leadership: Historians on the Elusive Quality of Greatness|author=Walter Isaacson|date=October 17, 2011|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn=9780393340761|author-link=Walter Isaacson}}</ref> The rise of social inequality and [[History of Bates College|elitism at Bates]] is most associated with the 1940s, with an increase in racial and [[Socioeconomic status|socioeconomic homogeneity]]. The college began to garner a reputation for predominately educating [[White people|white students]] who come from [[Upper middle class in the United States|upper-middle-class]] to [[affluent]] backgrounds.<ref name=":112">{{Cite book|title=Faith by Their Works: The Progressive Tradition at Bates College from 1855 to 1877|last=Larson|first=Timothy|publisher=Bates College Publishing|year=2005|location=Edmund S. Muskie Archives and Special Collections, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine|pages=Multi–source}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' detailed the atmosphere of the college in the 1960s with the following: "the prestigious Bates College — named for [[Benjamin Bates IV|Benjamin E. Bates]], whose riverfront mill on Canal Street in Lewiston was once Maine's largest employer — provided an antithesis: a leafy oasis of privilege. In the 1960s, it was really difficult for most Bates students to integrate in the community because most of the people spoke French and lived a hard life."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/20/sports/the-night-the-ali-liston-fight-came-to-lewiston.html|title=The Night the Ali-Liston Fight Came to Lewiston|last=Araton|first=Harvey|date=November 15, 2013|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 11, 2018|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>[[File:View from Hathorn Hall.jpg|thumb|291x291px|View from the steps of [[Hathorn Hall]] during [[Commencement Day|commencement week]], outlooking the [[Historic Quad]], directly facing Lindholm House, the admissions office.]]During this time the college began to compete athletically with [[Colby College]], and in 1964, with Bowdoin created the [[Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://athletics.bowdoin.edu/sports/fball/2015-16/releases/20151105o8ddf1|title=Bowdoin Football Opens CBB Chase Saturday at Bates – Bowdoin November 5, 2015|website=athletics.bowdoin.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018|archive-date=August 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813004712/http://athletics.bowdoin.edu/sports/fball/2015-16/releases/20151105o8ddf1|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1967, President [[Thomas Hedley Reynolds]] promoted the idea of teacher-scholars at Bates and secured the construction of numerous academic and recreational buildings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/150-years/bates-greats/thomas-hedley-reynolds/|title=Thomas Hedley Reynolds {{!}} 150 Years {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=22 March 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> In 1984, Bates became one of the first liberal arts colleges to make the [[SAT]] and [[ACT (test)|ACT]] optional in the admission process.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/admission/optional-testing/|title=Optional Testing at Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=6 June 2013 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> Reynolds began the [[Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Chase Regatta|Chase Regatta]] in 1988, which features the President's Cup that is contested by Bates, Colby, and Bowdoin annually. In 1989, [[Donald West Harward]] became president of Bates and greatly expanded the college's overall infrastructure by building 22 new academic, residential and athletic facilities, including Pettengill Hall, the Residential Village, and the Coastal Center at Shortridge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/past-presidents/bates-college-presidents/donald-west-harward/|title=Donald West Harward {{!}} Past Presidents {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=31 August 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/150-years/bates-greats/donald-w-harward/|title=Donald W. Harward {{!}} 150 Years {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=22 March 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> During the 1990s (and mid -2000s), Bates consolidated its reputation of being a "playground for the elite",<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sunjournal.com/2019/04/28/bates-students-fear-college-will-become-playground-for-elites/|title=Bates students fear college will become 'playground for elites'|last=Collins|first=Steve|date=November 28, 2019|website=Lewiston Sun Journal|access-date=April 20, 2020}}</ref> by educating [[Upper middle class in the United States|upper-middle-class]] to [[affluent]] Americans,<ref name=":32">{{Cite web|url=http://www.thebatesstudent.com/2013/05/diversity-of-what/|title=Diversity of what?|last=Furlow|first=Matt|date=May 1, 2013|website=www.thebatesstudent.com|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite web|url=http://www.thebatesstudent.com/2014/04/real-talk/|title=Real talk|last=Pham|first=Michelle|date=April 30, 2014|website=www.thebatesstudent.com|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thebatesstudent.com/2014/01/debunking-middle-class-myth/|title=Debunking the "Middle Class myth" {{!}} The Bates Student|last=Tatro|first=Devin|date=January 15, 2014|website=www.thebatesstudent.com|access-date=August 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807222430/http://www.thebatesstudent.com/2014/01/debunking-middle-class-myth/|archive-date=August 7, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> which led to a student protests and reforms to make the college more diverse both racially, and socioeconomically.<ref name=":113">{{Cite journal|last=Shawker|first=Cheri|date=2016|title=White Priviliage at Bates College|url=http://scarab.bates.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1150&context=honorstheses|journal=Bates College|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.chronicle.com/article/Bates-College-Students-Protest/93588|title=Bates College Students Protest Lack of Minorities April 13, 1994|work=The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

[[Elaine Tuttle Hansen]] was elected as the first female president of Bates College and managed the second largest [[Fundraising|capital campaign]] ever undertaken by Bates, totaling at $120 million and lead the [[Financial endowment|endowment]] through the [[Financial crisis of 2007–2008|2007–08 financial crisis]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/past-presidents/bates-college-presidents/elaine-tuttle-hansen/|title=Elaine Tuttle Hansen {{!}} Past Presidents {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=31 August 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bates.edu/news/2002/10/26/hansen-inaugurated/|title=Hansen inaugurated as Bates' seventh president |website=www.bates.edu|date=26 October 2002 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The college announced her retirement in 2011, appointing [[List of Bates College people|Nancy Cable]] as [[Provisional government|interim president]], to serve through June 30, 2012, while the college conducted a national search for its eighth president. In 2011, Bates made national headlines for being named the most expensive college in the U.S.,<ref name="CBSNews">{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-50-most-expensive-us-colleges/16/|title=The 50 most expensive U.S. colleges|website=www.cbsnews.com|date=24 October 2012 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> which caused backlash from American academia and students as it indirectly highlighted substantial socioeconomic inequality among students.<ref name=":32" /><ref name=":13" />

[[File:Entrance to Coram Library.jpg|thumb|345x345px|Entrance to the college's inaugural library, Coram Library.]]Bates College is a private [[Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education|baccalaureate]] liberal arts college that offers 36 departmental and interdisciplinary program majors and 25 secondary concentrations, and confers [[Bachelor of Arts]] (B.A.) and [[Bachelor of Science]] (B.S.) degrees. BatesThe Collegecollege enrolls 1,792 students, 200 of whom study abroad each semester.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/academics/|title=Academics {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=21 June 2011 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The academic year is broken up into three terms, primary, secondary, and short term, also known as the 4–4–1 academic calendar. This includes two semesters, plus a Short Term consisting of five weeks in the Spring, in which only one class is taken and in-depth coursework is commonplace.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/academics/programs-resources/short-term/|title=Short Term {{!}} Academics {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=10 September 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> Two Short Terms are required for graduation, with a maximum of three.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Bates also offers a Liberal Arts-Engineering Dual Degree Program with [[Thayer School of Engineering|Dartmouth College]]'s [[Thayer School of Engineering]], [[Columbia University]]'s [[Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science|Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science]], and [[Washington University Schoolin ofSt. Engineering and Applied ScienceLouis|Washington University]]'s [[McKelvey School of Engineering|School of Engineering and Applied Science]]. The program consists of three years at Bates and a followed two years at the school of engineering resulting in a degree from Bates and the school of engineering.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bates.edu/career/engineering/|title=Engineering {{!}} Career Development Center {{!}} Bates College|website=www.bates.edu|language=en|access-date=August 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725183703/https://www.bates.edu/career/engineering/|archive-date=July 25, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bates College is [[Higher education accreditation in the United States|accredited]] by the [[New England Commission of Higher Education]].<ref>{{Citation|title=Maine Institutions – NECHE|publisher=[[New England Commission of Higher Education]]|url=https://www.neche.org/institutions/me/|access-date=May 26, 2021}}</ref>

ItsThe [[United States Department of Education|U.S. Department of Education]] noted the most popular majors, in terms of the 2021 graduates, wereas:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Bates&s=all&id=160977#programs |website=nces.ed.gov |publisher=U.S. Dept of Education |title=Bates College |access-date=January 24, 2023}}</ref>

Bates College has been the site of landmark experiments and academic movements. In chemistry, the college has played an important role in shaping ideas about [[inorganic chemistry]] and is considered the birthplace of [[Photochemistry|inorganic photochemistry]] as its early manifestations waswere started at the college by 1943 alumnus [[George S. Hammond|George Hammond]] who was later dubbed "the father of the movement".<ref name="Introduction">{{cite journal|last1=Weiss|first1=Richard G.|last2=Wamser|first2=Carl C.|year=2006|title=Introduction to the Special Issue in honour of George Simms Hammond|journal=Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences|volume=5|issue=10|pages=869–870|doi=10.1039/b612175f|s2cid=95566853 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wamser|first=Carl C.|date=May 5, 2003|title=Biography of George S. Hammond|journal=The Journal of Physical Chemistry A|volume=107|issue=18|pages=3149–3150|bibcode=2003JPCA..107.3149W|doi=10.1021/jp030184e|issn=1089-5639}}</ref> Hammond would go on to invent [[Hammond's postulate]], revolutionizing activation levels in chemical compounds.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Organic Chemistry|last=Fox and Whiteshell|first=Marye Anne and James K.|publisher=Jones and Bartlett Publishers|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7637-2197-8|location=Sudbury, Massachusetts|pages=355–357}}</ref> In physics, 1974 alumnus [[Steven Girvin]] credited his time at the college as pivotal in his development of the [[fractional quantum Hall effect]], now a [[Physics|pillar]] in Hall conductance.<ref name="apselect">{{cite web|url=http://www.aps.org/about/governance/election/steven_girvin.cfm|title=Steven Girvin {{!}} Chair-Elect, Nominating Committee|publisher=American Physical Society|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709111021/http://www.aps.org/about/governance/election/steven_girvin.cfm|archive-date=July 9, 2009|url-status=dead|access-date=August 11, 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="nature">{{cite journal|last=DiCarlo|first=L.|display-authors=etal|date=July 2009|title=Demonstration of two-qubit algorithms with a superconducting quantum processor|journal=Nature|volume=460|issue=7252|pages=240–244|arxiv=0903.2030|bibcode=2009Natur.460..240D|doi=10.1038/nature08121|pmid=19561592|s2cid=4395714}} [https://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/0903/0903.2030v2.pdf arXiv]</ref> During the development and production of the first nuclear weapons during World War II, two students researching nuclear chemistry at the college were hired by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] as part of the first [[Manhattan Project|Manhattan project]] scientific team.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oakridger.com/article/20090424/NEWS/304249996|title=John Googin: The scientist of Y-12|last=Smith|first=D. Ray|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/frances-m-carroll|title=Frances M. Carroll |website=Atomic Heritage Foundation|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

{{as of|2017}}, Bates has a faculty of 190 and a student body of 1,780 creating a 10:1 student-faculty ratio and the average class size is about fifteen students. All [[Tenure|tenured faculty]] possess the [[Terminal degree|highest degree in their field]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/news/2015/04/03/students-admitted-to-the-class-of-2019-are-the-academically-strongest-most-diverse-in-bates-history-3/#through-text|title=Students admitted to the Class of 2019 are the academically strongest, most diverse in Bates history|last=Fischer|first=Kent|date=April 3, 2015|website=www.bates.edu|language=en|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> Full-time professors at the college received an average total compensation of $123,066, with salaries and benefits varying from field to field and position to position, putting faculty pay in the top 17% of all public and private universities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chronicle.com/interactives/executive-compensation|title=Executive Compensation at Private and Public Colleges|date=December 6, 2015|website=The Chronicle of Higher Education|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207054516/http://chronicle.com/interactives/executive-compensation|archive-date=2015-12-07|url-status=dead|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

For the 2016–17 academic year, Bates charged a [[Tuition payments|comprehensive price]] (tuition, room and board, and associated fees) of $66,550.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/financial-services/costs-and-payment/|title=Tuition & Fees {{!}} Student Financial Services {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=8 June 2011 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The college's tuition is the same for in-state and out-of-state students. Bates practices [[need-blind admission]] for students who are [[Citizenship in the United States|U.S. citizens]], [[Permanent residency|permanent residents]], DACA status students, [[Undocumented students in the United States|undocumented students]], or who graduate from a [[Secondary education in the United States|high school within the United States]], and meets all of the demonstrated need for all admitted students, including admitted international students.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thecollegesolution.com/list-of-colleges-that-meet-100-of-financial-need/|title=List of Colleges That Meet 100% of Financial Need {{!}} The College Solution |website=www.thecollegesolution.com|date=28 October 2013 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> During the 2016–17 academic year the college dispensed $37.9 million in financial aid with $4.3 million to [[Undocumented students in the United States|undocumented students]].<ref name=":23" />

For the class of 2019, the [[Demography of the United States|gender demographic]] of the college breaks down to 49% male and 51% female. 27% of U.S. students are students of color (domestic and international) and 13% of admitted students are first generation to college.<ref name=":2" /> The educational background for admitted students areis mixed: 49% of students attended [[Education in the United States|public schools]] and 51% attended [[private school]]s. About 90% of this incoming class (of those from schools that officially rank students) graduated in the top [[decile]] of their [[high school]] classes.<ref name=":2" /> Bates has a 95% freshman [[retention rate]]. A significant portion of 45% of all applicants, transfer and non-transfer, are from [[New England]].<ref name=":0" /> About 89% of students are out-of-state, (all 50 states are represented), and the college has students from 73 countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.princetonreview.com/schools/1024055/college/bates-college#!studentbody|title=Bates College: Admissions, Average Test Scores & Tuition : The Princeton Review |website=Princeton Review|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

| USNWR_LA = 2524

| Forbes = 101127

Bates is noted as one of the [[Little Ivies]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-22/little-good-news-for-the-little-ivies|title=Little Good News for the Little Ivies|last=Smith|first=Kate|date=December 22, 2016|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/gracekay/2019/08/15/top-15-liberal-arts-colleges-2019-claremont-colleges-vs-little-ivies/|title=Top 15 Liberal Arts Colleges 2019: Claremont Colleges Vs Little Ivies|last=Kay|first=Grace|date=August 19, 2019|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=April 20, 2020}}</ref> along with universities such as [[Tufts University|Tufts]], [[Bowdoin College|Bowdoin]], Colby, [[Amherst College|Amherst]], [[Middlebury College|Middlebury]], [[Connecticut College]], Hamilton, Trinity, [[Wesleyan University|Wesleyan]], and [[Williams College|Williams]]. The college is also known as one of the [[Hidden Ivies]], which includes much larger research universities such as [[Johns Hopkins University|Johns Hopkins]] and [[Stanford University]]. The 20202024 annual ranking by ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' ranked Bates tied for 21st24th overall best liberal arts college in the nation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/bates-college-2036/overall-rankings |title=Bates College Rankings |magazine=U.S. News & World Report |year=2020 |access-date=September 14, 2019}}</ref> ''[[Forbes]]'' ranked Bates 39th in its 2019 national rankings of 650 U.S. colleges, universities and service academies, and 11th among liberal arts colleges.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/colleges/bates-college/?list=top-colleges|title=Bates College Rankings|date=August 15, 2019|work=Forbes}}</ref> The college's highest ranking on the ''Forbes'' tables was 8th in the U.S. during its 2018 listing.<ref name=":8">{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/colleges/bates-college/|title=Bates College|date=September 1, 2018|work=Forbes|access-date=September 9, 2018|language=en|quote=Bates College... #29 in Top Colleges.... #8 in Liberal Arts Universities...}}</ref> ''[[Washington Monthly]]'' ranked Bates 17th in 2019 among 214 liberal arts colleges in the U.S. based on its contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://washingtonmonthly.com/2019college-guide/liberalarts|title=2019 Liberal Arts College Rankings|access-date=September 13, 2019|magazine=Washington Monthly|date=25 August 2019}}</ref>

Bates is in a former [[mill town]], Lewiston, which has a large [[French Canadian]] ethnic presence due to migration from [[Quebec]] in the 19th century. The college is known for cultural strains with the town, with townspeople describing Bates as a "leafy oasis of privilege."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bates.edu/news/2015/05/22/ali-liston-50-years/|title=50 years ago: Ali, Liston, Lewiston, Bates|last=Burns|first=Jay|date=May 22, 2015|website=www.bates.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The overall architectural design of the college can be traced through the [[Colonial Revival architecture|Colonial Revival architecture movement]], and has distinctive [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]], [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]], [[Colonial Revival architecture|Colonial]], and [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic]] features. The earliest buildings of the college were directly designed by Boston architect [[Gridley J. F. Bryant|Gridley J.F. Bryant]], and subsequent buildings follow his overall architectural template.<ref name=":3" /> Colonial restoration influence can be seen in the architecture of certain buildings, however many of the off campus houses' architecture was heavily influenced by the [[Victorian era]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|title=Architecture of Bates College|last=Stuan|first=Thomas|publisher=Bates College, Lewiston, Maine|year=2006|location=Ladd Library, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine|page=23}}</ref> Many buildings on campus share design parallels with [[Dartmouth College]], [[University of Cambridge]], [[Yale University]], and [[Harvard University]].<ref name=":26">{{Cite book|title=The Architecture of Bates College|last=Stuan|first=Thomas|publisher=Bates College|year=2006|location=Ladd Library, Bates College, Lewiston, Maine|page=23}}</ref><ref name=":223">{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/chaplaincy/chapel/|title=The Peter J. Gomes Chapel {{!}} Multifaith Chaplaincy {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=14 July 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

Bates has a 133-acre main campus and maintains the 600-acre [[Bates-Morse Mountain|Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area]],<ref name="ReferenceE">{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/harward/bates-morse-mountain-shortridge/|title=Bates-Morse Mountain & Shortridge {{!}} Harward Center {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=19 October 2017 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> as well as an 80-acre Coastal Center fresh water habitat at Shortridge.<ref name="ReferenceF">{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/harward/bmmcashortridge-field-research/|title=Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area and Shortridge Field Research {{!}} Harward Center {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=19 October 2017 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The eastern campus is situated around Lake Andrews, where many residential halls are located. The quad of the campus connects academic buildings, athletics arenas, and residential halls. Bates College houses over 1 million volumes of articles, papers, subscriptions, audio/video items and government articles among all three libraries and all academic buildings. The George and Helen Ladd Library houses 620,000 cataloguedcataloged volumes, 2,500 serial subscriptions and 27,000 audio/video items.<ref name=":0" /> Coram Library houses almost 200,000 volumes of articles, subscriptions and audio/video items.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/library/coram-library/|title=Coram Library {{!}} Library {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=5 September 2012 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Hedge Hall Bates College.jpg|thumb|218x218px|Hedge Hall, named after [[Isaiah H. Hedge|Isaiah Hedge]], is referred to by students as the Hog in reference to a Hedge Hog and its structural resemblance to [[Hogwarts]].]]

The most notable items in the library's collection include, copies of the original [[Constitution of Maine]], personal correspondence of [[James K. Polk]] and [[Hannibal Hamlin]], original academic papers of [[Henry Clay]], personal documents of [[Edmund Muskie]], original printings of newspaper articles written by [[James G. Blaine]], and selected collections of other prominent religious, political and economic figures, both in Maine, and the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/library/|title=Library {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=12 July 2012 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://abacus.bates.edu/muskie-archives/Collections/Books.shtml|title=Bates College: Muskie Archives: Collections |website=abacus.bates.edu|date=21 December 2016 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

The Olin Arts Center maintains three teaching sound proof studios, five class rooms, five seminar rooms, ten practice rooms with pianos, and a 300-seat grand recital hall. It holds the college's [[Steinway D-274|Steinway concert grand piano]], [[Disklavier]], William Dowd harpsichord, and their 18th -century replica [[Fortepiano|forte piano]]. The studios are modernized with computers, synthesizers, and various recording equipment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/music/about/olin-arts-center/|title=Olin Arts Center {{!}} Music {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=22 June 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The center houses the departments of Art and Music, and was given to Bates by the [[F. W. Olin Foundation]] in 1986.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/tour/academic-buildings/olin-arts-center/|title=Olin Arts Center {{!}} Campus Tour {{!}} Bates College|website=www.bates.edu|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905223725/http://www.bates.edu/tour/academic-buildings/olin-arts-center/|archive-date=2017-09-05|url-status=dead|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The center has had numerous [[Artist-in-residence|Artists in Residence]], such as [[Frank Glazer]], and [[Leyla McCalla]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/news/2014/01/31/three-days-three-big-bates-concerts-songs-of-hanns-eisler-glazers-99th-singer-mccalla/|title=Three days, three big Bates concerts: songs of Hanns Eisler, Glazer's 99th, singer McCalla {{!}} News {{!}} Bates College|last=Burns|first=Jay|date=January 31, 2014|website=www.bates.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/news/2014/01/31/taking-a-break-from-the-carolina-chocolate-drops-singer-mccalla-to-perform/|title=Taking a break from the Carolina Chocolate Drops, singer McCalla to perform {{!}} News {{!}} Bates College January 31, 2014|website=www.bates.edu|date=31 January 2014|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The Olin Arts Center has joined with the Maine Music Society to produce musical performances throughout Maine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/news/2007/03/27/brahms-requiem/|title=College joins Maine Music Society to amass 260 musicians for Brahms concert {{!}} News {{!}} Bates College|last=Burns|first=Jay|date=March 27, 2007|website=www.bates.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

{{main| Bates-Morse Mountain}}This conservation area of 600 acres is available to Bates students for academic, extracurricular, and research purposes. This area is mainly salt marshes and coastal uplands. The college participates in preserving the plants, animals and natural ecosystems within this area as a part of their Community-Engaged Learning Program. Due to its overall size, the site is frequently used by other Maine schools such as Bowdoin College for their [[Nordic skiing|Nordic Skiing]] practices.<ref name="ReferenceE"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/harward/files/2011/06/CEYES0910FINALONLINE.pdf|title=ShortRdige Programs: Bates College |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

[[File:The Commons, Bates College.jpg|thumb|306x306px|The college's dining complex: Commons.|left]]In 2015, the college's dining program was ranked 6th by ''[[The Princeton Review]],''<ref name=":4" /> and 8th by [[Niche (company)|Niche]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://college.usatoday.com/2015/01/12/survey-ranks-the-colleges-with-the-best-food-plans/|title=Survey ranks the colleges with the best food plans|date=January 12, 2015|website=USA TODAY College|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113091251/http://college.usatoday.com/2015/01/12/survey-ranks-the-colleges-with-the-best-food-plans/|archive-date=2015-01-13|url-status=dead|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The college's dining services received the grade of 'A+' by Niche in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.<ref name="Explore Bates College">{{Cite web |title=Bates College |url=https://colleges.niche.com/bates-college/ |access-date=August 11, 2018 |website=Niche |language=en-US}}</ref> The college holds one main dining area and offers two floors of seating.<ref name="Ref-1">{{cite web|url=https://colleges.niche.com/bates-college/campus-food/|title=Bates College – Campus Food |website=Niche.com|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> All meals and catered events on campus are served by Bates Dining Services, which makes a concentrated effort to purchase foods from suppliers and producers within the state of Maine, like [[Oakhurst Dairy]] and others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/dining/who-we-are/food-quality-and-nutrition/|title=Food Quality and Nutrition {{!}} Dining Services {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The Den serves as an on-campus restaurant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/tour/the-den/|title=The Den {{!}} Campus Tour {{!}} Bates College|website=www.bates.edu|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120428154254/http://www.bates.edu/tour/the-den/|archive-date=2012-04-28|url-status=dead|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> While on campus, enrolled students and faculty have access to [[24/7 service|round-the-clock]] emergency medical services and security protection.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://abacus.bates.edu/people/orgs/ems/|title=Bates Emergency Medical Services, Bates College |website=abacus.bates.edu|date=7 August 2017 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/security/|title=Security & Campus Safety {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=8 June 2011 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

The college also holds an annual "Harvest Dinner" during [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] that features a school-wide dining experience including a New England buffet and live musical performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/news/2008/11/13/harvest-meal-2008/|title=Fare to remember: Harvest Meal 2008 {{!}} News {{!}} Bates College November 13, 2008|website=www.bates.edu|date=13 November 2008|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> [[Martin Luther King, Jr. Day|Martin Luther King Day]] at Bates is celebrated annually with classes being canceled, and performances, events, keynote talks are held in observance. It is a day marked by keynotes from well known scholars who speak on the subjects of race, justice, and equality in America. In 2016, the college invited [[Jelani Cobb]] to speak at the college on MLK Day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bates.edu/mlk/|title=Martin Luther King Jr. Observance {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bates.edu/mlk/mlk-day-2016-keynote-speaker-william-jelani-cobb/|title=MLK Day 2016 keynote speaker: William Jelani Cobb {{!}} Martin Luther King Jr. Observance {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=11 December 2015 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The college offers students 110 clubs and organizations on campus.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/campus/student-orgs/student-clubs-and-organizations/|title=Student Clubs and Organizations {{!}} Campus Life {{!}} Bates College|website=www.bates.edu|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904003336/http://www.bates.edu/campus/student-orgs/student-clubs-and-organizations/|archive-date=2015-09-04|url-status=dead|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> Among those is the competitive eating club, the Fat Cats, Ultimate Frisbee, and the student government.<ref name="ReferenceB" /> The largest club is the Outing Club, which leads canoeing, kayaking, rafting, camping and backpacking trips throughout Maine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/boc/|title=Bates Outing Club {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=16 February 2015 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> Although Bates has since conception, rejected fraternities and sororities, various social groups exist.<ref name=":1"/>[[File:Bates Student 1877.jpg|thumb|328x328px|''[[The Bates Student]]'' is the oldest [[Mixed-sex education|coeducational]] college newspaper in the United States.]]

The formation of the team predates the establishment of the college itself as the debate society was founded within the [[Maine State Seminary]] making it the oldest coeducational college debate society in the United States. It was headed by Bates alumnus and teacher [[Brooks Quimby]] and became the first intercollegiate international debate team in the United States.<ref name=":42" /> The Quimby Debate Society has been noted as "America's most prestigious debating society,"<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Burns|first=John F.|date=November 27, 2007|title=Oxford Union girds for far-right debate Protesters vow 'anti- fascist' rally|journal=International Herald Tribune|pages=1}}</ref> and the "playground of the powerful."<ref name=":422">{{Cite book|title=Bates Through the Years: an Illustrated History|last=Clark|first=Charles E.|publisher=Bates College, Lewiston, Maine|year=2005|location=Edmund Muskie Archives|page=37|quote=Oxford's Union has been historical characterized as the playground of the powerful, but with the mounting power the alumni of Brooks have accumulated it is clear to see the society is the playground of the powerful in the states.}}</ref> During the 1930s, the debate society was subject to 'The Quimby Institute' which pitted each and every debate student against Brooks Quimby himself. This is where he began to engage in heated debate with them that stressed "flawless assertions" and resulted in every error made by the student to be carefully scrutinized and teased.<ref name=":42" /> Bates has an annual and traditional debate with [[University of Oxford|Oxford]], [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]] and [[Dartmouth College]]. It competes in the [[American Parliamentary Debate Association]] domestically, and competes in the [[World Universities Debating Championship]]s, internationally. The debate council was ranked 5th nationally in 2013, the year prior year ranking 9th in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bates.edu/news/2012/02/29/bates-debate-global-ranking/|title=Bates debate hits No. 9 in global ranking|last=Burns|first=Jay|date=February 29, 2012|website=www.bates.edu|access-date=October 31, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bates.edu/news/2013/10/31/bates-debate-rank-fifth-nation/|title=Bates debate ranks fifth in nation, including key win at Yale Inter-Varsity Tournament|last=VanDerburgh|first=Barbara|date=October 31, 2013|website=www.bates.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

The class graduates participate in an [[Ivy Day (united states)|Ivy Day]] which installs a granite placard onto one of the academic or residential buildings on campus. They serve as a symbol of the class and their respective history both academically and socially. Some classes donate to the college, in the form of gates, facades, and door outlines, by inscribing or creating their own version of symbolic icons of the college's seal or other prominent insignia. This usually occurs on graduation day, but may occur on later dates with alumni returning to the campus. This tradition is shared with the [[University of Pennsylvania]] and [[Princeton University]]. On Ivy Day, members of [[Phi Beta Kappa Society|Phi Beta Kappa]] are announced.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bates.edu/news/2006/05/04/ivy-stone/|title=The Class of 1975 joins the ivy stone tradition {{!}} News {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=4 May 2006 |language=en|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

[[Robert F. Kennedy]], with his naval classmates, built a replica of their boat back in Massachusetts out of snow in front of Smith Hall, during their carnival. This tradition is second only to [[Dartmouth College]] as the oldest of its kind in the United States.<ref name=":42" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bates.edu/news/1997/01/13/winter-carnival-1997/|title=Winter carnival to be held {{!}} News {{!}} Bates College January 13, 1997|website=www.bates.edu|date=13 January 1997|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> Students are known to participate in what has been colloquially termed as the '[[Newman Day|Dartmouth Challenge]]', which consists of alcohol related activities, closely related to the parent ritual [[Newman Day]], a tradition the college started in the 1970s.<ref name=":022" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/24_hours_in_a_day_24_beers_in_a_case_coincidence_i_think_not_newman_day/|title="24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not." (Newman Day)|last=Popik|first=Barry|date=July 6, 2012|website=www.barrypopik.com|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The carnival has been hosted by the Bates Outing Club since its conception.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebatesstudent.com/2015/01/95th-anniversary-winter-carnival/|title=95th anniversary of Winter Carnival|last=Goldberg|first=Hannah|date=January 21, 2015|access-date=August 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813043338/http://www.thebatesstudent.com/2015/01/95th-anniversary-winter-carnival/|archive-date=August 13, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On the Friday of Winter Carnival, the Bates College Outing Club initiates the annual Puddle Jump. A hole is cut by a chainsaw or by the original axe used in the inaugural Puddle Jump of 1975, in Lake Andrews. Students from all class years jump into the hole, sometimes in costumes, to celebrate, "exuberance at the end of a hard winter." By mid-evening, they celebrate with donuts, cider and a cappella performances.<ref name=":10">{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/150-years/months/march/puddle-jump/|title=Puddle Jump {{!}} 150 Years {{!}} Bates College August 11, 2018|website=www.bates.edu|date=22 March 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

[[File:1912 Bates-Harvard gameCollege 1912baseball team.jpg|thumb|AThe 1912 baseball game against [[Harvard University|Harvard]] in 1912 team]]

The college's official mascot is the [[bobcat]], and official color is garnet. The college athletically competes in the [[NCAA Division III]] [[New England Small College Athletic Conference]] (NESCAC), which also includes [[Amherst College|Amherst]], [[Connecticut College|Connecticut]], [[Hamilton College (New York)|Hamilton]], [[Middlebury College|Middlebury]], [[Trinity College (Connecticut)|Trinity]], [[Tufts University|Tufts]], [[Wesleyan University|Wesleyan]], [[Williams College|Williams]], and "Maine Big Three" rivals [[Bowdoin College|Bowdoin]] and [[Colby College|Colby]] in the [[Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium]]. This is one of the oldest football rivalries in the United States. This consortium is a series of historically highly competitive football games ending in the championship game between the three schools. Bates is the holder of the winning streak, but also has the record for the biggest loss in the athletic conference.

Overall the college leads the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium in wins. Bates has won this championship ata total of eleven times including 2014, 2015, and in 2016 won it again with a 24–7 win over Bowdoin, after their 21–19 home victory over Colby.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://athletics.bates.edu/sports/fball/2016-17/schedule|title=2016-17 Football Schedule {{!}} Athletics {{!}} Bates College |website=athletics.bates.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebatesstudent.com/2015/11/football-secures-second-consecutive-cbb-championship-win-bowdoin/|title=Football secures second consecutive CBB championship with win over Bowdoin – The Bates Student|last=Karsten|first=James|date=November 11, 2015|website=The Bates Student|language=en-US|access-date=August 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142706/http://www.thebatesstudent.com/2015/11/football-secures-second-consecutive-cbb-championship-win-bowdoin/|archive-date=June 12, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The ice hockey team is the first team to win the NESCAC Club Ice Hockey Championships four times in a row.<ref name="athletics.bates.edu 20150502jgiyqn">{{cite web|url=http://athletics.bates.edu/sports/rowing/2014-15/releases/20150502jgiyqn|title=Women's rowing team dominates the New England Rowing Championships {{!}} Athletics {{!}} Bates College May 2, 2015|website=athletics.bates.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> {{as of|2016}}, the men's club ice hockey team is ranked 5th in the Northeast, and 25th overall in the [[Northeast Collegiate Hockey League|NESCHA rankings]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pointstreaksites.com/view/necha/league-standings-22|title=League Standings Northeast Collegiate Hockey Association (NECHA) – Pointstreak Sites May 1, 2016|website=pointstreaksites.com|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> In the winter of 2008, the college's Nordic Skiing team sent students who were the highest -ranked skiers in the [[Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association]] and placed 4th in the 2008 [[NCAA Skiing Championships|NCAA Division I Championship]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eisaskiing.blogspot.com//BART/Results08/ncaa2008-4.htm|title=EISA Skiing|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314171024/http://eisaskiing.blogspot.com/|archive-date=March 14, 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> In April 2005, the college's athletic program was ranked top 5% of national athletics programs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bates.edu/news/2005/04/14/athletics-programs/|title=Bates ranked in top 5 percent of national athletics programs News Bates College April 14, 2005|website=www.bates.edu|date=14 April 2005|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The Men's Squash Team won the national championships in 2015, and 2016, with the winning student being the first in the history of the athletic conference, to be named the All American all four years he played for the college.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/news/2016/03/24/an-inside-look-at-bates-squash-champ-ahmed-abdel-khaleks-road-to-victory/|title=Shot by shot, an inside look at Bates squash champ Ahmed Abdel Khalek's road to victory|last=Morse|first=Aaron|date=March 24, 2016|website=www.bates.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The men's track field is the first team in the history of Maine to have seven consecutive [[Bates Bobcats|wins]] of the state championship, a feat completed in 2016.<ref name=":18">{{cite web|url=http://athletics.bates.edu/sports/mtrack/2015-16/releases/20160423tvp6xv|title=Bates wins seventh straight Maine State Men's Outdoor Championship {{!}} Athletics {{!}} Bates College April 23, 2016|website=athletics.bates.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

Bates maintains 31 varsity teams, and 9 club teams, including sailing, cycling, ice hockey, rugby, and water polo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://athletics.bates.edu/landing/index/#submenu3-2|title=Athletics {{!}} Bates College |website=athletics.bates.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> [[File:Campus bates college1.jpg|thumb|287x287px|Bates playing a lacrosse [[Exhibition game|friendly]] against [[Williams College]] on [[Garcelon Field]] in 2016.]]

In 2009, the college was given its third $5,000 [[Grant (money)|grant allocation]] by the Hobart Center for Foodservice Sustainability which cited Bates as "having the best sustainability program among numerous entrants nationwide".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.traulsen.com/traulsennewsarticle.aspx?id=1415|title=Traulsen |website=www.traulsen.com|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> In 2010, the college was named one of 15 colleges in the United States to the "Green Honor Roll", by [[The Princeton Review|Princeton Review]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.evergreen.edu/news/archives/2009/07/princeton.htm|title=Princeton Review Chooses The Evergreen State College for Its "Green Rating Honor Roll" at Evergreen July 28, 2010|website=www.evergreen.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> Bates mitigates 99% of emissions [[Electrical conduction system of the heart|via electrical consumption]] and purchases all of its energy from Maine Renewable Resources. The college expended $1.1 million of its endowment to install lighting retrofits, occupancy sensors, motor system replacements and energy -generating mechanisms.<ref name=":192" /> Select buildings at the college are open [[24/7 service|24/7]], thus requiring extra energy, due to this the college has implemented technology that places buildings on "stand-by" mode while minimum occupancy is attained to preserve energy.<ref name=":192" /> The practice is set to reduce the college's overall emissions levels by 5 to 10 percent. Overall, the academic buildings and residential halls are equipped with day-lighting techniques, motion sensors, and efficient heating systems.<ref name=":192" /> Bates expended $1.5 million to implement a central plant that provides steam for heating for up to 80% of all on-campus establishments. The central plant is equipped with a modernized biomass systemssystem and a miniature back-pressure steam turbine which reduces campus electricity consumption by 5%. The college also installed a $2.7 million [[Watt|900kW]] [[Turbine|hyper-roterized turbine]] that accounts for nearly one -tenth of the campus' entire energy consumption.<ref name=":192">{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/sustainability/files/2011/11/Bates-CAP-20102.pdf|title=Bates College Sustainability January 1, 2013|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> Bates was the first food-service operation in higher education to join the Green Restaurant Association. In 2013, the environmental practices of the college's dining services were placed along with [[Harvard University]], and [[Northeastern University]], as the best in the United States by the Green Restaurant Association;<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pressherald.com/2015/10/21/vegetarian-kitchen-mystery-meat-yields-to-greener-meals-in-maine-college-dining-halls/|title=Mystery meat yields to greener meals in Maine college dining halls|last=Yale Kamila|first=Avery|date=October 21, 2015|work=Press Herald|access-date=August 11, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref> it earned three out of three stars, the only educational institution in Maine to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bates.edu/news/2013/07/31/green-restaurant-association-three-star-sustainable-dining/|title=Bates earns third star for 'green' dining, joining just five other schools in category|last=Hubley|first=Doug|date=July 31, 2013|website=www.bates.edu|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

Bates maintains numerous environmental clubs and initiativeinitiatives such as Green Certification, which recognizes students who commit to sustainable policies and practices,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/sustainability/get-involved/get-involved-for-students/green-room-certification/|title=Green Certification {{!}} Sustainability {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=29 August 2013 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> Green Bike, which offers students access to bicycles for use on and off campus for free,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/sustainability/green-bike-program/|title=Green Bike Program {{!}} Sustainability {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=4 September 2013 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> and the Bates Action Energy Movement in which students participate in "both on-campus and nationwide environmental events and engage students with discussions on climate change and other pressing ecological crises."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/sustainability/get-involved/get-involved-for-students/|title=Sustainability at Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=18 March 2013 |language=en|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The [[Bates College Museum of Art]], offers programs such as the Green Horizons Program that showcase [[environmentalism]] in art, society, and culture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bates.edu/museum/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/y2007/green-horizons/|title=Green Horizons {{!}} Museum of Art {{!}} Bates College |website=www.bates.edu|date=16 April 2010 |access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref>

The [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] honored Bates as a member of the Green Power Leadership Club due to the fact that 96% of energy used on campus is from renewable resources.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/30197111?access_key=key-1laskaan3lw2eknp570|title=Scribd|website=www.scribd.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105210658/https://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/30197111?access_key=key-1laskaan3lw2eknp570|archive-date=2016-01-05|url-status=dead|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> All newly developed buildings and facilities are built to [[Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design|LEED]] Silver and Gold standards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2011/schools/bates-college.html|title=Bates College – Green Report Card 2011 May 4, 2011|website=www.greenreportcard.org|access-date=August 11, 2018}}</ref> The college achieved [[Carbon neutrality|complete carbon neutrality]] in 2019, as a result of campus-wide conservation efforts and specific initiatives in its implementation plan.<ref name=":192" /><ref>"Bates College Achieves Carbon Neutral Status to Help Stave Off Climate Change," ''Lewiston Sun Journal,'' https://www.sunjournal.com/2019/05/16/bates-college-achieves-carbon-neutral-status-to-help-stave-off-climate-change/</ref>

File:Frank Sandford.jpg|[[Frank Sandford]], evangelical Christian cult leader

Bates alumni have included leaders in science, religion, politics, the Peace Corps, medicine, law, education, communications, and business; and acclaimed actors, architects, artists, astronauts, engineers, human rights activists, inventors, musicians, philanthropists, and writers. {{as of|2015}}, there are 24,000 Bates College alumni.<ref name="www.bates.edu22" /> The college is associated, throughBates alumni and academic staff, with the followingincluding intellectualfaculty, scientific,include and social contributions to human advancement, including laying the foundations of86 [[BrailleFulbright Program|brailleFulbright typographyScholars]] ([[Frank Haven Hall]]),;<ref>{{Citecite book |last=Association |first=Illinois Education |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H86gAAAAMAAJweb |title=AnnualBates Meetinggraduate |date=Augustawarded 11,Fulbright 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=I. |first=P. |date=January 1, 1976 |title=Frank Haven Hall (1843–1911) A Biographical Sketchgrant |url=httpshttp://wwwbates.deepdyvemeritpages.com/lpachievements/sage/frankBates-havengraduate-hallawarded-1843Fulbright-1911-a-biographical-sketch-KedLwVFmXm |url-status=dead |journal=Journal of Special Education |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=120 |doi=10.1177grant/002246697601000201 |issn42051?hs=0022-466914295 |s2cidaccess-date=220318318June |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813005809/https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/sage/frank-haven-hall-1843-1911-a-biographical-sketch-KedLwVFmXm1, |archive-date=2018-08-13 |access-datewebsite=2018-12-14Merit Pages}}</ref> "22 [[FrankThomas Sandford#Shiloh|TheJ. Kingdom]]"Watson ([[FrankFellowship|Watson SandfordFellows]]),;<ref>{{cite web |authortitle=ShirleyWatson NelsonFellowship |title=The– StoryBates of ShilohCollege |url=httphttps://www.christianitybates.comedu/church/church-historynews/timelinetag/1901watson-2000fellowship/the-story-of-shiloh-11630697.html |access-date=AugustJune 141, 20172018 |website=www.bates.edu}}</ref> the5 [[CivilRhodes rights movement|American civil rights movementScholars]] ([[Benjamin Mays]]),;<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 March 2010 |title=BenjaminRhodes E.Institution Mays {{!}} 150 Years {{!}}Winners: Bates College |url=http://www.batesrhodesscholar.eduorg/150-years/bates-greats/benjamin-e-maysdocs/Institutions_for_Website_6_29_10.pdf |access-date=AugustJune 111, 2018 |website=www.bates.edu}}</ref> [[Fastas break|basketball'swell fastas break]] ([[Frank Keaney]]),<ref>{{cite!-- webFor |author=JamesU.S. KarstenCongress |date=October 8alumni, 2014see |title=TopTalk:List 10of Bates Athletes:College people#7Number Frankof KeaneyBates '11Alumni |url=http://wwwin U.thebatesstudentS.com/2014/10/top Congress. -10-bates-athletes-7/>12 |access-date=Augustmembers 14,of 2017the |work=[[TheUnited BatesStates Congress|U.S. StudentCongress]] ;{{#tag:ref|publisher=BatesAs College}}</ref>of the [[Boston2018 RedUnited Sox]]States ([[Harryelections|2018 U.S. midterm Lordelections]], there have been 12 members of the [[CharlieUnited Small|CharlesStates SmallCongress]]),<ref name="sabr.org"that /><refare name="ReferenceC"counted /> theas [[fractionalAlumnus|alumni]] quantumof HallBates effect]]College. They are (in [[StevenChronology|chronological Girvinorder]]),:<ref name=":974">{{Cite web |title=Steven Girvin – Office of the Provost news|url=http://provostwww.yalebates.edu/whonews/2018/11/09/ben-wecline-are/steven94-girvi |accesswins-date=2016u-s-house-06seat-12 jared-golden-11-awaits-historic-decision/|websitetitle=provost.yale.eduBen |quote=holdsCline '94 awins BU.S. degreeHouse fromseat; BatesJared College}}</ref>Golden and'11 [[Photochemistry|organicawaits photochemistry]]historic ([[George S. Hammonddecision|George Hammond]]).<ref>{{cite book |last1last=Anslyn Burns|first1first=Eric V. Jay|titledate=ModernNovember Physical Organic Chemistry11, 2018|last2work=DoughertyBates Magazine|first2access-date=DennisNovember A.14, 2018|publisherlanguage=University Science |year=2006 |location=Sausalito, Californiaen}}</ref><ref name="rfkenn" />

Bates alumni in business, finance, and economics include: [[General Mills]] CEO [[E. Robert Kinney|Robert Kinney]] (1939),<ref>{{cite news |date=December 2, 2008 |title=Robert Kinney '39 awarded Mays Medal at Benjamin Bates Society meeting |publisher=Bates College |url=https://www.bates.edu/news/2008/12/02/robert-kinney-39-awarded-mays-medal-at-benjamin-bates-society-meeting/ |access-date=August 14, 2017}}</ref> [[Fidelity Investments|Fidelity Fund]] managing director [[Barry Greenfield]] (1956),<ref name=":34">{{Cite web |date=21 April 2010 |title=Stay in the Game {{!}} Bates Magazine {{!}} Bates College July 17, 2004 |url=http://www.bates.edu/magazine/back-issues/y2004/fallwinter04/features/stay-in-the-game/ |access-date=August 11, 2018 |website=www.bates.edu}}</ref> [[Analysis Group]] founder [[Bruce E. Stangle|Bruce Stangle]] (1970), [[Merrill Lynch & Co.|Merrill Lynch]] CFO [[Joseph WillitWillett]] (1973),<ref>{{cite web |date=April 7, 2007 |title=Joseph T. Willett '73 |url=http://www.bates.edu/x59919.xml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070407134031/http://www.bates.edu/x59919.xml |archive-date=April 7, 2007 |access-date=May 25, 2016 |publisher=Bates College}}</ref> [[Japonica Partners]] CEO [[Paul Kazarian]] (1978),<ref name=":33">{{Cite web |title=Paul B. Kazarian: Executive Profile & Biography – Businessweek |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/Research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=74155&privcapId=21255&previousCapId=21255&previousTitle=Japonica%2520Partners |access-date=August 11, 2018 |website=www.bloomberg.com}}</ref> [[L Catterton]] CEO [[Michael Chu (private equity investor)|Michael Chu]] (1980),<ref>{{cite web |title=J. Michael Chu: Executive Profile & Biography |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=75940&privcapId=19535 |access-date=August 14, 2017 |work=Businessweek |publisher=[[Bloomberg L.P.]]}}</ref> [[Cubist Pharmaceuticals]] CEO [[Michael Bonney]] (1980),<ref>{{cite news |date=January 19, 2012 |title=Bates board chair Bonney '80 named a top U.S. CEO by MarketWatch |publisher=Bates College |url=https://www.bates.edu/news/2012/01/19/marketwatch-bonney-80-top-ceo/ |access-date=August 14, 2017}}</ref> [[National Bank of Canada]] CEO [[Louis Vachon]] (1983),<ref name=":36">{{Cite web |date=November 5, 2011 |title=CEO of the Year 2014: Louis Vachon of National Bank |url=https://www.canadianbusiness.com/leadership/ceo-of-the-year/2014-louis-vachon-national-bank/ |access-date=December 8, 2020 |website=Canadian Business – Your Source For Business News |language=en-US}}</ref> and [[Affiliated Managers Group]] CFO [[Darrell Crate]] (1989).<ref>{{cite news |date=October 28, 2013 |title=$11.5 million Catalyst Fund will support 'transformational change' at Bates College |publisher=Bates College |url=https://www.bates.edu/news/2013/10/28/catalyst-fund-transformational-change/ |access-date=August 14, 2017}}</ref> In literature, music, journalism, television, and film, the following attended Bates: actors [[Jeffrey Lynn|Jeffery Lynn]] (1930), [[John Shea]] (1970),<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 June 2007 |title=Stages of Shea {{!}} Bates Magazine {{!}} Bates College |url=http://www.bates.edu/magazine/back-issues/y2007/summer07/features/stages-of-shea/ |access-date=August 11, 2018 |website=www.bates.edu}}</ref> [[Maria Bamford]] (1990–92),<ref>{{cite news |author=Sara Corbett |date=July 17, 2014 |title=The Weird, Scary and Ingenious Brain of Maria Bamford |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/magazine/the-weird-scary-and-ingenious-brain-of-maria-bamford.html |access-date=August 14, 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> [[Bryant Gumbel]] (1970),<ref>{{cite web |author=Rick Reilly |date=August 26, 2014 |title=The Mourning Anchor: Bryant Gumbel is alone at the top with the memory of his late father |url=https://www.si.com/more-sports/2014/08/25/si-60-mourning-anchor-rick-reilly-bryant-gumbel-olympics |access-date=August 14, 2017 |publisher=[[Sports Illustrated]]}}</ref> writers [[Jeffrey K. Tulis]] (1972),<ref>{{cite web |date=8 October 2015 |title=Sesquicentennial Award |url=https://www.bates.edu/alumni/sesquicentennial-award/}}</ref> [[Elizabeth Strout]] (1977),<ref>{{cite web |author=Carrie Tuhy |date=December 4, 2015 |title=Pulitzer-Winner Elizabeth Strout Takes on the Mother-Daughter Bond |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/68854-pulitzer-winner-elizabeth-strout-takes-on-the-mother-daughter-bond.html |access-date=August 14, 2017 |publisher=[[Publishers Weekly]]}}</ref> [[Lisa Genova]] (1992),<ref name=":40">{{Cite web |date=24 January 2012 |title=Genova '92, best-selling author of 'Still Alice,' 'Left Neglected,' to speak |url=https://www.bates.edu/news/2012/01/24/genova-92collegekey/ |access-date=August 11, 2018 |website=www.bates.edu}}</ref> and [[Brian McGrory]] (1984)<ref>{{cite news |author=Jay Burns |date=February 25, 2013 |title=Media describe arc of newspaperman Brian McGrory '84, new Boston Globe editor |publisher=Bates College |url=https://www.bates.edu/news/2013/02/25/media-coverage-mcgrory-84-named-editor-of-the-boston-globe/ |access-date=August 14, 2017}}</ref> and musician [[Corey Harris]] (1991).<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 April 2010 |title=Corey Harris '91 {{!}} Commencement 2021 {{!}} Bates College |url=https://www.bates.edu/commencement/annual/y2007/who-are-the-honorands/corey-harris-91/ |access-date=2021-07-29 |language=en}}</ref> Bates counts 12 Olympian alumni: [[Vaughn Blanchard]] (1912), [[Harlan Holden]] (1913), [[Bates Bobcats|Ray Buker]] (1922), [[Bates Bobcats|Art Sager]] (1926), [[Bates Bobcats|Arnold Adams]] (1933), [[Nancy Fiddler]] (1978), [[Bates Bobcats|Mike Ferry]] (1997), [[Bates Bobcats|Justin Freeman]] (1998), [[Andrew Byrnes]] (2005), [[Haley Johnson|Hayley Johnson]] (2006), [[Emily Bamford]] (2015), and [[Dinos Lefkaritis]] (2019).<ref name=":442">{{Cite web |title=Bobcat Olympians {{!}} Athletics {{!}} Bates College |url=http://athletics.bates.edu/bobcat-olympians |access-date=August 11, 2018 |website=athletics.bates.edu}}</ref>