BRUNSWICK

The student newspaper Bowdoin Orient reports that two members of the Bowdoin College student government will face impeachment proceedings on Wednesday over their attendance at a tequila-themed party that reportedly featured fake mustaches and sombreros that drew complaints of racial stereotyping.

The proceedings had been scheduled for Saturday, March 5, but were postponed.

The paper states that one host and one participate stated they had already been placed on social probation by the college.

The “‘tequila’ party” email invitation included the phrase “we’re not saying it’s a fiesta, but we’re also not not saying that 🙂 (we’re not saying that),” according to the Orient.

In an email to the Bowdoin community, College President Clayton Rose said he could not specifically comment on the party in order to protect student confidentiality, but promoted additional dialogue.

“Some aspects of what has been reported have been accurate, others have not, and some facts and context are missing,” Rose wrote, adding that it was important to engage in “‘full-throated intellectual discourse,’ including with challenging and disturbing ideas.”

He wrote, in part: “Social gatherings on our campus are generally not connected to our intellectual mission and the exchange of ideas. They are meant for fun, which is as it should be. However, in the context of the serious campus discourse about race, ethnicity, and identity that has been ongoing this year, actions in these social settings that caricature groups, that simplify a culture to some coarse or crude sense of its reality, or that use tokens of discrimination with deep and long-standing meaning, can have a profound effect on those in our community who identify as part of these groups, and can diminish their ability to engage academically. That’s when our values and our mission suffer.”

Student government’s response to the party has made national headlines.

A Washington Post opinion piece by Catherine Rampell compared the party to the atmosphere of a “Chili’s, Chevys or other Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants,” and warned that college campuses have become “unsafe spaces for free and open dialogue,” due to the threat be being labeled a “bigot.”

The conservative-oriented National Review was also critical, citing a sophomore who said “safe-space” opportunities created “for students to discuss how they were hurt and offended.”

In 2014, a so-called “Cracksgiving” party was held at off-campus housing, after which the college announced plans to discipline 14 members of the lacrosse team for dressing up as American Indians, in violation of the college’s social code.

In October 2015, the college’s sailing team came under fire for holding a so-called “gangster party” that was characterized as racist and drew complaints.

As with the tequila party, both the gangster party and Cracksgiving gathering drew complaints of cultural appropriation.

“Context matters,” Rose wrote in the beginning of his statement, “and over the last year or two we have had several incidents where students have engaged in racial and ethnic stereotyping — a violation of our Social Code — and there has been much discussion within our community about these incidents, as well as action taken by the administration. Like our Honor Code and rules against hazing, our Social Code creates a set of standards that reinforce and embody our values, and that directly serve our intellectual mission, which importantly includes engaging with uncomfortable, difficult, and even offensive ideas. It is also important to note that the language of our Social Code is quite similar to the language found in codes of conduct for federal and state governments, as well as for most private sector employers.”