By MATT EPSTEIN
News Editor
 

70 students will be visiting the campus, arriving Thursday night and staying through Sunday for the program.

"Participants in our three-day October Weekend take part in activities designed to acquaint them with the academic and extracurricular offerings at Bates. The outstanding students selected for the program are provided with housing and board as guests of the college," reads the college's application for the program.

Prospective students will be housed with a variety of student hosts in the dorms. Initially there was a shortage of hosts; however, "the athletic department has offered us hosts... various [other] departments... have suggested people to host," said Associate Dean of Admissions Carmita McCoy.

According to McCoy, the event was scheduled with Back to Bates Weekend to "try to encourage the return of alumni of color to campus. And we hoped that this would be another incentive for the many alumni of color who were themselves participants in this program years ago. [They] may have a special place in their heart for a program like this."

This is the second year in a row that the Admissions office has tried to create interaction between alumni and prospective students.

"The October weekend events are kind of blended... in the Back to Bates schedule... dinner, a mentoring session, a brunch on Sunday, of course the talent show will be back on Friday," said McCoy.

The program was started 20 years ago by an alumnus of color, David Boone (now a trustee), who would bring students up from New York and New Jersey to the college in his car.