LEWISTON — A year ago, Bates College President Garry Jenkins was having dinner with his family, getting ready for all the hoopla associated with his inauguration in just a few days, when heard “an unusual number of emergency vehicles” racing by.
Then he got a call from a member of the college’s emergency response team.
Life at Bates quickly took a sharp turn from preparing for a celebration of its new president to hunkering down while police searched for the man who killed 18 people in Lewiston.
The immediate challenges weren’t simple: getting everyone back in their rooms, finding a way to feed them, canceling the inaugural events and much more.
At least no students had been hurt and the one Bates staffer who had been injured in the mass shooting has returned to work.
But things have changed at Bates.
“I think we’re all different,” Jenkins said this week. “Moments like this bring institutions and communities together.”
Some students, he said, were among the first responders. Many others have committed themselves to working with Lewiston nonprofits and schools to help those who need it, strengthening the bonds between a college that can sometimes seem like an oasis of privilege and a struggling city that surrounds its campus.
An event like the mass shooting, though, reminds everyone of “the common ties” that have always bound Bates to the greater community, Jenkins said. “They provide perspective.”
Jenkins said Bates has had a focus on community engagement for years, creating connections that lift people up.
But Jenkins said that even before the shooting, he’d been “thinking and learning about what our place” ought to be within the Lewiston-Auburn area.
The shooting, he said, brought “into sharp relief the fact that we are connected in deep ways.”
“We’re shaped by being in Lewiston and Lewiston is shaped by Bates,” Jenkins said.
Following the shooting, Bates has also worked on its internal policies, including developing training materials for faculty, staff and students that it is beginning to roll out.
Jenkins said one of the changes will be to do more to prepare students for emergency situations.
Though many have experienced shooting drills and the like in American high schools, he said, some haven’t, especially international students who haven’t had the same background.
Right after the manhunt ended last October, Bates found a way to make a practical, even joyful difference.
With Halloween coming so soon after the shooting and the lockdown, many parents were understandably wary of having their children go door-to-door for trick or treats.
Jenkins said that after hearing from community leaders that families were “not quite ready for that,” the college decided to lend a hand.
“We know that moments like that can be really powerful, so we thought that Bates was uniquely situated to help.” Jenkins said.
With students chipping in, they opened the campus to trick or treaters who could wander around in costume in a safe place.
“It was a really powerful moment,” Jenkins said.

An unidentified child smiles after trick or treating at Bates College for Halloween in 2023. Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College
People almost immediately wondered if Bates could do it again this fall.
It will.
Bates will hold what Jenkins called its “Treat or Treat” from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Halloween evening, Thursday, Oct. 31.
Jenkins said a former Bates student, who now works at the Ferrara Candy Company in Chicago, sent 40,000 pieces of nonchocolate candy — including Jenkins’ favorite, Nerds, and such notable brands as Red Hots, Sweet Tarts and Lemonheads. His 1992 classmates raised money to add chocolate treats to the mix.
“Hopefully it will continue to be meaningful for the community,” Jenkins said, adding the college will likely continue it for as long as it’s helpful.
The college is also holding a Vigil of Remembrance at noon on Friday at its Gomes Chapel, a more somber event where Jenkins is slated to be among the speakers.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs. You can modify your screen name here.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday as well as limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.