Photo Credit : Rachel Alexander

‘¡Si se puede!’ has been used as a rallying cry for everything from pro-immigration marches to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. Its original usage, however, was as the motto for the United Farm Workers of America labor union. In this spirit, union organizer Arturo Sepulveda led a group of dairy workers in a march last Friday, March 5, to demand fair working conditions from their employers at the Ruby Ridge dairy in Pasco, Wash., who have fired a number of workers in the past for attempting to unionize.

The Ruby Ridge employees were joined outside the dairy in Pasco by a dozen Whitman students who came to march with the workers, learn more about their struggles and support their demands for justice and respect.

“We’re here because everyone should have basic human rights,” said sophomore Maggie Allen, who was among the group of Whitman students marching with the farm workers.

Over the course of the rally, many Ruby Ridge employees shared stories of their experiences at the dairy.

“We’ve never had any benefits,” said Jesus Perez, who has worked at the dairy for about two years.

Perez and several former employees explained that workers at Ruby Ridge typically work between eight and 12 hours per day, six days a week. The work, mostly involving milking cows, is fast-paced and continuous. Breaks for food, water or going to the bathroom are not allowed.

“We worked . . . 10 hours, 12 hours, without breaks, without lunch,” said Margarito Martinez, who worked for Ruby Ridge for five years.

When several workers attempted to combat these conditions by starting a union, their effort was met with resistance from the dairy’s owners, Dick and Ruby Bengen.

“They fired me for supporting the union,” said Alberto Montoya, a former Ruby Ridge employee. Montoya worked at the dairy for a year and nine months before losing his job. He is one of 14 employees who have been fired for attempting to unionize.

“[The new workers] are friends and family of the supervisors,” said Sepulveda. He said that the Bengens deliberately hired new workers who would not be sympathetic to a union.

Perez, who was one of the few workers at the march who has not been fired, said that among 50 dairy employees, only 10 or 15 currently support unionization.

“They’re afraid more than anything else,” he said.

Although almost all other union supporters have been fired, Perez said he was not afraid to attend the march.

“I’m just here standing up for my rights,” he said. “The only thing they can do is fire me.”

Photo Credit : Rachel Alexander

Other Ruby Ridge employees are not as fearless. One of Perez’s co-workers stopped by the march to talk to other workers, but left after a few minutes because he was afraid to be seen there.

In spite of the setbacks they have encountered, Sepulveda and the United Farm Workers of America are continuing their efforts to unionize the dairy.

“It’s the union’s hope to negotiate a contract,” said Sepulveda. “The company has a policy, but it favors the company. When you have a contract, it’s something different that supports the workers.”

The United Farm Workers of America is also taking the dairy owners to court over alleged violations of both state and federal labor laws. Sepulveda said that although Ruby Ridge pays its workers $10 per hour, which is above minimum wage, employees are required to purchase all of their own equipment, including syringes for the cows and protective gloves. According to him, this violates labor laws. The court case argues 28 demands for Ruby Ridge workers.

“The court case is to ask for justice for the workers,” said Sepulveda.

Many community members showed up to support the workers, including pastors from several Tri-Cities churches and the head of the Benton County Democrats. Sepulveda is hoping that community members will put pressure on the Seattle-based dairy cooperative Darigold, Inc., which buys all of the milk produced at Ruby Ridge. He thanked everyone for their support of the workers, and urged them to call and write to Darigold.

Whitman students in the Global Food System class are hoping to help spread this message on campus and to the greater Walla Walla community.

“We want to promote awareness and get as many students involved in activism as possible,” said sophomore Katie Radosevic, who attended the march.

Radosevic and six other students in the class have chosen to focus on the Ruby Ridge workers for a group project. The students hope to work with Walla Walla Community College and Walla Walla University to organize a boycott of Darigold products.

Allen believes that the workers’ struggle highlights the importance of informed consumers.

“It’s important when consumers see things like Darigold that they know what’s behind it,” she said.

For Sepulveda, the important thing is to keep fighting.

“They think that because we’re Latinos, we’re going to stay quiet,” he said. Instead, he will keep working “for dignity, and for respect.”

credit: E. Johnson

Whitman has joined colleges across the nation in addressing the global impact of climate change and the threat it poses to humans, animals and ecosystems. To better understand Whitman’s contribution to climate change, as well as potential areas of improvement, a group of students is conducting Whitman’s second annual greenhouse gas audit.

“Our focus for this time is to make a list of adjustments to make [Whitman] more carbon neutral,” said sophomore Katie Tackman, who is helping with the audit.

Last year’s greenhouse gas audit was a first step in identifying ways to improve Whitman’s carbon footprint. However, many of the numbers used to calculate Whitman’s emissions were based on estimation due to the lack of available data in some areas of the audit.

“The hope this year is to continue to do a more comprehensive, detailed audit that it is based on data rather than speculation and projection,” said Jed Schwendiman, associate to the president. “Last year there were several areas that had to be estimated, through no fault of the people who were working on it. But it makes the confidence in the outcome not as solid as one would like.”

This year’s audit will be conducted by a group of 15 students, most of whom are involved with Campus Climate Challenge. Five of those students will receive credit for an environmental studies internship based on their work on the audit. The audit is divided into three scopes—direct emissions, purchased electricity, and indirect emissions, which is subdivided into waste and transportation.

Tackman, who is responsible for looking at emissions from transportation for varsity athletics, said that finding data can be difficult.

“Whitman doesn’t necessarily keep track of that information, so I have to sort through archives,” she said.

Senior Lisa Curtis, Whitman’s sustainability coordinator, hopes this will change as the audit becomes an expected annual occurrence.

“At some point we’ll get institutionalized enough that we won’t even have to ask [for data],” she said.

Another challenge for the group is deciding which emissions should be counted. Tackman said that transportation is especially difficult, because it’s unclear whether emissions from students traveling to campus and to study abroad programs could ever be eliminated.

“We’re just trying to refine what’s applicable,” she said.

Unlike other schools, including Colorado College, Lewis and Clark College and the University of Washington, Whitman has not signed onto the President’s Climate Commitment. The commitment asks colleges and universities to conduct an emissions audit and complete a plan for becoming carbon neutral, as well as to integrate sustainability into campus life and curriculum.

Schwendiman said that when President Bridges was initially approached about signing the commitment, it was a new plan that had not been tested at other schools.

“The president was reluctant to sign an agreement about something we had never measured before,” he said. “We had no sense of what was possible in terms of reductions.”

Since signing on to the agreement, many other schools have fallen behind in their targets for emissions reductions.

“If those other schools haven’t met their goals, there’s no way Whitman was going to,” said sophomore Katie Radosevic, who is also working on the audit. “We want to sign something and have it mean something.”

For schools that have signed the commitment, an emissions audit is still the first step in the process of becoming carbon neutral.

“Even if we had signed on, we’d probably still be at [the emissions audit] stage in the process,” said Curtis.

Rather than signing onto the commitment, Curtis hopes that Whitman will be able to develop a specific action plan for emissions reduction based on the results of the audit.

Tackman said that regardless of the outcome, she enjoys helping with the audit.

“It’s fun to hang out with people who are really passionate about what they are doing and want to make a difference,” she said. “It’s an inspiring group of people to work with.”

Harper Joy was built in 1959 and renovated most recently in 1984. The upcoming renovations, which will last 15 months and are projected to be completed in time for the fall 2011 semester, are being completed by THA Architecture, the same firm that designed Penrose Library and The New Theatre for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland.

Thomas Hines, chair of the theater department, says the new round of renovations are needed.

“Our facility is aging and incapable of supporting new trends in producing theater,” he said. “A major renovation in 2010 is not only justified as required maintenance, it is required for the continued success and growth of a traditionally successful Whitman program.”

While serious talks of renovations have been going on for roughly three years, concerns about the current facility and requests for improvements have been voiced for almost a decade.

“We have long needed a new black box theater,” said Hines of the current Friemann Stage, which seats no more than 80.

Because of the small capacity of the current black box, tickets for shows in this performance space, such as the One Act Play Festival, often sell out within one or two days of going on sale. The new black box theater will seat about twice as many people, while the current black box will become an acting classroom called “the acting studio.”

The renovations will also address the lack of office space in the current facility. Professors with offices that were formerly used as backstage storage or that are presently located in Olin Hall will receive new offices.

Other changes include new audience seating for the Alexander Stage, a larger lobby, a new costume shop and an additional rehearsal space for students.

Many students have expressed excitement about the planned renovations.

“Renovating the theater gives us an opportunity to do more and explore more ways to do art,” said junior theater major Raisa Stebbins in an e-mail. “On the technical side, it gives us leeway to do things safely . . . In addition, the current theater’s structure limits exactly how much we can move and fly. We’ve reached a point where we can’t put more weight on the building, so renovations are seriously key.”

Senior Mimi Cook, who wrote a one-act play for this year’s One-Act Play Festival, also expressed excitement.

“I think that the renovation is a very positive thing,” she said in an e-mail. “Unlike many of the buildings on campus, the physical space and facilities in Harper Joy are used practically to teach. So improving and adding to the space really adds to theater students’ learning experience; it isn’t just aesthetic.”

But not all students believe the renovations to be fully necessary.

“I think the renovations have their strengths and weaknesses,” said a theater major who asked to remain anonymous. “A lot of money is being poured into this project and there is no doubt that the theater is going to look a lot more regal, but I kind of like the rustic charm of the current theater building. There are some safety standards that are being addressed, which are essential and have been overlooked for years, but some of the cosmetic measures being taken seem slightly unnecessary to me.”

While most students think the renovation will be an improvement, not all believe it is the best use of money.

“Harper Joy is a great theater already,” said senior Lindsey Witcosky in an e-mail. “I think that the college should be spending more money on student scholarships and recruiting—and keeping—great faculty.”

The exact budget for the renovations, which will not be finalized until May, will include alumni gifts and grants.

“The Development Office is still raising money for the project,” said Associate to the President Jed Schwendiman in an e-mail. “Incoming gifts and grants are still important, and the total cost of the project is still being worked out as bids are coming in.”

Despite the general excitement towards the renovations, construction will interfere with next year’s classes and shows.

“We plan to use our facilities here for next season and have a full season of eight shows,” said Hines. “But second semester next year it is possible that the last two productions will be held in a location other than Harper Joy. This location is still unknown.”

Because of construction, Harper Joy Theatre will also not be used for acting classes next year. Most acting and directing classes will take place in Sherwood, where some theater classes are currently taught. However, design and technical classes will continue to take place at Harper Joy.

For Hines, it will be worth the wait.

“The opportunity for our students to have better classroom space and acting space will do nothing but improve their experience at Whitman,” he said.

Credit: Alden

“I thought about it before, but only Heather had enough guts to do it,” said junior Lissa Erickson, regarding the origins of the Whitman Dating Service.

Co-founders Erickson and juniors Heather Nichols-Haining and Spring Lonneker were reticent at first to start a free matchmaking service for Whitman students, but were pleasantly surprised when dozens of students signed up and were able to go on first dates this past weekend.

The Whitman Dating Service was conceived on impulse after Erickson, Nichols-Haining and Lonneker noticed that Whitman students seldom go on casual dates and thought they might benefit from a matchmaking service. Students can e-mail Nichols-Haining, letting her know information about themselves and what they are looking for and the team matches them up with students of similar interest.

“It was spur of the moment,” said Nichols-Haining about the service’s invention. “Although a few people have e-mailed me saying, ‘I’ve been thinking of doing this forever.’”

Nichols-Haining has received at least 30 e-mails of students who want to go on “blind” dates so far, and she receives more responses everyday. While the first responses came mainly from females, males are now responding on a consistent basis as well.

“More people are coming in once they realize other people have [signed up],” she said.

Nichols-Haining initially tried to coordinate the dates for people, but now she has so many responses that she only sends the name of the match to the recipients and allows them to coordinate a date from there. The first dates took place this weekend and included trips to local eateries and group dates, among other outings.

Sophomore Cameron Michels used the dating service this past weekend to go on a group date.

“We went to Sweet Basil. I had fun. I didn’t take it too seriously,” she said.

Nichols-Haining and Erickson believe the dating service will open the opportunity for students to expand their social networks.

“I feel like people have set friend groups and it’s weird to invite other people in,” said Erickson.

Michels and some of her friends agreed.

“We think that people at Whitman tend to stay in their groups,” she said.

The dating service provides an opportunity for social mixing which otherwise might not take place.

“There’s not enough of just meeting people [at Whitman],” said Nichols-Haining.

She and Erickson believe the social dynamics at the school contribute to the infrequency of casual dating.

“Even when you do [meet someone], you can’t really ask them out,” Erickson said.

Some students remain skeptical about how the dating service fits in with the small size of the school.

“I think [the dating service is] kind of silly because Whitman’s so small and you already know people anyway,” said sophomore Anne Bauer.

Erickson and Nichols-Haining acknowledge the likely potential for running into people met on dates, but they believe that any post-date interaction will not be a big deal.

“Hooking up is more effort than just having one coffee with someone,” pointed out Erickson.

Nichols-Haining also acknowledged why some people might not want to use the dating service.

“It’s not an organic form of dating,” she said.

While that may be true, it does not stop some people from using the service.

“We just want to make people happy,” said Erickson.

Credit: Loos-Diallo

Seven dollars and 42 cents is the average cost of a meal purchased with flex dollars in a Whitman dining hall. But for students on Meal Plan A, the default plan for first-years and sophomores, the average price is $13.13—77 percent higher. With tuition on the rise, Whitman students disagree on the extent to which Bon Appétit’s pricing plans are economical considering the relative cheapness of food purchased with flex dollars to meals purchased through a meal plan.

Most first-years and sophomores are required to purchase one of Bon Appétit’s five meal plan options. The average price of meals on various plans ranges from $7.58 per meal on Plan C to $13.13 per meal on Plan A, excluding flex dollars, which are included in the cost of certain plans. This inflated price is in part explained by the one-third of the cost of meal plans that goes to the college to pay for employees, utilities, kitchen maintenance and other costs. Flex dollars purchased outside of a meal plan are not subject to those costs.

Regardless, the fact that Bon Appétit charges less for dining hall meals purchased with flex dollars than it does for meals purchased on a meal plan is a policy many students disagree with.

“Flex dollar price in the dining halls is a discounted amount that is set lower to be an incentive to juniors and seniors who have already lived on campus for two years to come back and eat in the dining halls,” said Roger Edens, general manager of Bon Appétit.

For upperclassmen like senior Allison Armstrong, purchasing flex dollars in place of a meal plan is an attractive option. However, she believes that the price of meals in dining halls seems appropriate considering the service it provides.

“I certainly think the flex price is reasonable,” Armstrong said. “I do think Bon Appétit meals are overpriced, but rightly so. Yes, they are overpriced for the amount that you would eat in that single meal, but I think you are also paying for the options and the service.”

First-year Lillian Bailey, who is on Meal Plan A, echoed Armstrong’s opinion. She commented that students are paying for more than the cost of meals when they purchase a meal plan.

“I think part of what you’re paying for when you’re eating at Bon Appétit is convenience,” said Bailey. “It might be a little bit of a steep price to pay, but I feel like there’s value in that.”

Bailey did note, however, that the average price of meals can seem uneconomical when students don’t eat large meals.

“Sometimes I think [the price of meals] is slightly unreasonable when all I want to get is a bagel,” Bailey said.

Likewise, other students questioned whether Bon Appétit’s meal plans are fairly priced.

“Is the food we get worth the price we pay?” asked sophomore Adam Delgado. “I wish [Bon Appétit's meal plans] were more comprehensive based on need and how often you eat . . . [we need] a less expensive meal plans with fewer meals.”

Senior Laura Niman, who is on a flex plan and often eats at Café 66, believes that Bon Appétit’s pricing plan is often unfair for students because it fails to take into account differences in individual’s eating habits.

“I think the thing about eating in the dining hall is that it’s expensive because they’re accounting for people in the dining hall that eat a lot of food because it’s all-you-can eat, or for people that take five pieces of fruit out,” Niman said. “And so the people who just have a sandwich are paying $12 for a sandwich.”

Junior Matt Coleman agreed with Niman.

“I don’t know if [Bon Appétit’s meal plans] are a rip-off,” Coleman said, “but I get sandwiches [at Café 66] sometimes and it’s a lot cheaper than if I got a sandwich at the dining hall. If you go to the dining hall and just want a salad, then you’re paying like $12 for a salad, whereas if you come to Café 66 you can get a pre-packaged salad for $4.”

In response to students who share Coleman’s concerns, Edens argues that the higher price of meals offered in dining halls is reasonable because it incorporates the cost of maintaining the large number of dining facilities on campus.

“The duplicated facilities really increase the overall cost of the Whitman dining program,” said Edens. “Whitman has far more dining facilities than nearly all other colleges its size. While it is very desirable to have a dining facility close to your residence hall a separate full retail café and two espresso bars, it is expensive and this impacts the cost of meal plans.”

Whitman’s standard meal plan price of $2,600 per semester is middle of the line compared to nearby Bon Appétit operations at Reed College and Lewis and Clark College. Prices at those colleges are $2,700 and $2,217 per semester, respectively.

Edens added that the high cost of Bon Appétit meals plans is determined by other factors besides the cost of maintaining facilities.

“[Costs] depend on such factors as how many students are on meal plans, how many facilities and how many people it takes to run those facilities, the existence of a summer quarter and the extent of summer conferences,” he said. “If it is possible to spread fixed costs between more students or non-student sources—summer conferences, on campus and off campus catering—the less expensive a meal plan can be.”

Peter Harvey, Whitman treasurer and chief financial officer, echoed Eden’s explanation, but notes that Bon Appétit is a private entity that ideally seeks to garner a five percent profit per year for services provided.

In the end, pricing for student expenses is determined by the Board of Trustees and not by Bon Appétit, said Edens.

Robert Crenshaw contributed reporting.

Credit: Sloane

As the week before spring break comes to a close, a large percentage of Whitman students are preparing to return home. This is not the case for many of Whitman’s approximately 60 international students, who spend the break working on campus or on local trips because distance and expense make a return home unfeasible.

“A lot of them remain on campus and work over any break they can,” said Kris Barry, international student and scholar advisor. “I’ve had students in the past who have never gone home over their entire four years. It can be very tough.”

Barry said that students are often unaware that many of their international classmates stay on campus over break.

“Sometimes Whitman students go off on vacations and don’t realize that many of their international classmates are staying at Whitman,” she said.

Neda Ansaari, a senior from India, is one such international student. She will be spending the first week of break in Seattle and will return to campus for the second.

“When you see parents coming over for weekends, or students being excited about going home, it’s hard, because we don’t get that,” Ansaari said.

The difficulty of being so far away also means that many international students’ parents can’t easily visit.

“Most students have homesickness, across the board, but I do think having your support system so far away and inaccessible compounds it,” said Barry.

Staying in the United States for spring break also means that foreign students won’t be getting any relief from U.S. culture.

“I think the adjustment to college is hard for everybody, but for international students it is especially hard because they also have to adjust to a new culture,” said Ansaari.

Despite the unique difficulties international students face, the common situation leads to a bonding experience.

“The international students here are very close,” said Ansaari.

When Whitman’s international students do get off campus, they are often forced to be creative and resourceful in searching for options. This year’s International Banquet will help to pay for eight international students to spend a week in Vancouver this spring break.

Lauren Moscovis, a first-year from Australia, is one of the students going to Vancouver.

“Sometimes I want to go home and that’s not usually an option, but I do have other international students who can relate and know what I’m going through,” she said. “That’s a really good thing about Whitman. They have an intercultural center where you can all get together and talk. It’s not like you’re isolated.”

The USB drives were issued as part of Whitman’s Office of Technology annual security audit of the college’s technology systems through Secure Network, a New York-based firm that provides security consulting for banks, government agencies and large universities. According to Pitter, Whitman is one of the few small colleges that uses this firm.

“All the current literature of the last couple of years indicates that it’s no longer the technology that allows intrusion but personal error,” said Pitter. She commented that people make themselves vulnerable to intrusion by getting deceived by phishing scams and giving out personal information over the internet.

According to Pitter, phishing poses a real threat to the college’s technology systems. Within the last 18 months, approximately 70 Whitman e-mail users were tricked into giving out their usernames and passwords by phishing scams.

“Over 100,000 e-mails were launched from our site [as a result of these scams] and our domain name was blacklisted by other schools and organizations who did not want to receive spam from our site,” said Pitter. The Office of Technology Services is still dealing with the effects of this particular phishing scam.

Phishing scams are increasingly being conducted through popular social networking sites such as Facebook. Not surprisingly, phishing scams through social networking sites were the focus of this year’s audit.

If the phishing attempt were real, Whitman’s technology system could have faced a breach of security, threatening data stored on college computers.

The content of the letter accompanying the USB drives raised eyebrows among faculty and staff who received the drives, and professors notified each other of the scam over the faculty listserv.

“That’s exactly what we wanted as a result because it shows that we’re doing a good job of telling people not to trust these scams. But the flip side is that [the test] raised many concerns and frustrations,” said Pitter.

Associate Professor of Anthropology Jason Pribilsky was one faculty member who received a USB drive. According to him and Pitter, none of the Whitman staff and faculty members who received a USB drive downloaded its contents onto their computers.

“I think the issue for many faculty was that this experiment employed deception to test the college’s security. As researchers who do research on ‘human subjects,’ the idea that information would be procured by deceiving those you are researching must meet a high standard,” Pribilsky said in an e-mail.

“Another problem was that WCTS contracted with an outside security firm to do this experiment. There was little concern given to the particulars of a college community, our own ethics or the reception of such an experiment in light of the standards we ourselves keep in terms of the boundaries of ‘human subjects’ research,” he said.

Pitter views this test as a learning experience.

“We know that we have to continue security tests in the future, but I think we need to scrutinize what our security firm does much more carefully. [The tests] need to be custom-made for this environment because although they may work in a banking environment they don’t work here,” she said.

“I had a great meeting with President Tilghman and we talked about Whitman College and the origination of the name of their new residential college, which is also named Whitman College,” said Bridges.

Bridges explained that Princeton’s system of undergraduate housing is based on the British organizational model which divides the university into separate “colleges” that house undergraduate students for the duration of their time at the University. At Princeton and about 30 other American institutions that incorporate the system, each residential college is presided over by a master, a dean and a network of academic advisers and directors of student life.

“Depending upon the school, they’re typically residential communities with separate dining facilities and limited academic programs,” Bridges said. “I wanted to learn about the name of Princeton’s college and see first-hand how similar or dissimilar it was to ours. Obviously we want to be knowledgeable about Princeton’s Whitman as we think about how we describe our college.”

Bridges noted that people in Washington state and elsewhere have confused Whitman with other schools because it has a similar sounding name to a number of others. Whittier College and Whitworth College, for example, are small private colleges like Whitman that are also located in the western United States.

“People confuse the name [of Whitman], and they also periodically refer to me as the president of Whitworth,” Bridges said. “Any confusion is problematic because we’re very different schools.”

Nadine McQuarrie is an assistant professor of geosciences at Princeton University who graduated from Whitman in 1993. She noted that Whitman is well-known among members of the Princeton community.

“Where I did my undergraduate degree comes up quite a bit in discussions with students,” McQuarrie said. “Almost all of them know about Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington and many have a brother or sister or friend that either applied to the school or is actually attending.”

McQuarrie commented that in her experience, few people consider the common name to be a conflict, though some have expressed concern over the possibility that Whitman’s rank on Internet search engines has decreased since Princeton’s residential college was established.

“The only people I know who have raised it as a possible name conflict are Whitman College employees who have a key interest in how Whitman is perceived,” McQuarrie said. “The first instance I heard it spoken of as a conflict was through an alumni coordinator from Whitman at an alumni event. He lamented that you can google Whitman College now and the Princeton residential college comes up.”

As McQuarrie noted, however, a search for Whitman College on Google lists Whitman’s homepage and other Web pages related to the College significantly higher on the page than the homepage for Princeton’s residential college.

“Even on a Princeton network, Whitman College [Walla Walla] is still first and second and all but two of the listings,” McQuarrie said.

The Internet has become an especially important resource for high school students researching potential colleges. David Bittner, a current senior at Acton Boxborough Regional High School in Acton, Mass. plans to attend Whitman next year as a first-year student. He commented that few students at his high school are familiar with Whitman.

“I definitely feel that the vast majority of my friends here have no clue where Walla Walla is or have ever heard of Whitman,” Bittner said. “I found out about Whitman through my brother. He was interested in small liberal arts colleges in the Pacific Northwest and ended up at University of Puget Sound. He looked at Whitman and I happened to be on the tour with him.”

On the other hand, Bittner noted that he was unaware of Whitman College at Princeton.

“I honestly had no idea of the Princeton Whitman, mostly because I had determined early on in my college search that I didn’t want to be on the east coast for college,” Bittner said. “I feel that more people would know of the Princeton Whitman simply because of the reputation and name recognition that Princeton has.”

John Templeton, a member of the Whitman College class of 1973, currently serves as the assistant dean for graduate admissions at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He echoed McQuarrie’s statement, commenting that he does not believe the establishment of Princeton’s residential college has negatively impacted Whitman’s repute on the East Coast or elsewhere.

“I guess my take on all of this is that the existence of the Whitman residential college might cause more people to be aware of Whitman in Walla Walla,” Templeton said.

Before assuming his position at the Woodrow Wilson School, Templeton worked as an officer in Princeton’s undergraduate admissions department. He corroborated Bittner’s statement that Whitman is lesser-known on the East Coast.

“I would often tell the prospective students and parents that they should know more about the admission officer speaking to them,” Templeton commented about his interviewing process as an undergraduate admissions officer at Princeton. “So I would ask whether anyone had heard of Whitman College. Unless there was someone from the Pacific Northwest, people rarely knew. I would chide them on not searching for the best colleges.”

Templeton observed that Princeton students are largely unaware that their newest residential college has a name in common with Whitman. He commented on how undergraduate students at the university regard Princeton’s residential college system.

“My guess is that not many Princeton students are really aware of the naming conflict or if they are it doesn’t have much of an effect,” Templeton said. “Among students here there is some identity by residential college or the eating club you did or did not join, but that becomes irrelevant soon after graduation.”

McQuarrie expressed a similar opinion.

“Honestly, outside the Princeton community, I am not sure who knows or cares about the individual residence colleges,” said McQuarrie. “Think about it: Can [Whitman students] name the other residential colleges at Princeton? I just do not see it as a conflict or having any function that will make the Whitman we know more obscure.”

Nevertheless, Templeton believes that Princeton should have taken steps to recognize Whitman when instituting its new residential college.

“When Meg Whitman donated her millions for Whitman College (East), the university should have at least offered some reciprocity to the real Whitman College,” said Templeton. “If it occurred to them, I have no idea.”

Hanna came to Whitman in 1983 as an associate professor of political science and retired in 2000 after a distinguished teaching career. She taught courses on gender and politics, politics and the media and ethnic politics, and was the first woman to become chair of the Whitman faculty, Provost and Dean of Faculty Timothy Kaufman-Osbourn wrote in a campus-wide announcement. She also chaired both the Department of Politics and the Division of Social Sciences.

Hanna came to Whitman after teaching at the University of Texas—San Antonio.

“It was frustrating because I never got to know any of the students except for those one or two with chutzpah,” she told The Pioneer in 1999 of her experience at San Antonio.

She got those opportunities at Whitman. Chair of Division II and Professor of Religion Jonathan Walters, who team-taught a senior colloquium class with Hanna, recalled how she combined her love of acting and dedication of teaching to make for a memorable experience in a unit on “Friday Night Lights.”

“One of the themes of the novel was the ‘Watermelon Feed,’ which involved a lot of watermelon and beer,” he said in an e-mail. “We decided we should have one, so Mary invited the whole class to her house, and served up, yep, watermelon and beer. She had on a big old Texan hat, and we loved faking thick southern accents.”

Walters said Hanna’s death is a “terrible loss.”

“She was suffering a lot, there was no chance of recovery, and it was just time for her to go. But I’ve had trouble all day, because I obviously can’t feel happy, either,” he said. “She was . . . one of the most dedicated teachers of undergraduate Americans it has ever been my privilege to know.”

Bruce Magnusson, associate professor of politics and one of Hanna’s best friends, remembers Hanna as both gracious and influential.

“She found great joy in politics, in theatre, in writing, in sharing good food and lots of it, in Tony Soprano, in elaborate practical jokes and in her friends,” he said. “She had an enormous impact on building the college that Whitman has become.”

Hanna remained active within the Whitman and Walla Walla communities following her retirement. She participated in Walla Walla’s Little Theater, including acting in the play “Graceland,” which won a theater competition in Edmonds, Wash. last year. She also recited poetry on campus as part of a recent dance theater production.

A celebration of Hanna’s life open to the Whitman community will be held in April.

Photo Credit : Bullion

ASWC held its first Town Hall of the new decade on Wednesday, March 3, as numerous students, faculty and staff members gathered in Olin Hall to discuss everything from campus security to financial aid to the evolution of academic departments and course schedules.

A report by Chair of the Faculty and Associate Professor of Astronomy Andrea Dobson on the faculty’s recent approval of 3-2 course schedules was on the forefront of the night’s agenda, which included brief news updates from ASWC executive council members on their respective committees followed by addresses from guest speakers Dobson and President George Bridges, who each participated in question-and-answer sessions.

The faculty voted on Nov. 4, 2009 in favor of allowing individual academic departments to reduce professors’ course loads from six courses per year to five in an effort to reduce workloads. Dobson, who assumed her role as Chair of the Faculty in 2009, focused her Town Hall address on outlining the goals of the switch, disclosing aspects of the faculty’s decision-making process and addressing various challenges and setbacks.

“Last year, an elected faculty committee called for responses from various departments and interdisciplinary programs to the basic question of: Could you move to a five-course load without messing with general education, making the size of the Encounters section go through the roof, mutilating your major? Could you be equitable in the distribution of workloads among the faculty in the department?” Dobson said.

She commented that the faculty committee allowed the transition to move forward under the proviso that students’ classroom experiences be unaffected.

“The foremost thing for making this happen has been that you can’t mess with the student experience,” Dobson said. “What you guys experience when you’re in the classroom has to be the primary criterion for whether faculty in various departments will move to a five-course load or not.”

ASWC had previously voiced its concerns about the proposed course schedule in an open letter to the faculty issued on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009. The letter argued that the proposed switch could negatively affect the quality of education at Whitman by increasing class sizes and reducing the number of available courses. Despite the letter’s objections, the faculty voted overwhelmingly in favor of adopting the 3-2 schedule starting in the 2010-2011 academic year.

In the aftermath of the vote, many students took advantage of Wednesday’s Town Hall to continue raising questions and concerns about the course schedule. Senior ASWC Student Advocacy Coordinator Will Canine protested the faculty’s decision not to petition students for input when planning the 3-2 transition.

“You said that your first concern in making these decisions has been the student experience and the ways we feel the change in the classroom, and I want to be able to give you the benefit of the doubt on that,” Canine said in response to Dobson. “But you’ll have to forgive me if I feel that’s a little bit disingenuous. This is the first time that students on a large scale have been addressed about this issue, and I’m just curious why, when ASWC sends a letter voicing our concerns about the 3-2 . . . many members of the faculty met our letter with open hostility.”

Photo Credit : Bullion

Dobson responded by acknowledging the tensions which ensued after the vote and stressing the importance of future communication between students and faculty.

“I didn’t [consider students’ input], it didn’t occur to me,” said Dobson. “It flat out didn’t occur to me in September to say, ‘Yo, what do you all think about this,’ because we were already two years into the process. And I’m sorry.”

Dobson looked to dispel certain myths about the proposed switch by assuring students that the number of courses and classroom spots available to students will not be as drastically reduced as they may think.

“Part of the concern I know students have had is that this sounds like we’re just reducing the number of courses by one in six,” Dobson said. “Part of the data we have looked at from the registrar’s office suggests that . . . there’s an awful lot of slack [for classroom spots].”

She explained that when students over-enroll in classes during registration, it appears that there are fewer spots available for students than actually exist.

“There actually are a lot of spaces when you look more closely at registration numbers, with the exception of two or three departments, and we’re going to try to do something about that,” Dobson said.

One solution Dobson proposed is to redesign the college’s registration system to help students prioritize which courses they want to take most. She believes that if the registration period is staggered into different periods of time, and students are unable to register for all their classes at once, more spots will be available for students to enroll in their first-choice classes. Transfer students, Jan-starts and first-year students will especially benefit from this system.

“We don’t want first-year students to find that classes they absolutely have to have are packed full,” Dobson said.

As senior class senator Ellie Klein pointed out, however, over-enrolling in classes is an important part of the registration process because it allows students to sample classes early on in the semester. She believes Whitman students would benefit from a “shopping period,” allowing them to try out many different courses for a period of time before deciding which ones they want to keep in their schedules.

Dobson agreed that the process of registering for classes needs to reevaluated in order to address students’ concerns. She promised to make a note of Klein’s suggestions and also added that students may have an easier time deciding on classes in the future thanks to a new federal law requiring colleges to release lists of required textbooks to students before they register for classes.

For students in a number of departments, however, the process of selecting classes may prove more difficult. Another concern of the 3-2 transition is that certain academic departments face greater challenges in adjusting to the new course schedule due to the pressures of enrolling students and limited human resources.

“Geo is one of the departments that can’t do this without some help,” Dobson said. “Music has trouble making a go of it because of the immense amount of time spent one-on-one with students. A couple years ago . . . there were people in first-semester organic chemistry classes sitting on the floor, and we’ve made some serious efforts to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

Dobson’s comments and questions from students throughout the night prompted one student to inquire about what aspects of the 3-2 schedule students should be excited about.

“One of the senior faculty members who taught Encounters last semester, and who had a course reduction, was absolutely blown away by the extra amount of time he was able to spend one-on-one in talking about writing with his first-year students,” Dobson said when describing some of the benefits students can look forward to when professors’ workloads are redistributed. “That’s what you ought to see, is more time for your faculty to be there.”

Classics professor Dana Burgess, one of the key organizers of the program, described the intended role of the peer mentors, or Oral Presentation Coaches, and said the experience they have makes them well-suited for the position.

“The Oral Presentation Coaches will help presenters understand how they are being received by an audience,” Burgess said. “The coaches have been selected by the nomination of members of the Whitman faculty who identified these individuals as well-suited to offer this type of support. Most of the coaches have done work in the departments of theater or rhetoric and film studies, both of which give curricular attention to oral presentation.”

Some of the mentors feel that their experience with speaking in front of audiences will help the speakers with the delivery of their presentations.

Junior theatre major Erin Terrall believes that his experience in acting will help the speakers.

“I’ll be spending time with the presenters individually and first helping them with the logistical aspects of their presentation,” Terrall said. “Later I’ll work with them on posture, body language, projection and delivery. I think this program will give presenting students a good opportunity to explore physical, vocal and presentation-based options that can make their final product stronger.”

Junior Nigel Ramoz-Leslie believes that his experience on the debate team will help him coach others on public speaking, and ultimately help speakers produce a more effective presentation.

“Most often, people have problems speaking with confidence or tend to spend lots of time using filler words like ‘um’ and ‘uh.’ The key is to create a method of practice where the overall speech is less interrupted by these issues so that the speaker can achieve a strong sense of credibility with the audience,” said Ramoz-Leslie.

A few mentors said that they learned so much in Professor of Forensics Jim Hanson’s Fundamentals of Public Address class that they feel well qualified to train others.

“I feel that I am leaps and bounds better at giving speeches and even speaking in general after taking the class. I plan to share with the WUC presenters some of the key (and easy) pointers we learned in class that improve speeches,” said junior Carson Burns.

Senior Claire Lueneberg pointed out that not only will the program help the presenters improve their speaking skills, but it will benefit the audience too.

“It’s really a win-win situation for everyone. The presentation is better, the presenter is hopefully more relaxed and the audience can better receive the information,” said Lueneberg. “What I really realized in Fundamentals of Public Address is that there is a huge difference between an effective presentation and a non-effective presentation. The span for quality is huge. The role of the mentors is to bring all of the presentations up to a higher quality. This can only serve to make the whole experience more useful for the presenters and more enjoyable and informative for the audience.”

Pringle, a student worker in Whitman’s Office of Financial Aid, spent the final weeks of February conducting a series of video interviews with Whitman students as part of an effort by the Independent Colleges of Washington to raise awareness about threats to financial aid funding. Earlier this year, Gregoire proposed to suspend a number of financial aid programs available to Washington state college students in an effort to balance the state’s $2.6 billion budget shortfall.

“It’s one thing for us to send a letter or for someone to quote statistics about how many students rely upon financial aid, but it’s an entirely different experience to see a real student telling their story and expressing how much they need the aid they receive,” Pringle said. “I only benefit from some of the programs that were in danger, but I know how many students really are affected by all of them due to my job, so it really made me anxious and a little outraged that the state would consider taking those programs away.”

Thanks in part to the efforts of Pringle and other students from IWC colleges participating in the video project, both the House and the Senate passed individual budgets on Saturday, Feb. 23, which restored all funding to the Need Grant, Washington Scholars and WAVE Programs. However, both budgets proposed to reduce funding for the State Work Study program by 30 percent, translating to an estimated $70,000 loss for Whitman students.

After spreading word about the video project through the student listserv and word of mouth, Pringle was able to conduct two-minute interviews with 11 students in Olin Hall. Sisters junior McKenna and sophomore Rhya Milici, who both receive funding to attend Whitman from the Washington Scholars program, lent their voices to the project during a joint interview.

“Obviously, the idea that the state is cutting our program now will have a huge impact on my family since there are two of us trying to go here,” said McKenna Milici. “I’m not quite sure if our video will be seen by legislators, but we hoped that, by seeing two sisters voicing their pleas that student funding be restored . . . to stress not only how this is affecting students, but to provide a tangible image for how this is affecting families.”

The Independent Colleges of Washington was pleased by the quality of Pringle’s videos and is in the process of incorporating them into the larger project.

“Whitman has really embraced the video project, with over 10 students interviewed by Kate Pringle,” said Chadd Bennett, ICW director of research and publications. “The videos are in the process of being cut and edited now, and we should have these particular videos up later this week.”

Bennett plans to feature the video series on YouTube and on the IWC’s Facebook and Web pages.

“Long term, we may use this tactic [of interviewing students] to increase the visibility of our other collateral such as our ProjectOpportunity.net college planning tool,” said Greg Scheiderer, vice president of the Independent Colleges of Washington. “The video project is an effort to put real people and their stories into the discussion about student aid so that the aid programs aren’t just treated as cold numbers on a spreadsheet.”

Though happy to have participated in the project, McKenna Milici is skeptical about the extent to which her interview will impact legislators’ decisions.

“The trouble with this debate that’s going on in government, is that it’s not an ideological debate,” she explained. “We’re not doing these interviews or sending letters in the hopes of changing minds.”

McKenna Milici wrote a letter to state legislators expressing her concerns about the budgets cuts. She received a response explaining that the Governor’s decision to cut fundraising was motivated by necessity, not principle.

“I sent a letter to my local representatives, and one responded saying essentially that if they had all the money in the world, they would of course support us,” she said. “I don’t think there are many Democrats or Republicans who wouldn’t. But the money simply isn’t there. So as much as I hope my video interview and letter have an effect on this issue, I recognize that everyone out there is saying ‘Don’t cut the programs I care about, but don’t raise taxes either.’”

Pringle is more optimistic about the influence students can exact on the legislative process and stressed the importance of student advocacy in convincing donors to continue supporting financial aid.

“The biggest problem in financial aid right now is that the people donating all of that money only feel motivated to as long as they know it’s something worthwhile,” said Pringle. “That’s why students are asked to write letters to donors, and why these interviews are so necessary.”

While Pringle is impressed by the number of Whitman students who have dedicated their time and energy to her project, especially those that do not receive financial aid, she believes students can become more involved in advocating for each other’s educations.

“It became a bit disappointing at times to know just how many students of our school that this budget cut does affect just didn’t really think they needed to come,” Pringle said about rates of participation in her video project. “I think that a lot of times Whitman students hear about an issue and think to themselves about how they can get involved, but don’t take the initiative until it’s either super convenient for them or when someone steps up and asks them directly.”

Credit: E. Johnson

Whitman’s men’s and women’s club Ultimate Frisbee teams traveled to Stevinson, Calif. last weekend to compete in the Stanford Open. But this trip only happened after lengthy negotiations that prompted intervention from ASWC’s finance chair.

“It was a long negotiation process,” said senior Elle Burstein, co-captain of the women’s club Ultimate team. “The club sports department originally decided that our trip to Stanford wasn’t in the best interest of the department, because of budgetary and safety concerns.”

The Ultimate teams’ travel plans, as well as those of all Whitman club sports teams, must be approved by the Club Sports Committee in order to receive funding, according to Assistant Athletic Director Skip Molitor.

When considering club teams’ travel plans, the committee must take safety, cost, supervision and missed class time into account.

Although the committee denied the initial request on account of budget and safety concerns, they proposed that the Ultimate team’s budget could allow either the men’s or women’s team to attend the tournament, under the condition that they would travel in a Whitman-owned, 15-passenger mini-bus.

This decision was met with frustration on the part of the Ultimate team because they were put in the difficult position of having to choose between two qualified teams.

Members of the Ultimate teams were also confused by the committee’s decision because they believed that traveling by bus presented more of a potential safety risk than flying. Confusion also arose because the teams’ budget included sufficient funds to cover both teams’ travel to the tournament.

When sophomore ASWC Finance Chair Matt Dittrich caught wind of the situation, he issued a memorandum stating ASWC’s support of the men’s and women’s Ultimate teams being able to compete at Stanford. ASWC provides approximately one third of the funding for club sports.

“There have existed vague guidelines, standards and appeal processes pertaining to the prospect of Whitman College Ultimate Frisbee traveling to the Stanford Open,” the memorandum states. “The tardiness regarding the eventual notification of denial was sufficient to yield additional costs and a lack of alternative options; therefore it is the opinion of the Finance Chair . . . [that] Ultimate Frisbee’s request to send both teams, male and female, to the Stanford Open . . . should be considered by the Whitman Club Sports Committee.”

Not long after Dittrich issued the memorandum, the Club Sports Committee announced that they would allow both the men and women’s teams to travel on a charter bus to Stevinson in order to attend the Stanford Open.

“We felt this means of travel was the most reasonable in regards to . . . safety, cost, supervision and missed class time,” said Molitor.

According to a source who requested anonymity due to a working relationship with Molitor, transporting the teams to California via charter bus was just as costly as a flight.

This fact, as well as a total of 30 hours spent traveling on the road, left members of the ultimate teams questioning whether or not a charter bus was the most logical choice in regards to safety and cost.

Both teams, happy as they were to go, expressed frustration. Burstein acknowledged that club sports continues to progress.

“Club sports is still developing,” she said. “Every year that I have been here there have been new developments within the programs.”

Photo Credit : Cornelius

“I don’t want to talk about climate change; I’m not going to talk about climate change. I want to talk about climate justice,” said David Schlosberg as he opened his lecture, “Rethinking Global Climate Justice: Capabilities, Vulnerabilities and Adaptations,” on Monday, March 1.

Schlosberg, professor of politics and international affairs at Northern Arizona University, gave the second of four lectures this semester for Conversations on Climate Change, a new lecture series sponsored by the politics and environmental studies departments and the Global Studies Initiative.

Schlosberg emphasized the climate justice paradigm: If people have the right to a steady climate, then they posses the duty to create one. He also addressed the theories and options available to rectify the situation.

Professor of Political Science Phil Brick hopes for a renewed community awareness through the lecture series.

“The climate community’s constant messaging of doom and gloom is shopworn and can’t compete with people’s more urgent concerns about the economy, national security, education, etc.,” he said in an e-mail. “It’s time to change the conversation.”

Lecturers from the series also make classroom visits to allow students to ask questions about related topics.

“I am firmly convinced that the wider the conversation, the more likely the public will come to understand the many dimensions of the problem,” said Brick.

Throughout the lecture, Schlosberg outlined the leading theoretical proposals for climate justice which led to an influx of questions pertaining to the feasibility of enacting those solutions.

“Developing countries have done the least to pollute and yet many now face some of the most severe symptoms of global climate change . . . The question [now] is should they have to deal with such problems on their own?” asked first-year Daniel Merritt in an e-mail.

Merritt found Schlosberg’s proposed adaptation relevant and intriguing.

“[Schlosberg] brought up what I feel are genuine concerns with many environmental plans today. Especially the notion that it is too late for mitigation strategies. My concern lay with his notion that adaptive strategies still fall under the criteria of an aspect of climate justice,” he said.

First-year Lisa Beneman concurred.

“[Schlosberg] brought up interesting points about the current leading ideas about environmental justice and how they should be changed to better fit society,” she said.

With more lectures and speakers to come, Brick’s efforts to ignite awareness are continuing.

“We need to think about ways climate change will affect communities across the globe in different ways, raising critical issues of justice,” he said.

Brick and Schlosberg assert that climate change is no longer debatable; only the future solution to it is. As a generation that will be faced with the consequences of climate change, Brick encourages students “to attend the lectures and ask questions!”

Photo Credit : Gold

Whitman College runs campus tours three times per day, and the 11 a.m. tour on Saturday, Feb. 27, was packed. Ten prospective students and family members followed junior tour guide Julie Irvine around campus as she introduced buildings and reviewed Whitman history and trivia, like the fact that Whitman heats the stream year-round to keep ducks on campus. Campus tours—and the campus in general—have been busier lately with an influx of prospective students.

“It’s because we’re getting closer to springtime,” said Irvine.

The spring rush has started earlier this year, however, as students take advantage of mid-winter breaks to visit colleges while they are in session.

“It appears to us that there are more schools doing a mid-winter break, including some in Western Washington,” said Kevin Dyerly, director of admission. “Normally, the peak is right around spring break.”

Despite the influx of students visiting during mid-winter break, the number of visits this year is roughly the same as last year.

Daniel Bentson, a prospective transfer student currently enrolled as a first-year at Seattle University, drove over to Walla Walla on Friday, Feb. 26, and returned to school on Saturday in order to visit Whitman. He originally planned to attend Grinnell College, but chose to attend Seattle University for financial reasons.

“Whitman is a small, intensely academic school in a rural setting,” said Bentson when asked on why he’s planning on transferring to Whitman.

Whitman College is the only school to which he’s applied for a transfer. While Whitman fits many of the characteristics of the colleges he applied to the first time around, Bentson, who hails from Bellevue, Wash., wanted to get out of the state when applying to colleges as a high school senior. Now, however, he’s changed his mind.

“I do love this state. It’s the right distance from home: short enough to drive home, but too far for my parents to pester me about coming home every weekend,” Bentson said.

Bentson was not able to visit any classes in his short time on campus, nor did he stay overnight in the dorms, though he did consider them an improvement over his current housing. He did, however, take a campus tour and sit for an interview with an admissions officer. The deadline for high school seniors to interview with admissions officers has already passed in January, but that is not the case for prospective students like Bentson. He and other transfer applicants must make any visits to the campus and complete the application process by March 1, 2010.

According to Dyerly, getting prospective students to visit the campus is the hardest part of attracting students, especially those who live outside driving distance. The admissions office even provides scholarships to prospective students who cannot afford to visit the campus otherwise.

“It’s a lot easier to convince people this is a wonderful place once they’re on campus,” Dyerly said.

The visiting program for prospective students is an important part of attracting and admitting future students, who may now be walking around campus with their map-backed folders and asking for directions.

Police recovered three laptops, a PlayStation and a DVD player from 308 N. 6th Ave., about one mile from campus. Officers returned one of the laptops and the other stolen property to three Whitman students living in a house near Prentiss Hall on the 300 block of Linden Lane. Investigators were able to find the victims based on information on the laptop.

Officers also recovered marijuana paraphernalia which was not returned to the original owners.

The press release states that an initial call to the police about suspicious activity was made on Jan. 15, but does not note when the arrests were made or the items returned. The police started an ongoing investigation, and though they hope to recover more property, the investigation is nearing an end according to Public Information Officer Tim Bennett.

Police recovered two additional laptops but have not yet been able to identify the owners. Students can call 509-527-4434 if they think one of the laptops might be theirs.

“Provide as much information as [you] can about [your] missing computer: brand, model, serial number, any markings made by the owner and damage,” Bennett said in an e-mail.

Bennett urged caution among Whitman students living off-campus.

“All students should make sure their homes are secure, especially when leaving town. If their home cannot be secured, or is easily entered, [they should] make their landlords aware of the problems,” he said. “There are a lot of people outside the Whitman community that know your school calendar.”

Currently, the only information listed for the Alternative Voices distribution requirement in the Course Catalog is a list of classes that fulfill it; it does not include a definition. Alternative voices classes range from Women in Antiquity to Asian Architecture to advanced Spanish and French.

According to Canine, the decision to vote down the definition was due to its breadth. After defining Alternative Voices as including anything that presents critical perspectives of western history or that teaches about other cultures, faculty felt the majority of classes at Whitman College could be included. However, a continued push for a definition of the requirement, which may include a change in name, is underway.

“There are many questions we’re asking. Right now is a time of transition . . . in higher education . . . as we look at the effects of western globalization,” explained Canine.

One of the proposed changes to the Alternative Voices requirement is the inclusion of Encounters, the first-year required class which encompasses more cultures than its predecessor, Antiquity and Modernity.

“[Alternative voices] is the worst [requirement] to fulfill,” said first-year Victoria Faling via e-mail. “Encounters should sufficiently count for it.”

Phil Lundquist, ‘08 alumnus and Prentiss resident director, thinks students should be required to explore a variety of Alternative Voices.

“[It] frees people to branch out in terms of areas of study that they haven’t explored very much or hadn’t thought of exploring,” he said.

First-year Gabriella Friedman agreed that the Alternative Voices requirement is important.

“If anything, I think it should be changed so that fewer classes fulfill it,” she said. “I think the purpose of Alternative Voices should be to expose students to non-western, non-traditional voices that are often silenced . . . It’s so important to learn about other perspectives in order to be open-minded.”

This variation in student opinion, as well as the concept of what Alternative Voices is and what Encounters should encompass, is precisely what the General Studies Committee is struggling to unravel.

“I don’t mind Alternative Voices as a requirement, save for the fact that it makes the presumption that there’s a ‘regular’ voice which only some things are alternative to,” said first-year Sarah Schaefer. “[That] just seems a little dated of an idea to me.”

Lundquist and Friedman each posed the view that some of the language classes, such as French and Spanish, have less grounds as Alternative Voices classes than others because they present students with cultures relatively similar to our own. By defining what Alternative Voices is, this question would be resolved.

In future years the General Studies Committee will be looking to come up with a concrete definition of Alternative Voices.

As they do so, Canine asks students to consider “what Alternative Voices means to them.”

The Whitman recruits were chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants hoping to take part in Teach for America’s unique training program, which allows its participants, or corps members, to earn alternative teaching certificates while working as full-time faculty members for a period of two years. In 2009, the organization received a record 35,000 applications for approximately 4,100 positions.

According to Susan Buchanan, director of the Student Engagement Center, Whitman has become a “feeder school” for the prestigious program, which has expanded its operations to more than 35 regions over the course of its 20-year history.

“A couple of years ago Teach for America contacted me and said that they had been very impressed with the Whitman graduates they had hired,” said Buchanan. “And they now considered Whitman to be a ‘feeder school,’ meaning they were going to recruit heavily from us.”

Buchanan commented on the increasing popularity of the program among Whitman seniors.

“I don’t know if it’s because the economy is so poor and there are so few other options, or the fact that Teach for America is pursuing Whitman students so heavily, or the two-year commitment or if it’s just that Whitman students just love learning,” she said.

Whitman is far from the only college at which Teach for America has become popular. According to the Wall Street Journal, 11 percent of Ivy League grads applied to Teach for America in 2009 along with more than five percent of graduating seniors at over 130 colleges and universities.

Last year, 38 Whitman seniors applied to Teach for America and eight ended up participating in the program. Students can apply to the program at four different points throughout the academic year, and a handful of Whitman students who applied before the final Feb. 19, 2010 deadline are waiting to receive word in March of whether they will be joining their fellow Whittie corps members.

Senior sociology major Miyoko Patricelli will be working next year as a Teach for America corps member in the Mississippi-Delta region,where she has been assigned to teach high school math. Patricelli stated that her interest in the program came out of a desire to help others.

“It’s a program for people who are truly concerned about the achievement gap in the United States and who are dedicated to
shrinking it,” said Patricelli. “Teach for America is for those who know how atrocious the problem is and who are willing to put in the effort and time to change it. People can make a difference in many different ways, but this is a program for people who passionately want to change this particular problem.”

Nevertheless, Patricelli is nervous about adjusting to a new part of the country.

“It’s a terrifying idea that I’ll be teaching in a year in a part of the country I have never really spent time in,” she said. “I’ve been told by some people that its going to be more of a culture shock than [when I lived in] Honduras. I keep thinking, ‘I hope I’m good at this.’”

Whitman alumnus Nate Fitzpatrick ‘06 worked in the Mississippi-Delta area as a Teach for America corps member for two years before becoming the Recruitment Director for the northwest region.

“It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “There were days my first year when I would go home and think, ‘Wow, I have a lot more work I need to do’ . . . But it was extremely transformative, not only as a learning experience but also seeing how I could make a difference.”

Despite the praise the organization has received for making a difference in education, Teach for America has been frequently criticized.

“It’s a controversial program,” explained Patricelli. “I’ve heard arguments saying that the teachers tend to get more out of it than the students—that it’s a lot about self-growth of the teachers, rather than students.”

At times, the program has also been criticized for placing corps members in low-income areas that are most in need of experienced teachers. Patricelli defended the program for providing support to schools that are not often able to hire older instructors.

“There isn’t the money for [experienced teachers] to have the incentive to move across the country to teach in an intercity area,” she said. “I am actually going to an area where, as of about five years ago, there was an elementary school with three or four classrooms that didn’t have teachers, though I don’t know if that’s still true now.”

According to Fitzpatrick, criticisms of Teach for America are short-sighted.

“Most of the criticisms ignore completely the fact of our long term movement. Sixty percent of our current 17,000 alumni have continued with a career in education,” he said. “Obviously no program is perfect. One of the great things about working on staff is that I now have the ability to help change it.”

Patricelli agreed that Teach for America serves an important purpose.

“It’s not perfect, but in my mind nobody has come up with a better option yet,” she said.

“If we wanted to continue publishing, the only way ASWC would let us do it is if we got club status,” explained Alden.

On Sunday, Feb. 21, ASWC senators voted unanimously in favor of granting ”The Secession” $1,200 to cover printing expenses for six upcoming issues scheduled to be released before the end of the spring semester. In April, ASWC will hold another vote to decide on the magazine’s funding allocation for fall 2010.

“We use [the money] only for the cost of printing,” Alden said.

“The Secession” was originally established with the intention of providing a free space for creativity where submission restrictions are more lenient than at other Whitman publications.

“We just wanted to have 16 pages that we could have total control over, with no limits and no style,” said Alden. “We print a lot of stuff that wouldn’t make it into other publications.”

Not everyone on campus has agreed with Alden’s statement, however. When ”The Secession” was founded, it was criticized for not having a clearly-stated mission. In a letter to the editor published in the March 12, 2009 issue of The Pioneer, senior “Quarterlife” editor Anastasia Zamkinos pointed out that Whitman students have many opportunities to contribute all types of writing to the three existing student-run publications.

“Foremost of my criticisms . . . is that many of the pieces in ‘The Sec 1.1′ could have had a sound home in the other three publications that exist here,” Zamkinos wrote.

For the 2010 fiscal year, ASWC granted a total of $84,008 to campus media organizations, allocating $4,220 to “Quarterlife,” $19,500 to “blue moon,” $24,000 to KWCW and $36,288 to The Pioneer.

When asked about ASWC’s recent vote in favor of funding the magazine’s printing expenses for spring 2010, Zamkinos expressed gratitude that ASWC has continued to support campus media.

“I am glad to see ASWC continuing to support the creative endeavors of Whitman students and hope that the decision to fund ["The Secession"] signals a continuing of or maybe even an increase in ASWC’s liberality in financing the arts on campus across the board,” Zamkinos said in an e-mail.

Sophomore ASWC Finance Chair Matt Dittrich believes the magazine is worthy of formal club recognition.

“‘The Secession’ meets ASWC’s idea of the perfect line item,” Dittrich said. “‘The Secession’ is a conduit for campus creativity, and over the last year, the magazine has proven itself to be both popular and a positive addition to Whitman culture.”

This is especially exciting for members of “The Secession” considering the initial debate surrounding its inception and the fact that at first, the founders did not know if the magazine would survive.

“We thought we’d do a few issues and see what happens,” said Spiering of the magazine’s inaugural releases.

Spiering does not think receiving club recognition by ASWC will change the way people perceive “The Secession” in the short term. But she does believe that ASWC club recognition will ensure longevity and stability for the magazine at Whitman.

“It helps establish a legacy,” agreed Alden.

The magazine’s founders believe the efforts they have made over the past year will benefit the long-term survival of the publication.

“We really paved the way,” Spiering said.

Still, some of the frequent “Secession” contributors are concerned about what the magazine will look like after Alden, Spiering and Sonderman graduate in the spring.

“I am worried about what’s happening next year. I can’t imagine ’The Secession’ without Iris, Carly and Bryan,” said junior Isabel Blue, who has contributed both writing and illustrations to the magazine.

The first “Secession” issue of the semester is titled “Howard’s End/Catcher in the Barley” and is loosely themed around J.D. Salinger’s recent death. However, the pieces included did not have to pertain to this theme.

“We don’t want to force people to do anything they don’t want to do,” said Spiering.

Alden agreed.

“We’re the publish-anything publication,” she said.

Photo Credit : Bowman

Life in Maxey Hall is slowly returning to normal as construction on the building moves beyond its most intensive stages. Builders are weeks ahead of schedule on the 11,000-square foot addition and renovators are meeting with faculty and staff members to decide on new furniture and to plan for displaced professors to move back to the building during the summer.

“There have been a few disruptions throughout the project but the building users have generally been very understanding and recognize that progress is sometimes inconvenient,” said Dan Park, Director of the Physical Plant.

Construction teams broke ground on extensions to the 34 year-old building in summer 2009 after the college issued a $5.2 million bond for a number of repairs and expansions, including the addition of four classroom spaces and three student lounge areas. Though the process has met few problems over the past months, faculty, staff and students have had to adjust to a number of inconveniences.

Psychology Chair Wally Herbranson, whose primary research involves pigeons, was forced to suspend testing when construction entered particularly noisy stages and is looking forward to resuming his experiments now that lab facilities have been renovated to accommodate a new batch of pigeons, which will be arriving in the next couple weeks.

“I had to relocate my test pigeons because I couldn’t in good conscience keep them in Maxey with all the noise of construction,” Herbranson said.

Professor of Sociology Bill Bogard, who is acting as the faculty liaison on the project, thanked the construction teams for helping the process proceed with as minimal distraction as possible.

“The renovation has gone smoothly, thanks to the planning and consideration of the construction teams,” said Bogard. “We have worked around issues of noise, construction debris and ongoing work in existing interior spaces and adapted pretty successfully.  It will be very nice when the work is done and everyone is able to move back into the building later this summer.”

A number of professors whose offices had been housed in Maxey were temporarily relocated to Olin Hall’s recently renovated East wing for the 2009-2010 academic year and will benefit from the building’s numerous upgrades when they move back into their former spaces this summer.

As well as the additions of new classrooms, offices and research areas, Maxey Hall will follow in the footsteps of other recently renovated buildings on campus by incorporating new technological resources.

“We will all be happy when the job is finished,” continued Bogard. “Every classroom in the building will have smart technology installed.  There are several new student study areas, a revamped computer lab, and a remodeled main office and faculty lounge.”

When the improved Maxey debuts to students for the fall 2010 semester, every department in the building will have its own workrooms for student-faculty projects.

“I think all of us in the building have been pleased with the way construction is going and look forward to having a great new facility to teach in,” said Bogard.

This victory didn’t come as a surprise, as last season the Bruins finished 1-16 overall and winless in Northwest Conference match-ups. However, Whitman was looking to bounce back from a frustrating performance last week against Pacific Lutheran University, where the Missionaries barely pulled out a 5-4 win.

“PLU left a sour taste in our mouths,” said senior Matt Solomon. “[That] was one of the worst matches I’ve ever played.”

Against the Lutes, the Whit men were their own worst enemies, allowing little things to get to their heads. Head Coach Jeff Northam focused on harnessing that energy this week, in preparation for the match with George Fox.

“After our match against PLU, we had talked a lot about energy and trying to play with positive energy. We were very angry on court and it effected our play,” said Northam. “Against George Fox, [I wanted the guys to] really bear down and play with good positive energy.”

The 9-0 outcome was just as much Whitman’s prestige as it was George Fox’s lack of competitiveness. The ease with which the Missionaries dispatched the Bruins was so elegant and deftly done that the matches didn’t provide for too much entertainment.

Early on in doubles action the Missionaries set the tone. They dominated on their home court, Whitman’s Bratton Tennis Center. At the number-one doubles spot, both Solomon and junior Etienne Moshevich stunned the Munoz brothers, Juan and Pedro, 8-0. Similarly, senior Jasper Follows and first-year Jeff Tolman routed their counterparts at third-ranked doubles 8-1, not dropping a game until a 7-0 lead.

Photo Credit : von Hafften

The only dramatic storyline in doubles, if you could call it that, was at the second seed. George Fox’s Scott Barnett and Nick Jenness came out of the gates strong, storming to a 3-2 lead over senior Christoph Fuchs and junior Quin Miller. However, the Missionaries remained unfettered. Chipping away at the lead, Miller and Fuchs coolly handed the Bruins an 8-4 loss.

In the singles round there were a few entertaining sets, but otherwise, it was as much of a snooze-fest as the doubles matches.

The headline match pinned Whitman’s own Solomon against George Fox’s number one player, Scott Barnett.  Barnett, the Bruin’s only all-conference player, gave Solomon a run for his money as he went up a break at 1-3.  However, that would be all the fight Barnett could muster, as Solomon settled down and sent his foe packing 6-3, 6-1.

Seeing Solomon stumble in conference play is a rarity, and this was two weeks in a row.

“This season has been a bit of a struggle,” Solomon said. “I felt that I was playing too conservatively in the beginning, but after talking it over with coach, we changed some strategy. I’m hoping it’ll [carry over] to the rest of the season.”

Tolman had the most trouble, relatively, wrapping his match up at third singles. After a convincing 6-1 first set, he nearly dropped the second but pulled out  an inspiring 7-5 second set victory.

In a repeat of their earlier doubles match, Moshevich made quick work of Pedro Munoz with a 6-1, 6-0 victory, at number two singles. Junior Chris Bailey, who did not play doubles, didn’t seem to suffer from that as he handily took care of his counterpart at fourth-seeded singles, 6-1, 6-1. Fuchs joined in on the action at the number-five spot, dismantling George Fox’s Matthew Gardner 6-2, 6-2.

Despite everyone’s tremendous success, perhaps Follows had the best night overall at sixth singles. He outplayed and outmaneuvered the Bruins’ Chris Schoon in every way possible, earning the a well-deserved 6-0, 6-0 victory.

This victory over George Fox University marks the Missionaries’ 53rd consecutive Northwest Conference win, an outstanding record that Whitman will certainly keep building upon. Despite being the most successful varsity sport at Whitman, Northam remains humbly optimistic.

When asked what some of the tennis team’s goals are—given that perfect seasons and conference titles are routine—Northam replied, “Routine? That’s funny! There is nothing routine about conference titles or perfect seasons. We are riding a pretty good streak at the moment but it is nothing we discuss. Our team goal for the year is to win the end of the conference tournament which qualifies us for the NCAA tournament.”

“Some people feel entitled and think that they shouldn’t give more because they are already paying so much for college,” said senior Maryn Juergens, who works for the Annual Fund as a development office intern and serves as chair of the Senior Fund. “Without all the fundraising efforts of the college it wouldn’t be able to operate on the level that it does.”

In 2009, the participation rate of Whitman alumni in the Annual Fund dropped to 46 percent. With the 2010 fund drive in full gear, officers and volunteers are aiming to receive gifts from half of all alumni.

“We have increased our goal for this year,” said Brian Dohe, director of the Annual Fund. “Our goal is to get back to 50 percent participation and continue with $1.2 million in unrestricted gifts from alumni.”

Alumni have the option of designating their contributions to a specific department or making unrestricted donations that the college can use in any area of need.

Total contributions to the Annual Fund are measured in both dollar amounts and in participation rates. Both statistics are integral to measuring the success of the college’s fundraising efforts.

“We’re hoping to get 80 percent participation [from recent graduates],” said Juergens. “The dollar amounts matter, but the participation rate has a lot more impact than people realize, no matter the amount. To get outside grants from other institutions, that stat is used because it’s seen so favorably by outside institutions and people looking at the school.”

The lower rates of participation among alumni are mostly seen in graduating classes from the past 10 years who have been affected by the recession.

“I think the public and donors are still worried about the volatility of the market,” Dohe said. “I think it’s a result of the economy.”

Senior Allison Armstrong, who manages the Annual Fund’s phonathon, believes declining rates of participation result from increasingly larger graduating classes compounded with a poor economy.

“Whitman is graduating larger and larger classes of students recently and because the larger classes are younger, they are less likely to give because they have jobs that pay less or have to pay off loans,” she said.

Juergens commented that in addition to these factors, students from younger generations are less focused on giving to others.

“I think our generations are less philanthropic-minded—it’s something that’s not as inherit in our generation, to give back, that is,” Juergens said.

In order to get students in a philanthropic frame of mind, Juergens spearheaded the Senior Fund, a fundraising campaign she and 11 other seniors organized with the mission of getting students involved in the giving process early.

“The idea is to educate people about the importance of fundraising while they are still at college,” said Juergens. “If students start the tradition of giving immediately, once they have already given it will be easier to give next year.”

Juergens hopes to engage soon-to-be alumni at the Green Lantern on March 4, when the Senior Fund and the Senior Class Committee will co-host a karaoke party in celebration of the class of 2010. People who choose to donate to the Senior Fund will receive sunglasses marked “Whitman 2010.”

The Senior Fund will also be collecting donations through Friday, Feb. 26, in Reid Campus Center to fund a scholarship for a member of the class of 2014.

“This year we’re not making the gift a tangible object, but rather a scholarship. A bench is great, you know? But a scholarship’s going to make a lot more of a difference,” Juergens said.

Between the efforts of the Annual Fund and the Senior Fund, Whitman’s fundraising team is pleased with the success it has met so far.

“Dollar-wise, we are ahead of where we were at this time last year by about $350,000,” said Dohe.

Nevertheless, the Annual Fund has received 60 fewer gifts than it did at this time last year, a number it hopes to surpass as fundraising efforts continue over the next year.

Photo Credit : Bullion

“Looking at him, it hurts to watch, but it’s so hard not to smile,” said first-year Beth Daviess, viewing the collage of pictures of Richard O’Brien hanging on his bedroom door in Jewett Hall.

O’Brien died Saturday, Feb. 13, when he collided with a tree after his ski caught a rough edge on the Huckleberry Run, an intermediate trail at Bluewood Ski Area near Dayton, Wash. In the aftermath of his death, O’Brien’s friends, family, fraternity brothers and section mates have come together to grieve and celebrate his life.

A memorial service held Tuesday, Feb. 16, in the Young Ballroom of Reid Campus Center was so full that it required overflow seating. O’Brien’s parents and brother, as well as numerous relatives and family friends, made the trip to Walla Walla to be in attendance.

At the service, friends recalled O’Brien—nicknamed “Rich” and “Hish”—as hilarious and beautiful, friendly and inclusive, adventuresome and genuine.

Sophomore Lexie Drechsel shared how O’Brien brought new enthusiasm to Whitman’s ski team after its demotion from a varsity sport last year.

“After they cut the team last year, it was hard, and the team came together and we were such a tight group,” she said. “And Rich came along and he worked hard to become a part of this team, and we loved him and cherished every moment we had with him.”

First-year Nick Leppmann, recounting a recent memory, noted that he could rely on O’Brien as a loyal and true friend.

“At Beta Theta Pi, somebody accidentally pushed me down the front stairs, and I proceeded to fly off the stairs and slide on my face in the concrete,” he said. “In my delirious state, all that I could say is ‘where’s Hish?’ over and over and over again. People began to ask me why I needed him so badly. All I could say was ‘Because he’s my friend.’”

Craig Gunsul, O’Brien’s Encounters professor, said the class relied on O’Brien’s sense of humor to lighten the mood during intense debates.

“His humor was infectious and could be counted upon to diffuse tensions when people started disagreeing rather loudly,” Gunsul said.

The memorial service also included an open mic for friends to read statements, recite poems and express condolences.

In 2-West, O’Brien’s residence hall section, a large poster covers the hallway, filled with thoughts and memories.

“People have just been writing these enormous letters and people have to stop to save room for everyone else because there’s just so much to write,” Daviess said.

Daviess says that the tragedy, while devastating, has brought Jewett closer together.

“It was a family before, but now we feel so connected to each other,” she said. “We’re so glad that we’re together because that’s the only comfort that we have and it’s so important. We’ve been in each other’s rooms, try to never be alone.”

As friends discuss O’Brien, they find joy in recalling his life.

“There’s a lot of warmth to be found amid the sadness,” said first-year Linnea Bullion in an e-mail. “Even now I can hear people down the hall from me laughing and sharing stories about ridiculous adventures they shared with Hish.”

Friends shared stories of rock climbing and skiing with O’Brien, his love of life and some downright funny moments.

“[He was] the one at the alcohol speech who asked, ‘Does pouring beer up your butt get you drunk faster?’” said first-year Phi Phan at Tuesday’s memorial service as the audience erupted with laughter.

That sense of humor translated to everyday situations.

“One of our friends was obsessed with FarmVille and he’d walk in and ask, ‘Is it sunny on the Internet today?’” recalled Daviess.

She also noted how inclusive O’Brien was at his birthday party during finals week in December.

“It brought everybody together, and he just invited everyone—people he didn’t know very well and [to get to know them better],” she said. “It was never about him, he just wanted everyone to be there with him. Everything that was petty [or] complicated went away.”

O’Brien’s friends are looking for ways to commemorate him as they begin to move on.

“We might all get tattoos, just to remember him and to remind ourselves and other people how much he meant to us,” said first-year Kelly West of her group of friends. “If anyone asks, [we’ll] be able to tell people about this amazing person that we knew.”

Bullion said her friends paid tribute to O’Brien by eating his favorite food, bacon.

“Richard’s friends went to brunch and everyone had at least one piece of bacon because it was his favorite food—even those who have been vegetarians for years,” she said.

Adam Kirtley, Stuart coordinator of religious and spiritual life, noted that a memorial for all fallen Whitman community members exists.

“A couple of years ago a plaque was placed on a rock beneath a tree in Narnia. Its inscription serves as a memorial to students, faculty, staff and alumni who have died,” Kirtley said in an e-mail. “It does serve [as a] place where people can gather in a beautiful setting [to] remember friends.”

Kirtley and the Counseling Center staff have been available throughout the week to help students with the grieving process and will continue offering support to anyone who needs it. And while Kirtley has helped several students, he has been amazed by how people in the community have helped each other.

“They have served each other far more than what any trained counselor could do,” he said. “Witnessing it has made me proud to be affiliated with the Whitman community.”

Through hugging, crying and sharing meals together, those who knew O’Brien have begun to cope. But even more than that, they’ve become closer with one another.

“Our friend group has opened up to so many people that I never would have known before . . . and there’s never room for any sort of judgment of anyone,” West said of Jewett residents who have come together in grief.

The openness and new friendships that have formed as the community comes together, much like his well-known inclusiveness, is but one part of O’Brien’s lasting legacy.

Senior Seth Bergeson, who has participated in the Whitman Mentor Program for two years, explained how excited his mentee was about the carnival.

“When I visited my mentee for the first time this fall after being abroad last spring, he immediately demanded where I had been and when we were going to the carnival,” Bergeson said.

Senior Enrica Maffucci, one of two interns for the Mentor Program, said one boy was looking forward to the carnival so much last year that he went even though he should have been sent home sick.

“[He] had a fever of 100 degrees and he didn’t tell the teacher because he didn’t want to miss the carnival,” said Maffucci.

The Mentor Program has planned a carnival that will take place tomorrow from noon to 2 p.m. in the Reid Ballroom, following a meeting in Cordiner Hall.

The activities planned for the carnival include a bouncy castle, an electric basketball game, pin the tail on the donkey, mini golf, a cow-milking contest using a wooden cow, popcorn, face-painting, dress-up with photos and arts and crafts. A variety of Whitman groups, including Club Latino, the Cycling Team, the Whitman Christian Fellowship, Hillel-Shalom and various Greek organizations, have volunteered to run these booths.

“You never have a sense of the number of mentors because everyone is so dispersed. When everyone comes together, it’s impressive,” said the other Mentor Program intern, Molly Carroll.

In addition to the carnival, there will be new performances from Whitman clubs this year.

“We have performances from Schwa and Dance Team and that’s different [from last year] because in the past we had Juggling Club. It’s good for the kids to see talented people,” Carroll said, explaining that virtually all of the mentees are challenged socially, academically or behaviorally in school.

Maffucci agreed that the mentees often have some sort of challenge in their life.

“Mentees are students who their teacher or intervention specialist has picked out as needing special attention. This can be for a myriad of academic, social or behavioral reasons and each mentee’s experience is unique,” she said. “We match elementary and middle school at-risk students with a Whitman student to serve as a positive, consistent role model and friend.”

Sophomore Erin Drake has volunteered with the program for two semesters and really enjoys getting to know her third grade mentee, whom she visits every week.

“After we eat lunch we go out for recess. His favorite sport is football. He likes to let me win even though I suck at football—it’s really cute,” she said.

This will be the sixth year of running the carnival since the Whitman Mentor Program started in 1994.

Credit: Loos-Diallo

The word slavery evokes images of distant times and distant places. It’s something that happened more than a century ago, something which exists in a few isolated, desolate and poverty-stricken places on earth. But that popular image of slavery is dead wrong, according to senior Allison Gill.

“We think of [slavery] as a purely international issue, not something that happens here,” she said. “A lot of the fight right now is getting people to admit that it’s a problem.”

Gill is working with organizations in Walla Walla to start a group to combat human trafficking. She hopes to engage in activism on a local, national and international level. Locally, she hopes to train students to be citizen investigators who uncover evidence of potential trafficking.

“Education and awareness are a big component,” she said.

Unlike in many other countries where trafficking is an issue, the United States has a law enforcement presence which is generally responsive and willing to prosecute trafficking cases. However, citizen activists play a vital role in uncovering cases.

“Sometimes you can’t mobilize local law enforcement to do anything unless you present them with concrete proof,” said Gill.

Other organizations in Walla Walla are also trying to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking. The Walla Walla University chapter of Amnesty International recently partnered with other organizations to hold an ongoing anti-trafficking fundraiser. Events included music and poetry presentations, a film about trafficking and panel discussions. Proceeds went to the Walla Walla HelpLine Women’s Shelter, which offers support to homeless women.

“The most vulnerable populations [for trafficking] in Walla Walla, and elsewhere, are homeless women and children,” said Greg Dodds, the faculty advisor for WWU’s Amnesty International chapter. He believes that the HelpLine Shelter is important because it serves a unique population.

“There was no shelter for single homeless women before the HelpLine Shelter,” he said. “All communities need to take responsibility to protect their most vulnerable populations. We need to be proactive.”

In addition to educating students about local trafficking issues, Gill wants to raise awareness about purchasing products made with slave labor. She said that chocolate is particularly problematic, because the vast majority of it is made from cocoa beans imported from plantations with little to no oversight on the part of the chocolate companies. These plantations often use slave labor to produce the beans, which are made into chocolate and sold to unsuspecting consumers.

“Those companies aren’t going to care unless consumers care,” said Gill.

Amy Dodds, a music assistant involved in the Amnesty events, finds the link between consumption and slavery striking.

“So many products that seem to be associated with slave labor over the centuries are luxury items—things like coffee, chocolate and sugar,” she said. “The things that are addictive and make us greedy are where we have looked the other way if others are suffering.”

Gill also hopes to help raise funds for organizations working to fight trafficking. She has followed the work of Not For Sale, a nonprofit which has anti-trafficking projects in Thailand, Nepal, Uganda, Peru and Cambodia. Recently, the group has set up checkpoints on the Nepal-India border, where formerly trafficked individuals help police identify and free women being brought across the border to work as sex slaves in India.

To increase campus awareness of trafficking issues, Gill plans to hold a screening of “At the End of Slavery,” a documentary which describes the many instances of slavery taking place around the globe. She hopes to inspire Whitman students to act to end trafficking.

“I feel like I should have taken concrete action about this issue earlier on in my time at Whitman,” she said. “I came here thinking it was a really socially aware campus, but with the exception of environmental activism, there’s a lack of people doing something about the issues they say they care about. I don’t exclude myself from that statement.”

By making students aware that trafficking occurs all over the world, Gill hopes to change this.

“The people who get involved and become hardcore activists [against trafficking]—it’s because it’s right in front of their nose and they just saw it,” she said.

Peer Listeners:

This group of Whitman students seeks to “foster emotional well-being on campus” and be easily accessible to students. Peer Listeners hold drop-in hours in Hunter 106 on Mondays from 1-4 p.m. and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 1-5 p.m..
Web site: whitman.edu/peer_listeners/

Counseling Center:

The Counseling Center includes six professional counselors who are trained to assist students in a variety of situations. Call 509-527-5195 to schedule an appointment.
Web site: whitman.edu/content/counseling/

Adam Kirtley, Stuart Coordinator of Religious and Spiritual Life:

Kirtley is part of the Counseling Center staff in addition to being a minister. He is available to all students, and is able to help students wishing to address religious or spiritual issues. Call 509-522-4449.
Web site: whitman.edu/content/spiritual-life/stuart-coordinator

Friends and Acquaintances:

Leaning on those you know can help out tremendously, whether it is getting feelings out or sharing the loss together. First-year Kelly West of Jewett Hall encouraged students on campus who are grieving but don’t know where to go to visit Jewett.

Kirtley has also offered health suggestions, something friends can look out for:  “Adequate sleep and food are going to give folks a better shot at feeling stable. Inversely, things like excessive drinking or self-isolating can raise some red flags.”

Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland:

If the grieving process is affecting coursework or other areas of academics, Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland can provide suggestions and encourage professors to provide extensions as necessary. Call 509-527-5158.
Web site: whitman.edu/content/student-life/deanofstudents

Many students notice that females outnumber males at Whitman, but only some believe that the gender imbalance affects dating life.

The New York Times recently published an article called “New Math on Campus,” which presents straight women’s apparent frustration with the “shortage of men” at the University of North Carolina.

“Whitman’s gender balance is comparable to the national average, particularly for liberal arts colleges like us,” said Kevin Dyerly, director of admissions.“It’s 57 percent female and 43 percent male.”

Dean of Admission and Financial Aid, Tony Cabasco, said that only 38 to 39 percent of applicants last year were male.

“There are a lot more girls than guys,” said sophomore Mary Allain of the ratio in her humanities classes.

Students notice the skewed ratio outside of the classroom as well. First-year Katie Haaheim described watching several women return to residence halls on a weekend night.

“I’ve seen a few girls come back to the dorms crying because after an entire night of availability, no one danced with them . . . When there are too many girls, the girls get competitive,” she said.

Sophomore Seth Dawson recognized this ratio as well.

“Odds are obviously skewed in our favor,” said Dawson.

First-year Becky Nevin commented that her relationships with the opposite sex has changed since coming to Whitman. Nevin is a resident of Prentiss Hall, the campus’s only all-women’s residence, which houses 150 students, including the members of three women’s fraternities.

“I miss boys! Some of my best friends are guys back home but now I live in Prentiss and I sometimes find it hard to meet other people,” she said.

Dating seems especially difficult for queer women.

“Although it is apparent that a good number of queer (or lesbian or bisexual) women go to Whitman, it is definitely a challenge to find them,” said first-year Dena Wessel.

“There’s a surprisingly small visible community [of queer women] here,” she said. “Comparatively, queer (and gay and bisexual) men seem to congregate; people know who’s who; the dating pool is accessible.”

Many Whitman students seem to agree that the move away from dating, possibly to the less-committed “hooking up” scene, is a national hallmark of our generation.

“I know that nationwide, dating on college campuses is becoming more and more of a novelty,” said Haaheim.

Wessel disbelieves that Whitman students date differently from their peers at other schools.

“From my perspective, Whitman students date just as much as [students at] other schools. The numbers don’t seem to really affect us,” she said.

One student commented that her relationship status affects how she currently views the dating scene.

“There are plenty of single guys, but maybe I’m just saying that because I have a boyfriend,” said sophomore Lindsey Olson.

The Times article discussed the possibility of schools starting to enforce ‘affirmative action for boys’ in an effort to even out the ratio, but Whitman does not plan to follow this course of action.

“We, of course, would like to see the student body be close to 50-50 for the optimal co-educational experience,” said Dyerly, “but we’re also not willing at this point to alter our process drastically to favor and/or admit men at a much higher rate than women when the applicant pool more resembles a 40 to 60 male to female ratio.”

Dyerly and Cabasco both said that Whitman accepts between 1 and 1.5 percent more applicants from the male pool.

“Our yield on admitted men is historically slightly higher than it is for women,” said Cabasco of the rate of enrollment for admitted students.

Despite some students’ dissatisfaction on the dating front, for a small liberal arts college Whitman seems to be fitting in with current cultural norms, both in admissions and on campus.

For the majority of majors in psychology and sociology—disciplines that heavily rely on empirical data—recruiting human subjects for experiments is necessary for completing the required senior thesis project. For Whitman students, however, finding participants can prove challenging because of the small student body, lack of contact with local residents and certain regulations from the Institutional Review Board.

“Finding participants is always a really difficult process,” said junior psychology major Patricia Xi, who is working as a research assistant on a senior thesis. “I did my research project for the required methodology class last semester and it was really hard getting people to come in. I just kind of gave up and changed the format of the survey so people wouldn’t have to come in. I changed it to a Survey Monkey and it worked a lot better.”

Xi added that the Whitman “bubble” has made it difficult to recruit local residents.

“For members of the community outside, it might be a little weird to come in because they’re not really attached to the Whitman community,” Xi said. “As much as we try to have good community relations, I feel like there’s still a Whitman/Walla Walla divide.”

Finding willing participants can be especially difficult when working with special populations. In the case of senior theses, all aspects of the experiment, including the kind and number of participants, must be approved by a committee of Whitman faculty and local community members known as the Institutional Review Board. The purpose of the board is to protect the safety and comfort of test subjects and to promote legal and ethical research practices.

“There are certain categories of people that are considered more sensitive, so you have to go through more precautions,” said senior sociology major Susannah Lowe, who is writing her thesis on GLBTQ and religious identities.

“One of the reasons I didn’t use minors in my study is because it’s really hard to get the project approved by the IRB, especially if it’s about GLBTQ children,” Lowe said. “In order to involve children, you have to get a parent’s permission. In the past, a student did her project on GLBTQ youth in Walla Walla and she had a really hard time getting through the IRB process because the IRB wanted the parents to sign forms, but the forms might have implied that his or her child was gay.”

During its review process, the IRB pays special attention to projects involving prisoners, minors, pregnant women, mentally impaired people and other groups that are often risky to involve or contact. In order to recruit her subjects, Lowe is using a research technique called “snowball sampling,” where researchers rely on referrals from current subjects to find potential participants.

“I use that method because of the sensitive population that I’m working with,” said Lowe. “Snowball sampling is a way to [target certain subgroups] by assuming that someone who identifies in a certain way may know other people with that same identity.”

Senior psychology major Laura Niman partly relies on her subjects’ mothers for referrals. Her senior thesis is focusing on how infant cognitive development is affected by differences in socio-economic status.

“I’m looking at babies that are six, nine, and 12 months old, and most of the data is from six-month-olds,” said Niman. “I’ve had a little bit of trouble because there are a limited number of babies of the right age in Walla Walla. But I found that it’s helpful to ask people if they have any friends with babies of the same age.”

Niman was granted research funds to offer each participant a $20 gift certificate to Walmart. Candy, cookies, gift certificates and raffle drawings are common types of incentives offered to participants by student researchers. Professors have also offered students the chance to earn extra credit by participating in others’ experiments.

“All compensation needs to be indicated in the IRB proposal,” said Wally Herbranson, chair of the psychology department. “What they look out for is they don’t want the compensation to be coercive. If you’re giving away sports cars, you could probably do some pretty egregious stuff and students will put up with it. But if you’re giving away cookies, then students aren’t going to be in a position to continue with something they otherwise wouldn’t.”

Herbranson believes that most students are successful in finding enough participants for their theses, especially because Whitman students are so generous with their time. Interviewing mostly Whitman students, however, is not always ideal.

“I think [interviewing mostly Whitman students] kind of hurts the study because the people here are, no offense to us, all really similar,” said Xi. “We’re a similar age group, similar socio-economic status for the most part, and a lot of us have the same political background. It’s hard to generalize from that group, in my opinion. Luckily, a lot of the studies are designed to look at things that are applicable to everyone.”

Herbranson commented that social scientists are used to working with college students because they often constitute the largest available subject pool.

“There’s kind of an in-joke in psychology that says we know more about sophomore psychology majors than we know about the population of the world because those are the kinds of people that end up in the subject pool at big universities, and that’s where most of the research that gets published in psychology journals comes from,” said Herbranson.

Despite the challenges of finding subjects, Lowe has been pleasantly surprised with her results.

“I’ve actually had pretty good luck,” she said. “I thought people would be hesitant to talk about [certain] issues, but I guess it’s something that a lot of people want to talk about in their day-to-day lives but don’t have the opportunity to talk about it.”

Herbranson commented that research methods are likely to change over time.

“Standards do change. There’s certainly been research programs conducted in the distant past that would no longer be approved because the way we look at research has been a fluid concept; it changes over the years.”

UPDATE 11:02 P.M.: President George Bridges released the name of the student killed earlier today in a skiing accident to the Whitman community via e-mail. First-year Richard O’Brien of Davis, Calif. was killed when he hit a tree at the popular Bluewood Ski Area.

O’Brien lived in the 2-West section of Jewett Hall and was involved in the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

Bridges called the situation “terribly difficult and confusing,” and noted the importance of the community coming together in the aftermath of this tragedy.

“The expressions of concern you are extending to one another—particularly to Richard’s close friends, fellow skiers and 2-West and Beta companions—will provide hope and comfort as we move through these first few particularly challenging days and weeks,” Bridges said.

A celebration of Richard’s life  will be held at a to-be-determined time within the coming days.

ORIGINAL POST: A Whitman student was killed today when he hit a tree while skiing at Bluewood Ski Area. The student’s name has not been released.

“We have not yet been able to speak with the student’s parents. That is why I am withholding the name at this time,” said President George Bridges in an e-mail to the Whitman community.

According to the e-mail, the student was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

Bluewood Ski Area is 52 miles east of Walla Walla.

credit: Loos Diallo

In response to student and faculty concerns regarding the Academic Dishonesty Policy, the Student Life Committee voted in favor of an ASWC-sponsored resolution calling for a faculty code revision of the policy. Passed on Friday, Feb. 5, the resolution included a revised draft of the policy written by senior ASWC Vice President and Student Affairs Chair Jordan Clark and sophomore Senator and Student Affairs representative Noah Lerner.

The Student Life Committee and Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland are concerned that the current policy’s definition of plagiarism is too broad and its punishments too strict. Instances of plagiarism under the current policy range from negligent or improper citation to intentional plagiarism of another author’s work.

The penalty for a first time offense, regardless of the nature of the infringement, ranges from a minimum grade of an “F” on the assignment to a maximum grade of an “F” in the course. The penalty for forgetting to cite a source can be the same as for purchasing a paper off the Internet.

According to Student Life Committee Chair Brooke Vick, an assistant professor of psychology, the committee typically does not discuss matters of curricular or disciplinary policy. It may, however, identify issues of student concern relevant to these areas and make recommendations for addressing them, as was the case with the Academic Dishonesty Policy.

“Several members of ASWC approached the committee with ideas about how the policy could be revised. Members of the committee provided feedback on those ideas and several drafts were discussed as a group,” Vick said via e-mail.

Cleveland first approached Clark and senior ASWC President Nadim Damluji early last semester to discuss his concerns, as well as those of students and faculty members, regarding the current Academic Dishonesty Policy.

According to Cleveland, approximately 20 cases of academic dishonesty are brought to his attention each year. The cases vary in severity of offense.

“I felt like there are some situations where the current policy ended up with an overly serious sanction—that the penalty exceeded the transgression,” said Cleveland. “My concern was that in cases that were maybe less intentional—cases in which there were cultural or language differences—it would be nice if the faculty had greater discretion and a wider range of sanction in first time cases.”

Clark and Damluji shared Cleveland’s concerns, delegating the job of researching and revising the policy to Clark and Lerner.

They concluded that the current Academic Dishonesty Policy disproportionately affects first-year and international students who may not be accustomed to the citation style used by the American university system.

Furthermore, they found that the policy does not accurately represent current faculty practices in regards to punishing plagiarism.

“A lot of professors simply don’t follow the current policy. Most professors aren’t going to report a small citation error to the Dean of Students and they are not going to fail a student,” said Clark.

Jordan and Clark presented their findings to students at the Oct. 22 Town Hall Meeting, an open forum between students and ASWC.

“We received near unanimous support for amending the policy at our Town Hall,” said Clark, prompting a revision of the policy.

ASWC’s revisions primarily focused on the penalties for first-time infringements of academic dishonesty. Their revision reads: “For a first offense . . . the faculty member shall have the discretion to decide what punitive measures to take with a maximum penalty of a grade of ‘F’ in the course.”

ASWC’s rationale behind the revision, as stated per the Faculty Code Revision they submitted to the Student Life Committee, is that “it gives each faculty member the discretion to measure the seriousness of the infraction and decide upon the appropriate punitive measures . . . allow[ing] faculty members to differentiate between serious acts of plagiarism and minor errors in citation.”

The revision reflects Cleveland’s desire for the policy to help students learn from their mistakes, whether that comes from rewriting a paper, forgoing a grade or having a grade deducted.

“I don’t want to minimize the importance of academic honesty. I think it’s critical to what we do here; but I also think learning and education can be part of this policy,” said Cleveland.

“[The revised policy is] not supposed to make it easier for students in any way, it just allows a professor to decide ultimately when they want to prosecute things versus turning them into a teaching opportunity,” said Lerner.

The Student Life Committee, after approving ASWC’s revisions, has recommended that the Faculty Committee consider both students’ concerns regarding the Academic Dishonesty and the new, revised policy.

It remains to be seen how the revised policy will fare on the floor of the Faculty Committee.

“There definitely has been some resistance from professors. We’ll see to what extent the faculty like what we’ve come up with then we bring the [revised] policy before them,” said Lerner.

Clark hopes that the revision process will increase student involvement and open the doors to better communication between students, ASWC and faculty.

“Cleveland is really interested in getting more students involved in college policy,” said Clark. “Students aren’t always involved in the decision making process, and we’re trying to break down the barrier between the faculty deciding on things that affect us and us being able to reciprocate, backing policies that we support.”

“The goal of this project is to offer local produce to Bon Appétit,” said Jamerson.

Microgreens are greens harvested after a plant has sprouted, but before it is large enough to become a baby green. Whitman’s greens will grow for two weeks before they are harvested and delivered to Bon Appétit, where they will be served as part of the salad bar.

“It’s very flavorful and very healthy,” said Pehrson.

The project is part of a larger initiative by Campus Greens to have Whitman produce more of its own food. Junior Nat Clarke, president of Campus Greens said that he began growing some small edible plants around the amphitheater to show that it was possible to grow food on campus.

“The microgreens project is the next step in the progression towards a larger farm, and it’s incredibly important to campus,” he said.

Several Campus Green members were involved in getting the project started and in meeting with Bon Appétit to work out the details of the sale. Jamerson and Pehrson will be overseeing the project this semester as official interns, for which they will receive environmental studies internship credit.

The project will be funded by the Sustainability Revolving Loan Fund. The Fund was created last spring to finance ideas that make Whitman more environmentally friendly and pay back over a five-year period. Previously, loan applications have been for larger ventures, such as purchasing a solvent recycler for the chemistry department.

“I’m really impressed with [the microgreens] project,” said senior Lisa Curtis, the Whitman sustainability coordinator. “Not only will the money pay back, but they should actually make money.”

Jameson and Pehrson expect to deliver 12 trays of greens per week to Bon Appétit. According to Roger Edens, the Bon Appétit manager, the greens will be purchased for $18 per tray, which is the same price currently paid to the off-campus supplier.

Edens says he is excited about the project, because it shows that it is possible for a college campus to produce some of its own food.

“It raises awareness, and it’s a stronger message when it’s coming from the students,” he said.

Bon Appétit has produced a handbook called “Student Gardens and Food Service,” which has directions for starting similar projects on campuses. Edens said that the company encourages student efforts to make campus food more sustainable.

“[The micorgreens project is] something easy to start up that will have some immediate returns,” said Edens.

The quick payback is one of the reasons microgreens were chosen for this project.

“We’re starting with microgreens because it’s the most financially feasible project for us,” said Jamerson.

Clarke notes that this is a unique feature of growing microgreens, compared to many other student sustainability initiatives on campus.

“Very few student efforts are self-funded in any capacity,” he said. “The project uses a business-oriented, scientific approach.”

Jamerson and Pehrson hope more students will get involved, both by helping with the microgreens project and by continuing similar efforts at Whitman.

“We really want as much student involvement and awareness as possible,” she said. “That’s the way it’s going to be sustained.”

Photo Credit : Cornelius

The Office of Admission predicts the number of applications for the class of 2014 to be in the region of 3,300, roughly even to the number of applications received last year. Although the deadline for applications was Jan. 15, the exact number of applicants is unknown because not all applications have been organized and counted.

This predicted tally is notable because the number of high school graduates in the United States is expected to decline this year, after having peaked in 2009.

“National demographics show that 2009 is the peak of high school graduates in terms of sheer population,” Director of Admissions Kevin Dyerly told The Pioneer in February 2009, noting the possibility of a decline in applications for the class of 2014.

However, it is possible that this national decline in high school graduates will have little affect on Whitman applications.

“The decline [in high school graduates] is not across the board,” said Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Tony Cabasco. “They are primarily in the northeast and upper Midwest . . . the decline in Washington is very modest. Relative to [Whitman’s location], the impact might be not that big overall.”

So far the impact has hardly been noticeable. The Office of Admission received about 180 early decision applications this year. Although it is less than last year’s record-breaking 200, this year still amounts to Whitman’s third best year for early decision applications.

If there is a slight decline in the total amount of applications received this year, it would be the first time since 1995. The number of applications Whitman receives has more than doubled in the past 15 years from 1,535 in 1995 to 3,309 in 2009.

Tory Sheffield, a high school senior from Seattle, suspected an increase in Whitman applications from her high school.

“I think that 35 applied last year and I feel like it’s more this year but I don’t know for sure,” she said.

Sheffield also mentioned the many letters and e-mails she received from Whitman.

“They sent out a lot of newsletters and really tried to reach out and I got the feeling of a strong community,” she said.

According to Cabasco, the large amount of contact made with prospective students is very intentional.

“We want to build connections,” he explained. “Our approach has always been to ensure that Whitman is on the mind of the [prospective] student.” Cabasco pointed to the Office of Admission’s Facebook page, and noted that they’re in the process of creating a blog.

2010 also marks the first year that all applications are being processed and read electronically.

“It’s been a two- to three-year process,” explained Cabasco. “We’ve had to adjust a lot of things. Two years ago we would receive applications electronically, but we would still have to print them and read them. Now we just transfer the PDF directly to electronic storage.”

Even letters of recommendation and high school transcripts are received electronically.

Paper applications are still accepted. However, they are now scanned and stored digitally. This allows out-of-state and off-campus admissions officers to access the applications.

“The Internet is becoming ubiquitous,” said Cabasco. “Five years from now, I might be doing this on my digital phone.”

The new services and equipment are the result of a semester-long planning process on the part of Claudia Ness, interim director of the Health Center, in collaboration with a number of Whitman students. When Ness began working at the center in fall 2009, she noticed that its physical therapy room, which has housed various therapy equipment and machinery since the facility opened in 2006, was not being used to its full potential.

“When this building—which is a relatively new building—was built, it did have a physical therapy room,” said Ness. “It was made to have physical therapy; it’s just that the services we were providing weren’t utilizing the room to the fullest. When I came on in the fall I took one look at that room and thought we could certainly utilize it much more effectively.”

The room housed a message table that was not being used, so after a number of students inquired about massage therapy, Ness started searching for a licensed therapist. After a long search, she located Jan Atwater, who had just moved to the area after a 30-year tenure as a head therapist at Washington State University.

Atwater is currently taking appointments for students on Wednesday evenings from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. She charges $45 for a 45-minute massage, less than her usual rate of $70 per hour. Since Atwater began offering her services in early February, nearly all appointments have been filled, and she hopes to expand her hours as midterms and finals approach.

In addition to massage therapy, the Health Center provides physical therapy services on Wednesdays and Fridays to students with prescriptions. The cycling team frequently uses the physical therapy room’s training equipment for conditioning.

“The thing that makes this so helpful—it’s kind of a win-win from the students’ side and our side—is that we would normally be providing transportation and pickups for students who need physical therapy,” Ness said. “This way we are able to do it here in the Health Center.”

First-year David McGaughey was one of the first students to receive physical therapy at the center for a shoulder injury.

“My most recent experience with the Health Center has been going to physical therapy twice a week for the same shoulder I had surgery on,” McGaughey said. “That process was very, very easy. They not only lined up the physical therapy, doing all of the work once I had given them the prescription, but they also arranged for the physical therapists to come to the health center instead of me having to go to them.”

McGaughey also praises the center’s recent acquisition of a free-t0-use phototherapy light, also housed in the physical therapy room, which helps treat Seasonal Affective Disorder.

“Sometimes, since Whitman is such a happy place, people can feel like there is pressure to be happy, and if they’re not, they feel like something is wrong,” said McGaughey. “Whitman offers and is increasingly offering more and more ways for students to cope with this stress, between the Counseling Center, the exceptional fitness center, and now the massage therapists and sun lamp. Whitman is such a happy place in part because of these efforts.”

As February approaches every year, Whitman students can usually be found printing out copies of resumes, practicing interview skills in the mirror and even selecting a not-too-wrinkled outfit to impress representatives at the college’s annual Career and Internship Fair. This year, though, students have one less reason to obsess about these job hunting rituals—the fair has gone virtual.

The Career and Internship Fair, organized by the Student Engagement Center, is an annual event designed to introduce students to off-campus employers. The fair offers Whitman students and recent graduates alike the opportunity to find summer employment, a summer internship or a potential career. This year, the fair will feature employment opportunities with Campus Point—Seattle/Puget Sound, Environment America and others as well as internships from groups such as American University and The Philadelphia Center.

Though the purpose of the Career and Internship Fair has not changed, its venue has drastically. This year, the Student Engagement Center pilots the Virtual Career and Internship Fair for the entire month of February.

The virtual fair is a collaborate effort by Susan Buchanan, director of the Student Engagement Center, and Ali Barlow, assistant director, to address declining numbers of participating organizations and businesses in Whitman’s career fair. Though other college solutions to the on-campus recruiting problem were not investigated, both Barlow and Buchanan knew something needed to be done.

“The number of attendees were down, so we were willing to try something new,” said Barlow, explaining that the state of the economy has significantly impacted the success of traditional career fairs. “Budgets are down. Fewer companies and organizations could come; it wouldn’t be economical—this has led to a decrease in on-campus recruiting.”

Barlow further explains why a virtual career fair is an effective and desirable alternative for Whitman students.

“Technology is improving. Students are increasingly online. That’s where things are going,” Barlow said. “Students weren’t coming to in-person fairs; students are extremely busy and going virtual is more accessible.”

The Virtual Career and Internship Fair will also benefit employers interested in recruiting Whitman students.

“Students like it to get jobs; organizations would like to target Whitman students,” said Barlow. “It also it costs businesses much less and is less of a time investment for them.”

But has the virtual fair increased the number of internship and business participants for Whitman students?

“Not many more, but an improvement,” said Barlow, adding that the fair has already attracted an employer due to its new format. “[The] state of Alaska can participate now it’s virtual; they were unable to before.”

The future of the Virtual Career and Internship fair is not set in stone. Barlow explains that after this month’s virtual fair comes to a close, the Student Engagement Center will consider if the new format works for Whitman students, if students enjoy it and if the virtual fair will provide students with jobs and internships.

“We may go back [to a traditional format] if the economy bounces back,” she said.

The virtual fair also provides information on creating effective resumes and successful interview techniques for students.

The Virtual Career and Internship Fair launch party was held Monday, Feb. 8th, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in Reid 110 and is hosted via the CLEo online workspace system. Instructions for sign-up are located at the following Web site: http://www.whitman.edu/content/career_center/employers/career-and-internship-fair.

Credit: E. Johnson

Feb. 14 will celebrate more than chocolate and flowers this year as billions of people around the world, including many Whitman students, usher in the Chinese New Year.

Chinese New Year falls on different dates on the Gregorian Calendar every year because it is based on the beginning of the lunar year, explained Vietnamese Cultural Club President junior Trang Pham. People in China, Vietnam, Korea and Mongolia, as well as millions of people in the United States, observe the holiday for different numbers of days each year.

At Whitman, the Asian Studies House plans to host a Lunar New Year celebration this Sunday, Feb. 14, at 6:30 p.m. in collaboration with the Vietnamese Cultural Club and the Global Awareness House.

“We want to raise awareness and celebrate together with the campus and be a part of the celebration of the people who grew up celebrating [the Lunar New Year],” said junior Maherin Ahmed, a resident of the Global Awareness House.

“It’s just like Christmas,” said sophomore Bryant Fong, who celebrated the holiday while growing up at home in Corvallis, Ore. “You get to spend a lot of time with your family.”

Like Fong, Pham also has fond memories of celebrating the holiday with her family in Northern Vietnam.

“In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is celebrated throughout a three day period. People don’t work and would stay home to make a traditional cake called banh chung. To make this cake it takes a day and a half. People stay up all night talking around the pot [where the cake is cooking] and the kids play.”

The Asian Studies House and the Vietnamese Cultural Club will cook foods such as Vietnamese soup, stir-fry and traditional desserts. The hosts also plan to teach the guests how to make their own spring rolls.

The Asian Studies House plans to have activities such as karaoke and a PowerPoint presentation designed to inform guests about the history and practice of the Chinese New Year.

“[When I celebrated as a child] the elderly would hang red packets of money in the trees,” said junior David Mai, who is from Los Angeles and RA of the Asian Studies House. “The kids would all get to reach up and pick a packet and keep whatever sum of money they chose. At the ASH instead of money we’re going to have candy.”

The Asian Cultural Association has also planned a celebration for Friday, Feb. 19, which will take place in the Kimball Auditorium and will include a performance. They plan to help host another celebration featuring traditional foods in Prentiss Dining Hall on Saturday, Feb. 20.

“Different parts of China celebrate it differently,” said Fong, who explained that the holiday, also known as Spring Festival originated from farmers’ celebrations of spring.

Whitman students plan to celebrate the holiday in a number of different ways, but all aim to pay a tribute to the holiday and celebrate the dawning of a new lunar year. All Whitman students and faculty are invited and encouraged to attend the festivities.

“We’re thrilled by the results,” said Barbara Clark, campaign co-chair. “This is a community that really cares about all of the people who live here. I think this vote shows that people recognize how important Valley Transit is to people and the economy.”

With the passage of the ballot measure, Valley Transit will avoid a 50 percent cut in services over the next year that would  have eliminated at least two bus lines and reduced frequencies on others. Funding to keep the system running will come from a .03 percent sales tax increase in the Walla Walla County Public Transportation Benefit Area, which includes Walla Walla and College Place.

“This is tremendous news,” said Valley Transit General Manager Dick Fondahn. “I’m very happy for the citizens in Walla Walla. I’m thankful that people planned for their future. They see the wisdom in public transit.”

Campaign organizers and volunteers celebrated at a party at the campaign headquarters on Main Street. After the victory was announced, several speeches were made.

“We’ve never seen a campaign team this strong,” said Dan Clark, a member of the campaign’s steering committee. Clark and other organizers thanked volunteers who worked for the campaign, businesses who endorsed the ballot measure and individuals who shared personal stories about the importance of transit in their lives.

“This is a great win for the people of the Walla Walla Valley,” said Fondahn.

The sales tax would be an increase of 0.3 percent, or 3 cents per 10 dollars.

Barbara Clark, a member of the Valley Transit Board who has also served as the head of the steering committee for the campaign, is hopeful that the measure will pass.

“A lot more people have become aware of the crucial role Valley Transit plays in our community and our economy,” she said.

Clark believes that Valley Transit is an important part of Walla Walla, and that it’s in every citizen’s best interest to keep it running.

“A public transit system is a piece of basic infrastructure in the community,” she said. “It’s important to employers. It’s important to businesses in town. It’s important to schools.”

Mark Brotherton, who is also on the campaign’s steering committee, agreed that bus service is important to Walla Walla. He drives Dial-a-Ride buses which serve handicapped and senior citizens.

“I work there, so I have a stake in it,” he said. However, Brotherton says his work for the campaign is about more than his job.

“If I could give up my job and ensure a win, I would do it,” he said. “It’s more important to the community. It’s a resource that’s here and shouldn’t be given up on.”

The ballot measure is the last chance to raise additional revenue for Valley Transit without facing significant service cuts. Dick Fondahn, the general manager of the system, says that compounding financial problems have pushed the system to the breaking point.

In 2000, a state repeal of a motor vehicle tax led to a 53 percent decrease in revenue. Although fares were raised and services were cut at this point, it wasn’t enough to sustain the system in the long run. However, if Walla Walla’s population increased to 50,000 by the next census, it would be classified as a “small urban area” and eligible for more federal transit grant money.

“Our goal was to scrape by until the end of the 2010 census,” said Fondahn. However, in July 2009, Congress passed a bill which raised the population requirement to 100,000 people—something Walla Walla had no hope of meeting. In addition, the recession has led to decreased sales tax revenue, another major source of funding.

The Valley Transit board tripled fares from 25 to 75 cents in response, and has delayed cutting services until the sales tax increase is voted on. If the measure does not pass, transit services will be cut by 50 percent in a two-stage process. Phase one would begin immediately and involve complete elimination of routes three and seven. Buses would only come every 45 minutes, rather than every half hour. A second phase of cuts would occur about a year later, when several state and federal grants expire. At this point, more routes would be cut.

Fondahn said that he has seen no organized campaign against the measure, but he has received a telephone call and an e-mail in opposition.

“Both of them were against additional taxation,” he said. “Neither of them seemed to have any issues with Valley Transit services.”

Clark believes that the Walla Walla community will come through for the transit system.

“This community is small enough that people really step up when there’s a problem,” she said. “I think that attitude is going to work for us.”

Photo Credit: Bowman

Planning to work out at the Baker Ferguson Fitness Center last weekend, sophomore Yonas Fikak arrived at the $10 million, 38,000-square-foot fitness facility only to find its doors closed. This semester the college has curtailed weekend hours at the center, which contains fitness and training equipment for all students, faculty and staff as well as for nearly 35 varsity and club athletic teams, in an effort to reduce spending.

“I went to the BFFC on Saturday to work out and I was surprised to see it closed,” said Fikak, who considers exercising a “basic need” that the college is obligated to provide.

The Baker Ferguson Fitness Center, which was open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. during the fall 2009 semester, is now open from 8 a.m until noon. On Sundays the gym opens two hours later than it did last term, operating from noon until 10 p.m. rather than from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.

Junior Heather Nichols-Haining was one of the many students dissatisfied by the cutbacks.

“[I was] annoyed and a little frustrated to see that the gym is closed for a big portion of the weekend,” she said.

It is especially bothersome because Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings are considered by Nichols-Haining and other students to be “prime gym times.”

“It would make more sense to do . . . noon to 6 p.m. on Saturdays,” said junior Brian Wakefield. “Only having BFFC open in the mornings on Saturdays is a little ridiculous . . . Working out hungover is no fun, and most students wouldn’t be up that early anyway on a weekend morning.”

As Fitness Center Director Michele Hanford points out, however, both the BFFC and the Sherwood Center are open 88 hours per week.

“Our survey responses indicated that students tend to like late hours while staff and faculty appreciate the morning times,” Hanford said when asked why she opted for earlier hours on Saturdays.

She added that she did not have a particular group of people in mind when deliberating on the new weekend hours.

“Our head count gives record of general usage. In adjusting hours, we used all this information and tried to accommodate [student, faculty and staff] preferences. It is worth noting also that Sherwood hours were not adjusted at all.”

For many faculty and staff members and even some students, the new Saturday hours are ideal.

“I’m actually totally psyched for the new hours—I’m a morning person, so the new Saturday hours are perfect for me,” said junior Arianna Cortesi.

While many students are annoyed that they will have to change their Saturday routines this semester, some see the reduced hours as a logical sacrifice to save money.

“I think people will adjust their schedules and it will work out,” said sophomore Jack MacNichol, who uses the gym six times per week. “It seems like a pretty reasonable cut. We don’t need a gym open all day every day.”

Consumer waste decreased—by 13.8 percent in Prentiss Dining Hall and 10.3 percent at Café 66—but kitchen waste, such as vegetable peels and thrown out leftovers, increased by 0.9 percent in Prentiss and 15.7 percent in Café 66. That amounted to 2,339 pounds of total food waste at Prentiss Dining Hall and 803 pounds at Café 66. Data for Jewett Dining Hall was unavailable.

Roger Edens, general manager of Bon Appétit’s Whitman operations, is working to reduce kitchen waste.

“We’re actually tracking production and overproduction of specific items at Prentiss and Jewett and that’s part of the effort,” he said.

Edens hopes that by knowing of which foods Bon Appétit prepares too much, they can reduce kitchen waste.

While last week is the only week that Bon Appétit planned to engage students with daily waste tallies and bright blue and orange ‘Taste Don’t Waste’ signs, the kitchen efforts are part of a three-month company-wide low carbon diet program.

“Part of it is an education thing,” Edens said. “If you’re trimming the outer leaves off a head of cauliflower, how much of that stem are you leaving on there. How much are you trimming and throwing away, basically.”

Edens said the waste reduction was important because of the emissions from transporting extra food and because food in landfills releases methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide.

Employees also help to reduce waste among students. First-year Meaghan Russell, a server for Bon Appétit, said that the company tells its employees how much to serve in order to minimize waste.

“They usually tell us when we’re serving something to give a certain number . . . at a time. But we can give seconds,” she said.

Senior Lisa Curtis, campus sustainability coordinator praised Bon Appétit for their efforts to reduce waste.

“I think Bon Appétit is doing an incredible amount. They’re a really sustainable catering company and the Whitman branch is very open to ideas and very helpful in changing their practices,” she said, noting their willingness to eliminate trays in dining halls two years ago after hearing student concerns about waste.

The biggest change Curtis would like is a composting program.

“The main thing that I see with waste being a problem is that we don’t have a composting facility right now,” she said. “The problem with [a source as big as] Bon Appétit is that the composter itself would cost a couple thousand dollars because there’s so much waste.”

Curtis said there would soon be an application for a grant from the Sustainability Revolving Loan Fund or Outdoor Environmental Leadership Program.

“I would say [composting is] fairly likely because there’s so much support for it and so many people who want it to happen,” she said. “I think the main issue right now is finding funding.”

Edens echoed Curtis’s sentiments, but doesn’t plan on purchasing composting equipment soon.

“There’s two tons worth of stuff [weekly] that if there was commercial composting in Walla Walla, it could go there,” he said.

While efforts to reduce waste are effective to a point, neither students nor employees are perfect about minimizing waste. Russell said she’d occasionally seen other employees throw out bags of bread with two or three slices left.

“Sometimes they take the other slices and put them in another bag of bread. It doesn’t happen all the time,” she said.

Curtis said students looking to have a big impact on sustainability can start small by paying attention to how much they waste at Whitman.

“I feel like Americans in general tend to produce more waste and use more resources than any other country in the world,” she said. “I think that starting at Whitman and starting by only taking the food you need is a great way to make the world a better place.”