Whitman College Pioneer - Fall 2009 Issue 11 by Whitman College Wire

Feature

Humor

Opinion

A&E

Sports

Seasonal recipes warm cold nights

Health center calculates swine flu risk with algorithm

From ‘once upon a time’ to ‘happily ever after’ in 30 days

Exclusive interview: King Friday

Women’s cross country takes second, goes national

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WHITMAN COLLEGE Walla Walla, WA Volume CXXV / Issue 11 whitmanpioneer.com N , 

Stolen laptops returned after students spot thief in library by LEA NEGRIN Staff Reporter Sta

Whitman graduate launches into space byy L LI LIZ IZ FORSYTH Staff t Reporter

DID YOU KNOW

Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger ‘97 will fly to the International Space Station in March as a part of crew STS-131 on a NASA mission to deliver and replace equipment. A geology major at Whitman, she completed NASA’s Astronaut Candidate Training in February 2006. This, her first flight, will be the next-to-last flight for the space shuttle Discovery, as NASA phases out the space shuttle program. With lift-off a few months away, NASA granted The Pioneer a 15-minute interview with Metcalf-Lindenburger.

• This will be the final space

The Pioneer: How has training been going? What’s the coolest thing you’ve gotten to do? Metcalf-Lindenburger: One of the coolest things was when I went to Brooks Air

Tw Two Whitman students’ laptops have been re returned following a week in which four llaptops were stolen from the quiet room of Penrose Library. Police confronted a 21-year old male in the parking lot behind Harper Joy Theatre about 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, after students chased him from the library. Police recovered a laptop belonging to sophomore Pam Donohue that had been stolen earlier that night. Sophomore Margaret Ross-Martin’s laptop was returned to her Monday. “The students are responsible for helping catch the guy,” said Terry Thompson, director of security, adding that students should notify security of suspicious people on campus instead of risking pursuit. Ross-Martin, whose laptop was stolen

four days prior, said she was frustrated after learning that another laptop had been stolen from the library that night. “After it was reported, security checked out the library and then left,” she said. RossMartin then told her friend, sophomore Joanna French, that she thought she would be able to recognize if anyone suspicious were in the library. That’s when they noticed a man dressed in camouflage reading an encyclopedia of ornithology. “It almost looked like he was trying to look studious. But as soon he noticed me looking at him he started to look nervous and walked out of the library very quickly. I ran after him and asked him questions. ‘Do you go here? What year are you? What’s your major?’” At first claiming to be a senior sociology major named Michael Anderson, he

College expands dorm swipe access

station mission that includes “rookie” astronauts • Metcalf-Lindenburger received the 2008 Pete Reid Award for Young Alumni

by ERIC NICKESONMENDHEIM

Force Base (now Brooks CityBase) and we got to finally do centrifuge. It was fun because everyone always asks you if you get to do a centrifuge. It’s not scary or anything; it doesn’t make you sick. It’s actually kind of fun, but a little less exciting than some roller coasters. And I like flying. Today I’m going to fly in a B-38 to Florida and do a shuttle training aircraft [a NASA training vehicle that simulates the space shuttle’s handling qualities to train astronauts for shuttle landings]. SPACE , page 2

Staff Reporter Whitman plans to grant swipe access to students living on campus for all residence halls that have key card readers, effective next semester. This includes Jewett, Douglas and Anderson Halls. “I’m really looking forward to being able to visit my friends without having to wait in the cold,” said first-year Allison Ramp, a resident of North Hall. The swipe access is in response to student requests, said Director of Residence Life and Housing Nancy Tavelli. “Students have asked for it,” she said. “A member of ASWC came in and requested this.” First-year ASWC senator Nathan Abrams led the push for increased access. Until January 2009, residence halls with

swipe access were unlocked from eight in the morning to eight at night. Residence Life locked the doors in response to a string of thefts, only allowing access for residents. With the new system, students living on campus will be granted access from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. “We were having a lot of people from outside come in and steal things,” said Tavelli. “We’ll still check to see if people are okay with it. I don’t think there should be a problem; it’s exactly what we had before only now people need to have a Whitman ID.” Ramp is excited for the new system. “It’s obnoxious to have to walk all the way from North to visit a friend in Anderson, just to have to wait more,” said Ramp. “I think this will be a great system.” Sophomore Claire Snyder also found problems with having to wait outside dorms. SWIPE , page 3

Administration talks finances with students in lunches, chapter meetings by GALEN BERNARD News Editor Show me the money, students are demanding of the Whitman administration, as financial concerns have come to the forefront of their relationship with Memorial. The administration is responding with increased outreach from individuals such as Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Peter Harvey and President George Bridges, who are informing students of how the school uses tuition and endowment funds and how it plans to replenish its coffers. Bridges has led the public relations push, in settings ranging from greek chapter meetings to an Olin classroom for a limited-registration “Inside Whitman” lunch. Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Jason Arp introduced Bridges at the latest Inside Whitman lunch, held Nov. 10 in Olin 157. “This is a chance for you to chat with administrators like [Bridges],” Arp said

was stumped when Ross-Martin asked him about his thesis. “At that point it was like a stand-off,” said Ross-Martin. She saw senior James Franz and cried for help. Franz ran after the man, who fled. Police intercepted him as he was attempting to drive away. According to Sgt. Mike Ralston, they were unable to make an arrest or search his car because they lacked probable cause. “The law requires that we have probable cause before we make an arrest,” he said. “We had nothing.” Police issued him a citation for misdemeanor theft and negotiated the return of Donohue’s laptop. Ralston said the citation included a court date. Ross-Martin asked the police for permission to speak with the man privately to L APTOPS, page 2

to the students present. The Inside Whitman forums used to be available just for class committees, but this year the administration began offering it to the first forty students to register. Twenty-three students attended the Nov. 10 event, a similar enrollment to the Oct. 28 event, according to Arp. “I think it gives a background to the institution,” Arp said of the lunch forum. Asked during the lunch about possible budget cuts, Bridges was inconclusive. “We don’t have a list,” he said. “Everything’s on the table.” Bridges did say that there are no plans to construct new buildings, although this spring the Board of Trustees will review scheduled plans to renovate Harper Joy. Bridges also said Whitman is not considering an increase in enrollment at this juncture. He noted that additional students paying tuition would not fix the short-term financial

BULLION

President George Bridges visits the TKE house to discuss Whitman’s greek system and postgraduate giving to Whitman as Sammy Sidoine ‘11 and Ian Coleman ‘11 look on.

problems because more students would require a new residence hall and likely additional academic buildings to hold them. But Bridges and students are still searching for other possible sources of income, after Whitman lost $80 million of its endowment last year, a 20 percent drop. Five percent of the endowment goes toward the annual budget. When asked who manages Whitman’s money by senior Jeremy Balch, Bridges cited the Board of Trustees

“What I saw basically amounted to a

“Even if environmental

verbal diary, with unfortunate social

conferences seem just to

commentary interspersed throughout.

lead to more conferences,

What I saw was media in its most base

somewhere along the line

and irrelevant form.

something productive

What I saw was vlogging.”

has to happen.”

committee that handles investments, assisted by Monticello & Associates, a Colorado-based consulting firm that advises many schools on their endowments. Bridges said the endowment investments are up approximately eight percent this year. In addition to raising funds through investments, Bridges has been trying BRIDGES, page 3

Dramatic ‘Frenzy’! A&E staff reporter C.J. Wisler offers her thoughts on Harper Joy’s latest production. This time, the theater has taken on “Frenzy for Two, or More,” Eugene Ionesco’s classically absurd play in which a simple argument spirals drastically out

Joey Kern OPINION, page 8

Lisa Curtis OPINION, page 8

of control.

A&E , page 9

BULLION

Horizon reduces flight schedule by JOSH GOODMAN Associate News Editor

Finding a flight out of Walla Walla will become trickier starting Jan. 6, when Horizon Air cuts one of its three daily flights to Seattle. Horizon is cutting its midday flight, which currently arrives in Walla Walla at 11:25 a.m. and returns to Seattle via Pasco half an hour later. Without the flight, students, professors and visitors will be unable to touch down in Walla Walla before 4:40 p.m. “I hope that doesn’t screw me up,” said junior Bailey Arango, who travels between Walla Walla and the Santa Barbara area during breaks. “It feels like it’s already a tough needle to thread, with only one airline in Walla Walla.” The change is a result of Horizon’s switch from 37-seat planes to 76-seat planes last year. Though Horizon says the midday flight is unprofitable and well below the system-wide load factor, or percentage of seats filled, Arango said students fill the additional capacity around vacations. “It’s been pretty full every time I’ve been on,” he said. “[But] I’ve only traveled when there’s a school full of people who need to get home.” With fewer flights, students may be more likely to fly out of elsewhere, as sophomore Hannah Sieracki of Maine does. “It’s cheaper to fly into a bigger airport,” she said, adding that she already has to take two flights to get to the Pacific Northwest. Professors make use of the airport year-round for Whitman-related business. Associate Professor of Psychology Matthew Prull, who travels to one to two conferences per year, said the flight cut would limit departure options. “It constrains the options available for reaching a destination in time,” he said. “Either you have to leave really really early or really really late.” Prull says that Whitman faculty sometimes have to fly out of Pasco or Portland to get a good flight time, and realizes that that may become more commonplace. “It’s unfortunate because it’s convenient to fly out of Walla Walla,” he said. The remaining two daily flights should still allow students and professors good connecting times, said Dan Russo, vice president of marketing and communications for Horizon Air. HORIZON, page 2

NEWS

November 19, 2009N

SPACE: Alumna prepares for March lift-off  page 1 The Pioneer: So as an astronaut, how do you feel about the International Space Station? I know there’s talk about replacing it. What are your thoughts on that? Metcalf-Lindenburger: I hope that after we’ve spent . . . I can’t remember the exact number, it’s several millions of dollars, on making it be up and in space . . . we [will] keep it going until 2020. There’s a lot more science that can still be done. And we are just finally getting to six crewmembers up there. So I hope that we do extend out to 2020 and really show that it is a national lab, and you know all the others are on the Earth, so really it’s only begun in its abilities to improve our science. So I hope that we can see it through. In addition, I really want us to go back to the moon and on to other objects in our solar system. So I’m also hoping that we are building the next launch vehicle, which will hopefully be Ares. That was a cool thing to do to be down in Florida and to watch it launch. [referring to the successful test launch of NASA’s Ares I-X booster, an unmanned prototype of the Ares I rocket that NASA plans to use for flights after the space shuttles are retired]. The Pioneer: Tell me about your mission. Metcalf-Lindenburger: Sure! We’re bringing up what we call a multi-purpose logistics module, which is basically like a U-Haul full of stuff. We’re bringing up the last crew quarters to support six people living at the station... so everyone will have their own private room. And then we’re bringing a couple of science racks. One’s a minus 80 degree freezer that actually helps with a lot of biology samples. And we’re bringing up a rack called WARF, which is a window to observations and it’s a very good optical quality for taking pictures. And then we have three spacewalks. They’re mostly centered around swap-

ping out an ammonia tank that is needed to cool the station. For those three spacewalks I’ll be inside serving as the intravehicular spacewalk person doing all the steps and walking the guys through the timeline as they do these six-and-a-halfhour extra-vehicular activities. And I’m also doing some robotics on the mission with the shuttle arm and then the space station robotics arm. And then we’ll all come home! The Pioneer: As a former Whitman student, did you learn anything in college that helped you do this type of project? Did you ever see yourself doing something like this when you were here? Metcalf-Lindenburger: Well, I’ve always loved NASA. When I was at Whitman, I thought one day I’d come work at NASA. I didn’t know in what capacity, but I wanted to come work at NASA just because I was always interested in what it was doing and I liked space. I’ve been in love with space since I was really young, probably second or third grade. But, you know, I think with any education it’s what you make of it, and Whitman was a really good place for me. I was an RA, I was able to get really involved at Whitman and I think that as an astronaut we have to be multi-taskers. We don’t get to specialize in one thing; we have to be good at many things and so it’s a lot like a liberal arts education. The Pioneer: One last question. If you could name a Mars Rover, what would you name it? Metcalf-Lindenburger: If I could name a Mars Rover, what would I name it . . . umm . . . let’s see. Maybe I’d name it Cinnabar, even though we’re not looking to find a whole lot of that there. That was Bob Carson’s dog’s name, and the dog is red, and cinnabar is a red mineral, so I think that would be kind of cool.

LOOS-DIALLO

New ASWC strategy: ‘West Wing,’ cheese by LIZ FORSYTH Staff Reporter Big Block of Cheese Day was by all accounts a success, especially when measured by the cheese. By 6:30 p.m., the block of sage white cheddar cheese had been whittled down to a small cube, while senior ASWC President Nadim Damluji and senior ASWC Student Affairs Chair Jordan Clark sat happily in the ASWC office. “It’s been great. That was a half-wheel of cheese,” said a proud Damluji. Clark came up with the idea to have a day where anyone could come in and talk to their ASWC representatives. He based the concept off of the “West Wing” television show episodes in which the White House staff entertains proposals from special interest groups that normally don’t get attention. ASWC focused the day on making sure everyone could have their say. “It’s kind of morphed into ‘let’s sit at the table and have a conversation,’” said Clark.

The duo hoped that it would provide a space for people to address a variety of issues already on their minds. “We’ve had complaints raising from ‘GoPrint is really frustrating and I’ve already run through my money’ to ‘I want more school spirit’ to ‘the back page’ and ‘there’s not been enough female performers on campus.’ Like, any grievance you can air out here,” said Damluji. Not all the interactions were complaints. Junior Ari Frink was one of the many students who stopped in to talk. He said he was readily supported by ASWC when seeking funds from ASWC on behalf of the Campus Climate Challenge. “For PowerShift last year, ASWC threw down money for us to go to that conference; I just feel like the school has really helped out,” said Frink. Damluji also used the event as an opportunity to gauge student knowledge of ASWC as part of his continuing efforts to improve communication and involvement in the student community.

“I have questions for you on some things,” Damluji said to Frink. “How much do you know about ASWC? To try to get money, do you know where to go to and stuff like that?” “I think I know how to do it,” said Frink. “I should because I’m a budget rep. But at least I know people who know how to do it, and they’ve expressed that it’s not a difficult process. Maybe I don’t know a ton about the inner working, bylaws and stuff like that, but I get the sense that people working for it are doing a good job and have our best interests at heart.” Clark was excited about the input he was getting on the various issues. ASWC has been reaching out to students in various ways, including tabling during lunch four days a week to solicit comments on campus life from students. Clark promised that the Student Affairs Committee will be hard at work addressing student concerns raised during the day. “Big block of cheese: success,” said Damluji.

LAPTOPS: Student pays ransom for stolen computer  page 1 request information about her laptop. She said she then pulled him aside and decided to negotiate with him herself. He gave her his contact information. Several days later, after reaching an understanding, Ross-Martin paid the man a ransom of $130 to return her laptop. Accompanied by Thompson, she met him in the Safeway parking lot to complete the transaction. “I feel sorry for him in a lot of ways,” said Ross-Martin, who is happy to have her laptop back along with her work and irreplaceable memories such as pictures. “We’re always reminding students that, even though Penrose might feel like home to them, it is a public building. It’s important for students to be careful with their personal possessions and not leave valuables unattended,” said Penrose Library Director Dalia Corkrum in an email.

First-year Katie Matresse was also in Penrose around the same time the fourth laptop was stolen. “We have a great school,” she said. “It’s really safe, but you still can’t leave a fifteen-hundred dollar computer alone.” Matresse admitted to having left her laptop in the quiet room to retrieve a book for several minutes. Ross-Martin had simply left the quiet room in search of a source upstairs and returned half an hour later to find her laptop missing. The circulation desks at the library and the campus bookstore have laptop locks for purchase and encourage students to utilize them. Ralston also urged caution. “A little more awareness of what’s going on around you, a little tighter personal security measures would help,” Ralston said.

—Gillian Frew contributed reporting

HORIZON: Airline solicits community feedback on RSWLPDO ÁLJKW VFKHGXOH  page 1

JOHNSON

“We think that the schedule in there still connects pretty well,” he said. “We still have an early morning flight and a late night returning back.” The Office of Admission said that while many prospective students fly into Walla Walla, one fewer flight per day shouldn’t hurt efforts to recruit students. “I don’t think it’s going to make it a lot harder,” said Associate Director of Admission Katie DePonty. “It will probably change when they will visit. We may have fewer people coming into campus around noon and doing a tour in the afternoon and flying out in the evening; we may have more people fly into Walla Walla in the evening and stay the night and see campus in the

morning.” DePonty sees the flight cut as having a bigger impact on admissions officers’ travel. “Now our only options are the 7 a.m. flight or the late afternoon flight,” she said, noting that some of her colleagues use the midday flight for midlength trips such as to California. “To get anywhere outside the Northwest means you’re limited to the early morning flight.” While Russo said it is unlikely for the third flight to be restored, Horizon is open to comments from the Walla Walla community about more convenient flight times. “We’re working with the community to schedule them at the best possible times,” he said. “We’ve gotten some input from the community that

they want the flight into Walla Walla to come earlier and leave earlier.” Ultimately, though, Russo said that scheduling a plane for as many as eight different round trips per day makes it hard to accommodate everyone’s preferences. While the flight cuts mean fewer options for the Whitman community, DePonty points out that Walla Walla is still lucky to have air service. “Compared to schools of our size in rural locations, we’re pretty lucky to have an airport five minutes from campus,” she said. “I have colleagues who have to drive an hour to an airport. Keeping things in perspective, we’re pretty lucky to have two flights in and out of Walla Walla every day.”

NEWS

9November 19, 2009

BRIDGES: President strives to raise awareness about post-graduate giving  page 1 for an early Christmas by hitting the giving trail. Targets include even students still at school, through greek chapter meetings. Bridges visited Beta Theta Pi first on Sept. 27 and covered the rest of the chapters in following weeks. Only Sigma Chi, which has yet to respond, has not received a visit. “His visits are to get to know each group a bit better and talk about philanthropy,” said Jed Schwendiman, associate to the president, in an e-mail. Senior economics major Jenna Stearns was struck by the financial focus of President Bridges’ presentation to Kappa Alpha Theta’s chapter meeting Oct. 18. “My impression of his purpose was that he was there to solicit money from us; maybe not now, but as alums,” Stearns said. “It was very focused around why donating to the college was important, and why, once we graduate, we should donate.” Bridges has also reached out to potential donors across the country. “My job is to tell the story of Whitman College, what we’re doing and why they should invest [in the school],” he said. In order to reconcile the difference

Endowment increased by 8% this year

between students’ needs and Whitman’s funds, the college needs $60 million dollars of new endowed scholarships, Bridges said. Currently, for every tuition dollar that comes in, 37.5 cents goes out in financial aid. During both the Inside Whitman lunch and the Theta meeting, Bridges empha-

sized that, as a nonprofit, Whitman is Walla Walla’s biggest charity, with funds providing opportunities for students and staff alike. “I never thought I’d enjoy asking people for money, but one of the joys of my job is something really good happens [as a result],” Bridges said.

Where your tuition dollar goes 37.5% goes out in financial aid

CORNELIUS Sarah Canepa ‘12 swipes into Prentiss Hall. Prentiss currently has swipe access for all on-campus students from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Effective next semester, students living on-campus will have access to all dorms with card readers.

SWIPE: Some dorms lack card readers  page 1

G BO

Endowment decreased by $80 million last year

“Last year there were definitely times when I wanted visit friends in a different dorm and I just ended up sitting outside the dorm doing weird things to try and get people to let me in,” she said. “It’ll be nice not to jump up and down to get into a dorm.” Tavelli says Prentiss Hall has served as a trial. Prentiss is currently open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to provide access to the spirituality room. “Prentiss was sort of our test run,” said Tavelli. “No one has had any problems. We close at night because we want people to use the phones and call after dark. It’s just safer that way.” Students haven’t expressed any particular concerns about their dorms be-

ing left open to Whitman students. “I think it’s great that we’re doing this,” said first-year Trevor Miller. “I have no concerns; I feel pretty safe. A burglar probably won’t have a swipe card.” Certain residence halls such as Marcus House, North Hall and Lyman House do not have swipe access and will remain locked at all times. “We’ve been adding a swipe reader [per] summer,” said Tavelli. “But with this recent economic downturn, we had to stop doing that. We’ll probably start up with it again next semester.” When the switch is made, Residence Life plans on remaining attentive. “There are no major concerns,” said Tavelli. “But we’ll still continue to make sure everyone is okay with it.”

First-year urges college to consider gender-neutral bathrooms in dorms by RACHEL ALEXANDER Staff Reporter Whitman offers its students a wide variety of housing options, including interest houses, mixed-gender sections and traditional college residence halls. In spite of these offerings, there is currently no opportunity for first-years to live with a roommate of the opposite gender. Though this may not be a concern for many students, first-year Dena Wessel is determined to change the housing policy. “By the time I graduate, I want to see gender-neutral housing at Whitman,” she said. Many other colleges, including Columbia and Dartmouth, offer genderneutral housing to students. Policies vary from school to school—some only provide this housing option for upperclassmen. Whitman’s official policy is to allow co-ed rooms for any student living on campus who is not a firstyear, as long as their parents sign a letter notifying them of their child’s living situation. “Whitman’s policy is not conservative by any means,” said Wessel. “It’s just not completely there.” Specifically, Wessel says she would like to see a co-ed section with co-ed rooms as an option for first-year students. “As a transgender, genderqueer or gender non-conforming freshman, you’re basically forced to out yourself to Residence Life to find comfortable and safe housing at Whitman,” she said. Although a co-ed rooming option isn’t available for first-year students, the Residence Life Office is clear that they work to accommodate all students when assigning housing. “I can’t think in recent years of anyone’s who’s identified as transgender and approached us with concerns about their housing,” said Sean Gehrke, assistant director of residence life and housing. “We’d explore that as it came up.” Gehrke acknowledges that the current policy requires trans students to come out to Residence Life if they have concerns about their housing situation. “I think that’s beneficial in a way because it allows us to make sure that their needs are being met,” he said. “[Requesting a single] is always an option for people.” Nancy Tavelli, director of residence life and housing, pointed out that many of Whitman’s buildings were designed for single-gender occupancy. “Our bathrooms are not well setup for co-ed or transgender sections,”

she said. In schools where housing was built with gender-neutrality in mind, bathrooms often have separate changing rooms or other features to allow for better privacy. According to her, housing at Whitman was entirely single-gender within residence halls until the 1980s. Then single-gender sections co-existing in the same building became the norm. Jewett’s fourth floor mixed-gender sections have been introduced within the last decade.

Issues like floor layout have presented problems for further efforts to make Whitman housing gender-neutral. For example, the fourth floor of Jewett has two mixed-gender sections with two bathrooms, one of which is designated male and one female. Discussions of making the bathrooms gender-neutral came up early this semester. “When it was two in the morning and I had to walk over [to the other bathroom], it was heinous,” said firstyear 4-west resident Joey Kern. “There

is no excuse for that kind of preposterousness.” The two sections discussed making both bathrooms completely genderneutral, but not all residents were comfortable with this option. Eventually, a compromise was reached, where both bathrooms are gender-neutral from 10pm to 6am. These hours allowed people who had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night to use the bathroom closest to their room, while maintaining single-gender bathrooms

during the morning when most people were showering. “It’s a step on the way there,” said Wessel about the arrangement. “People have to get more comfortable with it.” In Lyman House, all sections are coed and have male, female and co-ed bathrooms. Lyman Resident Director Andrew Johnson sees this arrangement as more friendly to gender non-conforming students. “Given the layout of the building, it’s pretty easy to accommodate everyone,” he said. Many first-year Lyman students weren’t aware of the co-ed bathrooms before they arrived on campus. “You kind of do a double-take and are like, ‘Oh, there are guys in my bathroom,’” said first-year Ariel Carter-Rodriguez. However, she says she adjusted quickly and finds the co-ed bathrooms a non-issue. Johnson feels that it’s important to keep all students’ needs in mind when considering gender-neutral bathrooms. “I don’t think it’s necessarily right to make all bathrooms gender-neutral,” he said, referring to students who might be uncomfortable with a co-ed bathroom. “However, if someone’s questioning their gender, they may not know which bathroom to use and I think that’s why it’s important to have that option.”

CORRECTIONS TO ISSUE 10: The photo accompanying “SHAC, Red Cross to offer first aid certification clinic” on page 2 was credited to Simon Van Neste. It should be credited to Ellie Gold. The article “Brownell: Alumna shares recovery” on page 3 was mistakenly presented as a jump from page 1. The entirety of the article is on page 3, and the reporter was Liz Forsyth. The caption of the photo accompanying “Thetas dish, dance for CASA” on page 1 mentions Alixander Bowman. The correct spelling is Alixandra.

IN THIS ISSUE: News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 Feature

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Humor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8 A&E

BULLION Tyler King ‘12 and Stephanie Burk ‘12 use a bathroom in Jewett Hall. The bathroom, which is gender neutral from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., is one of few gender-neutral bathroom options on campus.

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Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12

FEATURE

November 19, 2009N

SONG

y a C h d e e i r l o H chance to

Relax, sleep and be merry Thanksgiving break is upon us, offering a full 10 days to temporarily escape the mayhem known to take over campus as finals approach. While many students use this time to catch up on school work and prepare for ensuing weeks, it is important to also make time to relax, for the much-needed break you deserve. Be sure to spend some quality time with the family, catch up with old friends, sleep in and relax. Try whipping up some of our proposed recipes with your family, sure to be a hit at any of your holiday celebrations. For a calm night in with friends we offer some classic cinematic choices, and finally, for the much anticipated “you” time, curl up with a blanket and a book from our recommended book list. For those of you staying on campus this break, check out our top 5 list for some fun events happening around Walla Walla this week. Happy holidays!

Th c g r p t p c t t t

“ N

a t s Thanksgiving o break is upon us, allowing students a much anticipated a relax, sleep and spend time with family and friends. a t b m A o e ing! The moment at the end defines the random killing. But the real reason to 8. “Star Trek” t entire movie; it’s gorgeously subtle and see this movie, aside from it’s Academy It’s rare that adaptation movies strikew wonderful. It’s a great, great movie that Award-winning screenplay and great a balance between appealing to fans of is almost universally beloved. Watch it cast, can be summed up with one name: the original source material and trying“ and be terrified. Samuel L. Jackson. Watch it else I lay my to reach broader demographics, buts vengeance upon thee. “Star Trek” did that. With cameos from 3. “District 9” Leonard Nemoy, the original Spock, asf Science fiction, in it’s purest form, is 6. “(500) Days of Summer” well as a hilarious (but minor) role bys about ideas. And giant battle scenes. “DisA nontraditional romantic comedy Simon Pegg, this movie has it all. a trict 9” has both, with a social commentary with a nonlinear narrative, this movie is b on South Africa packed seamlessly into its funny and a joy to watch. Surprisingly, 9. “Moon” p neat structure. The main actor, Sharlto this movie tested better with men than An independent science fictions Copley, has never been seen on screen be- with women in screenings, although movie without any epicocity, Mooni fore, and he carries the movie! If you love each gender was fairly enthusiastic. It is a tricky but fascinating movie thatH great movies, see this one. It doesn’t disap- comes out on DVD on Dec. 22, just in is extremely well-acted and well-shot.d point. Watch it and be awesome. time for the holidays. Watch it and fall Plus, Kevin Spacey is the voice of ao in love with Joseph Gordon-Levitt (or creepy robot named Gerty. What’s noti 4. “Die Hard” admire Zooey Deschanel). to like? o The movie that made Bruce Willis C into an action star is unquestionably one 7. “Up” 10. “Drag Me To Hell” n of the best of its genre. If you have seen it Pixar seems to know just how to Before Sam Raimi directed all threea before, watch it again. It is is incredibly make animated movies without many “Spider-Man” movies, he got famous entertaining, violent and fun. of the frustratingly irritating characters directing low-budget cult horror“ present in other animations (like talk- movies. He returned to his roots withB 5. “Pulp Fiction” ing squirrels, for example). “Up” is no “Drag Me To Hell,” a horror thriller Quentin Tarantino is a master at exception; in fact, the beginning is ac- with about a curse put on a loan of-L transforming humorless things into tually very sad, though the film itself is ficer. Plus, it has Justin Long, which isf hilariously disturbing black comedy. lighthearted. It just came out on DVD always an added bonus. Watch it andt I laughed at drug overdose, rape and Nov. 10, so watch it and be uplifted. go to hell. t p r h E o l h crumbs or flour. Just as the egg-sugar mixture is start- Lemon-Chamomile Shortbread Sift the flour, baking powder and salt ing to lose volume, turn the mixture from “Real Simple” magazine together, set aside. down to stir and add the flour mixture (www.realsimple.com) Using a mixer fitted with the whisk at- and brown butter. Add one third of the Perfect with tea or at brunch, these tasty little tachment, whip the eggs on high speed flour mixture, then half of the butter, a cookies take very little prep time and come out of until pale and very thick, approximately third of the flour, the remaining butter the oven looking and smelling beautiful. Yields 9 minutes. and the rest of flour. Whisk until just 18 cookies. While the eggs are whipping, brown barely combined—no more than a minthe butter. Melt the butter in a medium ute from when the flour is first added— 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter saucepan (because it will foam a lot) and then use a spatula to gently fold the 1/2 cup sugar and cook it until the butter browns and batter until the ingredients are combined. 1/4 tsp salt smells nutty (about six to eight minutes). It is very important not to over-whisk or Grated zest from 1 lemon It helps to frequently scrape the solids off fold the batter or it will lose volume. 1 tsp loose chamomile tea the bottom of the pan in the last couple Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle the 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour minutes to ensure even browning. Re- pear and chocolate chunks over the top move from the flame but keep in a warm and bake until the cake is golden brown Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an spot. and springs back to the touch, about 8-inch square cake pan. Add the sugar to the eggs and whip a 40 to 50 minutes, or a tester comes out In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle few minutes more. clean. attachment, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Blend in the lemon zest, loose tea and flour until smooth. Press into pan. Bake 30 minutes or just until the shortbread begins to turn golden. Cut into nine squares, then cut each square into two triangles. Cool completely on a wire rack. Remove cookies from pan.

Top 10 movie marathon must-sees by WILL WITWER Staff Reporter Movies are an art form so accessible that everyone is an enthusiast and a critic. While many people throw up their hands in despair when viewing a Pollock, everyone likes movies. Everyone. So recommending movies is a tricky business. Here are 10 movies that I like and think everyone should see. 1. Anything by Wes Anderson While it might just be the indie kid soul in me, I love Wes Anderson in his entirety; every movie is great, in my opinion. The most accessible is probably “The Royal Tenebaums,” a quirky family drama featuring a terrific ensemble cast. It’s hilarious; it’s sad; it’s amazing. Like every Wes Anderson movie. Watch it and be liberated. 2. “The Graduate” As college students, “The Graduate” is a terrifying, electrifying movie. It’s also extremely funny and well acted, as well as revolutionary for cinema in general. And the ending, oh! the end-

Heating up the kitchen: Holiday recipes sure to wow by KRISTEN COVERDALE Staff Reporter

Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons from “Bon Appétit” magazine (www.bonappetit.com)

This colorful, velvety soup is perfect on a chilly winter afternoon and the Gruyere croutons add a nice, little crunch. Serves 8.

Soup 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 1 large onion, finely chopped 4 large garlic cloves, chopped 3 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth 4 cup 1-inch pieces peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds) 4 cup 1-inch pieces peeled acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds) 1 1/4 tsp minced fresh thyme 1 1/4 tsp minced fresh sage 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/8 cup whipping cream Croutons 2 tbsp (1/4 stick) butter 24 1/4-inch-thick baguette bread slices 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese 1 tsp minced fresh thyme 1 tsp minced fresh sage For soup: Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream and sugar; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made one day ahead. Chill. Re-warm over medium heat before serving.) For croutons: Preheat broiler. Butter one side of each bread slice. Arrange bread, buttered side up, on baking sheet. Broil until golden,

about one minute. Turn over. Sprinkle cheese, then thyme and sage over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until cheese melts, about one minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with croutons and serve.

Bittersweet Chocolate and Pear Cake from Smitten Kitchen (www.smittenkitchen.com)

A delicious combination of flavors baked into each other in a warm, custardy cake. Bring this dessert to a holiday party or gathering and it’s sure to be a big hit.

1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 3 eggs, at room-temperature 1 stick unsalted butter ¾ cup sugar 3 pears, peeled, in a small dice 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with bread-

E a s d C f m p i GOLD

FEATURE

9November 19, 2009

Top 10 classic

reads that never age by HADLEY JOLLEY Staff Reporter Thanksgiving break makes for a good chance to get cozy with a blanket and a good book, instead of the usual required reading for class. Here, The Pioneer presents a recommended book list for those students for whom reading for pleasure is a such a distant memory they can’t think of what to read. The focus of this list is on books that make provocative, intriguing points, but are still entertaining to read. Enjoy! “Good Omens” by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman It’s the end times: The armies of Good and Evil emerge to watch over the Antichrist and prepare for the final battle, sea monsters emerge, the four horsemen of the apocalypse—war, famine, death and . . . pollution—ride again. It’s up to a pair of drinking buddies, who happen to be an angel and a demon who have become a bit too fond of Earth and humankind to stop it. Luckily for them, the Antichrist isn’t who they think he is . . . or what they expect. This excellent comedy takes on fate, prophecy, human nature and the issues of modern existence while remaining hysterically funny. “Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver Nathan Price drags his wife and four daughters to Africa to be a missionary and save souls. Nothing goes as planned—the supplies the family brought turn out to be useless, very few people join the church and the hardships he forces on the rest of his family in pursuit of his dream breaks it apart: His wife leaves him and takes their children on a malaria-wracked journey out of the Congo. However, their experience in the Congo continues to shape the lives of all the characters. Inspired by Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness,” this long novel deeply explores both the Congo and the characters it touches. “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia E. Butler When pyromaniac psychopaths torch Lauren Olamina’s home and kill her family, she has to set out across the dystopian United States to find safety. Along the way, she joins forces with other people who are trying to find a home in this rough world and with them develops her new community and a new religion, Earthseed, focused on the continuation of life among the stars. Octavia E. Butler tackles religion, sexism, racism and heights of both horror and grace. The

story continues to haunt years after it’s read. “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Most mysteries answer the question, “Who dun it?” This novella asks, “Why dun it?” Two brothers in a small town kill Santiago Nasar because they believe he deflowered their sister, whose husband rejected her on their wedding night. The entire town, including the mayor, knew of their plans, but nobody effectively stopped them. Told in a quasi-journalistic tone 20 years after the murder, the narrator attempts to find out why Nasar died, raising questions of the roles of honor and sexuality and the meaning of guilt.

society. Un f o r t u nately, his society is threatened by outside forces—specifically Christian missionaries—who destabilize his world, in particular by peeling one of his sons from his Igbo society. The plot moves toward an end reminiscent of Greek tragedies. Achebe does a beautiful job of presenting Okonkwo’s rich, complex, changing world.

“Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed” by Jared Diamond In the follow-up to “Guns, Germs and Steel,” Diamond analyzes the environmental threats that can lead to a society’s collapse and what people can do to either stop the collapse or allow it to happen. His cases involve Easter Island, which collapsed, and Japan, which did not. The last section of the books deals with the environmental threats facing the globe today and ways to deal with them without collapsing. His theories are fascinating and offer food for thought to any environmentalist.

“Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation” by Olivia Judson When should you attempt to eat your partner? Is it always best to be a manly man? What does it cost to make a sperm, anyway? Dr. Tatiana, an advice columnist for the rest of creation, answers questions from confused animals, explaining the what and sometimes the why of relations with a humorous bent. The sheer variety of behavior chronicled should invite contemplation—and laughter.

“Waiting for the Galactic Bus” by Parke Godwin Two lay-about alien brothers from an advanced race, Barion and Coyul, get left behind on Earth when their friends leave without them as a prank. Not knowing when they’ll get back home, Barion decides to enhance the intelligence of a particular ape species, which back home would not be considered a good candidate. Coyul, seeing what his brother did, decides to add his own efforts to the project. Over the years, human power creates a religion, and two afterlives, surrounding the two brothers, who still periodically attempt to help. When a American couple threatens to have a child who could be worse than Hitler, Barion and Coyul decide to step in to prevent the marriage; meanwhile, the other aliens are finally coming back for the brothers. Hysterically funny, this novel takes on the root of human suffering, the problems with dogmatism and the power of humanity. “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe Okonkwo has it good: Wealth, three wives, beloved children and status in his

“Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris In this collection of personal essays, Sedaris tackles such everyday topics as speech therapy, musical lessons and French grammar, and points out exactly how ridiculous they are. In one story, he recounts the time his sister Amy came home in half a fat suit to irritate their fat-phobic father; in another, he discusses his difficulties in playing a guitar—which were not helped by his teacher’s suggestion that he think of it as a woman. “The Atrocity Archives” by Charles Stross There are . . . things just past the borders of our world, and if we call to them—with, say, advanced mathematics—they’ll come out. Fortunately, the governments of the world have it under control. Bob Howard works for a secret department of the British government, battling Lovecraftian horrors and obstructionist bureaucracy. Stross’s world is genuinely scary: It’s clear that the humans are outgunned and continually fighting against time. At the same, we haven’t lost yet. Its an alternatively scary, alternatively funny adventure story that makes a fun use of an afternoon.

SONG

Students share holiday traditions by HELEN JENNE Staff Reporter Every year, my family puts a Jewish star on top of our Christmas tree. I think it’s the only way that, as Jews, we can justify celebrating Christmas. And it looks awesome. Also, once we got yarmulkes (traditional Jewish hats) in our stockings. Jonas Myers, first-year When my mom and my uncles were little, they would get very distracted waiting for Santa to come. In order to keep them busy, my grandma decided to have beef fondue for dinner on Christmas Eve. Because it involves cooking your own food, it kept them from tearing the house down. Now, on the night before Christmas, my whole family goes to my Grandma’s for fondue. Robyn Metcalfe, first-year Decorating and placing presents under the traditional Hanukkah bush, which is similar to a Christmas tree but different in several subtle ways . . . (it’s shorter and rounder). Cory Rand, first-year Dancing ‘round the Festivus pole. Nick Cross, first-year

We always have pumpkin soup served out of an actual hollowed out pumpkin before Thanksgiving dinner. Allison Armstrong, senior My mom has these Martha Stuart butter molds so all of our Thanksgiving butter is in the shape of acorns or leaves. We are only allowed to eat that butter during the meal. Claire Ostwald, first-year My family likes to go for hikes on Thanksgiving. It’s a good way to get out of the house, enjoy the fall air and work off the food we just ate. Dena Wessel, first-year One of my favorite holiday traditions is making eggrolls with my family at Christmas. Everyone sits together and rolls them and then we all help my dad fry them up in a wok and then eat them with miso soup. Isabella Lowery, first-year Every year around Christmas my family and I go into downtown Seattle to shop and ride the merry-go-round and it’s probably one of my favorite days of the year! Mollee Huisinga, first-year

SONG

Staying in Walla Walla for turkey day? Top 5 things to do:

Thanksgiving dinner with George Bridges

Each year President Bridges hosts a Thanksgiving dinner for students staying in Walla Walla over the holiday break. Come to Baker Faculty Center at 5 p.m. on Nov. 26 for your favorite holiday treats, a chance to mingle with the president and an opportunity to meet other students staying on campus.

Be the first to witness snowfall in Walla Walla

The ten-day weather forecast predicts highs in the mid-thirties next week, with a fair chance of snow. It may be your lucky day if you are the first to witness campus under a white blanket of untainted snow—it won’t stay that way for long. Be sure to bring a camera and brag to your friends!

Run the Turkey Trot

Don’t head off to dinner with George Bridges just yet—before packing on the pie and stuffing, attend this fun 5k race downtown. Starting on 1st and Main Street at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 26, this Thanksgiving-themed 5k run and 1 mile walk is a fundraiser for the Blue Mountain Chapter of the American Red Cross. Registration is $15 on race day.

Attend “The Miracle Worker” at the Little Theatre of Walla Walla

Take a break from the Whitman scene and attend a play at the volunteerbased Little Theatre of Walla Walla. Performed at 8 p.m. on Nov. 20-21 and 27-29, “The Miracle Worker” is a biographical play based on the life of Helen Keller. The Little Theatre of Walla Walla is located at 1130 Sumach St.

Sleep, relax and catch up on some of our recommended movies and books!

Take advantage of the painfully silent dorms (and really, the rest of campus too)—they won’t stay that way for long. Sleep in until noon, spend a lazy day in bed and check out a book or movie or two. Penrose remains open over break, allowing you access to all your literary and cinematic desires.

Humor

The Pioneer ISSUE 11 NOV. 19, 2009 Page 6

)LIWK JUDGHU IDLOV WXUNH\ KDQG SURMHFW Dear Mrs. Johnson, As you may know, each year I have the fifth graders at Lake Park Elementary create hand turkeys for our yearly Thanksgiving time capsule. While most of the kids successfully participated, it seems your son Jimmy had some comprehension issues with what should be a simple, fun and elegant assignment that involved nothing more than tracing a hand and making a fake turkey out of it. I am sending Jimmy back home with his â&#x20AC;&#x153;hand turkeysâ&#x20AC;? and my notes so you can see how obstinate your son has been in my class. The last thing any of us would want is for us to make Jimmy repeat this year again. Happy Thanksgiving, Ms. Landsbury

F-

Turkey Michael Jackson

Turkey realistic

Turkey abstract art

Jimmy, this is not a turkey. You clearly have no idea what a turkey is or what it looks like. Try again, using these books for reference: â&#x20AC;&#x153;10 Fat Turkeys,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Turkey Trouble,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Perky Turkey Finds a Friend.â&#x20AC;?

see me

Turkey soul patch

Your attention to detail is over the topâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; I feel like this turkey is too soon, Jimmy. I think youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re missing the point of the assignment. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t try to make the turkey look TOO realistic; it is a hand turkey, after all. Be creative!

Turkey middle finger

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting closer. But the soul patch? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sensing some anger here. It screams conceited predator. Unless your family celebrates Thanksgiving at the Jersey Shore, please try again.

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Little-known Ă X SDQGHPLFV WKURXJK KLVWRU\ H1Enya: The easy listening disease H1N1.1 Murder Flu: The flu that murders Terror Flu: An illness that manifests itself solely through hallucinations of Glen Beck trying to crawl into bed next to you Kangaroo Flu: Generally regarded to be the most adorable of all pandemics Blueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flues: An illness in which an unseen audience gives you various directions to the vaccine

H1Irony: You get this whenever you talk shit about swine flu H1N64: The illness you got for Christmas in 1997 H1Enron: This illness causes you to go through a series of blackouts and become bankrupt until you are compelled to vote for a completely inexperienced Austrian movie star for governor Panic Flu: Nothing to worry about, really

Last Saturday, an anonymous team of courageous boys used their cunning for a chance to glimpse the sweet, forbidden fruit of the school-sponsored sex toy party. The following is their commentary on what they witnessed: What a bust! When we heard about this sex toy party, Ryan and I basically envisioned dozens of beautiful, semi-nude ladies pleasuring themselves with an array of erotic gadgets and rubbing each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jezebels with tingle creams. We imagined this would all take place amongst flowing curtains and soft cushions, incense

wafting through the room, perhaps some Herbie Hancock playing softly in the background to heighten the sense of desire. Topless pillow fights leading to two and three hour-long make-out sessions were more or less taken for granted as a certainty. As it turns out, however, the two weeks we invested in tunneling a peephole through the back wall of the Jewett main lounge were totally in vain. Needless to say, we were very disappointed. Chris seemed to be hit the hardest, and I was worried for a while that his sobs might give our hideout away. The

NG F E AT U R I WHI T T IE S WHO HAD SWINE FLU S R E T I R GUEST W ROSHAN ADHIKARI, MAT T DI T TRICH, ELLIE KLEIN

Calculate your risk: â&#x2C6;&#x161;â&#x2C6;&#x2018;

Whitman students are receiving e-mails from the Health Center to let them know they are â&#x20AC;&#x153;at riskâ&#x20AC;? for swine flu. Below is the official Welty Health Center algorithm to calculate a studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; risk.

(Strength of constitutiona ) + (Degree of Nurse Crushes X (# of DGs rented/week))3 % of Cyborg Do they feel emotiond

a) 10 pt. scale

(( â&#x2C6;&#x161;10 sec. rule adherence)

Relatives who are kindergarten teachers with a passion for designing cold medicines (Proximity to MN)e + ( # of friends who are Sigs )

c)-100 to 100 pt. scale

d) 0101 for no, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Loveâ&#x20AC;?= for yes

Passiveaggressive notes from cats

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f) Lilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Wayne excluded

g) Adrians are always sick h) 70 pts Yes/No

Hey you that fe eds me, First off, than ks for washing thing in the co that sliding oking place. An invisible wall be WZHHQ PH DQG EL UGV LV VR FRRO 6HFRQGO\ \RX know that red dot that somet imes appears on the carpet? I w as on Google th e other day and Wikipedia says that that red dot is made of something calle d â&#x20AC;&#x153;lightâ&#x20AC;? which apparently you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t catch or eat. Crazy right ? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so glad Googled this af I ter I chased th at dot into the ZDOO 6R IXQQ\ Your Buddy, Th e Cat 3 6 'R \RX NQ RZ ZKDW HOVH LV IXQQ\" 7KH HSLGHPLF RI IHOLQ H LOOLWHUDF\ /2 /= 3 3 6 $OVR FRX OG \RX VHQG RXW D PHPR WKDW instructs everyo ne in the hous e to pick me up precisely after Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found a su nny spot in the living room? Th anks.

Ever heard of Pavlov? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d prefer it if your intentions when using the electric can-opener were to feed me and only ever to feed me.

clothed body to naked body ratio was much lower than we had anticipated. Also, instead of test-driving the dildos on each other, they just sort of passed them around shyly and talked for a long time! What we expected to be an open invite to experimentation was really just a sales pitch! Quick heads up to the men of this school: This â&#x20AC;&#x153;partyâ&#x20AC;? will do surprisingly little to solve your dry spell. This sums up the series of sexual disappointments weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve met here since showing up at college in September. God, freshman year sucks.

next week in THE PIO

Plot of Palinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Going Rogueâ&#x20AC;? proves eerily similar to Dr. Suessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hop on Pop.â&#x20AC;?

In new issue of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Playgirl,â&#x20AC;? Levi Johnston f launts both his â&#x20AC;&#x153;Family Valuesâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Bristol Breaker,â&#x20AC;? page 1

TKE Thanksgiving leaves attendees thankful for the turkey, less thankful for the her pes, page 19

For Christmas, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like my claws back.

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Opinion

The Pioneer ISSUE 11 NOV. 19, 2009 Page 7

‘Capitalism’ must be discarded as conservative platform When you think conservatism, you probably think capitalism or freemarkets. No doubt, your instincts are correct. Yet, this connection that figures so promiALEX nently in the minds POTTER of Anglo-American Columnist conservatives and the public is not a necessary, or dare I say even desirable, one. The union between traditionalists, libertarians and military-industrialists in a cold-war conservative coalition is wellknown. Yet one of the main outcomes of that alliance is the triumph of a pervasive and often unquestioned free m a rket capitalism. Upon closer examination, we find that the big umbrella of capitalism in the conservative movement actually encompasses many and sometimes contradictory elements. Big corporations vs. small business, big agriculture vs. family farms, upper class tax-cuts vs. middle class tax-cuts. In all of these conflicts of interest the rhetoric of capitalism can be deployed to favor one or the other interest groups.

Is it more capitalist or free-market to give a tax cut to the richest one percent of Americans or the top 30 percent? Beyond the problem of interests, there is also a problem of philosophy inherent in the identification of conservatism with capitalism. Capitalism is a materialist ideology, as is Marxism. Capitalism approaches man and human life as primarily driven by individual materialistic needs and ambitions. This is anathema to prominent strains of conservative thought that instead approach man as a primarily spiritual and social being. For example, capitalism is necessarily neutral on questions of morality. Whether child pornography flourishes or not, whether weapons are sold to Islamic extremists or democratic movements, for a true capitalist the only principle is the market. Free markets are also one of the most s o - cially disruptive forces, besides war, at work in our world. The fluidity of capital, particularly transnationally, can revolutionize communities overnight through loss of jobs and environmental damage. The social fabric of communities is heavily bound to their economies and when the economy changes too rapidly, it majorly disrupts family and community

bonds. Social conservatives in small towns across America are beginning to question the logic behind Walmarts and free markets that can change their towns irrevocably. In reality, only the libertarian-minded fringe of the Republican Party are the “true believers” regarding free-markets. It’s a fallacy to conclude that conservatism is synonymous with capitalism. Indeed, it is not its capitalism that makes much of America detest the Republican Party. Rather, it’s the party’s blatant favoring of specific economic classes and sectors for government benefits and tax-cuts. If the conservative movement, as opposed to the Republican Party, is to gain ascendancy in America, they must jettison the simplifying rhetoric of “capitalism” in favor of an unabashed bias towards the economic interests of the middle and working class. The Republican Party won these constituencies for years based upon social issues advocated on the back of a conservative grassroots movement. The middle class throughout history has been the most nationalistic, reactionary and socially conservative class. Imagine the power of a movement based upon not only the social issues and patriotism that matter most to middleclass Americans but also the economic issues that plague their daily existence, like job outsourcing, mortgages and raising children. That must be the message of the conservative movement. We are here to defend not only your values but also your livelihoods and communities. Alex Potter is a senior double-majoring in politics and Asian studies.

DOUGLAS

LET TER FROM THE PUBLISHER:

5HÁHFWLRQV RQ D Pioneer HGXFDWLRQ I’m writing to report on the state of The Pioneer and the plans for its future. Because of a summer resignation the recently established posiKIM tion of publisher SOMMERS became vacant. The Publisher publisher’s position was established to raise the focus on the business side of The Pioneer, to accelerate our progress in making the paper a selfsustaining, independent venture through advertising and subscription revenue. Because of the importance of the new position to The Pioneer’s plans, I felt it was my obligation to step into that role and lead the paper’s advertising and budgeting strategies. Throughout the summer and for the first portion of the fall semester I served both as editor-in-chief and publisher. During that time, I nominated junior Gillian Frew, former director of content and news editor, to replace me as editor-in-chief and, effective Oct. 18, I formally stepped into the publisher position and Gillian assumed the editor-in-chief duties. For the past four issues Gillian has had editorial control of the paper, allowing me to focus on continuing to develop a solid economic and governance model that will secure The Pioneer’s future. I’m confident in Gillian’s abilities as a journalist and trust that she will continue to improve the standards, quality and seriousness of purpose for which The Pioneer has become recognized the past year and half. Next semester I will be studying abroad in Brussels and will be saying goodbye to The Pioneer. Gillian, too, will be studying abroad, so accordingly we have already begun the search for new leadership to continue The Pioneer’s growth. Although the deadline to submit applications for 2010 has already passed, I want to encourage

anyone who is interested in either the publisher or editor-in-chief positions to apply in future years. Leading The Pioneer is an incredible experience that has not only provided a career building opportunity, but amazingly enriched the relationships and experiences I have been fortunate enough to have at Whitman. It has enabled me to meet and discuss important issues with President Bridges, faculty members, administration officials, Walla Walla community leaders and respected national journalists. Beyond that, there is something about investigating and writing a story that is so satisfying— the adrenaline rush you get when you find a new lead, the triumph you feel when you connect the dots between sources, the satisfaction you get from seeing your name in print, knowing that you’re providing a service for the community. My exhilaration for working for The Pioneer began during my freshman year when I started as a reporter. By the end of the year, I decided to pursue my growing passion for The Pioneer by applying to be editor-in-chief. I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting myself into—the long nights (and early mornings), low hourly pay, e-mails from readers saying how we’d messed up; but I never could have imagined how the sleep-deprived year and a half to which I was committing myself would so drastically influence my time at Whitman. There have been many weekend nights, vacation breaks and summer days consumed with the effort and excitement of building The Pioneer. Looking back, I’m very proud of what we have accomplished—a major overhaul of our Web site that garnered national recognition by the Associated Collegiate Press for ‘Best of Show’ Web site; the creation of a Code of Ethics to guide editorial decisions and proceedings; a switch in paper size from tabloid to broadside, and two major print redesigns; the publishing of our first-ever

graduation and back-to-school editions that jump started The Pioneer’s business operations, bringing in a total of $8,000 between the two issues; the expansion of our publishing schedule from 22 to 27 issues a year; the hosting of four professional journalists to campus to raise community awareness about free speech issues and mentor the staff; and the start of our first weekly radio news show, among many other things. In many ways, The Pioneer has been my experience at Whitman so far. And for that, I will be forever grateful. It will be difficult to say goodbye to The Pio, to move on from my love for the paper and the people who make it work. Working for The Pioneer has shaped my life in ways I have yet to discover, and I am excited to build on everything The Pio has given me and to take on whatever my next challenge may be. Before I go, there are some final goodbyes I want to say. To our readers, students, parents, faculty and alumni: Thank you for reading and perhaps even sharing my love of this extraordinary operation; I hope The Pio has been useful to you in your relationship with Whitman, whether by providing you with information or entertainment, sparking debate in a class or prompting you to speak out and voice your opinion. To the Pio staff: Thank you for supporting me throughout all the changes; you are all incredibly talented, motivated people without whom nothing would have been possible. To ASWC: Thank you for your support of the improvements in The Pio’s organization and governance; I hope to find a way to help to contribute to those efforts as EIC- and publisher-emeritus when I return. To the Whitman faculty and administration: Thank you for your critiques and encouragement; they gave me the prompts, cautions and validations that made progress possible. And to The Pioneer: Thank you for making my Whitman education.

LOOS-DIALLO

Odd Fellows Hoedown: Dancing for a cause “Do you want to dance?” She was beautiful. I don’t know why people ever say that age ruins beauty, because it doesn’t— it can’t. Sometimes when you look ALETHEA deep enough into BUCHAL someone’s eyes you Columnist just know they’re a beautiful person. Wrinkles and age spots aside. Whether they can hear you, or will never understand a word you say. Her name was Betty Hess, a resident at the local Odd Fellows Home. I had come under the pretense of volunteering for the Odd Fellows Hoedown. The other volunteers and I had reached the part of the hoedown where we were supposed to run into the crowd and find an Odd Fellows resident to dance with. I don’t know why I chose Betty. I just knew she was the perfect dance partner. “My knees are broken, honey—I don’t think I can dance.” She was in a wheelchair, but that didn’t stop us—or most of the dance couples for that matter. The dance instructor taught us how to push, step and turn with the wheelchairs in such coordinated patterns as found in a regular line dance. I have never had more fun dancing. And I do believe if Betty had lifted her feet more and I was able to turn the wheelchair slightly faster we could have beat any dance

competition out there. The highlight of the evening was when we waved in unison with our spirit fingers. One. Two. Three. Four. And Turn. Right. Left. Right. Left. Dancing with Betty was dancing without any inhibition. Afterward, I asked her if she had an ‘adopted’ grandchild. “What?” She peered at me intensely from behind her glasses. “Do you already have an adopted grandchild?” I said again. “A—a what?” I came closer. “A grandchild?” Eventually, after several more interactions, we determined she didn’t. I resolved I would have to come back to visit her, if for no other reason than to bring her a bouquet of flowers. Why? Because some people need to know how beautiful they are. We went back to her room and she thanked me and promptly closed the door. I guess that’s what I liked about Betty; she had a fiery spunk about her—a fierce independence that had not waned with age. The Odd Fellows Home is only a block away from campus. It has free food and there are some amazing people inside waiting to tell you their stories. Some afternoon you’re bumbling around with nothing to do, go visit Betty—she’ll give you a talking to. That is, if she can hear you.

Alethea Buchal is a sophomore hoping to create a major joining her interests in music and human rights.

‘NaNoWriMo’ encourages almost every inner novelist Every November, National Novel Writing Month (better known as NaNoWriMo to its participants) rolls around. The goal is simple: Crank out a 50,000 BLAIR word manuscript in FRANK 30 days. Writing a Columnist novel is a major undertaking. Trying to write 50,000 words in 30 days borders on the insane. But every year, people manage to pull it off. Now the real question: Why would anyone in his or her right mind do NaNoWriMo? For a lot of people, it’s a great time to get some solid writing done. An entire community has sprung up online to support all of the participants and writing your novel turns into a real community effort. While the community is somewhat star-studded (current participants include bestselling horror novelist Scott Sigler and Printz Award-Winning young adult author John Green), most of the people who write during NaNoWriMo are average folks who have always wanted to get that novel that’s been stuck in their head out into the world. In fact, NaNoWriMo has become so popular, there’s even a how-to book to help with your creative process. Entitled “No Plot? No Problem!” it’s a manual for those who are attempting the NaNoWriMo challenge. There are also a bunch of other posts out there on the Internet with tons of tips and tricks from plenty of authors who have done this before. Personally, the best advice I’ve ever read was from productivity and creativity guru Merlin Mann, who said:

“When I’m reading about writing, I’m not writing.” The key with NaNoWriMo is not to attempt to write a perfect novel, but rather just churn out the words first and edit later. Sure, your novel may not be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but no book’s first draft is perfect. That’s why there’s National Novel Editing Month (or NaNoEdMo) in March. Personally, I don’t have the time to dedicate to 30 days of hardcore writing. So, I’m declaring November to also be National Outline Something To Write Over Winter Break, I Mean, Seriously, Dude Month (or NOSTWOWiBrIMSDuMo). It’s my way of still making a serious difference in my writing, without subjecting myself to what would be abject torture with my current workload. What’s really awesome about NOSTWOWiBrIMSDuMo, aside from its hilariously long acronym, is that it can involve you. That’s right—you, dear reader, are more than welcome to join me in my quest this month. If you’re interested in forming a community around outlining, drop me a line in the comments for this article at www. whitmanpioneer.com, or send me an email at blairhanleyfrank@gmail.com. Also, just because it’s crazy for me to dedicate the better part of my life to writing 50,000 words in a month, doesn’t mean that you can’t. I’d love to hear about your successes, trials and tribulations when it comes to this month. Blair Frank is a first-year chemistry major. He interned at Macworld the past three summers.

OPINION

November 19, 2009

Republicans offer no solutions of their own for important issues

SLOANE

9ORJJLQJ IXUWKHU EDVWDUGL]HV :HE PHGLD Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m perusing YouTube, watching inane videos when I stumble upon an . . . inane video. This one is different, though. This one claims to be a JOEY part of a series of KERN other videos by the Columnist same guy. I press play with minimal expectations. What meets my eyes is horrifying. A kid with a voice like Mickey Mouse and the biggest set of braces I have ever seen is discussing drivers education. What the hell is going on here? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not quick to judge these kinds of things, but nevertheless I was somewhat skeptical of how this constituted media, or a video, or anything at all. What I saw basically amounted to a verbal diary, with unfortunate social commentary interspersed throughout. What I saw was media in its most base and irrelevant form. What I saw was vlogging. The innovation of vlogging, which translates to video-blogging for those not hip with modern word combinations (wombinations), has translated media into an accessible, not terribly informative, YouTubecentric medium. Vlogging: It offers a chance for everyday people to offer their worthless two cents on a variety of issuesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at what cost we have yet to calculate. To preface this argument, vlogging, as well as blogging, has its merits and there are vloggers out there who provide reliable and interesting interpretations of media. But, this is not the prevailing culture of vloggers who, for the most part, are 14 to 16 year old YouTube purveyors armed with shitty senses of humor and their dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s video camera. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not to say that these people are not entitled to their opinion, they are; but it would be nice if they could go through

channels that ensure they are not corrupting the medium through which they are trying to get their voices heard. How is this bastardization of media possible? Simple: The same series of tubes known as the Internet that brought us Youtube and Spankwire unfortunately swept amateur vloggers up with it, carrying them forth to ruin media as we know it. Any time a person offers their opinion on a subject, as is their right, there is room for interpretation, and there will always be people who disagree. This, however, does not provide leave to those claiming themselves a form of media when operating from a point of view grounded in nothing. There is a line to be drawn when people can receive ad money, real money, for things as silly, trivial and inherently second-rate as amateur vlogging. While itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impossible to say the media form itself is to blame, the Internetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accessibility via YouTube and the like has paved the way for accountability in media to disappear. This is not restricted to blogging, as various Web sites and blogs are equally guilty of this kind of amateur hour media. Is there an editor to cull those with opinions offensive or at times even racist? No. Is there a publication with a representation on the line for what these people say or do? In many cases, also no. These checks on baseless commentary are what is necessary for media to retain credibility and for people to be able to trust, or at least find grounds to trust, media outlets in general. While restricted often to the realm of opinion, personally, I still would like to hear the opinion of someone at least qualified to hold a position somewhere, work for a publication, or get a high school diploma, something which is woefully untrue in the case of many a vlogger. Joey Kern is a first-year English major.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed a powerful climate change bill on Nov. 5. But before committee Chair Barbara Boxer banged her JAMES gavel down, the orSLEDD nate hearing room Columnist was half empty: No Republicans had shown up to the hearing. Republicans declared Senator Boxerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to proceed without Republican participation marked the climate billâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;death knell.â&#x20AC;? But even if Republicans had participated in the debate, they would have had nothing to contribute. The formerly Grand Old Party has lost all interest in actually solving problems. The GOP has successfully stalled debate over crucial issues like health care and climate change by bloviating, blustering and spreading falsehoods. Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Paul Krugman recently worried that the Grand Old Party could become a â&#x20AC;&#x153;rump party,â&#x20AC;? uninterested in governing and concerned only with blocking the Democratic party. On no issue is this proclivity more apparent than

climate change. Ranking Republicans have found all manner of excuses to derail climate legislation. Despite an overwhelming scientific consensus, most Republicans continue to question whether climate change exists; if they admit it exists, they question its danger. Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, insisted as recently as April that environmental groups were promoting â&#x20AC;&#x153;the false notion that manmade greenhouse gasses threaten our very existence.â&#x20AC;? Just as they have done with health care, Republicans have shamelessly seized on disinformation and outright lies to stall progress on climate legislation. One such lie is that a climate bill will cost the average American family thousands of dollars per year. The truth is much easier to stomach. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, a typical family will pay an additional 47 cents per day; since most of Washingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electricity comes from hydropower, the average ratepayer here will pay even less. While heaping criticism on Democratic efforts to pass a climate change bill, Republicans have offered no alternatives. When Republicans boycotted the Envi-

ronment and Public Works Committee, they forfeited their chance to debate or amend the Democratic bill. Clearly, they are not interested in crafting a compromise. Leading Republicans claim that they would support climate legislation that would grow the economy and decrease dependency on foreign oil. The Democratic bill would do just that. Even if Republicans believe that it would not, they have offered no alternatives of their own. Meanwhile, the need for legislation is more pressing than ever. Climate change does not wait for political bickering and Republican intransigence will only make the problem more difficult to address. We need climate change legislation now. Regardless of Inhofeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disbelief, climate change does threaten the very existence of millions of people worldwide. The consequences of inaction grow more pressing by the day. The Republican party has stalled legislation on this crucial issue. They refuse to compromise, refuse to debate and refuse to offer meaningful alternatives. Krugman may have given the GOP too much credit. At least on climate change, the Republicans already are a useless rump party. James Sledd is a senior environmentalpolitics major.

Harmony at the cost of diversity I received an interesting comment about my Nov. 5 column â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chinese education instills â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;professor phobiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in studentsâ&#x20AC;?: â&#x20AC;&#x153;If Chinese students are RENSI KE expected to be obeColumnist dient, then I would assume that things like leadership are also discouraged at Chinese schools.â&#x20AC;? This is a legitimate suspicion from American students. Indeed, Chinese education shows less respect for studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; selfexpression. But that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean Chinese educators donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t love students. They just love students differently. Teachers are trained to regard students as kids who are incapable of making wise decisions. Traditionally, teachers are called shifu, which is a combination of the Chinese characters â&#x20AC;&#x153;teacherâ&#x20AC;? (shi) and â&#x20AC;&#x153;fatherâ&#x20AC;? (fu). Although this word is rarely used in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classrooms, teachers enjoy the role of substitute parents. Real parents hold similar attitudes as their agencies at school. Chinese parents regard their children as Peter Pans but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enjoy seeing them fly to Neverland, fearing that without their guidance their children would die halfway.

Chinese society tends to define young talents as students who succeed in the testdriven educational system. While recent years witnessed some Bill Gates-like young entrepreneurs who succeed with their business acumen rather than book smarts and school dropouts who rose to fame by publishing best-sellers, the mainstream culture looks at those success stories as rebellious aliens rather than role models. The mainstream culture still appreciates very much the Chinese saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;To be a scholar is to be on top of society.â&#x20AC;? But these respectable scholars used to be obedient students who never said no to their teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and the problem of leadership lies herein. As in many American schools, every class elects monitors. Every school has student union. Unlike many American schools, student leaders are evaluated based on how well they achieve the tasks given by teacher advisers. There is no student organization at Shantou University that is totally run by students. The intervention of teachers is considered necessary because students are often assumed to be very stupid and naive. Underlying the assumption is lack of respect for the intelligence of young people, which, no doubt, has a deleterious impact on the development of leadership. The sparks of originality are often put out

by fears of being considered a childish dreamer. Leadership in China is merely the ability to imitate the leadership of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leaders. The highest leaders are the most sophisticated imitators. They maneuver to please all sides and conciliate conflicting interest groups. The art of their leadership is short and simple: Harmony is the premise of prosperity. The best way to achieve harmony in this view is to demolish differences. The encouragement of obedience in class and at home, the appreciation of conformity at work and in society, both serve the goal of establishing a â&#x20AC;&#x153;harmonious societyâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a socio-economic vision raised by Chinese President Hu Jintao. The reluctance to treat young people as independent-minded adults is therefore a logical means to an end. It serves as a convenient strategy to foster consensus and reinforce â&#x20AC;&#x153;harmony.â&#x20AC;? As for diversity, it might be something to celebrate in the 1,600-student Whitman community; but for China, whose population will amount to 1.37 billion in 2010, promoting diversity in China is almost as dangerous as waking a sleeping dog. Rensi Ke is a senior English major. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Whitman Sherwood Exchange Student from Shantou University in China.

Value of environmental conferences: More conferences? Environmentalists really like conferences. Apparently, they also like having conferences to plan more conferences. World leaders just announced that LISA CURTIS they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t intend to Columnist actually sign a treaty on climate change in Copenhagen this December, a conference that has widely been referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the most important meeting in history.â&#x20AC;?

World leaders were supposed to gather in Copenhagen to draft a comprehensive, equitable treaty on climate change that would take the place of the Kyoto Protocol once it expires in 2012. Instead, these leaders will be coming together to plan the next meeting where they supposedly will actually draft something. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m also guilty of the environmental conference syndrome. Since my first year at Whitman Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve attended eight environmental conferences and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m planning on attending the conference in Copenhagen. I say this not to brag but rather to reflect on the value of all of these conferences. In the age of widespread video and au-

the Pioneer

dio technology capable of perfectly good virtual conferences, why are environmentalist spending exorbitant amounts of time, money and carbon constantly meeting with each other? Although I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t directly ask diplomats why they keep meeting over this climate change thing, I have a pretty good idea why I and 43 other Whitman students recently decided to skip a weekend of partying and studying in favor of three days of climate workshops, panels and speakers in Eugene, Ore. It had to do less with the content of the conference than it did with the general sentiment the conference gave us. While the â&#x20AC;&#x153;How to Plan an Effective Meetingâ&#x20AC;?

workshop gave us a unique skill in organizing, being surrounded by 500 other youth interested in the same issue motivated us to keep going. Peer pressure is underestimated. While I might not jump off a bridge if everyone else does it, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll probably jump on-board the youth climate activist movement if cool people around me are doing it. So back to Copenhagen: If the leaders of the world have decided that they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to get anything signed, why am I still going? For the past three months Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been barraged by conference calls and e-mails from other U.S. youth delegates asking that very question. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been planning a series of

ZKLWPDQ QHZV GHOLYHUHG

PRODUCTION

REPORTERS

BUSINESS

Editor-in-Chief Gillian Frew

Production Manager Quinn Taylor

Publisher Kim Sommers

Managing Editor Margaux Cameron

Production Associates Sally Boggan, Alyssa Fairbanks, Miriam Kolker, Ben Lerchin, Tessa Matson

Rachel Alexander, Maggie Allen, Kristen Coverdale, Jay Gold, Helen Jenne, Hadley Jolley, Liz Forsyth, Andrew Hall, Anya Hardee, Merrett Krahn, Becquer Medak-Seguin, Lea Negrin, Eric Nickeson-Mendheim, C. J. Wisler, William Witwer

COLUMNISTS

Advertising Designer Brianna Jaro

Art Director Rebecca Fish

Copy Editors Cara Lowry, Sara Rasmussen

News Editor Galen Bernard

Webmaster Andrew Spittle

Associate News Editor Josh Goodman

PHOTOGRAPHY

A&E Editor Connor Guy

Feature Editor Hanna Ory

Sports Editors Max Rausch and Dujie Tahat

Opinion Editor Gabriela Salvidea

Humor Editor Alex Kerr

Photography Editor Simon Van Neste

Illustration Editor Tricia Vanderbilt

Linnea Bullion, Emily Cornelius, Ellie Gold, Dana Hubanks, Isabel Hong, David Jacobs, Marie von Hafften

ILLUSTRATION Sam Alden, Kelly Douglas, Emily Johnson, Binta LoosDiallo, Carrie Sloane, Jung Song, Kiley Wolff

Lisa Curtis is a senior environmental-politics major. She is Whitmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sustainability Coordinator.

EDITORIAL POLICY

EDITORIAL

Director of Content Andy Jobanek

actions to pressure our leaders into at least agreeing to a concrete plan. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re planning everything from wearing green hard hats and talking about the unemployed U.S. youth who need green jobs, to standing outside the conference in our bathing suits holding signs saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Leave Us Out in the Cold.â&#x20AC;? Even if environmental conferences seem just to lead to more conferences, somewhere along the line something productive has to happen.

Alethea Buchal, Lisa Curtis, Nadim Damluji, Blair Frank, Rensi Ke, Joey Kern, Matt Manley, Alex Potter, Simi Singh, James Sledd, Finn Straley, Gary Wang Puzzlemaster Karl Wallulis

Advertising Manager Matt Solomon Finance Manager Jordan Estes

The Whitman College Pioneer is a weekly student-run newspaper published under the auspices of the Associated Students of Whitman College. The purpose of The Pioneer is to provide pertinent, timely news and commentary for Whitman students, alumni, faculty, staff and parents, as well as the Walla Walla community. The Pioneer is dedicated to expanding open discussion on campus about the issues with which students are most concerned. We provide coverage of Whitman-related news as well as featured local and regional events, and strive to maintain a standard of utmost fairness, quality, and journalistic integrity while promoting freedom of the press. In addition, the Pioneer strives to be a learning tool for students who are interested in journalism. The Pioneer welcomes all feedback and publishes weekly Letters to the Editor in print and online.

SUBMISSION POLICY Advertising Associates David Deming, Matt Tesmond, Shellin Tran

Letters to Editor may be submitted to The Pioneer via e-mail at editors@whitmanpioneer.com or sent to The Pioneer, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, 99362. All submissions must be received by 4 p.m. on Saturday prior to the week that they are intended to appear. All submissions must be attributed and may be edited for concision and fluency.

CODE OF ETHICS The code of ethics serves as The Pioneerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s established guidelines for the practice of responsible journalism on campus, within reasonable interpretation of the editorial board. These guidelines are subject to constant review and amendment; responsibility for amending the code of ethics is assigned to the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher in conjunction with the editorial board. The code of ethics is reviewed at least once per semester. To access the complete code of ethics for The Pioneer, visit whitmanpioneer.com/about. For information about advertising in The Pioneer or to purchase a subscription, contact business@whitmanpioneer.com.

A&E

The Pioneer ISSUE 11 NOV. 19, 2009 Page 9

Art salon provides unique opportunity for students by MERRETT KRAHN Staff Reporter The annual Winter Student Art Salon, which will run from Dec. 4 through 18 in the Sheehan Gallery, takes on new importance this year with the recent opening of the Fouts Center for the Visual Arts and a redoubled effort on the part of the gallery to engage the local community. The salon puts on display a selection of works by all students, not just those who major in Studio Art. Students may submit a maximum of three entries until the deadline of Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. Exhibitions and Collections Manager with the Fouts Center Kynde Kiefel spoke enthusiastically about how much support the students give each other. "It's just an incredible support and surprise to the student body that their peers are capable of such amazing creations," he said. The main goals of the exhibition as well as its format remain essentially unchanged. "One of the things this exhibition does is that it provides an opportunity for students who are non-art majors . . . to have the experience of having their work in a professional gallery setting," said Dawn Forbes, director of the Sheehan Gallery. "I think it's a really nice thing to do because we have a lot of students who are very talented, who participate in the classes here on campus, and it gives them an opportunity to showcase their work. I think part of it is giving recognition to those students outside of just the studio majors." Students are involved in more than just creating the art that will be displayed. "We have a wonderful student staff. Last year, they helped a lot," said Kiefel. "We gave them some freedom to design the show since it's for students and about students, and it was somewhat by students too. They helped a lot and were pretty excited about getting to help with the aesthetic design of the exhibition and just kind of help around the promotion and all of that as well." In addition, the exhibition helps to prepare the senior studio art majors for their own exhibitions in the spring. "Some of the senior thesis students are

invited to assist in setting up the exhibition so that they can learn the actual process of installation. It satisfies a lot of different tasks. They learn how to use certain tools, what would work in certain spaces. That's a nice training for the spring, when they will again have to consider what their work would look like in a nice setting," said Kiefel. In past years, the community has been welcome to attend the event, but this year is the first time community members have been allowed to submit art for consideration. "This year, we may have the art club at Walla Walla Community College coming to campus. They've asked and we've agreed to allow them to come and participate in this event. It will give them a chance to see how a student show is run and learn some things about exhibition design and preparation. It's really wonderful because it's not just a campus-wide activity, but is now also reaching out to a larger community as well. It's a chance to share what's going on with the larger community." said Forbes. With the opening of the Fouts Center for the Visual Arts last year, Forbes thinks it both interesting and significant that the salon still takes place in the Sheehan Gallery, which is located in Olin Hall, adjacent to the former Olin Hall studio art wing. "I think that now the art department has moved across campus, it's a really nice way to maintain and demonstrate the relationship that the gallery has with the art department. I know that when the art department left, a lot of the faculty and staff in this building [Olin] expressed disappointment and concerns because they really enjoyed having the students work here in this space. I felt it kept the building really alive and I always loved to see what the students were doing, so the exhibition sort of gives us a chance to maintain that in a way," said Forbes. She also believes that by maintaining Sheehan as a viable, usable gallery, the department can keep students living near Olin informed of and involved with studio arts. "While there is high traffic over there in Fouts, not everyone on this side of campus makes it over there to see what's going on," says Forbes.

B AND SPOTLIGHT

King Friday shakes up campus bands scene

HARDEE King Friday band members Alex Folkerth, Bailey Arango, Boris Sagal and Matthew Sweeney. .

COMMENTARY

by CAITLIN HARDEE Staff Reporter A couple weekends ago, I was held prisoner in the basement of the Palace. On that typical Whitman Saturday, there were about five events going on. I needed to move to the next party. But as student band King Friday played through a set, I was too captivated to leave. It’s hard to pin down the appeal of this band, because their style eludes neat categorizations. King Friday is comprised sophomores Matthew Sweeney and Alex Folkerth, first-year Boris Sagal and junior Bailey Arango. They joined me in the KWCW studio for an exclusive live acoustic session and interview during The Pioneer News Hour, where we discussed the nature of their sound. I proposed the label “indie rock with a lot of soul.” “I’ve never identified with either of those,” Sweeney said. “I’ve identified with indie rock,” said Folkerth. “I’d describe it as ‘60s slash ‘90s alternative, but then there’s Bo [Sagal],” said Arango, laughing. “Bo likes metal. Bo’s the armor on the King.” King Friday are nothing if not diverse. Sweeney plays guitar and sings, as does Arango. Sagal plays bass and sings, and Folkerth plays drums and other improvisational percussion instruments—everything from an instrument case to a trash can to a tambourine. During our brief acoustic session, the guys frequently swapped instruments with each other and alternated lead

guitar and vocals. The number of capable singers in the band affords them harmonizing and layering opportunities beyond the range of most live bands. The overall sound, funky and raw, seemed too powerful for these four unassuming guys and the tiny KWCW studio. Some of that depth springs from their long involvement with music. Sweeney and Folkerth have known each other since fourth grade, and recorded King Friday’s first album, Enter The King, last year at Whitman. All members of the band have been playing their instruments since grade school or middle school. Additionally, all members are intensely involved with the creative process. Although they enjoy playing covers, the band has a vast repertoire of original songs. “[Sweeney and I] did an album last year that has 12 songs on it,” said Folkerth, “and then Bo’s got entire albums written and recorded himself.” Sweeney and Folkerth released Enter The King digitally, through small label Broderham. The album can be downloaded through the label’s Web site, or purchased through the band’s MySpace page. The guys also addressed some of the challenges they face as a student band. “Practice space, and drugs,” Folkerth said with a straight face. His bandmates cracked up. “Come on, dude!” “Practice space. Our building is remarkably kind about us practicing in it, but it’s really loud,” said Arango. “Actually my biggest barrier is, like, going to college,” Folkerth said, laughing. King Friday are mostly occupied with gigs here at Whitman, but have made occasional forays into other venues. And how far do they hope to take their music? “Boyer Avenue,” Folkerth said in a deadpan, eliciting laughter from the guys. “Whatever’s possible,” Sweeney said. King Friday rounded out the week with performances at Marcus on Thursday, Nov. 12, and Coffeehouse on Friday, Nov. 13. To hear their interview and acoustic session at KWCW, go to our Web site at whitmanpioneer.com/arts.

BULLION Devin Petersen ‘11 designed the production sets which disintegrated throughout the course of the play. From left: Trevor Cushman ‘11, Marcial Diaz Mejia ‘13, Kelsey Yuhara ‘10 and Zach Simonson ‘11.

‘Frenzy for Two, or More’ illuminates the absurd by C.J. WISLER Staff Reporter Both farcical and unsettling, “Frenzy for Two, or More” attempts to bridge the gap between Theater of the Absurd and artistic drama. Set in the midst of a generic, unspecified revolution, a volatile and ridiculous argument erupts between a man and a woman. The internal and external battles both mirror and influence one another: The couple argues over whether a tortoise or a snail is the same thing, and the strange battle wages on without rhyme or reason. As it builds up in violence, the house, the couple’s relationship and the boundaries between reality and absurdity begin to dissolve. Harper Joy’s recent production of the play, directed by Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre Jessica Cerullo, attempts to rectify this confusing yet remarkable play with incredible artistry. Her creative stage directions, as well as the actors’ strong choices, help to introduce this absurd and disturbed world. While the original list of characters includes only the couple, this play provides three, who interchange and mix as the play progresses. Cerullo also took a big risk with her

actors and the characters they portray: Not only did the couples mix during the show, each night the three male and female leads played different parts. In other words, it was literally never the same show twice insofar as the characters are concerned. This gave the show an even more frenzied and intense atmosphere because the actors had to learn more-orless on the spot how to interact with their respective and ever-changing partners. The lead male roles, played by junior Trevor Cushman, junior Zach Simonson and first-year Marcial Diaz Mejia, all play up different aspects to the same character, anonymously called He. This creates a character that is many-sided and, strangely enough, a representation of an “Anyman.” The same goes for the female leads: senior Kelsey Yuhara, sophomore Justis Phillips and sophomore Surabhi Veenapani, who play the same eccentric and contrary She. The actors not only appeared comfortable with one another but easily played off of one another’s choices and worked well together, no matter with whom they were. Junior Devin Petersen’s set design gave the audience an intimate look inside the

lives of the characters, opening up the Friemann Stage space, giving the illusion of an actual home, complete with a neighboring hallway and room. Furthermore, the mirrors break, chunks peel off the wall to reveal random shapes of the same items that fall through the ceiling and transparent drips of blood appear on the walls. Creative, funny and thoughtful, Petersen’s design helped make the universe more complex and compelling. Subtle and artistically driven, “Frenzy for Two, or More” is another fun and challenging play carefully crafted by Harper Joy Theater and the theater department. While difficult to comprehend with its many pieces, Cerullo and the cast and crew of this show put on something very different and enjoyable for the Whitman and Walla Walla community.

See slideshow at www.whitmanpioneer.com/a&e

MOVIE REVIEW

Humor simmers in ‘Pirate Radio’; Emmerich lugs plot along in ‘2012’ by BECQUER MEDAK-SEGUIN Movie Reviewer “Pirate Radio” As contemporary films like “Cadillac Records” tend to reveal, music is all about hearing and nothing about listening. Richard Curtis’s latest cutesy British flick, “Pirate Radio” (somehow translated from the British title, “The Boat that Rocked”) follows suit, inspired by a little-known, strange-but-true tale from the ‘60s: The British government’s attempt to eradicate rock ’n’ roll music from the airwaves before the British invasion. Curtis has offered us those heartwarming British movies you keep on your shelf for whenever you need a little something to cheer you up or a little something to make you say, “Awww!” (His highlights are “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “Notting Hill” and the Whittie favorite “Love Actually.”) With that cadre in mind, “Pirate Radio” is perhaps a little less romantic, but a lot more comedic. Yet with such a quirky story whose moral and political implications cannot be ignored, it’s quite a shame that Curtis didn’t turn this formulaic rom-com into a memorable satire that might compete with Armando Iannucci’s marvelously woven satire-comedy “In the Loop.” The ensemble cast, led by Phillip Seymour Hoffman (please, see “Synecdoche, New York”), takes turns stealing scenes from each other—especially once Rhys Ifans’s character makes a suave return as the “king of the airwaves”—but the comedy never boils into laugh-out-loud exchanges; rather, it maintains a brisk simmer from beginning to end. The quirky story begins with the arrival of Carl (Tom Sturridge) aboard the pirate radio ship christened “Radio Rock” by the gods of the airwaves. He attempts to fit in

with cutesy bohemian DJs and rock music lovers, one of whom is his godfather, Quentin (Bill Nighy). Carl has recently been expelled from school and is hoping to find a new direction in life, but, instead, “Radio Rock” provides him with a softcore version of the age-old triumvirate, “sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.” At the same time that party is taking place, Dormandy (Kenneth Branagh), a prude government minister, tries to find any way possible to sink the ship and with it rock music. A true aficionado of rock music understands that its beauty lies in the mutual relationship it creates with its listener. Unfortunately, there is no mutual exchange in this film—you can’t get no satisfaction. All “Pirate Radio” wants you to do is hear, not listen. “2012” OK, I know what you’re thinking. But let’s try to give this ludicrously unbelievable, conspiracy theory-promoting Hollywood epic a chance to win over our indie-loving, granola hearts. Director Roland Emmerich has gone from the beginning of mankind to the end in a matter of years (“10,000 B.C.” was his last flick), yet it seems as though the special effects he employs are no different. Perhaps “2012” marks a return to the epic disaster movies of the late ’90s, including “Volcano, Deep Impact” and the one and only, “Armageddon,” that so dearly wanted us to consider the ethical implications of deciding who lives and who dies when Earth is no longer habitable. But do they really? They tried to argue that the younger, healthier, stereotypically ‘normal’ people should repopulate the human species, but has human ethics only progressed so much since “10,000 B.C.”? Emmerich seems to think so, still using a cookie-cutter moral dilemma to carry—no, lug—this movie from begin-

ning to end. The film begins with a story that could only make astronomers and astrophysicists cringe: In 2009, geologist Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) learns that neutrinos from a massive solar flare have penetrated and are beginning to rapidly heat Earth’s core. He quickly finds his way to the President of the United States (Danny Glover) and, suddenly, the issue is swept under the rug. Should the government warn its people of an eminent catastrophe? Apparently not. (I didn’t want to read too far into this thoughtless film’s social critique, but the parallels with our current government are unavoidable.) That’s one storyline from the (present) past. The next storyline follows Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), a part-time famous science fiction writer and part-time limousine driver for a Russian billionaire. While off on a camping trip with his children to Yellowstone National Park, Curtis meets the want-to-be-one-with-nature conspiracy theorist Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson), who convinces him that the supposed Mayan prophesy is correct: The last date on the Mayan calendar is Dec. 21, 2012 and, therefore, the end of the world. Of course, “2012” would not be a movie if the false prophesy weren’t true. Quite remarkable CGI ensues: We see cities ranging from Los Angeles to Río de Janeiro crumbling before our eyes. Yellowstone erupts, San Francisco sinks, the Vatican falls to pieces, India floods and every world monument you could possibly imagine is destroyed. Somehow, once the explosions settle, the apocalypse turns diluvian. I’m not going to try to make sense of this movie. In the end, it becomes one huge CGI behemoth that should’ve been extinct by now. Perhaps that task is better left to those credulous beings who think they can understand Mayan archeology.

A&E

November 19, 2009

Films to see, skip over Thanksgiving by BECQUER MEDAK-SEGUIN Movie Reviewer

What to watch: “Broken Embraces” (Dir. Pedro Almodóvar) – released Friday, Nov. 20 The films of auteur Pedro Almodóvar are a must for anyone who claims to love cinema. His latest (starring Penelope Cruz) is shot in 1950s American film noir style and centers around a blind writer who experiences events in the present that remind him of ones in the past. It promises cleverly-crafted divergent storylines, metacinema and study of how memory is constructed. “Mammoth” (Dir. Lukas Moodysson) – released Friday, Nov. 20 Swedish director Lukas Moodysson, like Almodóvar, is a household name in international cinema. His latest film

stars two actors you’ll surely recognize, Gael García Bernal and Michelle Williams, who play a successful couple in New York. The story takes us around the globe and deals intimately with issues of globalization. “The Road” (Dir. John Hillcoat) – released Wednesday, Nov. 27 At long last, the cinematic adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s dystopian/postapocalyptic novel will be released. It has an ensemble cast, including Viggo Mortensen, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce and Charlize Theron. Though it may not be entirely faithful to the book, it already looks like a frontrunner for next year’s Oscars. “The Princess and the Frog” (Dir. Ron Clements & John Musker) – released Wednesday, Nov. 25 The unveiling of the first African-

American Disney princess make this film worth watching, regardless of how bad it may turn out to be. Early reviews suggest stereotyping and insensitivity, but Disney still firmly stands behind its product. If it’s anything like those Disney classics it claims to resemble, it may well become a classic itself.

What to skip: “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” (Dir. Chris Weitz) – released Friday, Nov. 20 “The Blind Side” (Dir. John Lee Hancock) – released Friday, Nov. 20 “Old Dogs” (Dir. Walt Becker) – released Wednesday, Nov. 25 “Ninja Assassin” (Dir. James McTeigue) released Wednesday, Nov. 25

Former Beatles assistant O’Dell recalls travels, old friendships by C.J. WISLER Staff Reporter While a Touchstone press release blurb referred to Chris O’Dell’s book, “Miss O’Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and the Women They Loved”, as “the ultimate fly-on-the-wall rock memoir,” O’Dell hopes that readers take it as more than just a history of rock and roll. “I hope that people will feel they are there with me on the journey and really connect to it,” she said in an interview. “Most of the book is about relationships, addiction, forgiveness . . . it’s about the human experience.” O’Dell’s co-author Katherine Ketcham also had some ideas. “I think Chris’s story also shows how drugs can obstruct these relationships,” said Ketcham. “It’s also about her experience during an incredible era and . . . how many challenges and joys a young person can face.” O’Dell, an addiction recovery counselor and hynotherapist, shared her story on Monday, Nov. 16, in Maxey Auditorium with Whitman and the Walla Walla community about her experiences the music business, addiction and the intimate relationships she formed with the Beatles and other rock and roll legends. Initially a personal assistant at the multimedia corporation Apple Corps Ltd, she worked for the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. She later worked as a tour manager for Bob Dylan and her good friend George Harrison, among others. Eventually she traveled with groups such as Queen and Santana as the translator and co-owner of a Frankfurt promotion company. O’Dell hoped that the student audience would be interested in her because they would connect to her story as a young adult, not just for the scoop on rock legends. “A lot of what this is about is the time of youth . . . trying to decide what you want to do with your life,” said O’Dell. “I think the fact [is] that life is so

HUBANKS Chris O’Dell spoke Monday, Nov. 16 in Maxey Auditorium. She has written a book about her experiences working as a personal assistant to groups such as the Beatles.

open to possibilities when you are 20 years old, but you feel like you’re on a track,” said Ketcham. “What her story says to me is how opportunities are offered if you have an open mind.”

Most of the book is about relationships, addiction, forgiveness ... it’s about the human experience. Chris O’Dell, author O’Dell’s tumultuous journey was surrounded by drugs and rock and roll but also by passionate people interested in cultural change and the music they made. “Apple was like Google is now,” she said. “It was full of young people who were in [the music business] out of love for the music and wanting to be around it.” Chris also highlighted the dramatic change in the music industry from when she first came into the business to after the ‘70s. “Eventually, as I got older, the passion for me just wasn’t there anymore and I just sort of outgrew it,” said O’Dell. “The music industry changed so that I couldn’t return to it now. I was actually invited to a tour in 2004

17 20

ago. In addition to their monstrous pizza, Pizza Pipeline offers a range of normal sizing options. It also offers sub sandwiches, and will deliver throughout Walla Walla and College Place. Manager Andrew Korbel is hoping to buy over this location soon and is pursuing an advertising campaign through various fronts—print, MySpace and potentially radio. Pizza Pipeline can be reached at 509-532-2200 or on its MySpace page at www.myspace.com/wallapipeline.

and by the end of it . . . I was just exhausted and sick.’” Aside from the business aspects, she discussed many intimate friendships with George Harrison and his former wife, Pattie Boyd—who is still her best friend, Ringo Starr, Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan. Her experience with some of the most beloved bands was candid and sweet-hearted rather than simply tabloid gossip. “These people, particularly George and Pattie [Harrison] . . . were my friends, people I loved and still love,” said O’Dell. “I never wanted it to be a tell-all . . . because we built a ring of trust and I think I upheld that.” O’Dell’s joyful memories and insight made the legendary figures of the ‘60s and ‘70s into real people— comparable even to Whitman’s frat brothers, roommates, classmates and best friends. “We were kind of like a traveling college,” said O’Dell, laughing. “No matter what happened during this period—the drugs, the drinking, the free love—I can look back on it with happiness that I got to experience it.” This connection with both the baby-boomers and our generation made for a reflective, entertaining and inspiring night. For more information on O’Dell, go to www.chrisodell.net or www.missodell.com.

At this point it's lazy writing to liken John Darnielle—frontman and only constant member of The Mountain Goats—to some sort of religious speaker. It's been done many times, and the fact that his band's new album, The Life of the World To Come, names every song after a Bible verse makes it an even lazier move. But when seeing him perform, it's hard to think of anything more apt than Darnielle as a preacher—or at least the leader of some sort of cult—with his raptured masses hanging onto and taking very, very personally his every word. The crowd at Seattle's Showbox at the Market last Tuesday, Nov. 10, was one of these; Darnielle knew it, they knew it and there were moments of unbelievable energy between them. The band is now expanded to a four-, sometimes five-piece with a full-time guitarist in Perry Wright and occasional strings from Owen Pallett, who as Final Fantasy is opening this tour and has previously done arranging work and toured with Beirut and Arcade Fire, among others. The effect is that Darnielle's increasingly restrained, more subdued work is played as aggressively as possible. The set drew heavily from the new album, but also featured older songs like "Cotton," with its bridges drum break beaten out hard by drummer Jon Wurster, and "Against Pollution," which somehow nearly bordered on weird heartland rock in a way that the album version never will. The band's best-known songs—"This Year," "No Children," "The Best Ever Death Mental Band In Denton"—were all treated as hits, usually beginning with Darnielle as sing-along leader more than a lead singer, stepping away from the microphone for a bar or two before audibly joining in. When Darnielle spoke at length about moshing, his crowd moshed aggressively to what is, when it comes down to it, acousticelectric singer-songwriter music with lots of syllables in the lyrics. The end of the set even prompted a stage dive

as the band tore through an uptempo number about institutionalized youth. He was more than a little pleased by the fact that his music is now capable of inciting such responses. Final Fantasy's performance beforehand was a quietly fascinating thing. Like fellow violinist and clever person Andrew Bird, Pallett builds his compositions from looped lines and occasional use of an organ, but his songs follow less conventional structures and feature much stranger melodies, which sometimes works to his advantage. His forthcoming third album, Heartland, which is supposedly about "a young, ultra-violent farmer, speaking to his creator" in onesided dialogue, will likely be worthy of investigation. His set ended with a song he attributed to long-dead cultural theorist Theodor Adorno called "Independence is No Solution For Modern Babies," in which he called out Williamsburg and Greenpoint hipsters, among others, for wanting publicists and wanting only to dance; I couldn't tell if the joke was wellreceived. Aside from adding Wright (also of a rock band called the Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers), the biggest change to the band is the fact that Darnielle is now playing piano, which makes sense, given that The Life features several songs on which the instrument dominates. Like almost all electric pianos, his didn't sound great, but sort of got the job done, if by "job" one means "restricted motion and slowed things down a little." Every Mountain Goats set, even the solo ones, opens with Darnielle's "Hi, we're the Mountain Goats," and this didn't come until after he'd finished opener "1 Samuel 15:23" and switched to guitar. The new songs call for atmospherics, and Wurster and bassist Peter Hughes were able to pull off hushed drones and builds where needed, but the piano is clearly something that the band hasn't quite gotten used to or even something it may need. Regardless, Darnielle's energy and the response it elicits carried the evening, and while he was addressing the converted, he did so masterfully.

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Pizza lovers, make sure you’re sitting down. Pizza Pipeline is new in town, and is bringing you more pizza than you can handle. Its largest pizza measures in at a glorious 26-inch diameter. “It’ll just barely fit through a conventional door,” said pizza driver Nate Shewchuk. Pizza Pipeline, located at 1423 Plaza Way, opened its Walla Walla location approximately six months

Music Reviewer

Staff Reporter

by ANDREW HALL

by CAITLIN HARDEE

Mountain Goats ‘preach’ at Seattle’s Showbox

For answers to last weeks crossword, see www.whitmanpioneer.com

Puzzlemaster

How about 26 inches?

MUSIC REVIEW

C ROSSWORD P UZZLE

by KARL WALLULIS

COURTESY OF PIZZA PIPELINE

ACROSS 1. High school org. 4. 1958 Ford flop 9. Mailboxes __ 12. It may be electric 13. RC and Tab 14. Wildlife attraction 15. With 32-Across, crossword constructor’s feat 18. Charlie Brown’s nemesis 19. Classic gaming console (abbr.) 20. Score 21. San Francisco hill 23. Yes, in the land of the rising sun 25. 2006 World Cup runner-up 28. Like some protozoa 32. See 15-Across 34. Colony member 35. Iron-carbon alloy 36. Saruman portrayer in Peter Jackson’s LOTR trilogy 37. It’s similar to class (abbr.) 39. Holiday affliction (abbr.) or one of its

symptoms 40. It’s usually above the tab key 41. Somewhat 43. Pre-1917 rulers 45. Reason for the feat 49. Floral arrangement 50. Chicago hub 51. Author McKewan of “Atonement” 52. Bizarre 53. Vim and vigor 54. College in Kerala, India DOWN 1. Timid kiss 2. Actress Hatcher of “Desperate Housewives” 3. Loads 4. Anagram of “sec” 5. They’re often accented 6. __ gin fizz 7. Auriculate 8. Acid 9. Book after Chronicles

10. “Hop __!” 11. Secret language 16. Flower frequently used in herbal remedies 17. Anguish 22. Musician Phil 24. Treatment for heart disease 25. Mortgage-insuring agcy. 26. Met a kidnapper’s demands 27. Part of a famous belt 29. Variety of dressing 30. It’s cold even when fried 31. Average grade 33. 16-Down relative 38. Disco __ of “The Simpsons” 40. Compass dir. 41. Farm structure 42. Director Egoyan 43. Poetic pronoun 44. 9-digit IDs 46. “I see!” 47. Outdated communication 48. Cycle preceder?

Sports

The Pioneer ISSUE 11 NOV. 19, 2009 Page 11

Whitman women shoot for victory by DOYLE McCARTHY and GABRIEL CAHN Staff Reporters Last year the women’s basketball season ended with a heartbreaking loss in the semi-finals of the Division III Northwest Conference Championship Tournament to the eventual tournament champions, George Fox University. This year, the Missionaries are determined to bring the conference title home to Walla Walla, and prove the slogan of their proposed new team T-shirts: “We’re on top!” Winning the conference title is by no means an unattainable goal. In fact, they are sitting prettier than last year due to a deep roster with another year of experience under their slider shorts—every single player is returning from the 2009 season. With juniors Jenele Peterson and Rebecca Sexton and senior Hilary White having earned All Northwest Conference honors for the 2008-2009 season, and the addition of three promising firstyears, Emily Gilbert, Mary Madden and Kelly Peterson, the Missionaries have high hopes. White, voted one of six players to make All Northwest Conference First Team, undoubtedly had a colossal season last year averaging 13.6 points per game and leading the team to an 18-8 record. Currently, the team does not have a captain. “If we did [have a captain], it would

be [White],” said first-year guard Kelly Peterson. White is satisfied about their chemistry thus far. “All [the girls] know each other really well and the freshmen fit in really well too,” said White. First-years Peterson and Madden are both out of Edison High School in Huntington Beach, Calif. and have made a smooth transition to Whitman. More importantly for Whitman basketball fans however, they have taken to the team like ducks to water. Peterson has really enjoyed her first weeks with the team. “I love the girls and the coach; we hang out together, do homework together, go out to dinner,” said Peterson, who already runs the court like a true Missionary baller. “We’re working hard and executing plays.” Meanwhile White admits that the team struggles against George Fox. “[We hope to] attack the basket with more dribble drive penetration,” said White. Combined with the addition of the new Missionaries, White hopes this will close out big games this year. Having Sexton, one of the biggest centers in the league, can’t hurt either. Last season, Sexton beasted on the opposition, averaging 11.2 points per game, shooting a field goal percentage of 58 percent. Head Coach Michelle Ferenz, starting her ninth season coaching here at Whitman and 19th overall, knows that

Mixed martial artists: Modernday gladiators

to go all the way the team will have to work together to beat George Fox. “Everybody’s important. We’re going to have to work together, and we know we can’t take nights off either,” said Ferenz. Nonetheless Ferenz isn’t making too many guarantees at this point in time. “The offensive execution still needs a little work,” she said. “They play really well together, are unselfish . . . don’t gamble on defense [and should be] a better rebounding team than last year.” The team knows this season is not going to be easy. The Northwest Conference is set to be extremely competitive, with only two teams in the conference hit hard by graduation, George Fox not being one of them. Still, for Whitman basketball fans, this season has championship written all over it. Ferenz hopes there are plenty of rowdy Whittie fans for the season opener versus Macalester on Friday, Nov. 20. “[Don't] go home for Thanksgiving; it’s boring at home, right?” So, even if you do decide to go home for the holiday, keep the women’s Missionary basketball team in your hearts and dreams. But if you’re a truly devoted fan and you give up delicious turkey for some great basketball, be sure to fill Sherwood with the signature team chant, “Let’s go navy!”

Staff Reporters

COMMENTARY Randy Couture is a mixed martial arts fighter who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is paid immense amounts of money to beat people bloody. Strangely, he is also immensely religious. “There's two people—Jesus Christ, who stepped up and died for our sins, and the American GI that steps up and dies for our freedom on a daily basis. This fight is for them!" Courture once said, on why he believes in America. The two things seem as though they would be irresolvable; how can someone simultaneously hold a belief in Christ and dedicate himself to inflicting pain? Let’s be honest, MMA is definitely a sport, but it is also a sport where the ultimate goal is to hurt a complete stranger so much they give in or go unconscious. One reason might be that fighters like Couture endure such relentless pain in the octagon to remind him of the pain Christ endured for Christians and their sins, or the pain our Marines feel on the front line, or it might just be because they want to hit someone. We can’t be sure. Boxing has been a socially acceptable part of American life for years. However, in recent years the likes of Don King, accusations of fight fixing and the absence of a unified title have delegitimized boxing’s purity. MMA can fill this void. MMA combines boxing with kickboxing and various forms of martial art producing more complete fighters; however, its underground roots have caused some people to label the sport as too violent. John McCain wanted to ban UFC after he saw a fight in 1995. As a lifelong boxing fan, he was horrified with what he saw, calling it "barbaric" and "not a sport." This protest is odd, con-

sidering both sports are centered on violence. Boxing enthusiasts would argue that competitive MMA fighting in the UFC is completely devoid of the purity and tradition found in the ring of boxing. Boxing may have tradition, but purity has been lacking in the ring for quite some time. It’s time to give MMA a chance to fill the void boxing has left in the sports world. “The brutality that happens when the fight is taken to the floor and fighters trying to put their opponent into submission is the purist form of fighting I can imagine," said MMA enthusiast and junior Ryon Campbell. "This fierce attitude the fighters have not only makes the bouts so fun to watch, but also is what makes the sport even more respectable than boxing.” Although not everyone will agree with the statement, especially the latter part, what it boils down to is that the styles are just different. Boxers may be able to claim that there is more finesse involved in their sport, but in terms of identifying the best fighters, MMA takes the cake. If we reconsider Couture’s motivation this makes much more sense. His heroes are the men who overcome obstacles in a cruel world. Okay, so it might be a stretch to compare Christ with America’s foot soldiers, but they both have a cause and both strive to overcome obstacles. Mixed martial arts fighters may simply be expressing their refusal to give into the hardships they encountered in a world that does not always play by the rules. Consider the backgrounds of most of the fighters involved in UFC. They come from poor countries, raised by poor families with a strong religious upbringing. When religion cannot save them from the hardships of life, fighting can, and vice versa. The octagon becomes their outlet for life’s difficulties, and what can be more pure than that?

Rebecca Sexton ‘11 posts up on Kirsten Vaculik ‘12 during practice. Sexton leads the Missionaries’ charge to the Northwest Conference title.

SCOREBOARD SATURDAY, Nov. 14

Mixed martial arts replaces a problematic Women’s Cross Country Division III West Regional boxing industry, taking the title of the ‘most NCAA Claremont, Calif. - 6K SXUH ÀJKWLQJ VSRUW · by NOAH MOGEY and SAM KOLLAR

JACOBSON

TUESDAY, Nov. 17 in

Men’s Cross Country

Men’s Basketball

Score by half Team Records

Total

Eastern Wash. Univ. 1-2, 0-0 Big Sky

100

Whitman College 0-1, 0-0 NWC

NCAA Division III West Regional in Claremont, Calif. - 8K

Top 3 Whitman Finishers

Time

Top 3 Whitman Finishers

Time

12. Yasmeen Colis

23:01.15

40. Curtis Reid

27:24.82

16. Sara McCune

23:19.60

51. Alfredo Villasenor

27:49.42

19. Kristen Ballinger

23:30.68

61. Cory Rand

28.07.99

*Team finished 2nd of 17 teams

*Team finished 10th of 17 teams

Eastern Washington University vs. Whitman College in Cheney, Wash.

SCHEDULE Men’s Basketball

The Whitman men look to christen George Ball Court this Friday at 8 p.m. as they play their home opener against Portland Bible College in the first round of the inaugural Walla Walla Vineyard Inn/Bon Appétit Classic. The Missionaries look to their returning starters, sophomore Brandon Shaw and junior Max Adcox, to lead a team that features nine underclassmen.

Women’s Basketball

Sherwood Center will be busy this weekend as the Whitman women host

Macalester College, Whitworth University and Lewis & Clark State College in the Kim Evanger Raney Classic. The Missionaries open up their season this Friday at 6 p.m. and the tournament on Friday against Macalester looking to return to the Northwest Conference Championship Play-offs.

Swimming

The Missionaries will face their first real test of the season as they travel to Portland for the two-day Northwest Swim Invitational. Both men and women are looking to keep their win-

ning streak alive, each having a record of 4-0.

Women’s Cross Country

With their second-place team finish last weekend’s NCAA Division III West Regional Meet in Claremont, Calif., the women’s cross country team qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championships, Saturday in Cleveland, Ohio. They’ll look to junior Kristen Ballinger for leadership as she qualified, individually, for Nationals last year.