Red Light Blue Light, Combo Pack, Dabbles in Bloom, Orange Fight
Campus bands preview
Opinion:
Words of wisdom:
Filling in the blanks: what health care reform means for college students
President George Bridges welcomes new students to Whitman
OPINION, PAGE 12
A&E, PAGE 7
FEATURE, PAGE 10
WHITMAN COLLEGE Walla Walla, WA Volume CXXV / Back to School Edition September 3, 2009
Class of 2013 ‘most diverse’ Incoming first-years start their Whitman careers, set records by JOSH GOODMAN Associate News Editor
First-years Claire Sobetski and Libby Arnosti move into their new dorm rooms in Jewett and Anderson. Sobetski is from Littleton, Colo. and Arnosti is from St. Paul, Minn.
First-year Autumn Knutson was moments away from enrolling in another college when a phone call from a Whitman parent changed her mind. “The moment I walked down my stairs towards the computer, the phone rang,” she said. “It was a Whitman parent who wanted to tell me how Whitman had impacted his two sons that attended this college. Somehow he convinced me enough to set up a day trip within that same week.” That last-minute trip was all it took for Knutson to know Whitman was the right fit for her. Each of the 422 students in the class of 2013 had a slightly different reason for choosing Whitman. According to Director of Admission Kevin Dyerly, the class of 2013 is historic—a higher number of applicants from more diverse backgrounds than ever before. “We had a record 3,437 applications,” said Dyerly. “It’s the most ethnically diverse class…in the history of the college. We also have more first generation college bound students, 13 percent, in the entering class than ever before.” Each student had a different reason for choosing Whitman. “I chose Whitman because it went above and beyond similar schools in one area particularly important to me: the outdoors,” said first-year Matthew Morriss. “Not only does Whitman stress a continued exploration of the outdoors through its classroom work, but also, Whitman provides students with an opportunity to explore the great outdoors.” Isabella Lowery had no trouble listing off her reasons. “Small classes with students who acFIRST-YE ARS, PAGE 2
Whitties
INSIDE
• News
Whitman and Walla Walla brace for potential onset of swine flu epidemic in the community .
• Opinion
How to spend your four years at Whitman— ‘make the most of it and remember almost as much’
• Feature
The inside scoop: Whittie reflects on summer job with College Prowler
• Sports
Completed Sherwood renovations provide luxury, convenience for student athletes
• A&E
Pio Picks: dining out on a student’s budget in Walla Walla’s poor economy
• Humor
New editors welcome students “Back 2 School” and seek more members for their team
VISIT US ONLINE whitmanpioneer.com
twitter.com/whitmanpio
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Back to School by GALEN BERNARD News Editor
W
hile first-years begin their college journey, seniors enter the homestretch to a diploma and the rest of the student body resumes their trek, it’s easy to neglect the many aspects of Whitman operations that shape students’ experiences. Whether student or staff, arriving or returning, Whitties likely missed one or more of the summer happenings. Some events, like teenage debaters and dancers swarming the grounds for summer camps, probably won’t affect Whitman life very much, but other developments have a direct or subtle impact. Many of the topics referenced below are issues that News will examine in-depth as the year progresses.
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The National Science Foundation awarded two grants to Whitman, totalling $795,000, to purchase a 1,200-pound, $388,000 nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer and a $407,000 scanning electron microscope. Maxey Hall renovations began, with planned additions of 18 offices, four classrooms and three student lounges. Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Paul Harvey estimates that the project will be completed by June 2010. Whitman’s Board of Trustees elected three new members—Megan Salzman Medica, of The Plaines, Va., Nancy Serrurier, of Menlo Park, Calif., and David Nierenberg, of Camas, Wash.—to fouryear terms. The Career Center and Community
The weight in pounds of the sculpture commonly known as the “Giant Paperclip” but formally titled “Joined Together, Let No Man Split Asunder”
Service Center became the Student Engagement Center, while Fellowships and Grants services moved down the hall to occupy two former study rooms in Reid. The Princeton Review’s annual collegeselection guide ranked Whitman at #15 in the Happiest Students category, down from #1 at the start of the ’07-’08 school year. Director of Admission Kevin Dyerly notes that simply being on 10 of the top 20 lists boosts Whitman’s visibility. Whitman signed on to participate in the new Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program. Through the pro-
gram, Whitman will give over $18,000 per year each to two students with veteran status. The VA then matches this aid. As opportunities for scientific research increase and sources for party costumes decrease, a new school year begins, with students eager to leave their mark by utilizing what Whitman already offers and
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Key downtown destinations for students closed: Luscious, 26 Brix and the Blue Mountain Humane Society
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Percent of the incoming class from California, second-most represented state
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Whitman’s ranking on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Colleges
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Days in Whitman’s summer College Horizons Program, which offers a college prep workshop students converted to Whitmail
perhaps forming new possibilities where they find something missing.
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First-year general studies class changed from “Core” to “Encounters”
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The cost in cents of a one-way Walla Walla bus fare (x3 last years’)
New members of Whitman’s Board of Trustees
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The boxes of onions sent to new Whitties