DEFINING DIVERSITY
CHAT ROULETTE
SWEET STROKE
With so much emphasis on diversity, what does it really mean?
The pros and cons of the internet phenomenon
Missionaries defeat Willamette and Lewis and Clark in Northwest Conference play
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WHITMAN COLLEGE Walla Walla, WA Volume CXXVI Issue 7 whitmanpioneer.com M ,
Methods questioned after tech security test
Trustees approve major Harper Joy renovation
What’s in a name:
Whitman has name in common with residential college at Princeton
by MOLLY SMITH
by JOCELYN RICHARD
Editor-in-Chief
News Editor
During the week of March 1, approximately 35 Whitman faculty and staff received a USB drive accompanied by a letter advertising the drive as a new version of Facebook and promising a $25 Amazon gift card for those who downloaded the drive’s contents. According to Chief Technology Officer Keiko Pitter, the test was not designed to record the names of faculty or staff members who downloaded the contents, but rather to determine the number of people who took part in the phishing scam. The USB drives were issued as part of Whitman’s Office of Technology annual security audit of the college’s technology systems through Secure Network, a New York-based firm that provides security consulting for banks, government agencies and large universities. According to Pitter, Whitman is one of the few small colleges that uses this firm. “All the current literature of the last couple of years indicates that it’s no longer the technology that allows intrusion but personal error,” said Pitter. She commented that people make themselves vulnerable to intrusion by getting deceived by phishing scams and giving out personal information. According to Pitter, phishing poses a real threat to the college’s technology systems. Within the last 18 months, approximately 70 Whitman e-mail users were tricked into giving out their usernames and passwords by phishing scams. “Over 100,000 e-mails were launched from our site [as a result of these scams] and our domain name was blacklisted by other schools and organizations who did not want to receive spam from our site,” said Pitter. The Office of Technology Services is still dealing with the effects of this particular phishing scam. WCTS, page 2
President Bridges met with Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman last week during a trip across the country. In addition to discussing the economy and interdisciplinary studies, the colleagues spoke as part of a conversation about the establishment of a residential college at Princeton that has a name in common with Whitman. In 2007, Princeton debuted Whitman College, a residential college named after Princeton alumnus and former eBay President and CEO Meg Whitman, who donated $30 million for the creation of the college. “I had a great meeting with President Tilghman and we talked about Whitman College and the origination of the name of their new residential college, which is also named Whitman College,” said Bridges. Bridges explained that Princeton’s system of undergraduate housing is based on the British organizational model which divides the university into separate “colleges” that house undergraduate students for the duration of their time at the University. At Princeton and about 30 other American institutions that incorporate the system, each residential college is presided over by a master, a dean and a network of academic advisers and directors of student life. “Depending upon the school, they’re typically residential communities with separate dining facilities and limited academic programs,” Bridges said. “I wanted to learn about the name of Princeton’s college and see first-hand how similar or dissimilar it was to ours. Obviously we want to be knowledgeable about Princeton’s Whitman as we think about how we describe our college.” Bridges noted that people in Washington state and elsewhere have confused PRINCETON, page 2
BULLION The renovated Harper Joy Theatre will echo the appearance of nearby Penrose Library. Construction is set to begin this summer and the project is scheduled to be completed by Fall 2011. Proposed project concept rendering provided by THA Architecture, Portland, Ore.
by NATE LESSLER Staff Reporter
Harper Joy Theatre is about to get an overhaul thanks to a decision from the Board of Trustees last month to approve a $7-7.5 million renovation. Construction—which will include a new black box theater, costume shop, rigging system and faculty offices—will begin this summer. Harper Joy was built in 1959 and renovated most recently in 1984. The upcoming renovations, which will last 15 months and are projected to be completed in time for the fall 2011 semester, are being completed by THA Architecture, the same firm that designed Penrose Library and The New Theatre for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. Thomas Hines, chair of the theater department, says the new round of renovations are needed. “Our facility is aging and incapable of supporting new trends in producing theater,” he said. “A major renovation in 2010 is not only justified as required maintenance, it is required for the continued success and growth of a traditionally successful Whitman program.”
The Whitman men earned their first victory of the season last Sunday against the University of Puget Sound on their own home field, taking the Loggers out 2-1. This came after a crushing Saturday, where the Missionaries gave up eleven runs and the lead in the ninth-inning of their first game of their double header to lose 18-12, and were deftly defeated the following game, 11-4. The last few years of the Whitman baseball program has seen its share of tough losses. After finishing last season at the bottom of the conference, the only direction the team could go was up and this past weekend reflected the changes that this year’s team has to offer. With a new season, new coach and new team in full swing, the Missionaries earned their first win last Sunday after a weekend home series against the University of Puget Sounds Loggers. Returning after taking a break last season, senior Mitch Hannoosh has seen a transformation in the Whitman baseball team. “This is a completely different team
While serious talks of renovations have been going on for roughly three years, concerns about the current facility and requests for improvements have been voiced for almost a decade. “We have long needed a new black box theater,” said Hines of the current Friemann Stage, which seats no more than 80. Because of the small capacity of the current black box, tickets for shows in this performance space, such as the One Act Play Festival, often sell out within one or two days of going on sale. The new black box theater will seat about twice as many people, while the current
The price per meal on a meal plan is as high as $13.13, 77 percent higher than the $7.42 average cost for a dining hall meal purchased with flex dollars. by JOCELYN RICHARD News Editor
BOWMAN
Missionaries end 12game losing streak Staff Reporter
• Renovations include a new rigging system, black box theater, costume shop and faculty offices • Projected to cost $7-7.5 million • Construction to start this summer and is projected to finish in time for the Fall 2011 semester
black box will become an acting classroom called “the acting studio.” The renovations will also address the lack of office space in the current facility. Professors with offices that were formerly used as backstage storage or that are presently located in Olin Hall will receive new offices. Other changes include new audience seating for the Alexander Stage, a larger lobby, a new costume shop and an additional rehearsal space for students. Many students have expressed excitement about the planned renovations. “Renovating the theater gives us an opportunity to do more and explore more ways to do art,” said junior theater major Raisa Stebbins in an e-mail. “On the technical side, it gives us leeway to do things safely . . . In addition, the current theater’s structure limits exactly how much we can move and fly. We’ve reached a point where we can’t put more weight on the building, so renovations are seriously key.” Senior Mimi Cook, who wrote a oneact play for this year’s One-Act Play Festival, also expressed excitement. RENOVATION, page 2
Meal plans more costly than flex
After a crushing Saturday loss, in which the men gave up 11 runs in the ninth-inning, the baseball team earned their first victory of the season on Sunday, March 7.
by MELISSA NAVARRO
FAST FACTS
from the one I played on two years ago,” said Hannoosh. During last Saturday's double header, UPS swept Whitman, with a staggering 18-12 loss for the Missionaries in the first game. Senior Joe Rodhouse powered out a lead off homer in the second inning of Game 1. That, followed by eight runs, put Whitman at a far away lead, and stayed that way until the ninth inning. In the top of the ninth, after four consecutive runs with out an out, UPS’s Mark Rockey homered to center field with two men on base, giving the Loggers a 14-12 lead. Game 2 started out with a 1-1 score and stayed that way for the first four innings. Despite a great start by junior pitcher Eric Korsmo, who allowed the Loggers only one hit in the first half of the game, Puget Sound surged in the top of the fifth, scoring nine runs. Whitman inched back in the bottom of the sixth with a home run by sophomore Eric Tolleson and a ground-out RBI by senior Blaine Mercado. Despite that, UPS earned their second win in conference, with an 11-4 victory. BA SEBALL , page 10
Seven dollars and 42 cents is the average cost of a meal purchased with flex dollars in a Whitman dining hall. But for students on Meal Plan A, the default plan for first-years and sophomores, the average price is $13.13—77 percent higher. With tuition on the rise, Whitman students disagree on the extent to which Bon Appétit’s pricing plans are economical considering the relative cheapness of food purchased with flex dollars to meals purchased through a meal plan. Most first-years and sophomores are required to purchase one of Bon Appétit’s five meal plan options. The average price of meals on various plans ranges from $7.58 per meal on Plan C to $13.13 per meal on Plan A, excluding flex dollars, which are included in the cost of certain plans. This inflated price is in part explained by the one-third of the cost of meal plans that goes to the college to pay for employees, utilities, kitchen maintenance and other costs. Flex dollars purchased outside of a meal plan are not subject to those costs. Regardless, the fact that Bon Appétit charges less for dining hall meals purchased with flex dollars than it does for meals purchased on a meal plan is a policy many students disagree with. “Flex dollar price in the dining halls is a discounted amount that is set lower to be an incentive to juniors and seniors who have already lived on campus for two years to come back and eat in the dining halls,” said Roger Edens, general manager of Bon Appétit. For upperclassmen like senior Allison Armstrong, purchasing flex dollars in
place of a meal plan is an attractive option. However, she believes that the price of meals in dining halls seems appropriate considering the service it provides. “I certainly think the flex price is reasonable,” Armstrong said. “I do think Bon Appétit meals are overpriced, but rightly so. Yes, they are overpriced for the amount that you would eat in that single meal, but I think you are also paying for the options and the service.” First-year Lillian Bailey, who is on Meal Plan A, echoed Armstrong’s opinion. She commented that students are paying for more than the cost of meals when they purchase a meal plan. “I think part of what you’re paying for when you’re eating at Bon Appétit is convenience,” said Bailey. “It might be a little bit of a steep price to pay, but I feel like there’s value in that.” Bailey did note, however, that the average price of meals can seem uneconomical when students don’t eat large meals. “Sometimes I think [the price of meals] is slightly unreasonable when all I want to get is a bagel,” Bailey said. Likewise, other students questioned whether Bon Appétit’s meal plans are fairly priced. “Is the food we get worth the price we pay?” asked sophomore Adam Delgado. “I wish [Bon Appétit’s meal plans] were more comprehensive based on need and how often you eat . . . [we need] a less expensive meal plans with fewer meals.” Senior Laura Niman, who is on a flex plan and often eats at Café 66, believes that Bon Appétit’s pricing plan is often unfair for students because it fails to take into account differences in individuals’ eating ME AL S, page 2
Greenhouse gas audit to focus on eliminating emissions by RACHEL ALEXANDER Staff reporter
Whitman has joined colleges across the nation in addressing the global impact of climate change and the threat it poses to humans, animals and ecosystems. To better understand Whitman’s contribution to climate change, as well as potential areas of improvement, a group of students is conducting Whitman’s second annual greenhouse gas audit. “Our focus for this time is to make a list of adjustments to make [Whitman] more carbon neutral,” said sophomore Katie Tackman, who is helping with the audit. Last year’s greenhouse gas audit was a first step in identifying ways to improve Whitman’s carbon footprint. However, many of the numbers used to calculate Whitman’s emissions were based on estimation due to the lack of available data in some areas of the audit. “The hope this year is to continue to do a more comprehensive, detailed audit that it is based on data rather than speculation and projection,” said Jed Schwendiman, associate to the president. “Last year there were several areas that had to be estimated, through no fault of the people who were working on it. But it makes the confidence in the outcome not as solid as one would like.” This year’s audit will be conducted by a group of 15 students, most of whom are involved with Campus Climate Challenge. Five of those students will receive credit for an environmental AUDIT, page 2