Issue 11 spring 2015

The

PIONEER

Another successful year for IM sports

ISSUE 11 | April 23, 2015 | Whitman news since 1896 | Vol. CXXXII

Present, future ASWC leaders prepare for 2015–16 transition

by KYLE FLANNERY Staff Reporter

W

hile it’s nearly impossible to cross Ankeny in the spring without hearing the raucous sounds of an intramural football game or the buzz of a Frisbee, it is easy to forget how much work goes into making IM sports happen year in and year out. An entirely student-run entity, the IM Committee, along with team captains, ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible. That is a tall order, especially when coordinating and scheduling a multitude of sports and teams.

The IM League is also about continually improving the state of IM sports, keeping participation high and adding to the array of sports available here at Whitman.

Notable changes in IM sports over the past two years have been the addition of a ping-pong league and an online scheduling program called IMLeagues that has streamlined the formation of teams and game scheduling all across the country. Both changes have been whopping successes. One of the IM coordinators, senior Julianna Wetmore, spoke to how important IMLeagues has been in revolutionizing IM here at Whitman.

“When I first started we weren’t using IMLeagues,” she said. “Brian Choe ‘14 researched IMLeagues and brought it to Whitman in 2014, which has been the best thing to happen to IM Sports.”

Alongside dodgeball, putt-putt golf used to be an option as a second semester winter sport. However, the local company Sweet Putt recently closed down, leaving a dearth of sports during the winter. The IM Committee decided to replace it with ping-pong, and initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Twentyfive two-person teams participated this year. By using the residence halls (which possess sufficient equipment) as arenas for competition, it was a quick and easy addition to the IM League’s repertoire — essentially a no-brainer.

The goal of the IM Committee is to identify ways to keep improving everything about IM, but what makes its members want to adopt such a leadership position? Senior Zane MacPhee explained his motivation.

“I had such a positive experience my first year-and-a-half at Whitman, winning a couple of blue shirts. I wanted to be a part of it on the other side,” he said. see IM SPORTS, page 5

Jack Percival ‘16 (above) will lead ASWC next year as president. He was previously a first-year senator, the vice president and is currently the faculty liason. Photo by Kelly

by CHRISTY CARLEY Staff Reporter

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s the 2015–2016 school year approaches, ASWC’s elected Executive Council plans new ways to address student concerns and seeks to increase student involvement in college decision-making processes. With President George Bridges stepping down, ASWC hopes to work with incoming President Kathleen Murray to revisit several policies in the new school year.

ASWC president-elect junior Jack Percival looks forward to setting up monthly meetings with Murray in order to discuss issues concerning the student body. He anticipates that with the end of the Now Is the Time Campaign, Whitman’s comprehensive fundraising effort, Murray will have the opportunity to focus more heavily on a new strategic plan for the college. The plan will involve changes to Whitman’s admission policies and finances as well as efforts to increase diversity.

“Next year is an incredible opportunity for ASWC to establish that very direct relationship with

the highest levels of the administration and make sure that a precedent of student involvement in big decisions is set,” said Percival.

Other members of the Executive Council include the vice president-elect, sophomore Arthur Shemitz, the finance chair, junior Anya Tudisco and the nominations chair, first-year Annamarie McCorvie. The goals of the newly elected council members include advancing the long-term effort to increase student input in the tenure process, working toward a test-optional admissions policy and establishing ways to improve communication between ASWC, the student body and the administration.

ASWC has pursued the issue of student input in the tenure process since a well-liked Spanish professor was denied tenure in the spring of 2012. In response, a resolution was passed in an attempt to both increase student input and put a student on the Personnel Committee, but it lacked faculty support. Current president senior Tatiana Kaehler said that increased student input in tenure was one of the goals she ran on before being elected. The issue of tenure has

carried over to Percival’s platform for the upcoming year. Another resolution regarding tenure was passed this year, but it didn’t obtain a faculty sponsor and therefore could not be discussed at a faculty meeting.

important things that ASWC leaders can do is get younger generations of students involved in initiatives that will take time to enact.”

In addition to the issue of tenure, other long-term issues include a move towards a more equitable admissions pol“Next year is an incredible opportunity for ASWC to establish icy by becoming test optional.

Both Percival and Shemitz adthat very direct relationship vocated for test-optional admissions with the highest levels of the on their platforms. Whether or not administration and make sure Whitman goes test optional in the that a precedent of student future will ultimately be an instituinvolvement in big decisions is tional decision made by future Presiset.” dent Murray and Dean of Admission Jack Percival ‘16 and Financial Aid Tony Cabasco.

ASWC President-elect According to Kaehler, a resolution written by Shemitz last fall “The motion would be to has proved effective in pressuramend the faculty code,” said ing the administration to move toPercival. “And only a facul- ward a decision. Shemitz hopes ty member can make a mo- that continued action by ASWC tion to amend the faculty code.” will maintain such pressure.

Kaehler believes that is“The power that ASWC sues that take longer to achieve has in this context is to launch are often more important. a conversation and to dissem“One of the weaknesses of inate this information broadASWC is that we have so much lead- ly within the administration and ership turnover and that students are say this is something that’s realonly on campus for four years,” said ly important to us as students,” said Kaehler. “I think one of the most see ASWC, page 2

Sheehan showcases senior art theses

by HANNAH BARTMAN Staff Reporter

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(From left to right) Eddy Vazquez, Tess LeNoir, Ruth Hwang, Natalie Shaw, Marissa Burt, Jesus Chaparro, Audrey Kelly, Mariah Matthews, Mahon Yoder, Kelsey Lund, Veronica Miller, Madison Webster and Maddison Coons reenact Leonardo da Vinci’s famous “Last Supper” as an advertisement for their thesis exhibition opening tomorrow. Photo by Coons

s another academic year comes to a close, seniors throughout all disciplines have worked hard to provide a capstone to their Whitman experience in the form of a thesis. All 14 senior art majors have a unique task in that they must create a whole series of work that will be open to the public in the Sheehan gallery for the remainder of the year, opening at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 24.

Inevitably it’s close to impossible to discuss the complexities and artistic vision shown by each of the works in the show, but it is fair to assume that the pieces shown are a representation of each artist’s navigation through their education as an artist up to this point.

“I think that one of the things I like about this show and this group a lot is that when I look at it, I don’t see any of the faculty’s hand in this, I see all of their hands,” said Professor of Art Charles Timm-Ballard.

Natalie Shaw is one senior art major who describes her mixed media paintings as “constructed landscapes that draw references from romantic landscape art, renaissance painting and early medieval religious art.”

“This is the first time I’ve done something that I don’t feel like I’m really done with,” said Shaw. “I feel like I could make more paintings like this, and this is the first time I’ve felt like that with a series of works.”

Sheehan Gallery Lecture by visiting artist Kris Grey at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 24. Reception to follow at 6:30 p.m.

Location: Olin Hall 130 Hours: Mondays–Fridays, 12–5 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays, 12–4 p.m.

Shaw describes the evolution into her current style as a kind of natural process in which she let her innate interest in certain images take importance above her initial construction of meaning. This flow from content to idea is something that she thinks both senior seminar professors, Assistant Professor of Art Rick Martinez and TimmBallard, stressed for their students.

“When this semester started I wanted to focus on making things that I liked. So I thought of things that I liked and that was old paintings, gold things, and gods and religious figures, and I put all those things together to see what came out of it,” said Shaw. “It was probably the best place for me to start because I was able to define my direction pretty early on in the semester.” see SENIOR THESES, page 4

News

A&E

Feature

Opinion

Social Media

Are we being watched? Whitman security discusses the uses of cameras on- and off-campus.

The Renaissance Faire attracts many merchants, dancers and singers. Read about the family blacksmith business that has been coming for the past five years.

Seattle-based and former Whitmanstudent band Chastity Belt returns to their campus roots on May 12.

They recently released their second album to rave reviews.

Guest columnist Emma Thompson argues that the two-year suspension of the debate program has removed an important forum for challenging prejudice.

Keep updated on the last month of the semester by liking The Pioneer’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/whitmanpioneer or follow us on Twitter @whitmanpio

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APR

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Following elections, ASWC Pio Past: Spring Spirit prepares for new school year

For almost 120 years, The Pioneer has reported on news from the Whitman campus and surrounding community. Pio Past pulls old articles from past decades from the Penrose Library archives to give modern readers a glimpse of campus history.

Pirouette and arabesque are mastered by campus nymphs: Maidens while away time in practice for Campus Day Originally published March 3, 1922

ASWC President-elect Jack Percival ‘16 (bottom right, standing), Vice President-elect Arthur Shemitz ‘17 (above, center), Nominations Chair-elect Annamarie McCorvie ‘17 (bottom left, center) and Finance Chair-elect Anya Tudisco ‘16 (bottom left, right) outlined their plans for the following academic year in an interview with The Pioneer. Photos by Kelly from ASWC LEADERSHIP, page 1

Shemitz. “Make that be a conversation that begins within the administration and make it be a conversation that the administration has some kind of a response to.”

Besides issues that are already being considered, much of ASWC’s priorities for next year will be determined by major student concerns that arise. Such concerns are often difficult to predict.

Kaehler cited student protests at the beginning of the year regarding the New York Times’ rankings on economic diversity as an example of how quickly students can mobilize around an issue. She also mentioned students’ responses to administrative decisions.

“The student body is very reactive to decisions that are made by the college and those reactions help ASWC determine what it needs to be pressing,” said Kaehler.

In order to give students a greater say in what issues they feel are important, Shemitz, who will also be the chair of the Student Affairs Committee, hopes to create an online petition system in which students can post issues they would like to be addressed

by ASWC. Based on a model used at Middlebury College, the system will allow students to vote on issues posted by others that they also believe to be important. If an issue obtains 30 votes, the Student Affairs Committee will have to discuss it, and 100 votes will require an official response from the Executive Council. “[The petition system will] be helpful for us to understand what the pulse of the student body is, even if an issue doesn’t dominate everyone’s conversation,” said Shemitz. “Then we can see what’s quietly lurking in people’s consciousness and things that they really want ASWC to address even if those don’t become the most hotbutton issues throughout the year.”

While goals that require institutional change will take longer to achieve, the Executive Council is hopeful that those that pertain to the

inner workings of ASWC will be realized in the upcoming year. In addition to Shemitz’ plans for the petition system, both McCorvie and Tudisco hope to increase communication from within ASWC on various fronts.

McCorvie’s main goal as nominations chair is to create avenues for increased communication and collaboration between college committees, governing boards and clubs. As the Nominations Committee is responsible for hiring students to act on governing boards

“I’m really excited to see what all of these people accomplish ...

See where initiatives end up going ... and see what momentum we can get.”

Tatiana Kaehler ‘15 Current ASWC President

ter a “well-rounded understanding of where our funding is going and if it’s actually doing the things that it is intended to do.”

Additionally, Tudisco hopes to publish a bi-semester report using these responses so that the student body will be aware of exactly how ASWC funds are being spent in various organizations. Tudisco anticipates that this report will be another avenue for feedback, as students may respond with concerns regarding where they think ASWC funds would be used most effectively for the student body at large.

The Executive Council as a whole is optimistic about working together to lead ASWC next year. Kaehler also expressed her enthusiasm for the new leadership.

“I’m really excited to see what all of these people accomplish,” said Kaehler. “See where initiatives end up going ... and see what momentum we can get.”

In view of the fact that Campus Day—that day when strong men labor and gentle co-eds cavort upon the green sward in careless garb and excess of ecstasy, will be here ultimately—one of the best classes in aesthetic dancing that ever tested elastic arches on a bird’s eye maple is, by dint of frequent practice, gradually rounding into form.

Each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, the idle curious gather at their out posts in the gym and give their eyes a sumptuous repast, watching the breathless and slightly bedraggled serfs of terpischore master the intricate steps and movements of the pirouette and arabesque concert dances which will entertain the crowd expected at the annual May Queen festival held in conjunction with the Campus Day activities.

The pulchritudinous maidens, though at first rather awkward and grotesque in their movements, have during the last several weeks, shown marked progress toward the transformation which always follows such conscientious practice.

Undoubtedlybefore the time comes for them to perform, many a talented danseuse will envy the grace of these lithe, Amazonian nymphs. We anxiously await your debut, fair ones.

Planning starts for Faire

by Barbara Hzelrigg Originally published March 9, 1972 Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The 1972 Whitman College Renaissance Faire is now in its first stages of organization chairwomaned by Jan Munro. This year’s Faire is scheduled for the last weekend in April.

The hopes for its success are high.

For those of you not fortunate enough to have been here last year, a Renaissance Faire is booths, games, musicians and bright costumes intermingled with sunshine and smiles to create an Elizabethean atmosphere.

Students and artists sold silk screen painting, bread, leather works, candles, pottery, flowers and other wonderful things. Several were creamed in a pie-eating contest, and the sounds of recorders floated through the air throughout the afternoon.

Volunteers and enthusiasm are needed to make costumes and pan entertainments such as tournaments and activities. Bart Levitt suggested a chess game with real players.

Other proposals are archery contests, tug-of-war, and a greased pig race. Paul Hemp suggested importing the gazebo from Pioneer Park for added atmosphere. Jan [Munro] would like to have a lamb roasting and Maypole celebration.

Any and all local craftsmen and student artists are encouraged to set up booths and sell their wares, from pottery to photography. Anybody want to give a puppet show?

Be sure to bring all of your fantastic ideas of inspired flights of imagination to Jan Munro or Dr. Bracher. In sooth, thou shalt be rewarded in pleasure.

ASWC BUDGET

and college committees, McCorvie hopes to make the most of such positions by creating spaces for groups with related goals to interact. Her ideas include making Town Hall into a networking event for group leaders and creating a website on which groups could share ideas.

“The groups that we have on campus [are] already doing amazing work, and they could be working together on it,” she said. “Institutionalizing a network like that could be really powerful.”

As finance chair, Tudisco is in charge of allocating ASWC funds to student organizations. One of her main goals for the upcoming year is to reinstate the feedback form that has the dual function of giving students the chance to reflect on an experience they had using ASWC funds, such as attending an off-campus conference, while also giving the Finance Committee a chance to have a greater awareness of how ASWC funds are being spent.

According to Tudisco, the feedback form would fosInfographic by Bartman

PRODUCTION

WRITING

BUSINESS

Publisher Aleida Fernandez

Production Manager Maddison Coons

NEWS

Editor-in-Chief Emily Lin-Jones

Art Director Julie Peterson

Lane Barton, Jeremy Alexander, Christy Carley, Natalie Berg

Business & Circulation Manager Skye Vander Laan

A&E

WEB

Emma Dahl, Geoffrey Leach, Zan McPherson, Hannah Bartman

Webmaster Denali Elliott

FEATURE

Web Content Editor Natalie Berg

PIONEER

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor Serena Runyan News Editors Lachlan Johnson Andy Monserud A&E Editor Daniel Kim Sports Editor Cole Anderson Feature Editor Sarah Cornett Opinion Editor Sam Chapman Humor Editor Kyle Seasly Photography Editors Marra Clay Halley McCormick Illustration Editor Luke Hampton

Production Associates Maggie Baker, Christopher Belluschi, Yarden Blausapp, Kerr Ivan Cirilo, Audrey Kelly, Molly Unsworth Chief Copy Editor Matthew Nelson Copy Editors Rachel Needham, Jessi Anderson, Elliot Granath Illustrators Catalina Burch, Sophia Cooper-Ellis, Lya Hernandez, Asa Mease, Emma Rust, Tyle Schuh, Eric Rannestad, Daniel Whalen Photography and Videography Hannah Bashevkin, Rachael Barton, Anna Dawson, Denali Elliot, Tywen Kelly, John Lee, Annabelle Marcovici, Hayley Turner Emily Volpert, Anna von Clemm

Audrey Kelly, Martina Pansze, Kamna Shastri, Allie Donahue

SPORTS

Dylan Snyder, Riley Foreman, Kyle Flannery, Kendra WInchester

OPINION

Anu Lingappa, Hillary Smith, Katy Wills, Christopher Hankin, Jose Coronado, Peggy Li

BACKPAGE

Trevor Lewis, Peter Ramaley, Callie Brown, Jack Swain

RADIO

Producer Aleida Fernandez

EDITORIAL POLICY

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 letters to the editor in print and online.

SUBMISSION POLICY

Radio Hosts Anna Middleton, Andrew Schwartz

Letters to the editor may be submitted to The Pioneer via email at editors@whitmanpioneer.com or sent to The Pioneer, 345 Boyer Ave., 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.

ADVERTISING

CODE OF ETHICS

Advertising Manager Melissa Shaffer

Advertising Associates Wenjun Gao, Hayley Turner, Julie Zhu For information about advertising in The Pioneer or to purchase a subscription please contact business@ whitmanpioneer.com.

The code of ethics serves as The Pioneer’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 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.

The

NEWS

APR

23 2015

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Students #Askkathy for Surveillance limited in Walla Walla social media campaign

by ANDY MONSERUD & SARAH CORNETT News Editor and Feature Editor

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Incoming president Kathleen Murray was the focus of #AskKathy, a social media campaign hosted by the Office of Communications. Photo contributed by the Office of Communications

by ALLIE DONAHUE Staff Reporter

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his week the Whitman Office of Communications began releasing the first videos in a series titled #AskKathy. In the series, Whitman’s incoming president, Dr. Kathleen Murray, answers questions submitted by students, faculty, staff, alumni and Walla Walla community members via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag “AskKathy.” Some questions were also submitted anonymously via a GoogleDoc that the Office of Communications emailed to the whole campus. The questions, said Chief Communications Officer Michelle Ma, “ranged from silly to serious.”

The videos each correspond to a single question and are being released one at time on social media. They are an effort by the Office of Communications to introduce Murray to the community and to build excitement for her arrival.

“It seems to me that the #AskKathy campaign is designed for the Whitman community to get to know Kathy Murray as a person. They know the name of the person who is going to be leading the college, but they don’t really know who she is,” said junior Jack Percival, who will be ASWC president during the first year of Murray’s presidency.

Murray culled through about 10 pages of 12-point font to choose 25 questions to answer during a filming session on Monday, April 13.

“I don’t speak that often ‘on camera,’ so I was a little bit nervous,” said Murray in an email.

She answered some questions unrelated to her position as president.

“I tried to answer some that were more playful and might allow people to get to know me a bit better,” she wrote.

“What do you think of water parks?” was one question she chose. She also gave her opinion on sweet onions, commented on this year’s Super Bowl and revealed that she is a Green Bay Packers fan.

But Murray answered tough questions too. She spoke about

the suspension of the Whitman Debate Team and about Whitman’s divestment campaign.

“I also tried to answer some serious, substantive questions,” she wrote.

“We want to express to everyone — faculty, staff, alumni — that’s she’s been briefed on some of the hard questions of Whitman ... that she recognizes there’s a lot of work to do,” said Ma. Murray was on campus from Sunday, April 12 to Tuesday, April 14. She may return to campus once more before she begins her service as president on July 1.

“There is a possibility of a quick trip out in early June,” she wrote.

The Office of Communications may film more clips during that visit, according to Ma. During her recent visit, Murray met with Percival at the Colville Street Patisserie. For Percival the meeting was a promising first step in what he hopes will be a highly communicative relationship.

In November, Murray expressed to The Pioneer that she plans to take student input very seriously as she develops plans for Whitman’s future.

In her email she expressed how she plans to achieve that goal.

“We will have student representation on the Strategic Planning Committee, and we will have student fora for ideas and feedback,” she wrote.

Percival believes that Murray will follow through on her promise to be attentive to student voices.

“She’s an amazing listener,” he said. “It’s one of the best skills that a leader can have.”

Ma echoed his sentiments.

“I don’t think she is going to make quick and fast decisions,” said Ma. “She wants to spend time getting to know the campus and getting to know our wants, needs and history. I think that’s the right approach.”

For now, though, it’s time to listen to Murray. Search #AskKathy on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to catch the videos as they are released.

ADVERTISEMENT

ver the past several years, the widespread use of surveillance technology has become commonplace both as a tool for law enforcement and for private use. According to the Walla Walla Police Department and Whitman Security, though, Whitman students and their Walla Wallan neighbors are not under as close of scrutiny as they might think.

On the hyper-local level, Whitman students can rest assured that they are not being watched on campus, according to Whitman Director of Security Matt Stroe.

Though a few cameras are noticeable in campus buildings, including in the Maxey Hall Computer Lab, Stroe says that they aren’t used by Whitman Security, and he offered no comment on their purpose.

“There is no surveillance on campus,” said Stroe.

“Cameras are not used for surveillance purposes.”

When asked about whether student swipe activity is tracked — logging what buildings students go into and when — Stroe also said that students are not monitored. Whitman College Technology Services (WCTS) technically oversees swipe records, but Stroe says that data is only tracked when access to a building is denied (i.e., a student trying to enter a building that’s closed).

“They don’t go through and look to see who’s going where,” he said. “The record keeps track of who is denied access [to a building].”

The WWPD uses some methods of surveillance but few of the most controversial tools available to law enforcement. Stingrays are phone-surveillance devices that imitate cell phone towers, gathering data from phones that connect to them. They have recently come under public scrutiny, and the Washington state legislature has passed a law that would require search warrants for their use. While Stingrays have played parts in several high-profile cases in Washington and nationally in the last few months, they have never been used in any case tried in Walla Walla Coun-

While cameras can be found scattered around the Whitman campus, Director of Security Matt Stroe says security does not use them. Photo by Dawson

ty, according to WWPD Public Information Officer Tim Bennett. The police department has not contracted with any larger national investigative organization, such as the FBI, to install them.

“We do have dealings with federal agencies that include the FBI, the Secret Service and the DEA, but to the best of my knowledge, we’ve never been approached about them wanting to use that kind of technology here,” said Bennett.

“Which doesn’t mean they haven’t done it without our knowledge, but I don’t think that’s the case.”

The WWPD also does not use wiretaps or similar methods of phone surveillance. The fullest extent of their dealings in phone surveillance, Bennett said, is requesting records from phone companies to “ping” the locations of suspects or missing persons. This process, however, requires approval from a judge.

Other high-profile surveillance methods are absent from Walla Walla. License plate readers, now commonplace in larger cities, use high-speed cameras to keep records of passing cars and alert officers when they find a license plate associated with a wanted person or a suspended or revoked license. While Bennett expressed

that a license plate reader would be valuable to the police force, obtaining one is not a high priority.

“I haven’t heard any discussion about getting a license plate reader,” said Bennett. ”I think it would be a great tool for us, but it’s also a very expensive tool.”

Among one of the most common forms of surveillance the department has access to is one that practically anyone can use: Facebook and Twitter. Several cases in the past few years have involved evidence gathered from suspects’ social media postings.

“Some of our guys that are social-media savvy will go out and search, looking for evidence of a crime or locations of suspects. That’s one of the things that helps us, is a lot of these people who are out committing crimes like to talk about it on social media,” said Bennett.

Like all the methods the department uses to solve crimes, however, this measure is typically targeted at specific individuals rather than the public at large.

“It’s a good tool to help us solve crimes,” said Bennett. “Are we out there looking for information on random people in the public? No. We have far too heavy of a caseload to be doing that.”

NUMBERS IN THE NEWS

by LACHLAN JOHNSON & DANIEL WHALEN News Editor & Infographic Artist

700

1 =7 migrants

People went overboard when a boat carrying migrants from Libya to Italy capsized to the south of Malta on Sunday. (CNN)

70 ft.

The length of the multi-story vessel carrying the people on the dangerous voyage. (CNN)

3,500

1 = 35

Migrants drowned attempting to cross the Mediterranean last year fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East. (UNHCR)

migrants

13,500 10 TIMES

People are estimated to have crossed the Mediterranean from April 10th to 17th (UNHCR)

$10.3M

The monthly budget of Mare Nostrum, the European Union’s maritime rescue operation which was shut down last year.

(BBC)

Times as many people died in the first three months of 2015 as did during the same time period in 2014.

(The Guardian)

$3.1M

The monthly budget of Triton, the border control operation created to replace it. Triton only patrols within 30 miles of the Italian coast; the migrant boat capsized 130 miles from Lampedusa, a small Italian island in the middle of the Mediterranean. (BBC)

A&E

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KWCW Show of the Week:

APR

23 2015

Seniors install final pieces

‘Vibe City’

by DANIEL KIM A&E Editor

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he host of “Vibe City,” junior Emily Jordan, hails from Southern California, and with her comes the influence of WestCoast music, featuring many genres that reflect Southern California vibes. Currently Jordan has been playing and listening to electronic and hip-hop as well as ‘90s and early 2000s rap and R&B. There is always a wild card thrown into the mix. Jordan believes that the KWCW radio show is a chance for not only herself, but for others to experience the musical culture of Southern California.

Coming up with the show name on a whim, Jordan believes that the show name encompasses the character of the show, which is making sure that she puts good vibes on the air. To her, it is all about the mood she is trying to present within each show rather than sticking to a strictly selected genre-based radio show.

With her unique taste in music, she hopes to influence others into the vibes she transmits through the air.

Many of the senior art majors, like Natalie Shaw (above) and Eddy Vazquez (right), learned their unique styles through the various classes they took over past three years. Photos by Coons from ART THESES, page 1

Illustration by Penner-Ash

Show: ‘Vibe City’ Time: 8 a.m. - 9 a.m.

Host: Emily Jordan

Eddy Vazquez is another senior art major who uses the medium of book arts to relay his message. In a similar way to Shaw, Vasquez started with the fascination of the way that book arts required his “full-focus” in order to create the precise intricacies of the six books that he has on display in the gallery.

“I’m drawn to the book as an object of literacy; it’s the most effective way to tell a story because it’s all contained in these pages and you just have to open it,” said Vasquez. “It’s a container of knowledge, like an encyclopedia, and it’s there forever if you take care of them.”

Vasquez’s books discuss issues of a social concern, such as surveillance and physical

and semantic borders, as well as themes of a personal sentiment. In order to discuss these issues, though, the physical space and presentation of the piece is inherent in its meaning.

“My intention was find book structures that tell a story by themselves and that can stand on their own, and I think they do,” he said.

120 other artists will show work at the gallery, exhibiting a range of media and provocative ideas. Their diversity and complexity, as Timm-Ballard notes, should not be missed.

“This group in particular has some pretty intensive projects that are very labor intensive and complicated,” he said.

“They’re really supportive of each other, and I think the level of work is pretty outstanding.”

Local blacksmith forges tradition

by GEOFFREY LEACH Staff Reporter

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n April 25, merchants, singers and jugglers will all come to the Memorial Hall lawn for the annual Renaissance Faire at Whitman.

The Czyhold family has been in Walla Walla for many years and has been blacksmithing for generations. Richard Czyhold, the local blacksmith, will be putting on a demonstration in place of his son, Ben Czyhold.

“My family has been farming here in the Walla Walla Valley for about four generations, and so my grandfather and great-grandfather did a measure of blacksmithing just by necessity,” said Ben Czyhold.

Ben Czyhold first figured out he wanted to be a blacksmith when he was a kid. He was often surrounded by blacksmithing equipment and wondered how it worked.

“My family had a number of metalworking tools and blacksmithing tools that they procured over the decades, and when I was a boy I would often ask my dad concerning an anvil or a hammer. I would ask, ‘How does that work?’ ... So he would show me. And my father knew what blacksmithing my great grandfather and grandfather knew, and he’d pass it on to me,” said Ben. When Czyhold graduated from high school, he decided to pursue blacksmithing and metalwork.

“Just after high school I enrolled in the local community college here, and I enrolled in their two-year metal fabrication and welding program,” said Ben. After completing the program at the local community col-

lege, Czyhold initially decided to pursue a career in welding. He later realized that he would rather pursue blacksmithing.

“For a time I worked as a certified welder. But then my interest in the craft started to grow, and ever since about 2007 or so, I’ve been pursuing [blacksmithing] as a full-time career,” said Czyhold.

Now Czyhold works on various projects that he sells at the Farmer’s Market and other smaller venues like the Whitman Renaissance Faire. His projects range in function and appearance, but they mainly fall within the realm of architecture.

“In blacksmithing circles I would be known as an architectural blacksmith. I make things for house and home, buildings, some small sculpture, things of that nature. I pretty much make anything from wall hooks to handrails,” said Czyhold.

In terms of stylistic approaches to his work, the natural world and its designs usually cross into Czyhold’s own designs. For example, some of the works he has made are a wine holder in the shape of curling vines, wall hooks with faces on them and a sculpture of a cross.

“The natural world does enter into my work quite often,” said Czyhold.

While Czyhold focuses mainly on architectural blacksmithing, his father, Richard Czyhold, mainly makes sculpture and other art crafted from found objects.

“He specializes in the found objects and the fanciful creatures and sculpture. My own work tends to be on a smaller scale,” said Czyhold.

The elder Czyhold uses more modern methods of creating his art. It is more conducive for fus-

ing found objects with metal.

“I use welders and the more modern types of joinery,” said Richard Czyhold.

Ben has been involved with the Renaissance Faire for the past five years. He took over the blacksmith post after Torvald Sorenson retired. While it does not bring a huge amount of profit, he enjoys the atmosphere and appreciates exposure he receives from the community.

“The Whitman Renaissance Faire has been very good to me. It’s good exposure with the local community, and it gets on very well with the overall spirit and subject matter of the Faire,” said Czyhold.

At the Faire, Ben brings some of his crafted work for event-goers to purchase, and he also puts on a demonstration.

“I bring my retail space, where I sell my little things and dad’s things too, and I have a traveling blacksmith’s shop ... I have a small forge, anvil, a vice and I often bring that around to the Farmer’s Market [and Renaissance Faire] and I demonstrate with that setup ... Small projects for the benefits of those watching,” said Ben Czyhold.

Though some might consider blacksmithing a dead art in the face of modern technological advancements, Ben Czyhold advocates strongly for the continuation of such an important craft.

“All the great works of humanity have been only possible because of blacksmithing ... And there’s a lot of folks out there who think blacksmithing is gone or otherwise dissolved, but I for one and thousands of other blacksmiths around this country and the world would beg to differ,” said Ben Czyhold.

The Renaissance Faire has held a long history of hosting local family-run blacksmith businesses such as the current Czyhold family, who has participated in the Faire since 2010. Photo by Clay

Love unites choirs

by DANIEL KIM A&E Editor

O

n Saturday, April 25 in the Chism Recital Hall, the Whitman College Department of Music will present the Whitman Chorale and Chamber Singers under the direction of Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Riikka Pietilainen-Caffrey.

The Chorale and Chamber Singers spent all semester practicing and rehearsing for the Department of Music’s annual Spring Concert. The theme this year is love of all kinds: young, romantic love, old love, tragic love, love that cannot be contained and how love changes as life moves forward.

“We’re really going in a full circle on human life and seeing what love really means ... If you say love, people expect that it’s going to be happy songs, but love does not have to be happy. So we’ve kind of traveled, during the course of the semester, through an emotional journey,” said Pietilainen-Caffrey.

The musical compositions the students have been practicing were created by some of the most well-known classical- and romantic-era composers in history, like Mozart, Monteverdi and Brahms, all of whom wrote many pieces about love and loss. However, this year also features a composition by Whitman’s Adjunct Instructor of Piano Kristin Vining.

“I had heard some of her music and wanted her to write us a piece for the concert,” said Pietilainen-Caffrey.

Vining was very excited to compose a piece for Chamber Singers and was especially motivated to make the Spring Concert an enjoyable experience.

“I love to compose, and I think that the work goes quickly when you have inspiring text and when you’re inspired to write for certain people,” said Vining.

The piece she created integrates piano, played by Vining, and cello, played by Adjunct Instructor of Cello and Bass Sally Singer, both of whom will accompany the choir. The text is fragments of Sappho poetry, which sometimes consists of only short phrases with really strong images.

“As far as composing goes, I tried to find out what that image or strong emotion was and then reflect that musically,” said Vining.

This is the first Spring Concert that Pietilainen-Caffrey is directing since the departure of former Visiting Professor Jeremy

Illustration by Revere

Mims last May. Although the two directors have different instruction styles, their approach for setting the concert was to build great expectations for the performance.

“She’s brought a new energy to the choir, and I wouldn’t say a better energy, but just a different energy,” said senior Chorale and Chamber singer Lily Gibbs. “I loved Dr. Mims, but I also really appreciate what Dr. Caffrey brings. I think she brings energy and enthusiasm and commitment beyond belief to the choir. I think most students have responded to it and enjoyed her.”

Like in many performance productions, there were hurdles that the singers needed to overcome. One such difficulty for this spring concert was the language in which the song was written and would require the singers to perfecting the lyrics in its foreign language.

“We’re doing a Finnish piece that Dr. Vining composed, and it’s interesting because it has a very different sound to it then typical Western style of music. Getting the right sound and tone for the music as well as the memorization of another language was the most challenging part of the preparations,” said Gibbs.

The Whitman College Chorale and Chamber can offer students a unique experiences with diverse people while trying a new activity.

Singing can expose students to new things, allowing them to grow and learn together through this concert.

“The theme is different and the group is always changing ... Next year is a different group. Even if there are 100 singers, it’s a different feeling with different people, always keeping in mind what works for the current group,” said Pietilainen-Caffrey.

APR

23 2015

SPORTS

PAGE

5

Men’s tennis completes undefeated NWC regular season

After sweeping PLU in the NWC regular season finale, Sean Alves ‘18, James Rivers ‘15 (both pictured above) and the rest of the team now set their sights on conference championships and beyond. Photos by Kelly

by KENDRA WINCHESTER Staff Reporter

A

s the 2015 spring season for Whitman Men’s Tennis comes to an end, the Northwest Conference Tournament Championships are right around the corner. After this past weekend’s sweep of PLU, the team finished its regular season undefeated in the conference and ranked number 15 in the Nation with a possible return to nationals. This will be the team’s eighth straight Northwest Conference title, and the team has yet to lose a regular season conference match in nine years.

“We’ve had a really good season so far. Our start of the year was really strong. We had three top-20 teams come here and play and we beat all of them. And we’re still undefeated in conference so we have a lot of things to be happy about. A lot of the guys feel like at this part of the year

that they’re playing a lot better even then a month ago, so we’re just about to get over the hump,” said senior Colton Malesovas.

The team has prepared this spring season to mentally and physically understand what it takes not only to become Northwest Conference champions, but also to return to the Division III National Championships.

“We have played a lot of top-10 teams, more than what we’re used to and right now we’re just right on the cusp of taking an extra step in actually beating them. We have had two 4-5 losses over spring break, so we’re just right there. What it comes down to is actually believing,” said senior James Rivers.

This season, there are three seniors, one junior, five sophomores and eight first-years. With such a big group of underclassmen, there is a much greater need for them to consistently score points than there has been in pre-

IM sports create bonds

vious seasons. They have certainly stepped up to the challenge.

“We have a lot of people that can play really high-quality tennis right now, so it’s comforting to know that even if I’m not playing in the lineup, then I’ll have a teammate that I know can win. Our team is really deep,” said Rivers.

The depth of the team ranges from senior All Americans such as Malesovas and Rivers to many sophomores and first-years already poised to earn the same honors.

“First-year players Zach Hewlin and Chase Friedman have played well at the number-three and number-four spots this year, which is impressive since it is their first year of college tennis and we play a very demanding schedule,” said Head Men’s Tennis Coach Jeff Northam.

With an already-talented group, fitness has become the main priority for this season. The team had a little trouble playing some top-10 teams over spring break and

Sports Editor

I

Sports Editor

Intramural Ultimate Frisbee, one of the most popular IMs, draws a wide range of athletes and class years. Photos by Bashevkin

from IM SPORTS, page 1

In the eyes of many students involved in IM Sports, competing for that blue shirt is a quintessential Whitman experience. Although MacPhee has been fortunate enough to come home with a few, not everyone has been so lucky, but that’s not what IM is about at its core. Instead, it’s about the relationships within and amongst teams.

“I enjoyed having a team with my freshmen section. It gets harder to meet up, but because we had the team last year we made sure to do it again this year,” said sophomore Ari Knops, team captain of soccer and ping-pong.

This reveals a trend amongst IM teams to stick together all four years at Whitman. While paths can tend to diverge after a first year, IM represents a way to maintain friendships, develop and improve as a team, and hopefully compete for the blue.

Some improvements for the future of IM include increasing participation amongst the first-year class, which was unusually low this year. This could be accomplished by better advertising, and an especially key area, contacting resident assistants to have section meetings about forming teams. Another year-to-year problem is team captains organizing large teams (i.e. softball and football) and teams forfeiting at the last minute due to lack of team members. Transparency between the committee and team captains is essential.

In ping-pong, a necessary change seems to be a division one and division two league to differentiate between radically different skill levels, as well as a flexibility by the committee to change rules in-season, an issue that became apparent over altering shots in doubles ping-pong. Furthermore, a bowling league may be a pleasant addition.

or top 5, the team must first perform well in the Northwest Conference Championships, hosted here at Whitman, to head to the NCAA Division III tournament.

“Well, first things first, we accomplished the first goal of winning the NWC title and hosting the NWC tournament. We need to win the the NWC tournament to advance to the NCAAs so that is all we are thinking of at the moment.

We have had several close matches with teams in the conference, so we have our work cut out for us next weekend,” said Northam.

If the team is able to win the Northwest Conference tournament, they will earn a team bid to nationals. The team will be competing in the NWC semi-finals on Saturday, April 24 followed by finals on Sunday, April 25. The Whitman Women’s Tennis Team will also be hosting the conference tournament and will play on Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24.

Why the Stanley Cup Playoffs are the best playoffs

by COLE ANDERSON

by COLE ANDERSON

realized that fitness should be a focal point for the rest of the season.

“We got back and hit it really hard. It is so nice to be in better shape than other teams, especially in tennis where it is such a mental sport. If you know that you have been putting in more work than your opponent, then you just have that little mental edge that can push you to win it,” said Rivers.

That mental edge has carried this senior class consisting of Rivers Malesovas, and Alex Noyes to this point in their last season.

“Three years ago we were a top-30 team and we were very happy to be Northwest Conference Champions and be top 30.

And up to now, we have broken into basically a top-15 team, now I think our group wants to be a top10 or a top-5 and we’re knocking on the door. Now we’re just one good win away from that, but not quite there yet,” said Malesovas.

To make it into the top 10

’d like to preface this column by saying that hockey is not usually my favorite sport; football is. And my favorite hockey team, the Los Angeles Kings, didn’t even make the playoffs this year. Nonetheless, I am going to make every effort to watch as much playoff hockey as I possibly can, because the Stanley Cup Playoffs are the best playoffs, and here’s why.

Hockey is the most demanding mainstream sport I can think of. The combination of physical toughness, endurance, brute strength, acute finesse, mental fortitude, technical skill and overall athleticism is, in my opinion, unmatched. Hockey requires the physicality and aggression of football or rugby but on razor sharp blades that allow a player to travel faster than any human could run, into a hit. Handling, passing, shooting and otherwise controlling a hockey puck is similar to the technical ability of a baseball player making contact with a pitch, but the puck isn’t the only thing that is moving, and players have to also focus on everything else happening around them. Finally, hockey’s regular season is probably one of the most grueling endurance tests in sports. There are 82 games and games are every 2-3 days on average for a team, and the same players play every game, despite taking a beating like that of a boxing match every single time they suit up.

But those things aren’t necessarily what set the NHL playoffs above the rest. To win the Stanley Cup, a team has to win four straight best-of-seven series, with each game having at most two days to rest until the next. Players regularly play with bumps, bruises, sometimes broken bones and occasionally even stitches. Every single game is immensely important, and the gravity of each match-up is palpable for even the most uninterested viewer. The LA Kings played

21 games before they even started the final series in last year’s Stanley Cup. That’s a fourth of a full season in just over a month.

There is also something to be said about the cup itself, a nearly three-foot tall behemoth that is adorned by every name of every active participant of every winner in the history of the league.

That means the cup grows every year, as more space is needed for the rosters of the winning team. A trophy that is not only huge, but will continue getting even bigger, is crazy.

Though the Stanley Cup Playoffs don’t cater as much to underdog, Cinderella-type runs that happen during March Madness, I submit that that is ultimately better because with very few exceptions, the better team wins each series and moves on.

Unlike NFL playoffs where one loss means going home, the Stanley Cup Playoffs allows a team to have a bad game and still be in the running. But they also demand that players not only have a strategy, but also the unique mix of giving their all every game while also having the endurance to keep playing at a high level for the rest of the long season ahead.

But the best part about the

Stanley Cup Playoffs is summed up by three words: sudden death overtime. If a game ends tied in regulation, there is no penalty shootout like the regular season; there is no tie like in soccer.

The teams just play until someone scores. Normally this doesn’t seem all that compelling, but when both teams have already played a whole game, and neither wants to lose, a goal could take a while. Last year I watched a game take three overtimes to finally have a winner. And each overtime is the length of a regulation period, of which there are three... That’s two full games in one night; hard hitting, all-out hockey games. You haven’t seen pure elation in sports until you’ve seen game-winning goal celebrations in overtime playoff hockey. Grown men throwing their hands and equipment into the air in excitement are sights to behold, and awesome ones at that.

And you should see what they do when that Stanley Cup-winning goal is scored: Most turn into six year olds on Christmas morning.

Oh, and don’t forget about the playoff beards.

Without a doubt in my mind, the Stanley Cup playoffs are the best in sports.

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FEATURE

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APR

23 2015

For Chastity Belt, It’s Time to Go Home

ILLUSTRATION BY COOPER-ELLIS

Fresh off a successful spring release of their new album, Seattle band and former Whitman ‘12 alumnae, Chastity Belt will return to campus for a show on May 12.

by SARAH CORNETT Feature Editor

“I

t was just an illusion,” sings Julie Shapiro on “Drone,” the opening track of Chastity Belt’s latest album Time to Go Home.

Some things may be an illusion for Seattle band Chastity Belt, but their success is not one. A group comprised of four Whitman ‘12 grads, they recently released their sophomore album, Time to Go Home, and have been featured in NPR, The New York Times, Rookie and Pitchfork.

Comprised of singer Julie Shapiro, bassist Annie Truscott, guitarist Lydia Lund and drummer Gretchen Grimm, Chastity Belt will be making a return to play at Whitman on May 12. They’ve made quite an evolution since their 2010 inception on Whitman’s campus; since their graduation in 2012 and a move to Seattle, the band has released two full-length albums, played shows across the country and recently played at the Austin, Texas arts festival South by Southwest.

At its formation, Chastity Belt was a group of four friends, looking to escape from the monotony of life at Whitman. The band ultimately started out of “boredom,” according to Truscott.

“Walla Walla is small and as most of you reading know, you have to find ways to entertain yourself when you aren’t doing schoolwork.

Chastity Belt was created from this angst,” she said in an email.

That angst led them to play their first show at Beta Fest, a battle-of-the-bands competition held at Beta Theta Pi, in 2010 as sophomores. They won and continued to play at Whitman house parties (most especially the now-defunct Condemned house) until they graduated in May of 2012. In a particularly memorable event, Chastity Belt played in the center of Ankeny field during the 2012 Beer Mile run.

“It was ridiculous and fun and terrible,” said Truscott. “After people were done running, they started a naked dance party around us. It was fun at first, but gross dudes kept wagging their dicks in our faces. That was the worst.”

While the band was busy playing at parties, making music post-Whitman wasn’t something they thought seriously about.

“It wasn’t until senior year that we took a couple of weekend trips to Seattle to play shows that we started toying with the idea [of continuing Chastity Belt],” said Truscott.

Reconvening in Seattle after graduation, Chastity Belt kept making music and came out with the album No Regerts (yes, that is how it’s spelled) in 2013. The album and the band received significant attention after a particularly memorable press photo, in which Shapiro held up her dress to reveal a large piece of meat connected to a real live chastity belt, made the rounds on the Internet.

According to Truscott, No Regerts was a nod to many of their experiences playing at Whitman.

“No Regerts is pretty evenly split between songs written during

college and then after living in Seattle for a bit,” she said. “While some songs are serious, a lot of songs on that record were written to cater to drunk party-goers at Whitman.”

When listening to the tracks from No Regerts, it is clear why Chastity Belt’s sound was so successful at raucous college parties.

Song names include “Giant Vagina,” “Pussy Weed Beer” and “Nip Slip.”

While it all seems tongue-in-cheek, it still feels important, like Chastity Belt knows something we don’t.

For a band that formed as a joke, its songs touch on surprisingly serious themes, including slut-shaming, sex-positivity and what seems like fourth-wave feminism. In a minidocumentary on the band created by Advanced Filmmaking students in 2012 and cited in a Rookie interview with the band, their friend and fellow Whitman graduate Peter Richards (a member of the Seattle band Dude York) said this with a smile: “At first [I] didn’t know if Chastity Belt was serious. Then [I] realized that Chastity Belt was both not serious and very serious.”

Time to Go Home, Truscott says, is similar in tone to No Regerts, but it shows how the band has developed in the two years between albums.

In the end, it is the sophomore effort of a group on the rise, and one that is planning on making more music.

“Time to go Home, while sarcastic throughout, takes on a more serious tone and is reflective of the musical direction we are naturally progressing toward,” said Truscott.

In a culture where irony reigns, Chastity Belt successfully dives right in, only to emerge with questions about what that means with tracks like “IDC”: “Is it cool not to care?” Shapiro sings, “I got drunk out of boredom.” On “Joke,” a slower, surfy-rock song with a pulsing guitar riff, she muses, “Nothing’s serious. Everything’s a joke.” But unlike No Regerts, it’s hard to imagine Whitman students drunkenly dancing to this track at Condemned.

Their success with Time to Go Home, released on the Sub Pop created label Hardly Art, has meant much more publicity for Chastity Belt. A few weeks ago, the band played at the famous South by Southwest festival (SXSW), which coincided with their album release.

“We played eight shows in three days, which made it feel a little bit like band boot camp ... Overall we had an amazing time and are definitely already stoked to go back,” said Truscott.

With both No Regerts and Time to Go Home, critics have been quick to point out a connection between the punk-feminist themes of Chastity Belt and bands from the ‘90s riot grrrl tradition like Sleater-Kinney. Many of Chastity Belt’s songs feature sex-positive themes (think “Giant Vagina” and “Cool Slut”), and there’s a general “I-don’t-care-what-you-think” attitude throughout the tracks.

But while it’s easy to label Chastity Belt as a “girl band,” its members have a keen understanding of the undertones that can go along with assumptions like these.

“While I think it’s definitely complimentary to be compared to Sleater-Kinney and the riot grrl scene in general (I’m a fan of both), I also think it’s sort of a cop-out comparison,” said Truscott. “Yes, we are all feminists and some of our songs reflect this fact, but I find it frustrating that the main reason people make this comparison is because we are an all-female band.”

Comments like these that generalize female bands have accom-

panied many reviews and articles about Chastity Belt. The Pitchfork review of Time to Go Home cast the band in a similar vein with the “female fuck-up phenomenon” found in culture today with shows like “Girls” and “Broad City.” Though it’s done in praise, according to Truscott, it is ignoring other factors, like the band’s sound or musical style.

“People can easily point to our gender and make ADVERTISEMENT

the

comparison,” she said.

Generally, though, the band says that the press attention validates what Truscott says is, ultimately, “four best friends hanging out and playing music together.”

“Bottom line: Positive validation always feels good,” said Truscott. “Also, it’s cool that NPR likes us so much because I can always point to that when my parents are confused about what I’m doing with my life.”

OPINION

APR

23 2015 Guest column: Debate suspension stifles critical thinking about discrimination

7

No shame loving material objects ANU LINGAPPA Senior

A

s a debater who is genderqueer, I found the suspension of the Debate Team devastating. Debate offered me a safe space where I could explore my identity. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the suspension is that the administration never bothered to learn about debate; they never came to a tournament, practice or our presentation at the Undergraduate Conference. If they had, I cannot imagine how they could indict the entirety of the team’s culture, especially since they did not meet with all the members of the policy team, or anyone on the parliamentary team.

The best thing about debate is that it is, by its nature, immensely self-reflective. Debate is a unique activity because it invites challenges to the typical norms of the activity, particularly surrounding accessibility for debaters of underprivileged identities, and constantly searches for methods to end exclusion. For example, the Whitman team has made arguments about how solely discussing issues along the public/private divide can lead to debates that focus only on macro effects of policy, which can reinforce sexist ideas about who counts as important. Through these self-reflective debates, the Whitman team gained skills and knowledge that we used during the Title IX process we went through last year, and then applied the Title IX training we received to workshops at the summer debate camp, the high school tournament and the team prep session. Both the administration and independent reviewers praised our progress.

This year we hired a coach who specialized in debating about how to make debate more inclusive for women. During her college career, Kendra read arguments about gendered language and how to combat sexism and sexual violence. Kevin (the debate director) hired Kendra largely because he knew there were members of our team who wanted to read similar arguments. Indeed, one debater spent the season making arguments about how to make debate a home for women. She had the whole team behind her — she was paired with the most experienced debater on the team and consistently received extra coaching to ensure she had the support she needed. One of my fondest memories of this year was the first time she and her partner made it to an elimination round. The whole team was in the room, doing last-minute research, helping them prepare for the debate and cheering them along.

Two more women debaters joined the policy team in October and immediately traveled to the UPS tournament. They decided to take some time off from debate and came back again shortly before the Texas tournament. Because Texas does not offer a JV section and is known for being a challenging tournament, the coaches and Kevin decided to only send varsity debaters. However, both the coaches and Kevin wanted to make sure the two of them, as well as the two other JV debaters, got enough chances to debate, so they decided to send the four of them to the JV Championships at Sacramento State as an additional unscheduled tournament. In a further effort to support the three women on the team, the coaches started offering additional drills specifically for women. While the JV teams were at Sacramento State, the rest of the team was excitedly following their success, sending a barrage of emails offering help in research.

Ultimately, the other JV team let the two newer women advance ahead of them despite being higher in the bracket, citing their support for the arguments the women were reading about disrupting phallocentrism.

I do not know what the specific allegations against the team are, but I find the administration’s assertion of a blanket sexist culture against every experience I have had in debate. I cannot help but conclude that the administration, in suspending the entire team, has thrown the baby out with the bath water and suspended participation in one of the most useful activities for challenging discrimination.

- Emma Thompson ‘15

PAGE

THE QUIBBLER

M

y gold necklace broke last week. I hadn’t taken it off once since my grandmother gave it to me five years ago, and I was surprised by how uncomfortable having a bare neck made me feel.

I’d come to think of my necklace as an unchanging component of my appearance, an extension of my physical self. Though on some level it seemed silly, getting upset over a broken necklace, my reaction made me realize that I relate to material objects on a much deeper level than I would have ever expected.

The idol on the necklace is Ganesh, the elephant-headed Hindu god. He is one of the most beloved gods across India, and his presence is supposed to bring success and prosperity. My grandmother gave me the necklace when I was 16 years old. I was a wallflower, painfully shy, preoccupied with school and stressed out about the upcoming college application process. I appreciated the gift because I was in a time when I needed all the success and prosperity I could get.

I’ve changed so much since I was 16. I’ve heard that the body’s cells are all completely regenerated every seven years, and though it hasn’t quite been that long, I do think I’m a different person from when I first put the necklace on. In high school I was a theater kid, I exercised, I didn’t use swear words, I barely ever watched TV and chemistry was my best subject. None of those things are true about me now. Most aspects of my ap-

pearance have changed as well.

I got my braces off, drastically cut my hair, gained 20 pounds and watched my tan skin color change from light to dark to light with the passage of every season.

And yet the necklace provided continuity. When I look back at old pictures from the past phase of my life, I can see the same necklace peeking out under my clothes at prom, high school graduation, the first-year ‘80s Dance at Whitman and every other picture from every other normal day of my life. The necklace was like a constant, linking together all the different people I’ve tried to be over the past five years. No matter what happened to me, it would always be around my neck. The same old necklace for the same old Anu. When I was in middle school, one of my friends told me that I should never wear makeup because people become de-

pendent. She said that women who wear makeup every day describe feeling “naked” without lipstick. At the time, I thought it must be profoundly stupid to change your appearance so consistently that you forget what you actually look like. And yet, that ended up being how I related to my necklace. I generally don’t think of myself as attached to material possessions, but I felt like that necklace was part of me.

Wearing the necklace gave me confidence and a sense of security I never noticed until it came off. Without anything around my neck, I felt exposed.

I had nothing to cover my chest and nothing to fiddle with when I got nervous. Though it was a very small part of my appearance, and most people probably didn’t notice it, I felt like I could hide behind it. The feeling of having a chain constantly rubbing against my neck was so comforting and

familiar. It’s interesting how easy it is for familiar things to become unquestioned. After going two days without my necklace, I started wearing a different one just so I could have something there until I get my old one fixed.

The first thing I did when my necklace broke was call my grandmother. Even though she is currently in India, on the opposite side of the world, and long distance calls are both expensive and difficult to time, I felt like I needed to talk to her. It’s a necklace, but it’s also a tangible connection with someone I love. It reminds me that there is someone who cares about me and believes in me. I feel like she’s there with me, and I don’t have to face anything alone.

Until it broke, I only thought of my necklace as a thing. However, now I realize I thought of it as a connection to my grandmother and an extension of myself.

ILLUSTRATION BY COOPER-ELLIS

Castro rule jeopardizes new U.S.Cuban diplomatic, trade relations JOSE CORONADO First-year

VOICE OF LATIN AMERICA

I

n December 2014, Cuba and the United States established diplomatic relations after having none for more than 50 years. This new relationship started when the president of Cuba, Raul Castro, released an American prisoner accused of being a spy in exchange for the American government releasing three Cuban prisoners also accused of espionage.

Most of the countries in Latin America celebrated the fact that Cuba and the United States had re-established relations. Many Latin American politicians hope that the United States will lift the trade embargo over Cuba. They think that if the embargo is lifted, the Cuban economy will recover and the poverty rate will fall. But there is still a big problem in the way of Cuba’s growth: the communist regime of the Castro family.

In Latin America, it is common to blame the United States for the poverty and so-

cial problems of the region. Socialist leaders’ favorite thing to do is blame the United States and imperialism when something is going wrong. Venezuela and North Korea have done it recently and Cuba has done it for the last 50 years. It is easy to say that the situation in Cuba will improve when the United States lifts the embargo, but that does not mean that the Cuban government will stop controlling prices and salaries for the people.

The median salary in Cuba is 20 U.S. dollars a month, but some people earn fewer than 12. The government controls the wages in Cuba and rarely lets college graduates go abroad for fear that they might escape.

Each time Cuba sends people abroad, some escape from the hotels where they are staying.

When Cuban soccer teams come to play in the United States, at least a couple of them escape every time. Doctors and other specialists tend also to es-

Voices from the Community MOLLY EMMETT

LIZ CLAGETT

Senior

Senior

“I want to see her play piano because I’ve heard she’s renowned for it.”

“I would like to see her presence on campus and getting to know students — taking it in on the ground level.”

cape, since a doctor in Cuba makes approximately 30 dollars a month, while in countries like Mexico they can make up to 1,500 U.S. dollars.

As we can see, government control of the economy and wages is an obstacle to Cuban growth. People that work in private businesses like hotels have to pay lots of taxes from their wages. As long as the Cuban government keeps controlling the wages of its people and keeps limiting them to buying only from government stores, the quality of life of the Cuban citizens will not improve.

There is one thing that really bothers me with this new relationship between Cuba and the United States, and that is that Raul and Fidel Castro will continue to hold power on the island. I cannot believe the United States is negotiating with criminals like the Castro family, who have committed terrible crimes against human rights and have destroyed democracy in Cuba. Fidel and Raul Castro are dictators and

they have to pay for their crimes.

Latin American governments criticized the government of Pinochet in Chile because he was a dictator backed by the United States. In the end, Pinochet was tried in court and condemned to prison. But with Cuba, Latin American governments have ignored the situation. Few of them have accused Fidel Castro and Raul Castro of being what they really are: dictators. I think that the Latin American governments have not accused Castro directly because he is opposed to the United States and because of his socialist ideology, which is predominant in most Latin American countries.

I don’t think Cuba will progress with the communist government it has. This system was the one that made millions of Cubans emigrate to countries like the United States, Spain and Mexico, where the economy is not controlled and they can enjoy freedom. In Cuba, people do not even have Internet in their houses. The complaints of citizens cannot be heard because they cannot reach the outside world.

Communism has failed again, and now a communist government asks desperately to fix relations with an old enemy in order to obtain hope for economic recovery. Even if the situation of the Cuban people improves after they re-establish a diplomatic relationship with the United States, the people must not forget that Fidel and Raul ILLUSTRATION BY RANNESTAD Castro are dictators and deserve to be punished.

What is the first thing you want to see President Murray do? Poll by HAYLEY TURNER

KIRA DESHLER Sophomore

“Implement more policies against sexual assault.”

AMY ISHIDA Junior

“I want two elephants to live on Ankeny in order to improve our school reputation.”

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8

Mercyvail resigns

I

t was to the surprise of many normally apathetic Whitman students that President-elect Jack Mercyvail would not be occupying to the ASWC Presidency next fall. In a surprise press conference followed by a solemn brunch on April 21, Mercyvail discussed his reasoning: “I cannot with good conscience ascend to the bejeweled Beerhozian Throne that Tati currently sits upon. Even though I ran unopposed, I did not even get 50 percent of the vote of the Whitman student body. I thought this election would have a better turnout with all these supposedly politicized Whitties, but it seems they don’t even care about ASWC or me.”

Mercyvail took a breath and held back the tears like a post Cowboys game Ndamukong Suh. Finally, he noted, “And with that, I will not accept the position of ASWC president next year. Without a mandate, I do not deserve the ruby crown and emerald scepter that Matt Dietrich originally designed.”

With that statement, Mercyvail stepped down from the podium and forever into simple civilian life.

But ASWC, like every pow-

“I cannot with good conscious ascend to the bejeweled Beerhozian Throne that Tati currently sits upon” erless student organization when it comes to making real change, needs a puppet at its head. And that puppet has a name. And happens to be quite cute and made of real human skin. And it’s Dylan Tull. The former Pio News editor was confused and surprised when he first heard that he come in second place for the ASWC election. In an exclusive Skype interview from his penthouse in Capitol Hill, Seattle, the Backpage gained the scoop.

“Wait, you’re just fucking with me, right?” was Tull’s initial response. Nay, this reporter replied to Tull, and told him the story of Mercyvail’s resignation. Tull began to get emotional himself and took pity on Mercyvail for not acquiring the number of votes he wanted.

How did Tull come to be elected after graduating in 2014 with a B.A. in English? Apparently he had been secret-

ly campaigning on Facebook but didn’t expect to get any votes. All the votes Tull received were write-ins, and he fared much better than the other write-in candidates, including “Mickey Mouse” and “Skippy the Bush Kangaroo.” “Maxey girl” and “Canoe,” however, were close on Tull’s tail, gaining 4 percent of the total student vote due to recent posts on Yik Yak. “Well, all right then. I always dreamed of being ASWC President. I get a harem, right?” asked Tull. This reporter quickly corrected the new president-elect and insisted he only got a hairdresser.

Tull, quite ecstatic, even with the removal of the harem, plans to move back to Walla Walla and live (on paper) only on the stipend that ASWC provides the president.

“I’ll work full time as president and embezzle as much as I need from ASWC funds. We might need to raise the student fee in that case...” said Tull. “If I’m running low on cash, I’ll camp out on Ankeny and get swipes into the dining hall for food. For fun, I’ll just show up to Tamarac. They have great parties there on occasion, and one time I even kayaked down the stairs.

I got a concussion, but because I was drunk I didn’t feel it.”

It should be a quite a year for students, as Tull’s first act is to open a “small petting zoo” in the tennis courts during the warmer months on Ankeny. He also plans to open a “Whitman Butchery” nearby at Reid that he insists has nothing to do with the petting zoo.

“It’s definitely going to have baby crocodiles! And hopefully bush babies if we can get an exchange program with an Australian school going!” shouted Tull. Tull plans to make the trek to Walla Walla a few weeks after the fall semester starts, just to make sure everyone “gets settled in before I start making sweeping changes to the campus.

I hope the freshman are ready for the new king of campus!”

As for the new president of Whitman College, Tull is excited to work with her.

“I think if she likes trap music, we’ll find we have a lot in common,” he said. “If not, I’m a bit worried there might be a big of tension.”

Either way, students are in for a different type of president next year.

Spring Semester Work Ethic Graph

ILLUSTRATION BY BURCH

Mease not Mooses by Asa Mease

APR

23 2015

Orcas found to be Conspiring to destroy All of humanity

T

hrough the making of “Blackfish,” a movie about the entrapment of orca whales (part of the dolphin family), dolphin psychologists and neurologists have been studying the effects of tight enclosures on the orca’s brain chemistry. By implanting electrodes in the mind of the orca, these scientists are able to see the electrical chemistry in the brain of the dolphin. The brains of the recently captured sea inhabitants when compared to the brains of those long held in captivity show a significant difference.

Many plausible theories have been established by scientists as to what happens. Some believe that it is a normal change that occurs with age. Others believe it is the farmed fish that trainers have been feeding them. However, with the occurrence of more deaths by orcas in recent years, one scientist, Albanu Hariut, posed an interesting idea. Instead of compiling a list of physiological changes, Hariut started to listen to what the orcas were saying in their free time.

By creating a program to record the sound vibrations in the water, Hariut saw the increase in waves between the old orcas

and new orcas. Like humans, orcas learn from experience and have a highly intellectual language. Hariut believes the elder orcas are passing their experiences in the tanks down to the recently captured orcas. Since living in a tank would be horrible, Hariut believes a rebellion has been started and that is why there have been more orca attacks. Hariut believes the strategy of the orcas is to surprise the victims so that it looks like an accident. The surprise attacks keep the trainers believing that it is a random occurrence. Furthermore, Hariut seems to have been able to decode some of the sounds discovering that all of the attacks are ordered of the Grand Orca Poombah. Hariut describes Poombah as a god to the orcas. Poombah uses the planned attacks to slowly show their dominance as the top mammal.

Although this theory has not been accepted as the truth, many scientists are leaning towards the theory. With the release of “Blackfish” in theaters and on DVD, a huge societal movement is occurring. Huge lawsuits against Sea World and other water zoos are in progress.

However, most environmenADVERTISEMENT

ILLUSTRATION BY PENNER-ASH

tal scientists are not part of the lawsuits, creating a new theory that people are just trying to get free money. These lawsuits have proven an environmental scientist’s theory that people really have not been part of the Green Movement but rather are trying to make money. The scientists describe the Green Movement as a way to help improve the condition of our earth and the living species. However, when the general public is questioned about the Green Movement, each person talks about the color of money and whether or not there are ways to make fast money.

Through all this, orca dolphins have proven humanity is doomed and death by envious greed will occur sooner than planned by human psychologists.

By losing contact with the purity of nature, humans are stuck in their world of ignorance. However, few have developed a connection to the orca dolphins believing that they can interpret the sounds from each orca. Mr. Dr. Professor Christopherson has interpreted one orca who said, “Humanity will perish from their own disasters, Mother Earth will cover Her cuts and the world will evolve into greatness.”