Issue 2 fall 2015

The

PIONEER

Racial

Profiling

by LACHLAN JOHNSON

News Editor & Investigative Director

S

tudent activists and Whitman administrators have come to a number of agreements in the past year about how to address racial profiling on campus, but have found it challenging to communicate solutions to the broader campus.

Racial profiling became a prominent issue on campus last year following an incident over Thanksgiving Break where junior Sami Carrillo was allegedly profiled by a Whitman security officer. Alongside other students and faculty of color, Carrillo spoke with administrators multiple times and presented a list of possible solutions that the college could act on. According to Associate Dean for Intercultural Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer Kazi Joshua, the college has taken every action that was suggested.

Though only a single complaint about racial profiling was reported to the college last year using the official Grievance Policy, in the spring The Pioneer spoke with multiple students who had stories of being racially profiled on campus. Several of the students spoken to during that investigation said they were either unaware they could report racial profiling with the Grievance Policy or expressed distrust

in the process, which dissuaded them from coming forward.

“What we have here at Whitman is a mechanism for reporting all kinds of violations of Whitman norms; that includes Title IX crimes, that includes discrimination...and yet it appeared to us that students didn’t know this could actually be reported,” said Joshua.

“If you’ve got all these

little booklets that end up in a box... is it because people read the information?”

Kazi Joshua

Until this fall, misconduct and discrimination was covered by a diverse group of policies and procedures. Most notable among these were the Sexual Misconduct Policy, which covered Title IX violations such as sexual assault, and the Grievance Policy, which covered all forms of harassment based on gender, race, or other categorizations. Some policies overlapped, and procedures could differ depending on whether the reporter and the accused were students, faculty, staff, off-campus individuals, or some combination thereof.

This summer, Associate Dean of Students Juli Dunn, Director of Human Resources Dennis Hopwood and Provost and Dean of

ISSUE 2 | September 17th, 2015 | Whitman news since 1896 | Vol. CXXXVII

Updated copies of Whitman’s Grievance Policy, distributed in student mailboxes during the first week of classes, sit in a recycling bin outside the mailroom. Photo by Tywen Kelly

Reforms have come, but can they succeed without a larger conversation?

Faculty Pat Spencer condensed all of the policies into a single document. The new Grievance Policy has aligned policies for students, faculty, and staff so that they parallel each other and includes flow charts to illustrate the series of steps a complaint may go through during an investigation.

“This was the vision of President Bridges: that there should be the ‘mother of all policies.’ Rather than this assortment of policies that are interdependent and interconnected, we tried to consolidate them all into one [document]. Frankly, it was a real challenge,” said Hopwood.

Racial profiling, sexual assault, and other forms of harassment and discrimination may now be reported through a single method and handled by a single policy.

To report an incident, students may fill out one of the yellow forms found around campus or complete a report at whitman.edu/assist.

Dunn and Joshua are searching for ways to raise awareness about the new policy and the ease of reporting. The first way they attempted to do this was through printed booklets of the new Grievance Policy, which were given to every student through the campus mail service.

Unfortunately, many booklets were placed immediately in recycling bins in the post office, raising questions about how to get

students to read about and understand reporting and investigative processes before a crisis occurs.

“If you’ve got all these little booklets that end up in a big box at the post office, is it because people read the information?” said Joshua. “Many people do not know...what the policies say. It’s only either when they have been violated or they have violated somebody that suddenly there’s some attention to the policies.”

While administrators work to raise awareness about how policy can address racial profiling, student activists seek to make addressing racial profiling a political cause amongst the student body. Senior Jackie Bonilla was a part of several discussions with the administration last semester, and though she feels positive that change has occurred within the administration, she believes a campus-wide discussion of racial profiling would help move the issue even further.

“One thing I’d really like to see happen is a campus-wide discussion of [racial profiling]. A lot of things are happening within the administration, but they aren’t known [by the wider community],” said Bonilla. “I would like to see an email [from President Murray]...acknowledging that racial profiling is an issue on campus. Without that acknowledgement that this an is-

sue we need to constantly work at, we can’t really move forward.”

Increasing communication with the student body is also a goal for Director of Campus Security Matt Stroe. Security officers have gone through a number of trainings to increase communications skills and cultural awareness, including attending the Power & Privilege Symposium, a workshop with Tamara King last spring, and the Basic Campus Law Enforcement Academy this summer.

“Students want a back-andforth dialogue; they don’t just want it one way...and if we could do a panel [as part of the Power & Privilege Symposium this year], I think it would be hugely beneficial not only for our office, but for any students who turn up,” said Stroe.

As multiple groups on campus try to engage with the student body about racial profiling, the disconnection of many students from not only the policy but also their investment in the issue has proven frustrating for some.

“It’s not just an educational moment for students who don’t understand racial profiling...” said senior Gladys Gitau, who helped launch the discussion of racial profiling with the administration last fall. “This is affecting our lives and I hope people take this more seriously, past just the educational value of having us explain it to them.”

Campus sustainability Walla Walla hosts art by Ai Weiwei goals outlined in new plan

by KAMNA SHASTRI Staff Reporter

I

magine a wind turbine, its blades slowly turning as it stands between the science building, Harper Joy Theater, and Penrose Library. Picture a campus shimmering with the reflections of solar panels, retrofitted for the rooftops. Think of going to the dining hall and leaving with a reusable to-go box in your hands, or of seeing our parking lots full of electric vehicle charging stations.

While some of these possibilities lie in the future of Whitman’s effort for a sustainable campus community, some are already on their way to coming to fruition within the coming year or so.

Various sustainability goals

for the year can’t truly be understood without thinking first about the definition of sustainability.

Sustainability is a three-fold concept–it requires equal parts economic development, social equity, and environmental preservation. All three of these components work together to create a dynamic system that can both stay resilient and sustainably adapt to change.

This idea is supported by the Campus Sustainability Coordinator Tristan Sewell. He distinguishes between resilience and adaptation–where resilience means standing still as changes (in climate, in political atmosphere etc.) take place and to adaptation means being dynamic enough to go with the flow. see SUSTAINABILITY, page 4

see AI WEIWEI, page 4 “Refraction,” a scuplture by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, sits on the lawn outside Fouts Center for Visual Arts. Alumnus Siri Smith ‘12, who works with Ai, helped arranged for two of his works to be shown in Walla Walla this fall. Photo by Nace

WHAT’S INSIDE THIS ISSUE?

Inside News

A&E

Sports

Opinion

Pio Hour

Students receiving financial aid information over the summer often face surprises. News Editor Lane Barton reports on students who have faced significant cuts in aid from year-to-year.

PAGE 2

This summer, thousands descended on Whitman’s soccer fields for the Gentlemen of the Road music festival. Students and local business owners reflect on Walla Walla’s transformation that weekend.

PAGE 4

Two Whitman ultimate frisbee players traveled to London to play for team USA in the Ultimate Frisbee World Championships. They came back with gold medals.

Sophomore Peggy Li questions mental health at Whitman, often cited as one of America’s “Happiest Colleges.”

This Monday, hosts Julio Escarce and Mary Kampa of The Pioneer’s radio show discuss new things on campus, including Ai Weiwei’s sculpture.

Tune-in to KWCW 90.5 FM.

PAGE 5

PAGE 7

MONDAY, 10-11 A.M.

NEWS

PAGE

2

SEPT

17 2015

Financial aid cuts leave some students short

by LANE BARTON News Editor

Several junior and senior students returned to campus this fall in a more difficult financial situation than they had in their first years at Whitman, in many cases this was because of personal circumstances that affected the amount of aid they receive.

While Whitman’s aid process works for most people, as evidenced by the relatively low average debt which students leave with, it does not work for everyone. Unusual family circumstances can result in students’ aid being cut during their later years in college, when it is both emotionally and academically difficult to transfer.

According to the Whitman Factbook, the average debt for a graduating Whitman senior was $19,147 in 2014, far below the national average of $33,000.

Data from the Office of Financial Aid indicates that in the 2015-16 academic year, the average need-based aid package without outside scholarships is $39,400 for first-years, $37,313 for sophomores, $37,757 for juniors, and $35,544 for seniors.

The difficulty for many students who have experienced aid cuts is that their financial aid situations are often in flux for more than just one year due to various personal circumstances. Senior Emily Carrick faced prospects of severe drops in need-based aid this summer, due largely to a tricky tax situation that was specific to her family, after addressing a similar issue prior to her sophomore year.

“There was just a lot of stuff going on [prior to sophomore year] and so [The Office of Financial Aid] was like, ‘You know, we gave you this before so we’re going to stay true to that,’ which we had hoped was going to be all four years.

Then this past summer, I got my financial aid package and it had been cut by about 18 thousand dollars,” said Carrick.

Luckily for Carrick, conversations with the Office of Financial Aid about her situation resulted in an adjustment to a much more manageable aid package. However, other students with more common problems, like a sibling who graduated from school or an unexpected addition to family in-

come, are not often able to adjust their package so easily.

Senior Marlee Raible, who faced changes in her financial aid every single year at Whitman, was unsure if a return to Whitman would be feasible for her.

“There was a week during the summer where I was like, ‘I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to come back to Whitman,’ which was really hard because [I’m] a senior and it’s almost worth it to take the huge amounts of loans and finish it than to try and go somewhere else,” said Raible.

Although Raible ended up returning to Whitman, she resorted to taking a course overload this semester in order to reduce tuition costs by paying per credit for her final semester. The experience has left her wishing that it had been easier to account for situations like her own.

“I understand when you’re applying for financial aid [The Office of Financial Aid]...put[s] it into a calculator...and so it’s not able to be subjective the way that in my mind I would hope that it could be for circumstances like my own. So, yes, I under-

“There was a week during the summer where I was like, ‘I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to come back to Whitman,’ which was really hard because [I’m] a senior and it’s almost worth it to take the huge amount of loans and finish it than to try to go somewhere else.’”

Marlee Raible ‘16 stand. Is it right? Is it fair? No, I don’t think so,” said Raible.

While most need-based aid is calculated based upon a family’s income from the previous tax year, Director of Financial Aid Services Marilyn Ponti notes that adjustments can be made on a case-by-case basis.

“There are many situations where we have to use what we call professional judgment, where we go in because a parent lost a job [or] there [were] a lot of medical [costs]... and adjust to help the student.

But that depends on each in-

HINDSIGHT

Retail Marijuana: FAQ WHAT

by LACHLAN JOHNSON & LANE BARTON News Editors

Saturday 9/12

Sunday 9/13

Monday 9/14

Tens of thousands of Europeans held rallies in major cities across the continent urging their leaders to act quickly and decisively to accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the Syrian Civil War and instability in the Middle East.

The crisis has exposed deep rifts in the EU, as Italy, Greece, and Hungary have struggled to host the largest number of refugees, and a redistribution plan to spread 160,000 of the refugees between EU members has faced opposition from Eastern European members. Germany has taken unilateral steps to welcome refugees, over 450,000 of whom have already arrived this year.

Security forces in Egypt accidentally fired upon vehicles containing Mexican tourists and Egyptian tour guides, killing 12 and wounding 10. The vehicles were mistaken for transports smuggling terrorists into a restricted area. Egypt has been engaged with Islamic insurgents for the past two years.

The event was reported by Egypt’s Ministry of Interior the day after the midnight shootings and prompted a swift response from Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, who called for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

US officials reported the movement of Russian military equipment into an air base in Syria.

The buildup comes in the midst of the fourth year of the Syrian civil War which has seen the Islamic State seize over half of the country, with the rest split between the authoritarian government of Bashar al-Assad and various rebel groups.

Russia has supported Assad since the beginning of the war. Deliveries of Russian arms are likely intended to fortify Assad’s position in light of recent victories by the Islamic State. The United States has attempted to provide arms and training to rebel groups fighting Assad, but faced consistent setbacks as Islamic radicals came to dominate much of the opposition.

Source: The New York Times

Source: Al Jazeera

Source: The New York Times

Opening of the Walla Walla Cannabis Company, a marijuana retail shop

dividual student and I think that’s the one thing we need to remember,” said Ponti.

In some cases, transferring becomes the best alternative.

Former Whitman student Cleo Young, who looked into transferring after her first year because she was interested in finding a different environment and had alterations to her financial situation, applied for transfers to three schools and received a generous $7,000 aid increase from Macalester College.

“According to [Whitman’s Office of Financial Aid], something unspecified had changed in my [Free Application for Federal Student Aid], and they were giving me $8,000 less than the year before. This made Whitman far more expensive than any of the three other schools I was actually accepted to at that point, and $15,000 more expensive than Macalester,” said Young, now a junior at Macalester, in an email to The Pioneer.

“Since part of me had been wanting this opportunity anyway and it was suddenly $15,000 [per year] less expensive, I took it.”

But even with the interest and incentive to transfer, the shift can still be disruptive for students’ academic progression.

Difficulties in transferring credits can often set students behind their peers at their new school.

“I’ve had to contend with meeting a different set of credit requirements in a limited amount of time...I ended up making the decision not to study abroad, which was a good decision, but was something I probably would’ve done had I not transferred,” said Young in an email to The Pioneer.

This issue can be especially problematic for upperclassmen (and seniors in particular) who want to graduate with friends.

Carrick notes that even having to consider transferring as a senior, whether or not that occurs, can be difficult because of personal investments in friends and academics on campus.

“No one wants to transfer senior year. I’d like to graduate with my friends and have my credits that I’ve earned here all count towards something.

It’s not a great feeling to feel like you have to transfer–it kind of makes you question why you spend so much time and money in one place,” said Carrick.

WHERE Located at 927 West Main Street in Walla Walla WHEN Opened on Tuesday, September 15th WHO Per Washington State law, you must be 21 or older to purchase and use marijuana.

POLICY FOR STUDENTS Legal-age students may use marijuana in off-campus housing, but use in residence halls or outside on or offcampus is prohibited.

*

What happened in the last week? Hinsight looks back on the past few days to highlight national & international news.

Tuesday 9/15

Wednesday 9/16

An attempt to bring a Senate vote on the Iranian nuclear disarmament deal was rejected after it failed to overrule a filibuster. The 56-42 vote was the second rejection in recent weeks as Senate Republicans attempt to pass a resolution rejecting the agreement. The deal, negotiated between Iran and six United Nation members including the US, has become a political hot button as Republicans and a small group of Democrats raised concerns over the terms of the deal.

Although Republican leaders vow to continue pressing for the votes to overrule the agreement, a Congressional decision made in May requires them to pass any review or vote on the agreement by September 17th.

Source: USA Today

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the city of Honolulu, HI, claiming the city was depriving homeless people of food and other belongings during raids carried out by police on tent encampments. The lawsuit will argue that the destruction of property in these raids is illegal because it violates the Constitutional right to due process. The ACLU wants a halt to future sweeps, and compensation for destroyed property.

Several measures targeting homeless people have been passed in Honolulu in recent years. It is illegal to store property on sidewalks, and homeless people were banned from sitting of lying down on the famous Waikiki beach last year after complaints from tourists.

Source: Al Jazeera

PRODUCTION

WRITING

BUSINESS

Publisher Marra Clay

Production Manager Kerr Ivan Cirilo

NEWS

Editor-in-Chief Sarah Cornett

Art Director Maggie Baker

Christy Carley, Andy Monserud, Ellen Ivens-Duran , Georgia Lyon

Business & Circulation Manager Skye Vander Laan

A&E

WEB

Emma Cooper, Bil McCafferty, Megan Hearst, Eric Anderson

Webmaster Connor Hargus

FEATURE

Web Content Editor Daniel Kim

SPORTS

RADIO

PIONEER

EDITORIAL

Managing Editor Mitchell Smith Investigative Director Lachlan Johnson News Editors Lachlan Johnson Lane Barton

Production Associates Christopher Belluschi, Chaney Coman, Mickey Shin, Antonio Tharp , Matthew Uecker, Molly Unsworth Chief Copy Editor Rachel Needham

Kamna Shastri, Claire Ommen

A&E Editor Martina Pansze

Copy Editors Jessi Anderson, Callie Brown, Anthony Reale

Alden Glass, Jose Coronado, Emily Williams

Sports Editor Cole Anderson

Illustration Editor Luke Hampton

Feature Editor Hannah Bartman

Illustrators Eric Rannestad, Asa Mease, Catalina Burch, Taylor Penner-Ash, Noah Porter, Prachi Patel, Claire Revere

Ben Shoemake, Alya Bohr, Olivia Gilbert, José Coronado, Cascade Lawrence-Yee, Noah Wertheimer, Peggy Li

Opinion Editor Adam Heymann Humor Editor Jeffrey Gustaveson

Photography Editors Hannah Bashevkin Tywen Kelly Photography and Videography Karissa Hampson, Alan Mendoza, Keifer Nace

OPINION

BACKPAGE

Jack Swain, Ben Freedman, Austin Biehl

Producer Marra Clay Radio Hosts Julio Escarce, Mary Kampa, Anna Middleton, Andrew Schwartz

ADVERTISING Advertising Manager Julie Zhu

For information about advertising in The Pioneer or to purchase a subscription please contact pioneer@ whitman.edu

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

Letters to the editor may be submitted to The Pioneer via email at pioneer@whitman.edu 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.

CODE OF ETHICS

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

SEPT

17 2015

PAGE

3

Class of 2019 smallest in recent times

by GEORGIA LYON Staff Writer

W

hitman’s class of 2019 is smaller than expected because the yield from the main applicant and waitlist pools was lower than anticipated. The group of 364 first-years and 17 transfers fell well below of both goals and expectations of the Office of Admissions given past trends, resulting in more space in residence halls this year.

“Last year, we wanted to have an enrolling class of 420...

We’re about 39 students below the goal,” said Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Tony Cabasco.

The decrease in the number of students who enrolled in the class of 2019 likely resulted from flaws in the process of predicting which of the admitted and waitlisted students will enroll.

“The yield in the admitted stu-

dents was lower than the year before, and we didn’t anticipate the degree to which it would be lower...the second piece was students on the waitlist...the yield there was also not what we had seen in previous years,” said Cabasco.

A small class size has ramifications for transfer students and college finances too. Tuition is one of Whitman’s main profit sources and with forty fewer students paying it, there is a need to address this revenue loss. Some colleges in this situation may cut financial aid to students, but Cabasco is confident that whatever tuition-related shortcomings the college experienced this year will not affect the amount of aid students receive. “[The tuition shortfall] is not going to impact their financial aid award, and for incoming students we have awarded them this aid, and we are going to try to support them for

the next four years,” said Cabasco.

“The college has an enrollment contingency in case something like this happens... On the whole this year, there is not going to be a signifi-

“Last year, we wanted to have an enrolling class of 420... We’re about 39 students below the goal.”

Tony Cabasco, Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid

cant impact on the college’s budget.”

In addition to tuition losses, the smaller class size has influenced residency too. Since there are fewer students in the dorms, the students that are there have greater access to whatever rooms suit their needs. “[Residency Life] could

use some small doubles as singles for people who want them and some small triples as doubles, and we have what you call a vacancy rate, meaning if someone wants to switch rooms for any reason we have a room for them in each hall,” said Nancy Tavelli, Associate Dean of Students: Campus Life. “We just have, in the end, a little bit more space.”

Tavelli juxtaposed Whitman’s lack of incoming of students with Lewis & Clark College’s surplus.

“Lewis & Clark, for example, has 150 more first years than they expected... They used up all their lounges, they put up walls in all their lounges, and it’s not a good problem to have. You have to buy new furniture and hire new faculty,” said Tavelli.

A small class size is still preferable to a class that is filled over capacity, but the Of-

fice of Admissions wants to use more personal talks and visits to attract prospective students to join the class of 2020.

“A lot of it is providing more touches, more personal conversations, more opportunities, and... to find [more] ways for students to visit here. We know a visit makes a difference,” said Cabasco.

The college administration seems to think that the class size of the class of 2019 is not problematic, and some students agree. Firstyear Tyler Maule seemed to believe that having a small incoming class size could be advantageous.

“I think it’s pretty perfect, even if it’s smaller than expected...I think that the smaller class size is much more conducive to build [the Whitman] community...and the fact that we might have an even smaller class than usual might make that even easier,” said Maule.

Infographic by Spencer Light

Pio Past: Wallballers bounce back

by BEN GILBERT

Originally published Feb. 19,1998

I

t was the quietest game of wallball ever. Avid wallball players celebrated in front of Cordiner in near silence Tuesday during the midnight hour after security confrontations threatened their weekly ritual. Security told Wallballers on Monday, February 9 at midnight that their sport was banned due to noise complaints from community members and damage concerns from the physical plant.

Freshman wallballer Danica Noble contacted President Tom Cronin, Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland, and Director of Finance Peter Williams to clear up the discrepancy. Administrators determined that marks on the face of Cordiner were not caused by wallball, and that as long as participants cleaned the windows, they would be allowed to continue.

The noise problems still inhibits wallballers. Common wallball chants such as “Be loud, play wallball, live,” echo off Cordiner

and wake surrounding residents.

After receiving a complaint Tuesday, Crime Prevention Officer Craig McKinnon told wallballers that the administration was “really adamant about not making the community upset.”

For over 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.

Cordiner Hall, a hotspot for wallball play at Whitman in late ‘90s Photo courtesy of Whitman Archive

“100HappyDays” program pro positive mental health

by CHRISTY CARLEY Staff Reporter

T

he Whitman Well, a new initiative from the counseling center, encourages Whitman students, staff and faculty to “take in the good” for 100 days.

Assistant Director of Counseling Tracee Anderson, in collaboration with an organization called 100HappyDays, has created a website where members of the Whitman community can sign up to post one photo a day of something that makes them feel good.

Anderson was searching for ways to improve wellness on campus when she came across a website called 100HappyDays.

Founded by former Swiss businessman Dmitry Golubnichy in December of 2013, the program encourages participants to sign up and post one photo a day of something that makes them happy.

The night the website for the program was launched, 5,000 people registered. Since then, the number of participants has reached 1,500,000 and the program has gained international attention.

After participating in the program herself, Anderson contacted Golubnichy with a proposal for a collaboration between Whitman and 100HappyDays. He responded the next day, making Whitman the first college in the U.S. to participate in the program.

Over the summer, a unique website was created for Whitman by developers from 100HappyDays, supported by donations from a number of sources including the Dean of Students, the President, and the Dean of Health and Wellness. The support stemmed from a desire to increase wellness on campus by reducing stress.

At any point in the year, students, staff, and faculty can sign up for Whitman’s branch of the program at whitmanwell.100happydays.com where they will be asked to select a platform on which to par-

ticipate and can choose whether or not they would like to receive email reminders each day.

Options include several public platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and tumblr, as well as the private platform of email. Photos collected through the public platforms have the chance of being included in a campus art installation later in the year. Students also have the option to purchase an archive of their photos in a hard or soft bound book, or a spreadsheet.

“Focusing on something positive, or what I would call ‘taking in the good,’ really can help give your brain a bit of a break, even for just a moment,” said Anderson.

Associate Dean of Health and Wellness and Director of the Counseling Center Dr. Thacher Carter echoed that thought.

“Positive psychology talks about every time you take in the good you build a little bit of neural structure,” said Dr. Carter in an email to The Pioneer.

“Doing this a few times a day for months and even years will gradually change your brain and how you feel and act in farreaching ways. So if you become more aware of gratitude, there is a physiological and neurological response that occurs.”

Anderson has spoken with several student groups on campus, including greek organizations and sports teams, about participating in the project together and has received positive responses from their leaders. She believes that participating in the program as a group will make the project more enjoyable and help students remember to send in photos.

Senior Ali Holmes is the president of Thrive, a campus organization dedicated to promoting mental health on Whitman’s campus and fighting the stigma against mental illness. She was contacted by Anderson over the summer and has promoted

the program to Thrive members.

“From the Counseling Center’s point of view and Thrive’s point of view, it’s a way to encourage people to see positivity in the every day,” she said.

“But we don’t want it to be confused with ‘everyone’s happy all the time at Whitman.’”

Since Whitman has been repeatedly ranked one of the happiest colleges in the country, some concern has been expressed regarding pressure to feel happy all the time. ”The word ‘happy’ has been a little bit unsettling to me because there has been some concern on campus about [the] pressure that students feel to be happy,” said Anderson. “It’s really about taking in the good.

It’s honoring and acknowledging something in your life that can make you feel well.”

Junior Angela Tang participated in the program last summer, before it was introduced to Whitman. She said that participating helped her realize how often her mind can be overtaken by negative thoughts. Being aware of that habit helped Tang alter her thought process.

“I took a lot of pictures of food,” she said. “For me food has a lot more significance... it’s always been something that I use to connect with my family...and to people. There’s a story behind the pictures.”

Anderson hopes to collect feedback and data from the program for presentation at a national conference. Anderson hopes that once the program takes hold at Whitman it will spread to other colleges as well. ”Doing this challenge helps people be really creative and intentional about recognizing and noticing the things in their lives that are good,” she said. ”One of my main goals is to have people experience something good–even for a moment.”

Junior Angela Tang (upper right) participated in the 100HappyDays program over the summer. Each day, she posted a photo of something that made her happy. A version of the program specific to Whitman is taking place this fall. Photos contributed by Angela Tang

A&E

PAGE

4

SEPT

17 2015

Whitman Hosts Ai Weiwei Sculpture

by BIL MCCAFFERTY Staff Reporter

F

rom now until August 2016, Whitman College will be the proud host of “Refraction,” a sculpture by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei.

Located just outside the Fouts Center for Visual Arts, “Refraction” is a spectacle. Around 30 feet long and 12 feet wide, it’s definitely hard to miss; if the size doesn’t catch your eye, the sun glinting off the sculpture’s steel panels surely will.

The piece is made entirely from Tibetan solar-reflective panels, and was designed to emulate a bird’s wing. “Refraction” was originally created as a larger exhibit on Alcatraz Island, and was brought to Whitman through the Anderson Foundation for the Arts with the help of alumnus Siri Smith ‘12, who is now working as a project coordinator for Ai Weiwei.

Ai Weiwei has created many internationally appraised pieces, including works in sculpture and film.

He also designed the “Bird’s Nest” stadium in which the 2008 Beijing Olympics were held.

Beyond his work in art he is also an activist and has often spoke out against the Chinese government.

In 2011, as a result of his activism, he was detained for 81 days without charge and placed under house arrest. His passport was taken in 2011 and was not returned to him until July 2015. Despite these challenges,

he continues to produce art and stand firm in his beliefs.

In addition to “Refraction” on the Whitman campus, Walla Walla will also be home to various other pieces by Ai Weiwei. Foundry Vineyards is also hosting a series of works titled “Rebar and Case,” from September through to October 31. These eight pieces make up only a fraction of the larger series based on the large earthquake that struck Sichuan province, China, in May 2008, and the search for information that followed – though over 5,000 school children died in this disaster, the Chinese government withheld that information, and would not release the names of the deceased.

Ai organized and coordinated a group of volunteers, called the Citizens’ Investigation, that sought to find these names and an explanation for why so many children died.

“This piece is very emotional, really heavy. The topic it’s dealing with is pretty intense, but it ended up being an awe-inducing experience,” said Whitman senior Marlee Raible, who attended the “Rebar and Case” opening event on Thursday, Sept. 3 at Foundry Vineyards.

The environment of the opening, combined with the depth of the piece, was a somewhat stark contrast for some of the attendees.

“It was a very melancholy topic,” said senior art major Megan Gauglitz, who also attended. “There was the impulse to talk deeply about the piece, but it also was a social

“Refraction“ has found a new home on the yard of the Fouts Center for Visual Arts. The artist Ai Weiwei, a famous Chinese sculptor and activist, designed the piece to simulate a bird’s wing as a representation of freedom. Photo by Nace

event with wine and food.”

Many professors noted that Ai Weiwei’s prominence in the art world made his Walla Walla exhibition particularly noteworthy.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am for Whitman to have this opportunity,” said Director of the Sheehan Gallery Daniel Forbes to Whitman

Magazine. “Not only is this work by one of the most dynamic and provocative artists on the world stage today, but it is also a stellar example of what Whitman students have done with their studio art and art history and visual culture studies educations.”

In addition to this display, Foundry Vineyards is showing a list

of names the Citizens Investigation uncovered and hosting a documentary on the Investigation. “Little Girls Cheeks” will be shown throughout the exhibition.

For more information on the Foundry exhibition, visit foundryvineyards.com, or email info@ foundryvineyards.com.

Walla Walla reflects on Gentlemen of the Road

by MARTINA PANSZE A&E Editor

A

nyone who’s walked downtown in Walla Walla recently has seen the remnants of the Gentlemen of the Road event: Spray-painted logos, posters decorating the sides of buildings and British flags dot the sidewalk, leftover from the summer concert weekend that relied heavily on community support.

The music festival, part of the larger Gentlemen of the Road Stopover tour, came through Walla Walla on Aug. 14 and 15, bringing thousands of fans and festivalgoers for perhaps the largest music event the town has ever hosted. Most attendees camped on a golf course adjacent to Highway 12.

Headliners Mumford and Sons, Foo Fighters and The Flaming Lips set up the main stage on the Whitman College Athletic Fields. Downtown became part of the events, too; wristbands were required along Main Street and vendors lined sidewalks packed with thousands of locals and out-of-towners alike.

Jenny Lewis, Jack Garratt, James Vincent McMorrow, Dawes, the Vaccines and Tune-Yards were also included in the lineup. The festival had two downtown stages as well, showcasing local bands un-

til the wee hours of the morning.

Many Whitties attended the festival, and some volunteered to work at petition booths.

Most of the students who attended had arrived early for preseason sports or were already staying in Walla Walla for the summer.

Junior Naomi Lee was in town before soccer preseason began, and went to the festival with a group of teammates. Lee said she thought the town felt the same despite the crowds, and that Walla Walla was pulling out all the stops to put on its best front.

“The festival was overwhelming, yet it was really fun seeing all of the shops downtown get ready and see our soccer fields transform into a stage,” she said.

Lee was part of a group of Whitman soccer players who scrimmaged Mumford and Sons before their show, a tradition the band keeps to relax and mentally prepare for their set. The band reached out to the college to organize the scrimmage as thanks for using the team’s fields as their stage.

“It was pretty surreal to be playing against the band and their roadies, we couldn’t really believe it was happening at times. They were super nice and were impressed with our game field,” she said. Whitman end-

ed up winning the scrimmage.

As another thank you, soccer and lacrosse team members got free festival tickets because the events took place on their fields.

The community came together to support the big event. Senior Danika Rothwell worked at a local winery through the summer and also attended Gentlemen of the Road.

“The festival appeared to be well organized and orchestrated.

Walla Walla did a great job of handling the influx of people,” she said.

Unlike Lee, Rothwell did think the sudden crowds changed the feel of Walla Walla.

“It honestly felt like a different place,” she said. “I still can’t believe the main stages were set up at the Whitman Athletic Fields.”

Senior Evan Martin was backstage at the event, filming and taking pictures. He thought it was new and exciting to have so many people in town and was impressed with the entire festival, especially the music.

“I was just in awe that little old Walla Walla pulled off such an amazing event,” he said.

The music festival encouraged visitors to check out the town of Walla Walla through the downtown stage and worked with local eateries, wineries and businesses.

Local restaurants set up food trucks to feed the hungry music fans.

“That weekend may have single-handedly increased Walla Walla’s economic value by a good amount,” said Martin.

Many businesses had extended hours for the weekend of the festival. Olive Marketplace and Cafe stayed open until 2 a.m., five hours later their usual closing time of 9 p.m. Christine Epp is Olive’s Front of the House Manager.

“We were ten times busier than we have ever been before,” she said. “At first it was dead, but as soon as the concert ended every night, people flooded in.”

The restaurant was popular not just with festival attendees. Mumford & Sons’ fiddle player Ted Dwane ate at Olive three days in a row.

“He was great, and really nice,” said Epp. The main stage was set up a few days before the event and was completely dismantled and gone by the following Tuesday. Although most of the concert-goers packed their tents and headed home after the fun, Walla Walla will certainly remember its weekend in the limelight.

“I thought it was fantastic,” said Rothwell. “It was exciting for Walla Walla.”

Illustration by Penner-Ash

KWCW Show of the Week: WEB Welcomes The Mowgli’ s The Gentle Headbangerz

by EMMA COOPER Staff Reporter

by MEGAN HEARST

O

Staff Reporter

I

t’s the start of the school year, and with it the start of new programming at KWCW. One of the most intriguing new acts is “Gentle Headbangerz” hosted by seniors Ziggy Lanman and Devika Doowa. “Gentle Headbangerz” promises to celebrate electronic music in all its diverse forms, from EDM to Trap and House to Hip Hop, serving up popular remixes as well as original songs. The show is on air Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m.

“Gentle Headbangerz” seeks to bring the often overlooked electronic dance genre to a whole new group of music lovers.

“Electronic music as a music of choice is less prevalent in the Whitman student body,” said Doowa. “Electronic dance music is simultaneously the worst and best music of all time and everyone needs it in their lives.”

The hosts hope to break the stereotype that EDM is all beat and no substance, and reveal electronic music for the complex, genre-bending and ultimately fun style it is.

If the thought of heart-pumping, heading-banging music with a touch of humor appeals to you, make sure to tune in next Tuesday.

Show: Gentle Headbangerz Time: Tuesdays, 8 – 10 p.m.

Host: Ziggy Lanman and Devika Doowa

Seniors Ziggy Lanman and Devika Doowa during their show Tuesday night. The pair aims to bring electronic music to a wider audience. Photo by Nace

n Thursday, Sept. 17, Whitman will welcome the indie-folk band The Mowgli’s, in an evening concert sponsored by the Whitman Events Board (WEB).

The Mowgli’s debuted in 2013 with their hit single “San Francisco” hitting the radio waves. Their music is predominantly upbeat and fun, meant to leave their listeners feeling good. They hope to share and inspire love through their songs.

The message that The Mowgli’s want to convey to their listeners is best summed up in the lyrics, “I wanna see another love revolution/ Find a way to be a better person/ If we could come together like we should/ We could all be good,” from their hit 2015 summer song “I’m Good.”

First-Year Anna Main is looking forward to the show.

“I wanna go to support bands that come all the way to Walla Walla to perform, because it’s out of the way, and I think it’s cool that they do that,” she said.

Whether you have heard all of their songs or none of their songs, The Mowgli’s concert will be a compelling performance that will leave you with a rush of endorphins and the inspiration to go out and spread love to the community in the hopes that just a little more love will make the world a better place.

The decision to bring The Mowgli’s was carefully thought out. This year, the WEB team split the Music co-directorship into two

categories: ballroom and coffee house musical guests.

Junior Matthew Meyer, WEB Director of Coffee House Concerts, is optimistic about the new change.

“Obviously [the co-directorship split] comes with it’s pros and cons but I believe overall it has made the process a bit more streamline. I was a music co-director last year as well and things seem to be running more smoothly overall this semester because of it.”

Sophomore Yarden Blausapp, WEB director of ballroom concerts, really sought to bring performers that would appeal to Whitman students. By taking in the feedback from the students last year and using Spotify to see what other Whitman students are listening to, she sought to bring in more folk/indie bands.

Blausapp decided that she wanted to bring “a band that had actual instruments” and veer away from the heavily electronic influenced performers Whitman has hosted in the past.

“Smaller concerts are better with a full band,” she said.

And a full band they are. The Mowgli’s are heavily instrumental with seven members, six of them playing instruments. Andy Warren is the drummer; Matt DiPanni is a bassist; Josh Hogan is a vocalist and guitarist; David Appelbaum plays keys; Colin Deiden is a vocalist and guitarist; Katie Earl is a vocalist; Michael Vincze is a guitarist and vocalist; and Spencer Trent is a percussionist.

The concert will take place in the Reid Ballroom at 8 p.m. Tickets are free and can be picked up at Reid Campus Center.

SPORTS

SEPT

17 2015

PAGE

5

Lady Sweets help win World Championships

by ALDEN GLASS Staff Reporter

T

his past July, two members of the Lady Sweets ultimate Frisbee team represented the United States of America at the World Championships in London. This tournament showcased the best talent from around the world competing for the top prize in Frisbee. Whitman students and Lady Sweets, Arianne Lozano and Claire Revere, were members of the Under-23 Mixed National Team. While representing one’s country on the world stage is a massive accomplishment in and of itself, Revere and Lozano went a step further and helped the team win the whole tournament, earning them the title of world champions.

It was a long and tough road to that final in London beginning all the way back in November 2014. Lozano and Revere, along with four other Lady Sweets, applied to try out for the U-23 team.

“We flew out to California and did a week-long try out with the best U-23 players across the country,” Lozano said. “Only Claire [Revere] had made the mixed team at first, and I was chosen as an alternate. I was in this weird place of ‘I really want to be on this team and now how can I get on it’”.

After the coaches watched Lozano in a few more tournaments they offered her a spot on the team and a ticket to London. After doing individual workouts through the spring, the team gathered for a week long training camp leading up to the tournament in London. In an email interview, Revere described the team’s composition and who her new teammates were.

“The team was made up of college players and recent college grads.

Seven members of our 27 player squad were returners, having played on the U.S. team at the last U-23 championships in 2013,” she said.

“I knew seven players on the team from previous U.S. U-19 team experiences in 2012 and 2014 at the World Junior Ultimate Championships.”

Claire Revere [‘17] (Bottom row, 1st from right) and Ari Lozano [‘16] (Bottom row, 5th from left) spent part of their summers representing team USA in the Ultimate Frisbee World Championships. The team won gold. Photo contributed by Vince Fergus

The team impressed Lozano, and she described how delighted she was to be playing with players of such a high profile and level of talent.

“A lot of people on the team were people that you knew from playing college and club, because these are the best people in the nation. You knew who they are. You’ve seen videos of these guys. I’ve played against them, and now I get to play with them,” added Lozano.

Even though they were surrounded by the best U-23 players in the world, Revere and Lozano were far from out of their depth according to their Sweets teammate, sophomore Jessica Kostelnik. She described Lozano and Revere’s contribution and importance to the Lady Sweets.

Why do pro athletes keep messing up?

COLE ANDERSON Sports Editor

I

f you’re a Chicago sports fan, particularly a Bulls or Hawks supporter, the end of this summer wasn’t great for you. Sure, the Blackhawks won their third Stanley Cup in six years and the Bulls went to the Eastern Conference semifinals, but those positive ends to the season were quickly overshadowed by controversy and conflict.

In the last six weeks, both Patrick Kane and Derrick Rose, the best players for the Blackhawks and Bulls respectively, were both accused of rape. Rose’s attorney insists the claims of the 2013 incident are entirely false. Kane’s attorney has yet to make a statement.

Kane has a history of violent behavior. In 2009, he physically attacked a cab driver who was unable to come up with $.20 in change for Kane’s fare payment. But it was long before 2009 that Kane came on the stage as one of the NHL’s biggest stars. Patrick Kane made the NHL All-Star team in 2009, and last year signed an 8-year, $84 million contract. So why do some athletes so often forget that superstardom also implies super-scrutiny?

Why do athletes seem to always mess up, despite the multitudes of fans who devote so much of their lives to supporting these athletes and their teams? How do they not consider the crowds of kids donning their favorite players’ jerseys?

It frustrates me how often athletes get into trouble. Whether it is within the league for rule violations or in in violation of the law, every year we get at least one big-name athlete going to jail or receiving a lengthy suspension from play. It’s getting old.

It’s sometimes shocking to see pictures of athletes at clubs or parties, because we expect to see them only at practice. To become a professional in any sport, an athlete has to work really hard. Most of the athletes we see at the highest levels have had their lives develop around their sport and nothing else. They often have to make tough sacrifices and as a result they may not learn many life lessons most people take for granted.

Perhaps these athletes simply don’t know right from wrong, or at least those concepts aren’t as engrained in them as they are in normal people.

There’s an extent to which I’ll entertain the “they’ve been playing their very specialized sport for most of their lives, they don’t know

anything besides their sport” argument. That argument holds in very few instances, like crashing an expensive sports car, or stealing crab legs. It does not hold for weapons incidents, nor cheating (as in, taking steroids), shaving points, or deflating balls, and certainly not for sexual or domestic violence.

There is a point at which athletes need to realize they are not invincible or above the law. There is also a point at which athletes should recognize that their lives and accomplishments are important to people other than themselves. There are thousands of people standing behind every big-name athlete, giving them their full support.

Some leagues are responding to these types of incidents very stringently. Kane, who is still in the investigation phase of his trial, wasn’t part of the media kickoff tour. It is doubtful that he will participate in preseason camp with the Hawks, starting next week. Last year, when a Los Angeles Kings defenseman was tried for domestic violence, he was kicked off the team even before the legal proceedings began. The league was also quick to emphasize that, regardless of the ruling, he would not be allowed to return. However, there are leagues that can, and need to, improve. The NFL suspended Ray Rice only after a video was released that showed him rendering his fiancée unconscious. Before the video surfaced, the NFL turned a blind eye.

Will the phenomenon of multimillion dollar athletes making terrible decisions ever go away? Frankly, probably not. As sports get more and more competitive and individual positions require even more honed and refined skill sets, becoming a professional athlete of the highest caliber will always require a lifetime of work. If anything, professional athletes of the future will be even further removed from societal norms and expectations than they are now. The pro athletes of tomorrow are the stellar athletes of today who spend countless hours every day practicing.

That isn’t objectively a bad thing, but it is up to the leagues and the organizations to educate their athletes consistently about the consequences of their actions. Maybe expectations should be made clear earlier in an athlete’s career, at the college level perhaps, where programs generally hold athletes to higher standards. Do away with programs whose athletes are constantly accused of crimes but rarely charged for them. Commend the schools that kick athletes off teams or rescind scholarships after repeat offenses. By no means should this remove the emphasis on athletes themselves being model citizens to begin with, but given how things have gone and continue to go, something should change.

“Claire and Ari are respected by the Sweets,” she said. “They are players that push everyone on the team to step up their individual game. That kind of leadership is something that doesn’t come with a role or a title. Although Ari is our captain, it only comes with owning the field you play on.”

Team USA came to the tournament as heavy favorites. Besides a close game against Team Japan, the US proved too athletic and talented for their other opponents. However, Lozano saw a lot of positives for the growth of Frisbee internationally in the other team’s performances.

“The level of play for ultimate is growing internationally. It’s interesting to see how different coun-

tries have different playing styles” she said. “The best team we played against was Team Japan. We had our closest game against them.”

When the final game ended and the realization that they were world champions began to sink in, Revere was ecstatic with the entire experience.

“I was elated when we won the game. Everything seemed to happen really fast. It was an odd transition from trying to be really calm and intentional in executing our offense that last point, to have everyone screaming and rushing the field.

It felt very surreal,” she said. “After the initial excitement of winning, I quickly realized that even though we had accomplished what

we had set out to do, and what we had all been working toward for months, I would have rewound time back to the start of training camp, just to relive the whole experience.”

Back in the United States the Sweets kept a close eye on their teammates’ progress. Kostelnik described following the tournament through the Twitter feed and what their victory meant to the team.

“We were so proud of both Claire and Ari as individual players for all of the hard work they put in; but we were also so excited for what it signified for our team,” she said. “We’re pumping out some greats for a school that isn’t very large. That means we must be doing something right”.

NFL season kickoff First weekend recap

by JOSE CORONADO Staff Reporter

T

he NFL season started this past weekend amidst controversy regarding the decision to overturn Tom Brady’s fourgame suspension. Brady is now able to play the first four games of the season.

In the first game of 2015, the New England Patriots faced the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Pittsburgh Steelers came to the game having already lost a few games. Dick LeBeau, who w as the Steelers’ defensive coordinator for ten years, resigned after the end of last season. Defensive end Brett Keisel was released in the offseason and strong safety Troy Polamalu retired after 11 years with the Steelers.

On the offensive side, the Steelers’ offensive star, running back Le’Veon Bell was suspended and could not play in the game.

The Steelers defense had a terrible day and was a major factor in the defeat. The defense was unable to cover tight end Rob Gronkowski, who had a spectacular night with three touchdowns and 94 yards. Quarterback Tom Brady also had a stellar night with four touchdown passes, 288 yards, and a 78.1 completion percentage.

On Sunday the Seattle Seahawks played against the Saint Louis Rams at Saint Louis. In the last game at St. Louis the Seahawks suffered a tough loss against the Rams, who used multiple trick

plays, including a fake punt return.

The Seahawks came to the game with an improved offense, with tight end Jimmy Graham and rookie wide receiver Tyler Lockett. On defense, however the Seahawks were missing both strong safety Kam Chancellor, who is holding out for a new contract, and Byron Maxwell, who left the team in the offseason.

The Rams were clearly better defensively. The Rams’ defensive line started to put pressure on Russell Wilson from the outset, and by the end they had sacked Wilson six times. Rams’ defensive tackle Aaron Donald performed well, with two sacks and three tackles for a loss. The Seahawks’ offensive line could not do much to break the Rams’ powerful defensive line. Marshawn Lynch had 18 carries for 73 yards and had four receptions for another 34 yards.

Wilson struggled under the pressure the Rams were putting on him. He was intercepted once, but he was able to find tight end Jimmy Graham for a touchdown.

The Seahawks came back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but the Rams tied the game and took it into overtime.

The Rams scored a field goal in the first possession of the game and stopped the Seahawks on the 43 yard line on a fourth-and-one play.

In other games from Week One, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears at Chicago 31-23. Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns and 189 yards,

while Browns QB Jay Cutler could barely complete 50 percent of his passes. He did however throw for 225 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Jay Cutler now has one interception in every game played against the Packers.

On Sunday night, Tony Romo led the Dallas Cowboys to a late win against the New York Giants. The Cowboys had three turnovers that the Giants converted in 17 points. Late in the game, poor clock management by the Giants left the Cowboys with a minute and a half on the clock to try to score a touchdown and win the game. The Cowboys were down 26-20, but in that minute and a half Tony Romo led a drive for the winning touchdown.

SCOREBOARD WOMEN’S SOCCER v. New York University Sept. 12: L 0-2 v. Vassar College Sept. 13: L 0-1 v. Whitworth University Sept. 16: W 1-0

VOLLEYBALL v.Lewis & Clark State U. Sept. 12: L 0-3

WOMEN’S GOLF PLU Invitational Sept. 12-13: 1st

UPCOMING SOCCER Men’s

v. Linfield College Sept. 19 v. Willamette University Sept. 20

Women’s

v. Pacific University Sept. 19 @ 12 PM v. George Fox University Sept. 20 @ 12 PM

VOLLEYBALL v.University of Puget Sound Sept. 18 v.Pacific Lutheran University Sept. 19

CROSS-COUNTRY Erik Anderson Invite Sept. 19

MEN’S GOLF Pacific Fall Invite Sept. 19-20

WOMEN’S GOLF Illustration by Rannestad

Whitman Women’s Invitational Sept. 26 @ 12 PM Whitman Women’s Invitational Sept. 27 @ 8 AM

FEATURE

PAGE

6

SEPT

17 2015

Upcoming Climate Action Plan Promotes Campus Sustainability

Illustration by Mease

from SUSTAINABILITY, page 1

“When we talk about goals for sustainability it is really important to acknowledge that there is no finish line. We have to worry about [whether] we are sustainable tomorrow, and the day after that, and fifteen years down the road. It’s an ongoing challenge,” said Sewell.

Various efforts around campus, led by students, faculty, and administration alike, are pushing forward on sustainable goals for the college that allows for Whitman’s adaptation in the face of climate change.

Campus Climate Coalition Goals Among student led club Campus Climate Coalition (CCC)’s sustainability goals for this year is a plan to build a wind turbine between the science building and Penrose Library. The funds are present and it’s just a matter of construction before the turbine goes up.

The turbine will not produce any electricity due to financial specifics, but it will allow students an opportunity to interact with a model for renewable energy.

“The real purpose of the turbine is to serve as an educational model for taking classroom learning and applying it to a real life situation,” wrote CCC president Mitchell Cutter ‘17 in an e-mail.

In addition to the turbine, CCC has a few other ventures on the books for the year. The first is a continuation of Divest Whitman, where the campaign hopes to limit the amount of investment in fossil fuels to below 1%. The second is a resurrection of campus composting for dining halls, residence halls, and off-campus housing. The third is to implement a ‘reusable food container’ system for the dining halls and Reid with the hope of curbing paper based waste.

Climate Action Plan The college has been working on drafting a Climate Action Plan (CAP), a document that many colleges already have, which details operational and behavioral changes that the college can adopt in the face of climate change. Comprised of Whitman students, faculty, and staff, and spearheaded by Tristan Sewell and the Co-Chair of the Sustainability Working Group trustee Jim Moore, Whitman’s CAP is currently in a draft stage, available on the website for review and feedback. Starting this week, meetings will be-

gin to finalize the plan and iron out all the wrinkles so that the prescriptions are clear enough for future implementation.

The CAP’s objective is to lead to the college to net 0 greenhouse gas emissions. It is mainly focused on bringing down fossil fuel energy consumption at many levels on campus, from transportation, to utilities, to the commodities used on campus.

Submetering System One of the CAP’s provisions is a submetering system, which was suggested by Sewell. The system would allow for a tracking device to be attached to several buildings on campus. The device would measure electricity usage, domestic water usage, steam usage and natural gas usage over 5 minute increments of time. All of this information would then be organized on a digital display that will be installed in Olin summer of 2016. Eventually the system would expand to residence halls, where friendly competition might spur students to engage together to decrease energy usage.

Renewable Energy The CAP also suggests using the agricultural land owned

by Whitman to erect solar panels that can directly supply the college with energy. Besides using land, there could also be a larger presence of solar panels on campus. Wind energy credits could also be something to consider, especially because the college leases land to power companies that own turbines. However, this specific approach has many complications and challenges that make solar power a little more viable.

Transportation Efficiency The CAP also calls for more ride shares and incentives to use bikes over cars, especially for those who live on campus. In addition there is a provision to ramp up the bike-share program previously run from the library. There is also room for providing more electric vehicle charging stations and zip cars on campus.

Waste Management Campus recycling will be a continued effort along with an overall aim to decrease how much the college sends to landfills. This includes instating a compost system for the dining halls and increasing use of local produce. One goal that overlaps with the CCC’s goals for the

year is the use of a reusable container system in the dining halls.

Community Outreach The goal here is to add a sustainability component to orientation and get students and parents thinking about sustainability even before convocation. This also entails connecting various student organizations to allow for broader and stronger engagement.

Other components of this sections include providing sustainability workshops for faculty and staff, and creating volunteer sustainability leadership positions across departments to enhance sustainability education.

Sewell says that the CAP is much like a map that can help the college reach is sustainability destination rather than groping in the dark without a guide.

“We need to have our goals laid out and our driving central tenets before we can do the small things. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. I want us to know where we are going,” he said.

Senior Eliana Schwartz served as a student representative on the Working Group for Sustainability, a group designed to contribute to the planning of the CAP. Schwartz sees the CAP’s impacts happening on two levels: on a symbolic level it affirms Whitman’s “commitment to lessening its impact on the environment.”

The second, more concrete level “will likely not be evident until a few years down the road, and depends upon the adminis-

“When we talk about goals for sustainability it is really important to acknowledge that there is no finish line.”

Tristan Sewell

Sustainability Coordinator

tration’s willingness to embrace the initial costs and demands of the various objectives outlined in the CAP” she said in an email.

Regardless of the future reach of the CAP, Schwartz is optimistic about the document as a step forward.

“I have already been able to observe the power of the statement this document makes. I imagine the impacts of the symbolism of the CAP will only increase as the process continues,” she said.

Whose voices count?

While the goals of the CAP and various student organizations such as the CCC will all contribute to a growing awareness and implementation of sustainable operations on campus, they call for student involvement and engagement.

“The biggest challenge I see us facing is lack of interest from students,” said Cutter. “We can campaign and market our ideas all we want, but if students don’t support us and take responsibility for making our college more environmentally friendly, what we do just doesn’t work.”

Schwartz shares a similar opinion.

“I believe Whitman students have a unique opportunity to effect change in this community. Involvement in this issue shows the administration that we care and compels them to take action as well.”

Student activism is also important to Sewell as well.

“I think with social change, behavior change, a lot of... pressure can come from students. There are some circles where student voices speak louder than mine.”

At the same time he notes that administration does hold decision making power especially in areas such as the school and building operations as well as endowment and financial matters. In such situations, Sewell’s voice might carry farther than students.

“I’ve come to realize where I speak louder and students speak louder...recognizing that, while supporting the parallel work, is crucial,” say Sewell.

In collaboration it’s the balancing act of student voices and action, and administrative voices and decisions that will bring sustainability to the forefront on campus.

Sewell says that while the CAP may seem very administrative and dry, it couldn’t have happened without students–especially the Divest Whitman campaign. The CAP came as a reaction to a rallying cry for divestment, and while the college may not have divested, a road map was quickly created to steer Whitman on a path towards better environmental choices.

The CAP creators are currently inviting Feedback it moves from draft to final copy.

You can find the CAP and the college’s myriad sustainability efforts here. For more information on Campus Climate Coalition, contact Mitchell Cutter.

OPINION

SEPT

17 2015

PAGE

7

Challenging Whitman’s culture of happiness PEGGY LI Sophomore

T

he statistics are in: Whitman is ranked as one of the happiest colleges in America. If you check out our fun website, you’ll see that we are happier than all but seven other colleges. All around campus are smiling faces and cheerful people whistling in the wind. We live in a happy utopia. Except that sort of thing isn’t actually possible.

I am the type of person that gets depressed maybe once a month with the ups and downs of life. I enjoy basking in misery and having an occasional pity party for myself. It feels healthy, and after my mood is over, I shine brighter than ever. Yet I have had friends tell me that it’s actually difficult to be sad at Whitman because everyone else is so content all the time. After some thought, I agree. Although being sad at times is natural, it can feel sti-

fling when the people around you are sweating rainbows all day.

It’s been more and more difficult to have grumpy days lately. I will be casually complaining about something in my life that really isn’t that bad, and people will literally say, “It’s not so bad! Your professor is also having a bad day, I’m sure it’ll be better.” All true, reasonable, and supportive statements, but they lack any real solace. Rare are the days when people will say, “God, that sucks,” and agree with you while you vent. And yet, that validation of your problems is essential to moving on. Otherwise you just feel like a whining cat with “first world problems.”

People at Whitman are constantly looking on the bright side of things, which is amazing, but also in doing so, they ignore the normal and unpleasant aspects of every day life. I mean, is there really a bright side for when my professor didn’t warn me about stuff he added to the test?

This isn’t an Whitman-exclusive phenomenon either. I was taking a leisurely scroll through Instagram the other day while waiting for made-to-order food and saw a smiling face labeled “#100daysofhappy.” I was immediately disgusted. Ok, maybe not disgust-

ed but mildly annoyed at least.

It’s great in concept, but why do people aim so low? 100 days? That’s not even a third of the year. What’re you going to do for the other 265 days? Transform into an angsty teen werewolf? This is just exaggeration.

The idea is to be happier when the 100 days are over, but why force happiness on others or, conversely, to hide your own sadness?

No one wants to be the Debbie Downer that’s depressed all the time and a chore to hang out with, but it seems like the emphasis on being ‘happy’ at Whitman has the effect of making people shameful of being unhappy. Sadness is as integral a part of being human as breathing, yet it is stigmatized. It’s understandable if you don’t want other people to see your weakness, but you should be comfortable venting about anything you want.

There is a huge pressure to ‘like’ Whitman, to fit in, to be cheerful all the time, to talk about how much you love things, even if that’s not the case. We see all these outgoing and happy people, and want to be just like them. They’re having fun and laughing, and you wonder what you’re missing out on because they’re obviously happier than you are. And yet, that’s

Illustration by Burch

not the full picture. We don’t know if those laughing faces are happy when they’re alone in their room.

Ultimately, a lot of so-called ‘happiness’ is fake or at least forced here because no one is comfortable being dissatisfied and feeling as though they are

lesser than anyone else. It seems like the only real solution is to be more comfortable with ourselves and stop putting up a front just to fit in. Do what feels right, be unhappy if you want, and maybe you’ll find other people to be unhappy with you in the process.

Fresh perspectives yield Embracing idle time personal growth OLIVIA GILBERT First-year

BEN SHOEMAKE Senior

FAINT

S

tories matter.

This is hardly a controversial statement. Here at Whitman College, media organizations like The Pioneer and quarterlife, among others, are founded upon the idea that stories and journalism have something important to contribute to campus culture. Every year, the Summer Shakes program puts on a performance in celebration of Shakespeare and the contribution his stories have made to the English literary and theatrical canons. Just this past Friday, Whitman College hosted an interview with Joe Sacco as part of their Seeing Stories gallery exhibit, looking at the ways in which stories, politics, and art intersect.

Perhaps because of their cultural relevance, a lot of talk and theory has come out recently on stories and language: How they lack diversity, how they aren’t inclusive of marginalized identities, how they need to be deconstructed such that their hidden meanings can be made clear.

By now, most people are probably aware of the backlash that these positions have created, whether it be men’s-rights-activists protesting Ghostbusters and Mad Max: Fury Road, or Donald Trump claiming that “PC culture” is destroying politics, or internet trolls espousing that “feminism is killing video games.”

Many of the conversations surrounding these topics have been good, thoughtful, and important. But hearing for the umpteenth time how a white man the other day was racist, sexist, transphobic; how someone who looks like you was harassed, beat up, murdered; how the media you consume every day is still catering to people who don’t share your race, gender, sexual orientation can get tiring.

This isn’t to say that these conversations shouldn’t be happen-

ing—heaven knows we need to increase awareness for this stuff—but as Cord Jefferson remarked in The Racism Beat, “that work can be exhausting”.

Raising awareness is important and meaningful for those people who aren’t already aware. But for those of us who are, who deal with this stuff every day, who see time and time again how society continues to look the other way, to disregard our existences, there’s something wanting in just reading and writing more of the same.

Personally speaking, the stories that have mattered the most to me aren’t news stories on how America still has a long way to go, but the personal ones about how people have kept going despite that, the reviews reminding you that just because you aren’t the intended audience for something doesn’t mean you can’t draw strength from it, the opinion articles on how films like White People maybe fall short for adults in the thick of things but really matter a lot if you’re fifteen and still trying to find the language to describe your experiences.

That’s what this column is about. Faint aims to take a look at, and celebrate, the ways in which we are able to find strength and keep going in a world that would prefer we didn’t exist, and how we connect with and relate to stories that were perhaps written with someone else in mind.

It’s a journal of how stories shape our understandings of ourselves, and of how our personal experiences can shape our understandings of stories as well. It’s about headcanons, deconstructions, reinterpretations, warm fuzzies, and everything between.

My name is Benjamin Shoemake, and I’m a senior Gender Studies/Mathematics double-major here at Whitman College. I hope to use this column to take a closer and more personal look at the stories that we tell ourselves from the fringes of culture, media, and identity. Many of these perspectives lie decidedly outside the mainstream, barely visible yet unmistakably real, faint but far-reaching. It’s not a project one can go at alone. If you have something to say, get at me.

R

TELL IT SLANT

ecluse poet Emily Dickinson urges us to, “Tell all the truth but tell it slant,” words that have no doubt inspired one thousand and one writers to communicate their version of the truth. My hope is that this column will be a catalyst or a continuation of our collective reflections on what shapes identity and perspective.

I am most interested in looking at how different cultural and technological phenomena illuminate these aspects of life. I invite you to join me in the search for a clearer understanding of self and the world. The “slant” of each column will be a means to move us a little closer to what Dickinson deems, “Truth’s superb surprise.”

As a first-year student, what I’ve found myself thinking about most lately is time and why I feel like I have none of it. I come to Whitman after having completed a gap year of work and travel, a year that altered my relationship with time irrevocably.

Part of the reason I decided to take a gap year was because I felt rushed: rushed to apply to college, to pick a career, to determine my major, to start all over at a new school and begin the long ascent to earning a Bachelor’s Degree and beyond. I felt like I barely had a moment to sit back and soak it in, much less create a new life out of thin air. All of high school felt a frenzy of homework, deadlines, studying, clubs, community service—you know the drill. I longed for a period of time where I could live and gain experience without the distractions of school.

I didn’t do a very good job of slowing down during the first four months of my year off, which I spent working on a Senate campaign in North Carolina—in fact, in many ways I was the busiest I had ever been—but that’s a story for another day.

Voices from the Community

The next eight months, however, significantly changed how I thought about time. For the first time since middle school I had more time than I knew what to do with: a prospect both daunting and exhilarating. I truly felt like the arbiter of my own destiny, at least for the span of a year.

I took a job at a retirement home, cooked my own meals, visited my grandparents, explored the trails in the woods behind my house.

As I reveled in these simple experiences, I found myself noticing more, listening more attentively, and remembering things I had forgotten I knew: how richly the wood of my grandparents’ kitchen table glows in the evening light, how the river near my house rises with the rainfall.

I struck a balance that hummed inside of me like a tuning fork. I felt both clarity and awareness. In late May, I even embarked on a two month trip to Southeast Asia with my boyfriend. Don’t worry, I’m not about to wax philosophically on how “backpacking through Asia totally changed my perspective, maaaan,” but the experience augmented my newfound perception even further.

My year off also forced me to consider what time meant to me in a way I never had to before. Even the phrase, “taking a

year off” (off from what?) had me questioning how I defined my life. Sure, I wasn’t in school, but wasn’t I gaining life experience, expanding my mind, challenging and enjoying myself?

Shouldn’t that qualify as a worthy way to spend one’s time?

I found that after having reveled in the freedom of bountiful time, I couldn’t go back to living in the “time famine” — a term describing the pervasive feeling of having not enough time—that had come to define my teenage years.

“Time affluence,” on the other hand, is a more recently developed term that describes the feeling of being rich in time. It’s been found to improve personal happiness, physical health, and civic involvement. That all sounds fine and dandy, but just how does one experience an abundance of time as a busy college student?

Time, after all, is a finite resource; we cannot simply work harder or make more connections to obtain more of it. Though I deeply missed classroom learning, my gap year opened my eyes to the satisfaction to be gained from slowing down and taking it all in. As I strive for balance and a greater understanding of my life, I will share my discoveries with all of you as well.

Illustration by Patel

What was one happy moment from your day today?

Poll by KARISSA HAMPSON

ALEX LEWIS

JACK HENRY KOTNIK

OLIVIA KINNEY

KEVIN HELENURM

Junior

Junior

Senior

Sophomore

“Dancing with my roommate across Ankeny.”

“I made a cup of dark coffee this morning, and it was delicious.”

“I had the perfect breakfast. It’s a great start to the day.”

“I played ping-pong today, that was fun.”

BACKPAGE

PAGE

8

SEPT

17 2015

Mountain lion sparks fierce debate over divestment

Illustration by Patel

T

he push for divestment has become a heated topic over the last few years, with much of the student body and ASWC voicing their strong support for moving Whitman investments into non-fossil fuel related industries.

The discussion took an exciting turn last Wednesday when a scathing Op-Ed appeared in the Walla Walla Union Bulletin, voicing some serious concerns. Although the topic is not new, the concerned citizen is actually a mountain lion, marking a landmark first case of feline literacy in

eastern Washington. Hailing from some cave north of Waitsburg, the cat offered a distinct opinion rarely seen around campus.

During a brief meeting between the mountain lion and ASWC executive council, tensions boiled over.

“Call me old fashioned, but responsibility in protecting our endowment is paramount when tuition rates continue to soar,” the cat reportedly mentioned.

“What a typical cougar,” scoffed ASWC president Jack Mercyvail. “The cat takes Macro and now he’s Milton

Friedman? Someone get that clown a bowl of milk.” Mercyvail later added, “I’ve got the entire school on my side, he doesn’t even have opposable thumbs.”

In an effort to gauge public support, The Pioneer reached out to interview Whitman students about their opinions on the matter, generating insight into why this issue is on the forefront of proposed ASWC policy.

“What’s divestment again?” answered junior Cal Mandro.

“I like nature, but I also like money,” added an unconvinced ES-Economics major.

MISSING SWIMMER BAFFLES WHITMAN COMMUNITY

W

hitman College authorities have opened up a Missing Persons Investigation in the case of firstyear John Johnson, who was last seen on Aug. 28 as he moved into his first-year residence hall.

The College is requesting that anyone with information about Johnson’s whereabouts come forward immediately.

Walla Walla Police detective Lynn Lynch was assigned to investigate the case and said that she has been working through a number of possible scenarios.

“One explanation that I’ve been looking into is the fact that Johnson lives in North Hall. It’s quite possible that given how far off campus and isolated North is, he’s totally fine, and just hasn’t interacted with anyone else in weeks.”

Many students interviewed

by The Pioneer had a hard time locating North Hall. One Jewett resident asked us, “Where’d you say he lived again? North Hall?

I always just assumed that place was a myth. I don’t even know what direction it would be in!”

In an effort to shed some light on the mysterious absence, The Pioneer reached out to Joe Josephs, Johnson’s roommate. After hacking our way through the thick backcountry terrain that covers the strenuous three blocks to North, our grueling journey ended at Room 13, the last place Johnson was seen.

A bewildered Josephs answered the door. “I think I remember seeing John at least once during move-in day, but beyond that, I can’t say for certain that he’s been in our room again.” Added Josephs, “I don’t go out much, so suffice it to say that if he’s been back to our room at some point, he’s been very stealthy about it.”

Stealth, though, appears an unlikely reason for Johnson’s disappearance: He stands six feet, seven inches, and weighs 210 pounds.

However baffling, Detective Lynch remained undeterred.

Welcome to Wilfrie by Noah Porter

“I was walking past the gym the other day when I found a notice taped to the door. It seemed to be about some kind of secret society, which I think is at the heart of this whole case,” said Lynch.

The Pioneer has obtained the full text of the notice. It reads: “SWIM TEAM begins this week. Please report to BFFC at 8 am each morning for practice.”

The same notice was found on the floor of Johnson’s dorm room around the time of his disappearance. “I’m convinced that this ‘SWIM TEAM’ organization has something to do with Johnson never having been sighted on campus,” said Lynch.

However, this cryptic new message leaves many questions unanswered. What is this “SWIM TEAM” up to? Why have they chosen Johnson? What are they “practicing”? Will Johnson ever be heard from again?

The Pioneer will continue to follow this story and bring you updates as they come to us.

“I think my friend had divestment last year, and she hasn’t quite been the same since,” muttered a bewildered first-year.

“Oh yeah I support it, fuck the oil industry!” yelled senior Tommy Johnson.

Like most issues on campus, the student body has taken strides in making their opinions achieve intangible success. Just last week, Kathleen Murray reportedly “thumbed through” a 14-step divestment proposal from ASWC, before promptly shredding it in its entirety.

“It’s wins like this that

remind us how far we’ve come,” reminded a hopeful Mercyvail.

Annoyed with his lack of persuading ASWC, the mountain lion stormed off the campus, and in a brief moment of confusion, perceived a student walking away as a sign of fear. This triggered an instinctual need to chase, and consequentially hunt an unsuspecting first-year. As a crowd gathered to witness what happened, the cat reportedly slunk away.

After a weekend of controversial Op-Eds, debate and the tragic loss of a first-year, the push for Divestment marches on.

HEADLINES Kanye drops new single entitled “Intersectional Feminism” Bon Appétit releases most exciting pasta bake yet Whitman ranked #1 for “Best Watered Sidewalks”

by Princeton Review Shortage of young men of good character: Frats settle for old men of average temperament Study: Stoke level high Swimmer who lives in North never heard from again