Issue 4 spring 2015

The

PIONEER

ISSUE 4 | February 19, 2015 | Whitman news since 1896 | Vol. CXXXII

Vigil honors Pasco, Chapel Hill

Students, faculty and administrators held candles, wrote tributes and listened to speeches in memory of shooting victims in Pasco and Chapel Hill. Photo by Lee

by ANDY MONSERUD News Editor

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hitman students, faculty and administrators held a vigil in the Amphitheatre on Monday, Feb. 17 for the late Pasco, Wash. resident and police shooting victim Antonio Zambrano-Montes and for Chapel Hill, N.C. shooting victims Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha and Razan Abu-Salha.

Zambrano-Montes, a young farm worker and Mexican national, was shot and killed while fleeing police in Pasco on Tuesday, Feb. 10. Police had been called to a storefront where Zambrano-Montes was throwing rocks at cars. ZambranoMontes also threw rocks at the officers when they arrived, hitting two.

The officers tried to tase him, whereupon he turned and ran, putting his hands up. The officers chased Zam-

brano across an intersection before shooting him several times.

The shooting has drawn national scrutiny as a Latino parallel to the shooting of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. last year. Protests and vigils have sprung up around the country, and investigations are being undertaken by the Franklin County Coroner, the Tri-City Special Investigations Unit (an independent unit from the Pasco police force) and the FBI. The other three victims, all college students, were killed in an unrelated shooting that many have characterized as a hate crime related to their Muslim faith. The official police report states that the shooting was the result of a parking dispute, but the FBI has opened an inquiry to determine whether it merits hate crime status. see VIGIL , page 2

NUMBERS IN THE NEWS

500

Police estimate of demonstrators who attended last weekend’s march protesting Zambrano’s killing SOURCE: MSNBC

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shooting deaths at the hands of Pasco police since July of 2014, including Zambrano-Montes’.

One was armed with a gun and fired over 60 rounds at officers; one drew a knife on officers on a domestic violence call and one, a suspected car thief, drew an Airsoft pistol during

on officers during a foot chase. All three other than Zambrano-Montes were Caucasian.

SOURCE: WASHINGTON POST

$100,000

Amount paid out as a settlement in a 2012 civil rights lawsuit brought against officer Ryan Flanagan, one of Montes’ killers, by a Hispanic woman for an incident in 2009.

Flanagan and another officer mistook the woman, Maria DavilaMarquez, for a suspect. After she asked for an interpreter, the officers handcuffed her and pushed her face against the hot hood of her car, where she sustained 2nd-degree burns.

SOURCE: SEATTLE TIMES

$25 million

The claim Zambrano-Montes’ family has made against the city of Pasco for his death.

SOURCE: SEATTLE TIMES

Wingman owner returning to local roots

by HANNAH BARTMAN Staff Reporter

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Wingman offers a wide array of alcoholic beverages that compliment their 19 various sauces that customers can order with their wings. Photo by Bashevkin

n the corner of Main and Palouse sits Walla Walla’s first wings and beer restaurant: Wingman Birdz and Brewz.

Owned by Brendon Mendoza, a born-and-raised Walla Wallan, Wingman has been open for roughly two months and aims to build a strong and loyal local culture.

When I walked into Wingman to speak with Mendoza, I forgot that I was in the small, rural locale of Walla Walla and felt like I was transported to an oh-sohip and trendy craft brew pub like those found in Portland. (Mendoza describes the interior, designed by an Italian-born Walla Walla resident, as “modern industrial” because it “feels timeless.”)

The menu itself is unique, surprising and exhaustive. Customers can order their wings with a choice of 19 sauces, including Mendoza’s favorites peanut butter and jelly, raspberry chipotle, mango-

habanero and maple bacon bourbon. The craft beer selection includes three beers from the recently opened and local brewery Berwood Brewers. Aside from the dependable Bud Light, Coors Light and Blue Moon, all other beers are from the Pacific Northwest.

“People around here like the work local and they like to spend money local,” said Mendoza.

The business was in some ways formed locally as well. Mendoza’s parents have owned the building over the lifetime of the past two businesses; it first housed a bistro for 13 years and then a vegan café. Last March Mendoza’s parents called him at his home in Austin, Texas and told him that the building had come up vacant.

“I got off the phone with my mom and I said to my wife, ‘Hey, what do you think about going back to Walla Walla and opening and a restaurant?’ and she said, ‘Well, what would you do?’ and I said ‘beer and wings,’” he said. see WINGMAN, page 4

Whitman athletics using new tactics to increase wins ers as well as their opponents.

The surge of statistical analysis at the collegiate level is largely a trickle-down from professional sports leagues such as the MLB, NBA and NFL, which are able to hire full-time statisticians to help develop their players and win games. Nowadays, even small Division III schools like Whitman are testing the waters of sports analytics.

For example, junior Karen Vezie performed an integral role on the volleyball team last season despite never having played a single match. When Head Women’s Volleyball Coach Matt Helm

discovered that she was a mathematics major, he offered Vezie a unique internship throughout which she would attend practices and games and record statistics such as kills, digs and blocks.

She also spent time outside the gym analyzing these numbers and comparing them to their opponents in the Northwest Conference, looking for ways to improve.

“I was looking at what the top three schools [Pacific Lutheran, Whitworth and University of Puget Sound] were doing and comparing [the data] to us in order to see where we needed to do better,” she said.

During the latter part

of the season, Vezie shared her findings with the team.

“Some of the results I found were that blocking didn’t matter in whether you won or not, and blocking was one of [Whitman’s] strong suits so that was interesting to see,” she said. “Then [Coach Helm] started focusing [on kills] a lot and told the team that kills is where it’s at, and from there our kill percentage went way up. It was kind of a psychological thing.”

For Whitman coaches, bringing numbers into a liberal arts locker room full of dedicated students is a no-brainer. Head Women’s Basketball Coach Michelle Ferenz

notes the value of communicating with her team in terms of statistics.

“Numbers are just another way to talk to people about what improvements need to be made, and they’re very cut-and-dry. It also helps us analyze what we can do better every day,” said Ferenz.

Both the men and women’s basketball programs use a rating scale to assess their players’ strengths and specific contributions to the team. Senior Clay Callahan, a point guard on the men’s basketball team, described the matrix of statistics that decide who starts and gets playing time during games.

Inside News

A&E

Feature

Opinion

Pio Hour

The Fencing Club has seen a substantial boom in membership in the past month. The Pioneer looks into how and why.

Publisher Aleida Fernandez explores the refreshing take on Latinas and Hispanic culture in the CW’s new hit show, “Jane the Virgin.”

After graduation, alumni have to decide whether or not to stay in town or search beyond the “Whitman bubble.” Some recent alumni discuss their decisions.

President Bridges reflects on recent killings by police and argues that such events should spur Whitman to investigate its own prejudices.

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Every other Sunday hosts Anna Middleton and Andrew Schwartz of The Pioneer’s radio show, discuss current events in and around campus, the state, and the world. Tune in at KWCW 90.5 FM. SUNDAYS, 10-11 A.M.

by RILEY FORMAN Staff Reporter

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hitman’s liberal arts curriculum may require students to complete three quantitative analysis credits, but for varsity athletes, practice with numbers doesn’t necessarily stop at calculus homework.

Whitman College is joining a long list of schools whose athletic departments are developing an interest in sports analytics. From basketball to baseball and even volleyball, sports teams are increasing wins by collecting and analyzing data on their own play-

see ANALYTICS, page 5

WHAT’S INSIDE THIS ISSUE?

NEWS

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FEB

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OP forms new strategic plan

by LANE BARTON Staff Reporter

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he staff of Whitman’s Outdoor Program are developing and implementing a new strategic plan to help guide the program’s focus through 2020.

The new strategic plan will take into account student, staff and alumni feedback via survey, and it includes goals such as enhancing collaboration with departments and clubs on campus and increasing the diversity of students who participate in the Outdoor Program.

“I think one of the things that the Outdoor Program is good at is long-term planning.

We’ve been operating on longterm plans ever since I’ve been here [in 2001] ... The difference with this one is that we went through a much more inclusive process of involving students, staff, faculty, alumni and anyone else who want to respond to some surveys to get their ideas on where they thought we should be moving,” said Outdoor Program Director Brien Sheedy.

The strategic planning process began with an assessment of current strengths and weaknesses, as well as possible opportunities for or threats to the future of the program. In November, a survey was distributed to students, staff, faculty and alumni. Responses to the survey identified strengths of the Outdoor Program, including the organization of Scrambles, training opportunities and the professionalism of staff.

Survey responses also identified areas in need of improvement, which the Outdoor Program is moving to address. One common response was the impression that students feel intimidated from engaging with the program, either due to a lack of experience or the difficulty of finding activities at their skill level.

“In a variety of ways, people feel intimidated or nervous about engaging with the Outdoor Program. That comes from not feeling like they know anything about outdoor [activities] and didn’t want to hold other people back. It comes from people who felt like they had experience but didn’t feel like we did a good job of appreciating the experience they had and getting them onboard with things that we do,” said Assistant Director of Outdoor Programs Stuart Chapin.

Feedback from the surveys was used to identify goals for the program and develop strategies for reaching those goals. Currently, Outdoor Program staff are developing methods to evaluate their progress towards the goals laid out in the strategic plan so that they can measure their success over the next five years.

Many of the goals in the plan have a strong relation to some of the responses given in the surveys. For example, in the next couple years the Outdoor Program staff is hoping to interact more with academic departments and student clubs that have specialties or students that might not normally engage with the program.

“We’re trying to branch out and work with more clubs that have a broader diversity of types of students that are involved

in them and a broader diversity of types of things they’re interested in. So it’s not just people who’ve sought out outdoor [activities], but we’re seeking out people who might be interested in outdoor stuff but haven’t made that a big priority in what they do,” said Chapin.

As the strategic plan is adjusted and measurements are set, staff members cite the importance of adhering to the Outdoor Program’s mission when focusing on the future.

“The mission of the Outdoor Program is to support outdoor recreation because we think it’s the right thing to do. We think it’s really good for [people] to have some familiarity with being out in nature; it brings a lot of health benefits and positive benefits to the students, faculty and staff,” said Chapin.

New recruits take a stab at Fencing Club

by LACHLAN JOHNSON News Editor

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he Whitman Fencing Club has nearly doubled in size in the past month after an unprecedented 10 new first-years began regularly attending practices.

To equip the new recruits, the Fencing Club received emergency funds from the ASWC contingency fund.

Though one of the oldest student activities on campus, with various incarnations existing as far back as the 1940s, in recent years the Fencing Club has had fewer than 20 members who regularly attend practices. Of the 27 regular members who showed up for practice in January, 15 are first-years, and 10 joined at the beginning of the spring semester.

“Usually at the beginning of the year we get 20 to 25 people that show up, and anywhere from two to five stick around. Spring semester we may get one or two more people,” said senior Morgan Dienst, who serves as the captain and lead instructor of the Fencing Club. “This year it’s unprecedented, we’ve got 10 [recruits since January] and they’ve kept coming, so we’re hopeful that many of them will stick around.”

ASWC approved a request from the fencing team for 750 dollars of contingency funds to buy new safety gear and swords, known as foils. For the first several practices, new members had to rely on older equipment normally kept in storage.

“The equipment that we had was pretty old. The swords were more prone to breaking, the equipment armor wasn’t as safe as it could be,” said first-year Grace Pyles, who joined the Fencing Club in the fall.

The Fencing Club was formed eight years ago, replacing the Fencing Team. As a club, the organization focuses on helping members improve their technique and explore different types of armed combat.

“Everybody comes and we learn, but it’s not really competitionfocused. I think that’s helped our club because people aren’t worrying about their ranking within the club or worrying about going to a tournament and presenting well. They’re more interested in having fun and learning skills,” said Fencing Club President senior Kate Seiberlich.

The Fencing Club practices the Italian style of fencing. However, more advanced members experiment with a variety of weapons, including the Spanish saber, dag-

The OP rental shop outfits students for outdoor adventures, Photo by Hannah Bashevkin

POWER & PRIVILEGE AFTERNOON PREVIEW In emails to The Pioneer, symposium speakers and workshop leaders explained why members of the Whitman community should attend their events.

This issue came out at noon on Thursday, halfway through the Power and Privilege Symposium. Here is a preview of some of this afternoon’s highlights:

and others ... Our panel is interesting because it brings together current Whitman students, Whitman graduates who work in Walla Walla and Walla Walla residents who interact with students through their work. This mix of panel members creates an opportunity for a discussion space that is not often present nor imagined.” - Theo Ciszewski

Deconstructing the Whitman Bubble 1:30-2:30 Reid G02

Compassion in Conflict 2:45-3:45 Maxey 104

“It is important to be thinking and talking about Whitman as a part of Walla Walla. As students, we are temporary residents, and a connection to where we live outside of where we study makes our time here meaningful to ourselves

“One of the driving tenets of this workshop is that being right is not everything ... Whenever we are in conflict, we have to remember that we are in conflict with another human, who probably thinks we are as wrong as we think they are ... Those of us preparing this program

do not feel that conflict is bad. In fact, we feel that it can be very productive.”

-Paul Minor

Beyond the Gray: Changing Whitman’s Culture of Sexual Assault: 2:45-3:45 Harper Joy

*Trigger Warning: sexual assault.

“Whitman students should attend our workshop because their voice matters in changing the campus climate surrounding sexual assault ... Sexual assault is incredibly complicated with a lot of gray areas ... [We] want to work within the Whitman community to find solutions that are specifically molded around our wants and needs.” -Samantha Grainger-Shuba

Hands up Don’t Shoot: Police and Vigilante Violence as an Extension of Old Fashioned Lynching 2:45-3:45 Olin 157

“The shootings of black men in America are not isolated events that happen without purpose. My lecture goes into what I think the purpose of police and vigilante violence is and how it connects to historical race relations.” -Alisha Agard

Why I Do Not March at Protests and Rallies: An Examination of Access and Ability in the Whitman Community 2:45-3:45 Anderson Lounge

“The topic of disability is something that we don’t think about very often on our campus. We often think about dis-

gers, longswords and quarterstaffs.

The Italian style of fencing is very different from sport fencing, the style seen in Olympic competitions. In sport fencing, the sole goal is to hit one’s opponent first; matches are often decided by fractions of seconds, as both competitors strike simultaneously. The Italian style of fencing prioritizes self defense.

“In classical Italian, because it’s coming out of more of a dueling tradition, you didn’t want to get stabbed. Because if you’re stabbed you’re bleeding, it’s painful, it could get infected. So you really want to defend yourself first,” said Dienst.

New members joining the fencing club begin to work their way through five ranks of instruction. To achieve each rank, fencers must pass an exam that includes

“It’s a really great place for people who are interested in this sort of thing to get together and stab people with shiny objects,” Morgan Dienst ‘15 Fencing Club Captain

theory, demonstration of technique and sparring with an instructor.

When they reach higher ranks, students begin instructing new members themselves. Lessons and practices are organized by the fifth-rank students, who refer to “The Science of Fencing” written by William Gaugler, an Italian fencing maestro, for guidance.

This book is referred to by club members as their “fencing bible.”

“These are some of my best friends at Whitman, and it’s a really great place for people who are interested in this sort of thing to get together and stab people with shiny objects,” said Dienst.

Fencing Practice Come join the fencing club in front of Cordner Hall or in Sherwood 114 from

Tuesday 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Thursday 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

by CHRISTY CARLEY Staff Reporter

ability in terms of physical differences or needs and not so much about invisible disabilities such as chronic or mental illnesses ... Developing this workshop challenged us to think about our campus’ accessibility and how different institutions work to create accommodations and support all of their students.”

-Joel Ponce “As the workshop’s title suggests, disability is a topic that often is overlooked on campus. My hope is that the workshop creates a space to reflect on how we define disabilities, how we think about their impacts on day-to-day life, and how we can relate our own understandings or experiences with disability to other identities.” -Morrow Toomey

Memorial vigil combines mourning, action from VIGIL, page 1

While the vigil included a few mentions of Barakat and the AbuSalha sisters, it focused primarily on the death of Zambrano-Montes and others at the hands of police.

Rough estimates place attendance for the vigil at around 100. Attendees, which included students, faculty and administrators, held candles and wrote messages for the victims’ families on index cards to be posted on the event’s Facebook page.

The event featured a speech by Visiting Assistant Professor of Rhetoric Studies Andrew Culp as well as

speeches and poems by students.

The organizers of the vigil took inspiration from a protest march which they attended in Pasco earlier that weekend. Junior Theo Ciszewski, who attended the march and hosted the vigil, said that in the early stages of planning the vigil was meant to serve as a sort of surrogate to the march.

“Originally I wasn’t sure that I was going to able to go to Pasco, and I knew that a lot of other students probably wouldn’t make it either. So this was about providing a forum for that event here, a way to acknowledge it,” Ciszewski said. “Once

I ended up going, it became a way to share what happened there here.”

The vigil featured speeches from Culp, Ciszewski, senior Marga deJong and senior Alisha Agard, as well as a poem from sophomore Annie Want. The speeches, especially Culp’s, focused largely on the use of the language of security to over-police communities of color.

“What’s interesting is that after Ferguson, we no longer see police officers in the midst of crises trying to defend their own behavior on behalf of the whole community,” said Culp in his speech. “In fact, they

no longer imagine themselves representing the community at all. You can see statistics of this; they’re fairly simple. The majority of police officers in hotspot areas don’t even live in the county in which they police.”

Junior Nick Hochfeld, who attended the event, said that he was generally impressed with its execution.

“I thought it was really good,” he said. It was “definitely warranted, a really powerful speech, and I’m pleasantly surprised at the turnout.”

Hochfeld added that while the turnout was higher than he expected, he wishes that more students would

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take the time to attend events such as this one. He also remarked on the bittersweet nature of such programs.

“I try to make it whenever I can,” he said of the vigil and its recent predecessors in response to the Ferguson shooting, adding wryly that “it’s not a good thing that there could be a pattern of how often you go to these sort of events.”

Corrections to Issue 3 Medieval Club is not a club anymore​​. It has been absorbed by RenFair club.

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The

NEWS 3 Small departments fill unusual niches FEB

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by NATALIE BERG Web Editor

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ver the past 10 years, some departments at Whitman College have grown dramatically. Meanwhile, some departments are still quite small, while others are even shrinking. We took a look at some of Whitman’s smallest departments in order to examine the advantages and difficulties that come with tiny class sizes.

Mathematics The number of students majoring in mathematics (including the math-economics and math-physics combined programs) has fluctuated in the past 10 years, ranging from nine to 25. Despite this irregularity, the Mathematics Department maintains a very stable number of course offerings.

According to Professor of Mathematics Patrick Keef, the Mathematics Department is not so much a major-oriented department as a “service department.” It enrolls many non-majors, either for distribution requirements or in courses that are prerequisites for other departments, like physics.

“People are taking [the calculus sequence] from across the campus, [and] pretty much the entire statistics curriculum is a service-oriented curriculum for people who may not become math majors,” said Keef.

Keef says that the service-oriented nature of the department is typical in most math departments nation-wide.

“Everybody who works in a math department across the country understands that things like the calculus sequence are our bread and butter,” said Keef. “At a [school like] Whitman College there are no graduate students to teach those classes. So you don’t come to a Whitman College unless you’re willing to teach those classes.”

Keef mentioned a disadvantage of being a service-oriented department: the comparatively small number of courses specifically designed for math majors.

Keef estimated that only a quarter of the department’s offerings each year are geared completely towards math majors, but he was optimistic that the department’s hiring of a second statistician will allow these offerings to expand.

“We would like to be able to offer, besides the regularly-scheduled classes, two [to] four classes specifically designed for majors, and we’re hopeful that with the addition of a new statistician we’ll be able to do that within the next few years. It will make the major, I think, significantly stronger,” said Keef.

History The number of students majoring in history has experienced a decline. In 2006, the college graduated 36 graduating history majors;

While lower-level math classes are often crowded, math majors enjoy upper-level classes with fewer students and more personal attention. Photo by Marcovici

in the class of 2015, there are 17.

“We’re not crazy about the fact that our numbers are lower. We’d like to have more majors since we’re a very well-staffed department,” said Associate Professor of History and Paul Garrett Fellow John Cotts, who is the current chair of the History Department.

Cotts is quick to point out that this downturn is not unique to Whitman. According to the American Historical Association, the number of history degrees conferred hit an all-time low in 2013.

“History majors have been in decline across the country since 2008, and most observers think that this is because of the economic downturn and the search for more ‘practical’ majors,” said Cotts.

Given the successful career outcomes of Whitman’s history majors after graduation, Cotts rejects the notion that the history major is an impractical one. He also pointed to a few steps the department has taken to get more students interested in the history major.

“We have introduced a new rubric [called] History 150, Reading Sources ... It’s especially pitched at first-years. It’s a seminar format without much lecture to introduce students to a particular historical topic,” said Cotts. “We had two of them this year and we’ll be repeating both of those courses next year because they both filled.”

There are 17 history majors graduating in the current school

year at Whitman and 21 juniors will graduate with a history degree in 2016, so Cotts is not concerned about the department’s future.

“The numbers tell us that this year we have a little more than last, and we’re going to have more next year. 2013 and 2014 are rock bottom in terms of enrollment, and then we’ll start getting back to where we were 10 years ago,” he said.

man and other disciplines across campus,” said Babilon in an email.

Babilon does not seem to mind the fact that her department is so small.

“The German expression: ‘Klein aber fein’ fits well,” she said in an email. “‘Small but really special.’ They’re a wonderful group of students and German provides them with great opportunities.”

German Studies For departments like German, a small number of majors is nothing new. Since 2006, the number of graduating German studies majors has ranged from one to four. There are currently two German faculty members.

Senior Adjunct Professor of Foreign Languages & Literature Susan Babilon sees many benefits to having a predictably small number of majors.

“We get to know our students really well and can tailor subtopics within a course to address individual students’ particular interests,” said Babilon in an email.

Since certain courses in other departments, such as history, religion and art history can count towards the German Studies major, Babilon says it’s never too difficult to offer enough classes to allow the majors to fulfill their requirements.

“What they take away from those classes [in other departments] helps them draw larger comparisons and connections between Ger-

Astronomy By contrast, the astronomy faculty sometimes find it difficult to run a department with only two professors.

The Astronomy Department certainly plays what Keef of the Mathematics Department would call a service role. The department offers four different introductory courses, which draw potential majors and students fulfilling distribution requirements. These courses are generally over full.

According to Associate Professor of Astronomy & General Studies Andrea Dobson, the department is in need of a third faculty member. Dobson cited small classes as one reason students choose Whitman, and she sought another faculty member to allow the department to offer more introductory classes, each with lower enrollment.

Even though introductory courses are often bursting with students, the upper-division classes range from eight to twelve stu-

dents. There are only six astronomy majors graduating this year, and the since 2006 that number has never risen past eight (including students doing combined majors in astronomy-physics and astronomy-geology.) Dobson is very happy to have a small number of majors.

“In some ways it’s almost like a graduate department. There’s a small number of people, [but] there’s a critical mass of people. It’s more than just one or two,” said Dobson.

Dobson says that every astronomy major gets the opportunity to assist with labs and work with professors, which is rare in undergraduate departments. “[In the past 10 years,] when we moved up from one or two majors graduating each year to maybe five or six, their grades got better because they work together, they cooperate, they help each other,” she said.

Overall, professors find that despite some disadvantages, there are many benefits to running a department with a small number of majors. The size of different departments varies widely because different departments serve different purposes on campus.

“Some [departments] have large numbers of enrollment because they are serving other departments, and some have large numbers of majors, and that’s what they do,” said Keef. “Each department has a different role.”

Virtual recruitment connects students, jobs

by JEREMY ALEXANDER Staff Reporter

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he Student Engagement Center (SEC) at Whitman College has launched a virtual recruitment program to help get students jobs after college.

The virtual recruitment program was formed in response to representatives from companies in large cities where Whitman alumni move after graduation not wanting to travel to Walla Walla. Virtual recruitment allows students easier opportunities to connect with desirable employers who they may otherwise overlook.

Students are alerted to events by emails to students, and event details are also posted on the SEC’s recruitment blog. Sessions usually take place during the lunch hour, as the recruiters give a remote presentation and answer questions over a conference call.

“We use Skype or Google Hangout to dial the recruiter in. Some recruiters still come on campus, but we do not have the critical mass [of potential applicants] for the Amazons and Facebooks. [But] if they can recruit here at zero cost to them, why wouldn’t they?” said Kim Rolfe.

As the director for business engagement at the SEC, Rolfe led the development the virtual recruitment program.

She started developing virtual recruitment opportunities in the spring of 2014 with student senior Bill Landefeld.

“Bill was looking at different recruitment options while working in the SEC. [Virtual recruitment] seemed to be the most accessible. This program creates a lot of opportunity,” said Rolfe.

Since the recession in 2008, most job recruiters have cut back on-campus recruiting, especially in small towns such as Walla Walla. Rolfe’s reason-

ing for creating the virtual recruitment program was simple.

“These virtual sessions open the door for Whitman students to get connected to employers, which otherwise might not happen because of the awesome but isolated location we are in,” said Rolfe.

Noah Leavitt, the associate dean of student engagement, helped create Rolfe’s position of director for business engagement to increase the SEC’s ability to connect student with future employers. During his time at the SEC, he has found many students want to moves to major cities after college.

“Whitman understands that there are lots of things you can do with a liberal arts education.

You can go in almost any direction you want, and so for a long time the college has had a certain slice of the professional world accounted for. Kim [Rolfe’s] position is to expand the range work opportunities for students, so that we can support them in terms of moving forward after graduating,” said Leavitt.

Senior Luke Hedlund has attended multiple virtual recruitment sessions.

“I think it is significant to have someone on the screen instead of in person and is less meaningful. You cannot stand out to the recruiter. These sessions are real good for learning information about a potential company. They are also more convenient for the employers and for us students,” said Hedlund.

The SEC is still refining the virtual recruitment program since it is relatively new, but it will play a big part in future years.

“We are just scratching the surface. We have done seven [events] so far. We will end up with 25 to 28 [recruitment events]. Around a third will come virtually,” said Rolfe.

Photo courtesy of the Whitman Archives

Pio Past: Students, faculty join in Selma sympathy march Originally published March 18, 1965 Author unknown

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or 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.

Three-thirty this past Sunday afternoon marked the culmination of the hastily formed and highly successful memorial march concerning Selma.

The march was the idea of the college “Y” advisor, Dr. McKenzie and Bruce Jones, chairman of the campus friends of SNCC (Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee).

The march from Ankeny Field to the County Court House involved some four hundred participants and numerous other observers, sympathizers, and sceptics.

Student and faculty interest was tested on the Friday pre-

ceding the march with positive results. On Saturday, faculty members were called, students were contacted through fraternity and sorority presidents and by people socially concerned, ministers were asked to announce the march to their congregations and Dr. Pfuhl, president of the Human Relations League of Walla Walla, contacted its members.

The Walla Walla radio stations were advised of the march as was KEPR (Tri-cities television), the Union-Bulletin, and the Walla Walla Police Department (which issued a parade permit).

People started congregating on Ankeny Field at 2:15 Sunday afternoon and before leaving for the Court House Jones instructed the three-hundred marchers that the march concerned a memorial recognition of James Jackson and Boston minister Rev. Reeb; both were murdered by racists. The march was to demonstrate the general sympathy for the civil rights movement

and was silent so that each individual marcher could consider his personal responsibility or commitment.

The march was led by Doctors McKenzie, Ball, Pfuhl and Professor Don Blake. The marchers proceeded silently and slowly to the Court House under the excellent supervision of the Walla Walla Police.

An additional one-hundred people joined the marchers at the Court House and heard Dr. Ball speak. The second speaker was Blake, biology professor at Walla Walla College who reminded the listeners that concern for civil rights was not an end in itself but required a commitment of action.

Blake reminded the audience that discrimination is not a unique Southern characteristic and that its subtle forms exist in Walla Walla as well as throughout the North. Blake led the audience in “We Shall Overcome” as four-hundred joined hands.

The demonstration, emotional for some and significant to all, ended after the traditional civil rights song.

A&E

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19 2015

Walla Walla native returns home to build relationships through restaurant from WINGMAN, page 1

That night, Mendoza and his wife stayed up for 20 hours making a business plan. From that point, the couple moved to Walla Walla, a place that Brendon hadn’t called home for 13 years.

After he graduated from the University of Washington in 1999 with a degree in hotel and restau-

“I strongly believe that guest service is our lifeblood. When I’m here, I’m committed to talking to everyone that comes to the door,” Brendon Mendoza

rant management, Mendoza moved to California and got a job working for Olive Garden. Over the next 13 years Mendoza was promoted within Olive Garden’s corporate management and traveled from Santa Ana, Calif. to Las Vegas, Nev. and Austin, Texas.

“Most recently I had nearly a thousand employees and nine general managers under me, so [running Wingman means] a lot less people to be responsible for,” he said.

Mendoza’s management experience is evident in his understanding of genuine and efficient customer service.

“I strongly believe that guest service is our lifeblood. When I’m here, I’m committed to talking to everyone that comes to the door,” he said. “I want to build relationships because this is a very relationship-based town.”

And he does indeed stick to this approach — every person that finished their meal and walked out the door during our short interview gave Mendoza a wave and thanked him.

Other than working with local incentives and deals in his current business, Mendoza does not yet have any longterm plans for his interaction in Walla Walla’s foodie culture.

“I want it to be a yearlong restaurant where locals come all year,” he said. “I want it to be a community.”

Owner Brendon Mendoza (above) would like to focus on his relationship with the locals and offer them a unique experience while dining at his restaurant. Mendoza hopes to continue to grow and expand his business in the community to include not only wings, but alcoholic drinks as well. Photos by Bashevkin

Students learn composition basics through transformative process

‘Jane the Virgin’ steps in right direction

by ALEIDA FERNANDEZ Publisher

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Professors John David Earnest and Doug Scarborough (above) observe one of the rehearsals for the Composers Spring Concert.

The concert will showcase six students’ original musical compositions. Photo by Clay

by GEOFFREY LEACH Staff Reporter

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n Feb. 22 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Music Department will be presenting the Composers Spring Concert. Six students have each composed a piece of music that will be performed in Chism Recital Hall. Each student has written a unique piece that they have worked on since the fall.

During the Fall Semester, seniors Clayton Collins, Ryan Jacobsen, Writing Support Specialist Jonas Myers, Director of Institutional Research Neal Christopherson, Aaron Stern and Frankie Bones took a class, Music 480, on musical composition in which they worked oneon-one with Adjunct Assistant Professor John Earnest. Earnest has taught this class since 1999 and has always felt deeply connected to the students he mentors.

“When you’re working in a private setting with someone on something as intimate as music and that requires so much of our commitment, you begin to build a bond with the students that you’re working with,” said Earnest.

While Earnest helps the students with the process, the entire performance is heavily dependent on student involvement.

The student composers write the

pieces and then many students perform the pieces. Even the organization of the concert is completed by the student composers.

“Each composer essentially has to find musicians to play their piece,” said Christopherson.

Neal Christopherson has taken the class for three semesters, and he has learned from this experience “I feel like I’ve gotten a little more comfortable and confident with my writing,” he said.

Still, Christopherson feels that there is a challenge in writing these pieces. Writing these pieces requires all parts of the brain.

“You kind of have to use both halves of your brain. You have to be creative with it, but there’s also a very technical, logical piece to it as well,” said Christopherson.

His piece, “Wilderness Myth,” is made up of three parts and will be performed by a brass quintet.

The other pieces are “Reproductive Services” by Collins, “Fantasy on a Brahms Waltz” by Jacobsen, “‘Three Women’ Rearranged for Piano” by Stern, “Characters From a Novel” by Myers and “The End” by Bones.

Each of these pieces is unique and the composers often draw on different influences. Collins draws heavily on minimalism. “[Minimalism is] to use very small amounts of starting material

and then to kind of spin it out over an extended period of time where you modify it very slowly, so in a lot of ways kind of like reproduction with small changes,” said Collins Collins focused on minimalism in his piece to learn a new style of composing and to attract the audience’s attention. He wanted his piece to clearly articulate its meaning.

“My goal personally was to practice writing in a style that was stripped down and in that way hopefully accessible to the audience ... I wanted to write something that people would hear and understand on the first hearing ... in a digital age, in a modern age, where you might only get one shot at capturing someone’s ear. I wanted to get to the very bare bones, minimum,” said Collins The composers often feel that this experience is transformative and builds a strong knowledge base for their future endeavors in composing music. “[I] gained so much experience and so much knowledge ... that will inform later things that I do in life,” said Collins.

Students, faculty, friends, families and community members are welcomed to join these composers on Sunday to experience the hard work each student has put into his or her piece.

n late elementary school and throughout middle school I participated in a local summer theater program. For five summers I was cast in various roles (the femme fatale, the sassy older sister, the help) that, at the time, didn’t mean anything to me. I was just happy to have a speaking part.

I tell this story because as I got older, I realized that it wasn’t just a fluke that I happened to play very similar — and perhaps a little too mature — roles when I was younger. Growing up, I realized that Latina women were also typecast in almost oppressively one-dimensional stereotypes on television. Look at Eva Longoria who portrayed a conniving Latina homemaker who used her looks to advance her agenda in “Desperate Housewives.” Or look at Sofia Vergara who plays the overly emotional, overly loud and overly crazy Gloria on “Modern Family.” Turn on Lifetime’s “Devious Maids” for 10 minutes to see the silent-butsexualized maid trope. Even Santana on “Glee,” Fox’s hour-long PSA against harmful stereotypes, falls victim to these cliches.

It was with these years-long expectations and grievances that I turned on the CW’s new show, “Jane the Virgin.” The show follows Jane Villanuevas who, like the title suggests, is a virgin who is accidentally inseminated with her boss’s baby. Comedy, romance and drama ensue as Jane comes to terms with her pregnancy, her Catholic guilt and her torn romantic feelings for her old boyfriend and her baby daddy. Puerto Rican-American actress Gina Rodriguez plays Jane, and the show — which features an almost exclusively Hispanic main cast — highlights a Latina family in a light that hasn’t really been seen before on TV. As a Latina, it’s refreshing to see a Latina portray something other than a caricature. Jane is determined, bubbly, observant and kind. She knows how to work hard and how to hustle when necessary. Jane is a woman who is deeply rooted in her origins but conflicted by her desire to establish herself as different from her

mother. Jane reminds me not only of myself but also of many other girls because she grapples with issues that any young woman can relate to: boys, a desire for independence, a responsibility to her family, religion, growing up.

The only reason why I feel compelled to write about her is because it’s such an anomaly that such a multidimensional character on TV happens to be Latina.

Watching such a complex Hispanic character has gotten me thinking about the kind of Latinas that we as a society want to see on TV. Journalist Tanisha Ramirez explained in the Huffington Post that “the problem [with television] is that this idea of the curvy, sexy and sultry Latina ... traps our culture ... ignoring the values, ethics, and traditions that contribute to [their] sense of culture and community.” Jane, however, is the Latina that unfortunately goes often unseen in television. Jane embraces her culture but in a way that reminds me of any second-generation Latina. As Jaime Camil, who plays Jane’s father, said in a recent interview, “The house doesn’t need to have piñatas hanging from the ceiling.” Jane shines by living in a tangible real life.

I know that the show isn’t perfect. Sure, they say one too many “Ay’s” in their quest to be relatable. And yes, some classic stereotypes still pervade (the trap of religion and the virgin/whore complex are ones that especially annoy me). Yet overall, “Jane” is moving in the right direction. The show gives us examples of some ways Latina life can play out without claiming to be the definitive universality. It’s fast-paced, clever and full of dramatic twists and turns that give the actors and its leading Latina lady seldom-seen opportunities to excel.

When Rodriguez unexpectedly won a Golden Globe for her role as Jane, she said, “This award is so much more than myself. It represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes.” It is my hope that as the demographics of the United States are rapidly changing and Latinos soon replace whites as the majority, we will have more of these complicated and nuanced heroes on TV. I choose to believe that “Jane” is just the beginning.

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SPORTS

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As Washington prepares to retire, search for new men’s soccer coach in full swing

by KENDRA WINCHESTER Staff Reporter

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fter 13 seasons, Mike Washington, Whitman’s head men’s soccer coach, has decided to retire after a tough 2014 season. As the spring season kicks into gear, the team is still unsure about their coaching situation for the fall.

Looking for a new coach involves Dean Snider, the athletics director at Whitman, several faculty members and a teammate from each class on the soccer team itself. The anticipations and emotions range for each player.

“The team and I together have mixed feelings about getting a new coach. Some are in favor of getting a new coach and some are not,” said sophomore captain Trayvon Foy. But the team will undoubtedly be grateful for the lessons they have learned from Washington, something junior Bridger Sellegren, also a captain, spoke to “Mike built this program from literally nothing, and so we have to be a little bummed to see such an amazing guy moving on, a guy that gave people the opportunity to play after high school and is so passionate about Whitman soccer,” said Sellegren.

During the offseason, the team is typically very dependent on their captains to keep the vision of the type of program they want. And with that, they also want their new coach to have the same type of motivation for

the team that Washington had.

“I want our new coach to have the same passion and buyin mentality as our old coach.

Mike always put in extra work to make our program succeed in ways that other soccer programs at other schools did not.

I expect the same or better from the new coach,” said Foy. So far there are around 60 applicants nationwide. And Snider is expecting to cap the search at around 100 applicants.

“We will start reviewing [the applicants] in about a week and a half, and our goal is to have someone named and an offer accepted by mid-April. Once we narrow the pool down we will Skype interview the candidates and then bring the top three to campus to visit,” said Snider.

Overall, the panel of faculty and players are looking for the best fit to teach at Whitman.

“We look for a good fit to Whitman. [We want] someone who is an educator. Someone who coaches because it represents them teaching through the classroom of competitive sport ... which is why this is a faculty search rather then a staff search,” said Snider. “We put as much effort into these searches as we do for tenure track faculty positions.”

The captains are happy to able to be involved in the search as well.

“We have a vision of the direction that we would like to take the program, and the way that

Dean has set up the coaching search has made it possible for the opinions and thoughts of the team to be taken into account and taken seriously,” said Sellegren.

Another attribute that the search team will look for is a special attitude towards Whitman’s community and unique learning environment. Energy is key for a new coach to make a true impact on the team.

“We look for a ‘niche’: a highly academic, athletic person that seems to like the Northwest and the outdoors,” said Snider.

Naturally, the new coach must also be passionate about soccer.

“While competing and being serious about training and improving is really important, equally important is to remember why we play sports. We as a team can’t forget that the reason we play soccer, and the reason we play for each other, is for the enjoyment we get,” said Sellegren. “It’s certainly a fine line, but that is the challenge of being a leader on the team. Finding that balance between being serious and achieving our goals but still having a good time with your teammates and the game.”

That balance will certainly be emphasized in the search process and is equally valuable to the search team as qualifications are. Whoever steps in, he or she will have large shoes to fill, but with such a complete and robust search process, there is little doubt that the search committee will find a worthy candidate.+

Season Preview: Veteran women’s tennis Popovich and Coach K players seem poised for continued success reach elusive 1,000 wins

by KYLE FLANNERY Staff Reporter

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ombine skilled players with a simultaneously open and competitive environment, and the results are destined to be good.

For Whitman’s women’s tennis program, results are already here. According to Head Women’s Tennis Coach John Hein, the past three years have been arguably the strongest years in the program’s history.

At its peak, the team has reached as high as 16th in the national rankings.

Although Hein believes that last year’s team was the best he has coached in his seven years at Whitman, and maybe one of the best ever, this upcoming team may have a chance to one-up their predecessors and take their recent successes to the next level. While a national ranking of 16th is a milestone, the team has always had their eyes on the Elite 8.

Spearheading this movement are two dominant returning seniors, Courtney Lawless and Morgan Lawless. Though Morgan struggled with injuries that sidelined her for the majority of the 2014 season, she’s feeling healthy again. Fellow teammate Jenna Dobrin, a junior, is excited to have back one of the strongest players on the team.

“She’s looking incredible; big things coming from Morgan this year, and Courtney obviously,” said Dobrin.

Having both Lawless twins healthy will be key to the team’s success this season, but the rest of the team is also crucial. Hein is excited about what he’s witnessing from the two other seniors, Maddy Webster and Erin Bell.

“They’re playing better than I’ve ever seen them play. They’ve both made a huge jump since last year, and they have the right attitude to keep getting better throughout the season,” said Hein.

Other key names will be Jenna Dobrin and sophomore Alexandra Wallin, two of the most hardworking players on the team, and a bright spot in recent junior transfer Alexandra Sigouin. Hein could talk all day about this team, but his general feeling is that in order to reach the Elite 8, the whole team — not just the veterans but the underclassmen as well — will need to contribute.

The success the women’s tennis program has enjoyed has depended on the ability to transition from simply performing on raw talent, of which they have always had plenty, to honing precision skills.

In the open and communicative environment that Hein has developed, the women on his team are not afraid to mix things up at practice and try new strategies. In headto-head competition at practice, they can bring enthusiasm and energy into their individual play, but

afterwards they can always discuss with each other what was working and what wasn’t. The result is that everyone improves drastically. Hein spoke to that competitive but constructive environment.

“Usually number one dominates, but there are upsets almost every day in practice, where almost anybody can beat anybody on a given day, which is what you want,” he said.

This is why the team feels so confident about the season. When underclassmen are able to learn from but also challenge the upperclassmen, everybody wins because there are nine points to be won in competition against other teams, and no one individual can win them all.

When it becomes about improving a player’s teammates as well as herself, great things will happen. With such an attitude, look for the women’s tennis team to go far this season, hopefully to the Elite 8, or even further. Courtney Lawless is optimistic.

“I think this is the team to get to the Elite 8, and we’re all super pumped about that,” she said.

In an excellent start to the season, the team won its first conference matchup, with a convincing 7-2 result against Whitworth this past weekend. They will be at home this Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 21 and 22, hosting Pacific University and George Fox University.+

by DYLAN SNYDER Staff Reporter

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n the last month we have seen two historic coaches reach a milestone signifying a lifetime of hard work and dedication to the sport of basketball.

Both Duke Coach Mike Kryzewski and San Antonio Spur’s coach Gregg Popovich reached 1,000 wins in their respective leagues, adding another accolade to the impeccable resumes each has put together in their careers.

In college basketball there is a fair amount of coaching movement depending on the level of the program. Coach K started his head coaching career in 1975 with the Army Black Knights, a team for which he played his college hoops. After five years at West Point Coach, K moved to Duke, and he has since had one of the most prestigious careers in the history of basketball. Even after being elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001, Kryzewski still hasn’t rested on his laurels and has continued to keep Duke an elite program.

This year is no different as Duke is currently ranked fourth in the country as the season heads towards March, and the Blue Devils are positioning themselves for

Analytics in a liberal arts locker room from ANALYTICS, page 1

“The metric [that the men’s team] has for the first half of the year is activeness points, winner’s point, player rankings and carryover from last week,” he said. “Basically, it’s a weighted contribution to the stats sheet, how well you do in competitions in practice, where your teammates rank you and how you did last week.”

However, no matter how complex the rating scale may be, sports are still united by many uncharted intangibles. Ferenz commented on the limitations that all programs, not just Division III teams, face when trying to find meaning in numbers.

“The things that are hard [to categorize] are things like hustle plays and defensive intensity, because every player’s role is a little different,” she said. “Some people’s roles are a lot harder to quantify. Sometimes it’s looking at matchups and trying to put a number or a value to it, in terms of her contributions to the team.”

Additionally, when programs are relatively small, like those at Whitman, the resources to conduct deeper statistical analyses are difficult to come by. “[Our rating scale] is not perfect,” said Ferenz. “If we had someone to chart things like deflections we could probably get a more realistic number, but we just don’t have that staff here, whereas larger colleges and Division Ones have grad assistants that can really break it down.”

Despite the want and willingness of the Whitman Athletics Department to incorporate numbers into their game strategies, they are limited by small staff and sample sizes. On the other end of the spectrum, some larger Division I schools can afford to implement video-tracking software that translates the motions of the ball and the players into millions of data points ripe for statistical analysis.

Even without the extra hands or technology, Whitman is still seeking to use analytics in order to establish itself as a major force in the Northwest Conference. They are especially open-minded because such changes have resulted in success at a larger scale. This season, Head Men’s Baseball C o a c h Sean Kinney is testing a system piloted by a Pac-12 powerhouse.

“One thing that UCLA does is called the 90foot battles,” he said.

“They tally up [things like stolen bases, walks and giving up an out], and their goal is to get to 10

because they did the math and when they get to 10, they win something like 95 percent of their games.

We’ve really started charting our 90 feet and it’s amazing to see the results so far.”

While Coach Kinney is aware that baseball, more than any other sport, lends itself to statistical analysis, he still tries to find the balance between numbers and other components of the game that other Whitman programs seek.

“I don’t want all our guys to be so resultoriented, but [statistics such as quality atbats] gives them a look of effective things that are going to help us win a baseball game, and if we put enough of these together, then we are going to be in pretty good shape,” he said.

While the Whitman Athletics Department may not have access to the same resources as larger schools, their hybrid student-athletes and forward-thinking coaches are more than capable of using numbers to help win games.+

a deep tourney run. With all of this, coach K continues to extend his lead as the all time winningest coach in college basketball history. Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim is second at 964, so there is no letting up for Kryzewski as his mark of 1,004 is not anywhere near safe.

The consistency of Duke has been their biggest asset, only missing the NCAA tourney once since their first appearance under coach K in 1984. Kryzewski has also been busy on the international level, coaching Team USA since 2006.

The only real comparison for Coach K at the NBA level right now would be the renowned Gregg Popovich. The surly coach of the Spurs hasn’t exactly loved dealing with the media during his success in San Antonio and has made some enemies in the league offices along they way, but his on-court successes are undeniable. Popovich recently clinched his 1,000th win with the Spurs against the Pacers. Popovich now trails only Jerry Sloan’s 1,221 wins with the Utah Jazz in most wins with a single franchise. What Popovich has been able to deliver that Sloan never did, though, is a championship pedigree. Pop has brought home the Larry O’Brien trophy five times to San Antonio reaching back to 9899 season when Tim Duncan, the man who has taken the title of best Power Forward ever from Sloan’s Karl Malone, was just getting his start. Popovich has been so dominant during his NBA tenure that he owns a winning record over every other franchise, has only missed the playoffs once and has finished in the top two of his division ever since his second season.

Both Popovich and Kryzewski have taken interesting routes to their success. Kryzewski has been slow to adapt to the one-and-done style of recruiting that has swept elite college basketball as of late, instead wanting to develop his players into his system before sending them on their way. Because of this Kryzewski has lost out on some the nations top prospects, but players like Kyrie Irving, and potentially Jahlil Okeafor, have shown that Kryzewski is willing to make exceptions for rare talents.

Popovich has taken a similarly old-school style approach as of late. Looking at the Spurs roster, almost half the team is non-U.S. born. Popovich has taken a liking the the European style of coaching, one that emphasizes fundamentals and passing over the isolation game that the United States AAU basketball system seems to love.

Neither Coach has really hinted at when they think they will step down. Popovich has been rumored to be making his exit with Duncan as he wouldn’t want to cycle thought a rebuild at his age.

Kryzewski is a different story, with no real news at all about his impending retirement. The only thing that is for sure is that neither will be around forever and their 1,000 win milestones are just a testament to the greatness we have all been blessed to witness.+

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FEATURE

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19 2015

To stay or not to stay: Alumni who return see Walla Walla in new ways

Cameron Penner-Ash ‘13 works at the Colville Street Patisserie (above). He decided to stay in Walla Walla for one year after graduating to enjoy low rents and wait out grad school and job results. Photo by Bashevkin

by MARTINA PANSZE Staff Reporter

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lthough the majority of students aren’t primarily attracted to Whitman because of the small city it’s a part of, many alumni choose to stay in or return to Walla Walla.

Among the Walla Walla returnees, and those who haven’t left, are an eclectic group of alumni who stay for reasons which include waiting out grad school and job decisions with cheap rents and the creation of a small business. While some choose to be more or less integrated into the Whitman scene, Walla Walla attracts on its own, with its vibrant opportunities for food and wine, plus a wide scope of outdoor activities and landscapes nearby.

Junpei Tsuji graduated in 2014 with a studio arts major and a chemistry minor.

He stayed in Walla Walla because he wanted to get more involved in the community and explore Walla Walla as a community member rather than a student.

Tsuji is doing a year of service with AmeriCorps serving at Carnegie Picture Lab, a local nonprofit that supports the art programs of the elementary schools in Walla Walla and College Place.

“The art programs in all the elementary schools were cut many years ago, and kids don’t get their first art education experience until middle school,” said Tsuji.

Carnegie Picture Lab fills this gap, and his duties there are to manage community volunteers within the organization, organize community art events and teach some art classes at Blue Ridge Elementary.

“When we go into the classrooms, kids’ faces light up, and you can really tell that they crave art as part of their curriculum. It’s amazing to see the kid that has trouble focusing suddenly be the most attentive and engaged,” said Tsuji.

Carnegie Picture Lab has chosen three artists to cover during the school year. Tsuji is teaching Georgia O’Keeffe, Diego Rivera and Vincent Van Gogh. In the classroom, Tsuji teaches a quick art history les-

son on the artist and a project that is similar in style to their work.

“For example, Diego Rivera was famous for painting murals in public because he wanted art to be accessible by his community, so we taught kids the meaning behind his creative process and had them watercolor on plasterboards,” said Tsuji.

Besides Carnegie Picture Lab through AmeriCorps, Tsuji is working at Bacon and Eggs, shadowing physical therapists in town, helping coach the Whitman men’s soccer team, playing in the YMCA indoor soccer league, worked at a fishing cannery in Alaska and taking classes at Walla Walla Community College.

Tsuji says he connects with other alumni in Walla Walla from time to time.

“It seems like everyone is so busy all the time, so it doesn’t happen that frequently, but when it does, it’s a good time,” he said.

He likes the sense of community in Walla Walla as well as the friendly people, familiar faces, food scene and weather (when it’s nice). However, Tsuji said that sometimes Walla Walla does feel too small and quiet sometimes and wishes there was a large body of water.

In the future, Tsuji plans to go to graduate school for physical therapy and continue playing soccer.

A large percentage of alumni in Walla Walla, though, are graduates from the past one or two years, and many view their time here as a transition or waiting period pre-graduate school or career. Cameron Penner-Ash graduated in 2014. Upon returning from a field camp required for all geology majors, he took a job at the Colville Street Patisserie.

Penner-Ash decided that paying low Walla Walla rents and working seemed like the best option until he hears from graduate schools and jobs to which he applied. Still, he’s planned his time in Walla Walla to be a relatively short.

“No matter the outcome I plan on leaving Walla Walla before the summer,” he said.

Penner-Ash encourages everyone to explore the vibrant Wal-

la Walla food and drink scene.

“I think a lot of people don’t quite realize how amazing of a scene we live in,” he said. “Obviously not being 21 doesn’t help a majority of the Whitman population, but you can always explore the food scene.”

Although Penner-Ash currently lives with another alumnus, he doesn’t really see many others.

“Most of my friends in Walla Walla are currently seniors, and it has been awesome watching them trudge through senior year. I can’t wait to watch them walk,” he said.

Penner-Ash said he doesn’t regret his year spent working.

“I think so many Whitties think their lives have to be immediately structured after college,

“I think a lot of people don’t quite realize how amazing of a scene we live in,” Cameron Penner-Ash ‘14

but that really isn’t the case for a majority of graduates,” he said.

He thinks the pressure may be a result of the majority of Whitman students having parents with “lucrative jobs.”

“They don’t really realize that their parents took two years off between medical school or law school to teach English in some backwater city in South East Asian or pour lattes in Western Washington,” he said.

“Learning to live without structure is something I have grown to love over the past year.”

Court Morgan graduated in 2007 majoring in studio art and minoring in religion. She opened and now teaches at Revolver Yoga Studio on 4th Avenue.

After graduating Whitman, she attended Central Saint Martins at the University of Arts London. She then moved to New York City to complete her 200-hour yoga teacher training while working at Patagonia and YogaWorks.

Since then, she moved with Patagonia to Seattle and in late 2012 ended up back in Walla Walla to open the studio a year later.

“I had no plans to move back

to Walla Walla,” said Morgan.

However, with support from her YogaWorks manager in NYC, and later her Patagonia manager in Seattle, it became a serious idea.

During the process of opening the studio, Morgan was nervous that the market for an independent studio in Walla Walla wasn’t large enough. She also struggled with finding talented, well-trained yoga teachers in a small and isolated city.

“Finding a space that was appropriately sized and had good vibes was another big challenge,” she said.

As far as the studio’s name Revolver goes, she was inspired by the Beatles album of the same name.

“That album for them was a statement of redefining their sound ... that inspired me because I wanted this studio to be unlike other yoga studios that I had been to,” she said.

Morgan stays in touch with other alumni in Walla Walla, and the studio has been a great way for her to reconnect with them.

“I honestly feel more involved with Whitman now than I did when I was a student in my academic bubble,” she said.

Whitman students and faculty alike often are regular class attendees, and a few current students work the front desk.

“It’s inspiring to hear about what everyone is doing in classes, with their theses and their plans for after school. It’s fun to see lives in process during a time of really significant decision making,” said Morgan.

Morgan says Walla Walla has changed even since she was in college.

“I spend a lot of time roaming around on my bikes, ‘Claribell’ the single speed and ‘Linus’ the Dutchi, just watching the town evolve,” she said.

Although Morgan says she really enjoys the people and events the college brings to campus, she admits Walla Walla does have a significant downfall.

“I wish we had an Indian restaurant,” she said. “I keep harassing the owners at Masala in Kennewick about opening one here. No luck yet.”

Revolver Yoga Studio (above), is one of a number of local businesses started by alumni. Founder Court Morgan ‘07 didn’t originally plan to move back to town.

Art major Lindsey A. Thompson (née Case) graduated in 2007. Thompson moved back to Walla Walla in 2012 to begin the process of starting her own clinic of acupuncture and East Asian medicine, which opened in 2013.

Thompson fell in love with Walla Walla during her time at Whitman. She also worked in town for three summers during her time as a student and taught snowboarding at Bluewood every winter.

“I felt like I developed a sense of community in the Walla Walla Valley,” she said. “I love the easy access to cycling, rock climbing, the mountains, rivers and the warmth of the overall population of Walla Walla.”

Thompson’s husband is in the wine industry and was born and raised in Walla Walla, which influenced their decision to move back.

Thompson is a licensed East Asian Medicine Practitioner (EAMP). To obtain her license, she had to complete a four-year masters program in acupuncture and oriental medicine at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in Portland, Ore., requiring roughly 3,000 hours of course work, and complete four board exams. At her clinic she practices acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion therapy, Chinese medical nutrition and Chinese herbal medicine.

Thompson stays very involved with Whitman by keeping in touch with other alumni, attending some student-alumni mixers and having a Whitman intern this past summer. She enjoys regular yoga at Revolver Studio.

“It is great living close to campus. I like having access to the climbing wall, the Whitman gym, the OP and the library,” said Thompson.

Thompson loves the restaurants and emerging music and theater scene in Walla Walla, but above all she values the community.

“Where I grew up, no one said hello to you on the street unless they personally knew you. Here it seems like nearly everyone says hello or smiles and waves,” she said.

OPINION

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7 Include Christians in diversity conversation 19 2015

by CHRISTOPHER HANKIN First-year

T

he class of 2018 has entered Whitman amid backlash at the school for a lack of diversity, both racial and economic. The student body expressed its dissatisfaction with admissions policies by staging protests like the “Créme de la Créme” piece on the steps of Memorial Hall and the Encounters walkout organized by first-year students.

But Whitman’s lack of diversity doesn’t stop here. Whitman is also lacking in religious diversity, with most recent surveys putting the campus between 35-40 percent religious; in comparison, 77 percent of the American population identifies as Christian. Yet we never hear about the lack of religious diversity.

Atheism, sometimes even with mockery of organized religion, is part of the Whitman culture. This is, of course, not a trend unique to Whitman. The Northwest as a whole is less religious than the rest of the country, and

college campuses are typically less religious anyway. But the statistics about organized religion at this school is still telling.

Adam Kirtley, the Stuart coordinator of religious and spiritual life at Whitman College, is very aware of our lack of religious diversity.

“Though the college has made moves to recognize religious identity as a category of diversity, I am troubled by periodic reports of religious affiliation not being treated with the respect that would be afforded other groups,” he said. “It seems inconsistent with a campus climate that strives to be inclusive.”

Because Christians make up the vast majority of religious persons in the United States, Christianity is viewed as commonplace. But at Whitman, the Christian perspective is the minority.

Sometimes it seems that, although our campus is accepting of people from different cultures who practice religions other than Christianity, we aren’t as accepting of Christians because they aren’t “different enough.” Because we grew up

Culture sexualizes, degrades gay women ZAN MCPHERSON First-year

POP SHATTERS CULTURE

“I

just walked up to her to give her like a friendly girly kiss, you know, as girls do.”

Katy Perry’s response to a “friendly” encounter with Miley Cyrus on stage during one of Cyrus’ performances in February 2014 reflects everything that is wrong with the portrayal of lesbian and bisexual relationships in pop culture.

It has become a trend in movies, television shows and advertisements for relationships between women to be highly sexualized and understated. Perry sustains this unrealistic social standard when she nonchalantly kisses Cyrus on stage and then later complains about Cyrus trying to “go deeper.”

She even made her breakout single “I Kissed a Girl” into a heteronormative experience by grinding on Lenny Kravitz at the Super Bowl halftime show. Thank you, Katy Perry, for letting us enter this absurd world where it is normal for all girls to just go up and kiss their friends on the lips. Where it is normal to sing about an exciting sexual experience with another girl while grinding on a dude.

Perry’s actions reflect the recently created social standard that relationships between girls are “hot.” Along with many other artists and influential people, Perry

prolongs the assumption that, when two girls get together, they are asking for male attention. This turns a lesbian interaction into something unimportant, something that “girls do,” when, in fact, this type of self-identification is both unique and enormously significant.

When I told one of my guy friends from high school that I was bisexual, he paused for a second and then said with enthusiasm, “That’s hot!” I laughed and pretended I wasn’t offended, but in fact all I really wish he had said was “Wow, good for you!” because it made me feel he thought my own sexual identity was there to please him.

Lesbian and bisexual women feel insignificant when their sexual orientation is placed in the hands of the opposite gender. Although it is helpful for women to come out in a society that is more accepting of that orientation, this “acceptance” is created by a social standard that indirectly degrades those gay relationships. It’s difficult to be taken seriously as a gay or bisexual woman when there are all of these straight attractive women making out on TV. The detrimental effect of this social standard does not show its face at Whitman College in full.

The only demeaning reactions I have received toward my sexuality were from Southern friends in high school. Of all places, Whitman seems to take bisexual and lesbian interactions most seriously. That does not mean, though, that students should not be continually aware of the negative effects that pop culture has on gay women.

Do me a favor: If a woman ever tells you personally that they are gay or bisexual, take it seriously. Don’t act like it’s a phase. Don’t change the way you view them. Just say “cool” and ignore everything that Katy Perry whispers into your subconscious ear.

in a culture that surrounds us with Christian images and Christian practices, they quickly become familiar and easily dismissed.

Paul Prevou is a senior from Arlington, Tex. who has struggled with his religious identity at Whitman College. The transition to Whitman can be tough for students who weren’t raised in areas as liberal as the Pacific Northwest, and this was certainly true for Paul, though the results weren’t all bad.

“The greatest and most necessary challenge to my worldview was being surrounded by people who did not identify as religious,” he said. “As friends would ask me probing questions about my beliefs and I would be at a loss for explanation, I quickly realized there was so much about my worldview that had previously been unchallenged. My faith, which had always inspired me and given me so much strength, was crushed. I hated this school for taking away the thing that gave me life.

I think deep down I still harbor some hurt feelings towards Whitman.”

Classes like Encounters that require students to read sacred texts from an analytical and secular perspective can pose a challenge for religious students. These classes challenge the religious worldview in a more profound way than they may for non-religious students.

To say that challenging worldviews is a bad thing would be to say that college is a bad thing, but it is important to remember simple principles of respect when engaging in discussions about faith.

“There are few students on campus, in my experience,

Junior Sociology Major

“I was in my first Soc class, Intro Soc, and two months in I found that we were talking about the kinds of issues that I like to talk about outside of class with my friends.

We talked about issues of gender, race, and sexuality in class play into how we see the world and I was like, ‘Whoa, I can do this for school and get credit for it.’”

he described as “radical Islam.” The irony here is, of course, that his religious affiliation was much more extreme than that of his victims.

This tragic incident serves as a painful reminder of the need for tolerance when discussing issues as sensitive as faith. Religious dialogue is valuable in helping students challenge and refine their own beliefs. If someone tells you they are religious, don’t make it a confrontation. Understand that religion can be and is a positive influence on the lives of people all over the world. If you expect them to open their eyes and question their beliefs, you should do the same.

Political Cartoon

Letter to the Editor: Whitman must reflect on its own biases

O

n Monday, Feb. 16, many students, faculty and staff gathered in the amphitheater to reflect on and express their outrage at the tragic death of Pasco resident Antonio Zambrano-Montes. I was inspired by the thoughtful remarks of our students about the pervasiveness of racial and ethnic bias and violence targeting minorities in our society.

Whitman students, like those around the country at many other institutions, are gathering to grieve and protest, and also to try to make sense of why events like the death of Mr. Zambrano-Montes occur.

We know that racial, ethnic, religious, gender and sexual orientation biases (among others) continue to exist. The costs to individuals and communities harmed by such biases and prejudices are real and undeniable. Death may be the most dramatically visible consequence, yet the toll of bias is dispersed and felt throughout American communities daily, even when the harmful events don’t make the news or attract protestors’ attention.

As we gather to examine violence against racial and ethnic minorities in nearby cities and across the nation, we also must commit ourselves to honest self-reflection closer to home—on the Whitman Campus. Do the conversations we have about injustices “elsewhere” simultaneously encourage us to turn an analytical eye on our own community here? As we build solidarity by identifying racial injustices in Pasco or Ferguson, we tend to reinforce our shared beliefs and values. Yet we must also stop and ask: what values do we share in common, and how well do we live them out daily at Whitman? How do I, as a member of this campus community, treat “different” others in daily interactions? In 2005, the Board of Trustees of affirmed that diversity is “fundamentally important to the character and mission of Whitman College…that all individuals are valued and respected and that intellectual and personal growth are enriched because of our differences.” I believe each of us— students, faculty and staff members, administrator, and governing board members—is responsible for (a) understanding the meaning

Voices from the Community ANYA TUDISCO

who openly identify as devoutly religious, but every sarcastic, mean-spirited jab at religion has the potential to reach someone who is religious and make them feel isolated from the Whitman community,” said Prevou.

Intolerance of any kind is evil and anti-religious fanaticism is often as damaging as religious fanaticism. This lesson was shown most recently by the murder of three innocent Muslim Americans in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Feb. 10. This is obviously an extreme example, but the killer was a self-identified atheist who is presumed to have committed the murders out of hatred for what

SAM JACOBSON

Sophomore Environmental StudiesPolitics Major

“I chose it because I like to think that’s where my interests lie. My first year I was more of a person who bounced around a lot.

I wasn’t sure. Maybe I wanted to do Bio, but I ended up hating Gen Chem. I was really into exploring the different options Whitman had and narrowed in from there.”

of this commitment, and (b) making this affirmation a daily lived reality on the Whitman campus.

I have served as president for nearly 10 years. During this tenure, I have seen how the actions and words of individuals and groups have, at times, undermined the College’s affirmation of, and commitment to, respectful recognition of our differences. Those among us who are underrepresented in the population, in both visible and invisible ways, bear a disproportionate burden of enduring the hurtful consequences of disrespectful or devaluing actions and words by others. Bias-related events have occurred at Whitman — some very public and some quite private — and have caused harm and pain to a segment of our community members. This is unacceptable. It may seem to some that problems of racial and ethnic bias exist only “out there” — in the really bad places where the people die.

As the presiding leader here for the last 10 years, I know this is not true.

I deeply regret that these incidents have occurred and continue to occur, often (though not always) due to the indifference or ignorance of their perpetrators. Harm exists even when the hurtful consequences are unintended. If ignorance is a cause, it can and must be remedied; there is simply no excuse for harming others at Whitman. In my tenure, I have articulated the values reflected in the Trustees’ guiding statement, and have used leadership position to support and facilitate educational, discussion-based initiatives such as the Symposium on Race shortly after I arrived at Whitman and now, the student-led Power and Privilege Symposium. I have also drawn attention to and challenged statements and actions that promote bias and/or defy values of respect for all. I will continue to do so in the months that remain of my time here.

Many people have contributed to addressing these issues over the years, and are involved in ongoing work now underway. Special recognition must go to our students, especially for their leadership,, and concrete accomplishments in renewing our commitment to understanding and valuing others. On Feb 19, 2015 we will enjoy our third year of the Power and Privilege Sym-

posium, a student-inspired, developed and administered initiative.

The Symposium is one of many collaborative efforts students have undertaken to promote diverse, inclusive and equitable treatment of individuals and groups at Whitman.

Their efforts to align our everyday actions more closely with our stated values create clarity and hope.

I know that Whitman can do more to promote a welcoming climate that embraces and encourages all members of our community.

While overt acts of ill will or bigotry may be mercifully rare, nevertheless, as President, I will not be complacent in confronting ignorance and insensitivity. Unintended demeaning remarks and implicitly biased actions hit their mark, regardless of the speaker or actor’s motivation. Whitman must change. And to facilitate constructive change in this direction, I have constituted a college wide council on diversity (Whitman Inclusion, Equity and Diversity) W.I.D.E., co-chaired by Professor Brooke Vick and our Chief Diversity Officer Kazi Joshua.

The Council will launch a climate study of Whitman’s life and culture this semester. Concurrent with the climate study, the council has begun gathering data from institutional reports and consulting with various campus constituents to determine issues that require attention and action. With this information, the Council will create a strategic plan for diversity that will guide Whitman’s work for the next five years under the leadership of President Murray.

Throughout this process, we will remain committed to dialogue, analysis, and building honest understanding. I cannot alleviate the painful effects of bias, insensitivity, and other past harms.

However, I am unequivocally committed to promoting an interpersonal and institutional infrastructure at Whitman College, such that each individual has an equal opportunity to work, grow, and learn from one another in a climate of mutual respect and consideration. I look forward to embarking on this together in the coming months.

-President George Bridges

How did you choose your major?

Poll by ANNA DAWSON

CHENEY DOANE

Senior Music Performance Major

“I chose to be a music major because at the end of the day, going to the music building and practicing piano was the thing I wanted to do more than anything else.”

ERIN COFFEE

Sophomore Psychology Major

“I’m really interested in learning about people and the way that they interact and the decisions that they make day to day and I think its super relevant to our daily experiences so I find it exciting to apply it to the world.”

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FEB

19 2015

Backpage rant: Lifestyle Pinder arrives on choices survey edition Whitman campus

I

t’s that time of year again when the dude who is rumored to be Kris Kristofferson’s long-lost brother sends out an email entitled “Whitman Lifestyle Choices Survey.” When one imagines the Whitman lifestyle, a few images come to mind: eating Walla Walla sweet onions on designated Wednesday evenings, playing frisbee with oversized ham slices on Ankeny and burying dead townie bodies in the wheat fields after a cultish ritual. Just kidding about that last one, gang. The body would be plowed up in a heartbeat next harvest and would probably take a zombie-like revenge on the farmer.

The survey, however, has more intentions than just finding out about our hobbies and naughty habits. It helps inform the Whitman faculty that despite being mostly upper-class, white and from the West Coast we don’t ALL have a cocaine problem (56 percent of Whitties do five lines or less on a typical Friday or Saturday night). It also helps assure parents that Whitman students don’t party

too much. Instead, the administration argues, they’re doing interesting things like watching re-runs of Becker, getting stoned and trying to make moccasins, or playing saxophone drunk in the Whitman Jazz Band (they show these pictures in the backgrounds of the stats they showcase all around campus).

The survey is supposedly anonymous, but why did Budweiser start emailing my Whitman account immediately after I checked the box saying I drink 15 beers every night (Don’t worry parents, it’s O’Douls)? Also the question “On how many times did you drink alcohol during the fall semester?” begs the following actual question: “How many nights can you not remember from fall semester?” If, at the very minimum, you had one drink per week, you would be on the far side of that question according to the survey!

On a somewhat serious note, the serious administration is trying to confront a serious problem on Whitman’s serious campus: serious constipation (#toomuchtaq?).

One question reads, “I engage four or more times per month in the following behaviors to control my appearance or deal with feelings about my body pooping,” and the options consisted of “laxatives,” “organic laxatives” and “more taq.” Thank goodness. It’s always been a rumor that Bon Appétit put laxatives in the food, but if students were doing organics on top of those, that could be a serious problem. Finally someone is confronting this campus’s overuse of toilet paper! Divest!

There also is an option to check to say how often one takes testosterone/steroids illegally. I personally put down the maximum option to balance out for all the TKEs who are too busy looking in the mirror or spying on Kappa Section on their way to the Crack House.

On an actual serious note to the administration: The people on this campus who have fun are having too much to take a survey that everyone knows is bullshit and used as propaganda anyway.

P

Bold backpage investigator examines campus drinking I ’d like to preface this article by stating that I, as a responsible and productive member of society, am rarely prone to the sort of excess described in the following piece. But sometimes, duty calls. And called it did on one dark Saturday eve.

I had heard rumors of the socalled “drinking culture” and its prevalence at Whitman, and I, being the dedicated journalist that I am, decided to investigate. However, such an endeavor would surely prove to be hazardous to both my health and outstanding moral compass. That is why I enlisted the help of my good friend and world-renowned Voodoo priest Reid “Leopard Skull” Watson to navigate the perils of Whitman’s drinking scene with me. We met in Reid’s modest Coho mud hut at quarter to ten.

Reid, an aspiring comedic actor with the misfortune of having acquired a taste for pre-med classes, had just returned from play practice and was in one hell

of a mood. We began our foray into Whitman drinking culture by imbibing several beers which claimed to be both natural and light but in actuality were neither. After a respectable amount of the heavy and unnatural beer had been consumed, Reid and I felt a drunken restlessness descend upon us. So we decided to go where all regrettable evenings at Whitman eventually lead: the TKE basement.

We soon found ourselves in a strange netherworld fueled by teenage hormones and Busch Light. Suddenly without warning we were approached by some sort of horrible cow demon. And worse yet, the thing seemed to know Reid. I later realized that we were at an animal-themed party and that the woman in the cow costume was a close friend of Reid’s.

However, in that moment, I sensed horrible inescapable danger. And so, to save Reid and me from becoming cud for this terrifying beast, I did the only thing I could.

Mease not Mooses by Asa Mease

First, I began making cattle noises to lull the creature into a false sense of security. Then, surmising that the strangely feminine minotaur had an aversion to water, I reached for the closest thing I could find (it happened to be a solo cup full of lukewarm mixed drink) and poured it all over the beast’s head. This did not have the desired effect. Instead of melting into a puddle of demon goo or retreating into the shadows, the lipstick-wearing minotaur became enraged and strangely indignant. At this point I decided that it would be best for me to abandon my companion and seek refuge in the upper reaches of TKE. I made my way up to a friend’s room and valiantly passed out on his couch.

If I have one piece of advice to give from my experience with Whitman drinking culture it is this: Excess often leads to regret, and beware of the minotaur wearing high heels in the TKE basement.

inder, the revolution college needs. If you’re scared about the teaching style of a professor or if you need special accommodations, Pinder is the app for you. It’s like Tinder for your professors. You can match with the professor based on clothing style, first impressions (‘cause you really can judge a book by a cover — just like all those books you’re supposed to read for class but don’t because you realize you have no interest in them and they are pointless for your life), life interests (that the professor can go on tangential rants about) and what they expect out of the students. Pinder is helping colleges become more productive. Professors love selecting the students they want in their discussion classes. They even get to decide to have an intelligent student over an idiotic one.

At Whitman College, the startup of Pinder has had some complications. During a testing period, professors had a hard time distinguishing the intellectual from the pretentious. Also, all the Whitman student test profiles had few differences between them. Pinder theorists have given thought to this interesting fact about the profiles. Some theories involved the culture of Whitman, while others articulated the sheepish nature of humanity with people wanting to be similar. However, all theorists have agreed on the fact that the diversity of the school is lacking. Everyone seems to wear the same clothing, be from the same socioeconomic class, have the same interests, compete against each other in their academic classes and participate in an abnormal amount of extracurricular activities. As one may have guessed, this lack of similarity was a problem, and the Pinder

team almost decided against releasing the app to the Whitman Campus.

The Pinder team fixed the problem by including extra application space to separate the students. The students can now select what Greek organization, location on campus and friend group they are in. This has helped separate the independent from the dependent (alcohol related) and the politically correct to the politically incorrect. Professors are very satisfied with this second Beta (the app, not the fraternity, they are still not satisfied with Beta Theta Pi). Comments on the app have included professors being more comfortable holding late-night class in a bar or having a real symposium instead of an argument between three people in the class. The new Beta app has gotten the Pinder team more excited for a release date.

To create a more dynamic app, the Pinder team has decided to include a free match with the health center if students need to be taken care of. They got the idea from the Life Alert system. Whenever a student falls down, stumbles too much and can’t make it back home or to class, the Health Center match helps that student receive a “friend” to bring them sickly needs, transportation or a shoulder to help them make it through their troubles. The improvements exceeded administration’s expectations.

Whitman faculty have asked for an expected release date due to the strong improvements. The excitement rose in a faculty meetings last week, and through some inside man, my main man David Bowie, I have heard the expected release date to be around April 20, right in time for pre-registration.

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