The
PIONEER
ISSUE 6 | March 05, 2015 | Whitman news since 1896 | Vol. CXXXII
Death becomes them:
Senior theatre majors take final bow
by GEOFFREY LEACH Staff Reporter
“R
osencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” opens on March 5 in the Harper Joy Theatre. The two leading roles will be played by seniors Emily Krause and Tory Davidson. Krause will be playing Rosencrantz and Davidson will be playing Guildenstern. As part of the theatre major senior project, they each have researched their characters and spent a lot of time together. “To prepare for the play, I became familiar with Tom Stoppard’s work and Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet,’ researched the play’s original and recent production history, and looked at examples of clowning in other contexts. Emily and I watched a lot of Marx Brothers and vaudeville. And flipped a lot of coins,” said Davidson. As they have practiced their roles and rehearsed the play, putting many hours into preparing for the opening night, they have become better actors and have helped each other grow and improve. In fact, they have worked so closely that they have almost become indistinct on stage. “We balance each other out and we challenge each other,” said Krause. “We were definitely cast as a pair and definitely function as a pair.”
Tory Davidson ‘15 (center right) and Emily Krause ‘15 (center left) invested a great deal of time to best portray and understand their roles of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
see PLAY, page 4
Showtimes All performances will be at Harper Joy Theatre. Tickets are available at the Box Office.
Thursday: 8 p.m. Friday: 8 p.m. Saturday: 8 p.m. Sunday: 1 p.m.
Davidson ‘15 (left) and Krause ‘15 (right) became familiar with the play by researching its original and recent production history, as well as looking at examples of professional clown performances.
Photos by Bashevkin
Etiquette Dinner unites Walla Walla colleges
ASWC divestment resolution passes, future plans uncertain by NATALIE BERG Web Content Editor
by AUDREY KELLY Staff Reporter
W
hitman students rarely have the occasion to gussy themselves up, but the evening of Feb. 5 was one of those nights for Whitman seniors. They strode self-confidently through Reid Campus Center, ignoring the students in sweats eating from Café 44. Some adjusted their ties, others tugged down their pencil skirts. Before entering the Reid ballroom, they paused to pick up their name tag and proceeded through the doors, taking two steps before pausing in confusion. It wasn’t just Whitman students. There were other, unrecognizable people milling around in suits and pencil skirts. Young people whose faces didn’t look familiar. Students stood in clusters, some clutching plastic water glasses as if they were the most interesting objects in the world, some attempting to catch the rotating appetizer trays at every opportunity, some taking surreptitious peeks at the faces outside of their clusters. They were all attending the Etiquette Dinner, an event organized by the three colleges together. Whitman students are so accustomed to recognizing the faces that they see every day as they walk to class that it prevents them from remembering that there are two other institutions of higher education in Walla Walla, both serving Whitman-aged students. Walla Walla University is a private university affiliated with the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Walla Walla Community College enrolls upwards of 12,000 students and has one of the premiere viticulture programs in the nation. see CAMPUSES, page 6
A
n ASWC student referendum on support for fossil fuel divestment was put to a vote on Tuesday, March 3. The resolution passed with strong support, with 85.39 percent of voters voting “yes.” More than half of the student body voted on the resolution, with 849 total votes, or a 55.6 percent turnout. According to sophomore ASWC Sustainability Director Dani Hupper, the text of the referendum is nearly identical to that of the faculty resolution passed in January. The bulk of the work went into the preparing the Faculty Resolution, a process that involved interviewing more than 60 faculty members. “A lot of the work got done late October, November, and then we finished over [semester] break,” said senior Henry Allen, a member of the Divest Whitman campaign who was closely involved in writing the resolution. Following the nearly unanimous passage of the faculty resolution, ASWC planned this student referendum as an opportunity for students to demonstrate their support of the faculty’s decision. “We felt like the faculty resolution so well represented our beliefs on divestment and what we called for,” said Hupper. “All we’re doing [now] is calling for the students to vote on the same
thing. That gives it more weight.” To create the referendum, divestment supporters first had to gather signatures from 150 students, as required by ASWC bylaws. In less than two weeks, supporters gathered 263 signatures, more than enough to require ASWC to hold the vote.
Divestment supporters used many forms of media to reach out to potential voters. Emails listing reasons to support divestment were sent over many list-servs, posters in support of divestment were placed around campus and supporters performed in Prentiss Dining Hall on the day of the referen-
dum, encouraging students to vote “yes.” ASWC also helped promote turnout, reminding students to vote with emails and fliers. Last spring, the Student Referendum process was used for the first time in recent memory, and although two referendums
A&E
Sports
Opinion
News
Columnist Emma Dahl gives her insight on the newly released indie albums that best reflect springtime mood and emotions.
Despite a rocky start in the first tournament of the season, The Sweets look forward to developing new talents on the field.
Jose Guerrero Coronado examines a harmful trend of Chinese corporations gaining footholds in Latin America.
Footage of last week’s vigil for the shootings in Pasco and Chapel Hill. Watch online at:
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vimeo.com/whitmanpioneer
Supporters perform in Prentiss Dining Hall to promote an ASWC Student Referendum in favor of divestment from fossil fuels. The referendum passed on March 3 with 85.39 percent of 849 total votes. Photo by Kelly
see DIVESTMENT, page 2