Whitman Pioneer Fall 2012 Issue 11

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Issue 11 | November 15, 2012 | Whitman news since 1896

Students deploy letters to thank troops Letters of Gratitude gives soldiers support from afar

by Emily lin-jones News Editor

by EMILY LIN-JONES

H

News Editor

urricane Sandy interrupted everyday life for many people, including Whitman students, when the storm tore through the eastern United States two weeks ago.

“I remember talking to my mom on her cell phone that night and she said it sounded like a freight train outside,” said Hensley Fradkin, a senior from Westchester County in New York.

Sandy, the largest recorded Atlantic hurricane to date, made landfall in New Jersey on Oct. 29.

Its 13-foot storm surge and galeforce winds hit New York City on the same day, to devastating effect.

“A lot of the old trees came down, a lot of cars were destroyed and houses had trees on them; two or three blocks from my house, a couple walking their dog got crushed by a tree. My family was pretty affected by that,” said senior David McGaughey from Brooklyn, N.Y. Sandy, surpassed in cost only

by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, caused an estimated $52 billion in property damage and killed at least 193 people in the United States and the Caribbean. Though it dissipated over Pennsylvania on Oct. 31, power outages, flooding and supply shortages persist in many areas.

“My house in Westchester [County] was seriously affected. We have two big pine trees in my backyard that fell on our garage,” said Fradkin. “The trees haven’t been cleared yet, because there’s so many trees down in the neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods they just can’t get to them all yet.”

In New York City, some have compared the extent of the damage and its effect on the population’s morale to the aftermath of 9/11. Flooded streets and shortages of gas, food, water and electricity have continued to plague many neighborhoods for days after the storm’s impact.

“As far as the city itself, it’s definitely terrible, unbelievably terrible. People do not realize how bad it is,” said McGaughey. “Life stopped in a city that never stops.”

S

enior Lea Baker wrote a letter to her boyfriend going through U.S. Army basic training every day of her freshman year. When he couldn’t receive mail, she wrote to other soldiers deployed overseas—and enlisted fellow Whitman students to help.

“The first year I did Letters of Gratitude it was kind of like a selfish act; it was like, I can’t write letters to him so I’m going to write letters to troops overseas,” said Baker, who started the project her sophomore year.

With help from members of Kappa Alpha Theta, Baker is tabling in Reid every day through Nov. 16, inviting Whitties to pen a letter or two to a soldier stationed abroad.

Baker runs Letters of Gratitude through Opera- Andrea Hortion Gratitude, a wege ‘15 [top right] and national nonprof- Emily Grossit that sends an apmann ‘16 proximate 100,000 write letters to soldiers. care packages a year to troops sta- Photo by Felt tioned overseas.

Letters aren’t addressed to specific individuals but are distributed by the organization to where they’re needed. Letter writers are encouraged to include their email or mailing address for continued correspondence.

“The military has a good amount of guys straight out of high school, so it means a lot to them to get care packages and letters,” said Baker.

Baker says her ultimate goal is to bring in at least 500 letters, a goal she’s come closer to reaching each year.

see LETTERS, page 3

Students seek representation on Board of Trustees

by RACHEL ALEXANDER Editor-in-Chief

T

he 15 members of Whitman’s Board of Trustees have the power to set tuition, hire and fire the president and guide long-term policy for the college.

In spite of the influence they wield on campus, most students have relatively little knowledge about what actually occurs at Trustee and committee meetings, something this year’s ASWC administration is hoping to change.

Trustees, along with members of the Board of Overseers, were on campus last week to discuss everything from campus diversity to the ongoing capital campaign to increase Whitman’s endowment. Student representatives sit on four of the ten Governing Boards committees—diversity, student life, academic affairs and enrollment—and also have influence in the budget committee via the campus budget advisory committee.

“The trustees decide which committees would benefit most from student involvement and participation,” said President Bridges in an email.

Student representatives apply for their positions and are nominated and appointed through ASWC. In addition, the ASWC President and Vice President are able to attend meetings and deliver remarks to the Board of Trustees.

“My role as student body president is to represent the students to the best of my ability,” said ASWC President Kayvon Behroozian. “We’re given a lot of access, so we try to take [advantage] of that whenever possible.”

Behroozian and Tim Reed, ASWC’s oversight chair and the student representative to the academic affairs committee, both felt that the college’s Trustees value student input and perspectives.

“I was surprised by how receptive the Trustees were to student input. It bodes well for the future,” said Reed. see TRUSTEES, page 6

East coast students react to Sandy’s impact and aftermath

see HURRICANE, page 2

Boxing club comes out swinging

by KYLE HOWE Staff Reporter

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hitman students are resourceful in finding a variety of ways to stay fit and have fun at the same time, which has led a small group of Whitties to the sport of boxing.

The students go to Zap Boxing Club and Youth Center downtown at 927 W Alder Street.

Here the students train with Ramon Zamora, a popular figure in the local community and former golden gloves champion.

Nowadays a small group of students attends the boxing club regularly. “[The group is] just a couple of Whitman students who come with me. Less than seven go consistently,” said junior Eli Lewis. “The gym is not associated with Whitman at all. There is a boxing ring there and a bunch of punching bags and other boxing equipment.”

Most of the students started going to the gym for a new way to stay in shape and to replace other sports.

“I used to play rugby and I

quit because I kept on getting injured because it is a pretty rough sport. So I was looking for something a little safer,” said Lewis.

“Rugby is a good release of energy [and] boxing is similar, but boxing is a little safer than rugby.”

Zamora teaches boxing to both skilled and beginning adults as well as children. He has five children of his own as well as foster children.

“Ramon, the guy who runs it, is amazing. He is always smiling and encouraging you. It is great,” said Lewis. “He is the ringleader of the club, and every day there [are] eight to 25 people, and he will take people individually and spar with them. He runs the gym so he brings in people who have never boxed before, and he gives the experts little tips as well.”

Zamora is well known throughout the Walla Walla community and is starting to become a more recognized name on the Whitman campus.

A few years ago in the mornings, some Whitman professors would practice boxing at the gym with Zamora, and these professors got the nicknamed The Breakfast Club.

see BOXING, page 5

Nevin Schaefer ‘16 (left), Eli Lewis ‘14 and Joel Senecal ‘14 take a break from training at Zap Boxing Club, where they hone their boxing skills. Photos by Bowersox

NEWS

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Nov

15 2012

Students question music deparment hiring process

by SARAH CORNETT Staff Reporter

I

n the past three years, the Whitman music department has undergone monumental shifts in its faculty, both tenure-track and temporary. After a recent decision to not rehire highly esteemed piano specialist Melissa Loehnig, some music students are questioning the policies of the administration and the nature of the tenure track at Whitman.

“In the music department, we have five tenure-track positions. Four of those people left within a two-year time period. We have three full-time non-tenure-track positions, and one of them left, while another took a maternity leave for a year in the same time frame,” said Susan Pickett, the chair of the music department. “This is a huge amount of turnover.”

Three years ago, multiple tenured professors retired, giving the music department little time to find temporary replacements.

From 2009 to 2011, the department lost Dr. Robert Bode, a tenured choral director; Lee Thompson in piano; David Glenn in jazz; Edward Dixon in cello and music history; and Pete Crawford, the director of the Wind Ensemble.

Faced with the dilemma of hiring new faculty in a short amount of time, the department hired nontenured faculty in the form of visiting assistant professors and lecturers. Among these hires was Dr. Loehnig, a current piano instructor and teacher in the department.

Highly regarded by her students, Dr. Loehnig was recently informed that she would not be rehired for her current position in the coming year, though it is becoming tenure tracked.

Several of her students were surprised and upset by the news.

“The news was shocking. I was confused and sad for Dr. Loehnig,” said sophomore Cheney Doane, a piano performance major. “I recently declared to be a piano major, and a change in teacher is a big deal. She was one of the reasons I declared.”

Though Loehnig is a visiting professor, the position she currently holds has been tenure tracked in the past.

“When a professor retires from a tenure-track position, it is not assumed that the tenure track will be retained by the department.

You go through a vetting process, in the meantime hiring temporary

faculty while the various administrative bodies sort out [whether] the department will retain the tenure-track positions,” said Pickett.

Loehnig was one of these hires. After the college granted the tenure-tracked position back to the department, a hiring process began in which Loehnig was considered equally among the dozens of applicants.

“The hiring process began in August, when we advertised on the most prominent listservs for collegiate jobs,” said Pickett. “We are going through those applicants and will bring a pool to campus in December to interview and make final decisions.”

Loehnig was not chosen to be in this final pool. A committee comprised of music faculty and other faculty members made the final decisions in selecting the small group of finalists.

Doane is a member of the small student committee also playing a role in the process.

“I’m really pleased to see what the process is like,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m happy, but I definitely want to have a voice. If I have an opinion, I won’t be afraid to let Dr. Pickett and the committee know.”

Still, students are upset that Loehnig is not being considered more seriously to retain the position she now holds.

Many expect that her lack of experience was the primary factor, as she is competing with over 50 applicants from around the world, according to Pickett.

“There’s no stability in the department right now,” said junior Kristi Von Handorf, a previous student of Loehnig’s. “Students are definitely upset right now.”

According to some music students, the situation with Loehnig isn’t unprecedented.

“The exact same thing happened with Dr. [Jeremy] Mims last year,” said Von Handorf.

Though Mims is teaching this year, he was not chosen to be rehired for the following year, much like Loehnig. Last year students raised concerns over Mims’ case as an example of the perceived lack of student input into tenure and hiring decisions and the overall direction of the music department.

Though the past few weeks have yielded some unexpected developments in the music department, Loehnig said she understands the hiring process to be fair.

“I would expect nothing more than to be treated as any

In the wake of recent hiring decisions, students in the music department have shown concern about the direction the music department is taking and the degree to which student input is valued regarding tenure and curriculum. Photo by Bernstein

other candidate for this position. I don’t know the details, but I do know that I was given equal consideration. It just turned out that they were looking for something I didn’t have or couldn’t offer,” she said in an email. “While there are a lot of changes happening right now, I think once the dust settles, the students will adapt.

It just seems overwhelming to them because all of these changes are happening at one time.”

Though some of Loehnig’s students are deeply upset by the music department’s recent decisions, they know they had a wonderful experience with Loehnig, albeit shorter than many wanted it to be.

“She is fabulous and so dedicated to her students,” said Von Handorf.

“She really cared about us.”

Loehnig’s students said her encouragement enabled them to grasp their full potential.

“She really inspired me,” said Doane. “She still makes it fun to practice two hours a day.”

Students shaken up in aftermath of Sandy from HURRICANE, page 1

Though the storm caused severe damage, it has also raised a topic in the national discussion that some feel took a back seat during this election cycle.

“A lot of people who either didn’t think climate change was happening or didn’t think it was caused by humans, now are either thinking about it or have changed their minds. Sandy was very important as a wake-up call,” said Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies Bob Carson.

According to McGaughey, the attitude of many NYC residents toward climate-related disasters has shifted.

“No city is disaster-proof, and disasters are

“A lot of people have reached out and [said] ‘Hope your family’s safe’ and asked me about stuff, which is good,” said sophomore Peter O’Rourke, also from Westchester County.

Still, students said, distance can make mentally handling the disaster even harder.

“It’s made ILLUSTRATION BY RAIBLE me feel a little alienatnot go- ed from the place where I grew ing to be up, seeing a lot of people on Fadecreasing,” he cebook talking about [Sandy],” said. said O’Rourke. “It’s kind of Support weird being 3,000 miles away from the Whit- and not being able to relate.” man community has McGaughey agreed, noting been helpful to some that the low population of east students expe- coast-based students at Whitman riencing the effects of can contribute to the isolation.

Sandy from afar.

“It’s very easy to get caught in

the moment here, so far away. I’ve never felt as far away from home as I did this week. Here it’s not even a conversation,” he said. “It’s really kind of a lonely place to be.”

With regular flight schedules resumed, most east coast students can expect to be able to make it home for the holidays, but some are apprehensive about what they’ll find there.

“I’m kind of scared to go

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back home for Thanksgiving,” said Fradkin. “Things are definitely going to look different.”

Others, like McGaughey, say they’re prepared to experience the remaining effects of Sandy along with their fellow New Yorkers.

“I’m really excited go home and see,” said McGaughey. “[I’m excited] to go to Coney Island and places on the shore that I value and see what they’re like.”

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The Whitman College Pioneer is a weekly student-run newspaper published under the auspices of the Associated Students of Whitman College. The purpose of The Pioneer is to provide pertinent, timely news and commentary for Whitman students, alumni, faculty, staff and parents, as well as the Walla Walla community. The Pioneer is dedicated to expanding open discussion on campus about the issues with which students are most concerned. We provide coverage of Whitman-related news as well as featured local and regional events, and strive to maintain a standard of utmost fairness, quality, and journalistic integrity while promoting freedom of the press. In addition, The Pioneer strives to be a learning tool for students who are interested in journalism. The Pioneer welcomes all feedback and publishes Letters to the Editor in print and online.

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The

NEWS Senior fund prepares students to give back after graduation

Nov

15 2012

by LACHLAN JOHNSON Staff Reporter

ILLUSTRATION BY PETERSON

Model U.N. learns through first competition in Seattle

by DANIEL KIM

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Staff Reporter

very semester, Whitman’s Model United Nations goes to one conference where Model U.N. clubs from different schools come together to simulate the process of coming to agreements in hopes of solving current issues. On Friday, Nov. 16, the Model U.N. club will be attending a Northwest Model U.N. conference in Seattle.

“It’s called Northwest Model United Nations and they hold it every year in November in Seattle, Washington. It’s put on by the University of Washington and it’s our second time going.

We’re bringing mostly freshmen with us, and so its a really good learning opportunity for them.

University of Washington is really good at teaching people how to debate and learn the procedure,” said junior Jane Carmody.

The Model U.N. club learns about current events and goes to conferences where different committees representing different countries try to come up with a diplomatic agreement to solve a given problem. At these conferences, the procedures follow a structure similar to that of United Nations procedures.

Basically, everyone is in parliamentary procedure, talking with other delegates from different nations to try and come to terms for a resolution.

“There are usually two topics that are ... on the agenda, and usually we go only through one of the topics because the procedure takes a long time. In this procedure, people are supposed to act like their country, and so it’s not your personal view on the subject, but your country’s views on the matter,” said junior Anne Gaskins.

There are different levels of competition between conferences. The conference held by University of Washington is on the beginner’s end, held to teach participants. However, there are a few on the east coast which only more experienced teams attend, so the club picks only a handful of experienced members since the conference will not slow down to teach the process.

However, going to any one of these conferences is no walk in the park. The club teaches its members the United Nations’ terms and procedures that the real U.N. members use to discuss current problems around the world so that at the conference, people are not lost as to what to do.

“Each day, Anne and I have a particular topic we want to talk about. It’s either one day we go over parliamentary procedure, how debate works; the next day we’ll go over what a resolution is and how to write up a resolution. Every member has to write a position paper, so we have gone over how to write those and how to research for those.

Then next week, we’re going to have a mock debate so that we can practice their parliamentary procedure and resolution writing skills before we go to the conference,” said Carmody.

Events and clubs like Model U.N. help students not only learn how to work well with others to come up with an agreement or resolution, but they also help students become great communicators and thinkers.

“It’s taught me how to examine and communicate [and] contribute to the discussion.

Rather than adding to discussions points that have already been said, it has helped [me] to analyze the discussion and keep contributing to move forward,” said sophomore Nate Higby. “Because there are a few hundred people at these conferences, you can’t have everybody repeating the same thing over and over. It also helps you to work well with others and forces [you] to have to find a middle and come to an agreement, meeting both stances.”

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hitman’s senior fund committee has collected $8,500 from their fellow seniors to fund scholarships for future Whitman students, and is on track to break the senior fundraising record of $12,000 set by last year’s graduating class.

The committee, composed entirely of seniors, has already received donations from 30 percent of the senior class and hopes to expand participation to 50 percent by the end of the semester. The fund will be added to the endowment formed by previous years’ gifts, a portion of which will be given to the Office of Financial Aid at the end of the year to fund student scholarships.

“Right now students are getting about $8,000 a year from past students, but if the current pace is kept, then in about eight years it will be a full ride, given to students by students,” said senior fund committee member Devin Kuh. Last year a concerted effort by seniors, faculty, parents and alumni raised over $75,000 to transform the senior fund into an endowment.

The endowment provides money for scholarships through interest, adding annual donations to grow the main balance and increase funding for the next year.

Previously, each year’s funding went directly to the Office of Financial Aid and the account started over at zero dollars the next year.

Whitman’s senior fund was not always directed at scholar-

ships. Previously, the senior fund committee decided on a project around campus and used the money it raised to see the project completed. In 2008 the senior fund’s goal shifted toward providing aid to future students.

“The idea is to prepare the seniors to be Whitman alumni. We want to treat them the way we treat Whitman alumni. We want them to give because they believe in the college and they want to pay it forward, and that’s done by making gifts to the college, to the annual fund, to scholarships,

So far an estimated 30 percent of seniors have contributed to the fund, compared to 52 percent participation by last year’s seniors at the end of the year. The senior fund committee hopes to boost participation past 50 percent by the end of the semester, though it also recognizes that not everyone is able to contribute.

“I think everyone has different [reasons] for or for not donating. I would say the biggest barrier is people feeling they’re not financially able to donate, and I feel that’s very much a fair way of looking at it,” said senior fund committee member Dana Fong. “We just try to tell people that it’s for a good cause, any little amount will help.”

Along with managing the senior fund, the committee works to organize countdown parties for seniors.

While the only one this semester has been the 200 day countdown party, next semester will see a string of events ILLUSTRATION BY PETERSON in the days and months to specific departments, as op- l e a d - ing up to graduation. posed to having a bench in their “One aspect of [being part of name,” said Annual Giving Pro- the fund] is senior parties and sengram Officer Brenda Michels. ior events, just that camaraderie A major source of donations and trying to build that back,” said comes from the $300 deposit all senior fund committee chair Chris students pay upon accepting ad- Andrews. “When you come in as mission at Whitman. This mon- a freshman you get really tight as ey is held by the college for all a group, and then as a sophomore four years of a student’s career you start to divide into majors, and and is returned upon graduation junior year you go abroad. And should the student have no out- then senior year everyone’s back standing debts to the college. The again, and it’s that idea of getting senior fund committee encourag- people to enjoy their senior year es seniors to pledge at least a por- with that whole cohesive class unit tion of their deposit to the fund. before we go our separate ways.”

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NUMBERS

IN THE NEWS

by EMILY LIN-JONES News Editor

68,000

U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan as of Sept. 30, 2012 SOURCE: brookings

13

Months until the scheduled withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan begins in 2014 SOURCE: new york times

8

People killed by Israel’s air strikes on Gaza on Wednesday, Nov. 14

SOURCE: al jazeera

60

People wounded in Gaza air strikes, according to Hamas’ Ministry of Health SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

20

Rockets fired into Israel by Hamas as retaliation for the killing of Hamas military chief Ahmad Jabari SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

30 million

Dollars in U.S. humanitarian aid for Syrian civilians announced

by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday, Nov. 14 SOURCE: new york times

155

People found dead across Syria after fighting began on Sunday, Nov. 11 SOURCE: Cnn

400,000

People who have been displaced in Syria since the civil conflict began in March 2011.

SOURCE: CNN

Students pen letters to U.S. soldiers for Letters of Gratitude, a program run by Lea Baker ‘13 through California-based nonprofit Operation Gratitude. Photo by Felt

Theta encourages students to pen ‘Letters of Gratitude’ to troops from LETTERS, page 1

According to Baker, the Whitman community has been supportive of her endeavor, evidenced by the increasing number of letters written in each successive year. Some have approached her with stories of their own connections to the military.

“Every now and then someone will approach me and mention that they have a family member [in the military], or a family member who was in the military,” said Baker, adding that meeting such people has been relatively rare at Whitman. “The military doesn’t have a strong presence at Whitman, but be-

ing that Whitman is so aware of politics and national events, having Letters of Gratitude is relevant for the most part.”

In addition to support, she’s also received questions and concerns over the years. Some have declined to write letters for personal reasons, though nothing negative has been said about the campaign itself.

“I will have people kind of ask me about it, talk to me ... Most people are pretty receptive,” she said. “I have had a couple people who were like, I really don’t want to write a letter to a soldier. It’s never offensive or anything, and it’s only happened once or twice.”

Operation Gratitude is an apolitical organization that discourages any mention of politics or controversy in the letters it sends to soldiers. For the most part, says Baker, politics are a non-issue for the project and students are happy to participate no matter their personal beliefs.

“Regardless of your political affiliation or how you feel about the war, it’s important to support our troops,” said sophomore participant Maria Ptucha.

Students who come from a tradition of supporting the military have been grateful to find a way to continue that at Whitman.

“This has actually been really important to me for a long time,” said first-year Emily Grossmann, who recalled visiting the Air Force base in Spokane and sending care packages with her Girl Scout troop.

Baker solicited help from all corners of the community, from Whitties studying abroad to local

elementary school students. As in past years, letter-writing parties were held around campus— one in Prentiss Hall on Monday, Nov. 12, and one on Tuesday, Nov. 13 in Tamarac House.

Though she’s graduating this year, Baker hopes that Letters of Gratitude will continue to happen annually, especially given its increased participation this year.

“I’m really hoping it will become an annual thing that Theta will take over,” she said.

“This is definitely the biggest year so far. I’m really hoping we’ll hit our goal.”

Corrections to Issue 10 In “ASWC Minutes” on page 3 of Issue 10, it should have been reported that ASWC President Kayvon Behroozian vetoed an act that would mandate a race symposium because the act did not specify that the event should be yearly.

ASWC MINUTES 11/11 Approved request by Whitman Christian Fellowship for $3000 to send 14 people to Urbana Student Missions conference in Missouri, 17-0-2 Approved request by Devin Kuh for $937 to fund ski bus, 17-0-2 Recognized four student members nominated to newly created Bon Appétit Committee, tasked with communicating student needs to Bon Appétit, 17-0-2

Students write letters to U.S. military personnel during lunches in the Reid foyer.

This year, organizer Lea Baker ‘13 hopes to send 500 letters to troops. Photo by Felt

Passed bylaw amendment allowing ASWC or WEB members to use ASWC funds for purchase of advertising/promotional items with approval from Finance Committee, 14-2-3

15 A&E Visiting writer Matt Bondurant offers advice, sheds light on Hollywood Nov

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by Mallory Martin Staff Reporter

O

n Thursday, Nov. 8, the Whitman Visiting Writers Reading Series continued with a visit from novelist Matt Bondurant, who read from his latest novel, “The Night Swimmer.”

Currently a professor of creative writing at the University of Texas at Dallas, Bondurant is the author of three best-selling novels: “The Third Translation,” “The Night Swimmer” and “The Wettest County in the World,” the latter of which was adapted into the summer big-screen hit “Lawless.” He has also written numerous short stories and is currently working on a fourth novel to be published next year.

Bondurant was happy and eager to share personal advice with the students in attendance. He emphasized the importance of revision, offer-

2012

ing stories of his own struggles with “trimming the fat.”

“I think I have 16 or 17 versions of ‘Night Swimmer,’” said Bondurant. “I had a year. I would print it out and read it aloud to myself in a private room ... I’m a firm believer that a first draft should be a great sprawling thing: anything you want. But then you cut it down. Start big and then revise.”

Bondurant was also very open about his creative writing process, suggesting a unique tactic to get the ball rolling.

“It’s all about moments in time. That’s what poets attempt to do, to capture a moment, and I think fiction writers are the same. A woman coming out of the water or a man poring over artifacts in the bowels of a museum, you just follow the image,” said Bondurant. “Too often, I think, young writers come to me with an idea, something they want

to write about like gene splicing of animals or bioengineering, and I tell them, the meaning will come. It will be there. It will make sense. But start with an image, meaning comes after.”

On his short time working with Hollywood, he was gracious, if a little cynical.

“It was an amazing experience. I’m lucky Nick Cave and John Hillcoat were interested in my opinion and let me be involved in the process as much as they did,” he said.

“But it gets in your head. You think, ‘could I write another?’ and ‘can I do that again?’

It’s going to take some time before I don’t have that looming over my writing. I’m trying to get away from that right now.”

The next installment of the series will feature novelist and Adjunct Assistant Professor of General Studies Johanna Stoberock on Thursday, Jan. 31.

Along with reading from his novel “The Night Swimmer,” writer Matt Bondurant discussed his writing process and his experience in Hollywood. Photos by Mellema

PIO PICKS Each Thursday, The Pioneer highlights several events happening on campus or in Walla Walla during the weekend.

Here are this week’s picks: Walla Walla Symphony: Family Concert and Foodraiser The Walla Walla Symphony will perform Sarasate’s “Zigeunerweisen” and Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf.”

Admission is free with a nonperishable food item.

Thursday, Nov. 15, 7:00 p.m. in Cordiner Hall

Tai Chi at the Park Still on campus over break? Pay Pioneer Park a visit on Sunday morning for some refreshing Tai Chi. Sunday, Nov. 18, 10:00 a.m. in Pioneer Park

Annual Thanksgiving Day Workout If you’re feeling particularly motivated on Thanksgiving, head over to the BFFC with canned food and warm winter clothing to donate to Helpline. (You don’t have to work out to donate!)

Thursday, Nov. 22, 6:00 a.m. at the Baker Ferguson Fitness Center

Fall Wind Ensemble Concert Once we settle back on campus, let the Wind Ensemble serenade you under the direction of Garry Gemberling.

Wednesday, Nov. 28, 7:30 p.m. in Chism Hall

As winter approaches, Whitties use hats to keep warm and make a fashion statement. For the full slideshow, visit whitmanpioneer.com/arts. Photos by McCormick

Style spotlight

Sophomore Dylan Martin: [I got my hat at] Goodwill, aquí. I’m a big fan of finding quirky things to put on my head and the rest of my body, so I figured I would just look for a cool winter hat, and lo and behold, I done did find it.

Style Soundbites:

First-year Gibson Collins: This hat, my cousin Nick Griffin, who graduated two years ago, sent to me in the mail ... I don’t know who knit it, maybe his girlfriend. It’s super warm, and it’s kind of falling apart, but I’m enjoying it!

Sophomore Zane MacPhee: This hat represents my connection to home, and my love for baseball, and my love for the Dodgers.

First-year Esalee Andrade: My RA actually made my hat for me.

She taught me how to crochet, so she made a hat for me, just for me, to show her love.

Every week, The Pioneer searches out Whitties who bring an extra splash of fashion consciousness and sartorial daring to campus. This week’s style spotlight: Students show off their hats.

‘Skyfall’ restores James ‘Going Bovine’ by Bond to former glory Libba Bray

by Nathan Fisher Staff Reporter

T

his year marks the historic 50year anniversary of the James Bond franchise (remember Sean Connery in the 1962 classic “Dr. No”?). Not surprisingly, I had no problem convincing six carloads of friends to attend the midnight premiere of “Skyfall,” the 23rd Bond movie, starring Daniel Craig. And we were certainly not disappointed!

“Skyfall” takes James Bond (Daniel Craig), the studly British

spy, around the world, dresses him in sleek suits, and then throws hot women, unforeseen evil and racing trains in his path, pushing our hero to and beyond his breaking point. After being shot off a train, Bond is presumed dead but is alive and enjoying a life in retirement lubricated with alcohol (sacrilegiously Heineken, iced; not a martini, shaken). When M (the classy and amazing Judi Dench), the matriarch of M-16 and Bond’s boss, is being tormented by her past, she looks to Agent 007 for help. After seeing an explosion in England

ILLUSTRATION BY Jones

on the news, Bond “returns from the dead” and tries to help M by resuming his life as Agent 007. With a slight alcohol problem (thankfully, back to martinis) and having lost his edge as a trained killer, Bond travels the world, tries to recover his mojo, and defies death in his mission to protect England and M. Thankfully, “Skyfall” does not make the same mistakes as the villain-less and unsatisfying “Quantum of Solace,” and showcases a Bondworthy archenemy, Silva (Javier Bardem), who torments M and 007. Bardem is key to the success of “Skyfall” because he fully embodies his creepy, weird villain role and simply oozes insane evil. Intense action and a high body count follow in Silva and Bond’s wake. “Skyfall” again departs from recent 007 movies and highlights old standards from past Bond movies, including the gadget-filled Aston Martin (I want one!) and writing pen bombs. Having Q (Ben Whishaw) back to work in the gadget and computer department is a welcome infusion of lighthearted humor. Daniel Craig still plays his version of James Bond, but “Skyfall” seems to make a conscious attempt to lighten up and show a more human side of the world’s top super-spy.

All in all, the great cast (including a much-needed villain), the intense action and the beautiful scenery combine to make “Skyfall” one of the best Bond movies of all time. A movie night with martinis, “Dr. No” and “Skyfall” would be simply awesome!

by Dana Thompson Staff Reporter

O

ccasionally the serious reader needs to take a detour into crazy town, and Libba Bray’s “Going Bovine” is headed straight there.

A freaky, weird and darkly humorous reading experience, “Going Bovine” is the story of Cameron Smith, a record store employee who is surprised one day to have hallucinations as a result of what he believes to be a bad trip. The continuation of these hallucinations combined with multiple trips to drug counselors convinces Cam that something else might be up, and a trip to the hospital reveals the impossible: Cam has contracted mad cow disease.

Bedridden, Cam is visited by his fractured family and by increasingly weirder other entities, like Dulcie the punkrock angel. She is literally an angel; she’s got wings and everything. In addition to Dulcie is Grover, a gay, videogame-playing dwarf who accompanies Cam on adventures across the country to Disney World and beyond.

They search for the elusive Dr. X—the only one who can save Cam’s life—and make friends with the Norse god Balder, who has been imprisoned by the trickster Loki inside a garden gnome.

Occasionally flashing back

to Cam’s bed in the hospital, “Going Bovine” is just surreal enough to be utterly captivating.

I was not expecting it to be as weird as it is when I read it; one can only hope that a book with a golden seal on the front cover is going to be good. And, after I got over my initial shock at the utterly ridiculous plot, I found myself completely spellbound. I also found myself convinced that I, too, was suffering from mad cow disease, but that was just a complication of being a very impressionable hypochondriac.

To anyone eager for a reading experience that finally deviates from the norm, I recommend taking a look at the unbridled strangeness that unfolds within the pages of “Going Bovine.” Bray, unbelievably, is able to make the reader care intensely about the fates of these insane characters that may or may not actually be real. Balder’s nobility, Dulcie’s rebelliousness and Gonzo’s journey of selfworth convey the most bizarre but real pathos. That, I think, is the real draw here: the novel’s ability to find truth in fantasy, seriousness in absurdity.

And, although the ending leaves no doubt of what has happened, the fantasy clings to the reader in a most tantalizing way. Rarely have I been caught so unawares as I was when reading “Going Bovine.”

Nov

SPORTS

PAGE

5 Three former Whitman athletes globetrot into world of professional basketball 15 2012

by TRISTAN GAVIN Staff Reporter

T

he National Collegiate Athletic Association advertises the fact that most student athletes go pro in something other than sports. At Whitman, a small NCAA Division III school, the number of students whose athletic careers end with graduation is even higher.

For three Whitman graduates last spring, however, that has not been the case. Juan Pablo “JP” Alvarez, David Michaels and Jenele Peterson have all capitalized on the opportunity to do something very few Whitman athletes do: play professionally. After graduation, the trio of basketball players dispersed to other parts of the world to report to their teams and prepare for an-

other year of the sport they love.

For Peterson, this meant uprooting and moving across the Atlantic to play for Goettingen, a club that plays out of central Germany. She may not have envisioned playing in the Basketball Bundesliga competing for the German Cup, but playing professional basketball has been a longtime goal.

“Playing professional basketball overseas is an opportunity that I am very thankful for ... Signing a professional contract has been a long-term goal of mine from when I was very young,” said Peterson in an email.

Adjusting to life in Germany has been a difficult job for Peterson, who came in not knowing the language. In many ways, Whitman has prepared her for the cultural immersion. Like at

Whitman, Peterson is balancing sports and learning, taking intensive German courses every day before practice. The difference is that now basketball is a full-time job requiring two practices and a workout every day.

“Knowing that this is my job and no longer an extracurricular activity that I do for fun is an amazing feeling. Because it is your job, you are held to very high performance expectations every single day,” Peterson said of the transition to professional sports.

For Alvarez, continuing his basketball career meant a return home to the country he grew up in. Alvarez signed with Importadora Alvarado of Ecuador last winter before finishing up at Whitman and has already won a national championship with the team. Alvarez is currently

After four years wearing the Whitman jersey, standout players David Michaels (above), Jenele Peterson (right) and JP Alvarez ‘12 have ventured abroad to turn their collegiate athletic experiences into professional careers. Photos by McCormick

weighing out his options on signing a new contract this winter.

“I had a pretty good season which helped me out to get noticed a lot more and as of right now I have a bunch of offers to continue my basketball career,” said Alvarez in an email.

The opportunity to play is not something Alvarez takes for granted, though.

“I think I am very lucky to be able to play the sport that I love and get paid to do it,” said Alvarez, who remains humble and has not overlooked the process that got him to where he is today.

“Having spent four years in Whitman was crucial for me being able to get to where I am now. Whitman prepared me for the hardships of the court as well as life in general. I owe a lot to all the coaching staff at Whitman and the school’s athletics program.”

Michaels, Alvarez’s former teammate, is arguably the most talented basketball player to come out of Whitman. After a Northwest Conference MVP award and All-American honors in 2012, Michaels established himself amongst the ranks of some of the nation’s top players and ensured the continuation of his already illustrious career by signing with Holland’s Leewarden.

Even for Michaels, who last spring played with many of the nation’s best Division I athletes at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in front of NBA scouts, the experience of playing professionally is surreal.

“Professional basketball is something that I have dreamed about for a long time but never seriously considered until a couple years ago,” said Michaels in an email.

Michaels attributes a great deal of his success to head coach Eric Bridgeland.

“Whitman College is blessed to have [Bridgeland] ... because he is the type of leader that everyone aspires to become,” said Michaels.

What the future holds for the talented Michaels is up

Whitties duke it out in boxing ring from BOXING, page 1

“Everybody knows Ramon. He is a big figure in the social community,” said junior Riley Patterson.

The Boxing Club is also a youth center, which attracts much of Walla Walla’s youth.

There are even boxing lessons for children offered at the club.

“One concern of mine is that as word spreads about that boxing at that gym to Whitman, there could be a big flood of interest and it could be overwhelming. This has been primarily an opportunity for underprivileged minority kids in town to have a place to hang out and a social situation for them, so it being flooded by Whitman students would be pretty terrible,” said Lewis.

The environment at the club is very energetic and positive with a very strong positive attitude coming from Zamora and extending to everyone else.

“The club is loud, a little crowded, but definitely not relaxed,” said Patterson. “[The club] is very energetic. Ramon is very energetic and always happy,” said Lewis.

Zap Boxing Club has at-

tracted a wide variety of people from Walla Walla. “[The club] is a pretty safe environment; there are a lot of pretty tough guys there, so there are quite a few people with some gang tattoos and some pretty rough-looking folk. [Boxing] can be pretty intimidating,” said Lewis. “I personally have never been intimidated; they have all been really friendly and ... I have never felt threatened or out of place.”

As a whole, the club is a safe place full of friendly and helpful individuals.

“I have had a lot of people help me or explain things to me,” said Patterson. “[Ramon] barely emphasizes the power, but the technique and the speed.” “[Boxing] is fun. I think Ramon would really want to highlight how boxing is really misunderstood as a sport because it is widely seen as a brutal sport and less of a martial art. But in fact what he teaches is all about the balance footwork and the speed and agility of it,” said Lewis. “[Ramon] thinks it is useful for almost anyone to know, not just for fighting, but how to hold oneself.”

in the air, but for now he is pleased to be playing the sport he has dedicated so much to.

“There are a lot of differences [between playing in college and playing professionally] now that this is my job, but at the same time it is a job that I love doing.

So I am happy every day I have to go to work,” said Michaels.

While they might not have ended up where they expected, Michaels, Alvarez and Peterson have made a career of their sport. Their successes reflect their own dedication as well as the strength of Whitman’s athletics. They are living out childhood dreams but remain grounded in part because of their liberal arts education. Whitman athletics provides students with positive mentors, a strong sense of community, unique academic experience and, for its trio of professional basketball players, a window into success at the next level.

SCOR EBOAR D swimming

v. Lewis & Clark College Nov. 9 Men’s: W 156-43 Women’s: W 113-92 v. Pacific University Nov. 10 Men’s: W 138-65 Women’s: W 104-101

cross country NCAA DIII West Regionals Men’s 14th, Women’s 8th

upcoming Basketball

Men’s v. St. Thomas Nov. 15, 8 p.m.: HOME v. UC Riverside Nov. 17: AWAY v. Pacifica University Nov. 19: AWAY v. Bethesda University Nov. 21: AWAY Women’s v. Universit y of La Verne Nov. 16: AWAY v. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Nov. 17: AWAY

swimming

Northwest Invitational Nov. 17: HOME

Under the direction of boxer Ramon Zamora, Eli Lewis ‘14 (center) and other Whitties have been learning the sport of boxing for several months. Photos by Bowersox

Sports weekly factoid Last weekend Whitman men’s and women’s cross country teams finished their seasons at the NCAA DIII West Regionals with 14th and 8th place finishes, respectively. Senior Taylor Mesojednik set a new career-best time in his final collegiate race.

Dynamic duo leaves volleyball legacy

by PETER CLARK Staff Reporter

W

hat are the chances that two middle blockers from Anchorage, Alaska who have never met before both decide to come to Walla Walla, Wash. to attend Whitman College? Regardless of how low the chances are, the Whitman College volleyball team has been lucky to have both Courtney Brewer and Olivia Nielson the past four years.

In 2012, seniors Brewer and Nielson helped lead the Missionary defense to a #10 national ranking for blocks per set in Division III. Individually, Nielson was second in the nation for blocks per set in DIII with 1.40. In addition, Nielson garnered Second Team All-Northwest Conference honors, while Brewer received an Honorable Mention.

While all the accolades and achievements are undeniably nice, the relationship the two players have developed over the past four years has been the most valuable part of their collegiate volleyball experience. The close-knit relationship they have today, however, did not exist when the pair was playing

high school volleyball in Anchorage.

“We played against each other, we knew of each other, but we weren’t friends,” said Nielson.

“We went to rival high schools.

My senior year [Nielson’s team] won state, but the three years before that my team did, so we were always kind of butting heads,” said Brewer, who attended South Anchorage High School. Nielson attended rival A.J. Dimond High School, only seven miles away.

Luckily, Brewer and Nielson were able to leave their rivalry behind in Alaska when they made the transition to collegiate volleyball. As soon as they arrived on campus for preseason in 2009, the two began to mesh together partly because of free will, but also because they had no choice.

“We were kind of forced to be friends with the long preseason and everything. We always ate together and we were both in Jewett, so we spent a ton of time together,” said Nielson.

According to Brewer, even though they initially were coaxed into being teammates and friends, the healthy friendship they now enjoy did not take long to begin.

“We have a lot in common and from there it kind of evolved, and we became good friends from there on out,” said Brewer.

Fast-forward four years to the present and the Whitman volleyball team finds themselves fresh off an 11-12 overall record with a 9-7 conference record. This past season has been Whitman’s most successful volleyball team since 2007.

While Whitman’s stellar play in 2012 cannot be narrowed to one singular factor, head coach Matt Helm believes that much of the credit has to be attributed to the leadership that both Brewer and Nielson brought to the table.

“They are both so different, but such great volleyball players. Cori’s volleyball IQ and understanding of the game helped the team out while Olivia was a leader by example through her work ethic,” said Helm.

The success of this year can be appreciated even more because the previous three years have been so trying for the volleyball program. After being tabbed to finish in last place in the conference’s coach’s preseason poll, the Missionaries proved everyone wrong with a fourth place finish.

“We started to get our con-

fidence back.

It’s important to remember why you love the game,” said Brewer.

Nielson pointed out that it’s impossible not to recognize Helm as the primary jump-start that the program needed to get back on track.

“We had it in us all along, and Coach Helm was the one who really brought it out of us,” said Nielson.

Ideally, the successful sea-

son that Nielson and Brewer enjoyed this past year will mark the beginning of a winning tradition for years to come for the volleyball program. Nielson says she hopes that she and Brewer have demonstrated that dedication and persistence pay off in the long run.

“It’s about resiliency, mental toughness and sticking with it for four years,” said Nielson.

Olivia Nielson (left) and Courtney Brewer ‘13 turned a high school rivalry into a lifelong friendship when they came to Whitman to play college volleyball. Photo by Li

FEATURE

PAGE

6

nov

15 2012

Sizing up the Board of Trustees The Board of Trustees wields very specific powers that can greatly change the way Whitman College works—but who is on the Board, and how does it operate?

Students lack insight on Trustees combine ardor, governing boards’ actions

commitment to school

by Talia Rudee Staff Reporter

Y

ou’ve heard the name thrown around: the Board of Trustees—“The Board of Trustees is on campus this weekend,” or “Come to this networking event with the Board of Trustees”—but many Whitties have no idea what exactly this mysterious group is.

The Whitman College Board of Trustees is one of the two Governing Boards of the college, the other being the Board of Overseers. Currently, there are fifteen members on the Board of Trustees, twelve of which are Whitman graduates.

“We are trying to maintain balance as much as the college does,” said Peter van Oppen, the current chair of the Board of Trustees. “It is the quality of diversity that makes an education better. We don’t want everyone to look like everyone else in order to get different perspectives.”

The Trustees work with officers and the president of the college to help support and govern the college in certain areas, from diversity to student life to investment. They have a judiciary responsibility to the college, handling the legal assets as well as responsibilities appointed by the chair.

Van Oppen set three goals to reach his vision for successful governing at Whitman College: fostering financial strength, increasing communication and becoming more agile to cope with a high rate of change in education.

“Agility is hard for institutions that have been around for a long time, and increased communication [is] the only way we can change, mak[ing] sure everyone is engaged and talking,” he said.

The Board has one student representative serve on most committees and two faculty and staff members on each committee to get multiple perspectives from all aspects of the school.

“I have tried to foster increased and more frequent communication with faculty and students, and we think that’s extremely healthy with all of the changes in society,” said van Oppen.

Megan Medica, a Board member on the student life committee, tries to bridge the gap be-

tween students and the Trustees.

She keeps in touch with the student on her committee, frequently asking about school and how things are going. Medica was also able to interact more extensively with students at the networking event held last Wednesday.

“Although that meeting had a specific agenda, I spoke to about twenty students about a whole variety of things,” she said.

In addition, Medica’s committee interacts with ASWC. The ASWC president and vice president sit in on a committee meeting, give a presentation and have a lunchtime conversation. This gives the Trustees an opportunity to ask questions and interact in dialogue with engaged and involved students on campus.

“Students and faculty are very stimulating and interesting to work with,” said van Oppen.

The cooperative aspect is a large part of what makes serving on the Board of Trustees a worthwhile experience, even when the work is tedious.

“The job is sufficiently time-consuming where people wouldn’t want the job unless it was rewarding,” he said.

Medica admits to the rewards outweighing any negatives that may be at the surface of the job of serving on the Board, since it is a complete volunteer position.

“At first I was a little nervous about serving on the Board because I wanted to make sure I did a good job, because there is a lot of work involved,” she said.

But now, Medica loves serving on the Board and has not looked back on joining.

“I continue to learn things about the college,” she said. “Being a Trustee I have become even more proud of Whitman.”

The Board of Trustees proves its commitment to serving the school through hard work on a monthly—and sometimes weekly—basis. Before the Board meets formally, the members are sent a Board book, which contains a report from every one of its committees.

“Sometimes it may be action items, individual Trustees or things we just need to get acquainted with. Frankly, every month I am doing something for the college,” said Medica. “I feel like I invest a fair amount of time being a Trustee because

there are so many things affiliated with the position.”

The Board is given articles on anything from trends on high school students and where they are going to college to higher education programs in other colleges that Whitman admires.

The Office of Financial Aid and the Dean’s Office contribute to the readings sent to the Trustees so that they are well acquainted with Whitman College itself and with higher education as a whole. Various journals are recommended but Medica likes to stay in touch with Whitman and the realities of student life by reading The Pioneer.

Although the Board does put a fair amount of hours into serving on a governing authority of Whitman College, sometimes students overestimate the powers of the Board’s governance.

“We cannot unilaterally make decisions,” said van Oppen.

For example, last year, students wanted the Board to intervene and act on a tenure decision. The Board is able to encourage raising money for a particular curricular offering but the decision-making, however, is ultimately within the faculty.

“We will try to react to important issues,” said van Oppen. “But we are only one of the authorities on campus.”

The Board of Trustees does all in its power to help all aspects of the college as much as possible, and its members are all very committed to serving the school. They are a resource for the school just as much as they are fellow Whitties who love this school.

“I wanted to help give back something to the college because I very much valued my education and experience ... at Whitman,” said Medica.

Feature Fact

by Adam brayton Feature Editor

Students are given the opportunity to serve as representatives to certain Governing Board committees via an ASWC Nominations process. The following students currently sit on sessions of these committees: Brian Choe ‘14: Enrollment Committee David Fleming ‘14: Student Life Committee Tim Reed ‘15: Academic Affairs Committee Evan Griffis ‘15: Diversity Committee ILLUSTRATION BY JONES

from TRUSTEES, page 1

Still, there currently exist no formal mechanisms for student representatives to report back to the campus from Trustee meetings, nor for students to contact trustees to express opinions or voice concerns. Behroozian said that his administration is exploring a variety of options for better publicizing information about what’s discussed, including a monthly ASWC newsletter and better communication with The Pioneer.

“This is one of the first times we’ve made a concerted effort to bring information back to the students,” he said.

Behroozian attended the student life committee meeting, which had presentations from staff and students. Among others, Noah Leavitt spoke about the Student Engagement Center’s efforts to improve networking opportunities for students, and Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland spoke about the changes made to campus sexual assault practices in the wake of two Pioneer articles last spring on the topic.

Reed said that the academic affairs committee focused mostly on the merits of applying for a grant from the Mellon Foundation which would allow the college to convert some faculty positions to tenure-track. Campus diversity was another significant topic of discussion. According to Reed, the Governing Boards members agreed that there is a need to set a metric to define what diversity actually means on campus.

“The Trustees were interested in how to best allow diverse perspectives to be heard here on campus, and how to make sure the entire student body benefits from those perspectives,” he said.

Longer-term, Behroozian said he hopes to convince the college administration and Governing Boards to allow students to participate in Trustee meetings in some capacity, rather than only attending committee meetings.

He noted that seven of the 12 schools Whitman compares itself to when considering college policy have student representatives or Trustees who sit on their boards.

“You have to acknowledge and completely understand why the board is hesitant to allow students on there,” he said, citing the high turnover rate among students who are only at the school for four years, as well as concerns about confidentiality.

President Bridges said that while he didn’t feel a comparison to peer institutions on this issue would necessarily make good policy, he believes students should have some role in Trustee meetings.

“Relying heavily on what other schools do may not necessarily yield policies that align with our campus’ unique culture and context,” he said. “We should develop college policies and practices on the basis of whether they add value to our campus and its programs, not necessarily because other schools have them. Nevertheless ... I believe that students should participate in many trustee deliberations, either by serving on committees and/or in the role of representative on the Board.”

Behroozian said that students have a place largely because they will ultimately be affected by most decisions the trustees make. In addition, simply listening to Trustee deliberations can impact students’ perspective on college policy, and vice versa.

“In cases where a student voice might add a new perspective, we hope to be part of that,” he said.

In the meantime, Reed said that Trustees continue to value student input, even when presfented informally. He sees this as an encouraging sign, even in the absence of formal student representation on the Board.

“It reinforced [my] confidence in the fact that the college is being run by people who care about Whitman,” he said.

OPINION

Nov

15 2012

PAGE

7

Sustainability higher priority than image Danielle Broida Senior

AGAINST THE GRAIN

A

n unquestioned buzz has permeated the green community at Whitman over ASWC’s recent initiative for a staff position to bottom-line environmental campaigns, internships and long-term “green goals” on campus.

The idea of having a staff position dedicated to sustainability has been in the works for many years. For the past three years, the Sustainability Advisory Committee (SAC), a group of student leaders, staff and faculty members all working towards improving Whitman’s green standing, has recommended that the presidential council look at creating this position.

However, “SAC has recommended creating this position for several years in a row but [until now] there hasn’t been any action” said Rach-

na Sinnott, chair of the SAC. “All students in environmental groups recognize that the institution of Whitman needs to match the students’ energy, motivation and direction of sustainability issues in order to actually make progress on those student issues,” said Sustainability Coordinator Natalie Jamerson.

The students pushing for the position have used the tactic of “image” to sell this to the administration. Whitman’s lack of a staff sustainability position left the school unable to participate in several surveys which assess the college’s level of sustainability. Being left out of such assessments sets us behind our 14 comparison colleges, prohibits the opportunity for certain rankings, and thus affects Whitman’s image and admissions.

“Students advocating for the position believe that the administration would pass the proposal given the reasons that it helps Whitman’s image,” said ASWC Vice President Marcial Díaz Mejía. Díaz Mejía said it would “give more visibility to our school in terms of being a ‘green school’ and show we have more rankings [which] can help us get more applications from all over the nation.”

This tactic is useful, but takes

space away from the importance of this position for its own sake.

Moving forward, it is critical that we keep image in mind not as an ends but solely as a means for a more sustainable campus. Emphasizing image and new student recruitment has taken away from the necessary conversations about why we need this position and what a sustainable campus would truly entail.

If the passing of this proposal relies on the administration’s desire to capitalize on the current trendiness of being green, true environmental concern will still lack priority on campus. With image as a driving factor, perhaps the next trend that sweeps the nation with the potential to attract future Whitties will override the current sustainability push. Therefore, image cannot continue to be students’ selling point if what is actually desired is a more cohesive, organized, long-term sustainable college environment.

What matters is for Whitman to begin taking steps towards a more sustainable campus community.

Other schools around the nation

ability goals. Therefore, it is time for the administration to begin to match the avidly passionate student interest in sustainability.

Sustainability is not about image, admissions or rankings but rather about working towards solutions to

our global environmental crisis. It’s time for are carWhitman to stop ILLUSTRATION BY HWANG bon neu- tral standing back and or have goals of bec o m watching as students work endlessing carbon neutral, use biodies- ly to create a greener campus. Four el buses, provide first-year stu- years is not enough time for a students with reusable shopping bags dent with a full-time curriculum and are engaging in green action to establish a profound sustainable for the environment’s sake. Stu- goal. Therefore, a staff position— dents at Whitman have the knowl- argued for in terms of the need edge, excitement, energy and pas- for increased campus sustainabilsion to employ even greater en- ity—is vital to ensuring that susdeavors, but our limited time on tainability is a priority to the adcampus makes it nearly impossi- ministration, to the students and to ble to achieve long-term sustain- the future of Whitman’s footprint.

Activism only one way to do good Joey Gottlieb Community Member

THE WHITEST AFRICAN “It is not a Buddhist approach to say that if everyone practiced Buddhism, the world would be a better place. Wars and oppression begin from this kind of thinking.”

-Sulak Sivaraska “Activism: The policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change.”

-Oxford English Dictionary

Political Cartoon by Erika Zinser

Want to write for opinion?

For more information, write to: editors@whitmanpioneer.com

Whitman College is dedicated to making a positive impact and educating its students about the injustices that occur in today’s world.

Students’ and professors’ initiatives span the globe, and are most often presented to us through a political lens that offers activist- and activism-inspired solutions. As interesting and timely as these topics are, I believe Whitman’s intense focus on them through an activist lens is harmful in a couple ways.

The constant presentation of these issues through a political, ac-

tivist lens enforces the idea that political action is the only solution to the problems that plague our communities. It creates a certain pressure on students to take up the mantle of activism, even though this may not be their first choice for the expression of positive action. With visiting educators, professors and students alike championing its benefits, activism becomes almost an obligation.

This focus also limits the community’s understanding of the many ways in which Whitties can create positive change. With the emphasis so strongly on activism, other forms of positive action available for those less politically inclined, but no less inclined to make a positive impact on their community, become lost. Not only do we become limited in our methods to fight injustice, we also place limitations on the scope of issues we discuss.

It has always been significant to me that the vast majority of speakers Whitman brings to campus and events the school hosts for students are so politically minded.

Many visiting educators and speakers deal with global issues, concentrating on the plight of the oppressed and the steps that need to be taken to effect positive, political change.

But what about issues a little closer to home—issues like physical and emotional wellness in a stressedout college population navigating the trials of adolescence? How do we treat our peers respectfully? What are some strategies we can use to be kind to our bodies, to learn more ef-

fectively? How do we create more meaningful interactions not as diplomats or researchers, but as people?

To a person like me, and I imagine to others as well, these are the sorts of issues that feed the flame.

On such an activism-heavy campus, it is my sense that these topics are of secondary importance. This might be inferred through many students’ reluctance to ask for extensions, to visit the counseling center or to prioritize a good night’s sleep over completing a grant application.

I do not wish to speak ill of activism itself. Both of my parents are activists, and their list of accomplishments, the countless lives they and others like them have touched and made better, is a testament to the practice. My criticism, rather, is of the way in which activism has a tendency to alienate, even demean, other forms of positive action.

People who are more introverted by nature, or conceive of community health and wellness not in a political way, but through the lenses of emotion, of therapy, of beauty, of whatever, have a lot to contribute. Whether in the future their work might be in music therapy, in permaculture design or as an educated and caring parent, no doubt these people have the capacity to touch other people’s live in a positive way, and make just as big a difference. I think the need here is to refocus on Whitman’s mission, as a community, to enter into this world knowledgeably and intentionally, and then to make a positive impact in any shape or form.

Increased trust will improve campus Paul HamiltonPennell Senior

MARGINALIA

I

am prone to doubt myself, to doubt whether my words and actions are meaningful or effective. I would not bother to confide this were it only a personal problem, but I encounter it everywhere, at Whitman and at large. We have lost faith in ourselves, our words and each other. This faithlessness is the result of prejudice, and its effect is alienation and despair.

By faith, I do not signify dogmatic belief, ideology, loyalty or obedience. Here, faith simply means trusting one an-

other and oneself, and trusting that our words and actions bear meaning. In this way, faith forms the basis of community.

To explain what I call “faithlessness,” I have room for only a few examples: I see faithlessness when I speak at length with a stranger and feel the beginning of a bond, only to greet her later and find she has “forgotten” the context of our acquaintance, or else shows surprise that I remember it.

I read it in the faces of wouldbe lovers, who wish their hookups had become something more.

Faithlessness confronts me when I hear my peers casually level unforgiving critiques of books they haven’t read, people whom they know little about, and topics and traditions they don’t understand, as though the only thing that demands respect, whose value needn’t be justified, is criticism itself.

Faithlessness shows itself when politeness replaces caring speech, sex replaces love, entertainment replaces interest and

commercial value replaces meaning. I can only hope—that is, have faith—that if you have experienced these things, you share my distaste.

What gives rise to faithlessness and mistrust? The basis of trust is judgment. I am the judge of whether a friend, an idea, a word or a law is worthy of my trust. Faithlessness, in contrast, is not the result of a balanced judgment that something or someone is untrustworthy.

To use the first example, if a stranger does not trust the possibility of my friendship, it is because she already mistrusts friendship itself. She has prejudged the trustworthiness of the very thing that inspires faith. She is prisoner to her own prejudice, and it would take no small measure of true friendship to restore her faith.

What all this amounts to is a failure to judge for oneself. It is a failure to think. Faithlessness results from the prejudice that all things have already been decided upon by someone else. We are more familiar with the many prescribed norms and expectations

Voices from the Community

than we are with our own voices, and we wield our words carelessly because we think we have nothing meaningful left to say.

I could count on one hand the number of times I have heard one of you, my peers, truly speaking in your own voice. It is not for lack of listening. Such moments are so rare and singularly delightful that I will remember them vividly for years.

We are quite accustomed to blame poor circumstances (such as faithlessness, poverty or injustice) on historical trends, bad politicians, the economy or even the flaws of humankind as a whole.

But as soon as someone insinuates that the burden of our condition lies upon each of us, that you and I are personally responsible for the problems we face, he is met either with indifference or indignation.

Indifference, or apathy, is the result of persistent disappointment, which gives way first to desperation and finally to resignation and despair. Nothing can undo this knot of defeat except, perhaps, the unrelenting torrent of

love. Indignance is better, at least, for we only grow indignant because we care. Though often dismissed (“That’s just his opinion”), it shows that, somewhere deep down, we have a little faith left.

It is common and even popular for such insinuations to be written off as “pretentious,” which is nowadays regarded a cardinal sin, worse even than insincerity or vapid friendliness. The accusation of pretension (“to pretend, to make an ostentatious display”) is a challenge of authority, as in “whom are you to judge?” It is uttered out of the belief that no one has the authority to judge for oneself.

Suffice it to say that I speak only on the authority of my own faithlessness, prejudice and cynicism, which I uproot again and again, such a persistent weed it is.

Only by carefully, attentively challenging each of my own prevailing judgments may I pinpoint the moment of my folly, where I have misplaced faith in meaninglessness, at the expense of my community, my education and my well-being.

What could Whitman do to help improve its students’ lifestyles? Poll by halley mccormick

Aaron Cohen

Mahon Yoder

Brenna Feeney

Brian Glickman

Junior

Sophomore

First-year

First-year

“Taste of Sicily every week.”

“Get better academic resources for severely learning different students.”

“They need to reinstate the Nudi-Tea Club: drinking tea in the nude.”

I just feel that if they could extend dining hall hours and also keep Jewett open on the weekends, that would just make it real nice, and I would love that.”

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15 BACKPAGE George Lucas admits he’s a dirty whore for $4 billion Nov

2012

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hat’s the difference between the cast of “Jackass” and George Lucas? George Lucas will do anything for money. Indeed, it seems that the creator of “Star Wars” has completely sold out ... again.

On Oct. 30, George Lucas announced that Disney would be buying for $4 billion, and with it came another “Star Wars” movie, to be released in 2015. Lucas, however, failed to read the fine print. In the contract, Lucas has to say on Disney Channel, probably on a “That’s So Raven” commercial break, that he is a dirty whore before he can cash the check and spend it drowning his sorrows

of selling out his once great creation. Before he went on air he spoke, “Do or do not. There is no try when it comes to selling out.”

In an exclusive Skype session with Lucas from his California home, he noted, “I will literally do anything for money.”

He also said that he “would have made Jar Jar Binks the hero of ‘Star Wars’ if I would have seen a few more dollars. But I guess he was a little too racist for that.”

This deal also comes in lieu of George Lucas’ editing of “Indiana Jones” and the original “Star Wars” films, where he deemed the original material too rough on the edges and less

Good weekend Bad weekend

Confessions Pt. 3 L ast week, first-year Joel Felan finally cracked the code that has had scholars perplexed for centuries. During a regular Monday in his Encounters class in Maxey Hall, Felan found the answer to the book “Confessions.”

“I always thought literature was about individual interpretation and perspective, but Joel just got on a roll and it soon became clear that he was right and all other interpretations prior to his must have been wrong,” reported an enamored classmate through tears.

“I’m still not entirely convinced Saint Augustine didn’t base his work off of the Usher song,” said another student.

When asked about how he managed to derive a singular meaning from one of the world’s most read texts, Felan replied, “I was just celebrating Initiative 502 passing when it hit me like a ton of bricks hitting me.”

Felan’s professor, Jane Kim, has spent the last week frantically calling everyone in the literary community to tell them of the immense achievement. The discovery, which he likened to the discovery of the Snuggie, is already making a splash in the academic world. “We professionals only make educated guesses at the intentions of the author, which we back with subjective evidence. I have been teaching the text for years, but [Felan] just figured it out, plain and simple.”

Professor Kim, humbled by the experience, sent the students home early that fateful day, having nothing else to teach them.

“Usually I just ask vague guiding questions to get them to talk until I can leave, but I never expected to actually get a viable answer.”

Felan, who has a C+ in the course, spent the next week putting his solution to the complex text into an essay. Despite dealing with TKE blasting the music of Top Gun and the perils of CLEo, Felan managed to get it in before the deadline.

He received a B- on the essay, however, because he made several mistakes in punctuation and grammar and was “a bit vague” with his conclusion.

Although his grade may not be benefiting from the discovery, the literary community has, and is abuzz with the news. Felan is being regarded as a hero, something the Whitman ad m in ist rat ion is worried about.

“We don’t want students to feel like they have to live up to the standard set by Felan,” stated Anthony Tabasco, dean of students.

In the last week, many students have tried, and failed, to achieve similar levels of success. BBMB major Chris Derkins attempted to find a cure for cancer and ended up rendering an entire population of field mice infertile while also burning a hole through two stories of the Hall of

marketable. He also managed to get one of the worst actors of all time to play Anakin Skywalker.

Some fans, in protest, wear shirts which state, “Han shot first,” which may be the last hope for the integrity of nerdom. (If you don’t know, Lucas edited the DVD release to make it so it looked liked Greedo shot first when Solo did in the original version.)

Lucas ended his Skype session stating, “Sure, I may have butchered the originals when I re-released them, have totally maimed the ‘Star Wars’ franchise by making episodes one, two and three, but this time I’m going to let Disney share in the fun.”

There are two types of people in this world: those who have good weekends and those who have bad weekends.

At Whitman, sometimes there is a fine line that separates those two, as is seen in these very realistic scenarios...

Good Weekend

You and your friends head out for a night in town where you have the pleasure of unexpectedly running into many of your peers and classmates, and end up dancing all night.

Bad Weekend

You and your friends head out for a night in town where you have the misfortune of unexpectedly running into many peers and classmates who were, ironically, the exact people you tried to avoid by getting off campus and coming into town.

Good Weekend

To your delightful surprise, you look outside the library window and see that Whitman has a flash mob performing across Ankeny. You put your laptop down and hurriedly scamper to join the spontaneous fun.

ILLUSTRATION BY SCHUH

Science. Music major David Fluting tried to hit a note so high that it would shatter lead, only to get stuck in G6 for two weeks. Math student Kevin Duh wound up in the health center after trying to divide by zero. We still have no clue what gender studies majors actually do.

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Bad Weekend

Your parents unexpectedly fly up to visit. To make matters worse they take you out to an overcrowded and overrated dinner at Green Spoon to inform you of their utter and total disappointment in your immaturity and failure to grow up and “see the bigger picture.” Consequentially, they decide to stop paying for your education.

Your night is only made worse by a backfired attempt to distract your parents from their disappointment in you with a poorly timed joke about how Green Spoon should probably change its name to Green Goon because all the waiters have funny-looking faces.

Good Weekend

Bad Weekend

You finally get together with the girl you have been eyeing for months. She doesn’t even wake you up when she leaves in the morning, and when you tell your roommate later that day, he gives you a congratulatory fist pump.

Good Weekend

Your girlfriend finally realizes that you like to watch “Tangled” every weekend not because you think it’s an “enduring” Disney movie but rather because you think that Rapunzel is hot. You are unabashedly ashamed when she calls you a pervert and says it’s over. After informing your roommate, he notifies you that he thinks now is “a good time” to let you know that he was jealous of your relationship and poked holes in all your condoms as a prank.

To your horror, you realize that the excited-looking group of people you thought was a flash mob turns out to be a poorly organized, overly passionate neo-feminist rally. You frantically sprint back to the library, where, to your devastation, you find that not only has your cozy bean bag spot been commandeered, but your laptop and Hello Kitty backpack stolen.

Your parents unexpectedly fly up to visit. They decide to take you out to a nice dinner where all three of you share a wonderful evening of reminiscing and feeling proud of your college accomplishments.

Bad Weekend

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guftnisf urktye statoeop erdic ipkpmnu brrycrena auoccpiorn uhpymlot uclsbuom totryphapn eaivletsr oloftabl Dubblebaby by Toby & Sam Alden

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