Pioneer Spring 2013 Issue 4

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Issue 4 | February 14, 2013 | Whitman news since 1896

ASWC debates student fee

by LACHLAN JOHNSON Staff Reporter

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he ASWC senate voted on Sunday, Feb. 10 to raise the ASWC student fee an additional $14 for the academic year of 2013-14. The fee, now $350 per student, was raised to adjust for inflation and an expected decrease in student body size, as well as to provide more funding for club sports and allow for contributions to the Lifecycle Fund and ASWC endowment.

“When we’re asking the college to be very cognizant about the tuition increases they make every single year, that by nature happen yearly, we need to be cognizant of the increases that we make. However, I’ve always been of the opinion that [due to] our [past] increases you see a huge, very visible return in terms of student life,” said ASWC President junior Kayvon Behroozian.

Behroozian noted that campus institutions like the organic garden, The Pioneer, KWCW and WEB are partially or entirely funded by students’ contributions to the Associated Student of Whitman College.

“This relatively small fee [in comparison to tuition] has very tangible results in terms of your student experience on campus,” he said.

The senate meeting began with the ASWC finance committee proposing to raise the fee to $350, a number they had settled on after a three-and-a-halfhour meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 6. Their recommendation was eventually passed by the senate, though several senators attempted to amend the resolution to raise the

fee an additional $2 to $352/year.

“If you actually added [the goals for funding] up, it would [require a fee of] $356, but we’re going to be making some hard cuts in finance committee to deal with that,” said ASWC Finance Committee Chair senior Sam Sadeghi.

Specific cuts were not mentioned during the senate, and will be discussed during budgeting later in the year. However, possible suggestions for tightening the budget were mentioned.

The ASWC green fund, which holds $1,000 of funding for green initiatives, could be combined with the contingency fund to allow flexibility in spending.

This year, no requests concerning the green fund have been made, and the money has not been utilized. Should the fund be eliminated, requests concerning sustainability would still be financed through the contingency fund.

Another suggestion concerning efficiency was to encourage WEB to be more efficient with its funding, and ensure that only events that are well-attended and appreciated by the student body take place.

Dividing the student travel and development fund into two separate funds, one for development on campus and one for travel, could also help ASWC save money.

Sophomore senator Tatiana Kaehler suggested giving the finance committee greater control over club budgets, so that funds are allocated as they are needed rather than granted as a lump sum at the start of each year.

“I think we need less of a budget because that will motivate us to be more efficient in our spending. It’s ridiculous [that]

Legacies strike their own paths

by SERENA RUNYAN Staff Reporter

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Photos by McCormick

some of the inefficient spending happens; I think our money has been well spent this year, but I’d like to see any new club initiative come through [the] contingency [fund rather] than them getting it in the budget,” said Kaehler. “I’d like to approve everything a club does for the first time as something that’s beneficial to the campus, rather than them having a lot of freedom to go around doing things and not being successful.”

Club Director senior Nick Chow raised concerns about the need for additional contributions to the Lifecycle fund, which maintains equipment and technology used by ASWC and the campus media organizations,

see LEGACY, page 6

the ASWC endowment.

According to Chow, these funds have been neglected for the last three years. The finance committee aims to contribute $10,000$15,000 to the Lifecycle fund and $5,000-$10,000 to the endowment, but Chow felt this was not sufficient, as an unexpected emergency could lead ASWC to fall back on the already-stressed funds.

Senior senator Fernando Medina encouraged raising the fee in order to provide scholarships for ASWC senators so that financially pressed students could run for office. Firstyear senator Allison Kelly spoke in favor of raising the fee in order to provide ample funding for

clubs and activities on campus.

The amendment to raise the fee to $352 failed, with five senators voting to raise the fee and ten voting against. Three senators were absent, and counted as abstaining. The senate then voted on the finance committee’s original proposal, which passed with 14 voting in favor and one against.

“I thought [the fee] should be raised more to be allocated to developing student life, clubs and conferences,” said Kelly, who voted against the final proposal. “I respect everything the finance committee does, they have a very hard job, and [I think] that the number they did come to is very reasonable.”

Student trustee plan abandoned Trustees approve budget, renovations in February meeting

by RACHEL ALEXANDER Editor-in-Chief

name often comes with a meaning devoid of relevance to its owner. These titles— more specifically last names—are passed to family members and carry with them any meaning that other relatives have given them. Whitman has its own collection of significant, recognizable names.

Ethan Bergeson, a current senior, overlapped with his older brother Seth when he entered Whitman in his first year. Bergeson got a lot of older-brother references when he came here because of his shared last name, and there are plenty of reasons why people would know of Seth. He was an RA, on ASWC, the senior student speaker and the recipient of the prestigious Watson Fellowship and Fulbright Scholarship.

“Senior year people started hearing about him because he got a Watson,” said Bergeson. “He was really big in the grants department.”

Bergeson used his Watson grant to travel and study the games children play in different areas of the world, specifically countries that had experienced either civil wars or genocide.

Needless to say, in Bergeson’s first year, most people knew who he was, he said. Students, faculty and administration alike knew of his brother, and “mostly his teachers” would mention it.

With a notable last name comes preconceived ideas and expectations.

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hitman’s Board of Trustees approved the college’s proposed budget during their meeting last week, as well as plans for renovating Baker Faculty Center, Memorial and the outdoor tennis courts.

Representatives from ASWC also met with members of the Board of Trustees to discuss the possibility of having a student representative on the Board. After these meetings, ASWC President Kayvon Behroozian said ASWC will no longer be pursuing a student representative on the Board. Instead, his administration will look for other ways to increase student input and participation in Governing Board decisions.

Behroozian said the decision was made after coming to a better understanding of the differences between Whitman’s Board of Trustees and the boards of peer institutions. In particular, Whitman’s board has fewer trustees than many other colleges, and does not have a representative board, meaning that there are no parent trustees, faculty trustees, recent alumni trustees or other trustees who are appointed to represent specific groups.

“Having a student representative on the board is not consistent with the structure of the board,” said Behroozian.

Aside from these demographic differences, Behroozian said that further conversation with several Board members clarified the fact that most important decisions made

by Trustees occur in committees, many of which have student representatives. For instance, the President’s Budget Advisory Committee has three ASWC-appointed student representatives, as well as the ASWC Finance Chair, though all student members are non-voting.

“We’re shifting to a different way of incorporating the student voice that’s going to be more effective,” said Behroozian, though

“Having a student representative on the board is not consistent with the structure of the board.”

Kayvon Behroozian ‘14 ASWC President

he was unable to disclose the specifics of ASWC’s new plan.

Peter van Oppen, the Chair of the Board of Trustees, said that he believed focusing on student representation in committees made sense, and that committee chairs were generally supportive of the idea. He said the Board also discussed strategies for actively seeking student opinions more frequently.

“It’s up to the trustees to make sure we’re proactively, assertively reaching out and getting student input on a regular basis,” he said.

Though representation was discussed by the Trustees over the course of their time on campus, the college’s budget for the coming year was the primary focus of the meetings.

The 2013-14 tuition rate has not been released publicly yet, but van Oppen confirmed that it is the lowest increase in tuition in the past decade.

Over the past ten years, Whitman’s tuition increases have ranged from a high of 7.5 percent for the 2006-07 school year to a low of four percent for the 2012-13 school year.

The budget also allows for increases in faculty salary pools. In a letter to faculty sent out earlier this week, President George Bridges said the additional salary funds would be allocated based on merit, promotions and “inequities in compensation” caused by a number of factors, including comparable salaries at peer institutions. In addition to revenue from tuition, the budget has $20 million in endowment income and gifts built into it.

A schedule has not been set for any of the approved building renovations. As part of the renovations, the alumni office, currently located in Boyer House, will be relocated to Baker Faculty Center. Van Oppen said a bidding process would begin later this year, and noted that a gift to the college is funding most of the cost of renovating the faculty center.

In his letter to faculty, President Bridges expressed gratitude that budget requests made for the coming year minimized budget increases.

“I am very optimistic about the year ahead and the promise that we will continue to serve all students exceptionally well while minimizing the financial burden that a Whitman education places on their families and friends,” he said.

14 NEWS New club seeks interfaith interaction FEB

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by Maegan Nelson Staff Reporter

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ast Wednesday evening a group of about a dozen individuals gathered on the top floor of the GAC to share a loaf of banana bread and discuss the afterlife. The discussion was the first meeting of a new club founded by first-year Leda Zakarison called Better Together, meant to encourage more on-campus dialogue between members of different religions.

After introducing themselves and the religion that they associate themselves with, the students proceeded to have a discussion on death. Although a darker topic, the discussion was enlightening for many as students confessed what they believed happened after death, which parts scared them and what they were unsure of.

Zakarison said she noticed a need in the Whitman community last semester that was going unfulfilled: a student group that encourages openness between religions.

“I have been interested in interfaith work for a couple of years now, and I came to Whitman hoping that there would be some kind of interfaith group, and there wasn’t,” said Zakarison.

Leda Zakarison was inspired to bring Better Together to Whitman.

When Zakarison approached Stuart Coordinator of Religious and Spiritual Life Adam Kirtley and asked him to be the adviser for the new group, he understood the need that she was trying to fill.

Kirtley said he believes that since college is a time where students are attempting to cultivate themselves, spiritual matters become crucial.

“The college years provide students with the unique opportunity to engage, rather easily and intentionally, with those

who are different from them— with those whose core identity is different,” said Kirtley.

Better Together is a national student campaign for interfaith action, mobilizing college students to voice their values, engage with others and act together to make the world a better place for everyone.

“Whitman is really devoted to diversity, which I love, but I believe that there is not enough emphasis on religious diversity,” said Zakarison. “It’s kind of a taboo topic.”

According to Kirtley, creating an open community to talk about different religions is a means to accomplish this goal, not only in terms of awareness about the different kinds of beliefs out there, but also what those different beliefs have in common.

“When we do this, we not only learn more about the other, but also about ourselves. This process of self-discovery fosters growth and development. So, call me a pluralism geek, but yesterday’s conversation about the afterlife that brought in Buddhist, atheist, Christian and Unitarian Universalist voices is exciting to me,” said Kirtley.

The rift between religions,

Joel Ponce ‘16 [left], Vicky Su ‘16 and Ashley Ehlers ‘13 attend Better Together’s first meeting of the year. Photo by Krikava

however, is not only evident at Whitman, but also in other places.

“We also, of course, live in a world in which religious strife is often blamed (rightly or wrongly) for any number of terrible conflicts. The thing is, religion isn’t going away. I fundamentally believe that promoting religious understanding among people of diverse faith traditions is an essential step in making the world a better place,” said Kirtley.

Supporting Better Together in their goal is a national organization called Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC). The IFYC is an organization dedicated to promoting college environments that explore a variety of religions and discuss interesting topics, for ex-

ample the existence of an afterlife, within multiple religions.

Although the club is still in the process of figuring out its niche, Kirtley said he hopes a student-led organization will offer new ways to approach religion on campus.

“Essentially, Better Together is so new that we are still in the process of identifying the terms of our collaboration [between Zakarison and me]. I also know that any initiative brought about by students has the greatest likelihood for success. My job is to get out of the way and offer support where I can,” he said.

Senior Ashley Ehlers, who originally attended Better Together’s event to support Zakarison, said the club seems promising.

“I might come back [to the next meeting] ... It was interesting and everyone seems really nice,” she said, adding that she has noted the lack of religious diversity on campus as a small group leader for the Whitman Christian Fellowship for the past year.

In addition to holding discussions about religion on campus, Zakarison hopes that Better Together can get involved in some community service in the future. According to Zakarison, her goals include completing one community service project a month with the club.

Better Together is hosting a yoga and spirituality workshop with Terri Cotts on Friday, Feb. 15.

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Service trips to educate, restore

by KEENAN HILTON Staff Reporter

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his March, Whitman students will be able to go on new spring break service trips to Portland and Northern California.

The selection of new trips reflects an upward trend in students looking for co-curricular experiences to complement their formal education. The two new spring trips will give students the opportunity to apply and enlarge their understanding of education and environmental conservation work in diverse communities.

This year the two trip coordinators, Lauren Kutler and Kenna Little, have established contact with the Emerson School in Portland, a small charter school that attracts a diverse student body, and Friends of

the Dunes, a conservation organization based in coastal Northern California. Basing their choices on Whitman students’ expressed interest in the topics of education and conservation work, Little and Kutler hope to challenge participants, and encourage them to bring these community conversations back to campus and Walla Walla in general.

In Portland, Whitman students will be divided up to assist teachers at Emerson Elementary School.

Kutler picked Emerson—an urban charter school­ —because she hopes that it will prompt Whitman students to challenge and evolve their understanding of education.

In Arcata, Calif., Whitman students will roll up their sleeves and learn by working with the organization Friends of the Dunes. Lit-

tle called it “learning by doing.”

They will work on the dunes doing habitat restoration, a complement to the urban environmental service trip of previous years.

Kutler and Little hope that the new organizations and locations will appeal to specific demographics and cover community issues not addressed in previous years’ service trips.

“Education is really important, so that you’re not just blindly going in and accidentally doing harm, but trying to understand ... the limits of what you can do for this issue, and how can you raise awareness about it and share that awareness with other people,” said Kutler.

Spring service trips, along with the Summer Community OutReach Excursion (S.C.O.R.E.) program,

ILLUSTRATION BY LUND

place Whitman students directly in the middle of the conversation over community issues. Kutler sees the education trip to Portland in particular as potentially creating community for students interested in education since the department was cut.

Although sponsored by the Student Engagement Center, Noah Leavitt, Assistant Dean for Student Engagement, emphasized the crucial role students have played in these programs’ development.

“The way that most of the existing community service programs have wound up on campus, they’ve been the outgrowth of a particular excitement or a particular enthusiasm or area of passion of one student ... or a small group of students and they’ve gotten something going and the college has picked it up,” Leavitt said.

Last year 58 students applied to the Spring Service Trips. This year that number increased to 82.

“We try to be really intentional about providing a diverse group of students [the opportunity] to go,” said Abby Juhasz, the Community Service Coordinator at the Student Engagement Center.

In choosing candidates to go on the trips, the program coordinators aimed to achieve class year diversity, gender balance and an array of community service backgrounds. Working with Juhasz, Little and Kutler selected an unprecedented 44 students to go on trips this upcoming Spring Break.

“There’s a real obligation on our [the Student Engagement Center’s] part to keep in touch with what students want as they’re coming to Whitman in terms of experiences in civic engagement or offcampus working,” said Leavitt.

Through collaboration with the SEC staff, Little and Kutler have channeled their enthusiasm and continued the blossoming tradition of service-learning at Whitman.

“Service is my thing,” said Little. In this regard, it would seem that Little is not alone at Whitman.

PRODUCTION

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NEWS

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PIONEER

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News Editors Emily Lin-Jones Karah Kemmerly A&E Editor Aleida Fernandez Sports Editor Tristan Gavin Feature Editor Adam Brayton Opinion Editor Alex Brott Humor Editor Kyle Seasly Photography Editor Marie von Hafften Illustration Editor Julie Peterson

Chief Copy Editor Marisa Ikert Copy Editors Katie Steen Matthew Nelson Chloe Kaplan

ILLUSTRATION Toby Alden, Luke Hampton, Emily Jones, Kelsey Lund, Asa Mease, Marlee Raible, Tyler Schuh, Eduardo Vasquez, Erika Zinser

PHOTOGRAPHY cade beck, Catie Bergman, Brennan Johnson, Halley McCormick, Becca Mellema, Marlena Sloss, Skye Vander Laan

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IN THE NEWS

600

Years that have passed since the last papal resignation, a streak that will be broken when Pope Benedict XVI steps down on Feb. 28 SOURCE: THE New york times

200,000

Estimated number of protesters who gathered in Bangladesh last weekend to express displeasure at a light criminal sentence for the leader of the country’s largest Islamic party SOURCE: THE New york times

50

Families that the LAPD put under protection from ex-officer Christopher Dorner before he was killed in a firefight Tuesday, Feb. 12 SOURCE: BBC

72

Percentage of the merger between American Airlines and US Airways that will be owned by American Airlines’ bankruptcy creditors SOURCE: BBC

9

Dollars per hour in the new federal minimum wage that President Obama declared he would push for in his State of the Union address SOURCE: THE NEW Y ORK TIMES

Correction to Issue 2 In the article “Senior starts multi-ethnic student union” on page 3 of Issue 2, seniors Johanna Otico and Chloe Kinsey were incorrectly identified.

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Students organize charity shoe drive Read more online at whitmanpioneer.com/news

EDITORIAL POLICY

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

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Letters to Editor may be submitted to The Pioneer via email at editors@ whtimanpioneer.com or sent to The Pioneer, 345 Boyer Ave., Walla Walla, WA, 99362. All submissions must be received by 4 p.m. on Saturday prior to the week that they are intended to appear. All submissions must be attributed and may be edited for concision and fluency.

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The code of ethics serves as The Pioneer’s established guidelines for the practice of responsible journalism on campus, within reasonable interpretation of the editorial board. These guidelines are subject to constant review and amendment; responsibility for amending the code of ethics is assigned to the Editor-in-Chief in conjunction with the editorial board.

The code of ethics is reviewed at least once per semester.

To access the complete code of ethics for The Pioneer, visit whitmanpioneer.com/about.

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Study abroad returnees face adjustment

by SARAH CORNETT Staff Reporter

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he beginning of this semester saw the return of roughly one third of the junior class who studied abroad last fall.

Coming back from places all over the globe, many of these returning Whitties had life-changing and transformative experiences, embracing another culture while meeting new friends.

For some of these students, their powerful experiences have made returning to Whitman less exciting, and some have experienced difficulty getting back into the routine of Walla Walla life.

The transition can be a rough one, especially because the four-month-long period offered just enough time to completely adjust to living outside the United States.

“As soon as I was getting used to it, I came back,” said junior Julia Maxwell, who spent last semester at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. “I made some really good friends there, and it’s so difficult to talk to them now.”

The adjustment back to Whitman can be difficult on multiple levels, because of both the academic and social transition. Most of these students have been away from Whitman since May 2012.

This seven-month-long period makes it difficult to resume personal connections and get back into a class schedule, often one very different from the foreign university students attended while abroad.

“Changing my work habits has been a bit of a challenge,” said junior Nick Drake, who recently returned from the IES Beijing program. “The academic routine here is a bit different from what I experienced last semester.”

For Maxwell, the academic transition has been especially pronounced because of the large lecture style teaching method utilized at St. Andrews, as well as at many universities in the UK. “It was a very individualized education,” she said. “You had to look at the syllabus and choose which books fit into the class,

which ones you wanted to read.”

This model is very different from most Whitman classes, but she said it was still valuable for her.

“It was nice having prior experience at Whitman in small, discussion-based classes. It’s nice to now have two different educational backgrounds.”

The social transition can go beyond changing friend circles.

When many students return, their friends from their first two years at Whitman are often abroad themselves, increasing their separation time to almost to a year. Susan Holmes-Brick, director of off-campus studies, says she often sees the natural social changes in students.

“Socially, sometimes students change. Some see social injustices they maybe haven’t before, which could change their outlook on many different things.”

The return leaves many OCS students feeling less involved in things they were previously.

“There’s a feeling of isolation that friends from abroad are more important than Whitman,” said Drake.

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many students seems to be the different ways they view Whitman. For students like Drake, the return was eagerly anticipated.

“I really, really like Whitman. If it was a shock, it was a pleasant one.”

The relative isolation of campus is put in perspective as many students have trouble adjusting to the relatively mellow Walla Walla culture.

“Now, I definitely realize that there’s a lot more out there,” said Maxwell.

“We’re missing so many things here. I never really noticed that there’s a lot we don’t have at Whitman and in Walla Walla.”

Escaping the Whitman bubble for one semester can leave some students disillusioned with campus life.

“Being abroad has put Whitman in perspective,” said Drake.

The cultural, social and academic transition is eased by the Office of Off-Campus Studies, which puts on a numILLUSTRATION BY HAMPTON ber of events for returning students to share their Though this feeling is a nat- experiences and learn how to get ural one, getting back into a so- back in the Whitman routine. These cial routine can be difficult. events are intended to provide sup“I feel like it’s harder for me to port for students, and also an outconnect with friends,” said Max- let to share stories. A “welcome well. “When I talk about last se- back” dinner was held on Jan. 28 mester, it’s hard because they for returning students, and more weren’t there, and I wasn’t here.” than half of the returnees attended.

Counselor Sharon Kauf“We provided a space for man-Osborne described in an discussion. We asked quesemail some issues students re- tions like, ‘what was surpristurning from abroad can face. ing?’ and ‘were there any special “Reverse Culture Shock is moments?’” said Holmes-Brick. the term used to describe the chalA welcome back luncheon, lenges that occasionally occur hosted Feb. 8, had facilitators from when someone returns from study the counseling center. The OCS ofabroad. Common reactions are fice is currently working on plans boredom, restlessness, where pre- to begin an outreach program for vious routines can seem dull.” local elementary schools in which Students can strug- students returning from abroad can gle to recount their experienc- share their experiences, bringing a es to peers and family from home. new dimension to the classroom.

“Often their peers and fam“Students can crystallize what ily say, ‘How was study abroad?’ they learned by sharing it with othThis question feels like it trivial- ers,” said Susan Holmes-Brick. izes the experiences they had beThough the transition can be cause that question cannot be an- difficult, the growth many stuswered in a sentence or even 3 sen- dents experience is life-changing. tences,” Kaufman-Osborne said.

“Sometimes students feel The most powerful thing for called to address injustices they saw.

We try to talk about ways to address some of these issues in Walla Walla,” said Susan Holmes-Brick.

Students like Maxwell have plans to return.

“I’m going back over spring break,” she said.

“It will be nice to see my friends from St. Andrews again.”

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Shooting investigation concluded

by Emily Lin-jones News Editor

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n investigation into last week’s shooting incident on Lower Waitsburg Road has turned up evidence that the shots fired were not intended to hit or warn the students who heard them while running.

“We found no legal violations from these guys that were out there [shooting],” said Barry Blackman, chief operations deputy of the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Department. “We’ve determined that there was shooting going on, but it was in a direction away from the students.”

Sophomores Joe Heegaard and Ryan Jacobsen were running near the intersection of Lower Waitsburg Road and Robison Ranch Road on Saturday, Feb. 3, when they heard what sounded like rifle shots landing on the road nearby. The students reported the incident to Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland the following day and filed a report with the Walla Walla sheriff’s office.

Investigators from the sheriff’s department, including a firearms expert, traced the origin of the shots to a shooting range on nearby property and concluded that the shooters were not firing in the direction of the students. The investigators speculated that the day’s foggy conditions might have confused the witnesses about the direction and location of the gunfire.

Heegaard said that he’s satisfied with the final results of the investigation. Neither he nor Jacobsen intend to press charges.

“Ryan and I are totally fine with that conclusion. We’re just kind of hoping the whole thing can be put behind us,” he said.

Cleveland, who sent out an email to student and faculty mailing lists last week advising against running or biking in the area where the shots were heard, retracted that warning in light of the new information.

“The sheriff’s department did a thorough investigation,” he said. “I think it’s safe; the sheriff’s department thinks it’s safe.”

Despite the results of this particular investigation, representative of the sheriff’s department emphasized that all reports filed are taken seriously.

“We want the Whitman campus to know that public safety is our utmost concern,” he said.

“We would rather look into something and find out it’s okay than let something unsafe go unreported.”

ASWC MINUTES 1/27 Approved nomination of Genevieve Jones as Whitman Events Board Chair, 15-0-3

E E F COF RIES T S I A F P I W E E FR

Ratified Salsa @ Whitman club, 14-1-3 Ratified Active Minds, chapter of national organization that spreads awareness about mental illness, 15-0-3 Approved request by Student Affairs Committee from Contigency Fund for $2500 to pay for Race Symposium speaker

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OPINION

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14 2013

Debating divestment With the movement to encourage Whitman to divest from fossil fuels gaining traction, The Pioneer surveyed Whitties for their thoughts on the campaign. Here are their responses.

ILLUSTRATION BY MEASE

Divestment more about spectacle than success WHAT WHITMAN SAYS ABOUT DIVESTMENT Sam Chapman Sophomore

A MOVING FOREST

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n March 15, 1986, Whitman’s Board of Trustees voted on a divestment proposal for the first time. Students and faculty had both submitted resolutions urging the Board to remove companies from the college’s portfolio that did business in apartheid-ridden South Africa; student activists went so far as to build a shantytown on the Memorial lawn. Unfortunately, the campaign was a failure: The Board, believing that it would be easier to pressure for change if they remained part-owners, adopted a set of token compromises that left investments untouched.

Twenty-five years later, Whitman is once again whispering about divestment. Dirty energy is now the topic of concern, and members of the campaign were offered eight minutes of the trustees’ attention at their recent meeting—something we’re evidently supposed to see as progress. I am not a pessimist, so when I say history is going to repeat itself, it’s with an eye to how we can succeed where our sisters and brothers of ’86 failed: Even if we fail to achieve our political goals, we can make our divestment campaign count.

Divestment, in this context, refers to a specific cause recently taken up by college activists across the country, spearheaded as usual by the folks at Bill McKibben’s 350.org. As in ‘86, the campaign faces an uphill battle. Whitman’s team must build from the bottom up, without the administrative support some other schools (such as Sterling College) have enjoyed. We must convince trustees known for their hostility to what they view as “passing fads.” A February 1986 editorial in the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin blasted the board for putting finances before both morality and the liberal arts, and I see no reason to be-

lieve they have changed: After all, they’re still businesspeople.

So, if we take for granted that we will not achieve divestment, the question becomes this: How can a campaign succeed even when it fails? To answer it, we must be aware of a common misconception about divestment: Its purpose is not to harm the energy companies’ bottom lines. The entire percentage of capital that the major oil, gas and coal companies derive from academic investment portfolios equals about one tenth of one percent of their total profits. Therefore, the value lies not in victory, but in what happens when people notice you’re fighting.

The purpose of divestment is what can be gained from the fight itself. Think of a political candidate who runs, knowing he has no chance, so that he can shed light on an overlooked issue. Think of parents who sue the company whose product injured their child, not because they want the settlement, but so that they can tell the media about a critical safety concern going unaddressed.

The goal is not necessarily to make a difference, but to make noise—to demonstrate to the country that the new generation is ready to act. If divestment occurred, all it would show was that a small group of rich people had decided to become less culpable for a problem caused by small groups of rich people. If, however, the struggles of students and faculty gain national attention, if the attention is focused on campuses across the country, if we make it clear that we scholars are as intelligent as we claim by taking a stand against the molestation of the planet Earth, then our divestment effort has succeeded.

Nobody who’s read this column before will be surprised that I was one of the 50 or so students who crammed Memorial Hall on Jan. 29. I chanted along with the crowd, and followed the four student representatives to Peter Harvey’s office, although I knew that what went on in that smoke-filled room wouldn’t matter in the end. What matters is that we desecrated the sanctity of Mem’s silence. We meant to look loud, present and aware, to make it clear that no matter what the treasurer chose, we would win for having fought— for the people look to conflict, and it’s time we gave them one.

“Divestment is primarily a political statement. While I completely agree with this statement, I do not know that the time and energy being put into the divestment process are the most efficient and effective ways to protect the environment, spread awareness and lower fossil fuel consumption.”

“It’s a powerful way to take an overwhelming issue and let students engage with it on a local level. At the same time, it lets them be heard on a much bigger scale than other local efforts.”

“Whether or not it actually does something to the industry is beside the point; what matters is that Whitman would not be contributing to [the fossil fuel industry] at every turn.”

“I think it’s important to pay attention to climate change, but don’t think that the minimal good Whitman’s divestment will do is worth the sacrifice to financial aid that would occur as a result.”

“The divestment campaign needs to unite the entire Whitman community if it wants to accomplish anything.”

“Our endowment isn’t big enough as it stands, so why would we invest in something less stable than fossil fuels?”

“Colleges are powerful places for change.

I want where I learn and what I’m associated with to reflect my ideals.”

“I’m not quite comfortable with the influence of the 350 organization. As near as I can tell, they told student leaders at Whitman that divestment was a good thing and now we’re lobbying for it.”

“Focus efforts on firms that support climate denial and misinformation. Contributions to Heartland Institute, Koch Brothers, etc. Do the research on who the worst offenders are. ”

“The college should focus on increasing access to education. If that means focus on increasing returns, that is all right with me. If there is a way to do both—which I don’t believe currently exists—then let’s talk.”

“Much more thorough analysis is needed before I’m comfortable making such a dramatic change in the school’s ability to fund itself.”

“I would prefer the future investments go into alternative energy infrastructure so that Whitman can cease to be a consumer of dead dino energy. The only way to put the oil companies out of the buisness is to quit buying oil.”

Uneven libidos require cooperation to resolve Spencer Wharton Senior

I’ll ask if she wants to have sex, but she usually says she’s tired.

She seems concerned that I’m unsatisfied, but at the same time, I don’t want to pressure or guilt her into having sex. I’m just concerned that our sex drives are becoming more and more mismatched.

-Schedules Make Intimacy Tough to Experience

SEXCETERA My girlfriend and I are both seniors at Whitman, and I’m worried that our busy schedules are hurting our sex life. On a normal night, we’ll curl up on the couch together, and maybe cuddle a little, but even when I try to suggest sex by giving her a massage, she tends to fall asleep. Sometimes,

You mention, SMITE, that you don’t want to pressure or guilt your girlfriend into having sex. That’s a good principle. But she’s concerned, and you’re unhappy, and amidst all of this, it sounds like you’re not saying a word, just bottling it up, presumably in order to keep from feeling like you’re pressuring her. This is not a promising equation. In order to deal with this, you’re going to have to acknowl-

edge that your desires and needs are important too. Caring for yourself isn’t the same as selfishness.

Everyone has their own sexual needs. This might not be discussed as often as other parts of relationships, but it’s a fact—everyone has a libido that works at a different pace. Some people are happiest when they’re getting sex once a day; others are perfectly fine if it happens once a month. However your libido works, there’s no denying that it can significantly improve your happiness when you’re meeting your needs and really drag you down when you’re not. If you’re feeling unsatisfied, don’t brush it off. That’s a perfectly valid feeling.

It’s important to consider your partner’s feelings, obviously—but you’ve also got to recognize and take care of your own, because if you don’t, who will? This means

that while you definitely shouldn’t pressure your girlfriend into sex, you also shouldn’t keep your dissatisfaction secret. If she doesn’t know there’s a problem, there’s no way it’s going to get better.

So tell her. Make sure you’re not blaming her for anything, but also don’t be afraid to honestly and gently express what you’re feeling. A good trick is to use “I” statements—rather than talking about what she’s not doing and how she could fix things, stick to talking about yourself. This would be a good time to talk about what each of you like about your sex; maybe by listing favorites, you can find things you’re both eager to do more often. Alternatively, maybe that will help you find ways to improve the quality of your sex, which could also help you both feel more satisfied.

You might also talk about scheduling sex. If spontaneous sex isn’t working with your schedules, maybe you can set aside a few nights a week as sex nights— provided you’re both on board with the idea, of course. It sounds weird, sure, but by doing that, you make it something you prepare for and look forward to. Often, the biggest hurdle is just finding the motivation to start sex, and scheduling it can help relieve that.

The goal is to make yourself heard and find a solution that benefits both of you. If you’re unhappy right now and your girlfriend is concerned, neither of you are very happy with this portion of your relationship, and resolving it will be to both your benefits. By treating this as a team effort, you can respect your girlfriend’s desires while also giving voice to your own.

OPINION

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Undocumented Americans go from voiceless to fearless Gladys GITAU First-year

WHINY BLACK GIRL

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eing undocumented is the cool new struggle of our day. Besides not being able to drive or work legally and stuff, being undocumented is “the new black,” if you will.

Others might say differently, but trust me—I’m undocumented.

Because of that, I was very vocal about this past presidential election. I couldn’t vote, but that didn’t stop me from harassing my Facebook friends to vote for Obama. I knew that my well-being was very closely tied to the results of the election.

But Obama has been slacking himself. In his first term alone, he deported 1.4 million immigrants, compared to the 1.6 million Bush deported in his two terms combined, all while posing with a DREAMer and promising reform.

So what happens when of-

ficials fail to represent us? This is nothing new to undocumentation. For me, and I assume for the 1.2 million other undocumented youth in the United States, being undocumented means wanting very badly to be American, not being allowed to be American, resenting Americans for a bit, then working really hard to prove ourselves to be the very best Americans. So when we were ignored, we did what Americans did best: We got in people’s faces about it.

The undocumented movement began with thousands of youth “coming out of the undocucloset.” Such an act was previously tabooed because it was considered a direct pipeline to Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE. But as more individuals got fed up of living in the shadows, we began telling our stories and found that instead it brought us solidarity and protection in masses. We became undocumented, unafraid and unapologetic.

Like any group of people who are past reservations, these narratives spurred a hip new subculture. When I found out I was undocumented in high school, I got depressed. But one night I found “Undocumented and Awkward” on YouTube, a web series that documents the uncomfortable everyday situations faced by undocumented people. It was painfully funny.

Soon after, I found a support group

in the Student Immigrant Movement, young people who fought deportations, protested anti-immigrant bills, made fun of Americans and used “undocu” to preface everything. I found undocuartists, undocupoets and undocuorganizers. It was undocu-awesome.

The boldness of this movement has also changed the way Americans view immigrants. The “Drop the ‘I’ Word” campaign led by social justice news magazine Colorlines.com was instrumental in curbing the use of the dehumanizing term “illegal” on people who had no criminal record. Since then, major news sources have adopted the change. Even in the recent hearings for immigration reform, Republican John Conyers began with the disclaimer that the group should be referred to as “out of status” or “new Americans,” a good indicator that old Americans were finally taking notice.

Similarly, in June of 2012 undocuqueer journalist Jose Antonio Vargas wrote TIME Magazine cover story “We Are Americans, Just Not Legally.” The article featured the faces, names and stories of undocumented Americans telling of their experiences with the American dream. Less than a year later, this once invisible group was up for TIME’s Person of the Year. Slowly, culture is catching up with this fearless movement.

But not everyone is down.

ILLUSTRATION BY VAZQUEZ

Parents especially were cautious about putting their families in danger. My own parents didn’t understand why I had to tell anyone about what they considered family business. But what are we to do? Wait for Congress to get over their differences and draft comprehensive reform? We were born outside the United States, but we picked up an American mentality; we want our justice and we want it now. In the status quo, we can’t go to school, we can’t get quality jobs and we are living in fear.

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Alas, progress is always slow to arrive. I lucked out. I am in college because bold undocumented

Shorter work week would mitigate employment woes

Political Cartoon by Asa Mease

Daniel merritt Senior

Pragmatic Politics

A

Games journalism needs better audience Blair Hanley Frank Senior

TECH TALK

A

few weeks ago, a good chunk of the game journalism world was fooled into believing a fake rumor about the future of the Xbox.

An anonymous source, claiming to have inside information, sent an email out to a bunch of gaming news outlets about the X-Surface, which the source claimed was the name for the upcoming iteration on Microsoft’s popular gaming console.

The X-Surface hoax was perfectly set up: The claims weren’t outlandish enough to arouse suspicion, with the hoaxer even confirming information from other rumor posts in order to continue to create a sense of legitimacy. The name XSurface is just similar enough to existing Microsoft products to seem realistic, while still seeming new.

The hoax spread like wildfire, with dozens of blogs repackaging the concocted news in their own posts. When the hoax’s progenitor finally pulled back the curtain on the X-Surface sham, the Internet reacted with frustration. The overall response is probably best summarized by a Reddit commenter who said: “It truly is horrendous how the so-called gaming press gobbles up any nonsense thrown at them from any source whatsoever.”

Given that the first story was posted by a site that didn’t have any confirmation of the rumor’s accuracy, that indictment seems to be fair.

However, I find it overly simplistic to only lay the blame at the feet of the reporters who fell for the hoax. It’s true, they didn’t exercise due diligence in trying to corroborate the rumor they were fed, but at the same time, a number of somewhat perverse incentives in modern gaming media created an atmosphere that made publishing a fake rumor without any real attribution seem like a good idea.

Online journalism is largely paid for by serving ads to readers. The more eyeballs you bring to your site, the more ads they see (and potentially click on) and the more money you get paid. In order to bring people to your site, you need content that they want to read. Often, breaking news is

a key part of drawing readers.

Unfortunately, when it comes to news like the X-Surface, readers don’t necessarily need to visit multiple sites to get a feel for what’s going on, because what’s really interesting about news stories is the news content itself. So, in order to keep a reader’s attention, most sites lift stories from other peer publications to stay up on the latest developments.

Speed is the name of the game in these re-blog wars. If you’re hours behind your competitors in posting the latest tidbit, odds are, any readers who would show up to view that content have already found it elsewhere, whether through social media or from another blog that they read. Those lost page views are money that your publication didn’t make.

The saga of the X-Surface shows just how easy it is to game that system with the right amount of finesse. But the reason why these rumors even went to press in the first place is that the consumers of gaming journalism can’t seem to get enough of the constant churning of the rumor mill.

Was bad reporting at fault in this case? Absolutely. But to only fault the poor judgment of the blogosphere avoids tackling the incentives that put the X-Surface to press in the first place.

Want a better gaming media? Then consume better gaming media.

Voices from the Community

s a soon-to-be-graduated senior, my next big concern is where I’m going to work. Although it’s been over four years since the recession of 2008, job prospects are still fairly grim. Typically, the formula for dealing with unemployment has been to encourage economic growth and promote education and training to meet demand for workers in new and emerging sectors of the economy.

Both of these tactics begin to address some of our employment problems, but they don’t fully address the long-term unemployed and the many jobs lost in the recession which may not come back. Addressing these problems requires us to rethink how we treat labor in the United States.

Currently, Americans have embraced a work ethic of “more is better.” Americans are working harder more days a week and more hours a day without a significant increase in wages. When we wonder where all of the jobs went, the answer is simple. They went to those who weren’t laid off. If you are lucky enough to have a job, chances are you are now doing the work of at least one other person who lost their job during the recession. People are often working 60-80 hours per week for no additional pay and can’t leave their current job for a better one because it simply doesn’t exist. This is great for corporations who realize this increased productivity as pure profit, but it is detrimental to both employed workers and those seeking work.

The ethic of more is better creates three groups of workers: those who are stressed and overworked, those who are unemployed and those who are underemployed. These trends have been further exacerbated by the decline of unions and advances in technology. Although some might argue that this is a simple question of retraining and educating workers to work in our

Poll by Catie bergman

Phoebe Horvath

Jeremy Schofield

First-year

Junior

Junior

“My favorite cultural event in town is Pioneer Days because people from all over the Walla Walla community and Whitman kids come!”

modern high-tech economy, the “skills gap” typically reported in the media is largely a myth.

Although the American education system is often discussed as falling behind those of other countries, when it comes to higher education we are turning out more individuals with certifications and college diplomas than we have available positions for, especially at the level of wages that they expect to earn with their degrees. This isn’t limited to supposedly “useless” degrees. Currently, the United States is producing more scientists and engineers than can be supported by our current research facility resources, more lawyers than we can possibly employ and more business school graduates than we currently have jobs for. Historically, these degrees would assuredly earn an above average income. Today, such incomes are hardly assured.

The drive of efficiency moves towards an economy with fewer available jobs for the unemployed and increased hours and lower wages for workers who manage to find employment. As such, the best way to rapidly decrease unemployment is to set the maximum work week to 40 hours and bring back overtime even to the tens of millions of salary-exempt workers that are currently being exploited by their employers.

This isn’t a revolutionary concept. The work week shrunk from 72 to 60 to 50 to 40 hours a week as industrialization took hold and industry no longer needed people to work 12-hour days. The 40hour week became the standard in 1935. Yet, currently, not only has there been no drop in the work week to match increases in productivity, but the work week is actually increasing for those who still have full-time employment.

If we believe that everyone has a right to work and a right to education we need to create a job marketplace that gives people the chance to apply their degrees to a job that fits their skills. As it stands we have fewer high-paying jobs for more skilled workers than we can properly employ.

Less work can in fact be more, unless we want to embrace high unemployment and increased stratification as the new normal. We need to channel the values of past labor leaders and fight for a basic right to work, sustainable living wages and a shorter work week and workday so more people can enjoy a fulfilling job that makes use of their skills and education.

What is your favorite cultural event on campus?

Jack Percival

“I really like the Lunar New Year and the whole concept of giving money for good luck and assigning awesome animals to represent each year.”

Whitties before me fought for me to be here. But my mind often returns to the bright kids back home who are told to aim for community college because they will not be able to get aid for school, the ones who haven’t seen their parents for years because they were deported, the ones who work under the table with fake IDs so they can support their families. As a group that’s already used to being ignored, undocuyouths have little to lose.

We have made ourselves vulnerable to the American people. Hopefully they’ll catch the hint and soon we’ll be documented. But I doubt that will take away our status as fearless Undocumericans.

“IHC Block Party because everybody is sharing and so many people partake in many different things at the same time. It’s like a cultural blast!”

Zoe Erb Junior

“I love the Thanksgiving dinner George Bridges puts on every year. Thanksgiving is really important to me; when I can’t go home, luckily, I can still celebrate it with my Whitman family!”

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FEATURE

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14 2013

ALL IN THE

FAMILY With its dedicated alumni base, it’s no surprise that Whitman matriculates quite a number of legacy students—students who have direct family ties to the College. How do legacies walk the line between following family footsteps and blazing their ILLUSTRATION BY BRAYTON

own trail?

Parental guidance, emphasis on education draws in legacies

by Adam Brayton Feature Editor

W

hen senior Nick Marquiss sat down at his first Encounters class, he found himself sitting across the table from the same professor who taught his father decades before.

This situation may seem strange, but not with the kind of legacy representation found at Whitman. The Office of Admission defines a legacy student as a student who has a sibling, parent or grandparent who has attended the College. In a typical class, 10 percent of students fit the legacy bill, and another five percent have extended family who have attended Whitman.

In this particular case, Marquiss found himself with the same core curriculum professor as his father, Professor Emeritus of Physics Craig Gunsul.

“I didn’t think about it too much. Gunsul recognized my last name, which was good [of] him, but what struck me most was that, wow, Gunsul is really old.”

He takes it in stride, but Marquiss’ mother, father and grandfather all attended Whitman, a fact which he believes played strongly into his decision to apply to Whitman.

“Growing up, I was to-

tally brainwashed into joining the Whitman fold. I always knew what the liberal arts was about, and I was always pretty into it. I only visited once, just to check out the campus.”

Sophomore Chelan Pauly found herself in a similar situation: Both of her parents attended Whitman. She grew up hearing stories about the fun and shenanigans both of her parents had during their time at Whitman, and even came down to visit.

“We took a family vacation to come visit Bob Carson and Dr. Ball in seventh grade,” she said.

“We got to play with rocks in the Geology Department, Bob Carson gave us retro geology sweatshirts and we went on a tour—we had prospie folders as seventh graders.”

Despite the good memories and the fun stories, the fact that her parents had gone to Whitman was almost a complete turn-off.

“Originally my intention was to definitely not go to Whitman because they had gone here. When I applied, it was like, ‘Oh, my parents had a great time at Whitman, so I should apply just in case.’”

The idea of attending Whitman grew over time, and was bolstered by more than just her parents.

“I had a lot of older friends who went here—a lot of older role models,” she said.

When it came time for herself and her twin sister, Skye Pauly, to apply, the prospect came up that they could possibly go to the same school as each other.

“We were applying at the same time, and we both applied to a ton of different schools, and it was kind of a non-issue,” she said.

“We could both go to the same school if we really liked it, or we could both go to different schools.

But I think I decided first.”

Marquiss found himself in a similar position as Pauly when applying to schools; he didn’t want to set himself too strongly on Whitman, despite his parents’ love for the college.

“I was never really encouraged [to go here]. It was more like, ‘Whitman is a cool place, you should check it out,’” he said. “My sister even went to [University of Washington]. I didn’t want to constrain myself to just Whitman ... what if I changed my mind and decided to go to UW or Colorado College?”

The idea tied to the legacy label is that there is some sort of preferential treatment in the admissions office when these direct relatives of Whitman alumni apply. Marquiss believes he earned his way in, but remains open to the idea that his legacy status had some sway in his admission to Whitman.

“I had a decent GPA and my SATs weren’t too great ... but I don’t know what everyone else’s backgrounds were,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.”

When the Office of Admission looks at applications, the main goal is to search out a well-rounded mix of individuals, but there are a certain number of “plus” factors that can place qualified students over the edge and into the pool of admitted students. Legacy is one of these, among other “plus” factors are exceptional talent in athletics or the arts, diversity and noteworthy involvement in other fields.

“These ‘plus’ factors can help differentiate a student among other applicants and are considered only after a student has been determined to be qualified, if not highly qualified, for admission to Whitman,” said Tony Cabasco, dean of admission and financial aid, in an email.

A strong factor in the importance of legacy status comes from the fact that the College maintains a positive working relationship with alumni, and by extension their children and grandchildren.

“It speaks highly of the Whitman experience that many family members end up graduating from Whitman (sometimes over several generations),” said Cabasco in an email.

Additionally, they are one part of a whole, well-rounded Whitman graduating class, and one that has proven their worth over time through hard work and academic success.

“Students who come from Whitman families generally understand and value a Whitman education and end up being very good fits to Whitman,” said Cabasco in an email. “In previous studies that have been conducted, we’ve found that legacy students have had slightly higher graduation rates.”

Despite the positive impact being a legacy can have on an application to Whitman, Pauly is dubious to the degree that her legacy status alone helped her out.

“I don’t recall ever filling out any paperwork saying that my parents are alumni,” she said. “It might have helped.”

For Marquiss, having family history rooted in Whitman has added a little extra weight to his college experience, but his induction into his family’s “Whitman fold” has been anything but a negative experience.

“Sometimes, I kind of think of it as stunting my own experience, remembering that, ‘oh, my mom and dad have already done this, and my grandpa has done this,’” he said. “But it really has strengthened our connection to each other.”

Siblings, descendants strive for individuality from LEGACY, page 1

“When I came here as a freshman, people who were friends with him expected me to be like him,” he said.

Bergeson knew this would be a factor in attending the same college as his older brother. He experienced essentially the same comparisons in high school.

“It was pretty much the exact same thing,” he said. “[But] in high school, we were much more similar than we were in college.”

While contemplating which college to attend, he was hesitant. All the same, he couldn’t avoid the fact that Whitman was his number one choice. “[I] didn’t want to come here for a while, just because [Seth] did,” he said. “Even though I consider the two of us pretty different in a lot of ways, we are actually incredibly similar, so I think both of us really liked certain aspects of Whitman.”

But with time, the younger Bergeson made it known he was his own person. He initially saw a lot of preconceptions about his own personality and choices in coming here, but these have faded. “[I don’t see it] as much anymore. And he and I have taken two completely different paths within college,” he said.

And of course, having a wellknown older brother at hand in entering college has its benefits.

“It was a nice way to ease into the college transition,” said Bergeson.

“But, that also has some negative aspects, too, having your brother here.”

Max Skotheim, grandson to Whitman’s old president Robert Skotheim, echoed Bergeson’s emphasis on creating an identity apart from a name.

“My grandfather is one of the most admirable people I know,” Skotheim explained in an email, “but I’d like to think that people’s perception of me is based on my actions rather than his.”

Robert Skotheim, president of Whitman from 1975 to 1988, accomplished a lot for the college.

“By the end of his tenure, in 1988,” Whitman’s website says, “the college’s endowment had nearly quadrupled and Whitman was recognized as one of the best liberal arts colleges in the Northwest.” Skotheim was integral to getting Whitman to where it is today, and anyone aware of Whitman’s recent history would recognize the Skotheim name.

Consequently, Skotheim doesn’t see his grandfather’s past having a big effect on his life.

“I wouldn’t say that my last name affects my day-today life that much,” he said.

Because of the nature of his grandfather’s legacy, Skotheim sees any, if at all, recognition of his last name far more in faculty than in students, like Bergeson did.

“When it does come up it is usually with faculty rather than students, because they actually knew him,” said Skotheim.

But in general, Skotheim doesnw’t experience much of a to-do about his last name.

“Most people don’t know about my grandfather’s career here so it doesn’t come up a lot,” he said.

Regardless, Skotheim and Bergeson alike feel the lingering effects of their passed-on names. Students and faculty of Whitman recognize the importance of identities like these around campus, no matter how distant these people actually are from the meanings of their namesakes.

Bergeson (above) and Skotheim (below) both have notable family members who made a mark on Whitman. Photos by Doowa

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Swimmers cap off season at NWC meet by tristan gavin Sports Editor

W

hitman’s men’s and women’s swimming teams capped off a season of firsts by taking second and third, respectively, at the Northwest Conference Championships last weekend. Although the men and women finished in the same places as last year, the teams both showed tremendous growth from last year.

“The performances this weekend were amazing on both sides of the fence, men and women,” said senior captain Kevin Dyer.

The teams came away from a long weekend of swimming with a lot to be positive about. In total, the teams broke 20 school records and had many individuals rise to the occasion. Four individuals and two relays qualified for the chance to continue at the national level.

After breaking Whitworth’s 90-meet winning streak in a dual meet just two weeks prior to the Northwest Conference Championships, the men fell short of repeating the feat at the championships. However, the team’s rivalry with Whitworth highlights the growth of the program in the last couple of years.

The Whitman men netted a total of 10 wins, including seven individual conference titles.

Every record on the men’s record board is now held by current swimmers, many of whom will be returning for another run at the Conference title in the fall.

After winning all three of his individual events and swimming on the two relays that qualified with nationals cuts, sophomore Karl Mering was recognized as the meet’s Most Outstanding Male Swimmer, an award junior standout Galen Sollom-Brotherton won last year.

“Between the national cuts, meet records and even conference records, I think our performance really stood out,” said first-year Robby Dorn, who competed in both breaststroke events and the mile.

After various setbacks during the season, the women’s team also put up some incredible performances.

“Our women this year had probably their best finish since I’ve been part of the program,” said Assistant Coach Chris Bendix ‘12.

The women’s team was eyeing a second-place finish, but took third by a margin of just four points. While falling short of their lofty goal, the women had a lot to be proud

of looking back on the season.

“Even though people could focus on the fact that we lost by four points, that doesn’t take into account how amazing it was that we actually did end up getting third place by such a close margin,” said junior breaststroker Claire Collins.

Collins was the only woman to win an individual event, but she and senior captain Genay Pilarowski both qualified with provisional national cuts that may get them invited to the NCAA Division III Nationals in March.

First-year Elise Tinseth wrote her name into the record books by breaking a 19-year-old 400 IM record; fellow-first-year Cameo Hlebasko broke a 200-yard backstroke record set in 2006 on the way to taking second place in the event.

Competitive successes aside, for the swimmers the championship meet was a chance to reinforce the love and support for each other that they had developed over the course of the year.

“What I always find most impressive is simply how much we come together as a family,” said Dyer. “I don’t think any other team in the conference shares quite the bond that we have.”

Dorn emphasized that this closeness shaped his experience of his first championship meet.

“One of my favorite things about the weekend was definitely the team atmosphere that surrounded us. Wearing costumes, paint, waving flags and ultimately losing our voices to push our swimmers to get to the wall really showed how much we were invested in each other’s races,” said Dorn.

Collins highlighted the team’s unique ability to use this positive team energy to drive success in the pool.

“We have this ability to still have fun and then once we get in that pool we swim super fast. And that’s kind of intimidating ... that we can do that,” said Collins. “I think that’s what sets us apart.”

The mood walking away was that the team gave everything to their weekend.

“Between the cheering and the swimming, we just proved over and over again that we put in the most and we worked the hardest and we want the most out of all of our teammates,” said Bendix.

As the competition came to a close Sunday, so too did most swimmers’ seasons. As Dyer sets aside his goggles in official collegiate retirement, he reflects on the last meet of his college career.

“It’s exhausting, look-

ing back at it, but so incredible while it’s going on,” said Dyer.

The event was the last meet the teams will compete in as a group until next fall, when 14 graduating seniors will be replaced by new faces. As select individuals take their talents to a national stage, the rest of the team can only continue to cheer their teammates on as they look ahead to the 2013-2014 season.

“It’s going to be fine physically, swimming for six more weeks, but mentally it’s going to be hard. I think I’m going to have to rely on my teammates more than I have had to in the past,” said Collins, who is preparing for a potential bid at nationals.

This season’s successes, both collective and individual, give the team a lot to look forward to in the coming years. As they did with this year’s first-year swimmers, they will look to instill the competitive fire in the new class of swimmers arriving next fall.

“I feel like from the support and guidance the upperclassmen have shown the firstyears, the [first-year] class will be able to welcome next year’s class in the same way,” said Dorn.

(Top to bottom) Paul Chang ‘13 pushes through a powerful 100-yard breaststroke on the way to a Conference title and nationals qualifying time; Charlotte Graham ‘13 gets pre-race counseling from Assistant Coach Chris Bendix ‘12; Cari Cortez ‘13 takes off for a final go at the 400-yard Individual Medley on the second morning of the three-day meet. Photos contributed by Barton.

Recent grads put skills to work

Jay Richards ‘11 (above and right) is no longer suiting up in a Whitman baseball uniform, but his four-year athletic experience at Whitman has followed him into his new life in the working world since graduating. Photos contributed by Richards

by Kyle Howe Staff Reporter

A

ll varsity athletes dedicate their lives to their respective sports at Whitman, working hard to balance academics and athletics. When these athletes graduate, they go in many different directions; some pursue careers, others turn their sights to graduate school. Regardless of what they do, the same work ethic that they perfected in college is with them after graduation.

Swimmer and alumnus Chris Bendix ‘12 is still on campus, working a job his swim career helped him land.

“My current job is as the full-time assistant for the Whitman swim team. Because we are a combined roster (men and women) of 42 athletes and our season is so long (mid-September through mid-March), having a full-time assistant coach is extremely important for the success and advancement of our pro-

gram. I do a lot of work with the actual on-deck coaching every day and I do a lot of work compiling data on swimming recruits as well as keeping in touch with them. My job also includes teaching swimming classes each semester,” said Bendix.

Bendix is also pursuing work outside of the Whitman community.

“Outside of the Whitman team, I’m planning to do some coaching with the Walla Walla Swim Club this summer. I got to help out a little bit with the Wa-Hi girls’ team back in the fall as well, which was very fun. It’d be fun to pick up something part-time with a local winery, too,” said Bendix.

His work with the swim team has quickly become a passion, and he is planning on making a career out of it.

“In the long term, I’d like to find a position working as a graduate-assistant coach, preferably at the DIII level. I defi-

nitely enjoy coaching, so if I can land a job earning a master’s degree and continuing to coach, I’ll be thrilled,” said Bendix.

Although graduated life has its perks, he misses the student life.

“Do I miss being a student? I definitely miss the social aspect of it, but, at least for now, I’m happy that I get to spend my free time doing whatever I want. Reading whatever I feel like reading is also definitely a plus,” said Bendix.

Alumnus Conor HoltonBurke is an Academic All-American who graduated in 2012 and has also remained on campus, working hard on a research project and with the tennis team.

“I’m assistant coaching the tennis team. I’m also working as an intern for the Athletics Department. I’ve been doing research with Dr. Juers. His project involves developing a quantitative methodology for cryoprotection. Basically, cryocooling

causes damage to crystals in Xray crystallography, and he’s interested in minimizing that damage. The team is currently exploring many different avenues to do that,” said Holton-Burke.

Holton-Burke is also involved with a number of activities outside of research and tennis.

“I’ve also been volunteering at St. Mary’s hospital and shadowing a physician at a clinic. More recently, Alyssa Roberg and I have started a shoe drive to hopefully collect shoe donations in conjunction with the nonprofit organization Soles4Souls.

There are boxes all around campus in most dorms, Reid, BFFC and Bratton for those with extra pairs,” said Holton-Burke.

Graduate life is essentially the same for HoltonBurke as it was in college.

“As far as being a graduate goes, it’s really not that different from when I was a student. I still stay busy during the day with volunteering basically substituting for class and research substituting for my lab periods. I still go to practices and workouts with the team as the assistant coach. When everyone else is doing homework, I’m writing game stories, taking pictures and managing the Athletic Department’s Facebook page,” said Holton-Burke.

Not all Whitman gradu-

ates stay on campus after graduating, however.

Alumnus Jay Richards ‘11 is a graduated varsity baseball player who made the Academic All Conference team in 2011 and is pursuing a career off campus.

“I’m working out in Gig Harbor. I’m opening up a Carl’s Jr. chain and doing commercial real estate development,” Richards said.

Despite being disconnected from the athletic life at Whitman, Richards has found ways to play baseball.

“It is hard to compete when you lose the structure that you are used to being involved with it. I played on my little brother’s team for a few weeks over the summer, and I played in an adults’ league with a few other Whitman alumni. What I miss most is being competitive. It is hard to find another outlet,” said Richards.

Like most alumni, Richards misses Whitman life, particularly the people.

“There are a lot of things I miss about it. The few things I miss most about it [are] being on a team and competing. That was a great experience. The thing I miss most about Whitman is being around people who are young, ambitious and thoughtful, which is difficult to find outside of Whitman,” said Richards.

SPORTS

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v. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Feb. 6: L 12-0 v. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Feb. 6: W 8-3 v. Whittier College Feb. 8: W 13-9 v. University of La Verne Feb. 18: L 21-3 v. Hardin-Simmons University Feb. 18: W 7-4 v. University of Texas-Dallas Feb. 18: W 9-2

tennis

Skier qualifies for Winter Olympics

by PETER CLARK Staff Reporter

W

hile the Virgin Islands may not be known for producing Olympic skiers, one Whitman student is an exception to the trend.

Junior Jazz Campbell, a member of the club ski team at Whitman, recently qualified to represent the Virgin Islands in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Campbell was born and raised in the Virgin Islands until she and her parents moved to Sun Valley, Idaho when she was 10.

ILLUSTRATION BY ROBISON

Once she moved to Sun Valley, her love for skiing began to grow under her father’s tutelage.

“When I started skiing it was fun because you got to go so fast ... As I got older, I became more serious about it and began to commit to it,” said Campbell.

In some aspects, Campbell felt like she had little choice but to follow the path that her father blazed when he, too, skied for the Virgin Islands in the Olympics. Until she came to Whitman, skiing had become more of a job than the enjoyable activity she had fallen in love with.

Since arriving at Whitman, however, her love for skiing has been revitalized and she cannot wait to use her dual citizenship to compete for the country she was born in.

“I still feel very much a part of the Virgin Islands. When I first came to the U.S., I wanted to go back to the Caribbean immediately because it was such a culture shock for me. I love that culture and that energy, so I’m looking forward to getting the chance to represent it properly,” explained Campbell.

Campbell is already qualified to race in the giant slalom, and she is currently working on qualifying for slalom as well. Because representing the Virgin Islands in skiing is an odd occurrence in and of itself, Campbell’s road to the Olym-

pics has been one that undoubtedly differs from the normal experience for most Olympians.

“I am basically qualifying on my own. The President of the Virgin Island Olympic committee has helped me out by getting me into races. According to everything he has told me to do, I am on track

“When I started skiing it was fun because you got to go so fast ... As I got older, I became more serious about it and began to commit to it.”

Jazz Campbell

right now,” said Campbell.

Going at speeds that can reach as fast as 70 miles per hour scares most people, but not Campbell. She embraces the risky yet invigorating nature that downhill skiing represents.

Most importantly, she manages to maintain a relaxed approach to the event, when many athletes let it define their lives.

When asked about the location of the Olympics, Campbell revealed her true motivation of wanting to go to Sochi, Russia.

“I am mostly going for the hats,” said Campbell.

Men’s v. Lewis and Clark State University Feb. 8: L 3-6 Women’s v. Lewis and Clark State University Feb. 2: L 3-6 v. UC Santa Cruz Feb. 8: W 5-4 v. Linfield University Feb. 18: W 8-1 v. Willamette University Feb. 18: W 8-1

Basketball

Men’s v. Whitworth University Feb. 5: W 93-90 v. George Fox University Feb. 8: W 93-77 Women’s v. WhitworthUniversity Feb. 15: W 81-62 v. George FoxUniversity Feb. 15: W 49-46

Swimming

Men’s NWC Championships Feb. 8-10: 2nd in NWC Women’s NWC Championships Feb. 8-10: 3rd in NWC

upcoming Basketball

Men’s v. Willamette University Feb. 15, 8 p.m.: AWAY v. Linfield University Feb. 16, 6 p.m.: AWAY Women’s v. Willamette University Feb. 15, 6 p.m.: AWAY v. Linfield University Feb. 16, 4 p.m.: AWAY

tennis

Men’s v. Lewis and Clark College Feb. 16, 9 a.m.: HOME Women’s v. Lewis and Clark College Feb. 16, 2 p.m.: HOME

Sports factoids Women’s Tennis player Alyssa Roberg ‘13 was named NWC Student-Athlete of the Week for Feb. 4-10 Baseball outfielder Kyle Buckham ‘14 and pitcher Robert Maislin ‘16 received NWC Student-Athlete of the Week Honorable Mentions for Feb. 4-10

Off-Season Cuts, Where They Will End Up A Pio blogger’s take on the NFL

by dylan snyder Guest Columnist

T

itus Young (WR)- Titus Young has been the problem child for the Detroit Lions for the last few years. Having repeatedly been thrown out of practice and this year admitting to lining up in the wrong place on purpose to sabotage the offense everyone knew this was coming. The former 2nd round pick out of Boise State has shown that he has the talent to play in the NFL, but cant seem to get out of his own way and let the talent speak for itself.

New Home: The Rams have already claimed Young off of waivers to try and bolster their young receiving core. In St. Louis Young better prepare for some quick life lessons as Coach Jeff Fisher isn’t known for taking a lot of flak from his players. He isn’t afraid to bench players who don’t buy into his system as we saw this year with Janoris Jen-

kins who responded very well. I think Young will shape up in the new environment where Calvin Johnson won’t constantly overshadow him, and Jeff Fisher will be able to get rid of the bad boy attitude that has plagued his career.

Ahmad Bradshaw (RB)In what I saw as a pretty surprising move the Giants have cut ties with leading running back Ahmad Bradshaw to make way for 2nd year man David Wilson who came on strong at the end of the year. Bradshaw will only be 27 at the start of next so a three to four year deal here is not out of the question for teams looking for insurance or a split carry system to use Bradshaw. Never one to really be a bruiser Bradshaw uses a more slashing style that will nicely complement a backfield that already has someone with elite speed or a power runner. Not everyday do 1,000 yard runners come open in their prime

so expect Bradshaw to be picked up pretty early in free agency.

New Home- If my gut tells me anything Bradshaw will end up far away from New York and find his new place of employment in San Diego. Ryan Matthews has been radically inconsistent since coming into the league, not to mention has a bit of an injury history at this point in his career as well. The Chargers are yet to hire a new coach so the system is still a bit up in the air, but at the very worst Bradshaw can come in and alleviate some of the pressure on Matthews and give him a real change to develop. The Chargers have the pieces to still be a pretty good offense if Phillip Rivers could hang on to the ball and getting a strong running game could go a long way towards making Rivers comfortable enough to make the conservative play.

Donald Jones (WR)- The first major roster decision by the

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new regime in Buffalo was to let Jones test the free agent market.

The third year player is coming off career highs in catches, yards and touchdowns, but injuries will limit the demand for the young receiver. However it isn’t unheard for injury riddled players catch on once their bodies start cooperating. My guess is that Jones won’t be given another opportunity to get a starting nod like he had in Buffalo so he will have to earn his stripes. I think he will be able to catch on to a young offense that might have a new system and is looking for cheap veteran players to fill some holes until younger replacements can be acquired through the draft.

New Home- I’m going out on a limb with this one, but I really think that Houston would be a great fit for Jones. The Texans have been looking to upgrade over Kevin Walter in the second position for years now and have been unable to find one. That being said with Walter and Andre Johnson getting up there in years Jones has tons of upward mobility Jones would have time to develop more and take less hits for a season or two and then have a chance to work with a pretty elite offense.

Bart Scott (LB)- After a very vocal, but not that effective career with the New York Jets Scott once again finds himself on the free agent market. Scott isn’t exactly a young player any more at 32 and will struggle find someone to really give me a chance to make something of himself this late in his career. I think he either goes to a win now team that can use a mediocre aging linebacker for a year or two or latches on as a backup. Part of the interesting this with Scott as well is that he hasn’t been known as a great special teamer since early in his career with the Ravens. That being said special teams is a young mans game, some players are able to make long careers out of covering and returning kicks, but many of those players never really see the field elsewhere. Scott has transcended the idea that he should be a kick coverage team and may be unwilling to take a step back in terms of playing time.

New Home- New England Patriots, an easy call for aging play-

ers who want a shot at a ring and Bill Belichick is just the kind of coach that would want Scott not only to annoy rival Rex Ryan, but to try and squeeze every last ounce of worth out of Scott before he decides to retire. The Pats have been weak at linebacker for the last decade and this would fall in line with that their current system of player management would be. I see Scott playing at a Patriot, unless his loyalty to Rex Ryan, which has been well publicized, stands in the way.

Kyle Vanden Bosch (DE)After the hugely disappointing season for the Lions they are doing their best to make moves to get younger, especially along the defensive line where Ndamakong Suh will be the centerpiece for then next several years. Vanden Bosch will be 34 when next season kicks off, but there hasn’t been a major decrease in any of his stats except sacks this year. He still has value as a run stopper in a 4-3 defensive alignment on most teams. He has also been a beacon of leadership for every team he has ever been on giving some extra value to any team who picks him up to try and unify and young front seven. Unfortunately his inability to get to the quarterback, and lack of skills to transition to a 3-4 will limit the amount of teams willing to take a risk on him.

New Home- In the world where the run game is being deemphasized one team that still really can’t figure out how to stop it is the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have a new coaching regime that is pretty offensively oriented so bringing in veteran players who can be stop gaps until he can find a defensive coordinator that works with him. Vanden Bosch will help shore up the running game and let the great corners in Philly be able to have a little more freedom on the outside. Chip Kelly has shown at Oregon that he can score a lot of points, my biggest worry is that in the NFL he will also give up a lot of points. Vanden Bosch can help minimize the big play giving Kelly as shot at long term success.

For more insight on professional sports from Snyder, check out his blog “Snyder’s Sideline Report” at whitmanpioneer.com

A&E

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Sweeten up Valentine’s Day Single and bitter? Don’t be! The best things to do while flying solo 1

2 There’s no need to stay in your room and pout when there’s so much to do by yourself or with your friends on V-Day. Photos by Vander Laan

9

by Clara Bartlett Staff Reporter

F

irst off, let’s clarify: This article (which, admittedly, was planned to come out on Valentine’s Day) in no way presupposes a connection between being single and being miserable. In fact, more than likely, between schoolwork, planning for study abroad and what have you, all you single people are probably grateful to be relinquished of the potential stress that can emanate from the big V-Day. But in case you are one of those unfortunate souls that finds yourself a little heartbroken, lone-

ly or annoyed on Valentine’s Day, take these steps to remedy your February 14 vexation.

1.) Start by reading some Camus, Kafka and Sartre to lighten the mood.

2.) Troll Yahoo! Answers to further (restore? destroy?) your confidence in humanity.

3.) Valentine Craft Party with the besties!*

*Glitter and lots of love REQUIRED.

4.) Order some pizza (Big Cheese, Sweet Basil, Olive, Domino’s, etc.). LOTS of pizza equals LOTS

of fun.

5.) Have a party because you ordered too much pizza.

6.) Make people pay for their pizza and get that money (if you don’t have love, at least you can have money) OR spread the Valentine’s Day love and give the people their free pizza (that you could easily have finished alone).

7.) Go to the sauna in the Sherwood Athletic Center.

8.) Go to Walmart!

(ADVENTURES AWAIT YOU.)

9.) Go to the library and rent a movie! (“The Exorcist,” “Love Actually,” “Apocalypse Now,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “The Grudge,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Troll 3,” “Pretty Woman,” “The Fly,” “Ghost”) 10.) Do your laundry 11.) Do your homework.

12.) Go to Pioneer Park and take a stroll, hang with some birds, get up on the wagon sculpture and feel powerful.

13.) Contemplate what Beyoncé is doing right now.

14.) Let go of your jealousy of Beyoncé.

15.) Go for a bike ride!

16.) Have some chocolate/candy from Bright’s or get some froyo at Peach & Pear.

17.) Put on comfy socks.

18.) Go to sleep.

19.) Wake up to a day that isn’t Valentine’s Day! 20.) MOST IMPORTANTLY: Remember how lucky you are to have the friends you have.

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New dual Sheehan exhibit features artists Io Palmer and Cory W. Peeke

by Emma Dahl Staff Reporter

T

he Sheehan Art Gallery in Olin Hall will replace the Student Art Salon with two new exhibits this month, one entitled “Parted Leisure/Labored Ways: The Work of Io Palmer” and the other “Image Attached: The Collages of Cory Peeke.”

Io Palmer hails from Hydra, a car-free Greek island off the coast of the Peloponnese. Her online bio states: “She grew up amongst the donkeys, the fishes, the clear blue Mediterranean sea and the jazz music her parents listened to.”

Her art, however, speaks not of her idyllic childhood but of issues of race and class. One piece, constructed mainly of bobby pins, is described to “speak to the non-linear, at times ironic narrative that constructs societies’ social divisions.” The materials Palmer uses in her pieces are usually ordinary objects: bobby pins, combs, old knapsacks and household appliances.

Her drawings mirror her sculptures, with subtle color, repetitive lines and undefined forms.

Cory W. Peeke’s portfolio is composed of collag-

es. His webpage says that his collages are composed of images of “the largely ignored and seemingly inconsequential bits of ephemera that once had a purpose, still have a presence, but now idle in disuse.”

The main purpose of his art is to take something that’s been dismantled and scattered, bring those parts of different wholes together and make something new out of them.

“Through the process of collage these snippets of the past combine to become at once something fresh and familiar,” his main webpage states. The final pieces themselves can be described as minimal in volume and hued with calm amidst scraps of black and white photographs, with universal themes of flora, fauna and the human form.

The dual exhibits will be on display for the same period of time, from Feb. 22 to April 12. Both artists will give separate talks prior to the opening of their respective exhibits; Palmer will give hers on Friday, Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m. in Olin 130, and Peeke will give his on Friday, March 29 at 5:30 p.m. in Olin 130. Receptions in Sheehan will follow both talks.

17

FIDLAR stops caring and just writes

by Kyle Seasly Staff Reporter

F

IDLAR’s eponymous debut album leads with the track “Cheap Beer,” whose chorus echoes “I drink/ cheap beer/ so what/ [expletive] you,” which sets the tone for the entire album. The song sounds like the Dead Kennedys moved to So-Cal, stopped caring about politics and picked up some drug habits on the way.

This theme of hedonism and drug use continues throughout the album. The group’s name, FIDLAR, is an acronym, standing for “[Expletive] it dog, life’s a risk.” Yet no matter how burnt out, cracked out and drunk FIDLAR presents themselves to be, they still have a knack for writing catchy punk songs. Their songs are loud, abrasive and full of hooks.

Their debut is reminiscent of the Replacements’ debut Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash, playing fast and loose. But instead of singing about the doldrums of being a 20-something in Minneapolis, FIDLAR’s topics of escape are surfing, skateboarding, drugs and beer. For ex-

ample, in “No Waves,” lead singer Zac Carper croons, “I feel, feel like shooting up/ I feel/ feel like giving up on my skateboard/ ‘Cause I’m [expletive] bored/ I wanna perfect left and a sunset shore.” Indeed, they are a very L.A. band with an L.A. sound. “5 to 9,” a track running barely over a minute, references Culver City, L.A. County and, of course, drinking 40’s.

FIDLAR does, on the other hand, provide a refreshing breath of fresh air to the “indie” music scene, while Tame Impala and The XX use reverb and in-studio effects that can be a bit over the top. In other words, FIDLAR is writing “unpretentious” songs (just kidding).

Their style can be compared to the Black Lips or Wavves, especially because their style is bent on acting like bored suburban white kids playing punk rock.

Yet FIDLAR’s guitar work is impressive; their songs are abrasive, yet uniquely catchy.

Their lyrical topics can be a bit redundant but definitely fun to sing along to. Overall, I have high hopes for this band with such a solid debut.

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: Fridays at Four Recital Series This week: a Faculty Recital with Michael LeFevre and Rachel Chacko with Guest Artists Lyn Ritz and Karin Thompson.

The recital will be two solo works—a lute suite (BWV 995)

by J.S. Bach and a sonata written specifically for Michael LeFevre in 2012 by Bryan Johanson—and an ensemble piece, “Quartet” (D 96w), by Franz Schubert.

Friday, Feb. 15 at 4 p.m. in Kimball Auditorium

“Death at a Funeral” Slow Saturday night? Watch the classic dark comedy “Death at a Funeral.”

Saturday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in Kimball Auditorium

Magic Show Have your mind blown at famed magician Derek Hughes’ show!

Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Reid Ballroom

The Human Journey: A Genetic Odyssey Lecturer Spencer Wells comes to campus to discuss his Genographic Project, a project in which he collects and analyzes hundreds of thousands of DNA samples from humans around the globe to map our diaspora.

Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Maxey Auditorium

14 A&E Student entrepreneurs blend art and business to create new apparel line FEB

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by MALLORY MARTIN Staff Reporter

H

e’s an art and economics double major and the executive secretary for Phi Delta Theta, but somehow he still found time to start his own business. Sophomore Jesus Chaparro reminds us just how creative and driven Whitties can be with his new Whitmanbased business: Cryptid Apparel.

Officially started last October, Cryptid was inspired by a love of art, skateboarding style and the Whitman Entrepreneurs Club.

Founded by Chaparro and girlfriend sophomore Audrey Kelly, a history and art major, the clothing line features artwork by Whitman artists and is currently run out of the Fouts Center for Visual Arts.

“I’ve been skateboarding since the seventh grade and had fallen in love with that graphic style, the classic t-shirts. So I knew that I wanted to kind of pursue something like that,” Chaparro said of the company’s origins. “I looked into internships over the summer, thinking maybe I’d work with a clothing company or maybe a skateboard company. But I was nerv-

ous about how that would work out, so I decided to just start my own thing.”

The fledgling company has been working tirelessly over the last few months to get the word out about its product. Mostly made popular by word of mouth, a select group of students “in the know” have popped up around campus sporting the unique designs.

So what’s next for this successful shirt making crew?

“Humans Being had expressed interest in us maybe making shirts for them. And we’ve actually had an offer to sell our stuff in Blue Window Vintage, the store above Coffee Perk,” Kelly said. “So now we’re trying to decide if and how much we want to expand production, enough to sell to stores here in the Walla Walla area.”

“We’re also thinking about reaching out to other clubs for some promotional stuff,” Chaparro added. “Like KWCW or [The Pioneer]: We’d say, ‘Listen to this radio show on this day, or look for this feature in the newspaper and there’ll be a surprise.’ We haven’t worked out the details yet, but we’d love to support other on-campus groups.”

Cryptid currently features the

Sophomores Audrey Kelly (left) and Jesus Chaparro’s (right) shirt designs feature six other student artists. Photos by Doowa

designs of Chaparro, Kelly and six other Whitman artists: sophomores Natalie Shaw, Scott Martin, Noah Jensen, Tim Reed and

Max Skotheim and first-year Asa Mease. Students interested in finding out more information or acquiring t-shirts can visit the company’s

publicity page at www.facebook. com/cryptidapparel or email cryptidapparel@gmail.com to receive the group newsletter and updates.

Grammys 2013: Our winners and losers son, put a huge surge into his comeback, showing why he is one of the best live artists on the planet. Even Prince got to present an award.

R&B is certainly alive and well with all this talent, old and new.

Kanye West: He avoided embarrassment by not attending. Moral victory for Kanye.

by QUIN NELSON Staff Reporter

T

he world’s biggest night for music occurred Sunday, Feb. 10. Despite the new, more conservative dress code, the 2013 Grammy Awards still managed to have a plethora of surprises and NSFW moments. Let’s take a look at the night’s winners and losers:

Winners: The Black Keys: Grammy performance collaborations are usually cringe-inducing (see: last year when the Foo Fighters performed with Deadmau5). However, when the powers that be get it right, truly entertaining music can ensue.

The Black Keys and their brand of raw, garage-blues pop rock meshed splendidly with the Cajun blues of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Dr. John. The set was loose, loud and fun, which is just what

you want when the Black Keys are performing “Lonely Boy.” Also, Dr. John was dressed like an Ewok shaman, so that was cool.

Rock: While the music press constantly writes the obituary of rock, two of the biggest contemporary rock acts, the Keys and Jack White, both put forth terrific performances.

Jack White’s set of “Love Interruption” and “Freedom at 21” encompassed what we love about rock: virtuosity and an awesome guitar.

R&B: The Grammys provided a platform for R&B past and present to converge. Young auteurs Frank Ocean and Miguel both put forth great sets. Miguel, critically overshadowed by Ocean for much of the year, got to show off his tremendous voice in performing “Adorn,” despite having to share the stage with professional rap deadweight Wiz Khalifa. Justin Timberlake, the genre’s prodigal

Frank Ocean: Whether through cryptic Tumblr posts or his poetic album Channel ORANGE, Frank Ocean became a critical darling in 2012. The Grammys were meant to be his official launch into superstardom, with a scheduled performance and a chance to win Album of the Year. Ocean chose to sing “Forrest Gump” and gave an intriguing but imperfect performance, endearingly shaky. Unfortunately, Ocean went on to lose Album of the Year to Mumford and Sons, but at least he can still play the “enigmatic genius” card. He is certainly an enigmatic genius that everyone should keep an eye on for years to come.

once again squandered the opportunity to show they are in touch with the rapidly changing music environment. It is hard to give broad awards in an artistic medium that is becoming increasingly voluminous and fragmented, but the Academy still showed a refusal to take the opportunity to recognize fresh material. Mumford and Sons is a solid band, but their style is nothing new.

Not that there’s anything bad about that music, but 2012 had many fresh and exciting artists, Frank Ocean chief among them. Ocean owned the year, and deserved acknowledgement for doing so.

Taylor Swift: She’s just kind of getting annoying.

Chris Brown: Chris Brown has been losing in the court of public opinion for a while now. Brown got in a fight with Frank Ocean two weeks ago, cutting Ocean’s finger so Ocean had to play piano onehanded (which he did expertly).

He then went on to lose to Ocean in Best Urban Contemporary Album, and with the emergence of Ocean and Miguel, should not be expecting many awards any time soon.

New club promotes fitness and self-defense

Losers: Rap: Rap just doesn’t seem like it’s suited for the Grammys. As the most expansive, diverse and nichedriven genre of music today, it’s impossible to give one award for all of rap. Still, the NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences) did the best they could, giving Drake Rap Album of the Year for the solid Take Care. Hiphop legend Nas probably should have won for Life is Good, but it was not a terrible choice given how hard it is to choose between such different albums. The most universally acclaimed rap album in recent memory, Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city, was actually released in September but won’t be eligible until the 2014 Grammys.

National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences: The NARAS

Want to see more pictures of the new Martial Arts club? Check out our photo slideshow at www.whitmanpioneer.com/category/media-2. Photos by Bernstein

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Student who has watched a lot of Nelly’s music videos has skewed idea of Valentine’s Day

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or the small, inbreeding population of Whitman students who are in happy relationships, Valentine’s Day is an opportunity for partners to celebrate each other and acknowledge their inherent superiority over the rest of the student population. For most other Whitman students, though, Valentine’s Day is only a consumer-supported reminder of their loneliness and disappointment with the conventions of Whitman’s “dating scene.”

While committed Whitties make restaurant reservations and consider shaving various areas of their bodies, and single Whitties prepare to throw food and rocks at the few happy couples on cam-

pus, senior Pete Boroughs has his own unusual designs for Valentine’s Day this year. The parttime student and ultimate Frisbee player confessed that his longstanding obsession with the music of St. Louis R&B artist Nelly has recently returned to him.

This renewed fascination with Nelly’s musical styling and videography could not have come at a more consequential time.

“I’ve been watching a lot of Nelly’s music videos recently. In fact, last week was ‘Nelly Week.’

Usually I take some time to watch some rounds of Magic: the Gathering, but I can’t stop thinking about how much I need a Tip Drill this Valentine’s Day,” Boroughs said.

Nelly, an artist known for his dubious portrayals of women as much as his delightfully catchy music and misspelled song titles, was recently reported to have appeared in nearly every hip-hop music video from 2000-2006. When asked what he had planned for Valentine’s Day, Boroughs pointed to the obvious appeal of Nelly’s lifestyle.

“This is what I always dreamed of as a 14-year-old,” Boroughs said, pulling up the music video to “Hot in Herre” on his computer. “I think it’s about time that this dream comes true.” On the screen, a slutty referee mimed taking her slutty referee shirt off, sweat

dripping from her jiggly bits.

Nelly’s music videos invariably feature a cadre of muscular black men who roam around clubs in slow motion, hugging other muscular black men or stopping to objectify well-formed, scantilyclad women who seem hopelessly attracted to men with doo-rags and band-aids under their left eyes.

Boroughs remembers how slighted he felt on Valentine’s Day in eighth grade, when an adoring girl gave him a box of chocolates and a really nice note: “No booty pops. No gold chains.

No Air Force Ones. It was like she had no idea what Valentine’s Day was actually about.”

When asked how he intend-

ed to prepare for this year’s Valentine’s Day, Boroughs cited a long list of items he would need: enormous football jerseys for him and his friends to wear backwards, headbands, $500 Air Jordans, somewhere between 35 and 40 bottles of Patron Tequila, bubble bath, a bathtub and lots of dollar bills. Much of this he figures to acquire from Jewett Hall’s games closet.

“And of course, it ain’t no fun unless we all get some,” Boroughs concluded, swiping his Whitman ID card downwards in the air, as if one of many voluptuous, invisible women in his room would begin shaking her invisible apple booty in his face.

students Digest 14 Feb 2013 02:00:01 ---------- Forwarded message ---------From: WEB <WEB@whitman.edu> To: students@lists.whitman.edu Subject: Valentine’s Day Cuddle Puddle

To All Lonely Whitties,

Come join WEB to cuddle out the Valentine’s Day blues!

WEB is hosting a cuddle puddle this Valentine’s Day to promote healthy touching, consent and care.

The Valentine’s Day Cuddle Puddle (sponsored by WEB) will take place in the Reid Campus Center Ballroom on Valentine’s Day. There will be cuddling, cinnamon roll hugs and snacks. Tickets will be available Monday-Thursday at lunch. Student ID is required for tickets.

Only one ticket will be administered to each student.

ILLUSTRATION BY RAIBLE

5 Reasons why Whitman is turning into North Korea

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ike countless other Whitman students, I have stumbled upon some disturbingly similar connections between our college and our worst (but admittedly somewhat cute) enemies: the North Koreans. At first, it appears like nothing more than a coincidence, but all too quickly it is becoming quite clear that Whitman is slowly morphing into an isolated piece of land where we are all made to enjoy working 19-hour shifts at the physical plant and then given our dried fish ration for dinner and a combination of repressed emotions and quiet desperation for dessert. Yum! 1) The late Kim Jong Il and his successor Teletubby-son, Kim Jong Un, were born with abnormally large bowling ball heads, just like the leader of Whitman College ... George Bridges!

2) Whitman is constantly brainwashing students into thinking outrageous propaganda such as “Whitman is unpreten-

tious,” “Don’t worry! It’s sunny 300 days a year here” and ridiculous posters that make unsubstantiated claims like how “Only 31% of Whitties drink on the weekends,” etc., and the scary part is, just like our sad and ignorant North Korean citizens, we students are falling for everything that our oppressive administration is telling us!

3) Whitman is literally paying actors to attend school events and make us believe that there are other happy people outside of the campus.

For instance, have you ever noticed how all of the people that attend a lecture or go to an event in Cordiner Hall seem too complacent and content? That’s because they are all alumni that have been misled into believing that the college has made them happy and they want to return in exchange for large amounts of our money that the administration is paying them to appear that way!

4) As the days, weeks, months and finally years go by, all of our

food starts to look and taste the same. We are unable to differentiate what good food used to taste like and are duped into believing that the dining halls and Reid Campus Center are providing healthy, yummy “options.” The effect is similar to that of when you walk into a room that smells like a rotting banana, but after being forced to stay in the room for two years, not only have you become used to the smell, but also fail to recall any smell other than the one in the room (i.e. Bon Appétit “food”).

5) Groups of students that are invited to the President’s (read: Dictator’s) house are not allowed to speak of what happened and oftentimes can’t remember what happened. They normally brush the subject off with an “Oh, you know, it was nothing but a thing.” These are outdated phrases only a Marxist nation/college would use because we are too far behind the pop cultures of the developing worlds!

The Valentine’s Day Cuddle Puddle (sponsored by WEB—WEB schmeb) reminds students to dress and act appropriately to ensure the best of times. Keep in mind that certain clothes can be difficult to cuddle in: Dresses, skirts, shorts and kilts can ride up, and some clothes may be too constricting. WEB suggests that for health and safety reasons, students bathe before and after attending the event.

The Valentine’s Day Cuddle Puddle (sponsored by WEB—how’d you know?) will be monitored by security to keep contact levels where everyone is most comfortable. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, a guard will attend to you.

The Valentine’s Day Cuddle Puddle (sponsored by WEB—no way!) will not tolerate rude and ill-judged behavior. WEB encourages all students to “ask before you grasp” because “a suggestion is not a question” and everyone knows consent is sexy.

The Valentine’s Day Cuddle Puddle (mother-fucking sponsored by fucking WEB) is for everyone. Invite your best friend, that person you just met in the library whom you’ve been staring at in the quiet room for the past three hours, that guy or gal on your IM dodgeball team, that cute server in Jewett Dining Hall or go alone and meet new people.

Come try to make a record-breaking cinnamon roll hug, cuddle lake and some friends and possibly more...

<3 WEB (this event is sponsored by WEB)

Dubblebaby by Sam & Toby Alden

for more DUBBLEBABY go to http://dubblebaby.blogspot.com/

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Freshman boy unsure if he went on date

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ast Saturday, Jewett Hall resident Max Wallets went out to get a beverage with a friend of his. A week after the morning out on the town, one thing still confuses Wallets.

“Was it a date?” he asked a Pioneer reporter and first-year romance expert.

The two met on Ankeny Field and walked to the Patisserie to get coffee after hooking up on the dance floor at Tau Kappa Epsilon Post-I. “We danced a lot. Like, a lot.

At the Post-I. Not on the walk.

The walk was kind of awkward, actually,” admitted Wallets.

In fact, the awkwardness began at the conception of the plan, which was riddled with misunderstanding.

“We were talking about Taylor Swift, as I often do at parties to get girls. Girls love Taylor Swift. When she asked what I thought about the new album, I suppressed girly giggles to coolly tell her it ‘was way too poppy.’

She thought I said ‘way too coffee.’ I told her that would not make sense, and she asked what time we were going to the Patisserie. I still don’t know her name,” he cried.

Wallets is actually allergic to heated beverages, so he drank room temperature water while his companion sipped an extra foamy caramel frappe-mochaccino and told him about her ex-boyfriend for two hours.

“I drank a lot of water.

I had to pee for most of it.

Pretty much all, actually. She talks a lot,” he said.

The girl he took forgot her wallet, so Wallets was forced to pay for her beverage. On the walk home, Wallets finally got a chance to talk.

“I told her she was pretty hot. Like hotter than most girls I have hooked up with.

And a good dancer, too. I was really just thinking aloud. I’m still pretty surprised she hooked up with me,” confessed Wallets.

When they got back to campus, Wallets walked her back to her room, which he discovered was right across the hall from his own.

“I guess I never really noticed her before. I play a lot of

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14 2013

Freshman girl goes on best date of all time

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athered around a Prentiss Dining Hall brunch table, Jewett Hall resident Gabriela Stevens revealed to her friends that she had gone on “THE BEST DATE EVER” the previous evening. Later, in an exclusive Skype session with the Backpage’s romance expert, she revealed the intimate details of this apparent Romeo “without the whole pedophile thing” on campus.

“This guy is as original and cute as my nose ring,” admitted Stevens, not looking around Prentiss.

The two had met at the TKE Post-I, where a conversation about Stevens’ very original music taste had commenced.

“Well, I am a Taylor Swift fan,” giggled Stevens. “Then he asked me to get coffee because of that. I felt like someone finally recognized how unique I am because I like Taylor Swift a moderate amount.”

Smash Bros. Seems pretty weird that we met up on Ankeny, now that I think about it,” he said.

They gave an awkward hug that lasted a little longer than Wallets expected and then went into their respective rooms.

“I don’t know if I’ll see her.

Not in the dating sense. I am really busy and probably won’t notice her again for a while,” he said.

For Wallets, the cups of water he drank at the Patisserie marked the first food or beverage he consumed outside of Jewett Dining Hall.

“Except Prentiss brunch. I love brunch,” he admitted shamefully.

Wallets has never drunk cups of water with a girl, but doesn’t see it as a binding contract.

“What if I get thirsty around another girl? I can drink with her, right? I mean, it was just water, and kind of awkward, really,” he said awkwardly.

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And how did this tale of epic proportions continue? In the romantic lush of the wheat fields?

In the soothing green land of Narnia? In the blood-stained dungeonarium of the Beta Basement?

“Nay,” neighed Stevens, quite like a horse. “We just met on Ankeny [Field] and walked to some AWESOME coffee shop. I’d never been there before. But the place just reminded me of romance.”

The fact that the place reminded her of romance may have been because she actually had been there on a romantic evening involving carriage rides, roses and Yellowtail. Regrettably she had been accidentally hit on the back of the head at the end of the night by a drunk Whitman College baseball pitcher playing catch with himself, excited about his recent victories, removing all such memory.

“He also just had the most concerned look on his face for most of the time. And I’m pretty sure he was clutching his crotch, like my words were turning him on. That was hot,” said Stevens.

The two walked out after her date paid for both.

“So classy to pay for his date’s drink. Next time I see him working grounds crew or at Prentiss in the dish pit I’m going to give him a hug.

Plus, since I didn’t have to spend my allowance that my parents give me I can get Grey Goose this weekend.”

“Then he told me I was super hot.

And I love hearing that, because, I mean let’s face it,” said Stevens, looking at herself in the mirror.

“The best date I ever went on. He paid, and he didn’t demand anything because of it. And that was a big turn-on. But not, you know, big enough,” were Stevens’ final elbow-jabbing comments to this reporter.

ILLUSTRATION BY JONES