Whitman Pioneer Spring 2013 Issue 5

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91%

Scientific consensus has placed the safe atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration at 350 parts per million.

of emissions come from fossil fuels and cement

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Current atmospheric carbon dioxide levels: 18 9 6

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396

INFOGRAPHIC BY MCNULTY

Issue 5 | February 21, 2013 | Whitman news since 1896

3.16

parts per million

Billion metric tons of carbon dioxide were released into the atmosphere in 2011

+2 ppm / YEar

Annualized Return

Annualized Return

Average over five Years

Average over five Years

10%

New voices enter divestment debate

9% 8%

by LACHLAN JOHNSON Staff Reporter

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6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1%

2.88 9.45 Chevron EXXOn MOBIL

3.63 SHELL

ampus Climate Challenge’s (CCC) campaign to encourage Whitman to divest from fossil fuels has gained traction on campus, but has met with new challenges as students and administrators disagree over the best way to use the investment to lower the burning of fossil fuels.

Students and administrators have raised concerns that divestment could lower the return on Whitman’s investment, hurting the college’s finances. Divestment efforts have also come up against advocates of “active shareholding,” a strategy whereby Whitman College would attempt to use its stakes in fossil fuel companies to pressure companies to stop exploring for new deposits of fossil fuels and instead invest in alternative energy.

“It’s pretty difficult to straddle two [positions], but what we’ve discovered is all of us on the campaign still want divestment and that’s still going to be our end goal. But we’re taking being an active shareholder as a step to divestment,” said sophomore Si-

erra Dickey. “We really need to be very clear to everyone who’s interested and everyone who’s involved about how things have been on the ground on campus and how things have been in [Memorial Hall] with the administrators. I think people are intelligent and can understand that there are big differences between each sector. We’re giving [active shareholding] a go [by] collaborating with administrators. It’ll let us know if that’s what we want to keep doing after this.”

Active shareholding has the support of Whitman Finance Committee Chair David Nuremberg, members of the Whitman Investment Company and Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC) Finance Committee Chair senior Sam Sadeghi.

ASWC itself has yet to take a stance on divestment; before passing any resolutions on the topic, it plans to hold a forum to give speakers in favor of and against divestment a platform to voice their opinions. After the forum, ASWC will consider whether to make a formal move in favor of divestment or active shareholding.

The Green Century and Portfolio 21 funds are mutual funds which invest in a range of companies and exclude fossil fuels. The S&P 500 is an index fund measuring the overall performance of the U.S. economy.

10% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5%

Green Century Balanced Fund 2.22

4% 3% 2%

S&P 500 2.14

1% 0%

Portfolio 21 Global Equity Fund -0.42

-1%

see DIVESTMENT, page 2

Concert to present student compositions

by JACQUELINE REESMIKULA Staff Reporter

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any Whitman students dedicate hours to practicing and performing music. There are some students, however, who work to find their passion behind the scenes composing music. These burgeoning composers spend a year perfecting their works of art in anticipation of premiering them to the public. This Friday, Feb. 22, the composers will have their opportunity to show off their music to the community at the annual Composers Concert.

The Composers Concert has been a tradition at Whitman, taking place every semester since 1999 when Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music John D. Earnest started teaching.

“I started the concert so that the composers would have a venue in which to showcase their works and to hear [them] played in public,” said Earnest.

The concert is also a treat for listeners who rarely catch a glimpse of composers and the world they write in. As Earnest explained it, the work of composers is “magical” and “mysterious” to the audience.

For Friday’s concert, each composer wrote a piece according to a theme of their choice. The titles and explanations of each piece help the audience to understand what influenced each composer’s work.

“We come from a lot of different influences, and that’s going to

affect the music,” said first-year Aaron Stern.

His piece, “Three Women,” was inspired by his mother, his best friend and his girlfriend.

“They all influence me and inspire me in different ways; they’re all very unique characters in my life. They’re all creative in various ways, too,” said Stern.

“My first semester project is a set of character pieces, and because music is a feminine energy, I thought important women in my life would make good subjects.”

He originally wrote his piece for three instruments, each of which would represent the different women he depicted. However, certain restrictions led him to an unusual arrangement for electric guitar and flute.

“I express their personalities through the flute. I’m represented by the guitar because it is my main compositional tool,” he said.

Stern began writing music in high school, though his relationship with music goes back much farther. The first CD he owned was an R&B/soul collection; the earliest artists he remembers hearing are Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding when he was six years old. The next CDs he owned were “best of” collections by the Beatles and the Beach Boys.

After hearing Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, Stern started playing guitar at age 10. The influence of these musicians led him on the course to joining a progressive death metal band. While playing in the band, he began writing his own music. see COMPOSERS, page 4

Varsity volleyballer Anna Conrad ‘13 offers encouragement to Cheney Doane ‘15 during club practice. Photo by Vander Laan

Varsity volleyball coaches men

by PETER CLARK Staff Reporter

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lub sports constantly face uphill battles. They are often underfunded, have limited practice times and endure varying commitment levels from members of the team. While the men’s club volleyball team combats many of these issues, they do enjoy one particular advantage: varsity coaches.

Former women varsity volleyball players seniors Anna Conrad and Rachel Shober regularly coach the A and B men’s club volleyball teams. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, Shober and Conrad put the two teams through practices. According to Shober, the experience has been both challenging and rewarding.

“People always say that playing and coaching are so different, but I never fully realized that until

making this transition. Seeing the process from the other end has been really cool,” explained Shober.

When the season started, the two volleyball players held tryouts to get a feel for the talents of the players they would be working with. Along with tryouts, they had the players take a survey to gauge their experience along with their commitment level. These steps combined with a good player turnout made it possible to create an A team and a B team.

“This helped us figure out what people were feeling mentally and physically and how we could better cater to that,” said Conrad.

After knowing what the varying skill levels were, Conrad and Shober have been better able to cater to the two different practices. The B team practices consist of teaching more fundamentals and basics of the

game, while the A team mimics more of the practices that Conrad and Shober were put through as members of women’s varsity.

Sophomore B team member J.C. Brewer plays volleyball for the team camaraderie and overall atmosphere that the club team provides.

“The family feel is always fun. You can always count on laughs in practice, but you also get a competitive feel,” said Brewer.

The A team’s former captain, alumnus John-Henry Heckendorn ‘12, set the bar at a high level in establishing the standard for the club volleyball team. In his first few years, he utilized the help of former head volleyball coach Carolyn Papineau to coach their team.

Just last year, Heckendorn approached first-year volleyball player Annie Sing to coach their team. see VOLLEYBALL, page 5

21 NEWS New program preps future educators FEB

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by DANIEL KIM Staff Reporter

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hitman’s new preeducation advising program held its first event on Tuesday, Feb. 19: a networking dinner designed to give students interested in education careers the opportunity to meet expert educators from the Walla Walla area.

Over 15 local professionals were expected to attend the event. According to Associate Professor of Sociology Michelle Janning, one of the program’s advisers, there was a high amount of student interest in the dinner and the program in general.

“This was amazing,” she said, regarding the 80 students who signed up to attend. “It’s a dinner and so we have a limited number of spots, and so we used a registration system and the spots filled in a day or a day and a half, which showed me the need for students to know what the program is like.”

Language Learning Center Coordinator Jennifer Mouat, another of the program’s advisers, said the educators invited to the event were selected to represent a variety of backgrounds and career paths in the educational world.

“Dr. Linda Boggs, assistant superintendent for Walla Walla public schools, suggested panelists for the event, and we asked her to suggest educators from a diversity of disciplines and backgrounds to speak about their journeys

into this field. We hope there will be something for everyone,” she said.

When the education minor at Whitman was removed in 2010-2011, Mouat, Janning and Assistant Director of Admission Robert Street discussed possible methods to continue the study of education at Whitman. The preeducation advising program started last year when Street, Mouat and Janning received an Innovation in Teaching and Learning Grant that began in late spring 2012. This is a competitive internal Whitman grant that is administered through the Provost and Dean of the Faculty Offices. Grant applications are reviewed by faculty members on the Center for Teaching and Learning Committee.

On top of applying for the grant, Janning also decided to apply for a separate piece of the grant to develop a new course about the sociology of education.

“I’ve spent the last year researching and writing and collaborating with colleagues here and internationally to develop that course. I spent a part of my sabbatical in Denmark to research international issues in education,” Janning said.

Street said he thinks the absence of the education minor has been mostly good for students and fits Whitman’s purpose as an institution.

“I think not having the education minor has been a good experience for stu-

dents since they are able to major in an area that they are really interested and passionate about.

From there, they are able to go into a teaching program that will then train them, after they had the broad education here at Whitman,” Street said. “I feel that teaching a teacher how to teach should come from a master’s program, and does not need to come from a place from Whitman.”

According to Street, the purpose for setting up a pre-education advising program was not to develop a credentialing program or be attached to a graduate program, but to help students who are interested in the curricular aspects of education be more aware of resources that are present on campus to help them pursue that path.

“I saw a need not necessarily for a minor or for students to get a pedagogical experience at Whitman, but more importantly to have an advising system in place [so] that students who are interested in education knew how to go about their different and unique interests,” Street said.

All three members of the advising team not only have strictly educational relations to the new program, which will be added to the 2013-2014 College Catalog, but also have personal reasons for their involvement. With it, from the beginning, the program shows great interests from students and educators with the amount received from their grant.

Language Learning Center Coordinator Jennifer Mouat [above], one of the pre-education program’s advisers, sat on a panel for students interested in educational careers. Photos by McCormick

Voters reject Wa-Hi bond “There is no plan B,” says principal

by SARAH CORNETT Staff Reporter

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fter months of tenuous debate, the bond to renovate Walla Walla High School failed last Tuesday, Feb. 12. Requiring 60 percent of the votes to pass, the measure garnered only 53 percent in a close count of 5,056 to 4,430.

The bond would have provided funds to modernize Wa-Hi, an institution built in 1963. The building retains most of its original structures, and the renovations would have included updating the science labs and adding interior hallways to promote security.

Though the vote was not exceptionally close, many community members expressed surprise that it did not pass.

Countless local businesses had signs in their windows saying “Vote Yes Wa-Hi” and entire blocks of houses had yellow lawn signs saying the same.

On hearing the news last Tuesday night, Walla Walla Public School Superintendent Mick Miller expressed disappointed shock. He said that there are no alternative plans to modernize the school yet.

Wa-Hi Principal Pete Peterson also expressed disappointment at the bond’s failure. He also was not aware of any current plans to begin anew with efforts to renovate the school.

“I don’t think the superintendent has really processed it,” he said. “There’s no plan B that I am aware of.”

Many community members offered different theories on why the bond failed to pass.

Most believe the conservative community was not ready to embrace a multi-million-dollar renovation of a community institution, one that many citizens want to appear similar to the WaHi they grew up with.

An article recently written by the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin editorial board offered other ways to move past the failure.

“The School Board has concluded—and we believe correctly—the community wants a new, modern Wa-Hi that has the same look and feel of Wa-Hi’s open campus. That’s a place to start,” the article said.

Many in this politically conservative community also believed the $69.6 million for the bond was too much, or that some of the modernizations were unnecessary.

Peterson said that he believes the economy served as the chief reason for the bond’s failure.

“I think it really comes down to the state of the local economy,” he said. “It’s a valid concern.”

These same questions arose before the official Feb. 12 vote through public meetings and countless

U-B editorials. Whitman Professor of Physics Kurt Hoffman, who was a major activist on the bond’s behalf, said those in Walla Walla who did not vote for the bond are not necessarily against schools.

“The economy is in bad shape right now, and that did influence the decision of many community members,” he said.

“My sense is that many people just have a difficult time understanding why a renovation would cost $60 million.”

Walla Walla County has a history of struggling to pass bonds for the benefit of schools. Green Park Elementary was renovated in 1991 only after three previous attempts to allot funds to modernize the school. U-B editorials cited it as a perfect example of a community coming together for the sake of education because of extensive discussion and opinions heard before the final vote.

Questions regarding College Place High School and possibilities that it could absorb many College Place residents that traditionally attend Wa-Hi also contributed to the bond’s failure.

Those involved in advocacy efforts for the bond are still upset from what they saw as a solid proposal, one that had been in the works since early last fall.

“We’re very disappointed,” said Miller.

Divestment debate continues from DIVESTMENT, page 1

“If you can get 30 of the colleges to combine and use their voice to say, ‘We don’t want you guys to continue exploring; we want you to invest in other forms of fuel,’ [that would make a difference],” said Sadeghi. “Bringing social change is more important than education. At some point we need to actually create social change.”

Proponents of active shareholding argue that divestment will not affect fossil fuel companies, as other investors will continue to support corporations which profit from fossil fuels. While some divestment activists agree this is true, they argue divestment will still be effective through influencing public opinion and stimulating media coverage of the issues.

Earlier in the campaign for divestment, critics of the movement focused on how divestment could negatively influence Whitman College’s endowment and, through that, the cost of tuition. However, as active shareholding and divestment both require the college to use its finances to create social change, discourse around the issue has shifted. After meeting with CCC representatives, Nuremberg asked members of the administration to begin gathering data on how the endowment is invested and how much is invested in the companies targeted by divestment This is a distinct break from the college’s history of refusing to consider social investment.

“We came into this meeting under the assumption that we didn’t want Whitman to hurt its financial standing, and if it did,

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we didn’t want to divest.

[Nuremberg] was appreciative of that fact and also seemed to undercut that issue a little bit. It seemed like ... [a decrease in finances] wasn’t his biggest concern with the issue of divestment, and that it was more that he wasn’t sure if that was the right tactic to take.

Which is interesting, as a lot of the arguments against [divestment] have been that it would financially hurt us,” said first-year Marla Harvey.

The divestment campaign is the largest unified effort by CCC in the organization’s history. In order to deal with the large amount of interest and involvement, the campaign has been broken down into six breakout groups. The strategy breakout group designs the campaign’s overreaching goals and how to achieve them. It is supported by the research group, which looks into the college’s history, as in hopes of finding information to help the campaign. The four remaining groups deal with different types of outreach: traditional media, social media, movement building (in charge of tabling, petitions and other events) and design.

“Outreach is really important because even if what we’re trying to get done is an actual divestment change that involves the administration and the trustees, the will for that change has to come from the student body,” said junior CCC member Jenni Doering.

Even as the campaign for divestment continues, the CCC plans to hold elections during the week of Feb. 18 to decide new leadership for the campaign. Previously

the movement was organized by sustainability interns, but as participation grows the organization has decided that a more democratic approach to leadership is appropriate.

On the weekend of Feb. 23 and 24, the interns who organized the divestment campaign will be traveling to a divestment convergence in Pennsylvania. This conference—the first of its type—has been organized

by Bill McKibben’s 350.org campaign in order to create greater solidarity and networking between activists.

Other climate activists who are not attending the conference were given the opportunity to attend a protest in Spokane, Wash. over Presidents’ Day weekend. Although not affiliated with the divestment movement, the protest in Spokane focused on fossil fuels and coincided with a large demonstration in Washington, D.C. which aimed to pressure U.S. President Barack Obama to take action against climate change.

“By getting involved in the larger regional issues, [attending the protest] will allow for organizers on campus to have connections with other schools that are running a campaign or staff members who have greater resources. Also, seeing environmental issues on a more regional scale can help people better contextualize the campaigns that they’re running.

Sometimes I think divestment can come off as a little abstract, but when you’re meeting with people who are passionate about the same issues, it can help clarify that,” said junior Claire Meints.

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

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

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

The

NEWS

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21 2013

Permanent sustainability coordinator approved

by DYLAN TULL Staff Reporter

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fter long months of student and ASWC advocacy, Whitman College has voted to install a permanent faculty position that would coordinate and oversee all green and sustainable efforts on campus. The Board of Trustees met Friday, Feb. 16, to decide whether or not to approve the sustainability coordinator position. Back in November of last year, the Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC) sent a request to Whitman College for the approval of a permanent sustainability coordinator position. The Board of Trustees released the decision to approve the sustainability coordinator position Wednesday morning, Feb. 20.

Working towards sustainability has not been an easy or a short process. Student groups, ASWC and current part-time student sustainability interns, seniors Natalie Jamerson and Zoey Rogers, have worked diligently to convince the college that installing a sustainability coordinator would be beneficial to the campus.

“I was just relieved that all the work we put in to getting this position, and showing the college that it would be really useful on this campus, had an impact. That’s why I was pleased. I also think that it’s really important for the school as [it is] trying to grow to be focused on sustainability,” ASWC Finance Chair senior Sam Sadeghi said.

The sustainability coordinator will be a permanent faculty position that helps to organize all of the green projects happening on campus. Currently, Jamerson and Rogers fulfill the role of sustainability coordinators for the school. However, they felt that the job of developing Whitman’s sustainability projects required more time than two student interns could give. In addition, a single faculty adviser could help unite green groups on campus to more effectively carry out sustainability projects.

“As a member of groups throughout my time here, there has been a distinct lack of advising from faculty or staff, and the groups operate pretty independently—which is great because it leaves a lot of room for student initiation and leadership. But I think the groups can be more unified by a coordinator,” Jamerson said.

In addition, the sustainability coordinator will be able to initiate his or her own sustainability projects.

“They would identify projects of their own. So, for example, ‘We want to make Olin Hall green leaf certified...’ They would be the person pushing for that initiative rather than Campus Climate Challenge or all these other student groups trying to make stuff happen.

They would be that point person,” said ASWC President junior Kayvon Behroozian.

The current sustainability interns’ work in the spring will be to transfer knowledge regarding Whitman’s green

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projects to the new coordinator, and make sure that he or she is acquainted with the way sustainability efforts and groups function on campus.

“A lot of my responsibilities this spring will be to fill out our manual to prepare someone to take on this position. That’s going to be really important: to transfer the knowledge base that we’ve collected to someone that may not even be familiar with Whitman at all,” Jamerson said.

Perhaps most importantly, Whitman College’s decision to approve a sustainability coordinator position represents a renewed commitment to the green efforts in the community. While Whitman students are clearly very environmentally minded, the school has had yet to prove its intention towards building a greener campus. Both Sadeghi and Jamerson spoke to the importance of this in relation to Whitman’s peer colleges.

“Students on this campus are super environmentally minded ... That same sort of standard is sometimes overlooked by the college, so this is a cool way to finally see that the college is recognizing students’ interest in sustainability,” Sadeghi said.

The sustainability coordinator position is a sign of great progress for Whitman students’ sustainability efforts. The combination of student group efforts and a full -time coordinator could lead to more effective and widespread green campaigns.

“We say that we’re green, that we have students interested in these things, but we can’t really prove it because we don’t have anyone to be our voice.

Middlebury [College] has an office of sustainability and has hired lots of people for this issue, and we have two students. This is a tangible step in integrating more sustainability-focused projects and having a greater commitment [to sustainability]. I’m really hopeful,” Jamerson said.

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ASWC forms ‘goal’ group

by DANIEL KIM Staff Reporter

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lthough the Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC) feels confident that it is addressing many of students’ short-term goals for the College, they have begun plans to create a student committee to discuss some long-term goals for Whitman and ASWC. In order for a student to be considered to become a part of the committee, he or she must apply for a position and be interviewed.

The main criterion to join the committee is that the student should be interested in the future of Whitman and ASWC. The committee will be composed of a diverse group of students with varied interests.

“We’re trying to get a group of students from a wide variety of campus backgrounds, from clubs, athletes, Greek, non-Greek. Sort of all across the board of grade levels, and we want to bring all these students together in order to create longterm goals for the college and ASWC from the students’ perspective,” said ASWC firstyear senator Jack Percival.

“We are speaking with two professors and the Student Engagement Center to ask for help on understanding the goal-setting process and the importance of it, getting some basic skills on how to start and background information. We want the committee to have the full

resources to start making the goals,” said ASWC Vice President and Student Affairs Chairman senior Marcial Díaz Mejía.

They hope that the committee will have met, finished basic training and begun discussing some specific goals by spring break. “[The committee] was a longterm goal for this particular administration from the beginning of the year, and it was a secondsemester project,” Percival said.

By the end of this semester, Díaz Mejía and Percival hope that some of the goals discussed by the committee will be presented to the Senate for consideration. Although the committee is separate from the Senate and ASWC, the goals that the committee comes up with must pass through the regular channels to be approved.

“It will be different from the ASWC Senate. At the same time, the committee is going to present these goals and the Senate is going to have time to review them before the last Senate, and we are going to present them at the last Senate,” Díaz Mejía said.

Díaz Mejía is confident that the addition of such a committee will be beneficial for the student body as a whole.

“We understand that each [year] ASWC might have different goals, and we don’t want to shut that down. But we just want to give people a more comprehensive vision and the knowledge that goals can be expanded into longerterm goals,” said Díaz Mejía.

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Explorer examines anthropological history

by KEENAN HILTON Staff Reporter

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hitman students and community members alike crowded into Maxey Auditorium to hear Spencer Wells, explorer-in-residence for National Geographic, lecture on the genetic history of humans.

Wells, a professor at Cornell University, leads the Genographic Project, which has collected DNA samples from more than 500,000 people around the world. He and his team are attempting to track with greater specificity the journey of our species as we spread around the world.

“It is really the most epic story ever told,” he said.

Wells and his team build upon our current reckoning of our species’ prehistory through the field of human population genetics.

The Genographic Project examines an individual’s mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosomes to determine his or her prehistoric and recent genealogy. The team has made significant discoveries helping to reveal anomalous episodes in human history.

“That had never occurred to me before, that the Sahara didn’t even exist,” said sophomore Carrie Walker, referring to the recent discovery that the climate of the area now occupied by the Sahara desert was once something of a savanna.

Wells described how the reconstruction of the area’s prehistoric climate coincided with his research. The timing of the milder climate matched the hitherto unexplained African diaspora. Before, scientists had no satisfactory explanation for how humans traversed the desert barrier.

Wells proffered an analogy, likening the changing climate to a pump. A wetter climate invited human migration. Later, when the climate shifted back to its desert state, the populations that inhabited the area were

“pumped out.” Some returned to sub-Saharan Africa while others traveled north, setting humans on the way to populating the world.

Wells regards climate as the primary determinant of ancient migration routes. Answering a question from the audience, Wells suggested that this is not just a history, but rather a trend in human existence. According to Wells, 10 percent of those displaced by Hurricane Katrina did not return. Climatecaused migration is prevalent.

In addition to explaining the great journey of our species, Wells hopes to spread a sense of connection.

“I think it’s important for people to realize that despite all of these surface features that distinguish people from all over the world, underneath ... we’re much more closely related at the genetic level than anybody might suspect,” said Wells.

Community member Mike Gillespie expressed excitement at the idea of a shared human story.

“The breadth of knowledge and the interest in the whole human family ... It’s a thrilling project for all of us to know more about,” he said.

Although most research of the Genographic Project is done in the field testing willing members of indigenous populations, Wells also emphasized two other parts of the project. They have raised $1.9 million for the preservation of indigenous culture and practices around the world.

The project also has a public participation component in which all are encouraged to send in cheek swabs to discover their own genealogy.

“To the extent that the public is interested in getting involved in the research effort … it helps us to improve the story for everybody,” said Wells.

“I’m really tempted to send in my cheek swab now,” said Walker.

Corrections to Issue 4 The article on the ASWC fee debate should have said that ASWC was considering putting Green Fund money into the Travel and Student Development fund, not the lifecycle fund.

Sam Champan’s column misstated the amount of time student divestment campaign leaders were given to meet with members of the governing boards. The students had lunch with an overseer and breakfast with the chair of Whitman’s investment committee.

21 A&E Fort brings Civil War to Walla Walla FEB

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by Aleida Fernandez A&E Editor

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ressed in a bright blue Union coat, a 30-something general stares contemplatively around a room in the fort he oversaw after the Civil War. Known as the “Christian General” because of his deep religious piety, O.O. Howard was noted for his two humiliating military defeats at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. Although unlucky in the war, Howard recovered from his setbacks while posted as a corps and army commander in the Western Theater. While in Wash-

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ington, he supervised operations at Fort Walla Walla as Commander, District of Columbia.

And in an exhibit room at the fort is where General O.O. Howard is immortalized in a colorized photograph.

Executive Director of Fort Walla Walla James Payne wanted to bring a Civil War exhibit to Fort Walla Walla for a couple of years to celebrate the war’s sesquicentennial. Riding the momentum from the critically acclaimed movie “Lincoln,” there was a lot of interest from the community to learn more about the Civil War. When an anonymous cash gift arrived late last year, Payne and the rest of the staff jumped on the opportunity to bring their plans to fruition.

While most Civil War exhibits focus on artillery and battle field diaries, Payne wanted to focus on the everyday artifacts of the soldiers and families at home.

“The personal items soldiers [and their families] carried are fascinating,” said Payne in an email. “Having performed archaeological investigation on numerous Civil War area home sites, I have had opportunities to learn about mid-19th century domestic material culture.”

The exhibit features about

300 items carried by soldiers and around 100 items used at homes during that period. Included are shaving gear, a bonehandled toothbrush with pig hair bristles, eyeglasses, eating utensils, a collapsible cup, photographs, wallet, coins, clay and tobacco pipes. Most of these items are on loan from private sources.

“There are several pieces that are exceptionally rare,” said Payne. “We have a model 1840 dragoon sword belt that seems to be the only surviving specimen ...

Due to design flaws and a change in the type of sword being issued, very few of these were produced.”

With their collection of battlefield and home artifacts, Fort Walla Walla currently has the greatest diversity of Civil War objects in the Pacific Northwest.

“We hope that visitors gain a better feel for everyday life of the people who fought [in the Civil War] and [those who] waited for their loved ones to return home,” said Payne.

The Civil War exhibit will continue through Feb. 28. Fort Walla Walla is open Mondays through Fridays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The next showcase will feature pictorial beadwork of the Plateau Indian people and will open April 1.

The Fort has such a diverse collection of artifacts that the Washington Historical Society asked for contributions for their exhibits. Photos contributed by Fort Walla Walla

Breaking Ground Monologues explore diverse voices on gender, race, sexuality

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: Civil War Exhibit With the largest and most diverse exhibit of the Civil War in the Pacific Northwest, Fort Walla Walla continues the celebration of the Civil War’s sesquicentennial.

The Fort is open Mondays through Fridays 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Breaking Ground Monologues Taking “The Vagina Monologues” as inspiration, the authors and performers have expanded the scope of the monologues to foster larger awareness and discussion about gender, race, sexuality, relationships and how all of those intersect.

by Emma Dahl Staff Reporter

T

his weekend, the student organization Feminists Advocating Change and Empowerment (FACE) will be presenting the Breaking Ground Monologues. A sort of alteration of the annual Vagina Monologues which FACE has traditionally put on, these monologues are written by Whitman students and faculty.

Seniors Madelyn Peterson and Gabriella Friedman, the copresidents of FACE, sat down to discuss their goals for the Breaking Ground Monologues.

Eve Ensler was the original author of the Vagina Monologues, which for the most part concerned sex, love, rape, menstruation, birth and other topics related to female genitalia. Whitman’s Breaking Ground Monologues are a bit different; they are all writ-

Students and staff rehearse in Kimball Theatre for Friday’s opening night performance of the revamped “Breaking Ground Monologues.” Photos by von Hafften

ten by Whitman students, alumni and faculty and involve identities or personal experiences with sexuality, race and gender. Breaking Ground isn’t gender-exclusive, either; there are monologues written and performed by men.

Friedman, while acknowledging that the Vagina Monologues was an “interesting project,” said that there was “not a lot of inclusion of different kinds of voices. [Breaking Ground] is a way to open up that sort of project so different kinds of people can speak.”

Last semester, FACE published a magazine called “Break Ground” that was an outlet for students to share their experiences with sexual

assault on campus. The publication was created in response to The Pioneer’s investigative report on sexual assault on campus, as a way to raise awareness of sexual assault on campus and how the school administration deals with it. In a way, the Breaking Ground Monologues are an extension of that original magazine but in a different medium.

“There’s a lot of power in testimony,” said Peterson.

Peterson explained that the wider discussion of gender, race and sexuality on campus is to create a greater awareness of diversity of experience to create a safe space for not only survivors of sexual assault to speak, but also a safe place

Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. in Kimball Theatre

for people to talk about gender and sexuality in a meaningful way.

Tickets are $5 and will be available in Reid from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19 and Friday, Feb. 22. Tickets will also be available at the door. The monologues will take place in Kimball Auditorium on Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.

The proceeds from the event will benefit local organizations such as the Walla Walla YWCA, the Step to Emerging Possibilities (STEP) women’s shelter and Walla Walla Planned Parenthood.

Storyteller Kathya Alexander Kathya Alexander is a writer, actor, poet, playwright and teaching artist. She was a writerin-residence at the prestigious Hedgebrook Women Writer’s Retreat and won the Fringe First Award for “Black to My Roots: African American Tales from the Head and the Heart.”

Monday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. in the Glover Alston Center

The Winter Jazz Ensemble Looking for some smooth tunes this week? Whitman’s Jazz Band brings you feel-good tunes and a feel-good time.

Tuesday Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Chism Recital Hall

Upcoming concert highlights Willis proves it’s not a good day to ‘Die Hard’ student composers’ work

by NATHAN FISHER Staff Reporter

D

from COMPOSERS, page 1

The first pieces he wrote were progressive death metal, yet his style transformed when he began listening to guitarist Leo Kottke.

His songs started to sound like “actual music instead of the bad death metal riffs” he had previously been writing, Stern notes.

He began composing more, finally helping to write songs and lyrics for The Odious, a band he played in for over five years.

When the audience hears Stern’s music at the Composers Concert, however, his style may take them by surprise.

“When people hear about a composers’ concert ... they are going to expect a certain style,” said Stern. “The best thing they could do is turn off their judgment and ... get into the frame of mind that they are going to hear something untraditional.”

To Stern, writing music is about more than passing a class or impressing the audience.

“It’s just intensely personal.

It’s connected to my life and these really important people to me,” said Stern. “It’s very emotional; there’s a certain amount of pressure to really do all these people justice with my performance and with [sophomore] Jessica Shatkin,

who’s playing [flute]. It’s important that she puts herself into the playing a lot ... I want to move people; I want to connect with them.”

Once the audience suspends all judgment throughout the piece, Stern is interested in hearing their impressions.

“After the audience hears the pieces, then they can get an idea of what these people mean to me, who they are. If the picture they form remotely resembles these women, then I did my job,” he said.

Friday’s concert will also feature four other student pieces. Among these are junior Erik Feldman’s choral composition “Moonrise” and junior Will Ekstrom’s string quartet variations on “The Phantom of the Opera” theme.

The Composers Concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Chism Hall.

Friday’s concert will be the first opportunity for Whitman’s blossoming composers to showcase their hard work for the Walla Walla community. Photos by Krikava

Clane heads to the land of the Russkis to try and reconnect with his son, Jack (Jai Courtney).

Jack, however, is on an undercover mission for the CIA, and dear old dad coming to town blows the mission. The plot is not

isclaimer: I am a HUGE “Die Hard” fan, and in my book, Bruce Willis is THE MAN. Needless to say, for months I’ve been anticipating Valentine’s Day, not for the sugar high or the “love is in the air” feeling, but for the premier of “A Good Day to Die Hard,” the fifth installment of one of my favorite franchises.

After a marathon viewing of Bruce Willis aging during the previous 25-year span of the “Die Hard” movies, I was primed and ready. I drove a carload of my buddies to Pasco for opening night. Sadly, my main man Bruce let me down.

The central figure in all the “Die Hard” movies is John McClane (Bruce Willis), a smart-ass New York cop who always finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and needs ILLUSTRATION BY JONES to save the world from the bad guys. In “A Good worthy of description; suffice it Day to Die Hard,” McClane, our to say that destruction and mayfoul-mouthed reluctant hero, hem ensue as John and Jack are leaves the comforts of the US forced to team up to fight and of A and heads to Russia. In the kill the bad guys to save the mispast “episodes,” the bad guys sion and prevent a nuclear war. come to our shores from distant Unfortunately, “A Good Day lands, but in this new twist, Mc- to Die Hard” is the weakest mov-

ie of the five. What made the first four movies great was the trifecta of action, sinister villains (Alan Rickman was my fav!) and witty dialogue. Unfortunately, “A Good Day to Die Hard” sheds the latter two elements and leaves us with an hour and a half of pretty cool bullets and explosions, but that’s it.

As a straight-up action flick, the movie was enjoyable, but a movie with the “Die Hard” stamp and Bruce Willis needs not only action but badass villains and smart-ass dialogue.

“A Good Day to Die Hard” attempts to introduce feelings and emotions into the “Die Hard” shtick, but Bruce Willis smirking and having heartto-heart chats with his son falls flat and was a huge d isappoi nt ment.

“Die Hard” movies are about testosterone, not estrogen.

Maybe it’s time for Officer McClane to retire ... all I do know is, “yippeeki-yay, mother f@#ker” morphed into “yippeeki-yay, mamma mia!”

Bummer.

Rating:

SPORTS

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Geology student gets grant money to ski, document wilderness areas by tristan gavin Sports Editor

S

Matthew Morriss ‘13 is using non-Whitman grants to explore and document previously uncharted areas of regional wilderness. His weekends have been spent skiing and climbing mountains throughout the Northwest. Photos contributed by Morriss

SCOREBOARD Basketball

Men’s v. Linfield College Feb. 16: W 83-58 Women’s v.Linfield College Feb. 16: W 67-53

upcoming Basketball

Men’s v. George Fox University Feb. 21, 8p.m.: HOME Women’s v. Whitworth University Feb. 21, 6 p.m.: HOME

Sports factoid Women’s basketball hosts the first NWC semifinal game in team history at 6 p.m on Feb. 21.

The men’s team hosts their semifinal following the women’s game at 8.p.m. The theme for the games is gold rush, and Missionary fans are encouraged to wear gold to show their support.

enior Matthew Morriss has done things in the past six months most Whitman students only dream of. Not only is he spending time climbing and skiing in some of the most remote and beautiful areas of the region, but he isn’t paying to do it, either.

By receiving grants from multiple outdoors organizations, Morriss has been able to take up climbing and skiing projects by exploring neighboring wilderness and getting published along the way. Morriss’s grant-funded “work” is a culmination of interests he developed at Whitman, but taken to larger applications outside of the realm of school.

“The last three years I have been a climbing instructor and I took Advanced Climbing with Brian Sheedy. The course focused on traditional climbing, through which I got really interested in climbing the mountains,” said Morriss.

Morriss is a geology major who sees the connection between climbing and his academic interests as intuitive.

“Obviously, it is awesome to be up on a granite wall and know what you are looking at, but I think that geology and climbing just attract similarly motivated students with interests outside

of the classroom,” said Morriss.

For Morriss, who plans to attend graduate school in geology, the climbing trips are also helping him bolster his résumé. Morriss has mapped routes and been published in a wellknown climbing magazine, The American Alpine Journal.

The American Alpine Club was the funder of Morriss’s first grant, a $400 Live Your Dream Grant he used to climb and document previously undocumented areas of Oregon. Morriss went with other Whitman students to the Wallowa and Elkhorn Mountains.

Morriss’s high motivation has driven him to unique climbing experiences few Whitman students share, despite a flourishing climbing community on campus.

“The Whitman climbing community is really active, but usually climbs smaller cliffs nearby. There is a core group of guys interested in climbing mountains,” said Morriss.

Morriss’s newest project is being funded by a Winter Adventure Grant through an organization called Summit Sealants.

The thousand-dollar grant is allowing him and Andrew Spickert to take several trips to ski and document remote mountains.

“We get to go to really remote, really beautiful places and document our experiences ski-

ing where people may have never skied before,” said Morriss.

Just last weekend, Morriss spent a couple of days in the Seven Devils Mountains in Idaho, which Morriss called the “crown jewel” of the grant application. “[The range] is extremely isolated and has seen no reported winter ascents of any of the majors peaks in the range. Andrew and I summited something called Heavens Gate (8,421 feet high) and skied from the summit,” said Morriss.

Morriss is still amazed to have been granted the opportunity to pursue his interests, but believes everyone deserves the chance to chase their dreams.

“I hope people understand the opportunities at Whitman. I would easily say coming to Whitman is the best decision I have made in my life. The recreations of climbing and skiing are things I didn’t have coming into Whitman, but that I will leave with. I am doing stuff that is really fun and cool, but I hope that people realize there are opportunities everywhere.

All you have to do is look.”

*

Want more of Morriss’s photos?

Check out the slideshow at www.whitmanpioneer.com/ sports

Varsity women coach club volleyball team from VOLLEYBALL, page 1

This year, senior Gus Friedman has assumed the responsibilities as captain and immediately approached Conrad and Shober to ask them to coach the team. While using peer coaches for club teams can oftentimes produce strange dynamics, Friedman believes that Conrad and Shober have been a good fit for the team this year.

“They love coaching together and its been a great dynamic for us. If I didn’t find a coach, I was looking at having to be a player-coach, and that wasn’t something I was trying to do,” said Friedman.

The team competes with club programs from large schools like the University of Oregon, University of Washington and University of Ida-

ho at the tournaments they attend. With all of these schools boasting enrollments well into the thousands, the teams have more students to choose from in forming their teams.

Friedman says that it doesn’t get much better than when Whitman comes in and competes with the state schools despite being at a size disadvantage.

“When a school like Whitman can go out and beat UW or U of O, that’s what its all about. Going out and representing and having a good time,” said Friedman.

Under the tutelage of two seasoned volleyball players combined with an embracing of the underdog role, the men’s club volleyball team looks to turn heads by upsetting larger schools in tournaments this spring.

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Coach Rachel Shober ‘13 catches a ball from Rick Tesmond ‘15 while leading a drill (above) while Cheney Doane ‘15 focuses on a serve (below). Photos by Vander Laan

FEATURE

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In the

HOUSE The allure of off-campus housing goes beyond the chance to get away from campus and to leave behind the meal plan. There is also the appeal of the upperclassman culture: living in a house with a name, a reputation and, most importantly, character.

Off-campus houses given names for obvious characteristics, inside humor

by Emily Williams Staff Reporter

W

hitman is a college with colorfully named houses. Sometimes those house names are based on inside jokes, puns and strange intricacies about the house. Other times, the reason for the name is staring the viewer right in the face.

Many house names change with the residents, but other names are founded upon years of tradition which go beyond a mere four-year education at Whitman. The Watershed and the Barn are both prime examples of houses steeped in tradition.

The Watershed

The Watershed is a very well recognized off-campus house, distinguished by its kayak paddle address marker and sign above the porch. Many people assume that the Watershed was named by a group of kayakers that lived in the house nine years ago.

But according to juniors Claire Martini and Nathan Liechty, who are current residents of the Watershed, the house actually got its name much earlier when a group of geology majors lived there. The “Watershed” name actually refers to the geological form of a watershed.

“In geology, all of the watersheds in the U.S. are divided up

by Hydraulic Unit Codes. 705, the address of the house, refers to the Powell’s Creek Watershed, a particularly exciting watershed,” said Martini. “When the first geology majors took hydrology, they decided to name the house the Watershed as a sort of pun.”

Later a group of whitewater kayakers moved in. One of their parents now owns the house and rents it out to Whitman students.

“The owner of the house bought it while her son was at

Whitman, but since she lives in California she depends on the residents to find someone new to take over the lease when they leave. As a result there’s been a pretty rich tradition of passing it down amongst siblings and people with shared interests in the outdoors,” said Martini.

The legacy of the house, Liechty said, is “people who like doing things outside, like hanging out with friends and like having a good time on Friday nights.”

The last couple of years there were weekly or semi-weekly potlucks at the Watershed that added to its distinct vibe. This semester there is a new set of people in the house and the potluck tradition is picking back up again. For Liechty and Martini, the history behind the name and the tradition of the Watershed are cool parts of living in the house.

“I like that there’s some history to the house and I think that inspires the people who live there to build into that history and leave their mark,” said Liechty. “We have lots of discussions about what we’re going to do to improve the house and leave our mark on it.”

The Barn The Barn got its name in a much more straightforward way: It looks like a barn. Although the name is simple, the barn is steeped in tradition and history.

Delta Gammas have lived in the house for 30 years. The story goes that the house was originally a professor’s house, and when the professor retired a group of DGs asked for the property to be donated to the school.

“These DGs came in blouses that were buttoned all the way to the top and full-length skirts and knocked on the door and said that they were going to use the house for Bible study,” said sen-

ior Anna Conrad. “It ended up not being a Bible study house.”

“The whole house is like a DG museum. There’s just so much stuff that’s old, so much history. It’s really cool being a part of that,” said senior Rachel Shober.

A huge part of the Barn tradition is the neighbors. Neighbor Noah, as the Barn girls call him, has been a friend of the Delta Gammas who have lived in the Barn for years.

“If you live in the Barn, you need to be friends with Neighbor Noah,” said Shober.

Neighbor Noah, who often brings the girls wine or hard cider from the company he works for, has a Delta Gamma ping pong paddle in his kitchen window that faces the Barn.

When Conrad came back to the house early over winter break to take her written exams, Neighbor Noah concernedly called the police because he thought there was an intruder.

“Somebody started knocking on the door at 11:30 p.m. I walked downstairs in my pajamas and it was Neighbor Noah and the police, [who] thought that someone was breaking into our house,” she said. “It was so sweet of him to be that concerned. It just made me feel so much better knowing I wasn’t all by myself, that there was some support system in the neighborhood.”

The legacy of the Barn lives on when DG alumnae who used to live there come back to visit. The Barn’s rich 30-year history lives on in the character of the house.

“One of the coolest parts is that we get visitors all the time that used to live there that are off in the world now,” said Shober.

Every group that lives in the Barn adds their own flair to its tradition. This year the group of senior girls take things to a silly level.

“We like to refer to ourselves as ‘barnimals,’” said Conrad.

The Ocho, The Watershed and The Barn (from top to bottom, above) are all offcampus houses located on or near Isaacs Street. While The Barn is a Delta Gamma house through and through on the inside (below), the name comes from its barnlike exterior. The Watershed (bottom) displays its heritage as a geology and outdoor enthusiast house above its porch with its sign and address. Photos by Doowa

*

Ever wondered where to find those obscurely named off-campus houses?

Check out the off-campus house map at whitmanpioneer. com/category/guide-2. If you would like your house included on the list, contact us at editors@whitmanpioneer.com

Centennial houses accommodate students

by Hannah Bartman Staff Reporter

M

oving into a house, both on campus and off campus, is the most common decision for each student at some point in their four-year Whitman career. However, there are certain unique traits and histories that go along with each home.

A select few student residences have histories that extend back farther than 100 years, sharing with them histories and secrets unbeknownst to the current owners.

One of these on-campus houses is La Maison Française (the French House), which was built in 1905. According to the historical plaque mounted on the front porch, the house was originally owned by two generations of the Fred and Clara Wilson family from 1910-1963. Sons Fritz and Norton as well as Fritz’s two sons all attended Whitman. Additionally, Fritz became the treasurer of Whitman, and also housed visiting professors of the college.

The house was obtained by Whitman in 1963 and officially became the French House in 1968.

“It’s a nice house,” said sophomore Resident Advisor Miriam Moran. “The windows are a little hard to open, but it

doesn’t have any major problems that I’ve encountered.”

Despite the 108 years of residence, the house seems to have sustained its practical use.

The only evidence of its history lies in the additional staircase in the back of the house that apparently functioned as the stairs for the servants. “[My favorite part of the house is] in my room [where] there’s glass on the window, which has an interesting design. The way the glass is cut makes it so when the light comes in, rainbows reflect all over the wall, which is really pretty,” said Moran.

A student house that shares the same antiquity as the French House is The Ocho, an offcampus house located on East Isaacs. Previously named Motel 7, the house, built in 1912, is now recognized as The Ocho because it contains eight residents.

“You can definitely feel its old, creepy force, but it’s pretty beautiful for the fact that it’s been worn down as a college house,” said current resident and senior Hannah Siano.

The odd stylistic choices, such as the “funky fun wallpaper in the bathrooms” and the “strange green carpet mixed with pink pinstriped walls” imply the

age of the house, but its history is not obvious through its living conditions. The only complaint that resident Siano has, somewhat similar to the French House, is the thin windows which do not protect against the cold in the winter. However, other features of the house make up for this pitfall.

“The front room has really beautiful old, dark [ceiling beams] that [are], I’m sure, original, and I think that’s the coolest feature of the house,” said Siano.

Other than these unique features that suggest a style of an earlier time, the house does not show the wear of 100 years.

“It’s pretty old, and I’m sure they’ve remodeled because most of it feels pretty modern,” said Siano. “It really hasn’t been neglected or anything, so I don’t think it’s like living in a 100-year-old house.”

Other than the features of the house, there is little information regarding the original floor plan of the house. City Planner Imelda Osorio spoke of the house.

“There were no pictures or floor plans or any information indicating the building’s historic value,” she said.

Similar to the French House, living off campus provides that privacy and close community not

found in crowded dorms. However, Siano argues that houses not involved with the campus community offer even more freedom.

“Living in a house is wonderful in that you don’t have an RA, you can burn candles and other basic freedoms like that,” she said.

Dissimilar to living off campus, living in a residential house means that the French House still has responsibilities of on-campus life. The houses have the aspect of unfamiliarity of residents like the dorms, but also have the

close-knit community of living in an off-campus residence.

“It’s different living with fewer people who all have a shared interest, even though they’re all really different. It tends to be a little quieter, but you really get to know people,” said Moran.

Regardless of involvement in campus, these houses hold a historic significance to Walla Walla. Although their exact details are unknown, they share small architectural reminders, individual to their style and history.

Though the house is now over one hundred years old, The Ocho remains a popular off-campus student house near the corner of Clinton and Isaacs. Photo by Doowa

OPINION

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Good schools should be a rule, not an exception Sayda morales Sophomore

mind the gap

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n the previous election, Washington’s Proposition 1240, the initiative introducing 40 public charter schools to Washington State over the next five years, was ratified by only a .38 percent margin. This concerns me. Having attended a charter school, I personally understand the significant benefits that charter schools have for low-income, working class children and communities.

Regardless of whether you voted “yes” or “no,” the presence of charter schools in Washington State means that disadvantaged students will now have the opportunity to receive a private school education at the public school price, and that a model that is proven to work may ultimately motivate the public school system to change the things that clearly haven’t been working.

Charter schools will positive-

ly impact communities and make headway on closing the achievement gap in Washington State.

In California, public schools that converted to charter schools saw an average of 17 to 25 percent growth in the proficiency of their students in math and English, as determined by standardized testing, in just a few years.

Although public schools in Washington are not necessarily converting to charter schools, it is important to note that charter schools are publicly managed and funded mostly by nonprofit organizations, which means that money will not be taken away from local public schools in order to allow space for charter schools.

Parents choose to put their children into private school because these schools are constantly improving. The staff always seeks to be up-to-date with the latest technologies or learning techniques. Charter schools are like private schools in the way that parents, teachers and students provide their input on how the school should run. However, charter schools are not like private schools because they are absolutely free. Before, the privilege to decide on a school was reserved for those who had the economic means to do so, but with the existence of charter schools, working class families have the opportunity to ensure that their children receive the best education possible.

ILLUSTRATION BY VAZQUEZ

Charter schools are also equally available to everyone, although they oftentimes turn to lotteries in order to fairly provide students the opportunity to enroll. In 2010 it was reported that only 33 percent of fourth graders and 36 percent of eighth graders enrolled in public schools received “proficiency” or higher on standardized

tests. Clearly, there is a need to reform the current public school education model as it stands. Part of the problem is that public schools are limited in the kind of major changes they can make because the process is extremely bureaucratic and laborious.

Charter schools are the perfect solution to offering immedi-

ate aid to those students who are not benefitting from the public school system. It is not fair that those without certain means are left behind because of a system that is too slow to change. Charter schools show public schools that providing an excellent education to all students should be a rule and not an exception.

Congress must update its rules Sex dreams can reveal the Daniel merritt Senior

Pragmatic Politics

L

ast Tuesday, President Obama laid out his vision for the next year in the State of the Union: His agenda included comprehensive immigration reform, gun control, and expansion of American manufacturing.

Optimistically, we may see a number of these issues addressed in the next four years. What we can’t forget, however, is that many of these issues are the same ones that Obama wanted to address while running for his first term in 2008.

Rather than simply blame the opposing party, we need to dig deeper and look at factors that are exacerbating the intense partisan gridlock we’ve seen in Washington for the past four years. One of the biggest barriers to passing any kind of significant legislation is the abuse of congressional rules.

Following the passage of healthcare reform during Obama’s first term, the Republican party made a point of exploiting the filibuster, the secret hold and oth-

er parliamentary tactics in order to try and stall the passage of any legislation. This upcoming congressional cycle has the same structural potential for obstruction.

Thus, the key to passing Obama’s progressive agenda, or really any agenda in the future, is the passage of significant parliamentary reform. If we want to keep any party from simply being the “party of no,” we need to take away the structural tools that make blanket obstructionism possible.

At the start of every new congressional session, the House and the Senate get to vote on the rules that govern the procedure within their chamber. This broad power dictates the composition of committees, length of speeches, conditions for voting—they define how Congress will pass legislation and how long it will take. Although they have this power, it has been sorely underused.

Most rules and procedures date back to Congress’ efforts at establishing joint rules for the chambers between 1789 and 1889. Efforts at maintaining coherent joint rules eventually dissolved when both abandoned the effort in favor of informal understandings, or provisions of law.

Although we like to consider our government the pinnacle of democracy, the truth is that petty parliamentary tactics corrupt the democratic process and ensure that members of Congress actually do anything but pass legislation.

The most commonly known example of parliamentary abuse is the filibuster. A filibuster occurs during debate when a Senator refus-

es to yield the floor and prevents a vote from happening. Traditionally the filibuster was used as a tool of last resort, yet now, it is used without a thought. Due to its infamy this year in the Senate, there have been several purposed reforms to the use of the filibuster. Unfortunately, the purposed reforms fell short of progressive expectations.

Reforming the filibuster is just the first step in removing parliamentary tools that allow endless delays in Congress. Less commonly known about are archaic rules: One requires unanimous consent for committees and subcommittees to hold hearings after two in the afternoon while the Senate is in session, another—which dates back to Thomas Jefferson’s “Manual of Parliamentary Practice”—bars senators from imputing unworthy conduct or motives to another senator, and from insulting any senator’s state. These are just a couple of rules which are currently binding which govern how our nation can and cannot pass laws.

Parliamentary reform is something that should garner bipartisan support. The American people are fed up with Congress and deserve a system that makes their representatives work for them. If Congress is serious about any kind of reform, it should begin looking at the very rules it has chosen to govern itself. If we can’t agree on an effective process to pass laws without resorting to endless delays and wasteful parliamentary games, how can we hope to tackle some of the biggest issues we face as a country? It’s time for Congress to rewrite the rulebook.

Political Cartoon by Asa Mease

extent of our sexual desires Maggie mae Lemaris Columnist

the big euphemism

I

will be the first to admit that I don’t understand the neural theories and science behind memory. I suppose I could spend years studying neurological chemistry, but that’s not going to happen.

So I cannot understand why certain information is extracted and then played out in our sleep. But I have come to one conclusion: It is in these moments of rest that memories come together to form that which we inherently desire.

Sexual dreams are a candid reimaging of our memory bank being played out in a private onetime-only showing. They are sly and uninhibited, constantly sneaking in and out of the room without even leaving a memory. But occasionally, these moments of sexual drive in their infinite forms jolt us awake, and in these moments, we are left with a reflection of uncontrollable lust. Sometimes we find ecstasy, other times, terror.

In waking moments, I am left to ask, do I really desire that which I dream about? Because sometimes my sex dreams are so inconsistent with my waking desires, I can only conclude that sex dreams are nothing but random pornography extracted from my nucleus accumbens. I can’t know for sure. My dreams are completely out of my control.

On occasion, a single dream will show up again and again that is impossible to ignore. For instance, several weeks ago I woke up, hot and bothered by Ice-T for the sixth time. It is the only recurring dream I have ever had. It started in the beginning of high school, well into my family’s addiction to Law and

Order: SVU, but he isn’t detective Tutuola in my dreams. No, he is an intellectual man with a slicked back ponytail, diamond-studded ears and a witty sense of humor.

He seduces the shit out of me at a high-bar coffee joint next to the Guggenheim in New York. I look up from my copy of “The Sun Also Rises”, and notice his leather jacket. He sits down and compliments me on my literary taste.

A round of Americanos follow.

Eventually, one thing leads to another and I’m pressed against a window in a stairwell that overlooks the back of a Sbarro pizzeria.

This moment exemplifies all that I do not understand about sex dreams. While I am all for getting seduced in a New York City coffee shop, there is no part of me that wants the dude behind me to be Ice-T. Regardless, the dream keeps happening and I keep enjoying it.

Does my sexual desire extend much farther than I allow myself to think? Yes, of course; otherwise I wouldn’t have had this dream five more times.

Whether or not it is Ice-T that I truly want, he exemplifies the fact that there are sexual desires I have and am unwilling to acknowledge. Which raises the most major of concerns: Is there more pleasure to be had that only my dreams can help me access? Sex dreams open the floodgates holding back conscious sexuality and leave me with a choice: to heed or ignore the extent of my desire.

As for the content of sexual dreams, occasionally they should be taken with a grain of salt. But allow yourself the time when you wake up in the morning after a dream of passion to contemplate the boundaries of your own sexual desires, because we all may be a little freakier than we allow ourselves to think. And that possibility is just too damn interesting to ignore.

Have an opinion to share?

Send guest columns or letters to the editor to: editors@whitmanpioneer.com

Voices from the Community Emily Krause

Sam HAlgren Junior

Sophomore

What speaker would you be most interested in having come to campus and why? Poll by cade beck

Carol Peterson

Thomas Knook

Walla Walla

Senior

community member

“I would bring Marian Wright Edelman.

She’s a children’s rights activist. I think it’s a topic that students could get really interested and invested in.”

“I really want Dr. Dre to come speak at Whitman. I really respect him as a person, a musician, a businessman, too. He makes fantastic music—let’s be real. Dr Dre is probably one of the most influential people in the genre of hiphop and rap music and that’s important, I think.”

“I would love to hear from Michelle Obama because I think she has a great message for people working with youth.”

*

“I really want Macklemore to come speak at our school because I think of him as the voice of our generation and he amongst everyone else is the only person who will stand up for the common man.”

For more community responses visit www.whitmanpioneer.com/category/opinion

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FEB

21 2013

ASWC debates student phi* *corrections to issue 4

Twitter! #lame! #sorryimnotsorry #ASWCrulez” responded CougarsareattackingUzbekatstan, his name getting more and more misspelled. “So this is what you guys do,” asked Phi, “ is simply debate random issues that no one really cares about?” The President of ASWC simply responded, “Bullseye,” then went back to debating whether or not 3/4ths of the urinals should be no flush on campus, or just 2/3rds.

I

n Issue 4 of The Pioneer, our editors let slip some errors that may have even circumvented the critical eyes of our three readers (Hi Mom! Hi Dad! Hi Grandma!).

On the front page of the issue, the lead story read, “ASWC Debates Student Fee.” The title should have, instead, read “ASWC Debates Student Phi [Phan].” Our school’s government does not actually concern themselves with financial issues, but rather spent four hours discussing senior Phi Phan.

The mistake was a simple misunderstanding from an editorial standpoint. A misused homophone was the culprit.

“I’m pretty confused,” were the first words out of senior Phi Phan’s mouth in an exclusive Skype via satellite in high-def 20 bit per second streamed through YouTube interview with the Backpage, when he was informed that ASWC

was “debating him.” “Is this some type of sick joke? The people who wear ASWC t-shirts are annoying enough, but now they’re ‘debating’ me! They owe me $14, I think...”

“Well we’ve simply got to debate something. And we were typing random letters into People Search and this guy came up.

Should we raise him as our own?

Or should we let him become the Mogli [Jungle Book Reference?

Check.] of Whitman College?” responded Bayvon “Bullseye” Koorezian to Phan’s complaints.

Indeed, it seemed there was little point to the debate of the student Phi. According to Backpage fact-checkers and the New York Times, Phan was already at least 21 years old. Once again, ASWC was just a way for Whitman College administrators to gather all the power-hungry Type-A students into one room and make them debate pointless issues.

One Backpage reporter had this to say: “Nice work. Keep those annoying kids off the streets!”

Many Whitman students admitted that they don’t even vote for ASWC senators out of pure hatred. Some even have four to five drinks on a typical weekend night because “those assholes are in charge of our money,” charged an asshole, a member of the anti-ASWC division of ASWC. “Anyone whose hobby is student government and not drinking is probably pretty fucked up,” admitted a drunken, disgraced, defeated (and humiliatingly alliterated) former senator at the Green.

Phan apparently confronted Cougarzehain for “debating” him at an “ASWC Townhall Meeting” that no one showed up to ... except for Phan. “Stop debating me!” complained Phan.

“But what else can we do? No one is following GOASWC on

‘I’m doing fine,’ clearly drunk, non-winning Mr. Whitman candidate reports into a banana peel

E

very November, Whitman College puts on one of its most widely-attended campus events—a not-so-real beauty pageant, known fondly as Mr. Whitman, in which eight senior men celebrate the completion of a three month-long fundraising drive for a charity chosen by a Whitman student. The eight contestants are judged on a combination of their fundraising successes and their performances in the formal, swimsuit and talent portions of the show.

As with all beauty pageants, there must be a winner—and of course, as with all beauty pageants, there must be the grim, devastating consequences of losing—the pain associated with realizing that nobody ever remembers the runner-up.

Raymond Fatthew is a justbarely-living testament to the agony of defeat. The unshaven, filthy senior was discovered in the outdoor hallway of Olin East, known around Whitman as the outdoor hallway of Olin East, wearing a torn sweater and bright orange yoga pants. Passers-by seemed to think Fatthew was taking philosophy classes, oblivious to the several hairs that had sprouted on his chin and the spinach leaves scattered around him. A clearly scared firstyear student, Jacquie Hardcastle, revealed through sobs that she recognized the despondent, stinky vagabond with the soiled orange pants.

“He...” she stammered moist-

ly, “had a ... jar of peanut b-butter with him ... he looked right up at me with those dead, little eyes and ... he, he asked, ‘is there any more room for me ... in those sandwich?’ Like he didn’t know ... Mr. Whitman was two mmonths ago. Then ... he said he ‘caught the ball’ for some reason.”

Hardcastle acknowledged that she too had forgotten that Mr. Whitman was over three months ago.

The Pioneer caught up with Fatthew shortly thereafter, as he was trying to take nude pictures of a D-Slip. Clearly intoxicated, Fatthew teetered into the stairwell and began to stage an imaginary interview with himself. “Just gotta get this calendar done by last September!” Fatthew said, concerning his ideas for fundraising initiatives.

“Larson! Get me a zucchini,” he yelled down the corridor, interrupting the imaginary journalist trying to ask him about his “Justin Timberlake quesadilla auction” idea.

A real-life journalist from The Pioneer finally stepped in and asked Fatthew if he needed anything. Pulling a banana peel from his pants and speaking into it, ostensibly thinking it was a microphone, he

replied “I’m good, man. It’s good not being on duty tonight, man. Get to focus on the community a little.

Barbecuing today.” When asked what he had barbecued last October, Fatthew responded with a very slurred “my talent’s gonna be soooo good!” and tried beatboxing into the banana peel.

A friend of Fatthew’s, Matthew Lelands, told The Pio that he had “seen Raymond around the TKE house a couple times” and had “always expected he was just living in the closet next to the TV room.” In actuality, Fatthew’s fate is even worse—though nobody remembers who he is, he will be followed always by the fact that he lost Mr. Whitman. (The other six nonwinning contestants in the November pageant could not be contacted, except for Harry Raggyvan, who was last seen wearing a barbecuesauce-stained white shirt, trying to teach Styx how to dance like Beyoncé.)

ILLUSTRATION BY MEASE

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Further Corrections Later, the editors fell short again on Blair H. Frank’s sassy gaming column. The title, “Games journalism needs better audience,” was originally “Games need better audience” and the content was doctored to stray from its original intention.

“I just think more people should watch me play games,” said Frank with frankness in his voice.

Frank has actually been advocating for larger gaming audiences for years now. He developed a fantasy league in his first year at Whitman that allowed members to gain virtual points through the virtual suc-

ILLUSTRATION BY SCHUH

cesses of their team. Unfortunately, the domain name “fantasygaming.com” was taken and “BlairFrankfantasy.com” never took off.

A&E writer Quin Nelson would also like to apologize for describing Dr. John as looking like “an Ewok shaman” in his Grammy article. The racially insensitive comment dismissed many of the advances in Ewok medicine.

“I thought the juxtaposition of ‘Dr.’ and ‘shaman’ might get some laughs. I felt like I could make the joke because I have an Ewok friend, but maybe it was out of line.

Ewoks do have doctors—or are they technically vets?—I have to ask my friend Weechit,” blabbered a flustered Nelson.

While we are handing out apologies, our photo editors should probably apologize for turning in propaganda for the study abroad article.

“Turning Memorial Hall into a mosque was controversial, and we probably should have left the llamas out of it,” admitted Marie von Hafften and Julie Peterson, neither of which were sure whose job it fell under.

Kyle Seasly’s review of FIDLAR’s album gave inaccurate information to the meaning of the acronymic band name. All of the letters in FIDLAR are, in fact, silent and meant to offer some quiet to drown out the awful music they produce.

In Evelyn Levine’s humor article, she forgot to mention that the event was sponsored by WEB. Sorry for any confusion there.

Feature misspelled “nepotism” about 47 times.

Eminem Puzzle, d