FEATURE
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WHITTIES WEIGH IN THE PIONEER SURVEYED 98 WHITMAN STUDENTS, ASKING WHETHER THEY CATEGORIZE A FEW COMMONLY
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CELEBRATED HOLIDAYS AS RELIGIOUS, AMERICAN, MATERIAL OR SECULAR IN NATURE AND PURPOSE. GRAPHICS BY BERFIELD
VALENTINE’S DAY
RELIGION CONFRONTS SECULARIZATION
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FOUNDER’S DAY CONJURES UP MEMORIES OF RELIGIOUS PAST by MOLLY EMMET T Staff Reporter
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oday, Feb. 16, marks an intriguing intersection of events. Not only is today two days after St. Valentine’s Day, one of the most secularized holidays celebrated in the United States, but it is also Whitman College Founder’s Day. In light of the religious and nonreligious implications of these occasions, it is fitting to look at Whitman’s own transition from a religious to secular institution in the last 153 years. Most people have at least a general idea of the purpose of Valentine’s Day, but it is a guarantee that not very many know the history behind Founder’s Day. This day celebrates the birthday of Reverend Cushing Eells, the man who founded Whitman Seminary in 1859 in honor of his friends and colleagues, Marcus and Narcissa Whitman. “Seminary was the nineteenthcentury term, but it was really just a glorified high school,” said Senior Adjunct Assistant Professor of Religion and General Studies Rogers Miles, who taught a course last year called “The Secularization of Whitman College.” Still, the school had a religious foundation, as almost all schools in that period did. When the first president, Alexander J. Anderson, came into office in 1882, he agreed that the college would be Congregationalist in exchange for funding from that sect of churches. Anderson was an evangelical Protestant, but after the Civil War, Protestantism was divided by changes in society. Those who could adjust to these changes and take active steps to incorporate them with their faith were called Liberal Protestants.
With the presidency of Stephen B. L. Penrose in 1894, the college began to distance itself from the Congregationalist ties that Anderson had set up. In 1907, Penrose cut the school’s denominational ties and found independent funding from wealthy individuals on the East Coast. During his presidency—which ended in 1934—Penrose continued to exercise his faith, but loosened the restrictions on the students. According to a research paper by alumna Katie Bates ’11, a student who took Miles’ class as an independent study her senior year, students in the early 1900s were required to attend chapel and expected to attend church on Sundays. First- and second-year students were also required to take courses that taught them about the Bible, with a capstone course called “Philosophy of Religion,” taught by Penrose himself. Toward the end of his career, however, Penrose focused more on spiritual supervision of students rather than strict regulations.
“The image of Whitman changed from Whitman the missionary, to Whitman the pioneer.” Professor Rogers Miles
“If students wanted to get a little rowdy on the weekends and sleep through chapel, he wouldn’t give them a hard time,” said senior Noah Lerner, who took Miles’ course last year. Following the replacement of Penrose with President Rudolf A. Clemen in 1934, there was a notable shift in the College’s
HALLOWEEN
approach of religion. Like many late nineteenth century colleges, Whitman was interested not only in teaching students, but also molding their character. However, it started to transition this focus to areas outside the classroom rather than within. After Penrose’s presidency and the severance of denominational ties, Whitman gradually became a secular institution, but there is still evidence of its religious beginnings. “Over time, the image of Whitman changed from Whitman the missionary to Whitman the pioneer. Think about the name of the newspaper . . . Look at the way the missionaries are portrayed on the stickers in the bookstore,” said Miles. As the current mission statement reads, Whitman is “an independent, nonsectarian and residential college.” Yet, as Founder’s Day indicates, the school has not forgotten its religious past amidst its secular present. Lerner noted the lingering effects of Whitman’s beginnings as he reflected on the perspective he gained in “Secularization.” “The course gave me a greater appreciation for the role of a liberal arts education. The founders of Whitman sought to produce graduates who were well versed in all facets of life, and were generally good citizens,” said Lerner. Bates also felt the course affected her view of Whitman as an institution. “I think the course made me feel more connected with Whitman because . . . it made me see the college as its own living, changing entity with its own needs, which, when you are only there for four years, can be difficult to see,” Bates said.
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SPIRITUALITY FOSTERS INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY by TA LIA RU DEE Staff Reporter
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hitman is a secular school. However, for many Whitties, religion and spirituality are important in their personal development and contributions to campus life. The college website states: “A Whitman education involves deep and lasting learning in an academic community comprised of people with varied experiences and global perspectives.” With this mission in mind, admitting students with religious affiliation is inevitable. “Religious diversity at Whitman is actually a response to the college’s diversity overall,” said Stuart Coordinator of Religious and Spiritual Life Adam Kirtley. An endorsed statement of the Board of Trustees also responds to the presence of diversity, stating: “Diversity is fundamentally important to the character and
Kirtley points out, however, that some members of the Whitman community believe the college does not fully accept students’ religious beliefs. “There is a perception by some that Whitman maintains a hostile posture relative to the expression of religion on campus,” he said. Religious life proves to be very important among some members of the student body, often encompassing cultural heritage passed down from generation to generation within a student’s family. According to Kirtley, these personal identities that stem from religion make Whitman diverse. “By and large, the college is trending toward a position of welcoming religious diversity on campus,” he said. This religious diversity is apparent through religiously or spiritually focused groups on campus such as HillelShalom, the Whitman Christian Fellowship and Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics (AHA).
“A lot of people who come to Whitman are searching for something deeper and how to do things better.” Michael Rogers ‘12
mission of Whitman College.” “Religious identity is a form of an individual’s sense of self . . . and a college that takes seriously accommodating diverse identities will have to take seriously accommodating diverse religions as well,” said Kirtley.
“Although I was raised in a reform synagogue, learning about my father’s background has helped me appreciate and understand what it means to be a minority,” said first-year Miriam Moran, the president-in-training of Hillel-Shalom, Whitman’s
Jewish group on campus. Moran’s father, from Egypt, was part of a smaller sect of Judaism that independently separated from traditional Judaism. It is because of this knowledge of her heritage that Moran feels she has a stronger connection to her cultural background as a Whitman student. Moran’s evolving appreciation of her Jewish background has also fostered new respect for other religious beliefs. “[Learning about my father’s background] encouraged my respect for different religious and cultural practices,” she said. Whitman students have undoubtedly shown respect and appreciation for diverse spiritual and religious identities. Along with the school’s recognition of religious diversity, there is also a trend toward students recognizing and appreciating one another’s diverse backgrounds, according to Kirtley. “Most people at Whitman are secular in a sense that they’re really open and understanding,” said senior Michael Rogers, a religion major and member of the Whitman Christian Fellowship. Rogers grew up in a practicing Christian household. His father is a pastor, and he always went to church identified as “the pastor’s kid.” Rogers redefines “secular,” emphasizing the religious inclusiveness present among students at a secular institution. Rogers argues that Whitman is a school where
people have open minds and don’t exclusively think in terms of one religion, which he learned to appreciate during his time here. “I find myself interacting more deeply with questions that even the church debates, which really helps me personally
“[The] college is trending toward a position of welcoming religious diversity on campus.” Adam Kirtley
Stuart Coordinator of Religious and Spiritual Life
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grow,” said Rogers. For instance, homosexuality is one issue that may not be accepted in a traditional, strict Christian background according to Rogers. Growing up, he never knew or encountered anyone who identified as gay. Upon coming to Whitman, frequent discussions of homosexuality caused Rogers to step back, think and even challenge the beliefs he grew up with. Rogers’ definition of “secular” is also seen through the group Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics (AHA). Sophomore Maggie Eismeier, an active member of AHA, notes that the first-year Encounters program encourages scholarly engagement with religion. Students receive various perspectives through this course, in which they read the Tanakh, the Qu’ran, the
Bible and the Bhagavad-Gita, all texts of different religions. “Reading the Bible and the Bhagavad-Gita is good for me to understand the philosophy,” she said. As a part of AHA, Eismeier still recognizes the presence of spirituality in the group. “I know people who say that they don’t believe in God, but they believe in a soul,” she said. Associate Professor of Religion Melissa Wilcox expanded on this belief in a higher being. According to Wilcox, even people who label themselves as nonreligious often still look toward a larger, non-physical being. Wilcox alludes to spirituality here as a larger trend in the country that extends far beyond Whitman. Spirituality is a means to try and find something bigger in oneself than they had before. “Around 90 percent of Americans believe in a higher being,” said Wilcox, chair of the religion department at Whitman. Rogers also emphasized this presence of spirituality in the search for something bigger. “A lot of people who come to Whitman are searching for something deeper and how to do things better,” said Rogers. Through spirituality, culture and some religiosity, Whitman is more involved in religious life than its label as a secular school may imply. “A fallacy is translating secular to being antireligious,” said Wilcox.