Whitman Pioneer Spring 2012 Issue 6

The

PIONEER

ISSUE 6 | March 1, 2012 | Whitman news since 1896

The Whitman administration works to stop sexual assault on campus, but sometimes even the best preventative efforts fail. Students don’t always respect each other’s boundaries.

While many victims choose not to report the crimes committed against them, a handful fill out a pink form and bring a case forward.

What happens after.

by RACHEL ALEXANDER Senior Reporter

F

rom 2005 to 2010, there have been a total of 43 incidents of sexual assault reported on the Whitman College campus, according to Whitman’s Clery crime statistics.

Of these, 31 were incidents of forcible rape. It is likely that far more rapes have actually occurred over that period, because many go unreported.

Some of these cases have made their way through Whitman’s formal hearing process, and some have resulted in the college punishing the offender. Yet in the time that Detective Miguel Sanchez has been investigating rape and domestic violence cases for the Walla Walla Police Department, there hasn’t been a single rape case from Whitman where criminal charges were filed.

“Do you think in the 13 years I’ve been here, there’s never been a legitimate rape at Whitman?” said Sanchez.

After her own experience, senior Zoe* sometimes finds herself wondering what Whitman does consider to be a legitimate rape. She went to an end-of-season party for the tennis team her freshman year. It was a celebration, and she had a lot to drink.

“I was super drunk and the last thing I remember of the night is this guy coming to this party. He wasn’t on the tennis team, so I didn’t know him. That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up in his bed the next day, naked and really confused. I was so scared and I didn’t know what to do,” she said.

The guy acted casual, and Zoe followed his lead. He asked her if they were still going to go to brunch, and she assumed they must have discussed this the night before. She still didn’t know his name.

Over brunch, they made small talk, with Zoe still feeling uncomfortable from what she assumed had happened the previous night.

A few days later, with a friend

Zoe decided to pursue a formal case against him. Both Whitman College policy and Washington State Law include sex with someone who is incapacitated due to alcohol consumption within their definitions of sexual assault, but Zoe elected to keep the case within Whitman’s hearing process instead of going to the police.

these records, however, is for the college to keep track of internal affairs.

“Our primary concern is protecting the privacy of the individuals involved in the process,” said Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland in an email. “We are not basing these kinds of decisions on what the police may or may not want.”

yer to look into pursuing a civil suit against Whitman because she didn’t feel that her experience was being taken seriously.

“I felt like I had to hire a lawyer for my voice to be heard,” she said.

She eventually decided against a lawsuit because she didn’t want to drag the process out any further. Still,

The Whitman process As an educational institution, Whitman is required to comply with Title IX, a federal law prohibiting gender discrimination in education.

Title IX considers sexual misconduct to be gender discrimination, and as such, schools are required to investigate complaints of sexual misconduct. The idea is to put the burden on the institution, rather than the victim, to determine what happened. Associate Dean of Students Clare Carson is also the college’s Title IX administrator, and serves as the point of contact for gender discrimination cases, including alleged violations of the college’s sexual misconduct policy.

Formal hearings are heard by the Council on Sexual Misconduct, a committee composed of two faculty members, two staff members and two students chosen from the larger Council on Student Affairs. The council must be gender-balanced, and all members undergo special training to serve. The council votes based on a “preponderance of evidence,” a standard signifying that the accusations are likely true. This is a lower legal standard than “beyond a reasonable doubt.” Four affirmative votes are needed to find the accused in violation of the policy; in such cases, the council then decides on sanctions that range from a formal warning to dismissal from the college. Students found in violation will also have the letter stating these sanctions placed in their permanent college record.

As part of the process, both the complainant and the accused may call witnesses and present evidence. Both have a staff mem-

Facing the council When Zoe first came forward, she met with Sexual Misconduct Prevention Coordinator and Associate Dean of Students Barbara Maxwell and with Carson.

“The reaction that I got from the administration was that I was going to be listened to. They were all like, ‘This is so horrible.’ I remember having this guilty conscience about turning this ‘good guy’ in. The way the administration was talking, I thought he would get expelled,” she said.

At her hearing, Zoe called witnesses to testify to the fact that she had been drinking heavily. She sat across the table from the other student while he told the panel that he hadn’t asked her for consent; he’d thought it was implied.

“Him admitting that was difficult, when I was a complete stranger, I was obviously intoxicated . . . Maybe he didn’t know I was blacked out. That’s a definite possibility. But he knew I was drunk, and we have a policy that clearly states that you cannot consent to anything when you’re drunk and he didn’t even ask for consent,” said Zoe. Whitman’s sexual misconduct policy clearly states that students who are incapacitated due to the use of alcohol cannot consent to sex, and that consent cannot be implied. Zoe thought she had a clear case, especially with the other student admitting he hadn’t explicitly asked for consent. In spite of the apparent strength of her case, the panel voted 5-1 that sexual misconduct had not occurred and the other student was not responsible for violating Whitman’s policy. Zoe was shocked.

“I just never even thought it wasn’t going to end in my favor,” she said. “I didn’t want him to suffer. I just wanted him to know what he did was wrong and that he could never do that again.”

Whitman’s policy does not allow for appeals on the grounds that the panel reached an incorrect decision. Decisions may only be appealed for procedural reasons, for example, new evidence coming to light. Zoe appealed on the grounds that a close friend who had been present at the party and could attest to her condition on that night had been unable to testify at the original hearing. She was granted an appeal by the Chair of the Faculty; according to Whitman’s procedure, the appeal was heard by the same six people who had ruled against her in the first hearing. Once again, they found him not in violation of the policy.

“It’s really rough to have six people walking around this school having seen me in such a state and told me to my face that it didn’t matter and that he did no wrong,” said Zoe. “Hearing that the panel found him not guilty was probably more devastating than what happened. I feel like I’ve worked through what happened through counseling and family support, but having a school that you trusted and you loved and a policy that is very strongly written . . . for that to fail you, and you just have to continue on, was the most difficult part of this entire thing.”

Zoe ended up hiring a law-

“Do you think in the 13 years I’ve been here, there’s never been a legitimate rape at Whitman?”

Victims rarely choose to speak to the police. urging her, Zoe set up a meeting to talk to the guy. Over coffee, she tentatively asked him what had happened, and he told her that they had had sex.

In her formal statement, Zoe would later write, “Sex is not something I regard as casual, and the idea that I might have had it and not remembered horrified and terrified me.”

At the time, though, Zoe tried to put the incident behind her. But almost a year later, a friend forwarded her an email that the guy had sent to a sports team. In it, he challenged them to play a game called “brunchmaster.” The rules stated that “you must successfully gain entrance to the dining hall’s brunch after a casual one-night stand” and noted that “assuming the pretense of romantic interest can garner better results.”

In her statement, Zoe explained that she had convinced herself that her experience had been a misunderstanding with a nice guy.

“Reading this email made me sick and completely shattered the story I had managed to make myself believe,” she wrote.

A&E pg. 4

ber to serve as an advisor, but neither is allowed to have legal counsel.

“We’re not going through a legal process,” said Carson. “Our job [in the hearing] is to find out if our policy was violated, not to find out whether a crime has been committed.”

Because Whitman is not a law enforcement agency, it cannot charge anyone with a crime, such as rape or sexual assault. Through Whitman’s process, evidence and witnesses are presented to decide whether or not the college’s sexual misconduct policy has been violated. In the past, no records of hearings have been kept by the college after the fact, meaning that the police were unable to subpoena evidence that could be relevant in a criminal rape or sexual assault case. The training Carson received in the summer of 2011 to become Whitman’s Title IX administrator clarified that records of cases do need to be kept. As a result, Whitman now keeps records of findings from hearings that may be provided to the police, depending on the nature of the case. The purpose of

Upcoming campus show by Seattle rap act Macklemore and Ryan Lewis sees frenzied rush for tickets, sells out

Sports pg. 5

Men’s tennis knocks off three nationally ranked teams and looks to earn fifth consecutive NWC title

Detective Miguel Sanchez

Zoe is left wondering what she possibly could have done to convince Whitman that her story was true.

“What do I need? Do I need a videotape of what happened? If I couldn’t prove that this happened to me, I don’t know how any woman at Whitman can prove that you didn’t consent to sex, unless I got roofied and I went to the hospital the next day and got blood work up,” she said. “We still flaunt this policy that doesn’t work.”

Carson, Cleveland and Maxwell all declined to comment on Zoe’s specific case, though Carson acknowledged that Whitman’s process doesn’t work perfectly every time.

“I do understand that there are people who have gone through the process and it has not been a satisfactory outcome for them,” she said.

However, she emphasized that for many students, Whitman’s process does work. Cleveland agreed.

“There are many cases where the person is found responsible,” he said.

Questions of jurisdiction Whitman’s official sexual misconduct policy describes steps that the college takes to support victims, including assistance in notifying local law enforcement, “if the student so requests.” The first pages of the policy list resources for survivors, and mention that going to the police does not obligate someone to press charges. Maxwell works with Chalese Rabidue, the domestic violence services coordinator for the Walla Walla Police Department, to make the reporting process easier. Rabidue acts as a victim’s advocate and can come to campus and consult with people who are thinking of going to the police to advise them of their options.

“We want [them] to selfdetermine,” said Rabidue.

Maxwell said that the college tries to make it as easy as possible for students to go to law enforcement without pressuring them into doing so. However, many victims choose not to go to the police because they see the Whitman process as more manageable.

“I think initially, if students really want something to happen, they focus on the Whitman process,” said Maxwell. “I get very few people who from the get-go say, ‘I want to go to the police.’”

Detective Sanchez believes that Whitman should be required to report sexual assaults to the police, as they would for other serious crimes. He said that victims are often reluctant to report because they believe getting the police involved will trigger a major investigation that they have no control over, which isn’t the case.

“Reporting to the police doesn’t mean we have to take it anywhere. It just means the victim has more options in the future,” he said.

Initially, Sanchez said it’s crusee SEXUAL ASSAULT, page 3

This week on web

ASWC votes to increase student fee for 2012-2013 academic year. Read more at www.whitmanpioneer.com/news

NEWS

Mar

05 2012

PAGE

2

Thetas open charity dance competition to local teams

by PATRICIA VANDERBILT Editor-in-Chief

E

leven dance groups made up of Whitman students as well as dancers from Walla Walla will showcase their talents at Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew, to be held at 7 p.m. in Cordiner Hall on Friday, March 2.

The event is the newest evolution of the yearly Kappa Alpha Theta fundraiser Cakes for CASA. But this year, there will be no cakes.

“The cakes are gone, but there’s so many different crews and it’s going to be a really new experience,” said senior Rachel Tougher, who is organizing the event. “This time it’s a little bit more than that.”

The event is in Cordiner Hall for the first time and the number of dance crews has increased, but the biggest change to Theta’s annual event is signified by its new name.

“It’s now Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew because we are actively trying to advertise to the town as a whole, not just campus,” said sophomore Hanna Mosenthal, philanthropy chair for Kappa Alpha Theta.

Sophomore Shelley Stephan, the president of Kappa Alpha Theta, discussed the motivation behind expanding the scale of their yearly event.

“I think our main goal is to create a big event similar to Mr. Whitman in that we have a very known philanthropy on campus; so that

we create a bigger outreach to the community, as well as on campus; so that people know what CASA is,” Stephan said. “By expanding it, also, it creates a signature event for people to look forward to and contribute to.”

Proceeds from the event will benefit the local chapter of Court Appointed Special Advocates, a national organization of volunteers, appointed by judges, who advocate for the safety of abused and neglected children. The CASA chapter they are fundraising for serves

“We are actively trying to advertise to the town as a whole, not just campus.”

Hannah Mosenthal ’14

Walla Walla, so the Thetas want to raise awareness among community members with this year’s event.

“Research shows that children with a CASA are much less likely to languish in foster care, and we give directly to the Walla Walla Columbia County CASA chapter—we’re really their only major donor, so they couldn’t really do what they do without our support every year,” Mosenthal said.

Last year the Thetas raised $2,500 to $3,000 for CASA with Whitman’s Best Dance Crew; this year their goal is $5,000.

Kappa Alpha Theta’s annual fundraiser for Court Appointed Special Advocates has tranistioned from a pancake buffet fundraiser to a dance competition. This year, approximately half of the teams are from the larger Walla Walla community. Photo by McCormick

Both Mosenthal and Tougher stressed that Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew is about raising awareness as well as funds.

“A lot of what they do relies on people knowing what they are and what they do and getting volunteers, because it is a volunteerbased organization,” Tougher said.

About half of the dance crews scheduled to compete are from Whitman, and half are from Walla Walla. The judges are made up of

three Whitman professors and two community members: Greer Buchanan, who is the Coordinator for Downtown Walla Walla Foundation and a supporter of CASA with 22 years of dance experience; and Chelsea Bonifer, the director of Red Pepper Dance Company. Judging is based on criteria such as choreography, synchronization and overall quality as well as fundraising.

At the end of the night, three dance crews will take home prizes:

In addition to the grand prize and the judges’ choice, one group will be picked by the audience for the “people’s choice” award. There are also door prizes for the audience.

Tickets for Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew are available for $5 at noon in Reid Campus Center through Friday as well as at Book and Game on Main Street, and each ticket comes with a raffle ticket for a door prize. Tickets at the door are $7.

Global Symposium sparks Trial date confirmed interdisciplinary dialogue for former student

by EMILY LIN-JONES Staff Reporter

S

tudents, faculty and community members gathered in Maxey Auditorium on Saturday, Feb. 25 for Whitman’s fourth annual Global Studies Symposium, a lecture event designed to promote discussion about globalization and global issues in the context of the liberal arts.

The symposium is held through the Global Studies Initiative, a Mellon Grant-funded project that for the past several years has encouraged faculty and students to think about topics in global studies and incorporate global themes into their academic work. The Global Studies Initiative provides full-semester seminars and summer workshops for faculty members, in which they read and discuss works by world-renowned thinkers on globalization and other pertinent topics. The primary goal is to strengthen global perspectives in existing courses and to develop new interdisciplinary courses on global topics.

Associate Professor of Politics Bruce Magnusson described the motivation behind starting the program.

“Globalization is changing the way we construct knowledge and the way we understand what’s happening in the world. How does it affect the liberal arts? How does it affect what we do as a college, or the way we organize ourselves into departments and majors?” he said.

Throughout the year the initiative primarily manifests itself in the form of faculty seminars and guest lecturers funded in part by the O’Donnell Endowment for Global Studies. The various parts of the initiative converge at the Global Studies Symposium, an event designed to bring together students,

ASWC MINUTES CAMPUS GAMING CONFIRMED AS ASWC CLUB. VOTE PASSED: Y: 18, N:0, A:1 CONFIRMATION OF NEW OVERSIGHT MEMBER (WEB OVERSIGHT) JANNI CONRAD ’15. VOTE PASSED: Y: 18, N:0, A: 1 ASWC ELECTION RULES RATIFIED. [RULES CAN BE FOUND ON THE WEBSITE: WWW. GOASWC.ORG/RUN-FOR-ASWC-OFFICE/].

faculty and the general public in a discussion about global issues.

This year’s symposium was entitled “Places/Peripheries: Intersections of the Global and the Local.”

Past themes have included “Torture” and “Contagion.” The event followed a similar format to its predecessors: Three guest speakers, renowned for their work on issues related to glob-

“Globalization is changing . . . the way we understand what’s happening in the world.”

Associate Professor of Politics Bruce Magnusson

al studies, were invited to give a 20-minute lecture each based around the theme of the global and local.

Each talk was followed by a brief response from a Whitman student.

This year’s invited speakers were Professor Simon Gikandi from Princeton University, Professor Himadeep Muppiddi from Vassar College and Professor of Anthropology Carolyn Nordstrom from the University of Notre Dame. Their talks covered a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from refugee camps to self-immolation to botnets, but all attempted to illuminate the conflicts that arise in a fast-changing and increasingly globalized world.

“What does globalization mean in a world of mass displacement and rootlessness?” asked Gikandi in his talk entitled “Global Places and Fugitive Spaces: Refugees in the City”.

Muppiddi’s talk, “Who Dances the Region?”, discussed self-immolation protests in the TelangaVOTE PASSED: Y: 14, N: 4, A: 1 REQUEST OF $3,414 FROM TRAVEL & STUDENT DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR 6 STUDENTS TO GO ON NO MORE DEATHS SERVICE TRIP. REQUEST APPROVED: Y:17 N: 1, A: 1 REQUEST OF $3,201 FROM TRAVEL & STUDENT DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR 11 MODEL UN MEMBERS TO ATTEND A CONFERENCE IN LA. REQUEST APPROVED: Y: W15, N:0, A: 4 REQUEST OF $3,072 FROM THE TRAVEL

na region of India, while Nordstrom brought up the issue of individual power in a world where smartphones and personal computers are easily compromised.

The lectures and student responses were followed by commentary from Associate Professor of History Lynn Sharp and Associate Professor of French Nicole Simek and a question and answer session with the panel.

This year’s symposium saw increased attendance from last year, nearly filling Maxey Auditorium. Students and faculty alike seemed to find it successful.

“I think that it’s a really important dialogue to have, and fairly unique opportunity. We very rarely get the opportunity to have a public, interdisciplinary discussion about [these] issues,” said senior Hannah Johnson, who responded to Gikandi’s lecture as part of the student panel at the Symposium.

Assistant Professor of Art History Matt Reynolds, the symposium’s moderator, expressed his hope that student interest in the event will continue to grow.

“Globalization is continuing to expand and will continue to have a major impact on the lives of students, so we feel like these issues are pertinent and relevant to the lives of Whitman students. We feel like students can bring something to the conversation,” he said.

Sharp agreed with this notion.

“I hope it will increasingly become a thing that people want to go to, because it’s so exciting . . . It’s a chance that we don’t have very often, to bring people from outside and hear different opinions and have a little bit of a conversation,” she said. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” & STUDENT DEVELOPMENT FUND TO SEND 4 MEMBERS OF CLUB LATINO TO THE HARVARD LATINO LAW, POLICY AND BUSINESS CONFERENCE. VOTE PASSED: Y: 18, N:0, A: 1

in ID theft indictment

by SHELLY LE News Editor

A

trial date for a former Whitman student who has been charged with identity theft in the second degree and burglary in the second degree has been set.

Simon Van Neste was arrested last year on Oct. 27 and was detained for four days in the Walla Walla County Corrections Facility. According to the County of Walla Walla Statement of Arresting officer, Van Neste was brought to the facility after being found in Reid Campus Center attempting swipe access to the Darkroom seven days earlier.

The state of Washington has pressed further legal charges against Van Neste. The trial will be held in the Walla Walla County Courthouse on March 14 and 15.

In accordance with its own internal procedures, Whitman held a conduct hearing in early January where Van Neste appeared in front of the Council on Student Affairs. Although Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland could not comment on the case directly, he noted that Van Neste is no longer registered as a student at Whitman.

Cleveland further stated that the college will press no further charges against Van Neste beyond the decision made at the conduct hearing.

“In general, when a student is brought before the Council of Student Affairs . . . and is typically charged with a violations

$336. VOTE PASSED: Y:17 N:0, A:2 (READ DETAILS ABOUT THE CHANGE TO THE STUDENT FEE AT WHITMANPIONEER. COM/NEWS) VOTE TO APPROVE THE TENURE RESOLUTION (CAN BE FOUND ON THE WEBSITE: BETA.GOASWC.COM/?PAGE_ ID=305) VOTE PASSES: Y: 16, N:0, A: 2

REQUEST OF $2,250 FROM THE TRAVEL & STUDENT DEVELOPMENT TO GLOBE MED TO SEND 6 MEMBERS TO THE 2012 GLOBEMED GLOBAL HEALTH SUMMIT. VOTE PASSES: Y:16 N:0, A:3 VOTE TO SET THE ASWC STUDENT FEE AT

READ THE COMPLETE ASWC MINUTES ONLINE AT WWW.GOASWC.ORG/SENATE-2/SENATE

PRODUCTION

WRITING

BUSINESS

Editor-in-Chief Patricia Vanderbilt

Production Manager Ted Hendershot

NEWS

Business Manager Hailun Zhou

Managing Editor Cara Lowry

Production Associates Katie Berfield, Sean McNulty Madison Munn, Molly Olmsted, Cara Patten, Allison Work

PIONEER

EDITORIAL

News Editors Karah Kemmerly Shelly Le A&E Editor Caitlin Hardee Sports Editor Libby Arnosti Feature Editors Alyssa Fairbanks Kelsey Kennedy

WEB TEAM

Copy Editors Aleida Fernandez Marisa Ikert

FEATURE

Web Editor Sara Rasmussen

ILLUSTRATION

SPORTS

Opinion Editor Alex Brott Humor Editor Cari Cortez

PHOTOGRAPHY

Illustration Editor Binta Loos-Diallo

A&E

Circulation Associate Emily Coba

Clara Bartlett, Nathan Fisher, Alex Hagen, Mallory Martin, Ellie Newell

Chief Copy Editor Jean Marie Dreyer

Alex Bailey, Ariel Carter-Rodriguez, Kelly Douglas, Ruth Hwang Emily Johnson, Julie Peterson, Erika Zinser

Photography Editor Ethan Parrish

Rachel Alexander, Allison Bolgiano, Amy Hasson, Molly Johanson, Emily Lin-Jones, Julia Stone

cade beck, Caitlin Bergman, Faith Bernstein, Allie Felt, Halley McCormick, Chaoyu Li, Nicholas Farrell

Samuel Adler, Susanna Bowers, Molly Emmett, Talia Rudee, Kinsey White

Webmaster Kirk Crosland

Web Content Editor Josh Goodman

Peter Clark, Sarah Debs, Kyle Howe, Pamela London, Sylvie Luiten, Matt Tesmond

ADVERTISING

OPINION

Advertising Associate Will Martin, Woodrow Jacobson

Sam Chapman, Blair Frank, Sandra Matsevilo, Nathan Ord, Kyle Seasly, Julia Stone

BACKPAGE

Elena Aragon, Tabor Martinsen, Theo Pratt, Dana Thompson, Bridget Tescher

Advertising Manager Hannah Bauer

For information about advertising in The Pioneer or to purchase a subscription please contact business@ whitmanpioneer.com.

of college policy, then the council determines two things: First, is the student responsible for violating college policy? And if the student is found responsible, then the council also charges the student with what is the appropriate sanction,” Cleveland said.

Cleveland emphasized that the college’s actions against Van Neste are independent of the state and federal legal system.

“As far as my knowledge goes, no one from the college has been called to attend the hearing.

We will not be present,” he said.

During interviews prior to his arrest, Van Neste had admitted to encoding the ID numbers of other students, staff and faculty at Whitman to his own Whitman ID card. Van Neste had used these ID numbers to purchase food at Whitman on a number of occasions and enter secure areas including roofs of at least two buildings and areas with technology.

According to the Revised Code of Washington State, if found guilty of identity theft in the second degree, Van Neste could face up to one year in prison and fines reaching up to $10,000.

If convicted for burglary in the second degree, he could face up to ten years of incarceration or a fine reaching up to $20,000.

Corrections to Issue 5 In the article “Student helps discover ‘supergiant’ amphipod” on page 1, the name of the ship should have been printed as Kaharoa.

The infographic on page 3 should have been titled “Gender makeup of 2012 applicants.”

The quotation attributed to Amelia Hasson in the “Style Spotlight” on page 4 should have been attributed to Amelia Righi.

EDITORIAL POLICY

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

SUBMISSION POLICY

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

CODE OF ETHICS

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

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

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

The

NEWS

Mar

05 2012

PAGE

3

NUMBERS

IN THE NEWS

by SHELLY LE from SEXUAL ASSAULT, page 1

Initially, Sanchez said it’s crucial to collect a rape kit and have the victim make a statement. Once this is done, a victim does not have to proceed with a case, but the evidence will be available if the victim decides to press charges at a later date.

Carson explained that giving students a choice about going to the police encourages them to come forward.

“Let’s say we had a policy that says anytime you came in with a complaint of sexual misconduct, we were going to report it to the police. How many people would come to me? That would keep people away,” she said.

By leaving the decision about reporting up to students, Carson believes that Whitman allows victims to retain control over the process.

“These are some deeply personal things that people are going through,” she said. “They should be able to involve their mentors, their parents, their friends in . . . making their decision and not have it be us making it for them.”

Sanchez sees student reluctance to report as a failure of Whitman’s policy. He thinks that victims need to have access to independent advocates as soon as they report a sexual assault. Maxwell does help to advise students in a certain sense, but Sanchez believes that to truly serve their purpose, advocates for victims cannot be employed by Whitman.

“They need to have independent advocates. If your paycheck has been signed by someone here, can you truly be an advocate?” he asked.

Maxwell said that the students are usually well-served

by Whitman’s process. She noted that those who regret not report-

ing to the police tend to be unsatisfied with the outcome of Whitman’s sexual misconduct hearing.

However, Detective Sanchez believes that Whitman complicates the process of actually prosecuting cases of sexual assault.

“I don’t think there’s anybody [at Whitman] who is qualified to investigate rape,” he said. “They basically screw up a criminal case for us.”

The fact that few women initially report to the police further complicates potential criminal cases. Physical evidence, such as a rape kit, is often crucial in building a compelling sexual assault case. When weeks or months have passed between the alleged sexual assault and the time a victim chooses to come forward, demonstrating that sexual assault has occurred becomes substantially more difficult. The fact that no records of Whitman hearings have historically been kept often leaves investigators with little evidence with which to work.

Rabidue agreed that having victims come forward right away is crucial. Even when they go to trial and lose their case, she said few of them regret speaking to police.

“I don’t think we have women regret reporting to law enforcement. They see it as part of the healing process. Women regret not reporting to law enforcement,” she said.

Senior Ellie Newell is one of these women. Ellie was raped at a party her freshman year, when a guy who had been giving her drinks all night took her back to his room and forced her to give him oral sex. Although she had a strong case, Ellie was too upset and traumatized after her rape to seek legal help or to go the police, though she did re-

port the incident to Whitman.

“When I was raped, the last thing I wanted to do was ever see this person again because it [brought] back flashbacks. I’d feel physically nauseous and terrified for my life and my well-being every time I would see him on Ankeny or in the cafeteria. I didn’t leave my dorm room or my bed for weeks. I would organize my groups of friends to walk me to classes. I stopped doing all the clubs and all the extracurriculars that I love doing because it was so scary,” she said.

“At that point, if I’m too afraid to leave my bed, I’m probably not going to feel

“If I’m too afraid to leave my bed, I’m not going to feel comfortable to call the police.”

Ellie Newell ’12

comfortable to call the police and report something. You need someone to hold your hand. And I really wasn’t encouraged [by Whitman].”

Ellie still regrets that she didn’t go to the police.

“There wasn’t anyone to help me confront him,” said Ellie. “I was too scared. I’m a little bit ashamed to admit that I was too scared to do that. I wish I had gotten back to the dorm and called the police.”

Zoe said that without changes in the way Whitman handles cases, she would advise victims against going through the hearing process.

“What I would tell a girl if she was raped at this school: I would say go to the police, call your parents, hire a lawyer. Don’t even bother with Whitman,” she said.

Rabidue believes that Whit-

man’s core problem with sexual misconduct is a mismatch between the nature of the offense and the hearing used to adjudicate it.

“It’s a criminal offense with a civil process,” she said.

Both Rabidue and Sanchez feel that shame in the wake of being sexually assaulted can prevent women from coming forward. Solving this problem requires a cultural shift.

“You haven’t done anything wrong; you are the victim.

Nothing you were wearing, nothing you drank justifies somebody raping you,” said Sanchez.

Rabidue addressed the fact that many women are afraid of being “that girl”—someone known for getting a guy in trouble for sexual assault.

“He’s the guy on campus that violated her and raped her. Don’t be that guy,” she said. “Do you want to be that guy who has borderline inappropriate sex with every drunk girl you can get your hands on?”

Zoe believes that Whitman needs to show that it’s serious about punishing instances of sexual assault.

“No one’s going to take Green Dot seriously, or our policy, unless guys one day wake up and see [that the] guy living next door is suspended or expelled because he had sex with a girl that was too drunk,” she said. “It’s never going to happen until our administration can follow through on the policies that they set.” *Zoe is this student’s real name.

She chose to be identified by her full name in the print version of this article, because she wants members of the Whitman community to know who she is. However, she asked to have only her first name published online to avoid having this article show up in search results.

1.3

News Editor

Number of women age 18 and older who are forcibly raped every minute in the United States.

3

Percentage of American men who have experienced forcible rape at some point in their lifetime.

2/3

Fraction of sexual assaults that are committed by someone known to the victim.

60

Percentage of sexual assault cases that are not reported to the police.

36

Percentage of forcible rape cases that occur in the victim’s home.

8

Number of forcible sex offenses reported at Whitman in 2009, out of a total enrollment of 1,483 students.

0

Number of forcible sex offenses reported at the University of Washington in 2009, out of a total enrollment of 42,933 students on the Seattle campus alone.

SOURCES: RAPE ABUSE & INCEST NATIONAL NETWORK, THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, WHITMAN COLLEGE CLERY CRIME STATISTICS, THE NATIONAL VICTIM CENTER, THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, THE ABUSE, RAPE & DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AID & RESOURCE COLLECTION.

Paraplegic skier to compete at world cup

by MOLLY JOHANSON Staff Reporter

F

or sophomore MiKayla Briere, taking two weeks off of school in January to attend the International Paralympic Committee Nordic Skiing World Cup is just a step towards ambitious long-term athletic goals.

“I’ve gained a lot of desire to push myself harder athletically. We really could be looking at a 2014 Paralympic goal for me, so I think I have a lot of motivation and drive to push myself athletically and fitness-wise,” said Briere.

Briere, who has been in a wheelchair for four years due to a degenerative disease, has not let her disability stop her from competing in snow sports.

“There’s a very short time of learning how to do certain things in a wheelchair but you very quickly get past that and realize that there is so much available to do,” said Briere.

Briere just started Nordic skiing, a skill she learned at a training camp last Thanksgiving. She was able to attend the camp and get a specialized sit-down ski with the help of a grant from Whitman’s Outdoor Environmental Leadership Fund.

Grace Farnsworth Phillips Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies Bob Carson, who manages the grant, stated that Briere’s application clearly involved the outdoors, but the leadership element was more subtle.

“She is helping others, particularly at Whitman, to understand the needs of people with disabilities,” said Carson.

Shortly after the training camp, Briere competed at the U.S. Nationals for Nordic skiing in Rumford, Maine in the first week of January. She finished in the top three in those races, and was then invited to the World Cup competition in Cable, Wis., and Minneapolis, Minn. from Jan. 29 to Feb. 3.

According to Briere, while participating in Paralympic events she gets to experience an environment where the issue of whether or not things are accessible is already taken care of, as opposed to being at Whitman, where she has

Briere, who has been in a wheelchair for four years . . . has not let her disability stop her from competing in snow sports. had to be more creative and proactive in making situations accessible.

“It’s less of a noticeable factor that you’re in a wheelchair when you’re surrounded by people in wheelchairs. I think there’s a different level of conversation and openness that you can have with them, because of the shared experience you have on chairs,” she said.

Briere’s professors were able to accommodate her absence by putting lectures, videos and homework assignments online.

Briere further noted that while she is committed to school, the work that comes with her athletic goals becomes somewhat of a part-time job for her. The Paralympic coaches email workout plans to her every

MiKayla Briere ‘14 first learned to Nordic ski at a training camp last Thanksgiving. She now trains 15 hours a week to prepare for the Paralympic World Cup. Photo by Farrell

two weeks, detailing 15-hour-perweek workout schedules. Fitting this into a typical Whitman workload seems difficult, but Briere has found ways to work around this issue.

“My priorities are a little bit different than they have been in the past. I now incorporate the social aspect of college into working out . . . Getting your heart rate up by going to play tennis with friends becomes less of a workout and more of a friendship experience,” she said.

Briere has also facilitated new experiences for her friends. When skiing in Yellowstone with Briere, sophomore Skye Pauly got to try out the sit-ski.

“The sit-ski was great! It took a lot more balance than I expected, and gave skiing a whole different perspective,” said Pauly in an email.

Briere has always placed a high priority on participating in athletic activities. At Whitman, she has participated in a Scramble, Outdoor Program trips and climbing classes. Briere, who is on her way to graduating with a degree in geology, also sees her degree at Whitman contributing to the value she places on athletics.

“I’m ultimately getting a geology degree because I like to be outside so much. I see sports being an inclusive part of my future,” she said.

Briere is currently gaining shooting experience so that she can compete in the U.S. Biathalon nationals in Yellowstone over spring break.

“I’m really looking forward to making the U.S. team, so I feel like it [will be] socially acceptable to run around with an American flag on my back,” she said.

Service trip interns plan individualized fundraising

by KARAH KEMMERLY News Editor

I

nstead of relaxing at home or vacationing somewhere tropical during break, approximately 50 Whitman students will be spending a week focusing on social issues and service. As these trips become more popular, service trip interns are focusing on organizing more effective trip fundraisers.

After receiving mixed feedback about last year’s dessert night fundraiser event, senior Shannon Morrissey and sophomore Rose Haag, service trip interns, have made it their goal to coordinate fundraisers more geared toward individual fundraising rather than mandatory group projects.

“There was a dessert night last year and we had mixed feedback on that because there was no option to opt out. On the other hand, a big event like that can’t happen without people. We decided not to do it again because we didn’t want people to feel forced,” Morrissey said.

This year, students participating in service trips have had two main fundraising opportunities: writing letters to potential sponsors and selling Big Cheese pizza vouchers so

ILLUSTRATION BY BAILEY

that they might receive a percentage of that customer’s pizza profits.

Haag cites past letter-writing campaigns as a motivator for the switch in focus from required fundraisers to optional ones.

“Some people had qualms about letter-writing. They were uncomfortable. That was our main

incentive for making [fundraisers] more an individual thing.”

Sophomore Bridget Tescher, a participant in the Issaquah trip, Art and Community Building, has been soliciting pizza vouchers on listservs for several weeks in order to help fund her trip.

“I think these fundraisers were

pretty effective, but I would’ve liked to have more of them,” she said.

The most popular of the spring break trips, Relief and Rebuilding in New Orleans, also hosted a Super Smash Bros tournament as its own separate fundraiser. Senior Fritz Siegert, junior Spencer May and sophomore Ali Murray met with gamers in the Jewett main lounge on the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 26 to host a “Super Smash Battle” and raise money to build houses for families who lost their homes in Hurricane Katrina.

May is fairly pleased with the tournament results.

“Considering it was the first time we had this tournament, we had a very good turnout,” he said.

The tournament had 20 student participants and raised $120 to help fund the trip.

May feels that the work put into fundraising is worth it, and he is very excited to be a trip leader.

“New Orleans has a wonderful richness of culture. It sounds kind of cheesy, but the indomitable spirit of people there is really inspiring. I did a service trip there in high school and we saw people living in poverty who had suffered in the hurricane but were still thank-

ful for life opportunities,” he said.

Spring break service trips each cost $400 per person with the exception of the trip to New Orleans, which costs $800 per person because of travel costs. Students can receive need-based scholarships to help fund trips, but students who don’t qualify for need-based aid must front the bill themselves.

Haag feels that though these aren’t small costs, they are still reasonable.

“I’ve heard in the past people voicing concerns about paying to do community service. But you’re paying for so many other things, like food and travels costs, visiting another community and doing activities,” she said.

Tescher has somewhat mixed feelings.

“On one hand, I don’t like paying lots of money to donate my time, but on the other hand, it pays for transportation and a week of housing and food,” she said.

Ultimately, however, Tescher feels that the trips are an experience worth paying for.

“I’ve never really been to the Pacific Northwest. I’m looking at this as an opportunity to travel and meet new people.”

A&E

Mar

01 2012

PAGE

4

Macklemore, Ryan Lewis play Whitman show

by ALEX HAGEN Staff Reporter

O

n Saturday, March 3, Seattle-based hip-hop artist Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis will play a soldout show in the Reid ballroom.

The concert, which was only announced on Feb. 17, has already sparked a great amount of interest among Whitman students.

Sponsored by the Whitman Events Board, the show was scheduled thanks to the efforts of WEB’s Music Entertainment Director, senior Carissa Wagner, and Cultural Events Director, senior Arielle Paulson, both

of whom sought to bring the duo here after a substantial amount of positive student feedback.

“It was really just sort of a no-brainer,” said Wagner. “We knew that it was something that’d be really popular, and [Macklemore is] obviously an artist that hits home with a lot of students, so we went for it.”

Macklemore’s appeal comes not only from his energetic sound, but also from the deeper meanings behind his lyrics, which stem from his experiences with addiction as well as his opinions on other issues.

“There’s sort of a nice activist side where he’s speaking to a

lot of issues that matter to people, while at the same time he has a lot of very fun songs,” said Wagner.

Macklemore and Lewis are between tours at the moment, planning to play a set of three shows in Colorado this April. The duo, who reportedly will release a fulllength album sometime this year, played 31 shows between October and December of last year as well.

“I don’t want to give too much away, but I would say that we’ve worked very, very hard on our set throughout the last two and a half years,” Lewis told The Pioneer.

Along with Macklemore and Lewis, the show will feature Sol, another Seattle hip-

hop artist, as its opening act.

The show will also feature other musicians, such as trumpet player Owour Arunga, who frequently works with the duo. “[Arunga] has become kind of an essential piece of the show,” said Lewis.

Due to the hip-hop act’s wild popularity among Whitman students, the show sold out within two days, with students packing the floor of Reid Campus Center and camping out in line to secure one of the prized 500 tickets.

Students can still be added to the wait list, but there is no guarantee of admission without a ticket.

Regardless of one’s famil-

iarity with Macklemore, the show should prove to be an exciting and enjoyable experience.

“People are very stressed out at Whitman, and I think it’s always good to have a concert where they can just, like, go and have a good time and dance,” said Wagner.

“I’ve been listening to Macklemore all throughout high school, and I’ve never been able to see one of his concerts,” said firstyear Julia Thompson. “I have a lot of Seattle pride and so does Macklemore, so I’m excited to feel sort of at home. I’m just so excited! I’ll be in the front!”

“It’s gonna be crazy,” Lewis promised.

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:

Hello Failure Harper Joy Theatre presents Kristen Kosmas’ “Hello Failure,” a neo-realistic comedy entangling the stories of seven submariners’ wives, a Civil War ghost, a renegade hairdresser and a potted plant. Tickets available at the Harper Joy box office.

Thursday, Mar. 1 - Sunday, Mar. 4. Alexander Stage, Harper Joy Theatre.

Fridays at Four Whitman College Fridays at Four Recital Series presents a Whitman Music Faculty Recital featuring Senior Lecturer of Music Jackie Wood on piano and Music Assistant Amy Dodds on violin.

Friday, Mar. 2, 4 p.m. Kimball Theatre.

Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew Kappa Alpha Theta presents a night of fierce competition and breathtaking dance routines, in support of charity organization CASA, which provides court advocates for child victims of abuse. Tickets are $5 pre-sale and $7 at the door, and are available during lunch in Reid through Friday, Mar. 2, or at Book & Game at 1st & Main St. Friday, Mar. 2, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Cordiner Hall.

STYLE SPOTLIGHT Every week, The Pioneer searches out Whitties who bring an extra splash of fashion consciousness and sartorial daring to campus. This week’s Style Spotlight: junior French and theatre major Ryan Campeau.

Style Soundbites “I bought [my ring] in December-ish, when I was studying abroad in Nantes, France. I picked it out at one of the Marché de Noël Christmas markets in Nantes; there were several. I went with my best friend there, and so we decided we were going to make friendship rings of French things. So it means a lot to me, and I wear it every day. I also wear my pocketwatch-necklace GRAPHIC BY BERFIELD

Ryan Campeau ‘13 (above) combines exotic accessories collected from around the world with hipster style and the feminine influence of 1940s fashion. Photos by beck

combo every day, both because I think it’s really stylish and because it’s great to be able to have a watch without something confining on my wrist. I bought it in London when I was there during my study abroad experience last semester. I went to London for five days, and one day I went to Greenwich, as in the place where there’s Greenwich mean time, and I was walking around and just stumbled upon an antique market in one area and a creator’s market in another place and saw this, chatted with the woman there for a while and bought it. So it makes me think of that wonderful day exploring London on my own.”

“My tights I’ve had for a long time, like I bought a ton of really fun tights when I was in high school, just different patterns and colors, so I had something to go with everything. I

Staff Reporter

by NATHAN FISHER Staff Reporter

E

ver wish you could break away from the stress of life? “Wanderlust” painfully attempts to show a couple’s escape attempt that lands them in a hippiesville—a place where only a select few of us could survive.

George (Paul Rudd) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston) are a rather boring couple until their life takes a turn south when the company George works for goes under and HBO decides not to develop Linda’s testicular cancer penguin movie. George and Linda can’t afford their New York apartment and move in with George’s brother in Atlanta.

This arrangement does not last long and George and Linda head back on the road. They end up wandering into Elysium, a commune filled with—characters— including an old man, a crazy woman and a wine-making nudist novelist, who is my personal favorite character even though you see him naked far too many times. Elysium residents share everything, and life seems perfect without worries, troubles or

KWCW SHOW OF THE WEEK

GRAPHIC BY ALDEN

doors. George loves this life at first and Linda of course hates it.

Tension follows as the couple’s relationship is tested—yawn!

“Wanderlust” tries to capture some of the offbeat comedic timing and whimsy of “I Love You, Man” and “Role Models” by using the same cast with the addition of Jennifer Aniston and Alan Alda. Oh Hawkeye, Alda has not been funny since he quit operating! Unfortunately “Wanderlust” never seems to take off and spends too much time on psychedelic drugs. Yes, the movie has some laughs, as Rudd once again pulls off his sarcastic cynic personality and Aniston continues to use her charm, but many of the jokes were retreads and felt like the actors knew they were beating a dead horse.

Just like Rudd’s previous movies, “Wanderlust” proselytizes about specific morals. In “Wanderlust,” we see how money will not buy happiness (or as Alan Alda says, “Money will buy nothing . . . NOTHING!”) and that in life, you need to do what is best for you. In this case, waiting until “Wanderlust” came out on DVD would have been the best for me.

‘Manifiesta’ Tune into your favorite revolutionaries, Bailey Arango and Kaity Curry, bringing you a different historical manifesto and accompanying thematic playlist each week. Expect witty commentary, sombreros, anarchy, Dadaism, human rights, cigars and cool jams.

Mondays, 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. On the dial at 90.5 FM Walla Walla and streaming live at www.kwcw.net. For requests, call (509) 527-5283.

“My earrings are kind of along the same vein—I went through a major pearl phase, where I bought a bunch of pearl earrings. It also just kind of goes with my love of 1940s fashion and trying to have some feminine pieces in my wardrobe, which has some other kind of masculine looks with the sweater and the glasses. My glasses are something that is defining my look this semester; I just got them in January. They’re kind of that hipster look, but they’re also like a wine

color, and so again a little more feminine. But I feel really comfortable when I wear them and they’re a defining feature of my outfits now. Generally if I can’t match an outfit with my glasses and my pocketwatch necklace, I’m not going to wear it.”

“I feel like I’m going for a mix of my 1940s feminine look with some of the more hipster elements that are popular, like big oversized sweaters that I’ve bought at Goodwill and my glasses, and then mixing them with pearls and skirts.

I always wear my boots too.”

“Whatever you think is cute and whatever makes you feel simultaneously comfortable and confident—just, fashion is whatever makes you happy.”

Musical Whitties find exciting new outlets for expression as part of Walla Walla Symphony

by MALLORY MARTIN

‘Wanderlust’ falls flat with stale humor, judgement

think my mom might have actually bought them for me, so they kind of make me think of her.

My shirt is also just something I’ve had for a long time—I’ve always really liked the 1940s look, so this is something with the collar and polka dots and some pretty ruffles . . . it makes me feel very feminine and put-together.”

W

hitman College is known for providing opportunities and outlets that both fulfill and push its students’ passions beyond the boundaries of the college itself.

One such opportunity can be found in the Walla Walla Symphony, marketed as the “oldest continuously operating symphony west of the Mississippi.” The 104-year old orchestra performs at Whitman’s Cordiner Hall and has long drawn on some of the college’s own students, including current seniors Robin Miller and Rebecca Young and first-year Ryan Jacobsen.

For cellist, Miller and violinists, Young and Jacobsen, the group provides a personal as well as an educational outlet that goes beyond Whitman’s music department.

“The repertoire that is feasible for the Whitman Symphony is somewhat limited by what players we have,” said Young, a sociology major, a who has been per-

forming with the orchestra since her sophomore year. “Since the Walla Walla Symphony is professional, I get to play some really huge, amazing pieces that I wouldn’t get to otherwise. Also, the chance to play with professional musicians is unique, and I like how it challenges me to play my absolute best.”

“I think that Whitman College has an excellent music program as far as the individual basis goes, but not necessarily as far as the ensembles go,” agreed Jacobsen, a music major who joined the symphony last semester. “For anyone looking for a big orchestral experience, which Whitman doesn’t have, the [Walla Walla] Symphony is a great alternative.”

Student positions with the symphony are paid and require an audition with a short piece of music and some sight reading. The participants agreed that involvement could be time-consuming, but that it was well worth it for the love of music. Miller, Jacobsen and Young have been playing their instruments for seven, 12 and 18 years, respectively.

ADVERTISEMENT

“I just like playing music,” said Miller, a science and economics double major, who’s played with the symphony since her first year at Whitman. “It’s relaxing and exciting at the same time. It’s kind of therapeutic.”

Although none of the three intend to pursue music as a career, they all agree that playing with the symphony has been an important and an enhancing experience.

“I’m about to graduate, and I’m not sure whether I’ll have the opportunity to play with an orchestra again anytime soon,” said Miller. “Playing with the Walla Walla Symphony is an experience that I treasure. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity.”

Students interested in applying for the Walla Walla Symphony should inquire with Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Jeremy Mims or Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Amy Dodds.

Those interested in supporting their fellow students and attending symphony performances should check out the groups website at www.wwsymphony.org.

SPORTS

Mar

01 2012

PAGE

5

Men’s tennis launches into spring

by PETER CLARK Staff Reporter

T

he Whitman men’s tennis team faced the teeth of a challenging non-Conference schedule when they traveled to the East Coast on Feb. 17 to play No. 23 ranked Rhodes, Kalamazoo and No. 22 ranked Mary Washington. Overcoming time zone differences, cramps, fatigue and every other injury in the book, the men took all three matches.

After dispatching Rhodes by a score of 6-3 and Kalamazoo 5-4 on Saturday, the team stepped up to the weekend’s biggest challenge, taking down Mary Washington 6-3 and completing a momentous East Coast road sweep featuring wins over two Top 25 opponents. This incredible feat did not happen by accident. The previous week, before traveling to the East Coast, the team practiced at 6 a.m. every morning in order to simulate the time-zone difference they would experience in Virginia. Coach Jeff Northam made this decision based on research begun last year.

“I had the team sit down with [local sleep doctor and class of 1972 Whitman graduate] Dr. Simon last year, and we talked about the things we needed to do to play in a different time zone,” said Northam.

The team talked together about early practices and the importance of getting the proper amount of sleep.

All in all, Northam couldn’t be happier with the beginning of the season.

“The start of the season has been the best, most magical start since I have been coaching here,” he said.

This, from a five-time NWC Coach of the Year who has taken his undefeated team to the top of the NWC for the past four seasons; Whitman’s last Conference loss was in April of 2006.

Senior Connor HoltonBurke pointed out that part of this year’s success can be attributed to the team’s deep roster.

“This year I feel like we are really strong top to bottom. We won at least one match from each of the nine positions over the course of the three matches,” he said.

First-year James Riv-

ers has already felt the effects of the team’s positive atmosphere.

“Our team dynamics are really, really good right now. When you are all playing at once, and you see your teammates fighting as hard as they can, it makes you play so much better because you don’t want to let your teammates down,” he said.

Although most everyone on campus is aware of the goliath that men’s tennis has become, there are still doubters across the nation. Many people outside of Whitman don’t have any idea where the school is located, while others are still skeptical on whether or not Whitman is the real deal.

“One national blogger had said we were short on talent and the program was in decline. It certainly has been a rallying cry for the guys,” said Northam.

Those same critics are likely singing a different tune as Whitman has made a convincing statement starting the season with not only the East Coast road sweep, but also the victory against No. 6 UC Santa Cruz just one week before.

The next rankings come out early next month, and Whitman will likely have vaulted several spots from their previous No. 29 ranking.

For many teams, this hot start is oftentimes the perfect trap.

Teams often grow complacent and begin to think that a good start will carry them the rest of the season. Judging by the experience of the veteran players and the winning culture that has been developing for several years, Whitman seems prime to dodge such a hurdle.

“Yeah, we had a great start to our season, but it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t win conference. We’re a team that knows that we have to keep really focused,” said Holton-Burke.

The men expect to continue their winning streak as they move into conference play during the coming weeks. Over spring break, the team will look to do more damage on the national level as they travel to southern California to play Rochester University (New York), Whittier (California), and Trinity (Connecticut).

Steven Roston ‘14 serves during a No. 3 doubles match-up against Pacific Lutheran University. The men soundly beat the Lutes with a final score of 8-1 and are pursuing their fifth straight Northwest Conference title this season. Photo by McCormick

Whit men fall to Puget Sound in playoffs

by PAMELA LONDON Staff Reporter

O

David Michaels ’12 put up 28 points in his final game playing for Whitman.

Michaels was named the NWC Player of the Year for 2012. Photo by McCormick

SCOREBOARD BASKETBALL

Men’s v. University of Puget Sound Feb. 23: L 62-79 Women’s v. Lewis & Clark College Feb. 23: L 64-69

TENNIS

Men’s v. Pacific Lutheran University Feb. 24: W 8-1 v. University of Puget Sound Feb. 25: W 9-0 Women’s v. Pacific Lutheran University Feb. 24: W 9-0 v. University of Puget Sound Feb. 25: W 6-3

BASEBALL

v. Eastern Connecticut State Feb. 24: L 1-4 Feb. 25: L 9-12, L 7-12 Feb. 26: L 5-8

UPCOMING TENNIS

Men’s v. Spokane Falls CC March 7, 4:30p.m. HOME Women’s v. Pacific University March 2, 4p.m. HOME

BASEBALL

v. University of Puget Sound March 3, 11p.m. HOME March 4, 12p.m. HOME

GOLF

Men’s and Women’s Whitman Spring Three-Way March 3, AWAY

ne and done: The doubleedged sword of the collegiate basketball postseason hit the Whitman men’s basketball team the hard way last Thursday night as the Missionaries fell 7962 to the University of Puget Sound.

Despite winning five of seven games to finish off the season at 11-5 in the NWC, Whitman lost the battle for the second seed in the Conference tournament to Puget Sound in a head-tohead tiebreaker. The Loggers swept the season series, setting up a semifinal match-up in Tacoma, Wash.

Though Puget Sound came out strong from the get-go, Whitman responded in a big way in the second half, cutting the Loggers’ lead to only three with 12 minutes to go.

“We felt we didn’t come out with the same sense of urgency as they did,” said coach Eric Bridgeland of his halftime adjustments.

“We decided to not match their effort but to play harder than them.”

The Loggers pulled away to maintain a double-digit lead through the end of the game. “[I] don’t really know what it was about them, for some reason they just had our number,” said senior forward David Michaels.

Michaels, the NWC Player of the Year, led the way with 28 points and shot 50 percent from the field. No other Missionaries scored in double figures.

Thursday’s loss was the final game in a Whitman uniform for Michaels, Brandon Shaw, Juan Pablo Alvarez and D.J. Wright.

“I’m gonna really miss the brotherhood that we have formed here,” said Michaels of his fellow seniors.

The game also marked the end of an era of sorts for the coaching staff and senior class, both of whom arrived on campus in the fall of 2007.

“We truly, literally, arrived together,” said Bridgeland. “When they arrived here, Whitman had been consistently in the bottom third of the conference. Our seniors leave having left their mark on the wall with the two best seasons in the last 25 years.”

Women’s basketball takes 3rd in NWC

by SARAH DEBS Staff Reporter

A

fter a season of continuous improvement, Whitman women’s basketball team fought hard through their final game against Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore. last Thursday, Feb. 23. While the game seemed to lean in Whitman’s favor as the team racked up points on the floor, Lewis & Clark scored 12 free throws that finished the game at 69-64. This tough playoff loss ended the Whitman women’s season. Lewis & Clark went on to take second to nationally ranked George Fox, who earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III national championship field.

Whitman’s game against Lewis & Clark marked the end of the college careers for seniors Jenele Peterson, Jennifer Keyes and Anna Forge. First-year Katie Gray hopes to continue what these graduating women brought to the team in upcoming seasons.

“Honestly, our seniors are great. They led the team really well and inspired a lot of the underclassmen to work hard.

They are welcoming, open, genuine people, we’re going to miss them a lot,” said Gray.

The Northwest Conference is particularly competitive with Lewis & Clark, ranked 7th in the nation, and George Fox, ranked 3rd. Whitman, ranked 24th DIII in the country, finished with a

strong Conference record of 12-4.

Peterson, who scored a career best of 34 points during the game, was not quite ready to see the season end.

Even with an uncharacteristically slow first half of the playoff game, Whitman pushed forward and played with utmost determination, narrowing Lewis & Clark’s lead to just five points by the end. The second half of the game is when Head Coach Michelle Ferenz saw the game start to heat up.

“We just didn’t play as well offensively as we needed to in the first half,” said Ferenz. “But we came back and played well offensively in the second. Lewis & Clark is big

and physical and that is a tough match up for us. We struggled to keep them off the boards. It is something we will have to improve on for next season.”

Junior Mary Madden, who made two free throws in the final game, believes that such a strong comeback demonstrates the perseverance of the team as a whole.

“We played really well as a unit,” said Madden, “Sure, individuals played well, but what really stuck out about this game and this season was everybody’s willingness to do anything to win, even if that meant not scoring individually. We all played hard for each other. The seniors really instilled that in us this year, and I hope to continue that next season.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Hunger ∴ Graze ∵ U ♥ tortas.

Q.E.D. a place for food

Text your order 509-522-9991 Sunday 10-3:30 Monday-Saturday 10-7:30

Skiers wary of budget cuts

T

by SYLVIE LUITEN Staff Reporter

hree years ago, the Varsity Ski Program was cut at Whitman, causing an uproar among students and fear among the skiers about their funding future.

“When the team was cut, the athletic department said that they would honor the funding that they needed to keep racing, like varsity funding, and they would uphold that as long as recruited athletes are at the school,” said Meg Robinson, a sophomore on the alpine team.

The team was told by Head and Assistant Athletics Directors Dean Snider and Skip Molitor to keep the numbers of the team up. “Skip and Dean both told us that the amount of funding we get will be dependent upon the number of freshmen we get. We have four freshmen this year and eight [from] last year, so we’re continuing to bring people in for the program,” said senior alpine captain Torey Anderson, who was recruited her freshman year to be on the varsity team.

The team has been very successful at local competitions. “We finish second place at almost every meet behind UBC, even though schools like University of Idaho are a varsity sport. We’re still competing against 11 schools who take the sport very seriously,” said sophomore Patrick Finnegan. There are only two varsity ski programs in the Pacific Northwest.

During the last three years, the athletes have had much of their costs paid for. “Under the current budget, the ski team budget covers entry fees, gas and renting turtle-topper vans, passes at the races we go to. Right now we pay for some food and for a season’s pass to train at Bluewood financially, and a USSA license, that’s a fairly reasonable amount to commit to. It’s not cheap, but its something we’re willing to commit,” said Robinson.

The University of Puget Sound is another liberal arts school with a competitive club team. “[Skiing] is one of our highest funded club sports teams,” said Mike Knape, a member of the Puget Sound budget committee. “It is explicitly for traveling to races and practice costs.”

As Whitman’s last varsity ski recruits graduate and the team’s provisional three years run out, the team is anxious to find out what will happen to their budget.

“As it stands, there is no decision to make, ski team funding will remain the same next year. There is no reason for the skiers to stress out,” said Dean of Athletics Dean Snider.

The skiers will compete at Regionals next week in Colorado, and, if all goes well, at Nationals the next week in Maine.

Mar

01 2012

FEATURE

PAGE

6

WANTED: MALE VOLUNTEERS

Community service on campus dominated by female students

Kappa Alpha Theta’s upcoming philanthropy event, Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew, sparks an examination of gender roles in volunteer culture. Crews: Step One, Dance Team and Chipolopolo Photo by McCormick

Greeks take varied approaches to service

by PATRICIA VANDERBILT Editor-in-Chief

P

hilanthropy in Whitman’s Greek organizations runs the gamut from Mr. Whitman, to stream restoration and dog walking with the local animal shelter. Greek groups participate in philanthropy as a way to work together and give back to the community, and the group dynamic of Greek organizations motivates sorority and fraternity members to turn up and fill a need they see in the community.

Though fraternity and sorority members both enjoy working together for a good cause, the

“We try to do fun things so it’s not just busy work—like dog walking.”

Daniel Zajic ’14

scale of Greek group philanthropy tends to vary on gendered lines.

Sophomore Daniel Zajic, philanthropy chair for the Sigma Chi fraternity, organizes small philanthropy events that the Sigs do with a variety of local organizations.

“I love doing community service.

For others, they just like giving back.

We try to do fun things so it’s not just busy work—like dog walking; everyone loves dogs,” said Zajic.

Sigma Chi hosts an annual wine auction during family weekend each fall. Funds raised for next year’s event will benefit Helpline of Walla Walla.

Sophomore Sara Graham, meanwhile, will be organizing next year’s Mr. Whitman event for Kappa Kappa Gamma—undoubtedly the largest charity fundraising event (Greek or independent) that occurs on campus each year. Last fall, Mr. Whitman raised $30,000 for Blue Mountain Heart to Heart; in 2010 the event raised a record $50,000 for the Chris Elliot fund. Part of Mr. Whitman’s success is its incorporation of many different campus groups.

The event is a pageant-esque competition between eight men (four Greek, four independent), each of whom are charged with the task of raising thousands of dollars.

“Choosing the guys is kind of the face, definitely,” Graham said.

“They represent different groups on campus, you access different groups in that way, independent people have different friends.

You’re getting more people, because everyone knows different people than us going out to the people we know. It’s kind of a spidering effect.”

According to Graham, Mr. Whitman’s use of contestants from many campus groups, as well as its reputation as a fun and entertaining event, makes the pageant a successful signature philanthropy

that the Kappas are known for.

“None of [other Greek groups’] philanthropy is in your face, it’s not encompassing the student body in the same way,” Graham said. “You don’t hear about it, and know that they do it as much. It’s philanthropy not involving the student body, so you don’t hear about it.”

This year, the women of Kappa Alpha Theta are expanding their own signature philanthropy event with the newly re-named Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew, previously known as Cakes for CASA: Whitman’s Best Dance Crew.

“I definitely think that both of the groups, the sororities and fraternities, do think that philanthropy is very important. On campus, the major events have been by Kappa, and I think that this year the Thetas are trying to step that up with Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew,” said sophomore Shelley Stephan, president of Kappa Alpha Theta.

Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew will include a variety of Whitman dancers as well as dance groups from Walla Walla. [For more on Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew, see “Thetas open charity dance competition to local teams,” page 2] Stephan said that a largescale philanthropy event would allow the Thetas more success in raising awareness about CourtAppointed Special Advocates,

Theta’s national philanthropy.

“It helps us create a more significant impact,” she said.

“By expanding it, it creates a signature event for people to look forward to and contribute to.”

The large events that Thetas and Kappas work to organize each year create an association between the sororities and philanthropy that isn’t necessarily present in fraternities’

“It’s something that we see we need to do, instead of something we need to show off.”

Wataru Takagi ’13

reputations. Junior Wataru Takagi, philanthropy chair for Phi Delta Theta, discussed the Phis’ attitude towards their own philanthropy.

“I think [philanthropy is] something that we ourselves take part in, and take pride in, but it’s not something that would be known by the community. It’s not something that we place emphasis on, it’s something that we see we need to do, instead of something we need to show off,” said Takagi.

The Phis routinely participate in stream restoration, Adopt-aGrandparent, the Storytime Project and the mentoring program. They recently completed their large

philanthropy event: a food drive for Blue Mountain Action Council’s food distribution warehouse in which they collected 691 pounds of food.

The women of Delta Gamma also take a more internal approach to their philanthropy.

“The philanthropy that the Alpha Eta chapter of Delta Gamma participates in on the Whitman campus is quite different than any other Greek group in that we do not do one big event, but rather our girls are active in many activities ranging from making quilts every weekend which we send to the school of the blind and odd fellows, to leaf raking, to anchor drive, and many more,” said sophomore Sarah Anderegg, Vice President of Foundation for Delta Gamma in an email.

According to Zajic and Takagi, fraternity philanthropy is fulfilling for its participants and makes a difference without needing to incorporate outside groups.

“With the fraternities, I feel like if we make it into a big event, then it’s not as meaningful because people will take it as, oh, they’re just trying to make themselves look better.

It doesn’t serve the exact purpose of philanthropy,” Takagi said. “[Philanthropy] is just a great way to expand to the community and show that the Greek system isn’t just for partying or something like that.

It’s something more substantial.”

Community service among men lackluster, in line with current national college trend

by KINSEY WHITE Staff Reporter

N

From top left: Members of past winning crew, River Rince practice for Friday’s WWBDC along with crews Generation EZBake and Step One. Photo by McCormick

ationwide, male college students volunteer within their respective communities in disproportionately low rates compared to their female peers, according to a recent article written in the Chronicle of Higher Education. This trend has also become apparent in the Whitman community over the past decade.

While involvement in other forms of public service such as campus government is high among men (the last six presidents of ASWC have been male), the male to female ratio in Whitman’s most prominent volunteer programs is lackluster.

The Whitman Mentor Program is composed of 31 percent males, Adopt-A-Grandparent 11 percent, College Coaches 12 percent, Story Time 22 percent and service trips 28 percent.

“We are always looking to recruit more male volunteers.

I’m not sure the men on our campus realize that they have an opportunity to make a significant impact in our community,” said Kelsie Butts, community service coordinator interim. “Many of our programs work with students who are looking [for] and needing a positive, stable male role model in their life. Whitman males can fill that void for them and have the opportunity to really make a difference in a child’s life.”

Senior Noah Lerner coordinates the Whitman Mentor Program along with Mollee Huisanga. This popular volunteering opportunity on campus pairs Whitman students with at-risk elementary school students. Lerner, who came to Whitman four years ago owing 35 hours of community

service due to a speeding ticket, said he was “hooked” as soon as he began volunteering at Whitman.

“I find volunteer work to be really rewarding. I wish more men could experience that!” said Lerner.

“There aren’t nearly enough men involved in volunteering on campus.

I wish they’d just try it out more. Most guys who join the program find they love it, and I know there are tons of ways to volunteer in the community that guys could get really into.”

Although Lerner cannot identify a specific reason for the lack of male representation within these programs, he says he believes many males fail to take the time to investigate volunteering opportunities on campus.

Assistant Dean for Student Engagement, Noah Leavitt, who oversees the Student Engagement Center finds volunteering in general to be stereotyped nationwide as an activity that attracts more females than males, a commonly held belief he doesn’t believe holds true at all despite the stigma.

“Most volunteer opportunities that Whitman provides, and most volunteer positions in society in general, involve interpersonal work—face-to-face interactions with other people in American society, that kind of work has historically been expected of, carried out by and therefore further expected by, women,” said Leavitt.

“However, I am always hopeful that Whitman’s volunteer and community service projects will be of interest to men . . . I know many male Whitman students who are indeed caring and compassionate, and I would love to see them bring these wonderful aspects of their identities to the wider world,” he added.

Over the past three years,

there has been a male intern in the Community Service Office, a shift which has increased male volunteerism at Whitman, also paralleled with an increase in male volunteers within the Greek system.

Many Whitman males have also come to volunteer through their sports teams and other student organizations. Leavitt hopes that the new Teaching the Movement initiative project will continue to hold a fairly-balanced gender ratio

“I find volunteer work to be really rewarding. I wish more men could experience that!”

Noah Lerner ’12

for volunteers. This new opportunity for males to volunteer on campus has seen a greater turn out of men than within the other programs the Community Service Office runs. “[Whitman Teaches the Movement] was a short, high energy but low commitment program that allowed me to engage in something I was passionate about without having to be attached to a long-term weekly activity with lots of meetings and little action. I went to trainings, met with my co-teacher, and then taught my class— it was that simple,” said senior and WTTM volunteer, Jackson Bellaimey. “I hope that WTTM can keep attracting a wide array of volunteers, but I worry it will be harder next year without the initial excitement that surrounds a pilot program like this,” he said.

“Volunteering is part of your civic duty! Spend a few hours a week trying to make someone else’s life easier, and you’re helping to change the world for the better,” said Lerner.

OPINION

Mar

01 2012

PAGE

7

WHITMAN BUBBLE MASKS HARDSHIP NATHAN ORD Senior

I

love Whitman. I love dealing daily with some of the smartest people I’ve ever met. I love the 3 a.m. conversations about the corn lobby and the hour-long discussions on how to create a better world. But the truth is, we live in a bubble: a bubble where people can afford to care.

While Whitman touts itself as diverse, how diverse can a private school that costs 50 grand really be? While plenty of people are here on scholarships, even paying

their own way, the fact is most of us come from wealthy/upper middle class families, with wealthy/upper middle class upbringings, and parents who made sure we did our homework before we did the dishes or drove us to soccer practice instead of making us ride the bus to work.

I recently spent time with a friend I had known growing up and whose family would join us for Christmas parties every year. Today he’s a 20-year-old deck-hand on whichever fishing boat offers him work, smokes cigarettes like a French nurse, has spent time in jail and lives in a trailer that he shares with his older brother. And while talking to him I realized that I have no conception of what it’s actually like to live his life.

What is it like to pay your own taxes? To pay your own cell phone bill? To try to find work after prison? To know that you need

Louis CK’s self-distribution promotes artistic integrity KYLE SEASLY First-year

O

ne of my favorite comedians, Louis CK, satirically notes, “Every day starts, my eyes open and I reload the program of misery. I open my eyes, remember who I am, what I’m like, and I just go “ugh . . .” Although Louis presents himself as an old bald man who is angry at the world, he is bent on changing it. Recently on Conan O’Brien’s talk show, he made a particularly relevant statement about modern-day attitudes regarding technology, “Everything is amazing and no one is happy.”

Indeed, one such example of certain “things being amazing” is his latest Stand-up Special.

The show, “Live at the Beacon Theater,” is indeed hilarious and thought-provoking, although this is not why it is amazing.

It is amazing because Louis circumvented all major companies to produce it. Like Radiohead’s In Rainbows, he avoided all physical media and posted it on his website and asked people to pay $5 to see the special. Through this method, Louis avoids piracy by creating a direct relationship with the artist and the consumer. Without anyone censoring him, he is allowed complete creative control.

This illustrates a definite trend in the world of pop culture.

Because music, television and cinema are moneymaking industries, certain material is censored when it is deemed by the corporate bigwigs “unsellable.”

Thanks to the rise of the Internet, however, this “unsellable” material can be seen and heard.

Louis CK and Radiohead have lots of capital as well as a definitive presence in the

world of pop culture, which allows for complete digital download with complete creative control and lots of media attention. Without that much capital, fame is still extremely attainable without the industry pulling the strings of artistic material.

The Internet is the best medium we have for such creative control of these works. It’s not as if In Rainbows is especially weird, or Louis’ Stand-up Special is especially raunchy (well, kind of); it’s just nice to know that artistic integrity still exists. And these artists are taking a chance on getting money back by trying this method. But by taking this chance they set the precedent for allowing the self-distribution notion to come into media headlines.

It’s also not as if self-producing hasn’t been around for a long time. Frank Zappa produced most of his own material and self-distributed. When he said, “Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not truth. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love. Love is not music. Music is the best,” one can infer that Frank Zappa distrusted most aspects of society except for music because it was the one thing he could completely control.

The Internet is a catalyst for this creativity to blossom. For example, the artist Owl City, whom I completely despise, got famous solely for being on Myspace without any major corporations backing him. Even though I think his music may be terrible, it is his attitude of self-distribution that I endorse.

At a college where we like to despise large corporations and think small-scale, this is exactly the sort of creative endeavor we should be supporting. Artists like Louis CK, Radiohead and countless others show us that creative exploits need not be funneled through big companies with dreams of dollar signs, but instead can reach a wide audience while promoting a new, exciting vision for entertainment.

a job in order to eat? I’ve never had to know the answers to these questions. My parents have paid my taxes, my parents have paid for my cell phone, and if I ever ran out of money, I got a bail-out. But I’ve always done what was expected of me.

Sometimes I’d like to tell myself that I worked harder than my friend, that I deserve to be where I am because I didn’t take the easy choices. But I’d be falling into a trap set by my ego. Sure, it was hard to do homework after an exhausting practice, but it would have been a lot harder to do it after working all day at minimum wage and coming back to an alcoholic father who doesn’t care about the math homework I didn’t know how to do.

My friend took a particular path, but it was one set in front of him, and it was a lot harder than mine.

People are only as good as the world allows us to be. We are

all the products of our environment. So why do we continue to believe that successful people simply worked harder and thereby deserve their fate while those at the bottom dig their own graves?

I blame ivory towers: here, the Whitman bubble. We believe everyone can make their own fate, and we look around and see people who’ve “worked hard” for success. And then we see the dropouts and “failures” and we tell ourselves that they just didn’t seize the opportunities presented, they didn’t take the initiative when we did.

But spend any time with these socalled drop-outs trying to find out why, and you’ll realize they’re not just drop-outs or failures. They’re the same as any Whitman student, but the road that fell before their feet wasn’t a paved path to success.

At Whitman we love to talk about what people should do. We

should recycle. We should donate to help starving children. But too often we don’t talk about what people actually do and why. My friend cares less about recycling than you care about the quarter on the sidewalk. He doesn’t have the luxury to care about these things. He cares about how he’s going to buy his next pack of cigarettes. Or his next meal.

But if he could get half off on cigarettes by recycling a pound of beer cans, he’d spend every evening digging through the trash behind TKE. In order to truly change the world, we need to stop talking about what people should do, and start talking about what people actually do and why. Maybe then we can create the social structures to create change. But until we understand what life is truly like for people outside our bubble, we won’t be able to create change. So get out there, get involved. Burst the bubble.

Pioneer board editorial Whitman’s policy must promote active police involvement in rape cases

S

exual assault is an undeniably complicated crime to prosecute. Victims are not always willing to come forward or press charges, and even in cases where a formal investigation is undertaken, piecing together the facts of a case can prove difficult. It is critical to create a safe environment for students who come forward to report sexual assault that allows survivors to retain control over the process. It is the opinion of the Pioneer editorial board, however, that Whitman’s manner of dealing with sexual assault relies too much on internal processes and fails to adequately encourage victims to report to law enforcement. Although addressing sexual misconduct on campus is important, focusing more of the college’s energy on working with the police would send the message that Whitman considers sexual assault to be a crime, not merely a violation of college policy.

Whitman spends an admirable amount of time educating the student body about ways to prevent sexual assault through pro-

grams such as Green Dot. But emphasis on prevention only goes so far. Education about options available to students in the wake of sexual assault should be part of Whitman’s general awareness campaign. This way, if an instance occurs, the importance of reporting sexual assaults to the police will already be ingrained in the survivor’s mentality.

Whitman’s process is designed to allow victims of sexual assault to self-determine whether they want to seek police help.

The flexibility of Whitman’s policy regarding police notification is one of the reasons that so many Whitman students report cases of sexual assault to the college in the first place. It would be a mistake for Whitman to require students to report sexual assaults to the police. In the past 13 years, however, the Walla Walla police have never filed criminal charges in a rape case from Whitman. This alone suggests that Whitman’s policy is far too lax on the issue of police reporting.

A variety of cultural and societal factors underlie the reluctance of sexual assault survivors to report to the police. People often think—mistakenly—that going forward will automatically result in a criminal investigation be-

Political Cartoon by Kelly Douglas

yond their control. Whitman states in its sexual misconduct policy that filing a police report does not obligate a victim to press charges, and notes that victims could benefit from immediately presenting evidence to the police. The problem with these statements is that they’re likely to only be read by students in the aftermath of sexual assault—when they’re scared, traumatized and unlikely to be thinking rationally about the longterm consequences of their actions.

For this reason, we feel that it is necessary for a victims’ advocate unaffiliated with Whitman to be present at the initial meeting between the victim and the administration. Currently, Whitman gives victims the option of requesting a meeting with Chalese Rabidue, a victims’ advocate who works with the police department.

This system places a burden of responsibility for action on the victim. The presence of a victims’ advocate like Rabidue at the initial meeting would serve victims by keeping their options open. It would also send the message that Whitman takes sexual assault seriously enough to treat it as a crime.

No amount of preventative education can stop all sexual assaults.

In addition to its efforts through the Green Dot program, we feel that Whitman would be acting in the best interest of all students by providing information about the reporting process, including the role of law enforcement, in the sexual assault training during orientation. Whitman’s stance should not only be one of prevention; it should also actively encourage students to work with law enforcement when sexual assaults do occur. Survivors of sexual assault cannot be expected to seek external support without the assistance of an advocate. Treating sexual assault as a criminal, legal issue is a critical step in reducing the appalling rates of rape on college campuses and in the United States.

*

Letter to the Editor

Galindo case returns to personnel review board; Student Supporters of Professor Galindo express appreciation for support whitmanpioneer.com/opinion

ADVERTISEMENT

“Capable and smart women:

Why are you letting your male peers speak on your behalf ?”

Geni Venable Ombudswoman/Finance Senator

13 3 669 927 0

male ASWC senators

men at Whitman

“ASWC remains overwhelmingly comprised of males. The question is, what will you do?

COME RUN FOR OFFICE. COME RUN FOR EQUALITY.”

female ASWC senators

women at Whitman

female ASWC presidents in 6 years

Matt Dittrich, ASWC President

RUN FOR ASWC. BROUGHT TO YOU BY ASWC AND THE PIONEER

BACKPAGE

Mar

01 2012

PAGE

8

THE DIARY OF AN R.A. 9 A.M. Wake up to put puke bucket outside the door, it’s still dirty from the person who used it last night

3 P.M. Break out Settlers of Catan in the section lounge, three to four people come to join ILLUSTRATION BY HWANG

5 P.M.

6 P.M.

9 P.M.

11 P.M.

11:30 P.M.

See a door open, walk in to say hello and end up having to take away a beer from a kid who’s in the same frat

Some fool tries to make mac and cheese and sets a fire off on the stove, puts it out with steel wool

Have section meeting, remind people again not to shotgun beers in the bathroom

On duty, shut 12 people’s doors because it’s quiet hours

See a couple freshman hooking up in a study room . . . keep walking

THE LAST OF THE

RULE 1 Vitamins, vitamins, vitamins. Eat them like popcorn throughout the day. I prefer “Gummy Vitamins—For Adults.”

Lately, I have noticed that I seem to be the only person in all of Jewett who has not been swept under this latest wave of disease. It appears to be quite a whopper, too, according to my observations: Your temperature shoots upward, your voice modulates to something distinctly Kermit-y and mucus starts oozing out of most of your facial orifices. It looks awful. It has transformed my hallmates into what looks like The Walking Dead. So, of course, I needed a list of survival rules.

RULE 2 Don’t talk to an Infected.

If they try to converse, don’t worry about being polite. Just throw a vitamin at them and run.

NON-SICKIES

RULE 3 If your roommate becomes infected, move out immediately. It doesn’t matter if you were “friends.” That time is over now. They are lost to you.

RULE 4 Always check for Infecteds before entering a room. The best way to do this is to toss a box of lotion-infused Kleenex into the room in question. They will swarm.

RULE 5 Start drinking tea if you don’t already. Extremely hot tea serves a dual purpose: it soothes a throat that is CLEARLY NOT SORE WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT and it is good for throwing in an Infected’s face if they approach you.

RULE 6 If you find yourself surrounded by Infecteds, spray Lysol in all directions until you find an opening. Keep spraying Lysol until you are clear.

RULE 7 Remember, Infecteds can’t smell, taste or hear very well. Use this to your advantage by staying out of their line of sight as well. They will have no idea you’re there.

Good luck. Remember: If they’ve been infected . . . they’re not your friends anymore.

Jeremy Lin brings redemption to Harvard arvard has frequently been in the press as of late. Last week Tyra Banks, former supermodel, received a certificate for completing the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School.

While this is not a master’s or doctorate degree, she will still receive alumna status. One school official commented, saying, “Why wouldn’t she receive alumna status? It is a rigorous three-week program, in which she had to take time away from her interesting and insightful talk show and whatever else it is that she does.” Other than high school and this program, Banks has no other formal ADVERTISEMENT

education. She will now join the ranks of other Harvard alums such as Barack Obama, George W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, numerous other government officials, and NBA BO$$ Jeremy Lin. Lin, who actually graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Economics, has taken the NBA by storm. He helped lead the Knicks to a seven-game winning streak. Lin has been doing so well that Ben & Jerry’s had a limited edition ice cream flavor, Taste the Lin-sanity.

Interestingly enough, the day Banks got her certificate, the Knicks lost. While it is still unclear why she deserves to call Harvard her alma mater, it does not seem as though Harvard’s prestige as one of the best schools in the nation was sliding (until now), thank God for Jeremy Lin. ILLUSTRATION BY JOHNSON