The
PIONEER
Issue 2 | February 6, 2014 | Whitman news since 1896 | Vol. CXXXI
Whitman student to compete in Olympics by Mitchell SMith Staff Reporter
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ow does someone go from being born on a couch in Chocolate Hole, a sleepy bay on the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, to competing in the slalom and giant slalom events in the 2014 Sochi Olympics? Just ask Jasmine Campbell, a Whitman student who is taking a break between her junior and senior years in order to pursue her dream of skiing on the world’s greatest stage. Campbell lived in the Caribbean until she was 10, when her family changed climates from the warm Virgin Islands, which have an average temperature higher than 80 degrees in the winter, to Sun Valley, Idaho, where the winter months are devoted to skiing. She quickly adopted the local passion, latching on to a sport that advertises speed and thrills as just part of a day’s work. Campbell raced in high school until a back injury forced her to stop. Campbell wouldn’t strap her boots on again until she arrived at Whitman, and it took a little coercion. Alumna Torey Anderson ‘12 was the captain of one of the first club ski teams at Whitman, which was created from the remnants of the former varsity team that was disbanded in 2009. When Campbell came to Whitman in 2010, Anderson talked her into skiing for the club team. “I just told her that college racing is more fun and she should give it one more go, so that was that,” said Anderson. From that point forward, Campbell had the Olympics on her mind. “I remembered how much I loved it and why I got into skiing in the first place ... I remembered how dedicated I was, so then I just started trying to qualify for the Olympics,” said Campbell. Soon, she began working not just on the mountains, but around the Whitman campus as well, regularly training to improve both her strength and endurance. “I’ve even seen her go on training runs at 5:30 [or] 6 in the morning,” said senior Patrick Finnegan, who has skied with Campbell since their first year at Whitman. By her junior year, Campbell’s hard work began to pay off as she began beating many of the male racers in their conference, consistently finishing in the top five of her races. During Regionals last winter, she missed qualifying for Nationals as an individual by just one spot. This success, however, did not guarantee her a spot in the Olympics. Campbell has spent much of the past six months racing in qualifying events from China to Chile. In the end, Campbell beat out another skier from the Virgin Islands to take the spot in Sochi. After getting the call saying she is going to the Olympics, Campbell relaxed a bit. “I kind of settled down and stopped growing gray hairs,” she said. With her races less than a week away now, Campbell has started to focus less on preparing for her events and more on what will happen once she is in Sochi. Among the concerns for all athletes are security, nerves and snow. These concerns add up to an Olympics with more storylines than a reality television show. Campbell is admittedly carrying some worry about the high number of threats from terrorist groups. “It adds a different anxiety to racing that I will get to experience,” she said. “It will definitely keep me on my toes.” As for nerves, those who know her best say that the pressure surrounding the Olympics likely won’t have much effect. “She’ll do great,” said senior Celine Valentin, Campbell’s first-year roommate. “I’ve never seen her get flustered. I think she thrives on being in that sort of environment.” With regard to snow, international concerns about the temperature in the Russian resort town have proved unnecessary, and more than enough snow has blanketed the mountains outside of Sochi. For the games, and for Jasmine Campbell, the next two weeks are all about going full steam ahead. The women’s giant slalom event will take place Tuesday, Feb.18, while the slalom will happen three days later on Feb. 21. Campbell’s first appearance on television, however, will not be on the slopes. Instead she will carry the flag of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Opening Ceremony, as she is the only athlete from the islands competing in this year’s games. “It’s an incredible honor,” she said of being the flag bearer. “I really can’t believe it’s been bestowed upon me. I feel extremely grateful.” From a small, snowless country in the Caribbean to the mountains outside of the busiest town in the world for the next two weeks, Campbell has come a long way. While the end of her journey to the Olympics is quickly approaching, she never forgets her past. “I just hope I do my countrymen proud,” said Campbell.
CAMP WHITMAN by Lachlan Johnson Staff Reporter
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tudents must move out of residence halls by Thursday, May 22 this year, bringing an end to the period between the end of finals and commencement commonly known as Camp Whitman. Traditionally, residence halls have remained open until commencement to allow underclassmen the chance to see their friends graduate and give students a chance to relax and say goodbye to friends before leaving for the summer.
“[It’s] beer mile [and] events that the frats do every year . . . that really make college, the experiences that are student run and community run. So it’s a bummer that that’s not going to be happening.” Delaney Hanon ‘17
The staff of Residence Life made the decision to shut down the residence halls due to the belief that students spent that final week partying and engaging in disruptive behavior such as climbing buildings, drinking and streaking. They hope closing the halls before commencement will prompt students to swiftly depart from campus, and that this change will lead to less partying and disruptive behavior around campus as a whole. “As we realized that these trends had shifted and the mentality surrounding that week after finals had shifted, we had the flexibility to adapt in a way that will best take care of our students,” said Resident Director of Prentiss Hall Emma O’Rourke-Powell. The decision to close the residence halls was made in May of 2013, and students were notified of the dates of residence hall opening and closures at the beginning of the academic year. How-
ever, many failed to notice the change, and awareness of the new policy has been slowly growing. Students are divided over the decision to close the halls. Some have expressed understanding and support for the decision, but many others feel frustrated by the closure. Though some students choose to party during Camp Whitman, others use it to unwind with friends, explore Walla Walla and say goodbye to senior friends who will not be returning. “[In past years] it was nice to be on campus with all my friends and not have to worry about assigned reading or due dates or all those things and just be able to spend time with them,” said senior Ben Harris. Some students have also questioned whether closing the halls early will lead to the changes in student behavior that the staff of Residence Life hopes for. Upperclassmen who live off campus will still be able to remain and host parties, and the fraternities will remain open as well, possibly providing shelter for members moving out of the halls. “It doesn’t seem like [this] is the best solution. Maybe they could put graduation earlier, because it’s really sad when your closest friends, who are almost like family, don’t get to see you graduate when you’ve worked so hard for it. I’m sure a lot of people will find a way to come, but there probably won’t be as many. It doesn’t feel fair,” said senior Talia Rudee. Under the new policy, only students with explicit permission to stay in residence halls will be able to remain until commencement. Students can gain permission by speaking with their resident directors, but permission will only be given to students who are involved in classes or sports that continue after finals or to students who have a sibling graduating. “We’re willing to make a rea-
sonable number of exceptions for students that have a particular reason why they need to stay, like in the case of family members [graduating or] international students, but we’ll be dealing with that on a case-by-case basis,” said Assistant Director of Residence Life & Housing Andrew Johnson. While underclassmen with friends who are graduating may hope to stay in off-campus housing after moving out of the residence halls, this may prove difficult. Seniors often have family in town and are busy preparing to move and begin their life after Whitman, while underclassmen will have to deal with moving all of their belongings either out of the residence halls or into storage. The process of moving houses at the end of the semester can already prove stressful, and now first-years and sophomores will have less time in their dorms to move out. “Moving out is a huge process. A lot of people can’t just do that very quickly, so logistically it’s a lot harder [under the new policy],” said sophomore Kevin Obey. Though they have not yet had the chance to experience the week between finals and commencement, many first-years remain disappointed by the closure of the residence halls. Some students plan to stay off campus, but others will be unable to spend time with friends or see seniors graduate before students leave campus for summer. “When I was a prospie even, I was told many people stay [until commencement] and it’s lots of fun ... it’s sad because it’s such a cool community thing,” said first-year Delaney Hanon. “[It’s] beer mile and [events] that the frats do every year ... that really make college, the experiences that are student run and community run. So it’s a bummer that that’s not going to be happening.”
Divest Whitman delivers personal letters to President Bridges by Lane Barton Staff Reporter
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hen dialogue does not produce a desired result, the written word can be a successful alternative. Such is the hope of the members of Divest Whitman, who have been delivering letters written by alumni and current students to President George Bridges that argue for public declaration in support of divestment from the Whitman administration. Since ASWC passed a resolution last spring calling for a committee to look into the possibility of divestment, no offi-
cial response from the college has been given. In response, Divest Whitman turned to the letters as an untried method of communication between students, alumni and the administration. “The reason we’re doing the letters is because we got no response from that ASWC resolution,” said junior Sierra Dickey. “We really value responses. We value discourse, and that’s what we’re trying to push with the letters.” In light of this goal, students involved with divestment have been delivering five to six letters a day to Bridges over the past week, just in time for the arrival of the
Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Although they hope either the Trustees or Bridges will craft a public response supporting divestment outright, members of Divest Whitman are looking for any positive movement toward the possibility of divestment. One such positive step would be to find support for a committee, as the spring ASWC resolution called for, to act as conduit for finding the course of action the college should take. “Right now we’re just looking to create a committee to look into divestment,” said junior Audrey Vaughan. “It’s one of those things we think will stand see DIVESTMENT, page 3