Spring 2014 Issue 6 by Whitman College Wire

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PIONEER

ISSUE 6 | March 6, 201 4|

Whitman new s since

1896 | Vol . CXX XI

Interested in supporting KAT and CASA? Four Whitman and two Walla Walla dance groups will preform in Cordiner at 7 p.m. on March 8. Tickets are available at Book and Game on E. Main St. and the Whitman bookstore for $5 and at the door for $7.

Annual Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew Fills Funding Gap for CASA by HANNAH BARTMAN A&E Editor

he third annual Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew will be held this upcoming Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. in Cordiner Hall. The event is organized by Whitman’s Kappa Alpha Theta chapter to raise money for Theta’s national philanthropic organCaitlyn Yoshina ‘15 ization, Court Appointed Special Co-Chair of the Kappa Alpha Theta Advocates. In 2008 CASA’s federFundraising Committee al funding was reduced, so Thetas across the nation are working to raise money for this organization they have supported since 1989. “[CASA is] an extremely worthwhile cause. Starting in 2008, its federal funding got cut significantly, so Theta as a national organization has become one of its chief supporters,” said junior Caitlyn Yoshina, co-chair of the fundraising committee for the event. CASA pairs a representative specially trained in child abuse cases with a youth work-

“It’s going to be a fun and energetic evening. People are going to see their friends doing what they love.”

ing through the court system. This representative both represents the child’s needs in the trial and becomes a supportive mentor to the child. “I think that [CASA] can really affect the outcome of these cases to make sure that these children really are being placed in the best place that they can be,” said senior Hanna Mosenthal, an event coordinator. Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew is Theta’s largest fundraiser for CASA each year. At the event, six groups have volunteered their time and dance skills for the enjoyment of the Whitman and Walla Walla public. The dancers performing this year include River Rince/Tap That, Sophie Ralph and Lisa Dobson, the Whitman Dance Team, Gumboot, Afrolatin/Hiphop and The Performing Company. After each performance, the group is given a score by the judges. At the end of the event, there is a judge’s choice award

and a people’s choice award, but the overall winner of Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew is a combination of the group that raised the most money for the event and the judge’s choice award. “Most of us like to dance, so we thought it would be a good thing to do it and it goes toward a really good cause,” said organizer of the Afrolatin/Hiphop dance, senior Ornella Leukou Nzoutchoum. “I thought it would be a good way to finish my Whitman College career.” Leukou Nzoutchoum has danced in other performances throughout her years here at Whitman, but she has never created a dance that mixes African dance, Latin dance and hip-hop. “One thing I enjoy about dancing and music is that it’s so unique, but at the same time so similar that you can do so many different things with them,” she said. “The main thing for us is to have fun.” Last year, The Perform-

ing Company, a Walla-Wallabased high school ballet group, won the trophy for Walla Walla’s Best Dance Crew. Another local dance group, Sophie Ralph and Lisa Dobson, are a duo of high school students who have not performed in previous years. Fundraising for the event involves contacting alumnae and Theta families in addition to each team’s fundraising efforts. According to Mosenthal, the bulk of the money raised comes from ticket sales. The committee has already raised approximately $1,300 and anticipates an even greater amount after the event. “It’s going to be a fun and energetic evening. People are going to see their friends doing what they love,” said Yoshina. Tickets, along with free raffle tickets, are available for $5 at the Whitman bookstore and at Book and Game on E. Main Street. Tickets will also be sold at the door for $7.

Whitman renovates Hall of Science to comply with federal standards by HELEN ANGELL Staff Reporter

he Hall of Science and Memorial Hall’s heating and cooling system, as well as Whitman’s irrigation infrastructure, are undergoing renovations this semester in order to comply with national environmental standards. The system received an environmental award when it was originally built, and it was considered innovative for its time. But the system, which was installed in the 1960s, discharges excess water into College Creek. Because the temperature of the discharged water is slightly higher than the temperature of the creek, this system has been out of compliance with the Clean Water Act since it was passed in 1972. “Of course, we didn’t know that,” said Director of the Physical Plant Dan Park, referring to the time when it was initially installed and since. Whitman was informed last spring by the Washington State Department of Ecology that the systems needed renovation in order to meet environmental standards. Whitman ceased dumping water into College Creek as soon as it was informed of the issue, but renovations to upgrade the heating, cooling and irrigation systems did not begin until this semester. Construction began on Feb. 24, but most of the renovations will be completed over the summer. “We have to get the irrigation done first, because we have to run a pipe from the science building to Boyer Avenue, so we want that done and healed up for commencement,” said Project Manager Jeff Donahue. The new irrigation system is expected to be finished by April, while construction on the science building will not be over until June. The renovations for Memorial are expected to be complete in time for the beginning of school next fall. The irrigation system will no longer discharge excess water into College Creek, and evap-

The Hall of Science’s heating and cooling system originally received environmental awards, but was recently found not to comply with the 1972 Clean Water Act. Photo by Bowersox

orative towers are being built in order to renovate the heating and cooling system for Memorial and the science building. Grace Farnsworth Phillips Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies Bob Carson explained the original system and its possible environmental repercussions in more detail. The water currently used for the heating and cooling system and for Whitman’s irrigation comes from the deep aquifer under campus. The excess warm water discharged from the system might cause harm to the anadromous fish living in College Creek, a tributary of Mill Creek. Fish are sensitive to water temperature, as warmer water cannot hold as much air. But Carson doesn’t think that discharging water into the creek will cause much harm, if any. “There’s no water in Mill Creek in much of the summer, and for us to add water of any temperature is probably good,” said Carson. Donahue estimated that the project cost is around $800,000. The construction will require trenching in 200-foot sections across campus, and a large storage tank has already been removed from the science building. Donahue hopes there won’t be any inconvenience to students, staff and faculty as con-

Counseling Center to hire specialist counselor in response to ASWC resolution by DREW EDMONDS Staff Reporter

struction n November, gets the underway. Associated Students of Whitman College Senate passed a resolution to support the creation of an additional counseling position specializing in responding to issues of diversity. This month, the Counseling Center decided to go through with hiring a new counselor in accordance with the resolution. The addition of another counselor is a response to the increasing demand and sometimes limited availability of counseling services on campus. Students and counseling center staff have both voiced their concerns about the importance of readily accessible counseling, and the administration has answered. “Students initiate contact with the counseling center because of a concern they have right now, at that moment. It is in the best interest of students to be able to respond to them quickly when they ask for help,” said 23-

year veteran Whitman counselor and current Assistant Director of Counseling Tracee Anderson. Though Whitman students have always been willing to seek support from counseling resources, a number of factors have contributed to increased demand for services, both nationally and at Whitman specifically. In 1982, when Counselor Sharon Kaufman-Osborn arrived at Whitman, she started working part-time at the center. “The first year I was here, there were hardly any other younger faculty here and not a lot of women. What was also really striking to me was that there was no gay support group,” says Kaufman-Osborn. Since Kaufman-Osborn began working at Whitman, she has noticed a more diverse group of staff members and students on campus. This trend is mirrored nationwide, contributing to the increased demand for counseling in the past 20 years. According to Kaufman-Osborn, more students now are

leaving for college with fewer internal and external resources to deal with the challenging transition that college involves. More students enter college with prior experience in therapy and difficult family circumstances. And these days, she says, there is simply a greater acceptance toward seeking mental health assistance. “Asking for help is more normalized. There are many more students now who come from divorced parents, students who are dealing with and feel more comfortable discussing anxiety, depression or other distresses. There is still a stigma, but we are more outspoken about it now,” said Kaufman-Osborn. Anderson adds that the current generation of college students is under more scrutiny than previous ones. “The challenges in life for this generation are greater. There is a lot more pressure to do more with less and the competition to succeed and thrive is very stressful,” said Anderson. see COUNSELORS, page 6

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WEB Concerts Students organize to bring musical artists to Whitman

Seattle hip-hop artist Sol (above) performed at Whitman on Feb. 27, along with other local rappers Skizzy Mars and Sam Lachow. The event was hosted by the Whitman Events Board. Photo by Marcovici

by DANIEL KIM Staff Reporter

n Thursday, Feb. 27, the Whitman Events Board hosted the headlining artist Sol featuring Skizzy Mars and Sam Lachow. Like many other concerts hosted at Whitman, the Sol concert had music, performing artists, light shows and a cheering crowd. Hosting big concerts at Whitman proves difficult, due to its being a small institution a few hours away from any metropolitan cities like Seattle and Portland. Who is behind the setup, and how do they do it? WEB Music Directors and sophomores Olivia Hagel and Katrina Allick, under the supervision of senior WEB Chair Genevieve Jones, are the driving force behind not only this recent concert, but also many of the previous concerts on campus this year. Because of the complexities of dealing with the agents of more well-known artists, WEB hires a middle man to deal with the complicated bidding process. “I would say that [Hagel and Allick] have the final say, [they] brainstorm and ... based on all the limiting factors, based on what the student body wants, based on what is available to us under budg-

et constraints, [they] end up making the final decisions,” said Jones. Choosing artists from different genres to meet most of the students’ requests is only a small fraction of the work that is done to bring them to Whitman. The music directors have to deal with the availability of the artists and budget constraints as well. “The [criteria] has to be if the students would like the artist who is coming, they match our budget and they are available the day we’re putting on the concert,” said Hagel. The music directors select the most desired artists from the web survey that the WEB chair composes every semester for the students. From the 250 to 300 responses from the survey, which asks which artists students would like to see at Whitman, the more frequently mentioned artists are usually chosen for the upcoming musical performance. “We look for the general vibe of what the students want, we look at all the artists who are on the list, and we kind of get the general theme and look at the shows that already happened in the past to see who we haven’t seen in awhile,” said Hagel. Along with the web survey, the music directors set up a new committee this year of four individu-

als who are passionate about volunteering with music to help arrange concerts for the school. “Katrina and I have a committee this year. It hasn’t been something that WEB has done in the past, but it’s something we’re trying out— this new thing where we have a committee that helps us with events,” said Hagel. “Those people helped us brainstorm a lot and asked around who we should bring to campus.” Even when the WEB music directors find a potential artist to perform at Whitman, there is more work to be done. A limiting factor that may take a potential artist off the list is the bidding and contractual process, where the payment, counteroffers and artist availability come into play. “A big limiting factor is the bidding and contracting process, and we might put in names that may be our first choice, but they’re not available that day. Or we put in a lower bid and they go too high for what we’re willing to offer. So the contracting process is a big unseen process that we deal with, [and we work with the] Student Activities Office in terms of contracting,” said Jones. WEB has a middle agent who organizes a lot of the bidding process and helps out with the concerts of

more well-known artists. The music directors tell the middle agent that WEB wants certain people for the concert, and these middle agents talk to the artists’ agents. For smaller artists, the music directors will email the agents themselves. Usually, they work with the Student Activities Office to make a contractual offer. “That’s done because when we’re creating these contracts, they’re for thousands of dollars and so students aren’t allowed to sign them because it makes that student personally liable if something goes wrong. So the Student Activities Office comes in because one, not only do they know the language, but two they sign the contracts so that the college is responsible and not the individual student,” said Jones. Understandably, there are many factors and endeavors involved in the preparation for a concert, especially for well-known artists such as Sol. “A lot of people are opinionated about music, which is great, but I think it’s good to know that there is so much work that goes behind each and every decision: picking the day, picking the venue—whether its going to be in the ballroom, the coffeehouse or outside—picking the artists [and] going through the process of contracting,” said Jones.

NUMBERS

IN THE NEWS

1994

Year in which Russia, the United States and Great Britain signed an agreement to “refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence” of Ukraine. SOURCE: CNN

15,000

Estimated number of Russian troops who invaded Crimea earlier this week following extreme unrest there. SOURCE: NYT

Number of dollars, in billions, of a proposed European Union aid package to Ukraine. SOURCE: NYT

Death toll of severe protests and political activity in Ukraine as of March 3.

Faculty, staff members receive recognition by JOSEPHINE ADAMSKI Staff Reporter

hitman professors, faculty and staff are often honored for their hard work throughout the year. Usually their accomplishments are known to their colleagues and students, but they may not be acknowledged by the community as a whole. Three of Whitman’s faculty and staff members, featured here, have recently received huge acknowledgements of their projects and accomplishments. Assistant Professor of English Christopher Leise won the Graves

Corrections to last issue On page 4, the listing in “Pio Picks” for the Palm Reading should have been for Saturday, March 1. On page 4, two of the photos accompanying the profile on Alecia Lindsay should have been credited as being contributed by Lindsay.

Award in the Humanities for his project, “Iroquois Modernism.” The project focuses on literature by the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) peoples of modern-day New York and Ontario as a distinct national tradition. Currently Leise is on sabbatical continuing this research and contributing to the project. “The project was designed to support humanities research that ties directly to classroom teaching. I’m getting money to go to New York that has special collections regarding Iroquois literature. This way we can better understand ways in which Iroquois literature responded to the shift from thinking and communicating primarily from Iroquois speech to primarily English. So I looked into how the Iroquois people maintain and preserve their traditional life ways despite the pressure to speak English” said Leise. According to Leise, he is still in the process of observing this question. Leise found and analyzed not only Iroquois novels, but also plays, short stories, visual maps and poetry.

“I had [a] very dear mentor, whom I’m still in touch with, who is Mohawk, and he got me early on. You[’ve] got to think about these people ... They have different politics [and] identities—different within and across different people. It’s important that these [different types of literary] materials aren’t prioritized as one or the other, and that’s really important” said Leise. Assistant Professor of Psychology Erin Pahlke has been doing and still is doing research regarding the much debated topic of same-sex schooling as a method to improve the U.S. educational system. Pahlke recently published a paper of her research in the American Psychology Association journal Psychological Bulletin. Within the study, Pahlke did cross-case studies regarding the advantages and disadvantages of same-sex schooling. “The question is: [Do the studies] actually prove same-sex education? So, the NSF gave us a grant to analyze these studies (about 150 studies), and we coded each study [and] what the effects

of single sex learning are ... So there ended up being no difference between single-sex learning and non-single-sex learning, and it’s important in terms of this debate. So it answers the question ‘Do we need to separate the schools?’ and then the question ‘Is it a good idea in general?3’ and the answer is probably not,” said Pahlke. The research has already received coverage in The Washington Post, Ms. and The Seattle Times, among others. The research is not only interesting but relevant in the educational research realm where samesex schooling is a serious debate. “It’s really fun and that is part of the fun of research, and it’s cool to have a research question on a question that people care about. Then to be able to come up with part of the answer—it is so fun. To be able to talk with people and do research that people are talking about [in] academia, that’s fun” said Pahlke. The article was coauthored with Janet Shibley Hyde and Carlie M. Allison of the Uni-

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versity of Wisconsin-Madison. Whitman’s Environmental Health and Safety Manager Fred Miller is a recipient of the University Risk Management Insurance Association 2014 Regional Conference Scholarship Program. Essentially, Miller’s job is risk management at Whitman. He allows the school to safely host events for students. The scholarship program provides financial support to URMIA members to enable them to attend the regional conference for their area. Miller will attend the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference in Baltimore, Md. in May. “It benefits Whitman. It makes me more aware of how things work at small institutions. It can help me network with my peers and allow that system to be more efficient. I can call upon an experienced person that I know and get advice from people who have done it before. There are also formal educational parts of [the regional conference], and that allows me to be a more competent and capable risk management professional” said Miller.

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

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Student Engagement Center partners with Koru by SAM GRAINGER-SHUBA Staff Reporter

hitman’s Student Engagement Center announced their partnership with Seattle-based company Koru on Feb. 20, adding to the array of post-Whitman resources the SEC offers to Whitman students and young alumni. Koru is a new company that partners with colleges to act as a connector between college students and the working world. It runs training sessions in the summer to give students hands-on experience with companies. “Koru was brought to our attention at the very beginning of our startup process from one of the governing board members who has a relationship with its co-founders. We thought it was an interesting program,” Director for Business Engagement Kim Rolfe said. “It’s a great complement and a good option to be able to offer to students in addition to the many other programs we’re putting together.” Koru functions as a go-between for recent and soon-to-be college graduates and the busi-

ness world. It offers work experience with companies to help students build relevant skills with executives who have real-world experience, which will make candidates stand out in the application process. “We see [the partnership with Koru] as a complement to Whitman education. It allows them to get the focused education here, and then find a way to refine it in the workplace,” Rolfe said. “Their focus on missiondriven, rapidly growing organizations who are hiring right away seems like a really good fit for Whitman students. And the fact that they’re hiring right away is also very nice.” Students who apply and are accepted into the Koru program pick one of three sessions during the summer months to attend. Most programs are based out of Seattle, but according to Rolfe, Whitman is working with Koru to expand the program to cater to other locales of interest to Whitman students, such as Austin or the bay area in California. It is a fee-based program, but scholarships and payment plans are available to students. During each ses-

sion, participants learn, by working within a company, how to use the skills attained at a liberal arts college in more focused, practical way. For the past few years, Whitman has been running a pilot program to see how participants reacted to Koru’s services. According to Rolfe, students have reported that their education at Whitman has given them a broad understanding of how to learn, how to question and how to think critically, and Koru has been able to take those skills and apply them to the business community. “We all go to an incredible liberal arts school that teaches us how to learn and how to think critically, but we don’t have much to market to employers,” said Koru participant and senior Signe Burke. Burke worked specifically at Zulily, a clothing company for mothers and children. She commented that she learned skills students do not necessarily get in college, such as design thinking, business communications, business analytics and personal branding. “They want relevant skills

City Year offers career opportunities for recent graduates by ANDY MONSERUD Staff Reporter

s seniors approach their last few months of college, one big question looms before them: “What’s next?” Many join the workforce right out of the gate, and some go on to post-graduate education. A few graduating seniors go another route, electing to work shortterm with nonprofit organizations. One such nonprofit, AmeriCorps, offers a number of programs for just that purpose. Those programs include an education initiative called City Year. City Year, a program focused on helping underprivileged students, works in 25 cities across the country. It employs recent college graduates as well as a few recent high school graduates who give a year to serve the goals of the program. Those corps members work as teaching assistants and tutors in all fields of study at schools with high dropout rates. Senior Riley Hernandez plans to apply to City Year for the next deadline on April 30. He’s interested in pursuing education as a career, so the work makes sense for him. “I’ve always been interested in education,” he said. “And working with underprivileged students has kind of been something I’m motivated to do.” Whitman alumna Kelsey Kennedy ‘12 worked with City Year during the 2012-2013 school year in Seattle as a tutor and mentor for middle school students. “I knew I wanted to explore the nonprofit sector and public education in my first postgrad job,” she wrote in an email. “I thought City Year would give me the opportunity to really get a feel for what it would be like to teach without putting me in charge of my own classroom, something I don’t think I was prepared to do at that point.” City Year takes its applications online at various deadlines throughout the year. Applicants can choose the cities they wish to apply to or elect to serve where they are most needed. AmeriCorps sends the applications for this option to a national committee, which decides where qualified applicants would be best suited. Hernandez hopes to serve either in Seattle, Chicago or San Jose.

“I’ve always been interested in education, and working with underprivileged students has kind of been something I’m motivated to do.” Riley Hernandez ‘14

City year offers both a living stipend and a $5,550 educational award to be put toward student loans or continuing education. If he makes it in the program, Hernandez hopes to use it for graduate school. The program also has partnerships with a number of colleges and other organizations to lessen the costs of education for City Year alumni, which particularly drew Kennedy. On a social level, however, Hernandez is a little concerned about City Year. “I’ve heard pretty varied responses on City Year. Some students really enjoy it, and some students have just absolutely hated it,” he said. Those who disliked it seemed to have problems with

co-workers rather than the program itself, though. “If you get stuck with someone with a poor work ethic, you’re going to be stuck ... picking up their slack.” Kennedy had no such complaints. “I was amazed by how quickly I built really strong bonds with my teammates and relied on them for support throughout the year,” she wrote in an email. “I think it’s rare to find a group of people who are similarly passionate about public service and social justice issues.” Kennedy puts particular emphasis on City Year’s dramatic escape from the Whitman “bubble” while still retaining many of the school’s values. “At Whitman I feel like I had the opportunity to study social justice issues in an academic context,” she wrote. “City Year allowed me to question privilege and equity in public education from a very practical standpoint and consider how I can advocate for education reform in the long-term. I would definitely [encourage] Whitman students to look into City Year as a post-graduation option.”

and real world experience. Koru helped bridge this gap between schools’ ‘soft skills’ and the working world’s ‘hard skills’ by putting participants through challenging project[s] within a real company trying to solve a real problem,” she said. Senior Robert Dalton had a similar experience during his time at Koru. He commented that the session he attended gave him the opportunity to apply critical thinking and other core skills of a liberal arts education in a professional context. He found those skills to be valuable in helping him succeed within the company he worked for. “There are a lot of concepts and tools that we don’t learn here that are needed to bridge the gap between Whitman and the professional world,” he said. “Koru is a crash course in those things, and I truly feel that it will help me to find a satisfying first job after Whitman and that it will have a lasting and meaningful impact on my career.”

Alumna Michaela Gianotti ’12 participated in the pilot program after she graduated Whitman. She took an unpaid internship right out of college tutoring high school students, which then turned into a permanent position. However, she reports that she was not ready for that job. Koru was a big help in that regard. She now works for Koru as their social media manager. “Having seen the transformation that happens over the program, I think Koru offers recent grads hope—hope that they can find a job that isn’t just a job, but something that has meaning for them. I think one of the most important things that people come out of it with is a sense not only what they are capable of doing, but what they want to do,” she said in an email. The next Koru program will take place March 17-26 in Seattle. Participants will work with the Nordstrom Innovation Lab and Smartsheet, a fast-growing cloud-based software company that worked on the Super Bowl’s back-end operations.

Shadow Day encourages students to pursue college by LACHLAN JOHNSON Staff Reporter

ifty students from Walla Walla High School will visit the Whitman campus on Wednesday, April 16 as part of the annual Shadow Day organized by Club Latino and First Generation/Working Class. For more than a decade, the annual Shadow Day has given high school students the chance to learn about the difficulties and opportunities of going to college. Unlike programs such as Visitors’ Day and Admitted Students Day, Shadow Day is run entirely by Whitman students and is not associated with the Whitman Office of Admission. The event will give high school sophomores and juniors who are considering college the opportunity to speak with students and faculty who come from a working-class background, attend a workshop on financial aid and sit in on courses of interest to them. “We hope to show that even if Whitman isn’t a school they are considering, that college is still an option for them and that we hope they pursue higher education. Despite money being a big deciding factor, it is still possible,” said Club Latino Co-president Jackie Bonilla in an e-mail. “We hope to educate them about all sorts of financial opportunities available to them.” This year’s Shadow Day will differ slightly from those of previous years because the application process has changed to provide the opportunity for more students to participate. In addition to applying directly to the program, students may now be recommended by

teachers or counselors. The leaders of Club Latino and FGWC have also decided to remove the requirement of needing a 2.5 GPA to apply in order to reach out to more students. “[We] don’t want to limit it to the straight-A students. [We] also want to target the students who are falling down the cracks,” said sophomore and FGWC Co-president Maricela Sanchez-Garcia. Last year, a combination of the GPA requirement, miscommunication and lack of resources led to a smaller number of high school students being brought to campus than were expected. This year, however, organizers expect to host a full 50 students, 25 of whom will be high school sophomores and 25 juniors. The Shadow Day aims to engage younger students who have not yet applied to colleges and to encourage them to consider higher education as an option for their future. In contrast, the Office of Admission holds events which target older students choosing which college to attend. The Office of Admission also has the Visit Scholarship Program, which provides funds for high school seniors from underrepresented socioeconomic, racial and cultural backgrounds from across the United States to visit Whitman. “[Coming with the Visit Scholarship] felt like you had a support system, people wanted you to come to college and you weren’t alone in the process,” said Club Latino Co-president Brenda Zarazua, who visited Whitman with the aid of the Office of Admission during her senior year of high school.

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2014

Cryptid expands shirt-making process by james kennedy Staff Reporter

ryptids are creatures with no scientific confirmation, shrouded in mystery. However, at Whitman Cryptid is a T-shirt design group of less than a dozen students lead by junior Jesus Chaparro and sophomore Cody Burchfield. The quality of their product has improved drastically over their last year of production, and it’s no mystery why. “Registration-wise ... we’ve improved substantially,” said Chaparro. “If you go back and look at our first shirts, they weren’t exactly perfectly aligned.” Printmaking makes use of a process known as registration, in which emulsion is put on a transparent screen and stiffened when exposed to light. The printmaker uses stencils that block out the light, so only certain parts become hardened, creating the design. This process requires perfect alignment in order to yield a satisfactory result. “If I have a triangle, and then I want a circle inside of the triangle, getting that circle to line up right can be really difficult if you don’t have a good setup,” said Burchfield. Cryptid’s setup has drastically improved in the last year. Before, the team could really only do one screen at a time, and now the process is much faster and leaves less room for error. “When everything goes smoothly and we have everything set up, a two-color shirt ... we could probably do in five to six minutes,” said Burchfield. The additional capital Cryptid has earned has allowed them not only to improve their mechanical setup, but also to purchase more high-quality inks for production. Cryptid earns all their profit from a mix of client jobs, often from Whitman organizations such as ASWC, and personal designs sold primarily to Whitman students at on-campus events. Due to positive feedback from outside the Whitman community, Cryptid is planning on expanding their market. Cryptid will launch their new website at cryptidapparel.bigcartel. com on Sunday, March 9 at 5 p.m. for easier distribution of shirts. Before, the group would only sell their own shirts if they had a table set up at a Whitman event. Now that process will be done through the internet, and T-shirts

Cryptid is a student-run printmaking group that creates T-shirts of their own design. Beginning March 9, their T-shirt designs will be available online. Photos by Felt

can be sold outside of Walla Walla. Printmaking is half art and half craft. While Cryptid members have to engage in both, they believe they are artists first and manufacturers second. By focusing first on the shirt design and second on making the shirt itself, Cryptid will often produce many possible design options for their clients and then consistently work with and change the design throughout the shirt-making process. “We strive to be designers before anything else ... it teaches us how to work back and forth with a client,” said Chaparro. The meetings with clients offer a constant feedback loop, where both parties discuss possible concepts and ideas and make sure the design is what the client wants and what is artistically stimulating for Cryptid. “We always strive to be involved in the design process,” said Burchfield. “If someone just has a logo they want to slap on a shirt, we try to stay away from that, because then the only thing we’re doing is printing, which is the most tedious part.” Cryptid makes sure to redirect these simple requests to the local business T Walla Walla. This allows Cryptid to focus on their personal endeavors. The client projects, which end up funding Cryptid’s self-de-

Asa Mease 16’ and Lily Monsey ‘17 print shirts in the in the art building’s printmaking studio. Every shirt is printed individually using a method called registration. Photo by Felt

signed work, include shirts for ASWC, rush and the ski team. Senior Patrick Finnegan, leader of the ski team, recently hired Cryptid for the team’s new shirts. “I wanted to support a local company, and given the opportunity to also support my friends, I couldn’t resist” said Finnegan. Finnegan noted Cryptid’s steady improvement over the past year, both in terms of organization as well as business sense. When given the price estimate for his order, Finnegan was shocked at how low the cost was, but believes that Cryptid has begun to change their financial structure in order to be more profitable. “Initially they seemed more interested in getting their artwork on clothing and out in the community,” said Finnegan. “Now they can make some money for their great work.” Profitable as they may be, Cryptid is looking to cut down on commissioned jobs in order to focus more on in-house designs. “We’re trying to be more selective about our client projects, because we still haven’t printed any of our own designs this semester,” said Burchfield. “We’ve probably done nine or 10 shirts of our own, and six client ones [since we formed].” Cryptid typically sells their personal designs at Whitman events. “We definitely try to take advantage of the opportunities Whitman offers us. This past crafts fair was our anniversary debut at the crafts fair, because that’s where we started,” said Chaparro. “On visiting weekends, when there are masses of parents, we also take advantage of that.” Cryptid, originally named Jackelope, was conceived as an opportunity to gain work experience in the clothing industry without seeking out a difficult internship. “I’m an economics and art double major, so I was trying to think of what I could do to get an internship, and I’ve always had a passion for clothing design,” said Chaparro. “I

figured, ‘Why not start my own thing so I can get the experience by myself, out of my own accord?’ so I found a group of like-minded friends.” Even as Cryptid continues to grow and improve, its members are looking to keep it a small enterprise. “Although we want to reach a greater audience, I don’t think we are necessarily trying to expand,” said Burchfield. “I see us staying fairly

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selective with small runs, maybe 30 shirts of a design, putting it online, and then once it’s gone, it’s done.” While its founders may grow older and graduate, Chaparro plans to leave Cryptid with new leaders so that it can remain a part of the Whitman community. “We want to leave it as a legacy project for the Whitman community,” said Burchfield.

ormally, before an artist releases a new album, there’s a considerable amount of strategic advertising. Hype is a powerful tool in the music industry, and it’s often utilized to its full extent. But recently, there has been a trend of music being released without any buildup whatsoever. The first and most prominent example that comes to mind is Beyoncé’s incredible self-titled album that she put out at the end of last year. It came as a total surprise to fans and critics alike and spent at least three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Chart. Another example of a band releasing music without warning was Coldplay’s recent single, “Midnight,” a chilling deviation from the bright and colorful excess of “Mylo Xyloto.” The only indication that the band had something in store was a tweet from band manager Phil Harvey saying “Something new at 0:00 in Ulaanbaatar #midnight PH.” (Ulaanbaatar is the capital city of Mongolia). Is there an advantage to releasing music in this way? Can it be more beneficial to release music without telling anyone? I think how successful this method is depends a lot on the level of fame that a given band or artist has achieved. Everyone—and I mean everyone— knows who Beyoncé is. If she released new music, there was a

null chance it would go unnoticed. Coldplay is also well known and has a dedicated fan base that traces their every move, and a new single is immediately recognized and spread throughout the internet like wildfire. However, if the band was a small indie group, and they didn’t bother to advertise their new album, they would be out of luck. Take any small and obscure band as an example. Listing their names would just prove the point, as many of the bands would be unrecognizable. Maybe you’ve heard of Sons of Adrian? Hundred Waters? Probably not, simply because they don’t advertise their albums before they’re released. The success of dropping an unannounced album completely depends on the amount of exposure the band has had before the release of their new album. Releasing an album without any hype at all can only be afforded by popular and famous musicians. It’s an efficient way to get attention without having to pay a lot of money for advertisements and marketing. The surprise of realizing a wellknown and popular artist dropped music may even work more efficiently than building a lot of anticipation. The excitement of new music probably sends countless listeners straight to iTunes to purchase it for themselves. The popularity of music shouldn’t be determined by how well known or famous the artist is before they release an album. It should be the caliber of the music, the strength of the lyricism and the prowess of the songwriting that propels an album up the charts as opposed to the reputation of the artist. Using a hype vacuum is obviously a legitimate technique for selling one’s music, but I think listeners should be careful not to get caught up in the excitement of an unannounced album and should instead judge the music by its quality, not the element of surprise.

SPORTS

MAR

2014

PAGE

Sweets overcome adversity for solid start to season by MITCHELL SMITH Staff Reporter

fter key seniors graduated and left last year’s team that made Division 1 Nationals, the 2014 edition of the women’s Sweets had a challenge: rebuild and reload. After placing eighth out of twenty teams in their first tournament over Presidents’ Day weekend, it appears that so far they are on the right track. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though, and the challenges began before the team even walked onto the field. An unusually cold and wet Walla Walla winter combined with low priority for gym space has prevented the Sweets from practicing as much as they had hoped. The tournament was also an invite-only affair, which meant they had to convince tournament or-

ganizers they were worthy of an invitation to play. To compound these issues, the team faced a multitude of injuries throughout the weekend, and their solid performance could have been even better. “With the difficulties surrounding how we could prepare for the tournament, the fact that we did as well as we did is a huge motivating factor for the rest of the year,” said senior Corinne Pingul. The injury bug hit the Sweets early and often. Sophomore cutter Marlena Sloss was lost to an ACL tear, and first-year Claire Revere suffered a concussion. Both injuries could be on the long-term side of the spectrum; Sloss is likely unable to play again this season. These setbacks forced other members of the team to step up. Pingul pointed to sophomore captain Ari Lozano as one of the most

Senior Moyes’s hard work, focus pay off by COLE ANDERSON Staff Reporter

or many college athletes, the senior year season is a bittersweet experience. It is the culmination of four years of hard work and, for those athletes who will not play after college, the product of years of experience. Seniors will have seen the ups and downs of a program, and ideally their final season is the best of the four. The Whitman baseball program has certainly had its share of ups and downs, and the recent success has really been something new to the older players on the team, who endured two consecutive fourwin seasons in 2011 and 2012. Last year, the team went 16-22 after a coaching change and a reenvisioning of the program as a whole. Outfielder Kyle Moyes has been looking forward to his senior season since he arrived at Whitman. Not only is this season one more chance to make his mark on the program, it’s also one where he has the age and experience to inspire his teammates and be a leader on the team. “At Whitman, my career has been characterized by preparation for this season in particular. Building a successful collegiate baseball program is a time-intensive process. This season will undoubtedly serve as the culmination of my collegiate and entire baseball career,” said Moyes. At 9-4, the team is off to an even better start than their 2013 season, and Moyes has been contributing to that start in numerous ways. Moyes is hitting well with a .359 batting average, and he is tied for the most RBIs on the team so far, having already hit home 17 runners in their first 13 games. He also has one home run so far.

Outfielder Kyle Moyes ‘14 prepares for batting practice. Photo by Turner

“It seems like everyone is hitting the ball well, especially Kyle. He has had a few clutch hits that have helped us win during close games,” said sophomore shortstop Ozzy Braff. Being a senior, Moyes sets an example for the rest of the team, and his hard work in practice and stellar play in games has helped set a tone of excellence for this season. “I would say that everyone on the team has improved. Everyone is pushing one another to be the best they can be,” said junior pitcher Spencer Hobson. Moyes sets an example by working as hard as he can whenever the team is practicing, and that dedication is what makes his example so powerful. “Kyle has always been really talented. This year he has consistently come to the field with great focus and energy whether it’s a game or a practice, and I think it has brought his talent to a whole new level,” said Braff. And that hard work isn’t just restricted to the months that the team is in season. To be as successful as possible, Moyes doesn’t stop working when the season is over, but rather works just as hard to prepare for the next season ahead. “During the offseason, my primary focus was to get in to the gym and improve my physical shape. Getting through a 40-game, fourmonth season requires some dedication to the weight room,” said Moyes. That offseason work is likely what has made the difference in turning around a program that totaled just eight wins over two seasons only two years ago. Being a part of those teams has made Moyes and fellow seniors proud to see the positive results of last season and, so far, this year too. “It was rewarding to see our team last year succeed more so than it had in the past. I think as a team we realized where we could have ended up. My class of players met after the season and agreed on where we wanted to take the program this season. I feel like we have the leadership and talent to get us to the top of the conference this year,” said Moyes. The recent success has played a large role in the improved morale of the team this year. “Team chemistry is better than it has been in the past. Our defense is playing better and making the plays that should be made as well as the spectacular ones every so often. The bats cooled off a little this weekend, but they have been hot overall,” said Hobson. As for the rest of this season, Moyes echoes what the rest of the team is collectively thinking regarding their intended results. “This season, I want to see us take the conference. When we are playing our best baseball, we can beat anybody. Finding consistency and maintaining a focus on our collective team vision will be our biggest keys to success,” said Moyes.

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important motivators on the team. “In one of our really close games, she turned the page for us and was that force of motivation that we really needed as a team,” said Pingul. Not to be lost in the shuffle of difficulties and strong performance is the fact that the Sweets come from a school of just over 1,500 students, while some of the teams they played have tens of thousands of prospective ultimate players. This distinction, says Lozano, is part of what makes this season so special. “That’s the biggest part of the amazement of this year. We’re small, but we’re contenders,” she said. For a team whose goal is to go to nationals again and place even higher than last year, it looks like the women’s team is well on its way. On the men’s side, the Sweets came into this year hoping to live up to high expectations created by last year’s finish in the top 20. Because of these high expectations, the beginning of the season can only be described as bittersweet. Over Presidents’ Day weekend, the Sweets finished their first tournament of the year. While they lost their first two games, they won their last six, taking the win in the consolation bracket of the tournament. The Sweets knew going into the tournament that their road early on would be challenging. They were forced to square off against very strong teams with No. 2 Colorado and No. 19 Washington within their first few games. While they didn’t make it out of their group, there are

some positives to take from winning their last six games in a row. “It was not our goal going in but was definitely an accomplishment [to win the consolation bracket]. It was good to see the team respond after losing our first two games and come back and win the next six,” said junior Peter O’Rourke. “We definitely showed a lot of mental toughness, which was really good to see early in the season.” The Sweets have a lot of growing to do between now and the next tournament, though, as the team aims to place much higher than it did in its first competition of the season. The next challenge will be

their first time playing in Easterns in Myrtle Beach, S.C. during Spring Break. Just like the first tournament, the competition will be stiff. “We’ll be an underdog in all the games we play,” said O’Rourke. “But if we play the way we did in the second part of the Presidents’ Day tournament, there are very few teams in the country that can beat us.” As long as the team can produce the way O’Rourke and other key members of the team believe, the Sweets should be on their way to another strong season. “We’re not scared of anyone, but I’m sure some teams will be scared of us by the end,” said O’Rourke.

Henry Phillips ‘17 attempts a throw past Joey Tillman ‘15 (top) during practice. During practice for the Lady Sweets, Celine Valentine ‘14 stretches for the Frisbee as Hadley Scherer ‘14 looks on. Photos by Bowersox

Women’s basketball finds strength in family culture MARAH ALINDOGAN Senior Guard for Whitman Women’s Basketball

common question that Head Women’s Basketball Coach Michelle Ferenz likes to ask her players is: “What do you hang your hat on?” In my four years as a women’s basketball player, I never answered that question for myself until now. My team is having one of the most successful seasons of any team in Whitman College history. We are currently 261, the Northwest Conference regular season champions and poised to make our second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Many people ask what our secret to success is. Though it is easy to credit our success to individual players, such as the all-around talent of NWC Player of the Year junior Heather Johns or the defensive skills of senior Meghan White, I would only be glossing over the surface. The reason for our success? I believe that we are great players, but we are even better teammates—and yes, there is a difference. It is impossible not to talk about the skills of players on a successful basketball team. Yet, what the public does not see is everything we do in preparation for a basketball game. All that anyone ever sees is the finished product. My team did not earn those wins by simply shooting baskets or playing great defense—through it all, we stayed together on and off the court. The women’s basketball team is easily spotted by our signature neon green backpacks and the “Oooo Oooo!” call we make whenever we see another member of the team. There is no deny-

ing we are close. In my 13 years as a basketball player, I haven’t played on another team as close as this one. Our sense of togetherness carried us through a 25-0 regular season and a trip to the NWC championship game, and it is what will carry us through the NCAA tournament—hopefully ending with a national title. I always believe that a true reflection of a team’s character is not how they do in times of success, but in times of struggle. The NWC championship was the first time all season we encountered any sort of major obstacle. Coming in as a first-year almost four years ago, I made a pact with current seniors White, Sarah Anderegg and Tiffani Traver that one day we would cut down the net and hang a banner in George Ball court after winning a NWC championship. We had our chance, we were so close, but unfortunately it did not work in our favor. However, we never lost hope, even when we were down by two with 1.6 seconds left on the clock. After the game, our team captains Traver and White brought us together in the locker room and told us that although the loss obviously stings, it is more of a learning experience than anything. There is definitely much more basketball to play—winning six games in a row, in fact, would give us the national championship title. As a first-year, I came into this program not knowing that I would eventually end my career as a part of history. Though I have no individual accolades or records broken to show for it, that is not what matters. Success is better spent in the company of others. Now, after four years, I finally found an answer to Ferenz’s question: “What do you hang your hat on?” My teammates and I hang our hats on being a family. The women’s basketball program succeeds and struggles together on and off the court. Now, at the eve of my final appearance at the NCAA tour-

nament, which will be hosted at Whitman College for the first time in school history, I am reassured that I am right where I need to be— in companionship with coaches and teammates who I call family.

SCOREBOARD BASKETBALL

Men’s v. Puget Sound Feb.27: L 71-66 Women’s v. Puget Sound Feb.27: W 77-60 v. Whitworth Mar.1: L 68-65

BASEBALL

v. Puget Sound March.1: L 5-2, W 5-4 v. Puget Sound Mar.2: L 3-1

TENNIS

Men’s v. George Fox Mar.1: W 9-0 v. Lewis & Clark Mar.2: W 9-0 Women’s v. George Fox Mar.1: W 9-0 v. Lewis & Clark Mar.2: W 9-0

UPCOMING BASKETBALL

Women’s v. Chapman Mar.7, 7:00p.m.: HOME Regional Final Mar.8, 7:00p.m.: HOME

BASEBALL

v. Pacific Lutheran Mar.8: AWAY v. Pacific Lutheran Mar.9: AWAY v. Lewis & Clark Mar.10: AWAY

TENNIS

Men’s v. Trinity, TX Mar.7, 4:00p.m.: HOME v. CMS Mar.8, 1:00p.m.: HOME v. UC Santa Cruz Mar.9, 1:00p.m.: HOME

GOLF

Men’s v. UPS Invite Mar.8-9: AWAY Women’s v. UPS Invite Mar.8-9: AWAY

FEATURE

PAGE

mar

2014

Outside the

Center

Students seek alternatives to campus counseling by Ben Caldwell Staff Reporter

hen they need a listening ear, most students view the Counseling Center as their first resource. But does the Counseling Center have enough support for everyone? There are alternative resources on campus and in the community, but unfortunately not as many students seem to take advantage of them. Last semester, many students who wanted to take advantage of the Counseling Center couldn’t, because the waiting list was simply too long. Assistant Director of the Counseling Center Tracee Anderson confirmed they have had to turn students away, but also suggested there are alternative solutions. “Sometimes students want to go off campus. That’s just an elective gesture ... a decision on their part. And we often give students, especially if they can’t get in right away for ongoing counseling ... a name in the community, and they can make a decision whether they want to follow up with that or wait until they can get in to see one of us,” said Anderson. Students who do not want to wait a week or a month for an open appointment slot can turn to a multitude of resources in the community. In order to find the right counselor for them, students have to undertake some research on their own to determine which counselors’ specialties apply to them, as well as navigate the wide variety of hours of availability and price ranges. Junior Sarah Glass, co-president of Whitman’s branch of the national mental health awareness organization Active Minds, finds this stumbling block problematic. She claims that combing the community for counseling alternatives is more than just an inconvenience for students. “It’s already hard enough, from the people I’ve talked to and in my own experience, to get yourself to the Counseling Center and to a place where you want to look into talking to a com-

plete stranger. That’s already a hard enough place to be, and then [it gets worse] when you get there and you’re turned down, or you’re told, ‘We can see you in a month,’” said Glass. This is a major motivational setback, according to Glass, especially for students who have found it hard to seek counseling in the first place. For those individuals, mustering the courage to turn to the outside community may be the last thing they want to do. And paying by the hour for weekly sessions is hardly affordable for students with tuition and loans to pay off. On the other hand, Anderson points out that the Counseling Center does offer different therapy or personal growth groups from time to time. In addition, the Director of the Counseling Center Thacher Carter says that there are other resources on campus outside of the Counseling Center to which students may turn. “Residence life staff are available, academic resources, faculty and staff who mentor students and the Student Affairs office [are] a few,” he said in an email. However, these options seemed to do little to reduce the waiting list last semester. If students feel the support on campus is insufficient, Anderson suggests the support groups at the YWCA as a free community alternative, but though the YWCA provides valuable resources, their focus is primarily on sexual assault, domestic violence and trauma. What about the students with counseling concerns outside of such issues? To which of the dozens of clinicians in the community should they go? “I have a few friends who see counselors in town ... but there isn’t much that I’ve heard positive things about,” said Glass. “People that have actually gone outside of Whitman into the Walla Walla community, who have tried it, haven’t had great things to say about it.” According to Anderson, the Counseling Center has a list of 17 psychologists, psychotherapists and coun-

selors in the Walla Walla area who have been vetted by Whitman’s counselors and who are confirmed to have credentials and qualifications up to Counseling Center standards. Counselors may refer students who can’t schedule appointments to the list after meeting them once and getting a sense of their counseling needs. There is also a list posted on the Counseling Center page on the Whitman website with the contact information of 40 counselors in the community, taken directly from the phone book. “We have not had interactions specifically with all of those places or people,” she said. Even with all of that information about local counselors available, the issues of price and inconvenience remain. “I feel like the little support that the Counseling Center has given to students who they can’t fit [into their schedule] is not helpful because, as college students, we don’t want to have to go look around into the greater community. We’re at Whitman, we’re paying all this money, and this is where the help should be, if we need it,” said Glass. She admits, though, that it is unrealistic to imagine the Counseling Center can see every student who needs help. Fortunately, Glass believes there is another possible resource on campus that could help lighten the Counseling Center’s load if students used it. According to Glass, the Peer Listeners group is designed to be an alternative for times when the Counseling Center is overbooked. The group’s members receive training about active listening skills, a baseline education about different kinds of mental illness and how to be more constructive and supportive than the untrained friends and peers students tend to talk to when they can’t see a counselor. “But it just hasn’t really been supported that much by the Counseling Center actually, which has been really frustrating,” she said. She added

that the reason why remains unclear. Glass hopes the Counseling Center will consider referring students on the waitlist to the Peer Listeners on a case-by-case basis, depending on the severity and type of issues with which they’re dealing. She says there has been some dialogue with the Counseling Center about this, and some progress is being made. Carter confirmed that the Counseling Center is working with the Peer Listeners group to connect its members with students who need help, but cautioned that they cannot act as a stand-in for trained therapists. “I think that Peer Listening and Active Minds are good supports for our community and know the resources on campus to refer students in need. I do not think they are a substitute for counseling or therapy when needed,” said Carter. Still, Glass is optimistic that peers can play an important role. She says that Whitman’s Active Minds group is looking into transitioning from their affiliation with its national organization to something more peer support oriented. “We find there’s a greater need for peer support than general awareness [on campus],” she said. In the future, Glass says she would like to organize the group into more specialized sections that could be trained to better address issues like sexual assault, eating disorders, anxiety and depression more directly. She hopes campus organizations can continue to qualify themselves to help reduce the waiting list at the Counseling Center, and that counselors will continue referring students to support groups on campus whenever appropriate and possible.

Find a full list of offcampus counselors online:

www.whitmanpioneer.com/feature

Center to address overbooking issues with new hire from COUNSELORS, page 1

The new position, officially approved this month, attempts not only to increase the number of general clinicians but also to further what many colleges across the country have been working on over the past decade. “All colleges have worked hard to make sure that any student [who] is admitted can succeed,” said Anderson. The new position currently being advertised is intended to further this objective. “Whitman College seeks a Counseling Center therapist who will serve as a generalist clinician with specialist focus on therapy and outreach to underrepresented and underserved student populations, including individuals from ethnically and racially diverse backgrounds and individuals represent-

ing varying sexual orientations,” said Director of Counseling Thacher Carter in an email response. Anderson notes that many capable students come to college with physical and mental obstacles, and colleges have improved the way they handle these students. “What we do right now is better than what we’ve ever done before,” said Anderson. One of the most notable recent changes to the Counseling Center is a minor shift in scheduling that has accommodated the vast numbers of new students seeking counseling. Before Carter arrived to the Counseling Center two years ago, the center would schedule first-time appointments whenever there was an opening. “Sometimes students [who] wanted to come in but didn’t have an emergency had

to wait weeks to even get a single appointment,” said Anderson. Now the Counseling Center has instituted “intake times,” where two to three hours each day are set aside for walk-in appointments. Any student can drop in, fill out a quick form and meet oneon-one with a professional clinician to make a decision about the best way to address the situation. “This [change] is terrific. Even when we aren’t able to see every student that comes in that day, we can at least assess the urgency and what the concerns are and get them in as soon as possible,” said Anderson. The improvements made to the Counseling Center over the years, and the potential for further support with the introduction of the new staff member this fall underline a fundamental aspect of effective counseling: the need for awareness

of diverse needs and perspectives. “Once we can understand what students are bringing in to school, we can better respond to

their needs. The world changes, and we need to be thoughtful and conscientious about all of our students,” said Anderson.

OPINION

mar

2014

Obama displays steadiness in crisis

PAGE

Cold war continues with Russian action

Kyle Seasly

Andy Monserud

Junior

First-year

MUSTACHE MUSINGS

BASIC PLEBIAN INSTINCTS

resident Obama’s steady hand has helped guide him through a multitude of crises internationally. Although his foreign policies of drone use and internal surveillance are frustrating, his level-headed approach to crises allows him to come out on top. When Russia invaded Crimea with large numbers of soldiers without political markings (which illustrated Russian unease in the undertaking), supposedly to protect their citizens from the “dangerous coup” that occurred, President Vladimir Putin knew backlash from the West was imminent. This marked the second time since 2013 that Obama has reasoned with Putin. Just as it did the first time over Syria, Obama’s steady diplomatic hand will guide the crisis into safe waters. The former KGB colonel did not seek a revival of the Cold War when he invaded. He is not pushing an ideological struggle between two superpowers. The incident is isolated, and most nations condemned Russia’s actions as bullying Ukraine when they chose to look west instead of east. It’s more akin to the “Great Game” that the British and the Russians played in the 19th century, where Russia would advance slowly but surely, playing the game of “grandmother’s footsteps.” Anywhere Russia deemed it could expand its empire, it would. And why not? They would suffer few consequences aside from local upheaval (and perhaps British condemnation), which could easily be thwarted by Cossack military superiority. Russia, indeed, is making a power play, hedg-

ing its bets that the West is bluffing when it denounces Russia’s actions. Obama is aware that Putin is no fool. Instead of bringing an instant thrashing to Putin’s gross violations of international law, President Obama said: “I know President Putin seems to have a different set of lawyers making a different set of interpretations, but I don’t think that’s fooling anybody ... There is still the opportunity for Russia to ... [work] with the international community to help stabilize the situation.” Obama coolly responded to the situation. While he does eventually condemn the invasion, he steadily makes his way there through logic and reason. Putin is no fool. He did not think that this action would go unnoticed, but Obama’s actions were steady and will hopefully pay off. He avoid-

ed immediate escalation and will come out as the moral protagonist who condemned Putin’s actions but did not lead us into intervention. Putin, on the other hand, may get away with annexing Crimea. He at least will show the world that not only can Russia win the Olympics, but they can also violate international law and get away with just an earful of international threats. It is a showing of Russia’s strength and how it defines its sphere of influence. That message has been received. Although Obama’s moderate ways can surely be frustrating on other fronts, when responding to Putin, his disposition is a key player in the game. A more hot-headed president could have easily led us into disaster and confrontation.

he last few weeks have treated Russia very poorly. Following one of the most tense Olympics in recent memory, two of Russia’s allies, Ukraine and Venezuela, erupted in violent protest in opposition of Russia-friendly regimes. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych left Ukraine to seek refuge in Russia after refusing to give up his power in response to a parliamentary vote. He still claims the title of president. The United States has already moved to capitalize on the ill will the protesters have toward Russia. President Obama has warned Russia to back off by saying, “The Ukrainian people deserve the opportunity to determine their own future.” Despite this, Russia’s parliament approved the use of their military in Ukraine. Russia has already effectively invaded the Ukrainian region of Crimea. All this should sound familiar, and both superpowers should know by now that it is a trap. Three years ago, the world saw its greatest outburst of revolutionary fervor this century. In what we now call the Arab Spring, a revolt in Tunisia inspired protests across the Muslim world, which led to the overthrowing of the governments of three countries, gaining rights for the citizens of many others and launching one, Syria, into a bloody civil war that continues to this day. Syria represents all that

could possibly go wrong with Ukraine. Like Ukraine, both factions in Syria run on support from Moscow and Washington. Russia’s long-standing relationship with Syria, dating back to the last revolution in 1966, brought in cash and weapons for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s crackdown on revolutionaries. Russia also worked its tail off at the United Nations to prevent sanctions against Assad’s regime. The United States began its work against Russia on that front, but eventually began providing rebels with funding, military training and humanitarian aid. The greatest superpowers of the 20th century drew each other into yet another proxy war. Ukraine looks to be going the same way. With Russian troops menacing the interim government of Ukraine and the United States and its allies thumping our chests with all our might, the country is a tinderbox for broader international conflict. The takeaway from all this is that the Cold War isn’t over. Twenty-five years after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia and the United States can’t seem to stop getting into proxy wars. We don’t have this kind of trouble with China, despite their flagrant human rights abuses and increasingly frequent friction with their neighbors. It’s a problem specific to the relationship between the United States and Russia. And frankly, it’s purposeless. Each country’s goal of retaining and expanding a coalition of allies against the other has led only to making more enemies. As the Eastern and Western Blocs decay, we must learn to leave each other alone. Each aggression by Russia cannot be seen as a threat to the United States, and Russia must stop taking every opportunity to disrupt American foreign policy that presents itself. The practice helps neither power, and it especially hurts the nations with whom we play tug-ofwar. It’s time to drop the façade of working for the greater good.

Review of Etrian Odyssey III Toby ALDEN Senior

THE BUSINESS OF PLAY

trian Odyssey III: The Drowned City is the third installment of Atlus’s dungeon-crawling series for the Nintendo DS. It largely follows the format of the previous entries in the series: you form a party of adventurers, consisting of princesses, gladiators, pirates and the like, and then descend into a vast, labyrinthine dungeon to slay monster after monster after monster after monster, each one incrementally bigger and more challenging. Finally, you run out of items and run back to town to rest up at the inn and prepare for your next descent. The process is repeated ad infinitum, and over time adopts the nature of a fetishized ritual as you watch the bars representing health, experience and magic ebb and flow to the rhythm of the game, an intricate pattern changing gradually with time, but the overall design of which remains fixed throughout. This is a romantic conceptualization of the game over a long term. The actual experience of playing Etrian Odyssey is more like this. You go down into the

dungeon. Lush vegetation grows all around you, rendered with surprising vibrancy on the DS top screen. On the bottom screen is a blank grid and a set of rudimentary drawing tools. This is where you can draw a map of the dungeon’s massive, sprawling floor plan. Yes, cartography is a major component of Etrian Odyssey. With each step as you move throughout the network of passages comprising each floor, you have to draw in the floors and walls on the lower half of the DS according to what you see on its upper half. The glacial pace of exploration this necessitates is offset by frequent enemy encounters, which take the form of a dense series of menus overlaid on a static image of whoever is attacking you. You select various commands for each member in your party—“Fight,” “Defend,” “Magic” and so on—and hack away at your opponent until they die or all of you do. At the end of each battle, you receive experience points to level up your characters and the occasional item, which you can sell in the town shop for gold and unlock new items for sale. All this makes repetition an inherent fixture of Etrian Odyssey’s gameplay, from the slow, methodical pace of charting your way while you travel, to the recurring battles with the same, familiar cast of monsters, to the agonizingly infrequent and minute advances in overall progress. The secret, I’ve found, to enjoying this type of game— should one feel compelled to enjoy it at all—is to play it in small doses, no more than 10 or 15 minutes a day. Putting time

into Etrian Odyssey in manageable increments is, ironically, the best way to conceal the enormity of the task at large by divvying progress into individual tasks, each one easily handled but gratifying nonetheless. And once you’ve settled into its rhythm, it’s surprising how often you’ll look up from the seemingly endless grind of walking, fighting and mapping, and realize you’re three floors deep, two levels more powerful and twice as rich as you were a week ago. Or, alternatively, that you’re three floors deep, two party members down and have six more dragons between you and the safety of town. This is when Etrian Odyssey gets really interesting.

Mease not Mooses by Asa Mease

Voices from the Community

If you could ask the community one question, what would it be? Poll by MARRA CLAY

Ysabel Diaz

Emily Long

Edward Daschle

Brian Acosta

Senior

First-year

Junior

Sophomore

“Do you believe in aliens?”

“If you could go back in time and kill Hitler, would you?”

“Why don’t you talk to people more or less?”

“Are you happy with the current system our society and school are in?”

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MAR

2014

Three tips for the fashionable feminist

adies (and those of you who don’t identify with the normative role of “ladies” but are still interested in spring trends), it’s that time of year again! We know y’all are ready for the latest spring fashion trends that are endlessly chic and also happen to smash the patriarchy. Can I get an “amen” (or a different word if you don’t necessarily identify with Christianity or with any form of religion)? From its conception, the American fashion industry has been predominantly crowded with unattainable beauty goals glorifying the starved white woman. However, in recent years things have been improving! Incredibly brave companies like H&M have shown us that it’s totally okay if you’re not a size zero as long as you are white and have a perfectly symmetrical face. What would we do without such progressive thinkers? Other brands, like Aerie, have vowed to stop photoshopping their images of models. Their authentic advertising campaigns prove that women can actually look kind of okay even with horrific blemishes, such as a microscopic tattoo, or with (gasp!) a few misplaced strands of hair. Who knew? In honor of these exceptionally courageous compa-

nies’ efforts to use feminist values as a profitable marketing tool, here are some fabulous feminist spring fashion trends. You’re welcome, world. High Wheels Are you tired of wearing high heels? Do you think that they serve the sole purpose of making it harder to run away from a man? Well, now you can wear high wheels. Dior recently came out with the revolutionary musthave product, which is a hybrid of wheelies and high heels. Each pair features five-inch platform heels attached to small, rollerblade-like wheels. Dior Chief Designer Saf Rimons also mentioned an exciting extension line of accessories inspired by the high wheels, which is currently in the works. “We are confident that women will love our new product, and when they break their ankles while wearing the high wheels, they can now limp around in style. We are creating a line of casts that will come in all sorts of colors and fun prints. My favorite shade so far is ‘chinchilla gray.’ It’s daring without being too obvious,” said Rimons. Pink Patagonia Jackets We like to think of ourselves as

colorblind. However, it has come to our attention that Whitman College is seriously lacking diversity. Did you know that 83.5 percent of the Patagonia jackets on campus are “glass blue”? Well, now you can help change this by indulging in Patagonia’s new line of “vagina pink” jackets for spring. Disrupt the normative flow of blue with a feminine jacket that just screams, “Screw you, patriarchy.” (This is completely invalid, of course, if you choose not to associate certain colors with certain genders, which we totally respect.) Nudity Can’t wait for the Beer Mile? Well, what better way to celebrate the female body than to frolic in the nude? That’s right, people, now is the time to let those boobs sag, those butts jiggle and those thighs touch as you run around Ankeny Field in the buff like the goddesses y’all are. It’s totally okay if your body is not perfect because the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty said so (as long as you purchase their Cool Moisture Body Wash at Target for $7.99)! We know what y’all are thinking. High wheels, “vagina pink” Patagonia jackets and nudity? Finally!

Fun facts about the female body

#liberated: Tweets from a wellintentioned feminist

erbosefeminist: To combat men’s efforts to silence the female voice, I hereby promise to make my tweets as lengthy as possible. I also promise to invoke elements of feminist theory because I feel I must take ownership of my educa...

verbosefeminist: ...tion. I studied gender studies at a patriarchal, heteronormative college, and I now plan to take advantage of the few things I gained while I was enmeshed in one of the many male attempts to... verbosefeminist: ...subjugate women in the name of “liberal arts.” #GenderStudies #ClaimingMyOppression #liberated verbosefeminist: I just had the epiphany that separating public restrooms by gender is merely another effort by men to penetrate female space (like the mall!!!) and oppress women by providing us with “separate... verbosefeminist: ...but equal” accommodations. Gonna rotest by

using the gender-neutral family restroom. #StopTheSegregation #SlamminThePatriarchy #liberated verbosefeminist: Just occurred to me that the very name of Victoria’s Secret is an effort to silence discussions about sexuality and women’s bodies. #VictoriasPublicAnnouncement #SoManyMallEpiphanies #ButILoveMeSome5DollarThongs #liberated

here is no clearer illustration of how the patriarchy controls the representation of women’s bodies than the story of the famous art critic who, on his wedding night, discovered in abject horror that (unlike Grecian statues) women have (not to put too fine a point on it) hair. Subsequently the marriage was not consummated. As The Pioneer’s chief sex correspondent, I have decided to illuminate a few little-known facts about the female body for our male readers.

der blade is a USB port that women use to read flash drives. We can also use it to recharge—like a phone!

Acid spit Why do bouncers let girls into clubs and not guys? There’s your answer.

Earlobes As you’ve probably noticed, women have vestigial flaps of skin below their ears. Men don’t have these.

The ability to smell a drop of blood in a swimming pool One of the many reasons why women are very much like sharks. Excessive ear hair All women have excessive ear hair. We just shave it, so it’s impossible to tell. Ask your girl friends about it. USB port Located just under the right shoul-

Crazy pouch Why do women sometimes seem crazy? It’s actually a defense mechanism. Like ink for a squid, we store up the crazy until confronted with patriarchy. At this point we release it and make our escape. Wop. Wop. Wop. Wop. Wop.

Sixth sense We have one, but don’t ask us about it. It’s kinda weird. Wandering Womb The uterus wanders through the body in response to odors, loud noises or the wrong amount of sex. This wandering is the leading cause of many pathogens in wom-

en, from hysteria to knee problems. Look it up if you don’t believe me. Wondering Womb Occasionally, while not being used for childbearing (or wandering the body) the womb will submit random questions to the brain. For example: would skirts exist if it rained from the ground up? LAX213 or OAK510 genes These genes code for the “LA face” and the “Oakland booty.” Women usually have only one of these genes, but the occasional genetic mutation will occur in which women display both traits. This is exceedingly rare and highly prized. Poop Contrary to popular belief, women can actually poop. I mean, I never have, but I’m sure I could if I wanted to. Vaginas To date, no man has ever seen a vagina and lived. I’d describe them, but the horror knows no words.

Selfburning bra!

verbosefeminist: Calling a football a ball is another way that the male body dominates our culture and erases women’s bodies. #DontTellMeItLooksLikeATesticle #FootVulva #VulvaBowl2015 #liberated

verbosefeminist: Told my boyfriend to make me a sandwich. #SwappinGenderRoles #SmashinThePatriarchy #liberated

esperate to take a stand for feminism? Want to, say, burn your bra?

We’ve found a way to ease your struggle: the self-burning bra automatically goes up in flames every six hours and rematerializes shortly thereafter.

verbosefeminist: Just masturbated. All by myself. #LoveDatSingleLife #ImNoDamselInDistress #liberated

Now you can express your feminist rage without giving up the support that we as women so desperately need. ADVERTISEMENT

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