Whitman Pioneer Fall 2011 Issue 3

Feature: Is Whitman a diverse campus?

Whitman alum sweeps away competition

An investigation into the cultural makeup of the class of 2015

Chris Reid ‘11 beats out 1,978 hopefuls for a theatre company position

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page 4

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ISSUE www.whitmanpioneer.com | Whitman news since 1896 | Walla Walla, Washington

Members (above left) of the LaRouche PAC visited Whitman on Friday, Sept. 16, inciting strong responses from the student body. “The sidewalk outside of Reid is a public sidewalk and I’m glad this event helped us remember that Whitman exists in a political community whose governing body isn’t ASWC. Even though I disagree with the women’s views, I applaud them for speaking their minds,” said Katie DeCramer ‘12. Photos by Hendershot

LaRouche Obama-Hitler posters rile students, incite discourse

by PATRICIA VANDERBILT Editor-in-Chief

W

hitman got a taste of one of America’s more provocative political flavors on Friday, Sept. 16, 2011 when members of the LaRouche movement, a political action committee known for its extremism, paid campus a visit. The two activists spent several hours on the corner of Boyer Avenue and Park Street, where they exchanged passionate words with a crowd of students drawn by the LaRouche posters that depict President

Barack Obama with a Hitler mustache photoshopped onto his face.

The image of Hitler’s mustache on the president’s face provoked disbelief and disgust from many who passed by the table on Friday afternoon.

“Are we serious here? Is this really a real thing?” said junior Woody Sorey. “This is obnoxious beyond obnoxious.”

“It draws attention, but it’s extremely offensive,” said sophomore Signe Burke.

When asked about the choice to visit Whitman, one of

the LaRouche activists expressed her desire to talk to students.

“It’s different [at Whitman]; we normally just go to post offices,” said the activist, who only gave her first name as Hadiye.

“Here, people are in some type of academic bubble, not in the real world. It’s different. At first it’s frustrating, but its understandable.”

The presence of the activists undoubtedly sparked discussion within the campus community, but many felt that the use of the Hitler mustache on Obama’s face was an unacceptable way to start a conversation.

“Speaking from the professional side, I understand the tactic. But I think the tactic reflects what’s wrong with politics,” said Ruth Wardwell, Assistant Vice President of Communications. “Because members of previous generations of my family were killed in the Holocaust, I have a visceral reaction to the use of Hitler in any way, shape or form. I find it offensive.”

Still, some Whitman students appreciated the opportunity for discourse and exposure to political views that are outside of the mainstream.

“It’s refreshing to see something that’s creating so much dialogue,” said senior Daria Reaven. “Sometimes Whitman can be a politically apathetic institution.”

But the dialogue was amongst students; neither students nor the activists felt that a discussion had occurred between them.

“I haven’t heard one actual argument,” said a LaRouche member. “I’m really disappointed in this college.”

Read and comment on the full article online at www.whitmanpioneer.com.

Physical plant waters down concerns about sprinkler use

by ALLISON WORK Staff Reporter

O

n any given hot Walla Walla day, it appears that sprinklers are constantly running somewhere on campus. While watering is necessary to keep Whitman’s grassy areas as green as they are, sprinklers can often be a massive waste of water. Perennial sprinkler use on campus has led some students to raise concerns about water conservation at a self-proclaimed, “environmentally friendly school.”

Dan Park, director of the physical plant, tells students not to worry.

“In everything we do, we hope we’re taking into account the world and our im-

pact on it,” said Park. “We think [our plant is] really sustainable.”

Instead of being taken from the normal city water supply, sprinkler water is drawn from a deep well drilled in 1963 that is located next to the science building. Water runs through pipes in the Hall of Science to heat and cool the building and to help run the ventilation system. Then it is piped through Memorial Building for heating purposes, and finally it is run through the fountain outside Sherwood Center. From there, water is diverted into the irrigation system or, when there is more than needed to run the sprinklers, into College Creek.

President Bridges and Associate Professor of Biology Delbert Hutchison partcipate in a Mr. Whitman fundraiser event organized by contestant David Hancock ‘12. A second pie-pelting event occured at noon on Thursday, Sept. 22. Photos by von Hafften

see SPRINKLERS, page 3

Financial cuts at WWCC lead to end of women’s shelter program

by EMILY LIN-JONES Staff Reporter

L

ess than a month ago, Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) closed its Women’s Center and defunded the IMPACT! Life Transitions Program, designed to assist displaced homemakers and women from low-income backgrounds in developing life skills.

The Women’s Center was created as a space for non-traditional students who need assistance with personal problems, providing services such as weekly support groups, counseling, classes, guest speakers and a studentrun fundraising club. The Center held its last class on Aug. 31 and officially closed on Sept. 2.

“It developed into much more than a women’s center, even though the focus was always there for women especially,” said Carel Landess, a volunteer counselor at the Center.

“If [a student] wanted to go to school but they didn’t fit in with the general population, it was a great place

for them to study or find friends.”

IMPACT!, a bridge program aimed at disadvantaged women not yet enrolled in college, merged with the Women’s Center when its director Deana York assumed direction of both programs in Sept.

2010. The program targeted women going through life transitions such as divorce, widowhood or escaping abusive relationships. IMPACT! divided its focus between self-sufficiency and employment training and personal counseling.

“The biggest thing we did was help people feel comfortable in their own skin,” said York. “It’s just really rewarding to see folks come into their own and feel like they’re valuable and worthy and that they have something to contribute.”

Over the course of its operation, IMPACT! graduated over 300 women, many of whom went on to enroll at WWCC and later gain employment.

“They would never in a million years dream that they would go to school. It’s

just

amazing,” said Landess.

Despite the program’s good reputation, WWCC decided to cease funding for it and the Women’s Center earlier this year.

“It’s unfortunate,” said

ILLUSTRATION BY SONG

York. “The college was very generous to us. [The program] was well supported. It’s really just an issue of budget cuts.”

York cited Washington’s statewide budget crisis as the primary reason for the cuts.

“They had to look at the overall picture, and we served such a small percentage,” said

Sports

Opinion

SPORTS, PAGE 5

OPINION, PAGE 7

Young, talented soccer team optimistic about upcoming weekend’s games

Columnist Daniel Merrit on why Obama’s new job plan is not up to snuff

York. “Even though [we served] an important bunch of people, a marginalized population.”

Although the program was based out of WWCC, many members of the Whitman community are equally disappointed over its closure.

“I’m really upset about it,” said Whitman senior Nina Neff-Mallon, who works as case manager for the STEP women’s shelter in Walla Walla. “We referred a lot of women to IMPACT! and have seen them benefit enormously from the program.”

“This is one more detail in an all-encompassing devaluation of women’s education,” said senior Ellie Newell, co-president of Feminists Advocating Change & Empowerment. “I would encourage people to be really aware of ways in which they see male privilege and class privilege played out in the community. I think we sometimes get caught up in the Whitman bubble and forget that we are incredibly privileged to go here.”

Melissa Wilcox, director of the gender studies depart-

ment, noted the lack of a comparable resource on the Whitman campus or elsewhere in Walla Walla.

“It’s a very big loss for the community. The women’s center made a difference in the lives of a lot of students, both male and female,” said Wilcox. “It was a unique program and a very important one . . . Whitman doesn’t have a women’s center. The community college [was] ahead of us, and now they’ve been brought back to our level.”

York and Landess are currently struggling to secure private funding to continue the program, if not on the WWCC campus then in another location.

“Maybe someday it will be able to come back . . . that’s our hope. We’re not giving up,” said York. “I don’t see the big picture.

All I see is my own little vision.

I see the people that we worked with, I see what a tremendous loss that is. It’s hard when you see the folks that you served, and you know they’re just going to fall by the wayside. That’s the tough part.”

Web Exclusive

A&E reviews actor Hugh Laurie’s debut foray into music with a well-rounded blues album. Online exclusively at www.whitmanpioneer.com

NEWS

Sep

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Composting project explores sustainability

by ALLISON WORK

NUMBERS IN THE NEWS

Staff Reporter

by SHELLY LE

W

hile most Whitties’ daily wanderings don’t involve passing through a small corner of campus behind Jewett and Lyman, anyone who has recently walked along Stanton Street may have noticed a small red shed behind the dining halls. Soon, the shed will be home to 45,000 worms.

It’s all part of a new composting program put into place this year by a team of students from Campus Climate Challenge (CCC). The program looks to reduce the amount of garbage produced by the dining halls by providing an alternate place for the food waste to go.

“I think everyone’s kind of waiting right now,” said junior Hannah Siano, a member of CCC and one of the students who originally worked on the project. “The worms are living beings, and they have to settle for six to eight weeks [to] get acclimated before we can start putting food in and figuring out how that system’s going to work.”

Through a process known as Vermicompost, worms living in a five-by-eight-foot box inside the shed break down food waste into usable, high-quality compost that can be used around campus for landscaping purposes. “[The worms] are coming in stages of 5000,” said Siano. “They’re being bred by Walla Walla Worm Works, so they’re actually local worms.”

Once the worms are settled, two interns and the CCC students will work with members of the landscaping staff and Bon Appetit to put food waste in and take the finished compost out.

“The finished compost will go and be stored at the Physical Plant and then they’ll go and use it on the landscape at Whitman,” said Siano. “It’s really cool because all of this waste used to be transported with gas to the landfill.”

The idea of composting isn’t new at Whitman, although programs have struggled in the past

News Editor

$46,600

The average annual base salary of regular full-time public school teachers in 2008

$36,300

The average annual base salary of regular full-time private school teachers in 2008

69.4%

Percent of American teachers in the private and public institution at all levels of education who are women

14th

The U.S. ranking in reading skills out of 34 countries in the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development

Alicia Kerlee ‘13 disposes waste into Whitman’s new composting tumbler, where it will be broken down by local worms. Photo by Felt

to keep the program running.

“For a school where environmental studies is one of the key majors, it just seems a bit ironic that we don’t have something,” said sophomore Ysa Diaz, a student from CCC who joined the effort to create the program. “At least an educational something.”

“I came from a school where I got a composting program started,” said junior Zoey Rogers, another student who worked on the project. “My freshman year at Campus Climate Challenge meetings, a couple of us wanted to see if we could get composting on campus.”

The group that formed from that desire wrote a grant and received two composting tumblers for Whitman’s use. They also started “Green Leaders,” a program in the freshmen residence halls, to encourage composting.

“We had an overwhelming response from people,” said Rogers. “It was great. Everyone was composting so much of their food

that the tumblers couldn’t actually handle all of the food.”

The next step was looking into industrial-sized composters so that more food waste could be processed and not simply sent to a landfill.

“We looked at school systems around the country,” said Diaz. “We looked at small schools like Whitman, and we saw what they were doing. A lot of these other schools are in situations similar to us: they’re in a location that can’t accommodate for food waste.”

The group began by asking Walla Walla city administrators why no composting program existed, but discovered that the contract that used to exist between the City and the Penitentiary for composting their food waste ran out of funding.

“Once we heard from the city that it was going to be five to ten years before they started thinking about doing a food waste program, we said, ‘we need to bring this to campus,’” said Siano.

“Seattle has industrial com-

posting companies that will take care of it for you,” said Diaz.

“We needed to create a need for that system. There was a lot of grant writing to get this done.”

The group worked primarily with Bob Biles, the recycling coordinator from the Physical Plant, to determine what needed to be done to put the system in place. Biles saw the project as a viable idea and potentially great learning project.

“I’ve been involved from the outset,” Biles said, adding that the project was a huge undertaking for the students and involved a lot of legwork. “I have an investment in its success.”

Once up and running, the Vermicomposter will be able to process about 100 pounds of food waste per day, roughly the amount that Jewett produces.

“This is the trial run,” said Diaz. “We’ll see how much more food it can take. Hopefully this is going to be the stepping stone so the composting can be expandable.”

73%

The average U.S. high school graduation rate of males in 2009

80%

The average U.S. high school graduation rate of females in 2009

95%

The average Japan high school graduation rate for males and females in 2009

99.3%

The average extended high school graduation rate in the Walla Walla School District in 2011 SOURCES: THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE HUFFINGTON POST, THE ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS, WALLA WALLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Co-op looks for new location

by SAMUEL CHAPMAN Staff Reporter

I

ILLUSTRATION BY JOHNSON

Curriculum Committee begins collaborating

by KARAH KEMMERLY News Editor

O

n Wednesday, Sept. 14, Whitman’s newly-formed Curriculum Committee had its first meeting. Formed at the end of last year in order to grapple with the problem of course compression, the committee is working towards making the curriculum more suitable to student needs.

At the meeting, the committee discussed the scope of their mission, went over several proposals for new curriculum, and considered ways in which they could communicate with the rest of campus.

The committee also discussed issues of confidentiality.

Last April, a faculty vote made it possible to have student representation on the committee. Currently, both Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC) president, senior

Matt Dittrich, and ASWC vice president, junior Maggie Appleton, are non-voting members.

Other members include the division chairs, the dean of students, provost, dean of faculty, and assistant dean of faculty. Meetings are open to all other faculty members.

Dittrich feels that student representation will be hugely beneficial for the committee.

“I hope that having student voices on the committee will inform the decisionmaking in a productive way. I think that Maggie and I have insights and comments that might not be brought to the committee otherwise,” he said.

He is optimistic about the future of the committee.

“I’m very hopeful that the committee will be a big success for the college, faculty and students alike. It’s a great opportunity to collaborate,” he said.

Associate Dean of Fac-

ulty and Associate Professor of Sociology Michelle Janning also responded positively to having student representatives. She feels that being on the committee is a valuable learning opportunity for them.

“I’m glad students are part of the committee. It’s a great learning experience in shared governance for them, because they get to see how a committee operates and negotiates its operation from the beginning,” she said in an email.

She feels that knowing a student point of view will help the committee better address curriculum issues.

“Everyone responded positively and respectfully to the concern raised by the students with regard to one of the curricular proposals that was discussed. The students present reminded the committee about ways that students may interpret course descriptions in the Catalog, which was helpful,” she said.

n June 2011, Whitman’s Daily Market Cooperative grocery store anticipated a move to a larger, more accessible location in downtown Walla Walla.

More than three months later, the store has yet to make its move.

After a series of obstacles, the Co-op store moved out of its Whitman campus location after the expiration of its lease in late May 2011. Though the Co-op had plans to move to a new location at the former location of the catering service Someone’s in the Kitchen at 132 West Rose Street, the move was never made, and the catering service reclaimed the space.

According to a press release made by the Co-op Board of Directors (consisting of President Matthew Eppelsheimer, Secretary Margaret Thomas, Treasurer Sonja Aikens, and Jen Rickard), “We do not plan to announce a new location for Daily Market this year.”

Although the downtown location is no longer feasible— a result of a misunderstanding in which the space’s landlord did not believe that an offer made by the college constituted an attempt to finalize the deal —the search for a building is only a small part of their issues.

“We believe it must be large enough to be self-sustaining,” said the Board, “We want

some paid staff to ensure consistent customer service and reliable, convenient hours.”

According to Eppelsheimer, the Co-op’s priority is to draft a new business plan. This will be the responsibility of the new Board of Directors, who will be elected at a meeting next week.

“The business plan states the case to investors that this is a good return on their investment,” Eppelsheimer said. “It shows what the money goes towards and all the research we have done.”

While the Co-op has placed its non-perishable inventory in storage for the time being, the Made in Walla Walla Box program continues to operate out of the storefront of the Walla Walla Bread Company at 225 E Main Street. The program offers its subscribers a box of locally grown and made groceries every month.

The Board of Directors offers hope for the future, believing that there is enough support among the Walla Walla and Whitman community to make the Co-op sustainable.

“Food co-ops in [other] communities even smaller and more rural have successfully raised large sums to open their doors,” the Board said.

Eppelsheimer is cautiously optimistic as well.

“We’re running a small, profitable business,” he said.

“We know there’s market demand for us, and we just need to raise a lot more capital first.”

The Student Engagement Center recently put on a presentation to celebrate the experiences of several student summer interns. Their work ranged from fundraising for an agency that provides health and dental care to low income families to studying orca whales.

Read this and other web-only stories on our website: www.whitmanpioneer.com

EDITORIAL

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Editor-in-Chief Patricia Vanderbilt

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NEWS

Business Manager Hailun Zhou

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Production Associates Katie Berfield, Alecia Kaer, Carter Muenchau, Madison Munn, Molly Olmsted, Cara Patten

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

News Editors Karah Kemmerly Shelly Le A&E Editor Caitlin Hardee Feature Editors Alyssa Fairbanks Kelsey Kennedy Sports Editor Libby Arnosti Opinion Editor Kyle Seasly Humor Editor Adam Brayton Photography Editor Ethan Parrish Illustration Editor Binta Loos-Diallo

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SUBMISSION POLICY Letters to Editor may be submitted to The Pioneer via e-mail at vanderpa@ whitman.edu or sent to The Pioneer, 345 Boyer Ave., Walla Walla, WA, 99362. All submissions must be received by 4 p.m. on Saturday prior to the week that they are intended to appear. All submissions must be attributed and may be edited for concision and fluency.

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

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22 2011

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Students gain experience abroad, mature during gap year

by ROSE WOODBURY Staff Reporter

T

aking a gap year between high school and college has become increasingly common. Although there is no official poll that tracks the number of students who choose to take gap years nationwide, Whitman students who choose to take a year off seem to support the idea.

The Whitman students who choose to take a year off believe that their experience abroad was incredibly valuable for their personal maturity, yet unexpectedly, did not help inform them of the direction in which they want to take their studies or potential careers.

“High school is a really busy time. College had always been the thing that was planned. [My gap year] was kind of a spur of the moment thing. I kind of decided in one day because, why not?” sophomore, Becca Peterson-Perry said.

With increasing pressure to meet top qualifications for colleges, high school seniors often find themselves needing time away from high-stress academics.

Many high school seniors spend

Sophomores Paul Lemieux, Becca Peterson-Perry and Hilary Leonard traveled abroad during gap years between high school and college. Photo by Beck

their year off taking classes abroad or traveling. Peterson-Perry spent the first three and a half months of her gap year living with a host family outside of Santiago, Chile while taking classes at the local university. She returned home for a month and then set off for Madrid, where she also stayed with a host family and took classes.

“From [Madrid] I spent a cou-

ple weeks in Germany [and then] went from there to Italy,” she said.

Based on a survey taken by incoming first-years at Whitman, Director of Institutional Research Neal Christopherson estimates that four to five percent of the incoming class of 2015 took a gap year.

Sophomore Paul Lemieux spent his gap year on the north-

eastern coast of Brazil. Rotary International helped Lemieux find host families as well as Portuguese classes at the local university.

“I think I was the only one of my friends who did a gap year,” Lemieux said.

Although Lemieux found relaxation in his time abroad, he stresses that the time away did not help him discover what he wanted to pursue after college.

“I was hoping my year abroad would give me time to decide what I want to do [after college], but it didn’t do that,” Lemieux said.

Peterson-Perry, on the other hand, didn’t expect the year to give her a clearer picture of what she wanted ultimately or even for her studies at Whitman.

“I didn’t do it to prepare myself for college. I did it for myself,” Peterson-Perry said.

Sophomore Hilary Leonard, who finished high school in three years so that she could spend her senior year of high school abroad, spent her gap year in the Czech Republic and also used Rotary International.

“It was my first time traveling outside the U.S.

and

Canada,” Leonard said.

While in the Czech Republic, Leonard traveled with her host families to Greece, Italy, Poland, and Slovakia.

“I’m really glad I did it. I went back and visited this summer. It’s not something in the past.

I’ve grown from it, and it’s very much a part of me,” Leonard said.

According to Leonard, putting herself in a foreign environment was essential to her personal development.

“When you’re separated from your own language you have lots of time to think and reflect,” Leonard said.

Although most gap-year students do not necessarily use their time away to pursue academic interests, Whitman still supports students who want to put their academic careers on hold while they take time to see the world and to learn about themselves.

“We definitely support students who choose to take a gap year. If students decide to take a year off to mature and grow, the college absolutely supports them,” said Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Tony Cabasco.

Bike Share program works through challenges and towards completion

by DYLAN TULL Staff Reporter

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urrent sophomores and Bike Share interns Andrew Patel and Sara Kleinkopf hope to make Whitman more accessible and make bicycling more convenient for both on- and off-campus students by completing a bike rental program that was started by the previous Bike Share interns last spring.

While the rental program was anticipated to be in place by Fall 2011, Patel and Kleinkopf are working to overcome challenges that remain to be solved before the program can be set in place. Although it is hard for them to predict exactly, Patel and Kleinkopf anticipate that the bike rental program will be up and running in Spring 2011.

Logistical questions, such as where the bikes will come from, if they should be used or new, and what will happen if the bikes are broken, remain unanswered at this time. However, buying new bikes from an online retailer is a possibility. The Bike Share interns are also looking into whether or not it makes sense to buy the bikes used

from students, or even use abandoned bikes that have been collected. The idea of school-owned property being abused by careless students is also something that they must think through.

Campus Sustainability Coordinator senior Katie Radosevic describes the challenges the bike share interns face.

“It’s a really ambitious project, as it combines so many different entities on campus. It’s difficult to approach because theoretically it will be Whitmanor ASWC-owned property that will be rented out to students that may or may not care for the item like it’s their own,” she said.

Because so much time and research have been invested in the project, Radosevic has high hopes.

“The project is a big investment of money and energy, so we just need to make sure all of the ducks are in a row before we can bring a bike coop to campus,” Radosevic said.

The program will be designed so that students will be able to check out a bike similarly to how they check out a book. It

sounds simple on the surface, but there is no doubt that it is a lofty goal; one swipe and then the students are handed a bike that is theirs for a certain period of time.

An incredible amount of planning must go in to make this transaction work smoothly. Patel and Kleinkopf hope to utilize the library checkout system to distribute the bikes. According to Patel, the library has the infrastructure in place that the bike rental program needs to function.

The plan is to have five to ten bikes in place at the library that can be checked out just like books. Students will pay $10-20 at the beginning of the semester to become part of the program. Once students are registered under the program, they will be able to go to the library at any time during the day and check out a bike for a few hours and then return the bike.

The challenge now will be communicating with the library to set up a system that includes bikes.

According to Kleinkopf, the library is enthusiastic about the plan.

In the event that the library check-out system doesn’t end

Sophomores Sara Kleinkopf and Andrew Patel work on the Bike Share program. Photo by Li

up working, Patel and Kleinkopf will have to turn to another organization to distribute the bikes.

Both interns have collaborated to study other college bike share programs to better understand how an ideal system will work.

“I have been in contact with Occidental [College] and their library, to see what their role in the program is. So hope-

fully we can implement the same program,” Kleinkopf said.

Despite all of these issues that must be dealt with, the plan is solid and well grounded.

“Time will tell when the bikes will be here, but I think our goal would be by the end of our school year,” Patel said. “Plenty of things get in the way; there are so many small factors that can affect this.”

Sprinkler system wins awards for ingenuity from SPRINKLERS, page 1

“We irrigate when we have the water available,” said Park. “We generate water 24 hours a day [because of the science ventilators] and that’s why you see water running twenty four-seven.”

According to Park, the system was put into place about 25 years ago and was fine-tuned with the renovation of the science building in 2003. Before pumping stations were put into place, leftover water from the science building cycle ran directly into Mill Creek; today, most of the water is diverted into groundskeeping.

Because water from the science building is constantly available and there are no holding tanks

on campus, it must be used fairly quickly. Therefore, the sprinklers cannot all run at a time ideal for watering, such as early evening.

“When we irrigate at maximum we can irrigate at 150 gallons per minute,” said Park. “We’re constantly generating this water so we try to use it 24 hours a day.”

Jeff Jenson, manager of the campus irrigation system, concurred.

“It’s a 24-hour cycle to get water to the main campus,” he said.

Jensen can decide when to divert water to the irrigation system and when to run it into College Creek—a decision that largely hinges on the seasons.

“When we get hot spells we have to keep the water on,”

Sprinklers use water from the science building ventilation system. Photo by Bergman

said Jensen. “Otherwise that’s when you start to see dry spots.”

Not all of campus is irrigated with water from Whitman’s well.

Because of logistical constraints, small portions of campus are irrigated with city water. Baker Field, behind Harper Joy, is one such area.

“There was no way for us to practically get water across the railroad tracks,” said Park.

“You rarely see it on though because it has three circuits.”

Because of the field’s small size, it requires less watering and can be watered at more ideal times. And although the system is a good one, it won’t always cover all the college’s needs.

“The well water system is stretched to the max [for irrigation purposes],” said Park. “If we add more property we’re going to be forced to use city water.”

Park hopes students understand that the physical plant does try to be sustainable with the watering.

Two local organizations, Walla Walla 2020 and the Oregon section of the American Council of Engineering Consultants, awarded the system for its creative use of leftover water from the science building.

Park also points out that watering the grass with recycled water helps out the city of Walla Walla.

“It takes the pressure off the city water system in terms of the city water supply,” said Park.

“It’s not chlorinated and treated like city water. I wouldn’t drink out of the sprinklers.”

Bob Catsiff, owner of Inland Octopus, is currently battling with Walla Walla’s sign code. He plans to take the case of the octopus mural to the state Supreme Court. Photo by Jacobson Read the full article on the web www.whitmanpioneer.com

Whitman Alumni Scott Thompson lectures about first amendment issues

by ROSE WOODBURY Staff Reporter

W

hitman alumni Scott Thompson ‘05 is giving a lecture this afternoon, Thursday, Sept. 22, on the extent to which the U.S. government’s role in encouraging moderate forms of Islam violates the first amendment.

Thompson obtained his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Duke University after graduating from Whitman. While at Whitman, Thompson was a politics and rhetoric and film studies double major. He was also heavily involved in ASWC and was a master debater, leading the team

to two national debate championships. He is currently working as a clerk in a federal court.

Forensics Professor Jim Hanson, who asked Thompson to return to Whitman to give a lecture, described the issue at stake.

“Our government has programs encouraging moderation in Islamic religious groups . . . the government is endorsing one view of religion over another and, depending on how it’s set up, it may violate the first amendment,” he said.

Melissa Wilcox, Associate Professor of Religion, who currently teaches a course that looks at religious intolerance in the United States, comment-

ed on the nature of religious tolerance and the first amendment.

“Pretty much any religion other than mainstream Protestantism has seen issues with religious tolerance,” she said.

“It just depends on the era.”

Sophomore Ben Menzies, who will be attending the lecture, commented on the topic via email.

“Speaking globally, the U.S. has expanded its efforts in the past year to strengthen Muslim groups perceived as moderate in the Middle East and North Africa in an attempt to capitalize on the perceived opportunity created by the Arab Spring.”

Menzies encouraged all students to attend the lecture.

“Although I anticipate that I will disagree with a substantial amount of Mr. Thompson’s lecture, I suspect it will be extremely informative and thought-provoking,” he said.

Hanson is excited to hear Thompson talk about the fine line between the government’s moderation of violence within religious groups and its attempt to moderate a religious group’s beliefs. “[The government] probably could make [moderation of violence] constitutional if it focused exclusively on rejecting violence rather than rejecting aspects of the Islamic religion,” Hanson said.

Hanson said that students with many differ-

ent the

interests would find lecture worthwhile.

“If they’re interested in religious freedom, in how the U.S. interacts with Islamic groups in other countries, and if they are interested in legal issues period [students should come to the lecture],” he said.

Hanson notes that Thompson has a charismatic personality, and that his talk will likely be particularly engaging.

“Scott is a very congenial person that I think students will feel comfortable with and connect with,” he said.

Thompson’s lecture will take place at 2:30 p.m. in Hunter 107.

Refreshments will be provided.

A&E

Sep

22 2011

4

PAGE

Whitman alum Chris Reid wins coveted spot in acting company

by CLARA BARTLETT Staff Writer

E

very year, nearly 2,000 young and optimistic artists flock to Louisville, Kent. to audition for a spot in the Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Acting Apprentice Company (ATL). The company, renowned as one of the oldest surviving pre-professional companies in the nation, accepts only 22 artists, most of whom are recent college graduates looking to transition their passion for theatre into a professional career. Whitman alumnus Chris Reid ’11 was among those hopefuls and was awarded a position in the highly competitive program.

Speaking through email, Reid outlined his journey to Louisville. He transferred from Walla Walla Community College to Whitman to play soccer, and had only a “slight interest in acting.”

However, Reid underwent a change of heart.

“I’d say my time at Whitman caused me to choose acting as a career, and I actually ended up not playing soccer for my senior year —sorry, Coach,” said Reid.

Today, with his recent admittance into the Acting Apprentice Company, Reid affirmed, “Can’t see myself doing anything else. I think that’s why I’m here at ATL.” For the next nine months, Reid will participate in an extremely competitive and intensive training program dedicated to the cultivation of practical acting skill as well as an introduction to the professional world of theatre.

“It’s pretty daunting now to be at one of the country’s leading regional theatres,” said Reid. “I’m working with kids my age who have been acting for the majority of their lives but looking at my time at Whitman, I’m glad with what I got

in only two years. Whitman’s theatre program didn’t just help my acting grow; it made sure to give me a perspective of the production and technical side of theatre. Since coming to Actors Theatre, I’ve noticed that the faculty in Whitman’s theatre department are great about keeping the program up to date within an industry that’s constantly evolving. My acting career is so young right now but I feel that it started in the right light at Whitman.”

Famous for the Humana Festival of New American Plays—an annual presentation of new theatrical works produced by over 200 participating playwrights—Actors Theatre of Louisville serves as a launching pad for young and beginning actors, playwrights and other artists. The Acting Apprentice Company performs its own five-show season; meanwhile, the Actors Theatre produces more than 500 performances per season, reaching nearly 200,000 people annually. The Actors Theatre of Louisville has received many prestigious awards, including a special Tony Award for Distinguished Achievement, the James N. Vaughan Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement and Contribution to the Development of Professional Theatre and the Margo Jones Award for the Encouragement of New Plays.

“I think it is an excellent opportunity to work with a high-quality professional organization,” said Whitman’s Chair of Theatre, Chris Petit. “[Reid] will be put in an environment where he can meet and work with some of the leading professionals in the country. For someone interested in pursuing a career in the theatre, this is an excellent program. We are very proud of Chris and can’t wait to see where his career might take him.”

PIO PICKS Each Thursday, The Pioneer highlights several events happening on campus or in Walla Walla during the weekend. Here are this week’s picks:

Above: Jonas Myers, Robby Seager, Adriel Borshansky and Rimmy Doowa comprise the diverse Dabbles, and embody an ideal of friendship and synergy. Photo by Bernstein

Campus band dabbles in balanced blend of musical influences, styles

by CAITLIN HARDEE A&E Editor

A

t the crossroads of culture and musical styles thrives a campus band known as Dabbles in Bloom. The foursome is composed of two Whitman seniors—lead vocalist and guitarist Adriel Borshansky and vocalist and persussionist Rimmy Doowa—and two juniors, drummer Robby Seager and bassist and keyboardist Jonas Myers.

However, the band members try to transcend narrow, restrictive musical roles. All four contribute vocals, and all four can play some guitar. Doowa is a true multi-instrumentalist, with a wide range of exotic instruments and influences in her repertoire.

“I try to incorporate Indian classical raag,” said Doowa. “We’ve used some Hindi words, but mostly it’s just Western singing. I play the saw duang and the harmonium, which is like the Indian version of piano, and the tabla, Indian drums. You hear [tabla] a lot now because they’ve incorporated it into all kinds of hip-hop and West-

ern music. There’s been a lot of fusion in tabla, and a lot of things.”

This philosophy of fusion extends beyond their influences to the way in which Dabbles in Bloom manages the demands of the band with their academic obligations.

“It’s always kind of hard balancing the two, but we’ve figured out ways that music can feed into what we’re learning in school, and vice versa,” said Borshansky.

“Like, finding synergy between—not just doing work, but kind of living whatever you’re working on, and that also goes for music,” said Seager. “Instead of segregating them, like doing homework so I can go to band practice, trying to have the attitude that it’s all an integral part of what we do here at Whitman.”

The band are currently collaborating with fellow Whitman student and music video director junior Nate Lessler.

“He’s a good friend of ours, especially Jonas and myself,” said Seager.

The band remained mysterious regarding the nature of the video projects.

Fridays at Four Recital Series Whitman’s Fridays at Four Recital Series presents “Whitman Jazz Food,” with Peter Qualtere-Burcher, Jonas Myers, Robby Seager and Nathan Radakovich.

Friday, Sept. 23, 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Hunter Conservatory, Kimball Theater.

Drive-In Movies WEB “Drive-In Movies” presents “Up” and “Back to the Future.” Cuddle with friends and watch films on a giant screen! Free popcorn, cotton candy, and hot cider provided.

Friday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m. - 12 a.m.

Reid Campus Center Side Lawn.

IHC Block Party Whitman’s Interest House Community presents a day of partying, with art and activities from the various houses, live music and dance, carnival games and world cuisine.

Saturday, Sept. 24, 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Boyer Street between Otis and Merriam.

“Some secret things are in the works,” said Borshansky.

“Some global music outreach.”

The four took to the road this summer, with a tour of Northwest cities, and are looking forward to bringing their live act back to Walla Walla.

“We’re hoping to do some Coffeehouse shows, and shows offcampus,” said Borshansky. “We’re slotted to play one show around Halloween, in downtown—Sapolil—and maybe in Pendleton.”

Theatre department gears up for Instant Play Festival

by ALEX HAGEN Staff Writer

F

or one weekend in September, the Whitman theatre department will throw caution to the wind and produce fourteen shows in the span of less than 48 hours.

The Instant Play Festival, entering its fourth year, has become an anticipated tradition among many in the Whitman community. In the three weeks

leading up to the festival, students work with a different professional playwright each week to learn the basics about various facets of writing a play.

On Friday, Sept. 23, the student playwrights are given three prompts. Beginning their work at 9 p.m. and ending the next morning, the students must write a 10-minute play.

Seven shows must be produced by 8 p.m. Saturday evening— and then the process is repeated.

Due to the fast-paced nature of the festival, everyone involved must be able to think quickly.

“Everybody has to make fast choices and just go with them,” said Professor Kristen Kosmas, one of the professional playwrights and the producer of this year’s festival.

“It really makes people follow their instincts and get creative,” said stage manager and senior Mackenzie Gerringer in an email.

The festival differs from typ-

ical Whitman theatre productions in that anyone in the community, including faculty and staff, can sign up to act in one of the plays on one or both days of the event.

Many of the necessary preparations must be done on the day of the festival, which potentially results in nerve-wracking situations.

“I’m totally stressing about it!” said sophomore Janaki Phillips, the festival’s lighting designer.

Nearly one hundred peo-

ple in the Whitman community have signed up to volunteer in one capacity or another during the weekend. The festival offers playwrights a unique chance to see their work performed in public, maybe for the first time. For the theatre community, the festival is an opportunity to let loose and have some fun.

“It’s a remarkably joyful event,” said Kosmas.

“There’s just a terrifically delightful energy around it.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Ready for liftoff?

For a successful career launch, Whitworth offers graduate degree programs designed around convenient schedules, small class sizes and academic excellence.

Visit us at the Whitman Grad Fair on October 6th.

Whitworth graduate degrees offered: • Administration • Business • Counseling • Teaching • Theology Learn more at 509.777.3222 or www.whitworth.edu/gradprograms

SPORTS

Sep

22 2011

5

PAGE

Soccer men intend to dominate weekend of competition, take top spot in NW Conference

by MATT TESMOND Staff Reporter

T

he men’s soccer team, bolstered by young talent, returns home this weekend for two important conference contests. The men will square off against a fiery University of Puget Sound team and the preseason favorite to win the Northwest Conference, the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes.

Luckily, the Missionaries are not short on skill this year and have high expectations for themselves.

“This is the most talented team I have been on in four years,” said senior captain Brian Percival excitedly. “We’re going in [to this season] with the goal of winning.”

“We’ll be very disappointed if we come in fourth or fifth,” added the other captain, junior Michael Bathurst.

Although the team is extremely talented, there have been growing pains, especially with lackluster play early in games.

The team had to overcome this problem, coming from behind to beat both Pacific and George Fox on the road last weekend.

“It takes a little while for the team to start playing its best,” remarked junior defender Dhavan Vengadasalm of his young team. With 22 underclassmen—12 of whom are freshman—on a team of 32, strong leadership is required. “Brian and Mike are the two right people for the job,” stated Vengadasalam.

The young team will have to bring all they have on Saturday, when PLU and their potent offense visit Missionary country.

“They have arguably the two best offensive players in the conference,” Bathurst, the

Men’s Sundodger Invitational September 17 Women’s Sundodger Invitational September 17

vs. Whillamette University September 23 vs. Linfield College September 24

Answer: Individual Medley

Win 1-0

Loss 3-0 Loss 3-0

15th out of 21 2nd out of 17

Away Away

ILLUSTRATION BY JOHNSON

starting goalkeeper, said of the PLU frontline he hopes will be held away from his net.

PLU may be the preseason favorite to win the conference, but the Whitties are a confident bunch. “We don’t need to worry about who we are playing if we are at our best,” Vengadasalm stated.

“We are the most talented team in the conference,” remarked Percival, echoing the sentiments of his teammate.

Although the PLU game may be a marquee matchup, the Missionaries are not by any

means sleeping on their Sunday opponent, the UPS Loggers. “Their coach gets them fired up,” said Bathurst of the University of Puget Sound team.

“I find them difficult to play because they get downfield quickly,” said Percival of UPS’ kick-and-run style of play.

The game holds a similar importance to the PLU game even though their opponent is slightly weaker. “All of the games have equal importance because no matter who you play you need a result,” Percival af-

firmed. This knowledge comes from experience, following last season when the team lost similar early season games and ended up coming in second place by 3 points, the equivalent of one win.

The men are looking forward to finally playing in front of a rowdy Whitman crowd. “It’s always more fun with a big crowd . . . Bring your distractions,” Percival joked.

There will be no joking this weekend as the team attempts to send its opponents packing on their way to the top of the conference table.

his weekend, the men’s tennis team will host the ITA Northwest Regional Championships, which will span from the 24th to the 26th. This competition is the men’s only chance to test their mettle against Northwest Conference opponents before the longer spring season.

“Everyone has a chance to play the best players in the conference . . . a chance to show off the work done over the summer, and try to assert yourself in the conference,” said junior Matt Tesmond.

The tournament is based upon individual results rather than those of the entire team, and players will either compete in the singles or doubles portion of the tourney.

“It is a pretty individualistic tournament, not team versus team . . . it adds a lot more significance on the personal level,” said Tesmond. “It is a good test to see how everyone is doing, where your game is at and where our game is at as a team in comparison to other teams in the conference.”

This weekend will be an excellent starting test for the already distinguished team, which

is still hot off last season’s Northwest Conference title, ending with a ranking of seventh in the West Region and 22nd nationally.

The benefits are high for the individual who wins the tournament, providing motivation for the men’s team to perform well.

“If you win this tournament you are an All-American automatically; that is the big incentive for everyone,” said Tesmond. “Whoever wins this event gets to go to Mobile, Ala. in October and play the other regional conference winners,” said head coach Jeff Northam.

The first tournament of the upcoming season is significant for the entire team, including the first-years.

“For the freshmen it is important because they get match experience . . . and you don’t have to make the starting lineup to get match experience; our whole team is in,” said Tesmond.

Overall, this tournament is fairly low-key because it is during the short fall season, but it can provide foresight for what is to come in the spring. “[This tournament] sets the tempo for the year, shows where we are at. It is an individual tournament, so I am excited to see how the individuals do—the last

Tennis Men’s ITA Northwest Reginal Championships September 24-26

Home

Golf Men’s and Women’s Pacific Invitational September 24-25

Away

Cross Country Men’s and Women’s Erik Anderson Invitational September 24

Away

Soccer Woman’s vs. Pacific Lutheran University September 24, 12pm vs. University of Puget Sound September 25, 12pm Men’s vs. Pacific Lutheran University September 24, 2:30pm vs. University of Puget Sound September 25, 2:30pm vs. Northwest Nazarene September 27, 7pm

Home Home Home Home Home

Whitman sports weekly factoid Senior defender Kate Potter (women’s soccer) was named the Northwest Conference Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week for the week of Sept. 6. few years we have had great success,” said Northam. “Fall is a great chance for everyone to get together and play and practice..”

Northam speaks fondly of his players as he looks forward to the new season. “[They are a] mature team, pretty well-balanced . . . across seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen.”

Matches will start at 8 a.m. on Saturday and progress through semi-finals, then finish with final matches on Monday the 26th.

Profile: Trainer Lexie Drechsel ’12

by SYLVIE LUITEN Staff Reporter

P

erched effortlessly on the arm of one of the many couches in her house, Drechsel sips a can of San Pellegrino Limonata.

She wears a loose top and leggings.

Profile: Lexie Drechsel Age: 21 Hometown: Carrabasset Valley, Maine Class: 2012

What does IM stand for?

Loss 2-1

Volleyball

Ethan Parrish ‘14 snags the disc above the reach of an opponent during last weekend’s Sectionals tournament in Burlington, Wash. Of the eight teams present, the Sweets were the only college team competing. Photo contributed by Ramsey

Answer: Birdie

Win 2-1 Overtime

UPCOMING

T

In golf, what is a score of one under par?

Win 2-1

Cross Country

Staff Reporter

Answer: 6 Kilometers

Men’s vs. George Fox University September 17 vs. Pacific University September 18 Women’s vs. George Fox University September 17 vs. Pacific University September 18

vs. Pacific University September 16 vs. George Fox University September 17

by KYLE HOWE

How long is a woman’s cross country race?

Soccer

Volleyball

Men’s tennis to host tournament

How well do Whitties know sports?

SCOREBOARD

You came to Whitman for the Division I skiing. How did you get started with Sports Medicine?

When I prospied at Whitman, I spent my time with two of the women’s ski team members who also both happened to be athletic trainers, so I got to see the [athletic training] program then. That was actually two years before I came to Whitman, since I took a gap year to go skiing. I also want to become a physical therapist, so the classes and working in the training room fit in well with my goal. I wanted to take the class when I first got to Whitman but wasn’t able to because of conflicts until first semester sophomore year. Second semester when I took the advanced class with Brooke [Kennedy], who was then the athletic trainer, I actually got to start working.

How did the ski team cut affect what you do in the training room?

After the team got cut I had a lot more time to do training and go to games, although I still travel every weekend in the winter with the club Alpine team. I just

work Mondays and Tuesdays in the training room during that time.

So what do you have to do to become a Student Trainer?

You have to take the beginning Sports Medicine class and then you can actually work, but most people take the advanced class as well because they’re interested in the subject. You also have to be CPR certified.

What is your favorite part of being a Student Trainer?

[Smiling] Well, obviously I don’t like when people get hurt, but it’s really cool to watch the trainers do injury evals so that you can learn what to do. Learning all the different types of taping for ankles is fun too. Icing isn’t that great, but you get to meet all these athletes, so actually that might be the best part.

What’s coming after Whitman?

I want to take a year off to get more experience. Physical Therapy school requires a lot of experience hours and the hours I get here don’t actually count since they’re not with an actual Physical Therapist [rolls her eyes]. I’m an econ major with a bio minor so I have all the pre-reqs. I just need the hours. Of course I want to ski too.

Do you have any exciting plans this weekend?

[With a big smile] Yeah, I’m going to the [Pendleton] RoundUp; I’m really excited! I’ve never been to a rodeo and I think

Lexie Drechsel ’12 tends to an athlete’s ankle during a soccer game. Photo by Felt

we’re going to spend the night and discover the night life. I have two tests coming up this week

and I’ve been struggling with whether or not to go, but it’s a chance I might not get again.

FEATURE

Sep

22 2011

6

PAGE

The Class of 2015: Falling diversity rates present opportunity for dialogue Is Whitman a diverse campus?

The class of 2015 is made up of fewer international and first-generation students than in years past. This week, Feature investigates the reasons behind these dropping numbers. However, students and members of the Administration look beyond statistics to question what really defines diversity.

,,

Most of this is attributed to constraints on the financial aid budget this year.

Kevin Dyerly, Director of Admission

Pacific Northwest. It’s a small school. It’s not around big cities and bright lights. It’s understandable that it doesn’t draw international students as it doesn’t draw many Americans from other parts of the country,” said Mcebo Maziya ‘15, an international student from South Africa.

Junior international student Marcial Díaz Mejía, originally from Guatemala, applied to Whitman while researching Reed College during his schooling in Vancouver, B.C. He committed on a hunch, sincerely wanting a dynamic community. Mejía says that although the “international community at Whitman is really small,” it is very tight-knit,

Diversity is right beside you.

The next person you bump into is another world.

Nilce Alvarez, '14

and a lot of his closest friends are fellow international students.

“At the moment, I don’t think Whitman is doing a great job at attracting international students,” said Mejía. “It has to do with money . . . International students are competing for a only a few scholarships, and even though they are very good, they still require some sort of family contribution.”

These scholarships don’t include airfare or visa cost, which can be quite expensive.

“It prevents a lot of international admitted students from actually accepting a scholarship since they cannot afford it. In return, the low percentage of international students prevents other international prospective students from being interested in Whitman, because they see that Whitman doesn’t have a big international population,” said Mejía.

Defining Diversity Tony Cabasco, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Whitman, acknowledges that, statistically, there are fewer students in the entering class who are students of color or first-generation. He goes on to explain that as a student body, the percentage of students of color has not significantly decreased from last year, citing that in Fall 2010, Whitman had 20.1% students of color and in Fall 2011, the number changed to 19.7%.

Cabasco explains that there are a variety of characteristics that can contribute to campus diversity.

“It is important to look at diversity broadly defined,” said Cabasco, explaining the approach the admissions office takes upon selecting applicants.

Race and first-generation status are the two easiest ways to measure diversity because of the setup of the Common Application.

“There are many forms of diversity that the college values and members of the [admission] staff and I value; however, some of those are measurable, some of them are not,” said Cabasco.

In addition to these demographics, Cabasco notes that the Admission Office takes into account factors such as geographic diversity, sexual orientation, disability, religious affiliation, political view and academic interest in assessing a student’s diversity.

“Whitman students are so different and dynamic— it feels diverse even if it’s not internationally and nationally diverse. I am loving it! There’s no place I’d rather be,” Maziya said.

There are still more than ten different clubs at Whitman addressing and celebrating racial diversity, not counting those that focus on other aspects of diversity.

Esther Weathers ‘11, an Admissions Officer, recalls her experience as a “domestic

ILLUSTRATION BY BOWEN

abroad” student at Whitman.

She, like many others, found her place in the countless diversity opportunities at Whitman.

“Everybody has access to these diversity clubs. That’s not limited at all,” said Weathers.

“For some it is a little harder to break into clubs. I had a strong commitment to diversity; I’m a first-generation student myself.

I consider that diversity.”

“Diversity is right beside you.

The next person you bump into is

,,

Financial aid presents obstacles for international students According to the Admission Office, one reason for the drop in international student enrollment from last year stems from fewer need-based scholarships offered to international students yearly.

“Most of this is attributed to constraints on the financial aid budget this year,” said Kevin Dyerly, Whitman Director of Admission. “The economy, coupled with more demonstrated need for many of our students’ families, had led to increased amount of scholarship money being awarded the past couple years—both to international and U.S. students.”

Admissions also attributes the disparity in international student trends over the past few years to yield, which is the percent of admitted students who decide to enroll as firstyear students at Whitman. Since yield fluctuates every year, even one to two students “can make a difference,” said Dyerly.

“Whitman is in the humble

,,

T

hough many students complain about the lack of diversity at Whitman on a regular basis, this year they may have more cause for concern.

The class of 2015 boasts 400 first-year students from various backgrounds, only eight of whom are international students. These students, who represent four countries (Canada, China, Lesotho and South Africa), make up only two percent of the entering class this fall, a decrease from last year’s 15 international students who made up four percent of a larger class of 440. Additionally, there has been a decline in the number of firstgeneration students matriculated, 12% in 2010 and only 8% this fall. Instead of boasting the “number of countries which students are from” on the Whitman website, searches now direct to a page detailing the countries first-years have traveled to.

It is important to look at diversity broadly defined.

Tony Cabasco, Dean of Admission

another world,” said Nilce Alvarez ’14, who was raised in Quito, Ecuador. Alvarez founded the school’s Club for the Recognition of the Cultures of Minorities, and also teaches Zumba classes on campus.

Alvarez noted that she oftentimes sees students that are not part of demographic minorities feeling as though their unique personal characteristics are insufficient at making them a diverse part of campus. In her experience with students and faculty, Alvarez explains that she “feels that [Americans] are diverse but do not want to embrace it.”

“Diversity is always attractive, in any of its forms, and Whitman welcomes those forms unconditionally. If there is anything you want to see, you already have the support,” she said.

Alvarez and Cabasco agreed that curiosity is the most essential skill needed to explore the diversity already present at Whitman.

Cabasco noted that most types of diversity are not visible by simply looking at an individual, but are revealed only through talking with them about their unique experiences. Cabsco points to the Voices of Whitman program as an example of a positive way for students to share diversity.

“Just talk to people. You don’t need to look for diversity, it’s already there,” Alvarez said.

NEW STUDENT DIVERSITY

FIRST-YEAR STATS

compiled by ALYSSA FAIRBANKS Feature Editor

1% 2% 6% 9%

Native American (3)

African-American (7)

Latino or Hispanic (27)

Asian or Pacific Islander (38)

77% 5% Caucasian (318)

Not reported (22)

3221

Applications Received

400

First-Year Students

35

First-Generation College Students

58% Women

42% Men

36 States

4

Countries

80+

Countries traveled to

38

Students who founded a club or organization in high school

16

Students who were an ASB president

23%

,,,,,,, Statistics from: “What Whitties Do: A Profile of the Class of 2015,” www.whitman.edu/ content/news/classof2015

Students who were captains or cocaptains of a varsity athletic team

What does culture mean to you?

An informal, anonymous survey conducted by WEB:

Needing jokes in another language explained multiple times.

Me. I am half French/white, half Latino.

Trying to keep your heritage and traditions while incorporating them with other people’s.

Food and friends and always learning.

Understanding and tolerance.

OPINION

Sep

22 2011

7

PAGE

American Jobs Act insufficient; more assistance urgent DANIEL MERRIT Junior

E

mployment has lagged behind economic recovery. We need jobs and we need them now. President Obama’s recent push in Washington has been for a piece of legislation known as the American Jobs Act, a piece of legislation aimed at stimulating employment.

Although the act would be an excellent step towards reigniting the jobs market in some sectors of the economy, and will certainly benefit community colleges and small business, the act does little to nothing for four-year universities and their students. The American Jobs Act should be revised so that there is more focus on college students and private corporations contribute towards solving unemployment.

The American Jobs Act contains a number of provisions that would help ease unemployment.

It cuts the payroll tax in half to 3.1

percent for employers on the first $5 million in wages. This tax break is aimed at small businesses with a limited number of employees— theoretically, this would give small businesses more cash that would be used to hire workers. The plan also contains $50 billion in immediate investments in infrastructure and $5 billion for facilities modernization needs at community colleges. While all of these measures are sound possible approaches to addressing unemployment they do not go far enough in addressing the issue.

The American Jobs Act should be revised to offer incentives for corporations to aid students with their higher education, particularly master’s degrees and other forms of specialized training. For too long companies have relied on states and the federal government to help students get the education and training they need to join the workforce.

Pubic instructions and private institutions of education are suffering from grave financial problems while corporations sit on huge cash reserves. The largest barrier students face to receiving the training and education they need to get jobs is cost. Corporations need trained workers and have the finances to train them. It’s only natural that corporations should take a stake in their own interests.

Letter to the Editor

Currently, many employers have job openings but lack qualified employees to fill these positions. According to a recent survey by Human Capital Institute and TheLadders, more than half of employers said “quality of candidates” or “availability of candidates” are their greatest challenges—despite the recession. Industries like health care, green technology and energy are having a particularly hard time filling positions that require specialized training or extensive work experience.

Corporations stand to gain from helping fund worker training and higher education. Currently corporations’ large cash reserves aren’t generating a return.

By funding workers’ education and training, companies would be able to put their capital to use in a way that would make them money.

Efforts could also be made to invest in future business. Further financing of research and development would create job opportunities for educated workers in various fields and directly contribute to future cash flows.

This kind of joint effort by private and public interests is the only way that unemployment can truly be addressed. If the public sector is left to meet the burden alone employment prospects will not improve.

What are you on, and why aren’t you selling it?

ELIZABETH COLE

Sociology professor clarifies Bridges’ role

T

he members of the Department of Sociology enjoyed reading Sam Chapman’s article in the September 15 edition of The Pioneer, assuring Whitman students that we are in fact offering a full range of sociology classes this semester, despite our personnel challenges of the past six months (challenges which are not really all that uncommon at our institution).

However, it is important to clarify that Mr.Chapman’s suggestion that President Bridges was somehow a “solution” to these challenges is not really accurate.

While we are delighted to have President Bridges offering a two-credit upper level seminar on Crime, Law and Punishment to some of our junior and senior sociology majors this fall,it is not the case, as implied in this article, that he is helping us tocover departmental classes that were already scheduled to be taught this year.

President Bridges has a demanding and multifaceted job with manydiverse responsibilities, but helping us to staff our

courses is not (nor should it be) one of those responsibilities.

In fact, if there is a member of the larger Whitman community who should be thanked for allowing us to offer all of our scheduled courses, that individual is Director of Institutional Research Neal Christopherson, who graciously allowed himself to be lured back into the classroom this fall, thus freeing others on our faculty to shift their course offerings around a bit to do what had to be done to accomplish this objective.

The fact that President Bridges chose this particular semester to return to the classroom (on a limited basis) to share his considerable expertise in criminology and criminal justice with a select group of sociology students was indeed fortuitous, but it really had nothing directly to do with the “dilemma” about which Mr. Chapman writes in his otherwise informative article.

Respectfully, Keith Farrington Chair, Department of Sociology

Political Cartoon by Kelly Douglas

First-year

O

ften considered one of Whitman’s biggest selling points, its warm, friendly atmosphere was an idea driven home at this year’s convocation. Walking onto campus is like being handed a Prozac, a lollipop and one giant dose of euphoria. One student even went so far as to challenge conventional wisdom by stating that Disneyland was not, in fact, the happiest place on Earth—Whitman was. Aside from disillusioning the world’s population of children, this idea is apparently one that has students from around the country (although, admittedly mostly the Pacific Northwest) clamoring to join the ranks of current Whitties.

In my case, however, that wasn’t what drove me to apply, or even make the trek up the western seaboard and eventually settle down here four weeks ago.

Personally, the idea of being any-

where more cheerful than a place that plays polka music 24/7, has grown men and women parading around in costume-wear designed for preschoolers, and virtually requires that you plaster a smile on your face no matter how many times you’ve had your foot run over by an overzealous adolescent trying to get to the front of the teacup line makes me want to sit in a basement playing opera music until I’ve cried enough to restore the natural balance of the world.

In June, I got my first taste of the Whitman spirit: I ran into a current Whittie at a friend’s graduation party, and after my college plans had been revealed the conversation quickly exploded into a great profusion of ecstatic exclamations and exuberant gesticulation. I had never met someone so unabashedly enthusiastic about a single topic in my entire life.

I wouldn’t label myself as an entirely pessimistic person, and in fact, I am generally quite delightful to be around, but something about such excessive displays of felicity make me suspicious. One can’t be that excited about that many things all of the time. Sometimes it’s fun to hate the world. Sometimes it’s uplifting to tear apart a picture of a puppy because it makes you feel better. Or at least

that’s what I find. So when I arrived at Whitman for orientation four weeks ago and found a campus essentially comprised solely of students imploding with enthusiasm, I naturally assumed I would never be able to fit the archetype.

I wanted to take each of them aside and tell them to please take some of their happiness and save it for their post-graduate years when they were working at McDonalds to pay off student loans and rooming with a struggling musician whose gigs kept mysteriously being canceled so he could never actually pay his half of the rent. I was convinced that that much cheer was as unnatural as the manufactured brand of ecstasy they dolled out at Disneyland.

But, four weeks later, try as hard as I might, I just can’t not be happy.

I don’t know if it’s being constantly berated by the sunshine exuding from my peers, or if it’s having root beer delivered to my door for no discernible reason, or if the entire campus is some sort of government experiment that’s testing a new brand of anti-depressants on the entire Whitman community by serving it to us in our food, but the more I’m here the more I find this enigmatic elation to be entirely inescapable. And I find that I don’t particularly want to escape it.

Modern Odyssey: Comparing Kanye West with Odysseus PHILLIP CHENG First-year

W

hy is Homer’s “The Odyssey” relevant to us? In our era, all the Greek heroes are dead, no one believes in Greek gods, and the only remnants of Greek life lay in frat houses.

But, like the other freshmen, I was assigned to read Homer’s “The Odyssey.” The reading was long, so I listened to music while I read. At some point, I listened to “Touch the Sky” by Kanye West, and I discovered a striking parallel between Kanye and Odysseus.

As I was listening to Kanye’s rap, one verse stood out and seemed to resonate with the spirit of the Odysseus’s hardship: ‘Back when Gucci was the

shit to rock / Back when Slick Rick got the shit to pop / I’d do anything to say “I got it”/ Damn, them new loafers hurt my pocket/ Before anybody wanted KWest beats / Me and my girl split the buffet at KFC / Dog, I was having nervous breakdowns.’

Like Odysseus, Kanye journeyed far from home, uncertain if he would return. On his journey, he intended to achieve greatness, but his spirit wavered in his uncertainty of his success. Like Odysseus, Kanye gives in to his temptations like material goods and women even though he is never truly satisfied by them.

This spectrum of human experience extends down to college life. Each person comes seeking the means to their own ends: academic excellence to post-graduate opportunities to future job opportunities to self-discovery to self reinvention. However, the pursuit of our goals does not always make us happy. There are lots of time, work and frustration involved, so at times it is easier to stop and play.

Humans are evolved from hunter-gatherers from the Af-

rican plains, a way of life older than Homer’s “The Odyssey.”

One modern group, the !Kung Bushmen in Botswana carry on this way of life. Their lives ease by as they subsist off the bountiful land. They only work 12 hours a week to ensure their needs are met. The rest of their time is spent singing, dance, and socializing. That sounds a lot like how college life could be. Four courses, three classes a week per course, 50 minutes per class; that’s a little less than 12 hours of work each week.

With so much free time, why don’t we live like the !Kung?

Our own civilization has artificially created a way of life that values achievement more than personal happiness.

A common goal in our society is the seek fame and riches like Odysseus and Kanye.

The material gains from achieving such life goals are hollow in themselves. What brings a sense of fulfillment is the realization that our efforts have come to fruition and that our dream is finally clear.

Working towards your life

Voices from the Community

ILLUSTRATION BY VAZQUEZ

goal does not always make you happy. There are ups and downs on the road to success. Instead, reaching it fulfills you in a way that fleeting moments of happiness cannot. We all probably hope

that one day we will find what we seek. When we listen to songs like “Touch the Sky” or read “The Odyssey,” the story about struggle and triumph is entertaining, but at a deeper level it is inspiring.

What is your impression of the new first-year class?

ZOE INGERSON

PAT SPENCER

RACHEL RICE

FRITZ SIEGGERT

Junior

Professor of Geology

Sophomore

Senior

“They’re really fun. They seem super excited to try new stuff and get involved. I’m really excited to see what they do in the future.”

“From what I know of my 23 intro students and my five advisees, they seem energetic and happy. They are very well motivated.”

“The freshmen I know are rushing or in theatre. They are really nice and outgoing. I like them.”

“They’re smart. They’re very smart.

And they’re perceptive in a way I didn’t necessarily even see in my class. Also, very good looking.”

BACKPAGE

Sep

22 2011

POTTY MOUTHING

ILLUSTRATION BY PETERSON

When diversity falls, quizzes must rise Diversity is a big buzzword at our little school (and on our Feature page!). Despite our efforts to integrate a number of diverse students, have our perspectives really been expanded? We don’t actually know! So, our Backpage quizmasters have carefully crafted this quiz so that you, our esteemed readers, can find out!

1. Which country has the most Muslims? a. Indonesia b. America c. Afghanistan

5. Can you name these two Whitties correctly? a. b.

2. What is a weave? a. way to make a basket b. a form of hair extension c. a woman’s best friend 3. Who is the president of Mexico? a. Felipe Calderón b. Vicente Fox c. Carlos Salinas 4. What colors are on the Vietnam flag? a. black and yellow b. red and yellow c. green and yellow d. black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow, black and yellow

6. What is the difference between a burrito and an enchilada? a. type of tortilla b. one has stuff on top c. all of the above d. nothing e. none of the above

When ‘unpretentious’ fails . . .

Through its esteemed history, Whitman’s identity has remained open-ended, due in part to the diversity of the students and seemingly limitless slogans that could each accurately apply to Whitties. But which slogan defines Whitman the best? I recently went around campus and asked students what their slogan for Whitman would be and these are the responses I received:

Missionaries, Missionaries, we’re on top!

Whitman: Unpretentious, pretentious Northwest culture.

Whitman . . . What’s your safe word?

We learn, we live, we love . . . to party We may be missionaries, but we can get dirtier than nuns doing power squats in cucumber fields.

We’re nerdy, we’re dirty and we’re purdy.

We’re giddy, we’re witty and we’re pretty.

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We all know that piece of paper in our section bathroom stall. It’s there. It’s fun. It’s profane. It’s an age-old residence hall pastime, dating back to the early days of Whitman College, when they used quill and ink to pen dirty comments, such as, “My chap, I have the beer farts.” To the point: have you ever wondered what the opposite sex writes on its bathroom-stall comment board? Thanks to Backpage’s ardent investigative journalism (we stole these), we can now give you a glimpse.

LETTER FROM THE SLUTTITOR-IN-CHIEF

Dear Sexies, This week I’m trying a new pair of metaphorical fishnets on for size. Watch out, world, here comes a word search!

Love, Adam “Fyodor Doslutevsky” Brayton Encounters Profs. Word Search G U N S U L Y R J S Q M K C J

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