Whitman Pioneer Fall 2011 Issue 9 by Whitman College Wire

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ISSUE 9 November 3, 2011 Whitman news since 1896

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STUD WHIT ENT SU S M A SEC N ID PECTED URE CAR THE DS, A OF FOR CAM PION G PUS C I NG C E A EER S INVE REAS. SING STIG ATES . ID cr ime h its by SHELLY LE News Editor

olice arrested a Whitman student the morning of Thursday, Oct. 27, for allegedly creating false Whitman identification cards to gain swipe access to a number of restricted areas. Senior Simon Van Neste is accused of second-degree identity theft and second-degree burglary and was detained for four days at the Walla Walla County Corrections Facility. He has since been released. Whitman Information Technology Services was alerted to a series of invalid swipe attempts to a number of buildings on campus including Hunter Conservatory and Reid Campus Center and reported the issue to Campus Security on Saturday, Oct. 3. According to Director of Security Terry Thompson, the swipe records indicated that a person had attempted to enter a facility at an unusual time or had swiped his or her ID at an unexpected facility. Security subsequently interviewed nine individuals, six by phone and three inperson, whose ID numbers had been used to attempt to gain swipe access into buildings around campus. “We had one staff member whose card was used . . . numerous times to attempt access to buildings, and in fact access was gained into several buildings or at least the card activated the door. However, that staff member had his ID in his possession and he was at home,” Thompson said. Security was notified of a

camp us

number of questionable card access attempts into Reid on the night of Tuesday, Oct. 24. Van Neste was found at Reid around the time security was alerted. According to the Walla Walla Police Department press release, Van Neste was found with a homemade ID card composed of his own picture and the ID number of another student. Later investigation that day revealed two additional IDs hidden in Reid Campus Center. “The cards were just like a regular Whitman ID card, nothing on them but just the magnetic stripe,” said Craig McKinnon, assistant director of security. Subsequent to being taken into custody, Van Neste turned over a magnetic stripe card encoder and 13 stripe cards to campus security. According to police, Van Neste reported that he had used the ID cards of students, faculty and staff to gain access to secured areas around campus. The press release also reported that Van Neste had gained access to a staff member’s Whitman login password, allowing him to view all student information the staff member was able to access, including Whitman ID numbers. President George Bridges sent out an email to students, faculty and staff regarding the security breach, the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 27. see ID THEFT, page 3

Acce ss co des s tolen O by SHELLY LE and PATRICIA VANDERBILT News Editor, Editor-in-Chief

n the Whitman campus, Whitman ID cards are both credit card and key. One swipe allows access to dorms and other campus buildings, authorizes purchases to a student account, charges meals or flex dollars from a Bon Appétit meal plan and checks out materials from the library. In the aftermath of recent security breaches around campus and the arrest of senior Simon Van Neste on Thursday, Oct. 27, Chief Information Officer Dan Terrio sent an email to Whitman staff, faculty and students regarding the need for changes to the current swipe card system. At this time, Van Neste has not been formally charged with a crime. “I have consulted with President Bridges and the senior leaders on campus about this matter,” Terrio said Wednesday, Nov. 2. “Together we decided that the prudent course of action for the College is to re-encode all faculty, staff and student ID cards.” Re-encoding ID cards will take place from Monday, Nov. 7, to Sunday, Nov. 13, in the Cordiner Hall foyer. The change comes after an investigation of a number of invalid or unusual swipes at points of entry throughout the

campus over the past few weeks. “We saw card swipes trying to gain entry into areas, whether it was invalid or valid, that didn’t make sense for that particular individual trying to gain access,” said Terrio. Whitman College Technology Services and Campus Security are working together on the investigation. “All of a sudden we realized that somebody . . . had an ID card that they shouldn’t have had, and they were accessing facilities,” said Craig McKinnon, assistant director of security. He said that swipes were attempted at six buildings from nine different entry points. One of the facilities in question was Reid Campus Center. “There have been some unusual things that have happened in Reid,” said Associate Dean of Students Barbara Maxwell. “One morning, my custodian came in, and the door by the Pioneer office—that is an emergency exit only— someone had exited out of it and the alarm was ringing.” The alarm, which requires a key to shut off, was triggered between midnight and 4 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 2, when the

custodian came to the second floor of Reid to clean. The building is closed between midnight and 8 a.m. on weekends. “The other odd thing was he said that the lights were on in the Pioneer office, as if somebody had been in there. And that’s really the odd, unexplained situation that led me to ask some questions,” Maxwell said. When swipe records were checked, the most recent entry swipe to the Pioneer office was from a Whitman staff member’s ID around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1. According to Maxwell, the staff member had not accessed the Pioneer office and had not lost his ID. Pioneer Editor-in-Chief Patricia Vanderbilt left the office around 8:20 p.m. that night. “Whoever swiped in swiped in pretty quickly after she left, but then no one swiped in for the rest of the evening,” Maxwell said. Maxwell noted that this incident could have simply been a student who went down the emergency exit stairs rather than the regular exit at the other end of the hallway.

see SECURITY, page 3

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Gilbert twins on math, music and athletic excellence

A&E reviews financial thriller ‘Margin Call,’ starring Zachary Quinto

NEWS

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03 2011

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Panel talks sexuality in military

NUMBERS IN THE NEWS by KARAH KEMMERLY

by SA M CH A PM A N

News Editor

Staff Reporter

13,000

n Tuesday, Nov. 1, students gathered in Olin to participate in a conversation with three experts about masculinity in the military, the subject of this year’s gender studies round-table discussion. These experts were Zoë Wool, an Institute for Health doctoral fellow studying injured soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center; Brian Selmeski, a consultant with the U.S. Air Force who has studied military conscription of males in Ecuador; and Aaron Belkin, professor of sociology at San Francisco State University and director of the Palm Center, a think tank instrumental in repealing the army’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Suzanne Morrissey, assistant professor of anthropology and member of the gender studies steering committee, discussed the similarities in the research of the three guest speakers. “Their research is going to overlap in the areas of intimate relationships—not only intimate in explicit sexual terms, but in terms of how people who are injured and in need of support form new relationships with family and partners during dayto-day care,” Morrissey said. The three academics started out the evening by describing their current research projects. Wool related how, while conversing with patients at Walter Reed, she discovered that many male soldiers view an injury to the genitals as a fate worse than death. “It’s easy to talk about injured manhood in terms of genitals, but I’m shifting the focus away from the genitals and asking why it makes sense for us to think that way,” Wool said. “I’m thinking about personhood, how people be-

Approximate number of service members discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. SOURCE: CNN

200 million

Dollar cost of training replacements for these discharged members. SOURCE: CNN

65,000

Estimated number of military personnel who are not heterosexual. SOURCE: CNN

50,000

Number of male veterans screened positive for “military sexual trauma” at the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2009.

On Tuesday, Nov. 1, guest panelists discuss issues of masculinty and intimacy in the military during this year’s gender studies roundtable. They have done research involving conscription in Ecuador, combat injuries and sexuality in the military. Photo by von Hafften

come constituted as certain kinds of people and what the political and moral implications of that are.” Selmeski began working with the Ecuadoran army 12 years ago. “A decade ago, I was interested in how you could take a society cross-cut by profound ethnic, racial, class and geographic distinctions and make a cohesive military organization,” Selmeski said. “The answer is with a common, imposed sense of what it means to be a man. As you try to make an inclusive military, who or what is excluded? Why, how and to what broader effect?” One of the duties of Belkin’s think tank was to generate news relating to a troublesome aspect of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. As part of his introduction, he

told a story about the Pentagon’s “moral waivers” program, which let convicted terrorists serve in the U.S. military while qualified homosexual soldiers were sent home. After discussing their works, the participants fielded questions from the audience. Students questioned Selmeski on the origins of a test in which Ecuadoran military recruits are forced to strip naked in public, and all three responded to an audience member who wondered if the anti-war and pro-gay-rights movements were incompatible. “The main idea holding the policy in place for 17 years was that allowing people to be openly gay would undermine the military,” Belkin said. “[Policy supporters] claimed that anyone wanting

SOURCE: NEWSWEEK

to repeal it was an antimilitarist.” Students who attended the discussion were presented with several different viewpoints, and came away with a new synthesis of ideas. “I took away that masculinity in the military is a structure that is not entirely real,” said first-year Brandon Hunzicker. “It’s used to enforce things that the military does and to protect it from criticism.” Associate Professor of Religion Melissa Wilcox hopes that students benefited from the lecture. “Part of our goal is to model academic debate, because not all of our authors agree,” Wilcox said. “The kind of conversation that they’ll have between themselves is the kind of conversation we hope students will learn to have.”

Percentage of military personnel who are female. SOURCE: THE HUFFINGTON POST

Percentage of women in military academies who claimed to have been sexually harassed during the 2009-2010 school year. SOURCE: THE ANNUAL REPORT ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE AT THE MILITARY SERVICE ACADEMIES

Percentage increase in reports on sexual harassment at military academies from 2009-2010. SOURCE: THE ANNUAL REPORT ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND VIOLENCE AT THE MILITARY SERVICE A C A D E M I E S

Security reveals potential high-risk locations on campus by SA M CH A PM A N Staff Reporter

he landscape of campus changes when you’re a Whitman security officer. A peaceful place to sit and read or an easy path to take to get to class could become a more dangerous area after dark. These spots—whether poorly lit at night or difficult to see from trafficked areas—see criminal activity more often than others. Associate Director of Security Craig McKinnon stressed that although no area of campus is truly unsafe, some, due to more frequent criminal activity, draw more frequent patrols. “There really isn’t a dangerous spot. When we have crime occur, sometimes we’ll have areas that get hit harder, but to say that they’re dangerous would be misleading,” McKinnon said. “We’ve had activity on the tennis courts when the lights are out. There has been intermittent activity between Science and Olin. We’ve seen some activity in Narnia and the amphitheater area and, of course, a lot between Jewett and Olin because we have frat houses over there.” On patrol, McKinnon is on the lookout for criminal activity, such as assault, name-calling, threats and intimidation, and such suspicious activity as loitering by unknown figures. “Assaults are not very frequent on this campus,” he said. “We’ve had moments when there’s been half a dozen in a semester, generally because a group— for example, a gang or disorganized group from Walla Walla— comes onto campus looking for trouble or [because of] one person with a criminal mindset.” The most frequent criminal activity taking place in these spots is alcohol and drug use in violation of college policies. These violations can range from a simple open

bottle to public disorderliness and belligerence. Security Officer John Delaney described an area of concern on the street side of Olin Hall, known to students as “The Grates.” “We’re keeping an eye on it at night. We’ve found empty baggies [from previous drug use] back there,” Delaney said. “You just don’t know who’s going to be back there. We’re trying to figure out a way to alleviate it.” In addition to stepping up patrol visits to higher-crime spots, security officers have other tools they can use to make the area safer. “They may be lighting it up; they may down some shrubbery around the area,” Delaney said. “A lot of the dark spots on campus have had shrubs removed to open them up.” In the past, several areas on campus have had plant coverage removed in order to decrease hidden activity. Director of security Terry Thompson related that Narnia was once a highalert location for his officers. “A few years ago, Narnia was just a pit. It was overgrown with all sorts of plants. You couldn’t see it from Boyer,” Thompson said. “It was just an invite for somebody to get raped down there. So the grounds crew came in and totally remodeled it. You try to eliminate cover for criminal activity.” Poorly lit areas or areas hidden from public view can also exacerbate the problem of criminal activity by non-students on campus. Thompson explained how crime in Walla Walla can spill into areas such as Isaacs Avenue, the Glover Alston Center—a frequent destination for homeless campers—and even the heart of campus. “Because we have open buildings, we have non-students show up frequently. A lot of our bicycle thefts are related to non-students,” Thompson said. “At night we keep an eye on Isaacs. There’s been a significant increase in

gang activity in Walla Walla in the last few years—shootings, drive-bys, that sort of thing. So we keep an eye on traffic.” Whitman security maintains a strict policy of approaching any suspicious non-students and making bystanders aware of their presence. At night, they target any activity in dark or hidden areas such as the amphitheater. “We have a set policy on the campus, and we have to abide by law,” McKinnon said. “Our mindset is to approach everything with an open mind; everything’s fine unless we see something that warrants contact.” Though the average student has nothing to fear at Whitman on a typical night, Thompson has advice for anybody worried about passing near a more dangerous spot. “We suggest people travel in groups. Be aware of your sur-

According to security, hidden areas like this Olin East corridor can pose security problems. Other troublesome areas include “Narnia” and “The Grates.” Photo by Felt

roundings if you’re alone. Stay out on the street or on the sidewalk, and have your cell phone ready to call security,” he said.

“And if we will need to provide.

you’re really concerned, escort you to where you go. That’s a service we It’s not very well used.”

EDITOR I A L

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EDITORIAL POLICY

Editor-in-Chief Patricia Vanderbilt

Production Manager Ted Hendershot

NEWS

Business Manager Hailun Zhou

Managing Editor Cara Lowry

Production Associates Katie Berfield, Alecia Kaer, Carter Muenchau, Maddison 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 Sports Editor Libby Arnosti Feature Editors Alyssa Fairbanks Kelsey Kennedy Opinion Editor Kyle Seasly Humor Editor Adam Brayton Photography Editor Ethan Parrish Illustration Editor Binta Loos-Diallo

Infographic Designer Krystal Huang Chief Copy Editor Erik Larson Copy Editors Aleida Fernandez Marisa Ikert

PHOTOGRAPHY

Marin Axtell, Cade Beck, Caitlin Bergman, Faith Bernstein, Allie Felt, David Jacobson, Jack Lazar, Chaoyu Li, Marie von Hafften

ILLUSTRATION

Alex Bailey, MaryAnne Bowen, Kelly Douglas, Emily Johnson, Julie Peterson, Jung Song, Eduardo Vazquez

Samuel Chapman, Josh Goodman, Molly Johanson, Emily Lin-Jones, Kyle Seasly, Dylan Tull, Rose Woodbury, Allison Work

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Clara Bartlett, Nathan Fisher, Alex Hagen, Kyle Howe, Mallory Martin

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Webmaster Kirk Crosland

Molly Emmett, Tyler King, Sandra Matsevilo, Frances Nunn, Kinsey White

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Maddy Bell, Sarah Debs, Kyle Howe, Pamela London, Sylvie Luiten, Matt Tesmond

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Philip Cheng, Elizabeth Cole, Blair Frank, Benjamin Roberson, Alfredo Villaseñor

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Elena Aragon, Cari Cortez, Tabor Martinsen, Dana Thompson

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Letters to Editor may be submitted to The Pioneer via email 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.

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

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NEWS 3 WHITMAN WORMS WELCOMED ASWC to vote on media bylaw PAGE

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03 2011

by EMILY LIN-JONES Staff Reporter

Members of the Industrial Composting Working Group and Campus Climate Challenge hold a ceremony to introduce the public to the newly installed vermicomposter on Saturday, Oct. 29. The shed is home to over 45,000 worms. Photos by Felt

WHITMAN STUDENT FEES AT WORK ASWC FINANCE MEETING 10/27 • Request of $500 from Service Learning Organizations fund to cover cost of registration for 50 members of Campus Climate Challenge to attend Power Shift 2011 Youth Conference in Eugene, Ore. Request passed unanimously. • Request of $150 from Contingency fund for Campus Climate Challenge to screen “The Greenhorns” documentary. Request passed unanimously. ASWC SENATE MEETING 10/30 • Confirmation of alternates for Council on Student Affairs: Keiler Beers Anna Dawson Jacob Harwood Confirmed unanimously • New ASWC clubs confirmed: Film Club Japanese Cooking Club Magic the Gathering • Proposed ASWC bylaw amendment to include the statement: “Voting members are free to develop their own philosophies on how to allocate ASWC funding and vote accordingly insofar as it is consistent with the bylaws.” Amendment passed

Card system to change from SECURITY, page 1

“There’s multiple things that could have happened,” she said. “To this day, I really don’t have a good explanation.” Each Whitman ID card has a magnetic stripe on its back, also known as a magstripe. The information on the card is read by magnetic sensors such as the card swipes on the entrances to buildings and offices on campus. Magnetic stripes are limited in the amount of information that they can hold. Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland responded affirmatively when asked if the Whitman ID number was the only information that goes into the making of the card. “You can gain access to some locations on campus if you have an ID number,” Cleveland said. The magnetic sensors are able to read a variety of in-

formation from the ID number, such as the cardholder’s access to buildings or the amount of flex dollars in the account. According to Terrio, the current magnetic swipe system is 12-15 years old. It is set to be updated in the near future, before it reaches its “end of life” in November 2012 and is no longer supported by the vendor. “We will be interested in replacing the system, probably this summer time frame,” Terrio said. In the meantime, Terrio notes that certain aspects of Whitman security should be reconsidered. A security consultant from outside of Whitman has been called in to provide advice on the security practices in place on campus. “Through this process, I think that the college as a whole needs to have some conversation about access, access to facilities, who has access, when people have access,” Terrio said.

ID CARDS BY THE NUMBERS Magnetic stripe cards standard in the United States since the Magstripe writers (or “encoders”) are available online for under Standard ID card printers can be bought for under 50 blank magnetic cards can be purchased on Amazon for

1970s $250 $500 $9.00

Research class attends conference by DY L A N T U LL Staff Reporter

ommunity-Based Research as a Democratic Practice, commonly known as State of the State, is a politics class with a focus on community involvement. Unlike most classes at Whitman, it forces students to put down the textbooks and instead learn through hands-on community involvement and research. Recently, the class attended a prominent conference in Seattle, Wash., where it learned from and discussed immigration issues with community leaders in Washington State and researchers from across the nation and around the world. Professor of Politics & Paul Chair Political Science Paul Apostolidis created the program in 2005 with two key goals in mind: to give Whitman students the opportunity to gain invaluable skills through partnering with the community and to provide research material that is useful to community members and leaders throughout the state. His students do this by learning to become legitimate researchers, sharing their research with others and using their findings to implement concrete change. “[State of the State] is a community research-based class, where each student is supposed to write a report on an issue relating to the Latino communities in Washington State. We write [substantial reports] fall semester, and spring semester is dedicated to spreading our findings,” said senior class member Seth Dawson.

Junior Madelyn Peterson described the research project that she is working on for the class. “My research is focusing on the impact of a federal immigration policy, Secure Communities, on the relationship between Latino communities and local law enforcement in the Tri-Cities,” she said. Recently the class traveled to Seattle for the weekend to attend and participate in the National Immigrant Integration Conference hosted by the organization OneAmerica. There the students were able to learn from and interact with other researchers. “It is an annual conference talking about different issues facing immigrant populations, and what people are doing on a local level to provide resources for immigrant populations, and being in solidarity with those populations,” Peterson said. The 16 State of the State students volunteered at the conference, which gave them a unique and substantial role. The students helped by keeping track of lecture time and taking official notes throughout the conference. Most importantly, they could participate in the conference, discussing and sharing ideas with the other researchers. “We could ask questions, interact with everyone, and then there was also a researchers’ caucus after the conference one day. That was really great, because we got to talk with other researchers from all across the nation and a couple people from out of the country, and

kind of network, share our research so far,” said Dawson. There were people from 38 different states and seven different countries in attendance, making a total of 750 attendees at the conference. The topics discussed at the conference were directly in line with the students’ research and invaluable in helping them improve their own projects. Peterson described how the panels she attended applied to her own project. “The conference discussed lots of different themes and different issues facing immigrant populations, one of which was human rights and immigration law and law enforcement. During that track, we discussed, with all different kinds of professionals and people working in labor unions and such, what the implications of immigration policy are on human rights and what rights are being violated,” she said. Senior Katie DeCramer noted that State of the State is in one of the most unique and valuable classes on campus, highlighting the conference as a motivator to continue to work towards social justice. “It’s so valuable. I’m learning so much. To interview someone and to listen to them about their experiences with race and with culture, it’s so different than getting out your textbook and reading a chapter about someone’s experience with race,” she said. To follow State of the State’s community-based research online, go to www.walatinos.org.

series of revisions to ASWC’s bylaws may change the way ASWC distributes funding to student organizations and initiatives. Four of the revisions would moderate the use of the Travel and Student Development fund, while the fifth would institute a more rigorous review process for all media organizations on campus. “The impetus for this is that this semester we’ve spent almost all of the money in the Travel and Student Development fund. We’re not even halfway through the semester and this money’s supposed to last all year,” said senior senator Adam Michel, one of the co-authors of the proposed revisions. Michel and fellow senior senator Zach Duffy proposed several changes to the bylaws governing ASWC’s finance committee. One revision would require that the committee review all applications for funding side by side each semester, instead of approving or denying requests on a rolling basis. “Right now there’s this idea of first-come first-serve. If I have a trip that’s going in September, I probably have a very good chance of getting funding, whereas the people who might want to take a trip at the beginning of May probably have very little chance of getting funded,” said Duffy. One of the more controversial revisions would require all campus media organizations to be re-approved by the ASWC Senate every four years. The revised bylaw would also give new media organizations provisional status for their first three years of existence, during which they would need to be re-approved each year. “I think it’s incredibly problematic. I in no way endorse this bylaw,” said ASWC president Matt Dittrich. “I’ve always been of the opinion that, dollar for dollar, [media organizations are] one of the best student investments we have. There’s no other investment that touches people’s lives so regularly and meaningfully as our media organizations.” The editors of me-

dia organizations affected by the bylaw have also expressed their concern. “While I’m very confident that we would meet any standards that ASWC would impose upon us, I’m worried about the implication that media organizations have to continue to work extra hard to fulfill some abstract criteria that ASWC is putting out there. I understand the need to be a little bit more fiscally conservative considering the place ASWC’s in financially, but I don’t think the way to do that is attacking the existence of media organizations,” said sophomore Ben Lerchin, editor of Whitman’s official yearbook Waiilatpu. Other media organization heads were reluctant to fully endorse the proposal in its current state. Senior Evelina Miropolsky, co-editor of Whitman’s yearly literary publication blue moon, expressed concern with the logistics of a four-year review process. “The heads [of media organizations] change every year, so that makes it difficult because you might be elected editor-in-chief and be made to deal with all the issues that were left behind for you. It seems a little odd that you could be possibly penalized for something that had been left for you when you took over,” said Miropolsky. ASWC Nominations Chair Ruby Glaser noted that the bylaw, once edited with the input of media organizations in mind, could end up positively affecting the relationship between ASWC and campus media. “I think the overall goal of [the bylaw] is not bad. I think having the senators more informed is an excellent thing, but I’m not sure how it’s written gets that motivation across,” she said. The revisions must pass through the Student Affairs Committee before they are presented to the Senate. Despite the controversy the initial draft may have provoked, both senators were firm in their belief in the necessity of the changes. “There’s going to be a significantly different way that ASWC funds organizations at the end of the year. I’m confident of that,” said Duffy.

Investigation ongoing from ID THEFT, page 1

“At this point, the investigations have found no evidence that the student obtained access to confidential or private information retained by other campus community members or to critical and confidential data retained by the College,” Bridges said. “We believe that most aspects of the network and the information it contains remain very secure.” Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland noted that, because the investigation is still ongoing, the college cannot take an

official stance in determining whether Van Neste has formally violated any school policies. “There are all kinds of accusations and allegations, but the investigations are still going on, there are no final conclusions about anything, and it will be up to the council on student affairs to determine whether or not there’s been a policy violation,” he said. The investigation is now being handled by Walla Walla’s Police Computer Forensics Investigator, who will be processing numerous hard drives for further evidence.

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A&E

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Hasan Elahi spoke on Thursday, Oct. 27, in Maxey Auditorium. The artist presented images and documentation from his Tracking Transience website and other recent creative projects. Photo by Li

Artist Hasan Elahi confronts FBI profiling, prejudice with creative new media solutions by CLARA BARTLETT Staff Writer

n 2002, artist Hasan Elahi was apprehended by the FBI in Detroit after stepping off a plane coming from the Netherlands. Elahi was detained on suspicion of terrorism. While today it is clear that the accusations in question were misguided, the Bangladeshi-born American still remains on the terrorist watch list. An avid traveler, Elahi anticipated that his new relation-

ship with airports would be less than ideal. In order to avoid further detainment or miscommunication, Elahi made a point of contacting the FBI to alert them of his traveling schedules. What started out as simple phone calls soon turned into detailed emails of flight numbers, flight times, specific locations and plans. “Why just tell FBI agents when I can tell everyone?” This question, as posed by Elahi in his Thursday, Oct. 27, lecture in Maxey Auditorium, sparked

Elahi’s project “Tracking Transience,” a website that not only tracks Elahi’s current location, but also includes a collection of over 20,000 images extending back three years, along with records of his bank, phone, airport and grocery store activity. Elahi elaborated on his motivations in an email correspondence with The Pioneer. “Artists are problem solvers, and unlike in other professions, instead of finding the most direct solution to the prob-

lem and moving onto the next one, we tend to come up with the most intricate way to solve the problem,” said Elahi. “Sometimes we choose to solve that problem over and over, and each time the solution is different.” Elahi solved his own problem in an exquisitely complex fashion. He actively watches himself better than any FBI agent ever could, through the means of an expansive and detailed cyber account of his daily activities. Elahi’s brilliant and in-

souciant response to the indignity of profiling left the audience of Whitman students chuckling as the artist presented his recent works and Tracking Transience website on a projector. “The project is ongoing,” Elahi explained. “I don’t really think about it. It’s become as commonplace as checking my email, voicemail or my facebook page. Documenting my life is something that I have internalized to the point where I don’t even know I’m doing it.”

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

Spice Up Your Life MECCA presents an evening of delicious food and celebration! Come to enjoy zumba, salsa dancing, chips, salsa and virgin margaritas. Thursday, Nov. 3, 8 p.m. - 9 p.m. MECCA.

Whitman Fall Jazz Ensemble Concert The Music Department presents the annual Fall Jazz Ensemble Concert, conducted by Assistant Professor of Music Douglas Scarborough. Friday, Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Chism Recital Hall.

Cramlet Come experience Cramlet, a whirlwind festival celebrating Shakespeare’s classic with six adaptations of Hamlet in under 45 minutes. Admission is free. Tuesday, Nov. 8, 9 p.m. - 10 p.m. Kimball Auditorium.

The State of Food in America Authors and organic food advocates Chantal Valentine ‘96 and her husband Shane share a multimedia presentation delving into America’s relationship to food. Wednesday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Maxey Auditorium.

by A LEX H AGEN Staff Writer

amed “wizard rock” band Harry and the Potters took the stage of the Reid Campus Center on Saturday, Oct. 29, delivering an energetic, exciting concert experience. The show was made possible by KWCW, WEB and the DJs of “The Witching Hour.” While interviewing the band during a tour stop in Portland last summer, seniors Mehera Nori and Sara Rasmussen and sophomore Claire Johnson persuaded the band to play a show at Whitman this fall. While the elements of Harry Potter and rock music may seem incongruous, there is something about wizard rock that clicks. “I think it’s one of those things that just works,” said senior Carissa Wagner, who helped bring the band to campus as Music Entertainment Director for WEB. “You hear it and it just makes you feel good and it works.” “[They’re] singing about something that’s like, for a lot of kids in our generation, our childhood, so it’s

KWCW DJ Sara Rasmussen ‘12 (above left) of ‘The Witching Hour’ dances in the crowd while Joe DeGeorge and Paul DeGeorge of wizard rock band Harry and the Potters (above middle and right) play to a packed audience in Reid Coffeehouse. Photo by Bergman

just

enjoyable,” said Nori. The band, comprised of brothers Joe and Paul DeGeorge with Jacob Nathan on drums, commented on the creation of wizard rock. “I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if Harry sort of got his aggression and put his anti-authoritarian streak into punk rock music?” said Paul DeGeorge. “Instead of playing Quidditch, maybe he was playing in a band.” Cargo. I was just kind of walking around the city streets with my best friends and we stumbled upon this little store. I guess it’s kind of special in that it reminds me of my best friends from high school that maybe I don’t always see a lot.”

Evan Griffis ‘15 (above) models his edgy style. Griffis spoke in support of personal expression in fashion and the transcendence of narrow stereotypes. Photo by Beck

STYLE

SPOTLIGHT Every week, The Pioneer searches out Whitties who bring an extra splash of fashion consciousness and sartorial daring to campus. This week’s Style Spotlight: first-year Evan Griffis.

Style Soundbites “One of my dear friends was traveling in London last year, and she was just kind of buying a bunch of souvenirs on her trans-European trip. She got this scarf for herself and decided that she didn’t actually need another scarf, and I also didn’t need another scarf, but when she came back she gave me it. So

this is my London scarf, and I really like it because it’s bright, and I think it’s good to not be afraid to use colors. I think a lot of guys especially are hesitant to throw in something that’s really bright like a red scarf, so that’s something I try to do every once in a while. My military jacket—this is one of my more recent purchases. I got it just a few weeks ago at Goodwill—the one in Walla Walla. It was only $6, so I couldn’t really say no to it. I just think it’s kind of cool to have something a little more military to kind of blur the idea of masculinity with a more feminine cut or something more fashionable.” “My ring is, I would say, definitely my favorite piece of jewelry. I bought this in Portland at a foreign import store—it’s called

“My boots are officially my latest purchase because I got these just when I was back home last weekend. I needed boots really, really badly. I guess I had some black ones, but brown wingtip was really my goal. I think boots are a must-have for the fall season right now. Especially crossing Ankeny late at night—you can’t really do it in little sneakers. You’ll get grass and dew all over.” “A lot of people will look at me kind of strange if I am wearing a necktie just to Jewett dinner or something, but I really feel that every day I feel so much better when I know that I’m looking my best. So I guess my general philosophy would just be to really look your best whenever you can. I think it does more for your self-confidence and your self-esteem than anything else.” “I think it’s cool to just not dress in ways that are, like, specifically expected of males because I think that’s bullshit—how it’s seen as effeminate to dress nicely. I’m gay and whatever, but still, it makes me mad when guys come up to me and they’re like, ‘I wish I could dress like you,’ or ‘I wish I could wear that,’ or something. It’s like, ‘You can.’”

As the popularity of the Harry Potter series has grown, so has the visibility and popularity of Harry and the Potters. “We’re actually able to bring new fans in because Harry Potter does such a good job of bringing in new fans over time,” said Paul DeGeorge. “I think there’s a whole new generation after you that’s gonna discover these books too.” During the band’s 90-minute

set, they never once let their energy or enthusiasm die down. The audience, which nearly filled the basement of Reid, was lively and spirited. Singing along to Harry and the Potters’ clever lyrics, clapping and dancing to their intense beats, everyone involved found the concert to be a fun-filled experience. Thanks to the band, this year’s Halloween weekend became a bit spookier, much sillier and a lot more fun.

‘Unpretentious’ improv kicks off by M A LLORY M A RTIN Staff Writer

xciting news for improv fans: Whitman is now home to a second improvisational group under the name “Unpretentious Comedy.” Junior English major Katie Haaheim decided to create Unpretentious Comedy after participating in the competitive audition process for Varsity Nordic back in September. “There was obviously enough talent and interest on campus to fuel a second team,” Haaheim said. “So why not?” Although Unpretentious Comedy is still in the “pre-production” phase, Haaheim has a some ideas of what she wants from the team. “I wanted to create a setting for anyone interested in improv to get a chance to practice,” she said. “We may pick a set performing group and have everyone else interested come to occasional open practices. We may have performers rotate for each show we do. I am still very much evaluating at this point.” First-year Eli Zavatsky, a member of Varsity Nordic, was optimistic about the relationship between the improv groups. “Hopefully we’ll be collaborative,” he said. “But we’re very different from each other. Unpretentious does more of a short-form-style improv. We’re much more long-form.” According to Zavatsky, longform performers create their shows through a few longer scenes with

actors trading off in roles. In comparison, short-form improv focuses on many quick scenes and oneliners for a more rapid-fire humor. The members of Unpretentious Comedy have been rehearsing together since September, but Parents Weekend saw their first official performance, a collaborative effort with Varsity Nordic. “Improv is a kick because it demands you be on your toes and hyper-aware of the people around you all the time,” said first-year Unpretentious member Evelyn Levine. “When it is done just right, everyone is on the same ‘brain train’ and having a fantastic time.” So what will Unpretentious Comedy be doing next? According to Haaheim, some workshops with a professional instructor are under development. Although there are no shows planned for the near future, anyone interested in participating can like the group’s Facebook page for updates.

New members of ‘Unpretentious Comedy’ practice their craft. Photo by Bernstein

SPORTS

Nov

03 2011

PAGE

Women score NWC honors

SCOREBOARD Cross Country Men’s NWC Championships Oct. 29 Women’s NWC Championships Oct. 28

Wood takes 15th Campbell, Gilberts earn all-NWC Honors

Soccer

Men’s vs. Willamette University Oct. 29 vs. Linfield College Oct. 30 Women’s vs. Lewis & Clark College Oct. 29 vs. Linfield Collge Oct. 30

Swimming

Men’s and Women’s NWC Sprint Pentathalon Oct. 28

Win 2-1 (OT) Win 2-0 Win 4-0 Loss 2-1

Hawkins, Mering place 2nd, 3rd in NWC 2nd

NWC Relay Meet Oct. 29

Volleyball

vs. Pacific Lutheran University Oct. 28 vs. University of Puget Sound

Loss 3-1 Loss 3-1

UPCOMING Soccer Marisol Fonzeca ‘12 takes the ball out from between the legs of Linfield opponents during last Saturday’s home game. This fall season, three Whitman women have been named NWC Athlete of the Week. Most recently, midfielder and captain Jaclyn Rudd ‘13 won the award after netting four goals in last weekend’s two games against Lewis & Clark and Linfield. The women wrap up their season this Friday, Nov. 5, with an away match against Willamette University. Photo by Jacobson

Pioneer survey on Missionary mascot

Teams choose alternative mascots

What do you think about the mascot?

by PA MEL A LONDON

It is historical and has significant ties to the founding of the school. Non-athlete, '12

The term “missionaries” carries a very negative connotation and is strongly associated with a history of imposing religious views on others. Varsity Alum

,, ,,

I don’t think our sports are taken as seriously as they should be because of the mascot. Non-athlete, '15

Staff Reporter

ome of the most successful teams around campus share a similar trait: They do not call themselves the Whitman Missionaries. Women’s rugby—a club team—calls itself the Motherruckers and has been known as such since the team began. The “ruckers” in “Motherruckers” refers to a rugby play in which the players set up a “ruck” over the ball to protect it following a tackle, according to senior Becky Nevin. “And our mascot is a tractor— a little known fact,” added Nevin. A second team with an alternate name is the Sweets, Whitman’s Ultimate Frisbee team. Between 1982—when the Ultimate program was founded—and 1993, the team went by the name “The Intuitive Leapers.” Since 1993, however, its name has been the Sweets. While several teams at Whitman have chosen alternative names and even mascots to go by, each title represents something in the Whitman community. For the Sweets, the choice

to create an alternate name is based on the culture of collegiate Ultimate across the country. “We probably decided to have an alternative mascot mostly because of the culture of Ultimate,” said senior Ben McGinn. “Almost no college Ultimate team uses their school’s official mascot . . . Henceforth, if we wanted to be liked in the college Ultimate community, then

we had to conform to the nonconformity of the culture.” Despite the clear success and general popularity of these teams, there is still a facet of the Whitman community that does not take them as seriously as they deserve. Specifically regarding Ultimate, McGinn attributes this to the fact that some people think the Sweets is a silly team name. “Whitties use our name as

Men’s vs. Willamette University Nov. 5 Women’s vs. Willamette University Nov. 5

Volleyball

vs. Whitworth University Nov. 2, 6 p.m. vs, Lewis & Clark College Nov. 5, 5 p.m.

Away Away

Home Home

another reason to dismiss us and our sport simply as a bunch of goofy, disc-throwing hippies,” said McGinn. “That being said, we’re better at our sport than any team that is known as ‘The Missionaries’ is at their sport.” Much debate has abounded in recent years about whether or not Whitman should change its mascot from the Missionaries. For teams like rugby and Ultimate, a name change is a rather moot point, but they would prefer to continue to use their alternate names and not have a change forced upon them. “I would not care if Whitman changed its mascot’s name,” said McGinn. “That being said, it would be a bummer if they decided to steal our name, because then we’d need to change our name again so that we could preserve the nonconformity of college Ultimate.” No matter what happens, the Motherruckers and Sweets were definitely the pioneers of alternate team names at Whitman.

ILLUSTRATION BY JOHNSON

Athlete profile: Twins Emilie and Katri Gilbert ’13 talk XC, basketball by M A DDY BELL Staff Reporter

or junior cross country runners Emilie and Katri Gilbert, the shift from fall to winter sports seasons means running in two different directions: one onto the court and one into the stands. As both sisters are finishing their 2011 cross country season and Emilie continues to prepare for the varsity basketball season, The Pioneer asked them about what this transition means to them as sisters and as athletes. Do you train together or on your own in the fall? Emilie: During [the cross country] season we have easy run days, and you can come in at 4 or you can do it on your own time based around your schedule. So a lot of times we just run in the mornings together. It’s a huge advantage we have . . . and our teammates hate us for having a buddy to run with. Katri: It makes it so much easier to run. Emilie: Yeah, and we’re mature beyond the point of making every run a competition, so it’s not like that. In the winter . . . we’ll run together at home during winter break, and that’s good because after you stop running regularly it becomes a little bit harder. So she’s a good gauge for me—like, I have to stay with her. How do you continue to support each other with one of you in the off-season during the winter? Katri: I attend all the basketball games I can, and— Emilie: And that follows with a post game chat where I get a review about how the team performed and how I performed. Katri: (Laughs) Oh, yeah. Well . . . it’s funny to see everything because I know what’s going on and it’s easy to see the

things they do well and the things they can improve on. Emilie: ‘You should have used your backside help in the second half. You have to get your hand in the passing lane more. Na-na-na-na-na.’ Katri: (Laughs) Yeah, stuff like that. Then over winter break even, I’ll travel with my parents to watch her games. It’s fun. I like watching.

Does it help to have Katri there to keep you going? Emilie: Yeah, we’re a team. Katri: We’ll run together and sometimes [freshman year] I would go help her shoot. Do you still help her shoot? Katri: It’s really hard because I miss it . . . but since I decided I was going to double major with music, I don’t want to risk injury. With violin it’s very finger-technical, and, I mean, my right hand is already jammed up from basketball, and I don’t want to risk [injury], especially playing one on one. Emilie: And there’ll be time for it eventually. Katri: Yeah, there’ll be time for that later. Especially this winter with recitals, I need to focus on that and make sure I don’t have any injuries. How do you balance life outside of sports with your athletic involvement? Katri: I try to make sure that when I’m doing something I’m really putting my best effort into it and not worrying about what I have to do afterwards. I might shower quickly and go to orchestra and focus through that. It doesn’t leave a lot of downtime, but . . . it’s really fun—I enjoy it because everything I do is really different. Emilie: People think it’s crazy that I’ll go run a workout with the cross-country team and then go

play an open gym for an hour and a half but that’s something we’ve always done, just going from one thing to the next. Even starting in middle school, we had soccer practice . . . then basketball practice, [and then] we would go play more basketball with friends after that—so that’s three practices and then homework. It seems really normal for me, and I just think of it as a reset button. The hardest part is afterward. By the time you’ve showered and eaten you really don’t want to do homework, but a lot of times—I’m and Econ-Math major, so if I have [homework] I can say, ‘Okay, let’s get these six problems done and then I can do something else’.

How does that carry over when you transition from one season training together to off-season or winter season? Katri: Since I don’t play basketball anymore I mostly just keep running. I take a week or so off [but] in terms of the actual time spent running, it doesn’t change that much. During season it’s all about juggling all these different things and after season, you have all this free time to get stuff done . . . I put more time into other things, like my music, so everything balances out in the end. Emilie: For me, it’s been different every season. In high school, cross country ended on Saturday with the state meet and basketball began on Monday, so that was never an overlap, which was great. Here, it’s a huge overlap because basketball starts midOctober and the conference race is the last weekend in October. My freshman year I was the sixth runner for our team and we were looking to make nationals, so our coach said I was not allowed to practice or play at open gyms at all. So I would just go and watch. This season, with our national ranking being third in the re-

gion and second in the conference, we’re looking to knock off Lewis & Clark at the regional race to make it to nationals as a team. So we’ve decided— both Michelle Ferenz and Scott Shields—that I should not partic-

ipate in contact during practice. But it’s better this year because I know [how Whitman basketball works] so I’ll be able to jump in with a much better transition than I did my freshman year when I didn’t know anything.

Emilie and Katri Gilbert ‘13 won NWC all-conference honors at last weekend’s Conference Championship meet, taking 11th and 13th place, respectively. The pair continues to train in preparation for the West Regional meet on Nov. 12. Photo by Jacobson

FEATURE

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03 2011

PAGE

Majorly Competitive?

I mean, it’s easy to single out the philosophy majors because that’s who I’ve had pretentious people in class with. -Ally Gibson

Across campus there is spirited debate over which students work the hardest, have the easiest major and are most pretentious about their academic department. Some students reject these categories, suggesting instead that any liberal arts major is what you make of it. And so, beyond the inter-school competition is a more serious question: How does a Whitman bachelor’s degree, regardless of major, prepare us for life after graduation?

Biology major, ’13

What’s the most pretentious major? Whitties discuss online at www.whitmanpioneer.com

ILLUSTRATION BY DOUGLAS

Bachelor’s degree provides foundations for future MAJORS T ES D MUSI S HIL IC Y L PSTUDIES

OG ONL I EN M BBRO HY T

TROPHYS AS

SIC

M B B

ISTRY MMATH

CHE

I S Y S TO R OR C H Y A R T H I S T I SH O LO L G Y EN G

ER ST

CI N O MG O LO ES I S EA

O RS

GE N

IC S

T UD ER I ES

Y SPA NISH

Responses from a Pioneer poll asking students to weigh in on the hardest and easiest majors.

obvious that the environment and medicine and social work and all of these things fit together, but they do in fact fit together beautifully.”+

PH C OSO POLITY

HA R

turning their back on some of their other interests,” said Buchanan. “I think that everything is connected, and it may not be, at first blush,

A RTS

schools use to judge applicants. “Most professional schools, if they don’t require it, they highly, highly, highly encourage students to have one, two, three years after their undergraduate completion before they enroll in their programs,” said Leavitt. “They want that space of time in order for those college graduates to have the chance to work, to be involved in organizations, to be involved in businesses, to learn about communities, to develop skills, to be tested in leadership positions and management positions, to face challenges about work situations before they then go on, drawing on all of those experiences, and then return to the classroom.” While almost all undergrads stress endlessly about their major, that doesn’t have to be a deciding factor for their career path. The overall skills learned from a liberal arts education combined with the experience and accomplishments both during and after undergrad are more important to future employers typically then the specific major a student selected. While some Whitties follow predictable tracks (classics major becomes a Latin and Greek teacher), there are no prescribed careers for any particular major. “Whitman attracts students who have interests in many, many things, and they have the opportunity here to explore many, many things. I think that a lot of students are reluctant to pick a major, a career, an internship because they’re afraid that they’re

Most mentioned majors:

e shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars and spend four years going to class, but does it really get us anything? Microsoft, Apple, Facebook and Twitter were all founded by college dropouts who have now become billionaires. Lately students (and financially shocked parents) have been questioning if an undergrad education is really worthwhile. At Whitman, the Student Engagement Center says it is. “A bachelor’s degree isn’t necessarily the be-all, end-all for success, but the reality is, in today’s economy, nearly all employers or significant positions will expect a bachelor’s degree that contains the kind of training and skills that the Whitman academic experience provides: critical thinking, effective writing, speaking, working in teams, being attentive to diverse ways of thinking and addressing and solving problems,” said Assistant Dean for Student Engagement Noah Leavitt. Of course, the education necessary to succeed still depends on what field a student is interested in and what position she wishes to pursue. For some career paths, undergrad is simply a prerequisite for the also-expected graduate school. “A biology student can graduate and get laboratory tech work, and if they’re satisfied and happy with that role, then they

can stay, but their opportunity for advancement may be limited if they don’t get more education,” said the center’s Director of Career Development Susan Buchanan. “It’s all about the individual, and what goals they have for themselves.” For the Whitman students who do decide to continue on to graduate school, a great majority spend at least a year or two off in between, trying to focus their interests and gain professional experience. “I don’t hear students who say they want to go take a year off and sit on the beach or sit on the couch—they want to do something meaningful,” said Buchanan. “They want to make a difference in the world or make a difference in a community. They want to learn skills. They want to analyze and determine what they want to do with the rest of their lives, kind of test-drive some career options.” One of the most common after-grad activities for Whitties is teaching. “Students that are attracted to Whitman love learning and love their experience here, and as they come up towards the end, they think, ‘I love this! I want to teach, I want to share this love with other people!’” said Buchanan. Programs like Teach for America are gaining popularity because of that sentiment and because of the incredible experiences they offer. Thus, the years following undergrad are often one of the major components that employers and graduate

ENVI

Staff Reporter

ICS

by SUSA NNA BOW ERS

INFOGRAPHIC BY HUANG

Professors discuss cross-departmental perceptions of Whitman academics

As pre-registration approaches and finals loom, those students ready to declare may be questioning their choice of major. Here, professors from several divisions speak to the uniqueness of their own field and the competition between departments on campus.

,, ,,

I have overheard conversations where other sciences seem to diss other major programs, probably because we don’t understand what they are exactly doing.

Dana Burgess, Professor of Classics: Many programs at the college are directed toward problems in the present and the future, and that is a good thing. Classics has its energies directed toward the past.

Craig Gunsul, Emeritus Professor of Physics:

,, ,,

Patrick Spencer, Professor of Geology:

Physics is basically applied math. For us, math is an art form used as the building blocks of science.

Theresa DiPasquale, Professor of English: Poetry is so delightfully difficult and complex. I find the overcoming of obscurity thrilling.

OPINION

Nov

03 2011

PAGE

RIP Steve Jobs: Technical rock star KYLE SEASLY

Opinion Editor

hen I think “rock star,” I think of moments such as Paul Simonon smashing his bass on the cover of “London Calling,” John Lennon’s bed-in with Yoko Ono or Bob Dylan’s responding “play it [expletive] loud” to fans booing him for going electric. What unites these moments are the expressions of opposition to the status quo, as well as the artists’ belief that their actions could influence the world around them. Rarely does a certain bespectacled man who made software for a living and wore a black turtleneck and jeans come to mind. The man I speak of is Steve Jobs, who died a premature death on Oct. 5. Steve Jobs was a rock star in his own right. Jobs possessed his own unique simplistic style in his works, his own attitude which opposed the status quo, and, like many musicians, he believed he could change the world with his ideas. Surprisingly enough, this computer geek, like many rock stars of the 1960s, experimented with LSD. In John Markhoff’s book “What the

ILLUSTRATION BY BAILEY

Dormouse Said,” Jobs called his trips “one of the two or three most important things [he had] done in [his] life.” Jobs’ questioning of authority and expressing an interest in counterculture differentiates him from many of the pioneers of technology. How many CEOs do you know who have dropped acid? Also, Jobs, like many rock stars, dropped out of college. He studied for only one semester at Reed College and spent the rest of his time

there sleeping on his friends’ floors and getting free meals at the local Hare Krishna temple. Later on, he traveled to India and stayed for seven months. He may not have come back like the Beatles—sitar in hand, ready to produce songs like “Tomorrow Never Knows” or “Norwegian Wood”—however, the effect of the vacation would influence the rest of his life. Jobs discovered the simplicity of Zen Buddhism in India. His biographer, Walter Isaacson, said

Only child stereotypes do not apply—especially back in China Senior

esides questions about the independence of Tibet and Taiwan, the “only child question” ranks third on the list of the questions I have been asked as an international student from China: Are you an only child? Do all Chinese families have one child? Will families get fined if they have more than one child? I have also gotten lots of “wows” when I tell people I am indeed the only child in my family. There are lots of only children in China. In 1978, the onechild policy was formally implemented in China, aimed at controlling the growth of the population and improving the quality of life. Every family can only

have one child, except ethnic minorities or those under special situations, such as countryside couples who have only one daughter. I grew up as an only child in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, in the northern part of China. Most of my classmates before I went to university were only children. Some of them had siblings because they were twins or because their families really wanted a boy so they paid a fine to get another shot. Having a preference for boys is the main reason that some Chinese families have a second child. Due to this preference, there have been many more men than women in China. On Nov. 25, 2010, People’s Daily, the national newspaper run by the central government in China, reported, “The gender ratio of Chinese aged below 19 is seriously imbalanced. By 2020, the number of Chinese men at marriageable age will outnumber their female peers by 24 million,” which means many of them will never be able to marry a Chinese girl in the future. As for me, I don’t think people should have any preferences over the sex of their chil-

Voices from the Community Do you think Gaddafi’s killing was justified? Poll by Jacobson

KEILER BEERS

LINDSAY FAIRCHILD

Sophomore

Junior

“I’m glad it wasn’t done by the United States, for one thing. And I think it’s difficult to say that any murder is justified, but I am glad the end result is what it was.”

“I believe his killing was justified, but I feel the manner in which it was done and the way it was publicized was wrong.”

GABE FRIEDMAN

JORDAN THOMA S

Sophomore

Senior

“I believe it was justified. He was a very evil man. He did a lot of bad things to a lot of people.”

“Who’s Gaddafi, and who got the kill shot?”

dren to break the natural balance. Before I went to university, I thought that almost all Chinese families had only one child. However, after entering university, my understanding of the one-child policy totally changed. I studied at Shantou University, Guangdong Province, which is in the southern part of China. To my surprise, most of my classmates had siblings, and some of them even had five sisters or

PETER CHEN

After entering university, my understanding of the one-child policy totally changed.

brothers. Later, my professor, Peter Herford, who was the former news director of CBS and producer of “60 Minutes,” told me that actually in rural areas, especially the parts which were far away from the central government, people seldom practiced the onechild policy. Still, according to the National Population and Family Planning Commission of P.R. China, the one-child policy has helped China to reduce its population growth by 400 million. So what is wrong with being an only child? I was surprised when I found out the stereotypes of only children, such as being spoiled, dependent and selfish. I don’t think I, or most of my only-child friends, fit into these stereotypes. Of course, I get more resources and attention growing up as an only child because I am the future of my family and my parents want me to be good, more than good. They send me to the best schools and give me the best things they can afford. However, they don’t spoil me. They still teach me right and wrong and chastise me when I make trouble. They don’t make me dependent. They always let me make my own choices in life, from quitting piano when I was four to choosing where I want to study for graduate school next year. They don’t let me be selfish; they teach me to share things with others, from giving away candies in kindergarten to sharing success with my friends. Having grown up in the United States as an only child, Tao Large, a sophomore at Whitman, also disagrees with these stereotypes. He sometimes even feels annoyed when people put only children into these negative stereotypes. Moreover, he thinks that, as an only child, he is closer to his parents and therefore the decisions he makes in life will have a bigger influence on them, which reminds him to be responsible. He does not think that he is any different from his peers because of being an only child. Being an only child or a sibling does not change who we are. Wherever in the world— the United States, China or Canada—the spoiled, dependent or selfish people are not necessarily from families with a single child. Therefore, stereotypes about only children are mistaken.

of the trip in his book “Steve Jobs,” “The simplicities of Zen Buddhism really informed his design sense. That notion that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Jobs wanted his designs to be universally accessible, and simplicity was the vehicle that allowed him to achieve his goal. After his trip to India, Jobs and Steve Wozniak formed Apple Computer, Inc., in Jobs’ parents’ garage. A real garage band. With a little scratch from “producer” Mike Markkula, Jr., Jobs and Wozniak went on to release the Macintosh in 1984, the first number one of its genre (personal computer with graphical user interphase). According to ACTS International, Jobs lured John Sculley away from Pepsi-Cola to be Apple’s CEO, saying, “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?” Jobs was kicked out of the band, however, in 1985 over a power struggle between him and Sculley. Jobs, with his skill set in his fingers, went out to form several “side projects,” including NeXT and Pixar. Pixar created chart-topping hits like “Toy Story,” for which Jobs was a producer. Jobs finally had his “comeback” when Apple bought NeXT in 1996, and Jobs again became band leader in 1997. He went on to release solid gold hits that would change the world, like iTunes, the iPod and the iPhone. Throughout all of this, he cared nothing for showing off his wealth, unlike that sellout Bill Gates (Rivers Cuomo, any-

one?). In fact, his pay was only one dollar a year for the years that he was CEO, excluding his shares of course. Interestingly enough, Jobs once admitted in a “60 Minutes” interview that his business model was the Beatles. Even Jobs’ simplistic technical style is reminiscent of George Harrison’s guitar playing. Compare the simple layout of Apple products to the guitar solo at the end of “Come Together” by the Beatles. Until the end of his life, Jobs questioned authority, never taking anything for granted from “the man.” Initially, Jobs tried Eastern methods to treat the pancreatic cancer he was diagnosed with in 2003 rather than turning to chemotherapy. This is not to say Jobs was a perfect role model. He was known at Apple in the ‘80s for his drawnout meetings and temperamental attitude. On the other hand, Jobs, like all musicians, worked with his brain and his fingers all his life to change the world. He created a revolutionary style of simplicity for his computers. When people first get their hands on an iPhone, an iPod or even an iMac, it is a wonderful new feeling. Recognizing the technical aspects of the iPod may not be as awe-inspiring as when one first starts listening to “Exile on Main Street” by the Rolling Stones or “Let It Be” by the Replacements on the actual thing, but Jobs was there, and he was part of it. He allowed the world of music to expand exponentially by creating these products, and he did it with his simplistic, yet world-changing, ideas.

Cloud may be here to stay, but look before you leap BLAIR FRANK Junior

ne of the big buzzwords in technology these days is “the cloud.” With Apple pushing out iCloud to all of its iOS device users with the advent of iOS 5, and Google working on an entirely cloud-based operating system in the form of its Chrome OS, it’s clear that the cloud is going to be dominating a lot of the innovations that will be coming out of Silicon Valley in the next few years. Unfortunately, most people I’ve talked to seem to view the cloud as a mythical place that does everything they could possibly want. While it’s entirely possible that’s the case, in general the cloud has its limitations and hazards. The very idea of the cloud is that all of your data is stored in one place, somewhere on the Internet. It’s really quite an amorphous idea that belies the fact that your data is not stored in some fluffy white bunch of packets but rather on some sort of storage medium (probably a hard drive) in a large server farm owned or perhaps rented out by the company whose services you’re using. In other words, while many people will talk about things being “in the cloud,” they are, in fact, on a computer. This actually brings you a number of benefits as a consumer: Because you’re storing your data (like your contacts and calendars on iCloud) in a server farm, it means that there are people whose sole job is to pay attention to the drives your data is being stored on and keep them running. In other words, because it’s in Apple’s interest to

keep iCloud working properly, there’s a fairly good chance your data will be kept safe and accessible. It’s also really convenient: Anywhere you have an internet connection, you can access data that you’ve stored with one company or another. When I add a new contact to my iPhone, I’ll have that same contact waiting for me in my laptop’s address book once I’ve synced both devices with iCloud. There are other services like Dropbox that allow you to back up gigabytes of data from your computer’s hard drive that can then be accessed anywhere. If you’re on the go, or need to get a huge file from point A to point B, services like those are really useful. That’s not to say the cloud isn’t without its pitfalls—you’re entrusting your data to a third party, after all. The first question is what happens when a company goes out of business. If everything you ever need is on a set of servers that are shut down after a company goes into bankruptcy, you’re up a creek without a paddle. So, I’d always recommend having on-site copies of whatever it is you’re syncing to the cloud. With iCloud, that’s not really an issue because everything is already saved both in your device’s memory and on your computer, but only accessing your documents from a remote folder could put you in the lurch if something should happen. You don’t want to be the person who says, “The datacenter ate my homework.” Then there’s the issue of legal proceedings. While you will have knowledge and control over what happens to data that’s stored on your computer, it’s not unheard of for government agencies to subpoena cloud service providers to get access to their users’ data. If that’s something you’re concerned about, I’d shy away from the cloud. The cloud is here to stay, that’s for certain. But before you go jumping in with both feet, look before you leap.

Political Cartoon by Eddy Vazquez

BACKPAGE

Nov

03 2011

PAGE

THE “I DON’T CARE” ISSUE

Backpage investigates apathy, discovers no one gives a shit

his is the time of year when school gets a little tougher, you feel busy all the time and the end of the semester isn’t in sight. The quiet room starts getting more people studying on Friday nights, and the circles under students’ eyes darken. School, sports, clubs, community service, etc., take up so much of our time that we can’t even watch quality television

programming such as “Glee.” We at the Backpage interviewed a senior who has experienced this time of year a lot. His philosophy on this time of year is “screw this, man”—no more, no less. “I can either spend a week working on my English paper trying to get an A or I can hang out with my friends, get drunk, write a mediocre paper the night before it’s due and get

a B. I typically choose the latter.” He continued, but I stopped listening. And caring. Thanksgiving break is two weeks away, and professors don’t want to grade papers, so why should we write them? Are students even reading this? I’ll take a PBR. And maybe some karaoke at the Golden Horse or a vacation. I hear Belize is nice this time of year. Just anything but working.

A Failed Attempt at an Encounters Paper Joe Bloggz Professor Whitman

The Bible and Stuff In the Bible, God acts as a benevolent figure, but not really, ’cause I really don’t wanna write this encounters paper. In the name of all that is holy, how the f*$% am I gonna put this piece of crap together? The reasons for his benevolence are shown in Luke 5:12, but I really don’t feel like finding an appropriate quote, let alone citing it in the correct MLA format. Jesus Christ, that’s a lot of freaking effort. One comma in the wrong place, and the whole thing’s screwed up. Back to the thesis—I don’t really have any cohesive statement of any significance whatsoever. Honestly, I’d rather be doing anything else. Gimme those Mastering Chem problems—I’ll do 50 of them. Oh damn, I guess this essay is worth 30 percent of my semester grade. Daaaang. If only I had any insight into this passage whatsoever! Perhaps I can make some unsubstantiated claims. Shoot, maybe my SA is here. Nope, it’s 3 a.m. Well, lemme just scatter some textual evidence all over this shizz. Argggh.

Things I’d gladly be doing besides homework

t’s that time of year, people. You know what I’m talking about. When you’ve got ACRES of homework to do and ENDLESS exams to study for . . . but you just can’t bring yourself to care. Somehow, you always seem to have loads of other things to be doing. I have condensed all the things I’d rather be doing besides homework into the following comprehensive list: ILLUSTRATION BY KAER

ILLUSTRATION BY “BACKPAGE” JOHNSON

COMPREHENSIVE LIST 1. Shave a teddy bear 2. Give porcupine

Letter to the Editor

birth

3. Give birth rhinoceros

5. Give birth triceratops

4. Write my article for The Pio 6. Watch reruns “Gilligan’s Island”

7. Learn swordswallowing through trial and error 8. Listen to the CD in my section bathroom labeled “Enya / Gregorian Chant Mix Yo! :)” 9. Get a paper cut. ON MY RETINA.

10. Stand in a room full of feminists and scream, “MAN UP!!”

11. Do a 1000-piece puzzle entitled “Nothin’ But Clear, Blue Sky”

12. Read my MLA Handbook front to back. And then back to front.

13. Listen to “Love the Way You Lie” yet again OH MY COW I HATE THAT SONG SO MUCH 14. Read Twilight fanfiction 15. Go on a date with Voldemort (AWKWARD HUG TIME)

Dear Editor, I am writing to you in response to a recent article in the school paper, I think you call it The Pioneer or something. Anyways, I just wanted to counter what the Backpage article was saying about how people are reading the paper. I don’t know a single person who reads this monstrosity! It’s an eyesore in my opinion. I only read it out of pity for all that misplaced time students put into writing for your “paper.” It’s a shame, I’m afraid. The age of papers is dead; just look at the Occupy Wall Street thing. Everyone and their grandma knows that all those people are protesting about how bad the Wall Street Journal has become, and the Wall Street Journal is pretty good as far as newspapers go. So why even bother when nobody actually cares? Who are you trying to kid? Just give it up now and you’ll still look classy, my lowly friend. In short, I’m writing this to help you, not to criticize you. So take heed of my priceless advice and don’t deny it any longer, or forever be haunted by the fact that nobody actually reads this stuff. Sincerely, A Disillusioned Student

Letter from the Puzzle Slut

Hey guys, I came to a realization, sometime between playing Words with Friends (which I discovered can now be accessed over Facebook) and doing a word search, that I’m not really feeling it this week. I really couldn’t care less right now. I tried (as you will see), but it’s just that time of year where I just want to sleep in front of the fire in the quiet room. This time of the year is like Thunderdome. Two enter: my work ethic and my inherent laziness. Only one leaves. I think you can guess which one won. Half-hearted, apathetic love, —Adam “Riding on a Tidal Wave of Whiskey on a Surfboard made of Don’t Care” Brayton ADVERTISEMENT

OLGPUH DEUNNRG

Does Adam Care?