Whitman College Pioneer - Spring 2010 Issue 5

KWCW RADIO REVIEW

SENIOR SHOWCASE

KWCW Show of the Week column debut

CLUELESS IN THE KITCHEN Feature shares recipes, restaurants and real talk with Bon Appétit

Music majors prepare for upcoming senior recitals page 4

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page 7

WHITMAN COLLEGE Walla Walla, WA Volume CXXVI Issue 5 whitmanpioneer.com F , 

Gang members charged in campus burglaries Police recover and return students’ stolen items after a tip from a local resident. Owners of two laptops have yet to be identified.

by JOSH GOODMAN Associate News Editor

CORNELIUS Campus band Bo Sagal and Friends performs at the first Coffeehouse of the spring semester. Two other student bands performed that evening.

Walla Walla Police Department officers arrested six juvenile gang members in connection with the wave of burglaries that occurred on and near campus during Winter Break. The juveniles have been charged with residential burglary, second-degree theft and second-degree possession of stolen property—all felony offenses—according to a police department press release on Feb. 18.

Police recovered three laptops, a PlayStation and a DVD player from 308 N. 6th Ave., about one mile from campus. Officers returned one of the laptops and the other stolen property to three Whitman students living in a house near Prentiss Hall on the 300 block of Linden Lane. Investigators were able to find the victims based on information on the laptop.

Officers also recovered marijuana paraphernalia which was not returned to the original owners.

The press release states that an initial call to the police about suspicious activity was

made on Jan. 15, but does not note when the arrests were made or the items returned. The police started an ongoing investigation, and though they hope to recover more property, the investigation is nearing an end according to Public Information Officer Tim Bennett.

Police recovered two additional laptops but have not yet been able to identify the owners. Students can call 509-527-4434 if they think one of the laptops might be theirs.

“Provide as much information as [you] can about [your] missing computer: brand, model, serial number, any markings made by the owner and damage,” Bennett said in an e-mail.

Bennett urged caution among Whitman students living off-campus.

“All students should make sure their homes are secure, especially when leaving town. If their home cannot be secured, or is easily entered, [they should] make their landlords aware of the problems,” he said. “There are a lot of people outside the Whitman community that know your school calendar.”

Budget cuts shift Committee strives to define Alternative Voices concert focus Coffeehouse cuts visiting performers and focuses on student musicians and other acts as it gets creative in the face of a budget shortfalls.

by LIZ SIENG Staff Reporter

The Coffeehouse last Friday, Feb. 19, set the tone for the semester as a line-up of student bands attracted a crowded audience.

“It was relaxed. People were really appreciative,” said first-year Ethan Maier, the accordionist for the firstyear act “Bo Segal and Friends.”

The concert featured three student acts, including numerous singers and musicians in “[first-year] Alejandro Fuentes and Friends” and the campus band Plateau.

Coffeehouse, which takes place Fridays from 9-11 p.m., is a popular series for live concerts at Whitman, often featuring performances from students and faculty and occasionally professional performers from outside Walla Walla. The WEBorganized series remains functional

and popular despite continuing funding cutbacks and the restructuring of campus activities organizations last year. This spring the series will primarily feature student performances.

“We’re testing it out this semester,” said junior Matt Coleman, WEB’s music director and Coffeehouse’s leading organizer, who added that Coffeehouse programming should increase this spring.

The series held only six concerts during the fall 2009 semester, in contrast to previous years when it held concerts on nearly a weekly basis. Coleman, who also manages large campus concerts through WEB, explained that the limited number of Coffeehouse concerts was a product of limited staff availability, not reduced funding.

COFFEEHOUSE , page 4

by LEA NEGRIN Staff Reporter

For the past three years the General Studies Committee has taken on the arduous task of defining the Alternative Voices distribution requirement. Senior Will Canine, ASWC student advocacy coordinator and student representative on the General Studies Committee, announced at an ASWC meeting on Feb. 7 that a definition drafted this year was voted down by faculty members.

Currently, the only information listed for the Alternative Voices distribution requirement in the Course Catalog is a list of classes that fulfill it; it does not include a definition.

Alternative voices classes range from Women in Antiquity to Asian Architecture to advanced Spanish and French.

According to Canine, the decision to vote down the definition was due to its breadth.

After defining Alternative Voices as including anything that presents critical perspectives of western history or that teaches about other cultures, faculty felt the majority of classes at Whitman College could be included. However, a continued push for a definition of the requirement, which may include a change in name, is underway.

“There are many questions we’re asking.

Right now is a time of transition . . . in higher education . . . as we look at the effects of western globalization,” explained Canine.

One of the proposed changes to the Alternative Voices requirement is the inclusion of Encounters, the first-year required class which encompasses more cultures than its predecessor, Antiquity and Modernity. “[Alternative voices] is the worst [requirement] to fulfill,” said first-year Victoria Faling via e-mail. “Encounters should sufficiently count for it.”

Phil Lundquist, ‘08 alumnus and Prentiss resident director, thinks students should be required to explore a variety of Alternative Voices. “[It] frees people to branch out in terms of areas of study that they haven’t explored very much or hadn’t thought of exploring,” he said.

First-year Gabriella Friedman agreed that the Alternative Voices requirement is important.

“If anything, I think it should be changed so that fewer classes fulfill it,” she said. “I think the purpose of Alternative Voices VOICES, page 3

Whitman hosts inaugural AllStar Classic Last weekend Whitman hosted 24 men’s and women’s club volleyball teams for the Pacific Intercollegiate Volleyball Association-sanctioned All-Star Classic.

The fourth-ranked University of Oregon Ducks took home the title, defeating topranked Gonzaga University in the final. Whitman went undefeated on day one, but suffered a heartbreaking upset loss to Heritage Club in the first round of elimination play. page 10

JACOBSON

Recent grads not giving as generously

by NATE LESSLER and JOCELYN RICHARD Staff Reporter and News Editor

With the rising cost of a college degree, many Whitman students may forget that tuition expenses only cover 60 percent of their liberal arts educations. The remainder of these expenses is largely covered by Whitman alumni, who donate millions of dollars per year in gifts to the college’s Annual Fund.

Whitman has seen a decline in gifts from recent graduates over the past decade, however, as alums focus on paying off college loans accumulated during tough economic times.

“Some people feel entitled and think that they shouldn’t give more because they are already paying so much for college,” said senior Maryn Juergens, who works for the Annual Fund as a development office intern and serves as chair of the Senior Fund. “Without all the fundraising efforts of the college it wouldn’t be able to operate on the level FUND, page 2

Maxey Hall renovations head toward home stretch

by JOCELYN RICHARD News Editor

Life in Maxey Hall is slowly returning to normal as construction on the building moves beyond its most intensive stages. Builders are weeks ahead of schedule on the 11,000-square foot addition and renovators are meeting with faculty and staff members to decide on new furniture and to plan for displaced professors to move back to the building during the summer.

“There have been a few disruptions throughout the project but the building users have generally been very understanding and recognize that progress is sometimes inconvenient,” said Dan Park, director of the Physical Plant.

Construction teams broke ground on extensions to the 34-year-old building in summer 2009 after the college issued a $5.2 million bond for a number of repairs and expansions, including the addition of four classroom spaces and three student lounge areas. Though the process has met few problems over the past months, faculty, staff and students have had to adjust to a number of inconveniences.

Chair and Associate Professor

of Psychology Wally Herbranson, whose primary research involves pigeons, was forced to suspend testing when construction entered particularly noisy stages and is looking forward to resuming his experiments now that lab facilities have been renovated to accommodate a new batch of pigeons, which will be arriving in the next couple weeks.

“I had to relocate my test pigeons because I couldn’t in good conscience keep them in Maxey with all the noise of construction,” Herbranson said.

Division I Chair and Professor of Sociology Bill Bogard, who is acting as the faculty liaison on the project, thanked the construction teams for helping the process proceed with as minimal distraction as possible.

“The renovation has gone smoothly, thanks to the planning and consideration of the construction teams,” said Bogard. “We have worked around issues of noise, construction debris and ongoing work in existing interior spaces and adapted pretty successfully. It will be very nice when the work is done and everyone is able to move back into the building later this summer.”

A number of professors whose offices had been housed in Maxey were temporarily relocated to Olin Hall’s recently renovated East wing for the 2009-2010 academic year and will benefit from the building’s numerous upgrades when they move back into their former spaces.

As well as the additions of new classrooms, offices and research areas, Maxey Hall will follow in the footsteps of other recently renovated buildings on campus by incorporating new technological resources.

“We will all be happy when the job is finished,” continued Bogard.

“Every classroom in the building will have smart technology installed.

There are several new student study areas, a revamped computer lab, and a remodeled main office and faculty lounge.”

When the improved Maxey debuts to students for the fall 2010 semester, every department in the building will have its own workrooms for studentfaculty projects.

“I think all of us in the building have been pleased with the way construction is going and look forward to having a great new facility to teach in,” said Bogard.

BOWMAN The 11,000-square foot addition to Maxey Hall is entering its final stages of completion. The new space will debut for the fall 2010 semester and will feature new classrooms, offices and research areas as well as upgraded technology. Every department will have a workroom for student-faculty projects. Professors displaced to Olin Hall during construction will be able to move back in summer.

NEWS

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February 25, 2010F

‘Secession’ gains ASWC club recognition, funding

by ROSE WOODBURY Staff Reporter

“The Secession,” Whitman’s studentfounded, say-anything magazine, received formal club recognition from ASWC at its Sunday, Feb. 7, senate meeting. The magazine was established in fall 2008 by seniors Iris Alden, Carly Spiering and Bryan Sonderman, who were granted money from the recently depleted Student Development Fund to cover printing expenses.

“If we wanted to continue publishing, the only way ASWC would let us do it is if we got club status,” explained Alden.

On Sunday, Feb. 21, ASWC senators voted unanimously in favor of granting “The Secession” $1,200 to cover printing expenses for six upcoming issues scheduled to be released before the end of the spring semester. In April, ASWC will hold another vote to decide on the magazine’s funding allocation for fall 2010.

“We use [the money] only for the cost of printing,” Alden said.

“The Secession” was originally established with the intention of providing a free space for creativity where submis-

sion restrictions are more lenient than at other Whitman publications.

“We just wanted to have 16 pages that we could have total control over, with no limits and no style,” said Alden. “We print a lot of stuff that wouldn’t make it into other publications.”

Not everyone on campus has agreed with Alden’s statement, however. When “The Secession” was founded, it was criticized for not having a clearly-stated mission. In a letter to the editor published in the March 12, 2009 issue of The Pioneer, senior “Quarterlife” editor Anastasia Zamkinos pointed out that Whitman students have many opportunities to contribute all types of writing to the three existing student-run publications.

“Foremost of my criticisms . . . is that many of the pieces in ‘The Sec 1.1’ could have had a sound home in the other three publications that exist here,” Zamkinos wrote.

For the 2010 fiscal year, ASWC granted a total of $84,008 to campus media organizations, allocating $4,220 to “Quarterlife,” $19,500 to “blue moon,” $24,000 to KWCW and $36,288 to The

Pioneer.

When asked about ASWC’s recent vote in favor of funding the magazine’s printing expenses for spring 2010, Zamkinos expressed gratitude that ASWC has continued to support campus media.

‘The Secession’ meets ASWC’s idea of the perfect line item.

- Matt Dittrich ‘12

“I am glad to see ASWC continuing to support the creative endeavors of Whitman students and hope that the decision to fund [“The Secession”] signals a continuing of or maybe even an increase in ASWC’s liberality in financing the arts on campus across the board,” Zamkinos said in an e-mail.

Sophomore ASWC Finance Chair

Walla Walla Symphony affected by economy, changing tastes

by LIZ SIENG Staff Reporter

During our nation’s current period of economic decline, Walla Walla’s town orchestra, the Walla Walla Symphony, faces the continuing challenge of maintaining both donor funding and audience attendance.

According to the Walla Walla Symphony’s CEO Mike Wenberg, the symphony’s position is not unique; they are only one of many orchestras in the United States affected by a shrinking audience pool and cutbacks in funding.

“We’ve stayed about static since last year,” said Wenberg, summarizing the symphony’s current financial status since the economic downturn.

Running in its 103rd year, the symphony is the main provider of live classical music entertainment for the city’s residents and tourists. In addition to their classical music concerts and performances at city-wide festivals and events, the symphony promotes education through several music programs, including a youth orchestra, an instrument lending service and music scholarships.

Wenberg explained that few people listen to classical music and concert attendance nationwide is gradually decreasing.

“There is a perception in this country that classical music is for old people,” said Wenberg, discussing how the majority of classical music audience members are women in their mid-40s to 50s, an aging group in the United States.

According to a 2009 Audience Demographic Research Review by the League of American Orchestras, the live classical music audience has declined by 13 percent, or by 3.3 million, people from 2002 to 2008.

Dick Simon, chief governing officer of the Walla Walla Symphony Board of Directors, stressed that although people generally do not attend classical music concerts, they do listen to recorded music.

“People listen to music more than they ever have. But they don’t have to go to concerts,” said Simon, as he flashed his iPhone and discussed how electronic devices like the iPod provide a more convenient way of listening to music.

The League of American Orchestras reports that media consumption has shifted from live shows to digital media since the mid-1990s. The study also reports that classical music audiences are adopting digital media more than the overall U.S. population.

Wenberg said that while the classical music audience is decreasing, national ticket sales in 2009 were actually above average. However, aid from individual and corporate sponsors significantly declined.

J.D. Smith, the Walla Walla Symphony grant writer, said the symphony now receives significantly less in community aid as a result of tightened finances.

“It’s true for the arts in general,” said Smith, who also works as a financial director at the Pendleton Center for the Arts.

“People give what they can, and that’s basically 30 percent down from before.”

In addition to ticket sales and aid from private donors, funding also derives from

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community grants and foundations. Wenberg explained that in relation to money from ticket sales, individual and corporate donations and occasional state and federal allocations, money from foundations will be the most difficult to attain.

“The short term plan is to survive. It’s kind of a delayed tsunami,” said Wenberg.

The next two to three years should be the most difficult for foundations.

The symphony receives a yearly endowment from the Walla Walla Symphony Trust, a community fund set up in the 1970s. In addition, the symphony applies

scaled back to five yearly classical concerts and cut performances from programs such as the Discovery Series.

The Discovery Series, which features traditional music from international countries, will hold one performance in 2010, two less than in the previous year.

Smith and Wenberg both agreed that programming is the most important factor in maintaining funding.

“Find something that’s worth doing.

And if it’s worth doing, the money follows that,” said Smith, describing the cycle in which good programming attracts crowds

Matt Dittrich believes the magazine is worthy of formal club recognition. “’The Secession’ meets ASWC’s idea of the perfect line item,” Dittrich said. “’The Secession’ is a conduit for campus creativity, and over the last year, the magazine has proven itself to be both popular and a positive addition to Whitman culture.”

This is especially exciting for members of “The Secession” considering the initial debate surrounding its inception and the fact that at first, the founders did not know if the magazine would survive.

“We thought we’d do a few issues and see what happens,” said Spiering of the magazine’s inaugural releases.

Spiering does not think receiving club recognition by ASWC will change the way people perceive “The Secession” in the short term. But she does believe that ASWC club recognition will ensure longevity and stability for the magazine at Whitman.

“It helps establish a legacy,” agreed Alden.

The magazine’s founders believe the

FUND: Graduating class sizes affect participation rate  page 1 that it does.”

In 2009, the participation rate of Whitman alumni in the Annual Fund dropped to 46 percent. With the 2010 fund drive in full gear, officers and volunteers are aiming to receive gifts from half of all alumni.

“We have increased our goal for this year,” said Brian Dohe, director of the Annual Fund. “Our goal is to get back to 50 percent participation and continue with $1.2 million in unrestricted gifts from alumni.”

Alumni have the option of designating their contributions to a specific department or making unrestricted donations that the college can use in any area of need.

Total contributions to the Annual Fund are measured in both dollar amounts and in participation rates.

Both statistics are integral to measuring the success of the college’s fundraising efforts.

I think our generations are less philanthropicminded—it’s something that’s not as inherit in our generation, to give back, that is.

- Maryn Juergens ‘10

The Walla Walla Symphony is battling decreasing funding and demand for classical music.

for grants from organizations like the Kinsman Foundation, a grant-based nonprofit group, and the Donald and Virginia Sherwood Trust, a local community trust in Walla Walla.

Wenberg said that foundations were affected by the stock market crash and thus are scaling back on donations and even cutting aid completely. In addition, foundations are less likely to accept grants from newly-applying orchestras.

Wenberg also discussed difficulty of being a small town organization competing for funds with surrounding city organizations.

“There is definitely a biased side [in funding] that gives to the West over the East. And it doesn’t match the population percentage or anything,” said Wenberg, explaining how orchestras in Western Washington attract the majority of funding. Wenberg gave the example of two years ago, when the National Endowment for Arts distributed 20 grants to arts organizations in the state of Washington, 14 of which went to Seattle and six to other organizations in the Puget Sound area.

“We put together our pitch, but we didn’t get it. And it was not just us, but arts organizations in the Tri-Cities, Spokane, Yakima . . .” said Wenberg.

With major decreases in funding on the horizon, the symphony has continued business while making several changes in programming. It typically holds six classical concerts and six performances at local events. In recent years, the symphony

and funding.

“Keep it local. You have to find programs that the foundation is interested in [too]. Hopefully that brings good community and money. Hopefully it brings volunteers, ticket buyers, musicians,” said Smith.

According to Wenberg, in one previous year, community members staged a fundraising campaign and raised $300,000, an amount which the Sherwood Trust agreed to match.

“If someone came to us with a great idea, we’d certainly be interested in it,” said Wenberg, mentioning the example of a music teacher who applied to the Walla Walla Symphony Instrument Lending Library service and received violins for every fourth grader in Waitsburg, Wash.

“We’ve survived many years when other places are going under. Other orchestras are in big trouble, suspending and laying off musicians from the rest of the season,” said Smith.

The symphony maintains a history as a valued and well-supported arts organization in the Walla Walla Valley, Smith said.

“I’m not saying we’re set for life, we’ve done fine,” said Smith. “We’re not in any danger immediately, but who knows . . . if it gets worse.”

The Walla Walla Symphony’s next performance is Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty,” on Saturday, March 27, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 28, at 3 p.m. in Cordiner Hall at Whitman College.

efforts they have made over the past year will benefit the long-term survival of the publication.

“We really paved the way,” Spiering said.

Still, some of the frequent “Secession” contributors are concerned about what the magazine will look like after Alden, Spiering and Sonderman graduate in the spring.

“I am worried about what’s happening next year. I can’t imagine ‘The Secession’ without Iris, Carly and Bryan,” said junior Isabel Blue, who has contributed both writing and illustrations to the magazine.

The first “Secession” issue of the semester is titled “Howard’s End/Catcher in the Barley” and is loosely themed around J.D. Salinger’s recent death.

However, the pieces included did not have to pertain to this theme.

“We don’t want to force people to do anything they don’t want to do,” said Spiering.

Alden agreed.

“We’re the publish-anything publication,” she said.

“We’re hoping to get 80 percent participation [from recent graduates],” said Juergens. “The dollar amounts matter, but the participation rate has a lot more impact than people realize, no matter the amount. To get outside grants from other institutions, that stat is used because it’s seen so favorably by outside institutions and people looking at the school.”

The lower rates of participation among alumni are mostly seen in graduating classes from the past 10 years who have been affected by the recession.

“I think the public and donors are still worried about the volatility of the market,” Dohe said. “I think it’s a result of the economy.”

Senior Allison Armstrong, who manages the Annual Fund’s phonathon, believes declining rates of par-

ticipation result from increasingly larger graduating classes compounded with a poor economy.

“Whitman is graduating larger and larger classes of students recently and because the larger classes are younger, they are less likely to give because they have jobs that pay less or have to pay off loans,” she said.

Juergens commented that in addition to these factors, students from younger generations are less focused on giving to others.

“I think our generations are less philanthropic-minded—it’s something that’s not as inherit in our generation, to give back, that is,” Juergens said.

In order to get students in a philanthropic frame of mind, Juergens spearheaded the Senior Fund, a fundraising campaign she and 11 other seniors organized with the mission of getting students involved in the giving process early.

“The idea is to educate people about the importance of fundraising while they are still at college,” said Juergens. “If students start the tradition of giving immediately, once they have already given it will be easier to give next year.”

Juergens hopes to engage soon-tobe alumni at the Green Lantern on March 4, when the Senior Fund and the Senior Class Committee will cohost a karaoke party in celebration of the class of 2010. People who choose to donate to the Senior Fund will receive sunglasses marked “Whitman 2010.”

The Senior Fund will also be collecting donations through Friday, Feb. 26, in Reid Campus Center to fund a scholarship for a member of the class of 2014.

“This year we’re not making the gift a tangible object, but rather a scholarship. A bench is great, you know?

But a scholarship’s going to make a lot more of a difference,” Juergens said.

Between the efforts of the Annual Fund and the Senior Fund, Whitman’s fundraising team is pleased with the success it has met so far.

“Dollar-wise, we are ahead of where we were at this time last year by about $350,000,” said Dohe.

Nevertheless, the Annual Fund has received 60 fewer gifts than it did at this time last year, a number it hopes to surpass as fundraising efforts continue over the next year.

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NEWS

February 25, 2010

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Mentees bond with Whitties at annual carnival

Left: A volunteer paints a mentee’s face at one of the many carnival booths stationed in Reid Campus Center. Right: Liz Forsyth ‘10 encourages her mentee in the ring toss. Mentees had the chance to earn tickets, which could be redeemed for prizes.

Mentees to Campus Day, which took place Friday, Feb. 19, brought about 150 students from local elementary and middle schools to the Whitman campus for a carnival. The annual event is a part of the Whitman Mentor Program, which pairs Whit-

man students with local children who are at-risk or would otherwise benefit from a student role model. While this event brought mentees to Whitman, mentors normally go to mentees’ schools, where they spend a lunch and recess with their mentees.

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY ANDREW PROPP

Seniors prepare for Teach for America jobs

by NATE LESSLER Staff Reporter

Next fall, at least four members from the class of 2010 will start teaching jobs in low-income school districts across the United States. They will be a part of Teach for America, a non-profit organization working to close the achievement gap between different groups of students in primary and secondary schools throughout the country by recruiting the nation’s brightest college graduates.

The Whitman recruits were chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants hoping to take part in Teach for America’s unique training program, which allows its participants, or corps members, to earn alternative teaching certificates while working as full-time faculty members for a period of two years. In 2009, the organization received a record 35,000 applications for approximately 4,100 positions.

According to Susan Buchanan, director of the Student Engagement Center, Whitman has become a “feeder school” for the prestigious program, which has expanded its operations to more than 35 regions over the course of its 20-year history.

“A couple of years ago Teach for America contacted me and said that

they had been very impressed with the Whitman graduates they had hired,” said Buchanan. “And they now considered Whitman to be a ‘feeder school,’ meaning they were going to recruit heavily from us.”

Buchanan commented on the increasing popularity of the program among Whitman seniors.

It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.

- Nate Fitzpatrick ‘06

“I don’t know if it’s because the economy is so poor and there are so few other options, or the fact that Teach for America is pursuing Whitman students so heavily, or the two-year commitment or if it’s just that Whitman students just love learning,” she said.

Whitman is far from the only college at which Teach for America has become popular. According to the Wall Street Journal, 11 percent of Ivy League grads applied to Teach for America in 2009

along with more than five percent of graduating seniors at over 130 colleges and universities.

Last year, 38 Whitman seniors applied to Teach for America and eight ended up participating in the program.

Students can apply to the program at four different points throughout the academic year, and a handful of Whitman students who applied before the final Feb. 19, 2010 deadline are waiting to receive word in March of whether they will be joining their fellow Whittie corps members.

Senior sociology major Miyoko Patricelli will be working next year as a Teach for America corps member in the Mississippi-Delta region,where she has been assigned to teach high school math. Patricelli stated that her interest in the program came out of a desire to help others.

“It’s a program for people who are truly concerned about the achievement gap in the United States and who are dedicated to shrinking it,” said Patricelli.

“Teach for America is for those who know how atrocious the problem is and who are willing to put in the effort and time to change it. People can make a difference in many different ways, but this is a program for people who passionately want to change this particular problem.”

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Nevertheless, Patricelli is nervous about adjusting to a new part of the country.

“It’s a terrifying idea that I’ll be teaching in a year in a part of the country I have never really spent time in,” she said. “I’ve been told by some people that its going to be more of a culture shock than [when I lived in] Honduras. I keep thinking, ‘I hope I’m good at this.’”

Whitman alumnus Nate Fitzpatrick ‘06 worked in the Mississippi-Delta area as a Teach for America corps member for two years before becoming the Recruitment Director for the northwest region.

“It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “There were days my first year when I would go home and think, ‘Wow, I have a lot more work I need to do’ . . . But it was extremely transformative, not only as a learning experience but also seeing how I could make a difference.”

Despite the praise the organization has received for making a difference in education, Teach for America has been frequently criticized.

“It’s a controversial program,” explained Patricelli. “I’ve heard arguments saying that the teachers tend to get more out of it than the students— that it’s a lot about self-growth of the

teachers, rather than students.”

At times, the program has also been criticized for placing corps members in low-income areas that are most in need of experienced teachers. Patricelli defended the program for providing support to schools that are not often able to hire older instructors.

“There isn’t the money for [experienced teachers] to have the incentive to move across the country to teach in an intercity area,” she said. “I am actually going to an area where, as of about five years ago, there was an elementary school with three or four classrooms that didn’t have teachers, though I don’t know if that’s still true now.”

According to Fitzpatrick, criticisms of Teach for America are short-sighted.

“Most of the criticisms ignore completely the fact of our long term movement. Sixty percent of our current 17,000 alumni have continued with a career in education,” he said. “Obviously no program is perfect. One of the great things about working on staff is that I now have the ability to help change it.”

Patricelli agreed that Teach for America serves an important purpose.

“It’s not perfect, but in my mind nobody has come up with a better option yet,” she said.

VOICES: Questions remain

 page 1 should be to expose students to nonwestern, non-traditional voices that are often silenced . . . It’s so important to learn about other perspectives in order to be open-minded.”

This variation in student opinion, as well as the concept of what Alternative Voices is and what Encounters should encompass, is precisely what the General Studies Committee is struggling to unravel.

“I don’t mind Alternative Voices as a requirement, save for the fact that it makes the presumption that there’s a ‘regular’ voice which only some things are alternative to,” said first-year Sarah Schaefer. “[That] just seems a little dated of an idea to me.”

Lundquist and Friedman each posed the view that some of the language classes, such as French and Spanish, have less grounds as Alternative Voices classes than others because they present students with cultures relatively similar to our own. By defining what Alternative Voices is, this question would be resolved.

In future years the General Studies Committee will be looking to come up with a concrete definition of Alternative Voices.

As they do so, Canine asks students to consider “what Alternative Voices means to them.”

A&E

The Pioneer ISSUE 5 FEB. 25, 2010 Page 4

F

Senior music majors put finishing touches on upcoming recitals

by CAITLIN HARDEE Staff Reporter

CORNELIUS Alejandro Fuentes Mena ‘13 and his friends were one of three student acts to perform at Coffeehouse on Friday, Feb. 19.

COFFEEHOUSE: Set to feature only student performers this semester  page 1 Though funding cutbacks are affecting club- and student-led programming at Whitman in general, Coffeehouse production costs remain low since the series traditionally features volunteer student performers.

“Coffeehouse is really cheap to put on,” said Coleman, in comparison to the costs of large concerts featuring professional bands and performers. “We haven’t been affected that much.”

While opting to not bring in outside bands, Coleman is working to expand the range of student performers.

“The typical Coffeehouse performer is an acoustic guitar solo singer-songwriter, which is great. But I really want to change that. Whitman needs variety,” said Coleman.

Comprised of three different acts, the first show featured an array of student collaborations playing pop, rock, acoustic and folk music. At several points in the concert, members from separate acts combined to perform with one another.

“None of these people have really played their own sets, but by combining 10 people together we made a huge show,” said first-year Bo Sagal, who swapped po-

sitions on the guitar, harmonica, clarinet and vocals in multiple collaborations during the show.

Coleman said that many student performers expressed interest during the recruitment process. Coleman received positive responses to e-mails sent on the student listservs and contacts from known musical groups on campus.

This is too good of a space for students not to perform.

- Matt Coleman ‘11

“This is too good of a space for students not to perform. They can also build their skills professionally,” said Coleman, mentioning that Coffeehouse consistently attracts sizeable audiences.

In addition to expanding student participation in performances, Coleman is working to foster student involvement in production. Since last semester, he has organized the series with group of student volunteers.

First-year Hari Raghavan began volunteering after attending just a few Coffee-

houses.

“It’s a pretty involved process. It takes a lot of effort to put these events on,” said Raghavan, describing how the team of volunteers divides up tasks, such as advertising, e-mailing and booking acts.

Though a lot of hard work goes into planning Coffeehouse, it is nonetheless rewarding.

“I really like that I get to [help] pick the artists who perform,” said Raghavan. “It’s an opportunity to give back to Whitman.”

While student acts will shape this semester, Coleman expressed his hopes that Coffeehouse will remain a student-based concert in the future.

First-year Yoni Evans, who performed on vocals and tambourine in “Bo Sagal and Friends,” encouraged students to perform at Coffeehouse.

“Anyone who has material should showcase it,” he said. “[Coffeehouse] will be like a blank setting where students can do what they want,” said Coleman. “People can come embrace the stage. We’ll supply the sound and lights.”

Anyone interested in taking the Coffeehouse stage or in becoming involved behind-the-scenes should contact Coleman at colemama@whitman.edu.

‘Tripteral’ to show at Sheehan

by AMI TIAN Staff Reporter

On Tuesday, March 2, “Tripteral: Three Photographic Views” goes up in the Sheehan Gallery, followed in the next few days by a series of lectures and workshops related to the exhibits. “Tripteral” is comprised of three separate exhibits all related to photography. Tripteral is an architectural term used to describe a building supported by three columns.

Similarly, the exhibits, like columns, can stand independently but are all related to the same theme.

“All three of the exhibits deal with photography in some way. Each stands by itself as a separate exhibition but they also function together,” said Dawn Forbes, director of the Sheehan Gallery. “[The exhibits] support this idea of photography as a generative practice and a way of processing issues of culture and memory, history and identity.”

The first exhibition is “Memory Denied: The Photography of Kathryn Cook.” Associate Professor of History Elyse Semerdjian, who curates the exhibition, received funding through the Ashton J. and Virginia Graham O’Donnell Visiting Professorship in Global Studies Endowment to bring Cook’s photography to Whitman. Cook took the photos, which document the Armenian genocide trail, while traveling with Semerdjian, who accompanied her as a translator.

Forbes describes Cook’s motivation for documenting the trail as a desire to preserve and present memories in the face of the Turkish government’s denial.

“There was a genocide that occurred [in Turkey] starting in 1915. [As with] a lot of genocides . . . governmental regimes have changed, revisionists have come in, and now there is a denial that this event ever happened and a lot of the documentation about this genocide has been destroyed,” said Forbes. “So [Cook] traveled the trail following what docu-

mentation remains and took pictures at sites as they exist in contemporary times, based on records of places where things had occurred.”

The second exhibition, “Resistance and Rescue in Denmark: Photography

by Judy Ellis Glickman,” also deals with genocide. Senior history major Seth Bergeson became aware of the exhibition through the non-governmental organization Humanity in Action, which focuses on human and minority rights.

In 2008 Bergeson received a fellowship to work with Humanity in Action, studying human rights and the Holocaust and conducting research in Washington, D.C. at the Holocaust Memorial Museum. Bergeson then worked in Denmark, where he found out about the Glickman exhibition. Originally sponsored by Humanity in Action, the exhibition is touring over 150 locations in the United States, France, England, Denmark and Israel. Bergeson then helped bring the Glickman exhibition to the Sheehan Gallery. Glickman’s work captures the aftermath of Denmark’s attempts to save its Jewish citizenry. The exhibition contains photographic portraits taken of Danish Holocaust resistors and the people they saved juxtaposed with photographs of concentration camps in Eastern Europe.

“We sort of have this contrasting of survival and death, and the difference between what happens when one resists a cultural genocide and when one participates in it,” Forbes said of the exhibit.

“It’s very powerful work to have.”

Bergeson sees the exhibit as exemplary of Humanity in Action’s mission to work towards social action. “[Humanity in Action] is ultimately trying to empower people through these histories [of resistance] to really critically look at history and how western democracies have allowed these horrendous events to happen and how we can prevent them in the future,” he said.

The third exhibition is “Photo-book-

works,” curated by artist David Schulz, who taught in the fall as a visiting professor from Pratt Institute’s College of Art. The exhibit will feature a number of artists’ photo-bookworks from the Special Collections department in Penrose Library, as well as selected prints from the books.

“It’s really a look at what a photobookwork is and how photographic images can be read, and looking at the way in which that technology is evolving,” explained Forbes. “What we’re excited about with his exhibition is that he’s producing a very limited edition artist photo-book catalog to accompany his curation project.”

Schulz’s fascination with photo-bookworks started when he was teaching at Pratt.

“I was teaching photography and graphic design and I started bringing together examples with specific kinds of visual motifs, like a series or an index or a narrative or collage. I started to bring together books to show my students examples of these kinds of motifs, and as I started bringing together more of these books and sort of refining the list I also started finding that a lot of these books kind of embodied visual and verbal experience, not just visual things,” he said.

For Schulz, much of the power of the photo-bookworks lies in the arrangement and composition of the images within the books.

“When you see this kind of repetition it starts to imitate different linguistic conventions. The pictures start to act like words in a sentence,” said Schulz.

“I’ve found that a lot of the structures of the pictures within these different works actually determine the meaning of the pictures as much as the representational content that’s within each image.”

The opening reception for “Tripteral” will take place on Friday, March 5, following Cook’s lecture “Memory Denied” in Olin 130 at 5:30 p.m.

For Whitman’s senior music majors, the beginning of spring heralds the opening of their most critical season. As numerous senior recitals and the music department’s annual composers concert will take place over the next few weeks, students will perform their own works and the works of others as they strive to complete their degrees. Faculty Music Assistant Kristin Vining-Stauffer explained the importance of this culminating event for the music majors.

“Students will work sometimes their whole career at Whitman College toward that senior recital,” she said. “They build up to it; they perform in smaller recitals—they might perform a junior recital—and it really is the culminating project for a music major at Whitman, to demonstrate the body of work they’ve been working on while they were a student here. It is an integral part of the music degree.”

The format of these showcases differs, depending on the student’s specific major track within the music department.

“The composition majors will present their own recital their senior year of their original compositions,” said ViningStauffer. “Those are always performed by a group of students and faculty. The composers themselves don’t usually perform at their recital. But a senior music major or senior performance major will perform their own senior recital, and that’s music by all different composers.”

As their recitals draw near, seniors Jacqueline Kamm, Kaley Eaton and Marshall Baker are occupied with intensive rehearsal.

Kamm is a vocal performance major and is preparing approximately 18 pieces for her recital, which will take place Saturday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Chism Hall.

Her recital incorporates pieces in French, German, Italian and Hebrew. She will be performing with her long-time piano accompanist, senior Laura Deering.

“It draws from all different periods— classical, romantic and 20th century,” said Kamm. “I’m just finessing each piece and . . . working to make each part of it really meaningful.”

Kamm detailed her long involvement with music and the recital’s role in her work at Whitman.

“I’ve been in choir since I was three,” she said. “I definitely did some more musical theater in high school, but here I’ve primarily focused on classical music. I’m excited for my recital; I’ve been working on it for I guess two years, and it’s just a big culminating moment of all the work I’ve done here. People should come!”

Eaton, also a vocal performance major, is participating in both a composer concert and her own senior recital.

“All of the people that studied composition with [Adjuct Assistant Professor of Music] John David Earnest last semester are presenting the pieces that we worked on. We worked on a few pieces and we’re all having someone else from the department perform them. [The composer concert is] happening on Friday, Feb. 26 [at 7:30 p.m., Chism Hall].”

Eaton’s own recital was set to take place Saturday, Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m., but due to a last-minute bout of laryngitis and bronchitis, the music department decided to postpone the event. It is tentatively set for Saturday, April 3, again at 7:30 p.m. in Chism Hall.

“I’m doing a lot of works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods,” said Eaton, who has been classically trained since the age of 11. “I have some weird [accompanying] instruments—I have a lute player coming in to play for me, and I also have flutes and violins.”

Eaton spoke also to the challenges she has encountered so far.

“I think the hardest part of putting on a recital is knowing what you can handle— just making sure that you pick repertoire that you’ll be able to sing straight for 45 minutes and not picking things that are too difficult to perform and then getting up on stage and having your voice die out on you halfway through.”

Meanwhile, senior Marshall Baker discussed the different sorts of challenges he faces as a composition major constructing a composer’s concert.

“Writing music is tough, but it pays off a lot once you hear it played,” said Baker. “It gets tough towards the end of the writing process, when you haven’t heard the piece played by real instruments, and you might start to get sick of it. But then again, it’s also tough to rehearse, because you have to deal with the logistics of coordinating schedules for however many people.”

Unusually, Baker’s composer’s concert will also incorporate a performance cameo; he will be playing one of his own pieces, written for solo violin.

His concert will take place on Friday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. in Chism Hall.

To the Whitman community at large, Vining-Stauffer extended an earnest encouragement to attend the senior recitals and concerts.

“Recitals are going to be happening from now until the end of the school year, and April usually has a lot of recitals. The students put in hours and hours of work, so it is really important that people come and support them,” she said.

PIO PICKS Each week, The Pioneer highlights a few events happening on campus or in Walla Walla during the weekend.

Here are this week’s picks:

KWCW SHOW OF T HE W EEK contributed by KWCW The Getcho Cookies LoveFunk Experience has been percolating in the minds of juniors Bailey Arango, Cecily Foo and Kristin Ivie since their freshman year. With individual but cohesive tastes and opinions on music, the show creates a fusion of rockabilly, soul, funk, garage and more. Weekly features include Bailey playing a song from Cherry Peel and Cecily gushing about Mac McCaughan. And sometimes Bailey plays KT Tunstall. Cecily and Kristin don’t get it either.

Getcho Cookies Favorites: ti*O BO "FSPQMBOF 0WFS ćF 4FBw

by Neutral Milk Hotel ti4FB PG -PWFw CZ 5PN 8BJUT ti#F .Z #BCZw CZ ćF 3POFUUFT ti6OEFS .Z ćVNCw CZ ćF Rolling Stones ti* 8BOOB ,OPX (JSMTw CZ Portastatic Listen to the Getcho Cookies LoveFunk Experience every Thursday, 6-8 p.m. on KWCW 90.5 FM or stream it online at kwcw.net.

Whitman Slam Poetry Competition WEB and Slam Poetry Club are teaming up to bring you the renowned slam poet Alvin Lau, who has garnered awards and recognition on a national level. Along with a number of randomly selected audience members, he will judge the competition, but he will also give a show of his own. For more information, see The Pioneer’s preview of the event in last week’s issue, available online at whitmanpioneer. com. Friday, Feb. 26, at 8 p.m. Reid Coffeehouse. Free.

International Banquet International Students and Friends club will host their annual dinner this Saturday, featuring a fashion show, student-led performances, international music, and a variety of dishes drawn from all over the world. Tickets cost $10 with Whitman ID and are available in the Intercultural Center Thursday and Friday. Saturday, Feb. 27, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Jewett Dining Hall.

Spring Composers Concert For more information on the event, see “Senior music majors put finishing touches on upcoming recitals,” this page. Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m. Chism Recital Hall.

Free.

A&E

February 25, 2010

MUSIC REVIEW

Few moments stand out from The Magnetic Fields’ overly cautious new album, ‘Realism’

by ANDREW HALL Music Reviewer

The 2000s saw Stephin Merritt, mastermind behind several groups, all of which play his music and most of which feature him singing it in some capacity or another—The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, Future Bible Heroes, the Gothic Archies—branch out considerably. Rather than maintain his insane prolificacy, which yielded over 11 albums, most of which were quite good if not exceptional, in the 2000s he released only two Magnetic Fields albums, i and Distortion, and moved to Los Angeles for the purpose of making 50 movie musicals. In the meantime, he wrote music and lyrics for an adaptation of "Coraline" that ran last summer and took on other musical projects, some of which are collected on 2006's Showtunes.

Perhaps to make making records interesting again, his last three Magnetic Fields albums have been made under the rule "no synths," effectively eliminating his most useful instrument from his repertoire and turning the band into an understated chamber-folk outfit. As a followup to Distortion, where he buried the songs beneath layers of Jesus and Mary Chain-inspired feedback, Realism is an homage to '60s orchestral folk; there are no electric instruments and no percussion played with any sticks or mallets. It's also the weakest and laziest album of the three, the kind of music that Merritt can produce without a minute of investment.

It all sounds very ornate and beautifully recorded, but like Merritt's worst work it rarely steps outside of the confines of genre exercise. "We Are Having a Hootenanny" never really does anything with its seemingly parodic Country Western arrangement, and "Everything is One Big Christmas Tree" never gets anywhere. "Walk A Lonely Road" sounds like a number of very good Stephin Merritt songs, but nothing makes it stand out; its familiar melodies and old ideas are made with new machinery. "Seduced And Abandoned" is one to add to the very long list of songs where Merritt's protagonists get lonely and drink a whole lot with a punch line or two thrown in.

A few moments, however, stand out nicely. "You Must Be Out Of Your Mind" is one of the best songs of the year; Merritt and singer Shirley Simms sing in unison over the entire song, and the effect turns Merritt's already low voice into gravel in the best way possible. The song is unbelievably busy, but it seems near-perfect. "The Dolls' Tea Party" falls nicely within the confines of his warped takes on childrens' music. The toy piano and bells serve perfectly to contrast the childish yet seemingly adult concerns—who's best and worst dressed, a cake's caloric content, "who's done whom wrong"— and emphasizes the emptiness of its targets effectively. "The Dada Polka" also sounds like an early, synth-heavy Magnetic Fields song, and it gets by predominantly on the novelty of hearing a lo-fi synth-pop arrangement made on acoustic instruments.

When the band toured behind Distortion in 2008, the album benefited from the fact that the live performances, perhaps as a consequence of Merritt's hyperacusis—a condition that makes certain sounds, like live drums and applause, become painfully loud in his left ear—presented the songs ornately and simply, not at all as they appeared on the album.

Realism, however, will sound more or less exactly the same; it's a melodically gorgeous album, but one that simply doesn't push Merritt's song writing in anything resembling a new direction. He has, however, stated that his next record will likely be all about the current generation of synthesizer technology; I can't help but be excited about that.

5

BOOK REVIEW

Whitman alum’s slim novel, ‘The Battle of Hillsboro,’ teases, doesn’t follow through

by ELLIE GOLD Book Reviewer

I had high hopes for Jesse Smith's "The Battle of Hillsboro." I did. When I read the back of the book, I was excited. A group of college-educated but unemployed young men deciding to start a war and take over the world? I mean, I read the entire "Ender’s Shadow" series; of course this sounds interesting to me!

Besides, author Jesse Smith is a Whitman alumnus, and he used to write for "blue moon." It sounded promising.

But let’s face it, with a meager 112 pages, there is no way this little novel—with its clunky prose and trite dialogue—could have delivered what I expected. Perhaps if Smith had spent another hundred pages, he might have been able to infuse "Hillsboro" with subtlety and thrill—to take advantage of my suspension of disbelief and carry the plot long enough that it became a novel about the frailty of social bonds and the seduction of power and violence instead of a book about a quarterlife crisis performed with guns.

That is what this book ultimately boils down to. A group of drunk, semisociopathic men a few years out of college are disappointed with their lives

and decide to “attain greatness”—not deed—and only men, might I add. The playing by society’s rules, but by throw- women in this novel serve only as “feing them out the window in favor of male companionship” and are largely sex, drugs and a ignored except for plot to take over a half chapter the the world. Franknarrator spends ly, it’s surprising discussing their that this plan gets roles as sex objects off the ground at and housewives. all, but Smith apThis narrator nevparently “drew his er even defends initial inspiration the group’s decifrom . . . Hamas sion not to include [taking] over the women in their litGaza Strip street tle militia: Apparby street with ently the inability small arms . . . of women to plan Why couldn’t that a military action happen here?” is so obvious it Come on, Mr. doesn’t even need Smith, that only to be explained. worked because Turns out the of the instabilgroup’s credenity of the existing “The Battle of Hillsboro” by Jesse Smith, tials for becoming power structure. Basementia Publications 2010, 112 pages military dictators Of course it’s not are a great backgoing to work in ground in the clasthe United States, where the military sics. Another chapter is dedicated to a can be airlifted in at a moment’s notice. philosophical debate that largely con(Spoiler alert? You betcha.) sists of the four men getting high and Drunk, semi-sociopathic men in- reading from Machiavelli, Sun Tzu and

"The Iliad," as if Smith felt the need to prove that, for all their foolishness, these men really are college-educated.

Unfortunately, since it reads like a transcript of some of the more ridiculous Core-inspired midnight conversations first-years are famous for having, this attempt falls pretty flat.

Reading this book was painful, but learning about the publishing company was perhaps even more so. Basementia Publications is a vanity press, which means that Smith had to pay them to print his novel. Usually, the publisher pays the author because they are interested in his or her work. Vanity presses, on the other hand, are paid by authors to make small print runs, which the author then has to sell his or herself (though they may often pay an additional fee to the publisher for them to advertise the book).

Smith has been published before by Basementia; his previous work is called "Principles for a Self-Directed Society" and an associated blog is linked on the front page of Basementia Enterprise’s Web site. That blog is succinct, intelligent, eloquent and funny; it’s just a shame that only the succinctness transferred well to "The Battle of Hillsboro."

MOVIE REVIEW

‘Juno’ creator finds success CROSSWORD PUZZLE with no-frills ‘Up in the Air’ 1

by BECQUER MEDAKSEGUIN Movie Reviewer

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching an exorbitant amount of films every year it is that good ones, though not necessarily great ones, tend to be deceiving. These films are not Stephen Colbert-brand parodies that on their surface present an opposite to their underlying position, but rather subtle satires that send you adrift before brutally and bluntly returning you to reality. The technique is an intelligent one that I’m slowly warming up to and the style is exemplified by Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air.” In some ways, “Up in the Air” strongly evokes one of Reitman’s previous films, “Thank You for Smoking,” about a tobacco lobbyist veiled as a scientific researcher. In both films, the protagonists are almost entirely removed from what most of us would call ‘society’ and find themselves at odds with those who uphold the norm. Yet, unlike “Thank You for Smoking,” which would fall into the Stephen

C olb er tbrand parody, “Up in the Air” moves from scene to scene without emitting much of a whiff of what it’s ultimately trying to do. Reitman’s film doesn’t resolve itself, doesn’t opt for a clichéd message about love or marriage and doesn’t succumb to judging the actions of its principle character.

Many critics have pointed out the presentness of this film (i.e. how in tune it is with the condition of the United States in an enormous economic crisis) and its astute blend of, as one critic put it, the “light and dark, hilarious and tragic, romantic and real.” These superficial anecdotes, however, are precisely what the film, in its final frames, eschews and mocks as representing a faux reality. The film isn’t, as Rene Rodriguez of the Miami Herald put it, “optimistic about the perpetual themes that preoccupy so many movies that endure the test of time: Life is better with company. And everybody needs a co-pilot.” Rather, it is decidedly the opposite.

The film, based on a 2001 novel by the same title, tells the story of Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), a career transition counselor who flies around the country firing people on behalf of their employers. His life is almost always in transition, going from airport to airport, hotel to hotel and interview to interview while spending less than 60 days a year in an apartment most would consider his “home.” His “home” is something else, something most loathe: airport travel.

Suddenly, however, his weltanschauung is threatened by a next-generation idea, promoted by the young hot-shot Natalie (Anna Kendrick), to digitize the process that has allowed him, thus far, to elude lifestyle normativity. To mediate this culture clash between change and the status quo, the film introduces Alex (Vera Farmiga), a fellow frequent flier, into Ryan’s life and they soon begin a casual relationship.

All this (what others call the ‘plot’) is

b e side the point.

Instead, the point is to understand why O. JOHNSON Ryan does what he does and thinks the way he thinks. To this end, the most important scene in the film, and my personal favorite, occurs when Ryan attempts to motivate cold-footed Jim, his future brother-in-law. Ryan spews some cheezeball lines about how “life is better with company” and “everyone needs a co-pilot,” which Jim subsequently calls him out for saying. Then, he asks Ryan the very question that drives his life, philosophy and outlook: “What should I do?” That is the question. Thinking, feeling and existing only matter to the extent that you do something with them. Otherwise, they’re worthless.

The movie, for my money, ends with this sobering and affecting question.

No frills. Just another thoughtful, wellexecuted slice of life from the man that brought us the beloved “Juno” and will surely bring us many more classics.

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Puzzlemaster

ACROSS 1. Black or White 5. Ultimatum ender 9. “What Not to Wear” network 12. Like some contraceptives 13. Sulk 14. __-CAH-TOA (trig mnemonic) 15. Pakistani language 16. It may be scratched 17. Two less than trois 18. Current event?

21. Social reject 22. Bracelet attachment 24. Jai __ 28. “Nappy-headed hoes” quipper 29. Current event?

34. 34-Across member 35. 1973 oil embargo leader (abbr.)

36. Social rejects 38. Vaguely off-putting 43. Current event?

47. Even (up) 48. Bungles 49. Up in the air 50. Business exec.

51. Minelli of “Cabaret” 52. Abbreviate 53. Networking aids 54. Calligraphy ornament 55. Send an SMS

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by KARL WALLULIS

41

DOWN 1. “Frère Jacques,” e.g.

2. It might lead the way 3. Political faction 4. Get away from 5. Like some fails 6. A whole bunch 7. Be really crappy 8. Work follower?

9. Seismic phenomenon 10. Big scheme of things 11. Ernesto Guevara, to his amigos 19. Architectural beam 20. Blackjack phrase 23. Monosodium glutamate, familiarly 25. Children’s author Leoni 26. Cleopatra’s killer 27. “I like __” (‘50s political slogan) 29. Rarely eaten part of a fish 30. “You win” 31. Earns, as praise 32. Take back 33. Laptop brand 37. Start of a 9-Down 39. Decree 40. Biathlon carry-along 41. The “iz” in “hizzouse,” e.g.

42. Pyramid locale 44. Swedish toy manufacturer 45. Rice-shaped pasta 46. Memo acronym 47. “I did not need to hear that”

To see answers to last week’s puzzle, see whitmanpioneer.com

COMIC

ALDEN

FEATURE

6

February 25, 2010F

Food for thought

This week’s Feature might not expose racy secrets or challenge global crime, but it’s about something we all think about when it’s cold and dark outside: food in all its forms. We’ve explored all aspects of chowing down at Whitman, from the changes college life brings to students’ eating habits to the decisions Bon Appétit makes to bring grub to the table. For those in the mood to venture away from the meal plan, we visited and reviewed a new Thai restaurant downtown and included two tasty recipes to try at home.

College life drives upheaval in students’ diets

by BECKY NEVIN Staff Reporter

For many first-years, college represents a dramatic change in lifestyle.

While some worry about dorm living and finding their niche in the Whitman community, one of the biggest changes often goes unnoticed. Food and eating styles transform dramatically in the college environment in response to eating in a dining hall or new study habits.

For Whitman students, being on a meal plan affects eating habits in a range of ways. While many feel that the variety and wide availability of new and enticing foods causes them to overeat, others argue that the opposite is true.

“I feel as if I eat way healthier [than at home]. Obviously, there’s not a salad bar at your house. There’s always a salad option. I feel like I’m more of a vegan or vegetarian here. It’s healthier,” said first-year Taylor White.

Sophomore Elana Congress agreed, addressing the issue of meat.

“At home we have chicken every night for dinner. It’s good for people to reduce their consumption of meat and it’s easy to do here because there are so many options,” she said.

However, there is also a negative side to the extraordinary number of options in the dining halls.

“There are so many options here that you can pig out on. I have trouble eating salads every day because there are so many other options,” said firstyear Owen Lowry.

Other students complain about the high number of delicious and tempting dessert options. In Prentiss, the dessert cart is strategically located so that students must pass it in order to get to the entrees and often must stand in line next to it.

“Sugary food is at hand. I feel like it’s really hard when it’s a buffet style to regulate yourself. At Reid it’s much easier,” said first-year Emma Newton.

First-year Diana Dulek takes a harder line with regards to the tempt-

ing options in the dining halls.

“It’s an exercise in willpower,” she said.

Perhaps because of these sugary treats, in a recent survey, the majority of students living off campus who participated in a recent Pioneer survey said that their diets improved after moving away from the meal plan. Out of 84 off-campus students surveyed, 68 percent said that they eat healthier living on their own.

Although they can be overwhelming, some students have come to expect this multitude of dessert options.

“I cry when the ice cream machine is out of order,” said first-year Jack Lazar.

Despite the high number of sugary options, the majority of Whitman students living on campus who participated in the survey still see themselves as conscientious eaters. Out of 174 students surveyed, 70 percent described their eating habits as “healthy.”

The dining halls also change student eating habits by limiting the number of meals they can eat and when they can eat.

“At home, I eat four or five meals a day. Here I eat larger meals,” said sophomore B r y n n e Haug.

It is clear that dining halls do not affect all students’ eating habits in the

same way. With the variety of options, it is entirely possible to choose healthy options. But do students want to?

Besides living on a meal plan, the long hours of often stressful studying at Whitman can also cause major changes in a student’s diet. For many students, food becomes an important part in study sessions.

First-year Sarah Schaefer described how she likes to take food from the dining hall to consume while studying.

“I love to take grapes from the dining hall to eat while I study. Sadly, there haven’t been grapes recently, so I’ve been forced to take desserts for my study snacks,” she said.

Other students feel frustrated that they often end up eating sweets while studying.

“The quantity of sugary foods that I eat has gone up tremendously,” said Newton.

Lazar agreed, noting the issue of well-intentioned

but unhealthy care packages.

“It doesn’t really help to have my grandma send me 10 pounds of cookies,” he said.

So what causes these poor eating habits?

“Most of it revolves around staying up later. When you’re sleep-deprived, you tend to make poor choices in food,” said first-year Diana Dulek.

Some students pursue healthier options.

“I drink a lot of tea and I eat spicy Indian snack mix,” said sophomore Kaitlin Cloud.

First-year Cassandra Baker practices another technique: She doesn’t eat at all while studying.

“I normally don’t eat when I study because when I study I don’t think about food. And then afterwards, I realize I’m really hungry,” said Baker.

Another healthy option is to take active study breaks. First-year Rex Rolle goes for walks when

he needs a rest from studying.

Jennifer Shields, a registered nurse with the Welty Health Center, knows about student eating habits and how they affect student health.

“Between stress and scheduling and competitive athletics, people aren’t taking the time to get the right nutrients,” said Shields.

At the same time, Shields recognizes that the average Whittie is health conscious.

Shields has also seen how being sick negatively affects a college student’s diet.

“From the nursing standpoint, when people get sick and run down, it’s hard to eat right because of lack of appetite,” she said.

In an attempt to remedy this effect of illness, Bon Appétit delivers meals to the health center for students who are feeling under the weather and can’t make the trip to the dining hall.

The college environment can be both helpful and detrimental for students attempting to maintain a healthy diet. Cafeteria-style eating presents a new environment for those used to eating home-cooked meals.

Whether it be in a dining hall or in a residence hall room while studying, college life gives students a new level of freedom and responsibility when it comes to diet choices.

E. JOHNSON

Bon Appétit juggles healthy options, student cravings

CORNELIUS

A Bon Appétit employee mans the Fire and Spice grill in Reid. Many of the food options at Café ‘66 reflect an attempt to balance more attractive items like burgers with healthy foods.

by HADLEY JOLLEY Staff Reporter

As the only food service provider at Whitman, Bon Appétit has a big effect on the health and happiness of students, especially first-years and sophomores.

Although it may seem as if food just appears in the dining halls and in Reid, the options provided by Bon Appétit are a result of careful decisions as the company navigates between factors such as health, student preferences and environmental concerns.

“We try to teach people to eat properly,” said Christian Chemin, executive chef.

Bon Appétit attempts to offer a variety of healthy, environmentally-friendly food choices, but that doesn’t mean students have to take them. For example, there are always hamburgers and pizzas available in Reid.

“We want to make sure we satisfy everyone,” said Chemin.

One way the company attempts to cater to all tastes is through diversity;

besides the grilled burgers and pizza in Reid, the two larger dining halls have different focuses. The Prentiss dining hall focuses on vegetarian options, while the Jewett dining hall focuses on more meatheavy meals.

“The demographics of the two halls are different,” said Roger Edens, the general manager of Bon Appétit at Whitman.

“There are more first years over near Jewett, and more women near Prentiss.

There are far more vegetarians and vegans [who eat in Prentiss] than in Jewett. I

think the first-year male students you find at Jewett are looking for more meat.

As they become second years, some rethink what they eat and some don’t.”

Chemin said that he worked with a group of vegan students to craft a plan for vegan options the first year he worked at Whitman. Chemin is in charge of the menu in Prentiss dining hall, creating all the recipes from scratch before cooking.

“We don’t use corporate recipes, so it’s not going to be the same every time,” said Edens.

Sophomore Carolyn Hart, however, feels that Bon Appétit could design more meals that are filling, yet also healthy. She doesn’t always enjoy the taste of the strictly healthy meal options.

“Here I tend to go between the extremes. There’s opportunity to eat healthy food, but at the same time it’s easy to eat unhealthily,” she said.

Whether the chicken served by Bon Appétit is fried or roasted, it must pass rigorous requirements. Bon Appétit has strict rules regarding chicken, beef and eggs, and attempts to buy locally-grown foods as often as possible. The poultry and beef served were raised without the use of antibiotics, while eggs come from free-range chicken.

Bon Appétit also limits the purchase of tropical fruit, like bananas, because of the carbon emitted when the fruit is transported up to temperate Walla Walla and because many types of fruit, like bananas, have an inedible peel that increases food waste. While bananas can sometimes be found in the dining halls, they are not sold in Reid.

Bon Appétit refuses to buy any food that has been air-freighted, as transporting food by airplane also causes a larger volume of carbon emissions.

“In addition to that we’re looking at sustainability and local purchasing,” said Edens.

While Walla Walla is in an agricultural area, not everything can be gained locally. Even the local apples from Milton-Freewater run out in January, according to Edens. On the other hand, the local strawberries used in smoothies and on waffles can be used all year because they are frozen. Bon Appétit continues to develop their local purchasing program, while attempting to serve a wide variety of foods. After all, more than half the Whitman student body relies on a meal plan—the challenge lies in satisfying the needs and desires of as many students as possible.

FEATURE

0February 25, 2010

E AT ERIES OF WALL A WALL A : C AT EGORIES OF CUISINE

7

Quick, easy cocoa fix

by BECCA BRIGHT

Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies

Feature Editor

WOLFF According to Tourism Walla Walla, the town includes 52 member restaurants. Above is a breakdown of the cuisine options.

Forgettable yet tasty Thai food downtown

by MARYBETH MURRAY Staff Reporter

Living at Whitman, there are enough options for eating on campus that many students rarely venture away from the convenience of the dining halls for a meal. But when the urge to eat off campus hits me, there are so many options to choose from. With over 60 restaurants in Walla Walla, as well as nearly 20 others in the surrounding area, there is something for everyone. Recently, Walla Walla has added a new venue to its ranks of Asian eateries: Thai Bon Appétit.

Located on Spokane Street, a few doors down from the Cookie Tree Café and Bakery, Thai Bon Appétit was nearly empty when I arrived at 5:30 p.m. on a Friday. The front counter is wedged into a small café space that is reminiscent of a food court and adjoining it is a larger dining room with tables and softer lighting. At the front counter was a sweet woman who took our order and assured us that she’d bring our pot stickers out when they were ready. She yelled back into the kitchen, where her husband was cooking our dinner.

The à la carte options include pad Thai, Thai chicken and fantail shrimp.

But for the most part, the dishes seem to fit under the title “Asian Fusion” rather than strictly Thai. Pad Thai was the only particularly Thai option on the menu.

Even the Thai chicken on the menu is named “Thai (Teriyaki) Chicken.” You could find just about everything on Thai Bon Appétit’s menu on the menu at a typical Chinese restaurant.

Thai Bon Appétit may not be the best bet for vegetarians, as most of the à la carte options are meat entrees. The fried rice is made with chicken, but there are vegetarian egg rolls as well as fish options. Besides the à la carte options, other meal choices are available on the full menu, some of which are more vegetarian friendly. Anything on the menu, which is not currently out as an à la carte option, can be cooked upon request.

All orders come with a heaping pile of fried rice as well as chow mein. The Thai chicken comes as one large piece on a skewer and is essentially the same as teriyaki chicken. Their sweet and sour chicken is deep friend chicken sticks with the sauce on the side. All of the different dishes were light and flavorful, but not overwhelming. The egg rolls were made with cabbage, carrots and chicken with a slightly sweet flavor. The pot stickers were freshly made, hot and extremely good. They came with a tangy ginger soy sauce that was particularly delicious.

While Thai Bon Appétit is not the most delicious or authentic Thai food I’ve ever had, I still enjoyed the experience. For under $20 I could order enough food for two hungry people as well as free refills on soda. The service was extremely friendly, relatively fast and there were lots of options, although my vegetarian and vegan friends may have trouble finding enough entrees to fill their plate.

I would highly recommend the pot stickers, which were delicious. The sweet and sour chicken, however, left me wondering if the chicken had come in a freezer box and if the sauce was a Thai version of marinara. Overall, I walked out full and quite satisfied with my dinner.

The time of year between Christmas and spring break sucks in a lot of ways. It’s still cold, but not cold enough for snow, there’s not much happening on campus or in town and the homework is really starting to pile up. Some nights, all you can do is curl up in front of the Olympics (or with a textbook) and eat ridiculously tasty, easy-to-make cookies. At least, that’s all I can do.

And these cookies are really easy.

They’re the perfect combination of oatmeal, chocolate and peanut butter, and you don’t even have to bake them—just boil the mixture on the stove, drop them onto cookie sheets, and wait for them to cool. To make a batch, you only need a few ingredients, and although you probably can’t steal them from a dining hall, they’re all easy to find at the store or pilfer from a friend’s off-campus house.

Perfect for any late-night chocolate cravings or study breaks, this recipe can be adapted easily to fit the ingredients you have on hand. Chopped nuts,

2 cups granulated sugar 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup butter (or margarine) 3 cups quick-cooking oats 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup peanut butter 1) In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar, unsweetened cocoa, milk and butter to a boil.

2) Remove from heat and immediately add the oats, vanilla extract and peanut butter.

3) Drop the hot mixture onto greased cookie sheets or wax paper, about a spoonful at a time.

4) Let stand for one half-hour (if you can!) or pop them in the freezer for a few minutes to speed up the process. coconut or almond extract can add a lot to the flavor and extra chocolate chips make for an extra-rich, gooey cookie. For peanut butter, you can go with smooth or crunchy, sugary or organic, according to your preference.

Only one warning: I would recommend using butter instead of margarine, although both will work. This helps the cookies to set faster and firm up better—and the hardest part

of making this recipe is waiting while the cookies cool. Other, messier eating options include scooping the warm cookies straight off the cookie sheet with a spoon or eating them as a topping on vanilla ice cream.

If you’re looking for convenience, a high chocolate content and perfect chewy texture, you won’t find a better cookie option than this. And the oatmeal makes them healthy, right?

Gourmet pizza without the sticker shock Mimi Cook is the co-founder of the Cooking Club, a senior English major and a cooking enthusiast.

by MIMI COOK Contributing Reporter

It’s Friday night and you are dreaming of pizza: crisp, chewy crust, melted cheese and all your favorite toppings. But Sweet Basil seems so far away, Brasserie Four is too dressy and dining hall pizza just isn’t cutting it. The good news is that delicious, rustic pizza isn’t that hard to attain and is pretty cheap to make. It just takes a little forethought and few pizzamaking secrets to get the almost charred edges, bubbling cheese and perfectly cooked toppings that make the best pizzeria pizza so good.

Interested? Rewind a day and imagine that you took five minutes to stir together some warm water, flour, and yeast before you went to bed. All night, while you slumbered gently, and all morning, while you were in your classes, the dough rose. Then imagine you spent just 20 minutes after lunch stirring in more yeast, flour and salt, and kneading the dough into a ball, before letting it rise again. During the afternoon, the dough rested in the refrigerator, and you checked in on it a few times. Then, just when you are beginning to feel the first pangs of those pizza cravings, you find you have beautiful, stretchy dough.

Rustic pizza is just a few steps away.

Toppings, of course, are key. Tomato sauce and cheese are a classic combi-

nation. I use fresh mozzarella. You can add almost anything on top of this, but I like to keep it simple: some salami, olives, maybe some vegetables. Another addictive combination is olive oil, potato slices, bleu cheese and rosemary.

The secret, though—to pizza that tastes like it came straight from a woodburning oven—is heat. Real, New York style pizzeria ovens run at about 800ºF. So what are we doing cooking pizzas at 350ºF? Drying out the crust is what. My advice is to cook your pizzas as hot as you can. Regular kitchen ovens top out at about 550ºF, so turn up the heat and crank open a couple of windows in case things get a little smoky. You can also cook your pizzas on the back of a superheated cast iron skillet under the oven’s broiler on high (I tried this—it’s awesome and only takes about two minutes per pizza).

So, trust me on this one. Take the time before you go to bed to start this slow-rise pizza dough and tomorrow, as you bite into a hot, fragrant piece of homemade pizza, you’ll be thanking yourself.

Overnight Pizza Dough (for the college student) Adapted from “Bon Appétit” magazine April 2009.

How to read this recipe: Read through the entire thing, noting what ingredients you’ll need and how long each step needs to rise. Then go back to the beginning and start cooking.

STEP 1 1 cup lukewarm water 1 teaspoon of 1 envelope active dry yeast (save the rest for the next step) 1 cup all purpose flour Place water in a large bowl. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of yeast and Ľ cup of flour over the water. Let stand for 4 minutes. Add remaining flour and whisk until smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature in a draft-free place overnight (about 12 hours).

STEP 2 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water 2 teaspoons salt 1 envelope active dry yeast plus remaining yeast from step 1 6 cups all purpose flour Olive oil To the mixture in the bowl, add 1 1/2 cups water, salt and 1 envelope yeast plus remaining yeast. Stir, then add 6 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring thoroughly after each addition. When all the flour is incorporated, turn out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and only slightly sticky. Shape into a ball.

Wash and dry your bowl. Rub inside of the bowl with oil. Add dough and turn to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; chill 6 hours, punching dough down when doubled (by this I mean gently, but firmly shove your fist into the dough a couple of times to deflate it).

STEP 3 About 1 1/2 hours before baking, turn dough out onto floured surface and knead into a 16 inch log. Cut into 8 equal pieces. Knead each piece into a smooth ball. Arrange on two baking sheets dusted with flour, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

STEP 4 Stretch into 9-inch rounds. Oil or sprinkle cornmeal on a cookie sheet and place pizza on top. Top as you like. Bake as hot as you can until the crust is brown and the cheese is bubbling. Eat. Enjoy!

NSON

E. JOH

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Opinion

The Pioneer ISSUE 5 FEB. 25, 2010 Page 8

F

American presence burdens Japan The 50th anniversary of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty was not met with much fanfare and celebration. In fact, many dissidents believe that after HEATHER NICHOLS- over 50 years it is HAINING time the United States decrease Columnist or eliminate the military bases it is maintaining in Japan. Our presence may have made sense in immediate postwar Japan and could possibly be justified in Cold War Japan, but there is no place for a military base in modern Japan. The bases are costing us money we don’t have and costing Japan precious land and resources they don’t have. The Japanese are paying most of the operating expenses of maintaining our bases—including the cost of renting the land—and indicated in a 1995 survey that they believe that the U.S. military is not in Japan for Japan’s benefit, despite American rhetoric of protecting the nation against potential invaders.

Japanese dissidents also complain of the disruptive noise and crime committed around military bases.

They complain that the noises of helicopters disrupt schools and keep people awake at night. Furthermore, a series of rapes and other violent crimes by U.S. Marines

have inspired numerous protests against American military presence, with protestors numbering over 80,000.

While Americans have been encountering pressure from the Japanese to leave the military bases practically from their inception, escalating protests are now louder than ever. Recently, six Japanese officials have been elected to office with the promise that they will oppose American military presence and relocate or remove the air base Futemma from Japan.

Prime Minister Hatoyama and local Okinawan politicians have staked their campaigns on promises to oppose the bases, which has led to tense relations between Japan and the United States.

The Japanese who oppose American military presence in Okinawa have it right: We don’t really have a good excuse to stay there anymore. Following World War II, the United States’ occupation of Japan focused on two main

goals: demilitarizing Japan, and modeling Japan’s government to imitate that of the United States and other Western countries. These reasons cannot justify staying in Japan today, and in fact did not justify our presence for very long once they were originally stated.

The United States only had a stake in demilitarizing Japan immediately after WWII, and the constitution which had

previously banned any standing army in Japan was quickly altered during the Cold War to allow for minor exceptions of maintaining a defensive army.

Interestingly, Japan’s military is still hampered by that same clause in its constitution. Though many protestors have tried to completely alter the law limiting military build-up, they have met pressure from the United States and other Western nations to keep the clause in their constitution. One of the biggest justifications the United States has given to back it’s presence in Japan is the argument that the Japanese would not be able to defend themselves in the event of an attack.

However, the Japanese now spend only one percent of their GNP on keeping an army, but have the sixth largest army in the world, ac-

cording to some sources. In comparison, the United States has the largest army in the world, but six or seven percent of our GNP goes towards maintaining the it. If Japan were allowed to expand its military spending, it is likely that they would have one of the top three largest armies in the world and have no difficulty defending themselves.

So if not to protect the Japanese people from advancing enemies in all directions, why exactly is the United States in Japan? With relatively close access to China, North and South Korea, Russia, India and mainland Japan, Okinawa is a strategic dream come true for the American military.

Furthermore, with Japan shouldering many of the costs of operating the bases, the United States has no financial incentive to consider moving troops to bases on American soil. On the contrary, Japanese officials have historically paid a huge percentage of the costs of transporting American military out of Okinawa and will likely continue to do so in the future.

The Japanese people will not stand for continued American military presence for much longer. Now that it is a part of mainstream rhetoric, with major officials winning elections largely due to promises of eliminating or decreasing the number of U.S. military bases in Japan, the United States had better start looking for new DOUGLAS places to station its Marines.

What are libraries for? ACTA: Be worried When I was visiting colleges, the library was definitely an important factor in deciding how I felt about a school.

Part of it was because I figured I’d AMY TIAN be spending a lot Columnist of time there, but on a more symbolic level, the library represents the school’s attitude toward academics. However, the appeal of the library lies in something aside the fact that it’s a good place to study.

It’s mostly about the environment. For example, my friend at Oberlin felt that the rainbow couches and room full of typewriters in the library were a quintessential part of her Oberlin experience. In comparison, some highlights of Penrose Library include the quiet room, the windows, the view of Ankeny, the Napoleon room, the fourth floor, the canoe, the rolling bookcases and the fact that it’s open 24 hours. Some of these features make the library a nice place to study; others are just nice to have.

At Carnegie Mellon University, the library was sometimes a place where I could nap in between classes; they had this sleeping pod, which was maybe my favorite thing about the library. It was designed by an alumnus and was basically this reclining chair with a dorm enclosing part of it, so that you can pull it closed over yourself when you lie inside of it. It could play ambient sounds and had a timer that allowed you to nap for a certain number of minutes before vibrating to shake you awake. It was positioned awkwardly in the corner of the library café, so oftentimes you’d be eating a bagel with a person’s legs sticking out of the sleeping pod right behind you. But it was pretty awesome.

My roommate got a text the other day from her friends at Boston College, telling her that they’d found a secret library on campus.

“What should we do there?” they asked.

“Go streaking,” she texted back.

One particular usage that surprised me, however, was that the library was also a place where people checked out books.

To read. For fun. Who does that?

My friend recently, on a whim, checked out four books on mysticism.

“I decided to check them out when I was studying there because it’s something I’m interested in and I was like ‘Hey, I’m in a library,’” she explained.

The library is an especially convenient place to get books from because, well, it’s right there. And it’s a place where most people would be going anyway. So in a way, the library promotes the reading of books by making books easily accessible.

But while checking books out is one thing, finding the time to read them is another.

I asked my friend Osta about why she decided to check out Malcolm Gladwell’s “Blink.”

“This summer I did a lot of reading for fun,” she said. “So in the fall I was bored and I didn’t have any homework, so I was like, ‘Wow, school’s super easy, I have a ton of free time, I can continue to read for fun.’ In the quiet room there’s a wall of popular books and I saw “Blink” and I was like, ‘Oh, that sounds fun’—but I didn’t finish it.”

It’s nice to know that books still have a place in the library—amongst the studying, the sleeping and the streaking—even if they only sometimes are actually read.

Pamphlet guys: Converting or destroying people one flyer at a time It’s Friday morning and I feel like an absolute tool. The sun’s rays serve only to strengthen my anger and I shield my eyes from JOEY KERN them the way Columnist you would from an obese streaker or Bambi’s mom dying. I’m in no mood to talk and make the mercifully brief walk from Jewett to Olin with the relentless white noise of my head’s aching buzzing in my skull.

Just when I thought it was safe to go to class, I am greeted with an all too familiar sight: pamphlet guy. Everyone has encountered pamphlet guy in his or her life. Pamphlet guy lurks outside everywhere you ever consider going and, armed with willpower and the handiwork of some Kinko’s employee, proceeds in changing your life forever, or at least putting in an honest effort.

Pamphlet guy comes in a variety of incarnations—some worse than others.

There’s cause pamphlet guy who feels compelled to remind you that three baby seals died in China because

America loves oil. This particular iteration of pamphlet guy is excusable; while self-righteous, he at the very least thinks he is doing something to benefit . . . something. Wrong though he may be, there’s a certain nobility to it that can be admired.

The next rung on this ladder of irritation is the religious crusader. This man is trying to save your soul and he is doing it in five minutes outside your local movie theater. This is when pamphlet guy begins to become the condescending ass-clown we all know. He makes the amusing assumption that whoever he is talking to—be they religious or not—is the way they are simply because they have yet to be enlightened, simply because they have, as of yet, failed to read the 300 words of wisdom that will take them to the promised land.

While this form of pamphlet guy is annoying and condescending, still we can see a silver lining to his douchebaggery. He, like cause guy, is trying in a very misguided way to do something good.

While his efforts are feeble and worthy of pity, he is trying to bring people on to a path that, he feels, will make them better off for it. This is why the religious crusader does not rest at the top of the ladder of irritation. This spot is reserved

for the atheist avenger.

The atheist avenger is an alliterative pseudonym for the pamphlet guy we see who, identically to the religious crusader, seeks to change your life and do so very quickly and with little effort. The atheist avenger has all the qualities we attribute to the religious crusader with one notable exception: He has zero interest in bettering your life or the life of any other person.

The atheist avenger therefore proves the champion of idiocy in this hierarchy of self-righteousness. He seeks to change people’s viewpoints yet does so with no respect for the viewpoints he wishes to change. He sees no other side to the story and assumes that your religious beliefs are ripe for the sculpting. He does all of this and does it for no reason.

What need would an atheist see in taking someone’s faith from them? What good could that do anybody? The fact is, it does no service other than gratifying the individual with the pamphlet. His joy in this vocation lies only in a condescending belief that he needs to drag people kicking and screaming from the safety of their faith. He benefits nobody and disrespects everybody to whom he so righteously hands that lime-green piece of paper.

about your rights on the Internet Internet piracy is a very big issue for content creators.

So big that some game companies have begun to require Internet connections in order for games to run, BLAIR in hopes of proFRANK tecting them from Columnist piracy. Clearly, the practice of Internet file sharing has the large corporate intellectual property owners (or as I like to call them, Big Content) running scared. That’s why they’ve put so much money into lobbying for new ways to enforce their dominance over the market. Case in point: The Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty Agreement is supposed to be the new panacea for all of Big Content’s woes.

Of course, what’s good for Big Content may not be as good for you and me.

Of course, nobody really knows, because the most controversial sections of the treaty are being hidden from public view.

Jamie Love, of Knowledge Ecology International, filed a Freedom of Information Act request for documents regarding the Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty Agreement.

He received a letter back from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office denying that request, saying that the text of the treaty was “classified in the interest of national security.”

That’s not to say we don’t have some clue as to what the treaty entails. The European Union produced a memo in September of 2009 which outlined some of the provisions in the section of the treaty regarding the Internet. The key points included a notice-and-takedown system, meaning that if Big Content sends a notice to a Web site (e.g. YouTube) saying that the content is infringing on a copyright, that Web site has to take it down.

Notice-and-takedown is already included in the United States’ Digital Millenium Copyright Act, which is why YouTube videos frequently disappear without notice, even if they were posted by the person who created that content.

But that’s not the really scary bit. According to the EU memo, the agreement will also mandate civil and criminal penalties for file sharing. Big Content has shown that it is very good at bringing lawsuits against people it has caught file sharing and has charged them gobs of money.

Now, it looks like felony file sharing may be joining the legal lexicon.

Last, but certainly not least, the memo outlines a requirement that Internet Service Providers either use some means of banning the transfer of copyrighted files over their network, or implement a “graduated response” policy against file sharing.

Let’s break down those two options: The first is a major privacy issue. In order for content monitoring to be effective, your ISP will need to track what it is you’re uploading and downloading from the Internet. Did your significant other e-mail you some naughty pictures? Congratulations!

Under a content monitoring system, your ISP got a chance to see them too.

Okay, so content monitoring is bad.

What about this “graduated response” stuff? That has to be better, right? Unfortunately, it’s not. “Graduated response,” or more colloquially, three-strikes policies, are just as bad as content monitoring, if not worse. The idea behind a three-strikes system is that if Big Content sends a notice to your ISP that your IP address has been illegally sharing files three times, you get kicked off the Internet for good.

There are a few problems here. The first is that an IP address is not a singular identity. If you have three computers hooked up to a single router at home, all of those computers share the same IP on the World Wide Web. So, if someone else got access to your wireless network and downloaded a bunch of movies, you could get kicked off the Internet.

Secondly, there’s the issue of accusation versus conviction. Under a three-strikes system, you don’t have to be convicted of file sharing for it to count as a strike. All that has to happen is for Big Content to accuse you of sharing files. All of this because Big Content hasn’t put the time into a working business model for the digital age. (But that’s another column.)

The bottom line is, why should you care? In a nutshell, here’s why: There’s a treaty being created in secret which is designed to serve the needs of large corporate interests by kicking people off of the Internet without proof and/or throwing them in jail. I don’t know about you, but that ticks me off.

Got something to say?

The Pioneer wants to hear your thoughts. Comment on this and other articles on our Web site, whitmanpioneer.com

OPINION

February 25, 2010

Language: Real culture shock Culture shock is often expected when you go abroad. The study abroad office will warn you about it. Whatever program you go to will talk about it GARY WANG during orientaColumnist tion. The simple message: Be tolerant, open minded and eager to learn. We’re not in Kansas anymore—although Kansas would be enough of a culture shock for some of us.

But what does culture shock mean?

In the United States for example, it’s customary as well as obligatory (is there a difference between the two?) to say thank you to your waiter when they bring your food over or when someone opens the door for you. You’re impolite if you don’t (a sure sign of being unsophisticated and crude). In China, you don’t have to say thank you. You get a strange look if you do say thank you—in Chinese of course—to your waiter. After all, from his point of view, he’s just doing his job. He should be doing his job.

It’s not as if he’s doing something nice or out of the ordinary. The presumption is in obeying the already given rules. This is not to say you shouldn’t say thank you or that giving thanks is offensive.

What it does suggest is that different cultures place different emphasis

on different words. “Thank you,” when repeated enough, may be meaningless.

We leave our words on the table with the tip at a restaurant, but at the very least, we say it. (You never tip in China, not in restaurants, bars or barbershops.)

Consider how many ways you can say thank you. “Thanks,” “Thank you,” “I appreciate it,” “that’s very kind of you” and tipping of course. Twenty percent is suggested and you go up or down depending on whether or not you liked your waiter, right?

The simple message: Be tolerant, open minded and eager to learn.

Well, there’s none of that in China.

What there are, though, are different names for every member of your family depending on his or her relation to you.

So, it’s a different character for grandmother on your mom’s side and grandmother on your dad’s side, pronounced wai puo as opposed to nai nai. It’s a different character for grandmother’s little brother’s granddaughter and your grandmother’s little sister’s granddaughter. It’s a dizzying task trying to memorize all of them even though they’re important. After all, no matter how distant

someone is, family is family, right?

Chinese culture traditionally places a really strong emphasis on family as a source of social stability, personal values and priorities. You have an obligation to them by virtue of your birth (it’s irrelevant if you didn’t choose them) and that obligation usually comes ahead of personal whims and desires. Or rather, that obligation frames the terms of the latter. And you can see that reflected in the Chinese language, Mandarin.

Well, what about American language?

To take a common topic, how many slang words and terms do we have for having sex? Not to say sex is bad—does anyone still believe that?—but that I think the more ways we have to describe something reflects something about our culture. In creating new ways to describe something, we express the importance we attach to it. We draw finer and finer distinctions within whatever we’re describing because we can see finer distinctions.

So, the real shock of encountering another culture isn’t just that they do things differently—like not saying thanks or not respecting your personal space (it’s hard in the Beijing subway). It’s that they think differently. Their language emphasizes different things and so they see things in a different light. The challenge of course is to learn their new language and eventually start thinking in it. It’s not blind acceptance (thankfully dog eating is being outlawed by the government here) or revulsion, but understanding.

Viewing 9/11 in hindsight Historians are in a constant process of re-evaluation, a benefit that only comes with time (aka hindsight).

When tragedies occur that reverberate throughout WILLIAM our whole nation, WITWER historians evaluColumnist ate and re-evaluate their effects.

Sept. 11 changed America in a profound, panic-inducing way. It started two wars and booted us uncomfortably into the modern age. But the significance of the attack was missed almost entirely by those of us too young to understand.

In hindsight, we have come to comprehend 9/11’s earth-shattering effect on the U.S. implicitly, through behavioral osmosis. I’m talking, of course, about the first-years, those who were in the fifth grade at the time of attack, those of us who couldn’t understand the implications of the crumbling towers when they fell. My friend, first-year Alex Brott, was also in fifth grade when it happened and can remember the day fairly well.

“I was just watching TV—it might have been Nickelodeon,” said Alex. “It cut to the news, pictures of the initial coverage of the first world trade center.

I remember just being like ‘What the fuck, my cartoons are gone!’ . . . I definitely didn’t get it at all.”

I didn’t get it either. I only vaguely remember that day, can only dimly remember the adults crying and gasping, getting the day off from school, the fear and solidarity that gripped the country in the ensuing months. My parents were of course upset, which in turn upset me, but I was easily calmed by the fact that my life did not change one iota. Some people our age actually felt something, however.

“I was convinced every single person

sitting next to me was a terrorist,” said sophomore Zoe Kunkel-Patterson. “It was a stressful time.”

I never felt scared in the least. Over time, after reading countless news articles that referenced 9/11, after watching people react over and over, I got some sense of the cultural importance the attacks had on us. After Ward Churchill was publicly hated for offensively declaring the victims “little Eichmans,” I saw how affected our country really was.

But there was never one moment where everything changed—I never had any kind of epiphany of hindsight. It was a process. This is different from our dayto-day moments of hindsight—those described in my last column.

Recently, a foreign friend of mine challenged some of my preconceptions about the horror of that day and even managed to offend me in the process.

But what she said has stuck with me. Her argument in a nutshell was that America has sensationalized the tragedy of the attacks, that 9/11 was certainly a sad event but that the rest of the world suffers much more all the time and doesn’t make a big fuss about it.

In hindsight, I realize that my response was emotional (I raised my voice a little) and not rational, that I failed to even consider the possibility that she was right. But I also realized that most of my understanding of 9/11 came from behavioral osmosis, from hindsight.

Maybe she’s right; maybe she’s wrong.

The point is, I have assimilated emotions from all over the United States.

In this way, 9/11 for me was totally impersonal: I knew it was sad but never mourned. In hindsight, I realize what didn’t make sense to me before, but I don’t have the emotional rawness that most of America felt. I, and most everyone my age, understand 9/11 in the abstract. Which is a weirdly true concession.

People studying 9/11 will lack even our generation’s mild emotional under-

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standing, like the way I understand Pearl Harbor but don’t care about it. What 9/11 has taught me about the power of hindsight, though, is that it is not necessarily some sudden, immediate revelation, but can actually be a gradual, hidden process. When that process is completed, many beliefs that have formed over time will appear to have always existed.

9

LET T ER S TO T HE EDI TOR Dear Editor,

President Obama is promoting a new $300 billion economic stimulus program.

When he took office in January 2009 he said the $787 billion stimulus program will create 3.5 million jobs by the end of 2010 and unemployment will remain below 8 percent. Unemployment is hovering around 10 percent and the jobs promised by Obama might hit 1.5 million by the end of 2010, but during the last 13 months we lost 5 million jobs.

The stimulus saved the jobs of municipal workers and provided additional unemployment benefits, but it has not provided jobs in the private sector. The money went to government agencies, colleges, non-profit organizations and entitlement programs. These programs will

Dear Editor,

It is almost contemptible that a page of the Op-ed section last week was dedicated to a point-counterpoint debate about the so-called Tea Party movement without a hefty asterisk explaining the degree to which it is corporately constructed, hypocritically propagated and disingenuously exalted by people with political and economic power.

This so-called “grassroots movement” raises important general questions about government and taxation, but these cannot be taken seriously when the movement is funded by the same people it supposedly decries. Moreover, when these general questions about government and taxation turn to specific questions about policy, logistics and pragmatism, it becomes blatantly obvious that the so-called Tea Party movement champions an argument that only shows cohesion when interpreted from the perspective of, say, a health insurance company or an overwhelmingly large bank.

The so-called Tea Party movement is not a movement, per se; rather, it’s a lobby.

Do lobbyists sometimes have genuine concerns about important issues our country faces? Sure. Yet one must understand beforehand that lobbyists have particular interests that are rooted not in a populist

whitman news, delivered.

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desire to balance the government’s check, but, rather, in financially-backed opinions generally tied to corporate interests.

The so-called Tea Party movement is, thus, pathetic, puerile and duplicitous.

Why else would a bunch of white, middle-class men protest against a government that has cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans, supported restoring tax rates for the wealthiest Americans to the levels of the Clinton administration and called for a health care bill that would decently cover 94 percent of Americans?

As blogger Stuart Whatley succinctly put it, “the Tea Party movement is rife with contradiction, incoherence and a willful contempt for facts or reason. It is but a parody of the legitimate movements for which American democracy has historically been held in such high regard. It is, in fact, the latest installment in quite another American tradition: the exploitation of frustrated, desperate and susceptible people by monied interests and profiteers.”

So, Mr. Potter, we should be surprised and humiliated that intelligent and wellintentioned people such as you have vindicated such a malign, artificial movement.

DOUGLAS

Editor-in-Chief Molly Smith

Associate News Editor Josh Goodman

- Donald A. Moskowitz, Londonderry, NH

POLI T IC AL C ARTOON

EDITORIAL

News Editor Jocelyn Richard

generate annual deficits of $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion for years to come. Our government has squandered our financial resources on failed economic programs, and the American work force continues to suffer.

The domestic priority should be creating millions of new jobs, and other domestic initiatives—including health care reform—should wait until the economy improves.

The Administration and Congress have to reduce the size of government, cut business taxes and give U.S. companies incentives to operate in this country, and disincentives to move operations and jobs overseas.

Russ Caditz-Peck, Lisa Curtis, Blair Frank, Gillian Frew, Joey Kern, Heather Nichols-Haining, James Sledd, Gary Wang, Will Witwer

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

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Sports

The Pioneer ISSUE 5 FEB. 25, 2010 Page 10

F

Whitman hosts volleyball tournament

by BIDNAM LEE and JAY GOLD Staff Reporters

This past weekend, 24 club volleyball teams from around the Pacific Northwest converged on Sherwood Athletic Center for the All-Star Classic, co-hosted by Whitman and Walla Walla University.

The tournament was the last Pacific Intercollegiate Volleyball Association event of the season before the conference championships hosted by Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash.

Whitman entered two teams into the tournament. The Whitman A team managed to sweep its three group matches against Eastern Washington University (21-18, 21-16), Western Washington University (21-18, 21-12) and Idaho University (21-8, 21-6) to qualify for the elimination portion of the tournament as the second seed out of 16 teams. However, they were upset in the first round by Heritage (23-25, 26-28) in a closely contested match.

Oregon University won the tournament in dramatic fashion, defeating the ‘Zags in three games after losing their starting middle hitter to a broken ankle in the first game.

Despite the early exit of the Whitman A team in the elimination rounds, it was a much better showing than was expected, especially considering that Whitman, a school of just over 1,400 students, was competing against big NCAA Division I teams such as Gonzaga (more than 7,000 students), the University of Oregon (over 22,000), and Eastern Washington University (upwards of 11,000). Of course it helps that Whitman, despite having a significantly smaller enrollment than the other teams in the tournament, did have one of the tallest teams. Senior Graham Brewer and sophomore Aaron Rosenbaum each stand 6’6”. Further fueling the Whitman team to its great showing was the raucous home crowd that cheered on their fellow students at Sherwood.

“Our team loves to get pumped up and plays with a lot of emotion, so being able to play in front of all of our friends and the really loud crowd that we had out there on Saturday made a big difference,” said sophomore John-Henry Heckendorn, captain and founder of the Whitman men’s club volleyball team.

With the results of the tournament, the Whitman men feel like they can make some noise in the conference championships Feb. 27-28 at Gonzaga University and further establish themselves as a contender in the Pacific Northwest.

At the same time, they are very aware of where their weaknesses lie and what they need to improve in order to keep the trajectory of the less-than-twoyear-old club team pointing upwards.

“The team’s progress has been fantastic. We need to get better at playing under pressure in big elimination matches, but that will come with experience.

Having players with outside experience like [sophomores] Chase Richards, Greg Safranek and Ryan Smith makes a big difference,” said Heckendorn.

One big step that the Whitman team took this past weekend—aside from its play on the court—was displaying the ability to smoothly host such a largescale tournament.

JACOBSON John-Henry Heckendorn ’12 serves during the Pacific Intercollegiate Volleyball Association’s All-Star Classic, co-hosted by Whitman and Walla Walla University in Sherwood Center.

Whitman Fitness Facilities Director Michele Hanford, was duly impressed.

“I will say that I was impressed with the tournament from the standpoint

of a critical eye of a building director,” Hanford said. “It appeared to be well organized, professionally ran, clean and wonderful. The students seemed to

be having a great time, everyone performed well and the building looked great when they were done.”

The Whitman men’s club volleyball

team is putting in the work and effort to set itself up for long term success much sooner than anyone would have thought possible.

M’ T

Whit men maul Bruins

by DUJIE TAHAT Sports Editor

Whitman men’s tennis team quietly demolished George Fox University in a conference match at home, 9-0. The Bruins had no answer for the number 26-ranked Missionaries (NCAA, Division III), as Whitman didn’t drop a single set.

This victory didn’t come as a surprise, as last season the Bruins were winless in Northwest Conference matches. However, Whitman was looking to bounce back from a frustrating performance last week against Pacific Lutheran University, where the they barely pulled out a 5-4 win.

“PLU left a sour taste in our mouths,” said senior Matt Solomon. “[That] was one of the worst matches I’ve ever played.”

Against the Lutes, the Whit men were their own worst enemies, allowing little things to get to their heads. Head Coach Jeff Northam focused on harnessing that energy this week, in preparation for the match with George Fox. “After our match against PLU, we had

talked a lot about energy and trying to play with positive energy. We were very angry on court and it effected our play,” said Northam.

Early on in doubles action the Missionaries set the tone. At the numberone doubles spot, both Solomon and junior Etienne Moshevich stunned the Munoz brothers, 8-0. Similarly, senior Jasper Follows and first-year Jeff Tolman routed their counterparts at third-ranked doubles 8-1, not dropping a game until a 7-0 lead.

The only dramatic story line in doubles, if you could call it that, was at the second seed. George Fox’s Scott Barnett and Nick Jenness fought to a 3-2 lead over senior Christoph Fuchs and junior Quin Miller. But, the Missionaries remained unfettered, handing the Bruins an 8-4 loss.

In the singles round there were a few entertaining sets, but otherwise, it was as much of a snooze fest as the doubles matches.

The headline match pinned Whitman’s own Solomon against George Fox’s number one player, Scott Barnett. Barnett, the Bruin’s only all-conference player, gave Solomon a run for his money as he went up a break at 1-3. However, that would be all the fight Barnett could muster, as Solomon settled down and sent his foe packing 6-3, 6-1.

“This season has been a bit of a struggle,” Solomon said. “I felt that I was playing too conservatively in the beginning, but after talking it over with coach, we changed some strategy. I’m hoping it’ll [carry over] to the rest of the season.”

Tolman had the most trouble wrapping his match up at third singles. After a 6-1 first set, he nearly dropped the second but pulled out a 7-5 second set victory.

In a repeat of their earlier doubles match, Moshevich made quick work of Pedro Munoz with a 6-1, 6-0 victory, at number two singles. Junior Chris Bailey handily took care of his counterpart at

VON HAFFTEN Whitman’s number-one doubles team, Matt Solomon ‘10 and Etienne Moshevich ‘11, celebrate an easy 8-0 victory, on the way to a 9-0 rout of George Fox University.

fourth-seeded singles, 6-1, 6-1. Fuchs joined in on the action at the numberfive spot, dismantling George Fox’s Matthew Gardner 6-2, 6-2. While Follows froze his opponent in a 6-0, 6-0 victory.

This victory over George Fox University marks the Missionaries’ 53rd consecutive conference win. Despite being the most successful varsity sport at Whitman, Northam remains humbly optimistic.

When asked what some of the tennis team’s goals are—given that perfect seasons and conference titles seem routine—Northam replied, “Routine? That’s funny! There is nothing routine about conference titles or perfect seasons. We are riding a pretty good streak at the moment but it is nothing we discuss. Our team goal for the year is to win the end of the conference tournament which qualifies us for the NCAA tournament.”

SPORTS

February 25, 2010

11

W’ B

Whitman seniors go out with a bang, wallop Linfield

by BAILEY ARANGO Staff Reporter

The Whitman College women’s basketball team ended a season filled with adversity and close losses on a high note Friday, Feb. 19, traveling to McMinnville, Ore. and decimating the Linfield Wildcats, 81-52. Whitman’s victory capped off a season that saw the Missionaries go 12-13 overall with a 7-9 record in Northwest Conference play.

Playing away from home didn’t stop Whitman’s shooters from making Friday senior night. Whitman’s three seniors, playing in their final games as Missionaries, combined for 46 points—just short of the offensiveoutput of Linfield’s entire team.

Senior Hilary White, just one game removed from scoring 25 in her final home game, dropped 22 points and seven rebounds on the Wildcats, while fellow senior Dawna Mello put on a clinic on how to play point guard, padding her 11 points with a gameleading seven assists.

Four-year starter Michelle Krall put

on perhaps the most versatile showing of the night, collecting 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists, a block and a steal. Whitman’s seniors ensured that a season defined by last-second finishes would end in blowout fashion. Even a second-half Wildcat charge only brought Linfield within 14 points of the lead, one which Whitman would bolster in part thanks to sinking 13 three-pointers, one shy of the Whitman single game record.

Head Coach Michelle Ferenz reflected upon the 2009-2010 campaign as a missed opportunity.

“This was a challenging season for us,” said Ferenz. “Injuries are disruptive to any team and we definitely had more than our fair share. It forced us to adjust our style of play and ask players to step up and assume different roles.

Basically, we were always playing catch up in terms of making adjustments to fit our healthy personnel. If we had a few possessions go our way in the first round, we picked a couple more wins and we are in the playoffs this week.”

Although clearly disappointed with

a losing season, Ferenz believes closing with a blowout victory may be emblematic of things to come, remarking on Whitman’s chances in 2010.

“We look forward to returning a strong core of players and getting [juniors] Anna [Forge] and Jenele [Peterson] back healthy and ready to go—we also need to add about six new faces to our team and we are off to a good start.”

First-year Kelly Peterson, who scored 14 points against Linfield on Friday, shares Coach Ferenz’s optimism.

“I think we’re looking at a really good season,” Peterson said. “Losing so many players to injuries this year was hard, but it did let younger players who might not have gotten much playing time find their role on the team.

Having this experience and getting Forge and Peterson back, I think we could really have a breakout year.”

In a season wrought with bad breaks and near misses, hope springs eternal for the women’s basketball team as they begin recruiting for next season.

JACOBSON Hilary White ‘10 drives to the hoop against Whitworth on Tuesday, Feb. 16, in Sherwood Center. Last week White was awarded the honor of NWC Player of the Week.

Basketball as a business S GABE CAHN & DOYLE McCARTHY Staff Reporters

If you have been following the NBA this year, you know that the only thing more exciting than Charles Barkley on live TV is the upcoming free agency season. The possibility of so many superstars finding new teams this off-season is unprecedented in recent history.

We’re talking about LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Tyson Chandler, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Redd, just to name a few. All of these players will be in a position to get out of existing contracts or sign new contracts come this off-season. As a result, teams around the league are scrambling to reorganize so that they have the financial means of scoring a big-time player in free agency.

Feb. 18 marked the NBA trade deadline, the latest date in the season where teams are allowed to trade for players.

The Los Angeles Clippers’ Marcus Camby shipped to the Blazers for Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw, providing Portland with a much-needed veteran big man.

Tracy McGrady proved he’s still got it in his first game playing for the Knicks, where he ended up after escaping Houston in a three-way deal involving the Sacramento Kings, the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets.

In local news, the Celtics picked up Seattle native Nate Robinson from the Knicks in a trade that sent veteran guard Eddie “Headband” House to the Big Apple.

The Chicago Bulls were also relatively active this past week, sending away veterans Tyrus Thomas and John Salmons for Hakim Warrick, Joe Alexander, Flip Murray, Acie Law and a protected firstround pick.

However, the team that made the most significant transactions was the Knicks, and for good reason. They are one of the top contenders to sign a big name during the off-season. There are even rumors of the King himself, LeBron James, moving his court to New York. But let’s not be silly; Bron Bron is staying in Cleveland.

All of the maneuvering that goes on to free up enough salary cap space to build a championship-caliber team is a reflection of a flawed business model. NBA commissioner David Stern and the owners drafted a proposal just over a week ago outlining their demands for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, an agreement between the NBA Players Association and team owners which determines salaries. The owners’ proposed resolution is meant to bring about a wide-scale re-

duction in player salaries and a firm salary cap to limit spending.

It’s about time. The current structure is disproportionate and untenable. Owners don’t manage their money wisely, players get paid too much and it is too expensive for cities to maintain state-of-the-art stadiums (see the exodus of the former Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City). An ugly dispute between owners and players will inevitably occur, and the owners will probably win. Many analysts are saying that a lockout after the current CBA expires in 2011 is almost a sure thing.

One of the problems with professional sports is that they do too good of a job hiding the business side of things. When players sign huge contracts and then begin performing inconsistently, it is a major drain on franchises. They have to decide whether to keep their expensive disappointments or swallow their losses and move on.

Acquiring players in the NBA isn’t like trading Magic cards or quarterbacks in your fantasy league; it’s not solely about value. The transactions that are made in professional sports, specifically the NBA, are controlled by the financial restrictions made by players’ existing contracts, not the objective worth of the individuals involved.

For more commentary and sports related jargon from Doyle and Gabe, tune in to KWCW 90.5 FM Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for Whitman Sports Radio.

M’ B

Missionaries fall short in finale, look forward to bright future

by ALLAN CRUM Staff Reporter

The Whitman men’s basketball team fell just short of its first winning season in more than a decade, falling to Linfield College 74-70 on Friday, Feb. 19, in McMinnville, Ore. to close the 2009/2010 season. The loss dropped the Missionaries’ record to 12-13, a three-game improvement over last year that shows a definite step forward for the young team.

Whitman played with focus and fire in their last game despite their elimination from playoff contention following their Feb. 16 loss to seventh-ranked Whitworth University. Whitman, as they’ve done all year, showcased a youthful core that will lose only two seniors: guard Jordan Wheeler and forward Jordan Brandon.

“We’re are losing two great seniors in Brandon and Jordan,” said Head Coach Eric Bridgeland. “We will miss them.

They have been great leaders.”

However, the Missionaries’ young legs couldn’t keep up with senior Wildcat Cody Tesoro, who scored 25 of his 30 points in the first half, including 12 of Linfield’s first 16 points. He would finish 6-7 from the three-point line in his second-to-last home game.

Whitman trailed by 13 in the first half before reducing the deficit to five at halftime. When play recommenced Linfield proceeded to stretch its lead to 12.

As the fourth quarter began, Whitman’s youth movement needed to step up.

Led by first-year LuQuam Thompson’s 18 points and sophomore David Michaels’ double-double, the Missionaries surged back into contention, pulling within two points with three minutes left. It seemed as though the Missonaries might be able to sneak past the Wildcats, but the free throw line failed to live up to its “charity stripe” nickname as Linfield iced the game with foul shots.

The win brought the Wildcats’ conference record to 10-5 (12-11 overall) and insured them second place in the Northwest Conference. Whitman finished 6-9 in the NWC—good enough for sixth place, the same position they finished in last year.

The Missionaries’ roller coaster season saw a five-game winning streak at the beginning of the season, a five-game losing streak at the end of the season and very few dull moments in between.

For example, sophomore Brandon Shaw—who led the team in scoring— and first-year Drew Raher, both major contributors against Linfield, were forced to cheer on their teammates from the stands during last week’s game against Whitworth after an on-court altercation with the University of Puget Sound Feb. 13.

The Missionaries know that they aren’t the OKC Thunder yet, but spirits run high when the team looks to the future. Second-year coach Eric Bridgeland has transformed the team from perennial losers into a high-scoring,

turnover-causing squad.

Whitman was first in the Northwest Conference in steals and turnover margin and second in points per game and scoring margin. Shaw led the conference in individual steals per game at almost 2.5 per game after adding four to his season total against Linfield.

Peter Clark, one of three first-years to log major minutes this season, led the conference in three-point field goals made per game, cementing himself as one of the best shooters in the conference in only his first year on campus.

Whitman will bring back its top six scorers and nine of its top 10 players for the 2010/2011 season.

Second-year Head Coach Bridgeland is similarly optimistic for the future of his young team. “When I was at Puget Sound we had a losing record for my first two years, [before rattling off three consecutive Northwest Conference titles] but it was a similar situation, playing with mostly freshman and sophomores,” said Bridgeland. “By the time these freshman are juniors and seniors they are going to be tough to take down.”

If Coach Bridgeland continues to recruit as well as he has recently, and especially if Whitman is able to add some interior bulk to its post attack, Whitman Basketball looks to climb the conference rankings in the coming years. A winning record and a playoff berth are well within the Missionaries’ reach in 2010-2011.

Baseball: The Missionaries are still

looking for their first win of the season. They will try to nab a victory at the Jim Doran Classic this weekend hosted by Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. On Friday, Feb. 26, the Whit men will face fellow Northwest Conference school Pacific Lutheran University at 10 a.m. Then Saturday, Feb. 27, the Missionaries will match up against Corban College at 5 p.m.

The Jim Doran Classic will wrap up on Sunday, Feb. 28, as Whitman takes on both Linfield College and the University of Puget Sound at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. respectively.

Women's Tennis: As the men take

a break, Whitman's women's tennis team will be busy rebounding from last week's disappointing loss to Whitworth University. On Saturday, Feb. 27, the Missionaries will look to shake off the hangover of their first loss as they face Pacific University at noon at home in the Bratton Tennis Center. They will wrap up the weekend with a visit from Linfield College—a formidable foe that's boasted the NWC crown for seven consecutive years, from 2002-2008.

The Missionaries will try to take down the Wildcats at home on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 10 a.m.

S FRIDAY, Feb. 19 Baseball: Whitman College 2, College of Idaho 10 L—Sease (0-1) Whitman..........000 101 000 - 2 6 1 Idaho.............. 211 012 21x - 10 11 1 Whitman College 0, College of Idaho 3 L—Korsmo (0-1) Whitman........000 000 0 - 0 2 1 Idaho.............010 110 x - 3 7 1 Women's Basketball: Whitman College 81, Linfield College 52 PTS: White-22, Sexton-15, Peterson-14, Krall-13, Mello-11, Keyes-3, Gilbert-2, Vaculik-1; REB: White-7, Krall-7, Sexton-6, Peterson-5; ASST: Mello-7, Krall-6 Men's Basketball: Whitman College 70, Linfield College 74 PTS: Thompson-18, Michaels-14, Shaw-14, Artis-8, Raher-4, Brandon-4 Clark-3, Wheeler-3, Davidson-2; REB: Michaels-10, Clark-7

SATURDAY, Feb. 20 Baseball: Whitman College 1, College of Idaho 13 L—Tolleson (0-1)

Whitman......100 000 000 - 1 5 1 Idaho..........000 235 30x - 13 13 0 Whitman College 0, College of Idaho 9 L—Mercado (0-2) Whitman.....000 000 0 - 0 4 1 Idaho..........170 100 x - 9 15 2

Women's Tennis: Whitman College 4, Whitworth University 5 Singles—Burns (WU) d. Otto 6-4, 6-1; Roberg (WC) d. Marshall 6-0, 6-2; Towne (WU) d. DeBree 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5; Bowman (WU) d. Kaur 6-1, 6-4; Rolston (WC) d. Staudinger 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-3; Wingfield (WU) d. KunkelPatterson 6-4, 6-0; Doubles—Otto/Kaur (WC) d. Burns/Marshall 8-4; Roberg/ DeBree (WC) d. Towne/Bosman; Staudinger/Wingfield (WU) d. Rolston/ Kunkel-Patterson 8-6

Men's Tennis: George Fox University 0, Whitman College 9 Singles—Solomon (WC) d. Barnett 6-3, 6-1; Moshevich (WC) d. P. Munoz 6-1, 6-0; Tolman (WC) d. J. Munoz 6-1, 7-5; Bailey (WC) d. Jenness 6-1, 6-1; Fuchs (WC) d. Gardner 6-2, 6-2; Follows (WC) d. Schoon 6-0, 6-0; Doubles—Solomon/ Moshevich (WC) d. J. Munoz/ P. Munoz 8-0; Fuchs/Miller (WC) d. Barnett/Jenness 8-4; Follows/Tolman (WC) d. Williford/Gardner 8-1

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The Pioneer ISSUE 5 FEB. 25, 2010 Page 12

Backpage sends Olympics correspondent The Pio recently spent most of its spring budget to send reporter Jonah Littleton to Vancouver for the 2010 Olympics.

Below we have printed his debrief with the editors.

Pio: So Jonah, you just got back a few days early from Vancouver. What was your first impression of the host city this year?

JL: Honestly, “The Couve” wasn’t what I expected—very few people spoke French. I couldn’t find the events very well, and given the small number of countries represented at the the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performance that I stumbled upon, it might not have been the actual opening ceremony.

Pio: Jonah, it sounds a bit like you went to the wrong city. Did you see any of the athletic events?

JL: Oh, I saw each glorious moment of each world-rocking game from which cinematic gold will surely be alchemized one day!

Pio: Alright, great. Could you describe some of the most exciting events you witnessed?

JL: Well, there weren’t many that I watched “in person,” per se. After much asking around, I was able to find one baseball game, but the players were much younger than I expected, the crowd was a sparse group of parents, and I didn’t see any major news teams there to film.

Pio: So . . . that was the only event you saw?

JL: No, no, I caught a thrilling hockey game from my hotel room. I’m going to say the most inspiring moment of this year’s Olympics was the American hockey team’s incredible victory over the Soviets.

Coach Herb Brooks really brought these kids together as a family this year, defying the odds to take down this massive superpower that had taken home gold for the past four Olympics. I mean, people are going to be talking about this one for decades! Yes, I do believe in miracles!

Pio: I think you are describing the plot of the 2004 film “Miracle.”

JL: Great game.

Pio: OK Jonah, is there any other sports news you can tell us about from this year’s games? Anything at all that you saw during your two weeks in Vancouver that we paid for?

JL: Of course, no one will forget the debut of Jamaica’s bobsled team this year.

They may not have won the gold, but they certainly won our hearts.

P: That is the movie “Cool Runnings.”

Again, that is based on something that happened in the ‘80s.

JL: And I saw the Mighty Ducks’ crushing victory over the dreaded Hawks, thanks to Charlie’s expert application of the “triple deke” technique at the very end!

Pio: Jonah, you are not making sense.

That is a movie about children and Emilio Estevez.

JL: Finally, there was the sport everyone had their eyes on this year: double dutch.

At the heart of the drama was 17-yearold Izzy Daniels, an American. Initially a boxer, Izzy left the gloves behind to join his neighbor/crush Mary on the Joy Jumpers team, now known as the Hot Chili Steppers . . .

P: Jonah. Jonah. You are describing the Disney Channel Original Movie “Jump In!” That’s enough. Thank you for that coverage.

attempting humor since 1922...ish

Backpage

2014 Whitman Applicants Whitman admission officers are in the process of selecting the class of 2014, which means reading lots of essays that are pretty much the same. They would like you to see some application essays that really stood out from the crowd this year: Name a difficult and/or challenging experience you have faced in your life.

Discuss how it has made you the person you are today.

Last summer, I was on a ship from England back home to New York with my fiancé when I fell in love with another man. Unfortunately, my time with Jack was cut short when our ship hit an iceberg and sank. There weren’t enough lifeboats to save everyone and Jack died. When I finally reached home, I was distracted from my mourning when a cyborg assassin traveled back in time to kill me. I found out that in the future computercontrolled machines will try to take over the world, and my future son will lead a resistance against them—as a result, I was targeted for termination. I survived, and I know because of my survival my son will lead a great life.

After successfully saving the world from machines, he will lose function of his legs and journey to a beautiful world called Pandora, where he will fall in love with a tall, pretty blue lady.

My son’s probable future success shows that I have overcome the difficulties I’ve faced . . .

Manatee day brings manatees to campus, skews Whitman species balance

Last week, the Whitman College Manatee Program brought over 150 Manatees to Campus. Along with their assigned volunteer Whitman students—“manators”—the creatures enjoyed a full tour, an insight into the admissions process and a fun interactive carnival at the end of the day.

“The Manatee Program is an amazing way to move past our previous difficulties with bringing males and students of color to campus. Sixty percent of the manatees here today are males and all of them are grey, which we have told the Fiske guide repeatedly is definitely a color,” said Admissions Officer Izeah Thomas, who has been involved with the manatee program for four years.

While Thomas pushed his manatee down the slip n’ slide that Bon Appétit had installed to help the visitors move their way down the “The Taste of Algae Buffet” he reminisced about his time as a manator.

“I remember the first time I met my manatee, he was so nervous to come out of his tank. But after we lifted him out of there with a forklift and dumped him into the bouncy castle with other manatees his age, you could really tell he was warming up to the idea of college life. I really hope he applies next year”.

When asked about her experience on campus, one young manatee replied enthusiastically, “BLHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEAAAAAAARRRGGGGHHHHH” Here are a few photos from the big day:

What is your favorite word, and why?

My favorite word is “excellence” because it is what I achieve every single day. Maybe I seem like a normal high school student; I wake up, go to school, go to basketball practice, then go volunteer at a retirement home before coming home just in time to help my little brother with his homework. But I also work for NASA on the weekends and scored the winning touchdown in the Superbowl last month. Yes, I’m in the NFL; your surprise and awe are flattering. However, none of these accomplishments compare to the feeling I got when I won the Nobel Peace Prize for finding a cure to cancer. Not that many people know how it feels to be so accomplished and so appreciated.

“Excellence” is not just a word people constantly use to describe me, it’s a state of mind . . .

Describe a life-changing experience and how you coped with its consequences. . . . Seeing those African orphans through the glass-walled hummer that we rode in while driving throughout Kenya was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I’ve been to Cabo, Mexico, and one time I ended up in a really dirty alleyway of Kansas City but it was nothing compared to Africa. I’m so lucky to have been chosen to go on my high school-sponsored trip to Kenya. Seeing those orphans through the windows taught me so much about how to live. How to love. How to feel pain. Like really, really feel pain in a way that isn’t lasting but kind of hurts my brain for a second and makes me want to cry or just give away all my clothing. I’ll never forget those little faces, scuffed with dirt and playing with sticks.

That’s why I started the school club Tamagachis for Kenyans.

I believe that all kids in the world have the right to play with fun toys.

And from personal experience, I know that Tamagachis are not only the best toy; they also teach you so much about responsibility . . .

How would you add to the diversity on campus?

A good college campus is like a bag of Jelly Bellies. Everyas one is unique and everyone adds to the mixture. I see myself used You’re rest. the from nt differe the popcorn flavor; I’m pretty , to eating all these fruity flavors and then you’re like WOAH e becaus okay popcorn! Not everyone can handle it, but that’s in a college is also like coins. Some have spent their whole lives ing depend and world, the d travele have others jar on a desk while ns on what kind of coin you are, you may have different opinio coin or on Jelly Bellies. And it’s fine if you’re not an experienced are ts studen college e becaus Belly, Jelly ul a particularly flavorf hs strengt nt differe has ne Everyo coffee: of brands nt differe like and everyone has different purposes.

But whether you’re a raspberry or a jalapeño Jelly Belly, a or pocket-linty quarter or a worldly penny, Jewett decaf coffee the like lot a is Starbucks bold coffee, you can agree that college movie Avatar . . .

iPhone apps for Whitman The Bon App This app yells, “Look how environmentally conscious we are!” when you enter a dining hall and also alerts you when you take more than one piece of fruit by vibrating and softly whispering, “Hey, could you not do that please?”

Tap that App This app for professors allows you to enter a few variables about that student you have a thing for and it will do a costbenefit analysis of you inviting them to your office “sometime this evening,” AS IF NOBODY ALREADY KNOWS YOU´RE A CREEPER. Study AbrApp This app simulates video of your boyfriend or girlfriend back on campus cheating on you, which they totally are.

Brien Sheedy App This app displays how high above sea level you are but then quickly points out that BRIEN WAS SO MUCH HIGHER UP THAN YOU!!!!

Red Monkey App This app charges you $5 every time you open it, and then it just shows you dimly-lit photos of VIP bros wearing sunglasses while they

silently drink $10 Red Bulls and watch “Fuel TV.” People who list Blues Scholars and Common Market as their favorite rappers app This app will tell you that NOT ALL RAPPERS WERE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON GENDER STUDIES MAJORS AND ONLY RAP ABOUT THINGS THAT THEY READ ON THE HUFFINGTON POST! Hipster App This app will interject into all your text conversations steadfast opinions on the best Werner Herzog DVD commentary, while referencing ChatRoulette conversations you weren’t there for or understand, and then shut down your phone while it has a smoke break.

SymposiApp This app is you, the only white kid on campus who just “gets it,” to help you start up tautological rants about how everyone in the room but you is racist. When people tell you that you don’t know what you’re talking about, this app will go through your Facebook account, and display how many minority friends you have because, you know, that’s important and indicative of, like, things, and, like, you all should all just watch “The Wire,” I think you would learn a lot about what I’ve been saying.

For the hard core Mayer fan

After confessing his desire to write porn in a recent interview for “Playboy,” John Mayer was offered the opportunity to write and direct a brand spanking new X-rated flick. The project will likely outsell any of Mayer’s previous work and the Backpage got its hands on the first draft.

Room for Schlongs

By John Fuckin’ Mayer “Your Body is a Wonderland” plays. Scene opens on badass star back stage, eating a star fruit. Three hot chicks walk in wearing nothing but robes. Chicks so hot that if they were crayons they’d be Cerulean, Atomic Tangerine and Jazzberry Jam. Then, as he bones them, he whips out his acoustic guitar and plays a wicked guitar solo.

Cumtinuum

By John “Hand me your daughters’ v-cards” Mayer “Daughters” plays. Scene opens on deeply intellectual musician on stage, playing in front of millions of people. Two hot girls come out. Like so hot that you’d sell everything just to drill them: your 11 by 15 inch head shot, your Jacuzzi in the shape of your brooding eyes, even the TV you had personally made in the shape of your dimple chin. So they start blowing the revolutionary guitarist, but then the dude’s dick starts saying racial slurs in David Duke’s voice and everyone laughs and then the guy starts doing a killer stand-up act because he’s fucking awesome and multi-talented like that and everyone laughs SO HARD and he ends the set with a mind-blowing guitar solo!

Boobie Studies

By John Mayhavethebiggestwangintheknownuniversesowhydon’ tyoubuyitdinn-er “Say” plays. Scene opens on brooding artist on his hotel bed surrounded by sleeping women. As day breaks, the misunderstood genius sneaks to the bathroom where he reads a new issue of “Playboy” and masturbates while silently weeping. Then he kicks everyone out of his hotel room and spends the rest of the day watching family videos and wondering if money and stardom are truly worth losing one’s personal integrity. He asks the blue California sky if fame comes at the cost of true love or happiness. Who is John Mayer, the person? Then there’s A GUITAR SOLO SO AMAZING THAT WITHIN A 10 MILE RADIUS, EVERY CHICK’S NIPPLES GO HARD!!!