IN THIS ISSUE
Recycling does not excuse gluttony
Day in the life
Columnist Alex Brott argues that recycling habits cannot mask the true environmental damage of overconsumtion.
Sports introduces a new column, which peeks into locker rooms left slightly ajar, examining the daily life of a Whitman athlete.
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WHITMAN COLLEGE Walla Walla, WA Volume CXXVIII Issue 1 whitmanpioneer.com J ,
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal could mean return of military recruiters to campus
Bottled water sales banned
by JOSH GOODMAN News Editor
With the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, signed into law on December 22, 2010, the U.S. Military is now expected to end its longstanding policy barring lesbian, gay and bisexual servicemembers from serving openly. Once the policy change is official, it will also end ASWC’s 2005 resolution strongly discouraging the U.S. Military from recruiting on campus, and severely limiting their access. Under ASWC’s Restricting Unjust and Discriminatory Employers Act of 2005, the U.S. Armed Forces are prohibited from recruiting on most of the Whitman campus on the basis that LGBT servicemembers cannot serve openly. An exception was made for recruiting at the Career Center—now the Student Engagement Center—to ensure compliance with the Solomon Amendment, a 1996 federal law stating that only educational institutions that allow military and ROTC recruiters on campus are eligible for federal grants. At the time of passage, the military routinely had recruitment tables in Reid Campus Center and at campus career fairs, according to the ASWC resolution. Although DADT has been repealed as law, it still remains in effect as a polKLAG icy. Once the policy ends, the ASWC resolution does too, allowing the mili- !"#$"%&'()#%&%*+,-(%(.%#/&"(#"0#1/'."&'(+230"#-(4+,",(%'('5"(6%#/&"(7+#4,( tary full access to campus--something 8%99%(8%99%(+230": President Barack Obama called for in and Student Affairs Chair John Loranger. “If students came his State of the Union address on Jan. 25. to us and wanted to do something, that’s another thing en“Starting this year, no American will be forbidden from tirely, but right now we have no plans to do anything.” serving the country they love because of who they love,” he In the past, military recruiters have been told by the Casaid. “And with that change, I call on all of our college camreer Center that they are unlikely to recruit many Whitman puses to open their doors to our military recruiters and the students, something Loranger expects to continue even ROTC.” when Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is no longer policy. So far, the U.S. Military has not responded to a request “Most Whitman students’ rejection of the military recruitfor comment. Sergeant Zachary Dyer of the U.S. Marine ing on campus [was related to] Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. [But] a Corps said he was not authorized to speak on the matter, lot of it is what the U.S. military is being used to do in the forwarding our request for comment to officials who never first place, it’s a lot bigger issue than the service of GLBTQ responded to The Pioneer’s inquiry. people,” he said, referring to the wars in Iraq and AfghaniAt this point, ASWC doesn’t see the need to take further stan. “I don’t really see the student body’s attitude changing action to celebrate the repeal or continue to bar military retoward the military recruiting on campus because there’s so cruiters. much more than Don’t Ask Don’t Tell wrapped into that.” “We’re happy that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was repealed, but Whether intentionally or unintentionally, ASWC’s 2005 we don’t feel like it merits any action on behalf of the Whitman student body at this point,” said ASWC Vice President DADT, page 2
by RACHEL ALEXANDER News Editor
Next time you’re eating lunch in the Reid Café, you might notice that bottled water is absent from refrigerator shelves. Starting this semester, Whitman College and Bon Appétit will no longer be selling bottled water on campus. The decision was made largely because of environmental concerns about the impacts of bottled water. “It just makes sense to reduce our consumption of plastic,” said Sean Gehrke, chair of the Sustainability Advisory Committee. Plastic water bottles produced for U.S. consumption use about 17 million barrels of oil annually, according to a United Nations report released last spring. In addition, 86 percent of bottles are not recycled, according to the Earth Policy Institute. Gehrke said that the Committee hopes to encourage students to carry reusable water bottles and fill them with tap water. “We have fantastic drinking water here in Walla Walla,” he said, adding that tap water is cheap and widely available on campus. Whitman is one of a growing number of schools to limit or end sales of bottled water on campus. Earlier this fall, Seattle University became the first college in
Washington to ban sales, after a threeyear student-led campaign. Nationwide, eight schools have completely banned bottled water sales, according to The New York Times. Whitman’s campaign to end bottled water sales began last fall and was organized by the Sustainability Advisory Committee, Campus Greens and other concerned students. Senior Ari Frink, one of the Sustainability Coordinators, helped gather signatures for a petition to the administration. “Most people we talked to signed it,” he said. “There’s a lot of student support behind this.” Gehrke said that the Whtiman administration, Bon Appétit and Coca-Cola, which has a vending machine contract with Whitman, were all supportive of the effort. Past efforts to remove bottled water from campus vending machines have been met with concerns about promoting healthy beverage choices. “This has come up before,” said Gehrke. “The decision to leave bottled water in [vending machines] was to provide a healthy alternative if people didn’t want to get soda or something that has a lot of sugar in it.” BOT TLED WATER , page 2
LERCHIN
Waitlist system falls short of students’ ideal by KARAH KEMMERLY Staff Reporter
After making adjustments to the logistics of waitlisting classes, the Registrar’s Office still lacks an ideal method for placing waitlisted students into classes. Last April, the Registrar shifted from managing electronic waitlists with a computer system called Datatel to requiring professors to manage their own waitlists. The shift has had mixed results and some students are still stressed about their own waitlisting situations. Registrar Ron Urban cited Datatel’s inflexible format as the predominant factor in the decision to let professors handle waitlists. The former program relied on a computer system which would notify students when a spot opened up. The student then would have 24-hours to add the class. If he or she failed to do so or chose not to do so, the computer simply notified the next person on the list, regardless of grade or major. Urban said that many professors expressed a desire for more control in choosing which students made it off the
this week in
Feature
The Feature section returns this semester with an exploration of American identity. Feature provides readers with an in-depth investigation of a particular issue, theme, or pressing event through multiple perspectives.
Sheehan shows faculty work
waitlist and into their classes. Jeanne Morefield, associate professor of politics, is one of the professors who prefers the switch.
The Sheehan Gallery’s first installment for the spring semester, The New and Returning Whitman Studio Art and Art History/Visual Culture Studio (AH/VCS) Faculty Exhibition, gives students the unique opportunity to observe their professors’ work. The exhibition, which opened on January 18 and runs until February 18, features works from three professors on Whitman’s campus. SHEEHAN, page 3
SLOANE
see whitties’ responses to their ideas about
“I like keeping my own wait list because I find that it’s the students who are really motivated to take the class who make the effort to get on it. I also learn something from them about why they want to take the class,” Morefield said. Many times, faculty members try to give preference to the waitlisted students who need the class for their major. Under the Datatel system, this simply didn’t happen. “The computer system works just fine for large schools. But at Whitman College, we provide a lot of services to the students in the interest of broader justice that just aren’t compatible with this system,” Urban said. While in the hopes of serving students better, the shift unfortunately has brought its own set of issues. WAITLISTS, page 2
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January 27, 2011
Jan Starts arrive with fewer transfers than past years by SHELLY LE Staff Reporter
This semester, 13 new first-year students along with three transfer students accepted admission to Whitman College. According to Director of Admission Kevin Dyerly, Whitman typically has a spring class of somewhere between 20 and 25 students, 10 to 15 of whom are transfers. However, an unusually large fall first-year class forced admissions officers to limit admissions for transfer students. “We really limited the admissions for transfers, and in fact, we had to turn away some applicants,” Dyerly said. Transfer students, Dyerly said, are typically deferred to the fall admissions process and can usually cope better with
the deferral than traditional first-year students. “It is a little easier for a transfer student to stay at their current college and start in the fall than it is for a first year student who’s eager to start his or her college experience,” he said. First-year January Start Libby Fones is comfortable with the small group of students that were admitted this spring, but hopes that the college will keep the number of entering students at around the usual 30. “I think the college did what it needed to do this year, but I think just keeping [the number of incoming Jan Starts] at around 30 is more beneficial to the school,” Fones said. First-year Jan Start Katie Gorman felt
the decision made sense because of the size of the fall class. “I don’t think it’s unfair because a lot of students were admitted this year,” she said.
applicants accepted means that the total number of incoming Jan Starts has been cut to 15 students, many of them are enjoying the small group that they have come to know. Gorman said that having a smaller group to become friends with has greatly helped her transition to college. “I don’t have anything to compare it to, but I think the small amount of us has helped with us being close and has made the transition smooth,” she said. Dyerly notes that having a smaller in Kevin Dyerly, Director of Admission coming spring class does not affect Jan Starts either socially or academically. Incoming students for spring semester expe“If it’s a matter of more students admitted rienced a similar orientation as most other for fall than for spring than I think that’s incoming fall first-years and are equally okay.” welcomed by Whitman staff. Although the low number of transfer “Having a small cohort of students
Jan Starts this year, from what I’ve heard, have adjusted well.
DADT: Transgendered still barred from military service page 1 Furthermore, while the ASWC resolution bemoans “a policy expressly forbidding the service of openly gay, transgendered, lesbian or bisexual individuals,” it becomes nullified with the end of only DADT as policy. The repeal of DADT allows lesbian, gay and bisexual—but not transgendered— individuals to serve openly. Whitman’s non-discrimination policy and Washington state law—which the military is not bound by—both bar discrimination in employment based upon gender identity. Liam Mina, GLBTQ intern
and co-president of Coalition Against Homophobia, said that excluding transgender people in the ASWC resolution didn’t surprise him. “The major issue here has been Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and I don’t think most people realize that transgender people can’t serve,” said Mina, who is transgender. “If straight and gay people can serve, I think openly transgender people [should be able to] serve as well.” Gender Identity Disorder— being transgendered—is controversially included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-
TR), which Mina explained leads the military to classify transgender individuals as unfit to serve. Though Mina seemed glad that a barrier had been broken with sexual orientation, his view looked beyond recruiting policy to the military’s actions in war. “I don’t think that there’s any reason gay people can’t serve in the military if straight people can,” he said. “But at the same time, [allowing recruiters on campus] feels like we’re promoting the military, and that’s not something I agree with.”
BOTTLED WATER: Plastic waste, high cost cited as reasons for removal page 1
However, he said that the Sustainability Advisory Committee felt that this potential negative impact was offset by the waste reduction benefits. Frink also felt that the potential negative effects were likely to be small. He cited a study done at DePaul University, which enacted a similar policy banning bottled water sales. The study found that consumption of other beverages did not increase when bottled water was removed. “My hope would be that the removal of [bottled water] would encourage people to bring a reusable bottle,” said
Frink. Frink stressed that this policy is not a ban of bottled water on campus, but simply an end to the sale of the product. Students who do not want to drink tap water for health or other reasons are free to purchase bottled water elsewhere and consume it on campus. Additionally, the new policy will not affect the presence of bottled water for guest speakers. Because so many departments are involved in bringing guests to campus, it would be very difficult to remove bottled water from speaking events. “I would love for every speaker to be drinking from a glass or a cup instead of a bottle,” said
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Gehrke. “But I doubt there’s a huge epidemic of bottled water that’s being used [for speakers].” For Frink, ending bottled water sales goes beyond the environmental implications. He pointed out that bottled water is about 1,000 times more expensive than tap water. This cost adds up—Americans consumed 10.5 billion dollars of bottled water in 2009 according to the International Bottled Water Association. For comparison, the cost to provide 10 liters of clean drinking water per day to the 1.1 billion people on earth who currently don’t have access to it would be about 6.6 billion dollars per year. “To make a product out of clean water, [which] should be readily and freely available to everyone, seems disingenuous as best,” said Frink. “It commodifies a human right.”
WAITLISTS: System work in progress page 1 “The professors don’t monitor waitlists as closely as the computer, and that means that sometimes there are open spots that don’t get filled,” Urban said. Urban also acknowledges that the professors have busy schedules and understands why waitlists might not be their first priority. “Many of them focus primarily on being scholars. And can I fault them for that?” he said. Though several students faced stress because of waitlisting this semester, they often did not express frustrations about professors managing the waitlists. Rather, they were concerned with the limited number of seats available in certain classes. First-year Claudia Sanchez-Ayala was waitlisted for a sociology class. Since the class could potentially affect her major, and because she knew it was a popular class, she took precautions to better her chances of getting off the waitlist. “I e-mailed the professor weeks in advance. I guess that’s the only way to get into these sorts of classes,” Sanchez-Ayala said. Fortunately, Sanchez-Ayala was able to get into the class. Sophomore Andrew Strong is designing an environmental studies-art major and had somewhat more difficulty. He started off the semester only
Volunteer fair connects students to midyear community service projects
Although many people have already forgotten their New Year’s resolutions, it isn’t too late for Whitman College students to start the year with community service. On Jan. 25, Whitman’s Student Engagement Center hosted the Spring Volunteer Fair, which featured an assortment of community organizations. Lina Menard, assistant director of the Student Engagement Center, said that the Fair is a great opportunity for students who may have been too busy in the fall to get involved with community service programs. “We have a lot of great community partners joining us this year, and it means a lot to them to have
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students who are so willing to go and help out. This is a great opportunity for anyone who has missed the opportunity to connect with these local organizations in the past,” she said. Juniors Hailun Zhou appreciated the opportunity to get involved with a local organization. “I have done sporadic community service in the past but haven’t stuck with just one program. Now that I have more free time, I can commit to [a] specific program,” Zhou said. Here are a few of the many opportunities that Whitman students who missed the fair can get involved with: 1) Blue Mountain Humane Society Daniells Orchard, coordinator of volunteers and humane education, is looking for Whitman students who would like to visit and play with the animals at the Blue Mountain Humane Society. For more information visit http://www.bluemountainhumane.org/. 2) Friends of Titus Creek and Creating Urban Riparian Buffers (CURB) Both organizations are working to restore stream habitat by removing invasive species. For more information visit http://www.tristatesteelheaders.com/education-a-community-outreach/curb.html. 3) Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) MOPS educates and empowers mothers, and are looking for students to play with their children during their workshops. For more information visit http://www.mopsbmcc.blogspot.com/.
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registered for two classes he actually wanted to take and was on seven waitlists. One of the waitlists was for the Methods of Environmental Analysis lab, a class he needed to take for his major. Fortunately, he was able to get into the lab after talking with the professor and explaining his situation. And, despite his waitlist experiences, Strong was fairly optimistic. “I’ve been lucky. Every semester I’ve managed to get into classes I want to take. But it’s been stressful going into the semester not knowing exactly what I’m going to take,” he said. Both Strong and Sanchez-Ayala suggested that making more sections of these popular courses available would be the ideal solution to their stress. However, both also acknowledged the fact that this is not a likely solution. Urban proposed his own list of suggestions to improve the waitlisting system including being able to customize the length of time students are given to respond to a notification about an open slot. He would also like to see a limitation on the number of waitlists students can sign up for. Urban realizes, however, that these changes aren’t easily made: “Technology is an imperfect solution at best. I wish I had a magic wand to solve the problem. If anyone has a magic wand, send me the URL.”
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helps,” Dyerly said. “The Whitman community is so warm and friendly. Jan Starts this year, from what I’ve heard, have adjusted well.” Whitman’s reputation for friendliness has held true for Jan Starts, helping this year’s smaller group become comfortable and integrated into college life. “Everyone’s really excited and friendly for us to join; it’s really nice,” first-year Jan Start Stefani Paladino said. “It seems like it’s a Whitman thing.” For Paladino, her college decision was a matter of settling for a college she wasn’t necessarily as excited to go to, or waiting and going to her top choice--Whitman. “I’m so glad I chose Whitman,” she said. “I feel more mature and ready for college now.”
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The Whitman College Pioneer is a weekly studentrun news paper published under the auspices of the Associated Stu dents of Whitman College. The purpose of The Pioneer is to provide pertinent, timely news and commentary for Whit man 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 Whitmanrelated news as well as featured local and regional events, and strive to maintain a standard of utmost fairness, quality, and journalistic integrity while promoting free dom 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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A&E
The Pioneer ISSUE 1 JAN 27, 2011 Page 3
PIO PICKS Each Thursday, The Pioneer highlights several events happening on campus or in Walla Walla during the weekend. Here are this week’s picks:
OUTHOUSE UNPLUGGED Spring semester’s first Unplugged event offers students a chance to relax and unwind to the acoustic tunes of their peers. In addition to providing a cozy environment in which to enjoy the musical talents of Whitman students, Outhouse residents will be supplying snacks. Thursday, Jan. 27, 8 p.m. Outhouse Interest House. FRIDAYS AT FOUR RECITAL SERIES This week’s performance features guest artists Jon Stowell on jazz guitar and Professor of Music David Glenn on trombone. Friday, Jan. 28, 4 p.m. Kimball Auditorium. Free and open to the public.
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SPOTLIGHT ON ART: Ark appears on Ankeny by SEAN MCNULTY Staff Reporter
When sophomores Paul Hamilton-Pennell and Yoni Evans began to build an ark outside of Penrose Library in November 2010, they received a lot of funny looks and even more questions. The inspiration behind the ark was to prompt people to pause—it was intended to both physically and visually interrupt their day. Most passersby, however, wanted more of an explanation. “We would simply say it was an ark, and for a flood, and leave it at that,” said Hamilton-Pennell. “And then they would ask if it was for an art project, and then we would throw something at them, and repeat it was for the flood, or go inside [the ark] and start hammering,” added Evans. Deliberately ambiguous and highly visible, the ark was an experiment in public art, a blank slate upon which observers could attach their own meaning. Hamilton-Pennell and Evans believe that the process of construction was just as important as the final project. Their
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plan was a spidery pictogram on the back of a receipt. For tools, they had a few hammers—enough for two workers and anyone else who offered help. The spine of the boat was assembled behind Fouts Center for Visual Arts and towed on an icy November night down the slick surface of Boyer.
Faculty art exhibit explores new media page 1 “With a lot of other [exhibits] you don’t know the artists personally,” said senior art history major Ian Gill. “With professors, you see them every day [but] when you’re taking a class from one, you don’t really see the professor’s interests artistically. With this, you get to see it.” The works, which feature sculpture, multimedia and “time-based art,” allow the faculty artists to experiment on home turf. Assistant Professor of Art (Sculpture) Michelle Acuff, whose eye-catching sculpture features two blue deer with entwined antlers, spoke of the unique opportunity for herself and gallery-goers while attending the opening. “I think the event is a unique opportunity to see work that’s otherwise showing in other places around the country,” said Acuff. “For me, I was able to build a large piece and not deal with the hassle of shipping it somewhere else. I got to focus on the process, to take risks materially and to focus on the installation itself.” Acuff returned this spring from sabbatical, so the event features the work she has done over the course of her fall semester travels. For Assistant Professor of Art (New Media) Justin Lincoln, whose piece “Random Access Memory” featured video, text and still images, the space of the Sheehan Gallery served to further experiment with distorted sensory illustrations and to play with other forms of art as well. “One thing about this particular show is that it marks a transition [in my work],” said Lincoln. “While I’ve worked with video for about a decade, I recently became interested in . . . a programming language called processing [which] enabled the making of portraits. This show is the first where I’ve had a number of
prints exhibited.” In addition to the works of contemporary Asian American artists Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik, Kat Larson and Gina Osterloh, the exhibit also features an installment by Art History/Visual Culture Studies Professor Jan Bernabe. Gill, who helped set up the installation, commented upon how the distinction between “Asian art” and “Asian American” art should not be overlooked. “I think it’s very important--the issue of Asian American art,” said Gill. “It’s expected that if someone is ‘Asian’ in the United States, it must mean that they are culturally Asian instead of an American. But Asian-American connotes a specific experience.” Bernabe’s collection, titled “Techniques”, includes stimulating interactive works such as an around-the-world curry exhibit. The intimacy of the event also gave several students the opportunity to work closely with the artists. “The extent of involvement with pieces is usually minimal, putting up walls and stuff,” said Gill. “But we were actively taking part in making the art. I worked with Sita [Kuratomi Bhaumik]’s piece and put up the work map, stickers and painted parts of it. Sita said at one point it was as much of our work as hers.” The extent of student involvement gives viewers an additional dimension of interest to the event. Lincoln also advises viewers to take their time and even repeat their visits to the gallery. “The works in this show reward multiple viewings,” said Lincoln. “How you see something is affected by day-to-day circumstances. If a single image is complex enough, you’re going to start focusing on different things as you spend more time with it.”
Hamilton-Pennell and Evans made the decision to construct the ark entirely from found materials. Constructed from discarded wood left at local construction site dumpsters, the process of the ark became an artistic statement in and of itself. Unlike material only supplied to students enrolled in Whitman art classes, found
objects are available to all. “With student art,” said HamiltonPennell, “one of my biggest issues is that we constantly . . . build sculptures, [have them] critiqued and then they have to tear down afterward. It’s a waste of materials, all that energy and effort . . . it’s desecrating the sanctity of that act of construction we’re trying to create.” For a few weeks, the ark became a public space—littered with cigarette butts and trash. Then, on the same day that Evans and Hamilton-Pennell were contacted by Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland to move the ark, it was smashed and used as bonfire wood for the Phi Delta Theta initiation ceremony. “One really important thing about public art is that when you put something in everyone else’s space it becomes everyone’s,” said Hamilton-Pennell. “Some people might hate it, and destroy it for that reason, that I would prefer [that] to destroying it out of lack of respect . . . what we wanted wasn’t a specific kind of reaction but just to see what would happen.”
SNOW WHITE Dance Center Walla Walla brings Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to life in this modern take on the Brothers Grimm’s popular fairy tale. Choreographed by Adjunct Instructor of Dance Idalee Hutson-Fish, the production features over 100 dancers from the Walla Walla and Tri-Cities communities. Saturday, Jan. 29, 7:30-9:45 p.m. Cordiner Hall. General audience tickets are $12 and $10 for students and seniors. Call (509) 525-0815 for more information. WINNEBAGO MAN Whitman Events Board brings award-winning documentary filmmaker Ben Steinbauer to campus to screen last summer’s critically-acclaimed “Winnebago Man”. The film tracks Steinbauer’s search for the elusive Jack Rebney, who become a viral video sensation after his outrageous 1988 Winnebago sales pitch outtakes surfaced on the Internet, accumulating over 20 million views. Steinbauer will host a question and answer session after the screening. Monday, Jan. 31, 7-9 p.m. Kimball Auditorium. Free and open to the public.
Banff Film Festival grips audience by MCCAULAY SINGERMILNES Staff Reporter
It’s 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 25. Cordiner Hall quickly fills to its capacity as Whitman students, professors and Walla Walla residents of every age gather to watch and take in the unique experience known as the Banff Film Festival. The previews before the 11 adventure and nature films, ranging from five to 25 minutes in length, serve as indicators for what is to come: a night of gripping, entertaining and hilarious stories that test both the sheer will of the human spirit and the physical body. Though I enjoyed all of the films, as each one presented an originally thoughtful and creative story regarding nature and the nature of our abilities as humans, some films fulfilled their objectives better than others. However, it is important to note that the cinematography was a strong point throughout every film, as the purity and raw power of nature seems to lend itself to being captured on camera in a way that is unmatched by all else. The series began with a particularly poignant, though short, film called “The Longest Way.” This short documents one man’s year-long journey on foot from Beijing to Urumqui. Though his feat was immense and commendable on its own, the true beauty and meaning in this film comes from the way it was crafted. A series of photographs are shown in rapid succession, illustrating the physical changes undergone by this man: a shaved head and face are gradually overcome by shaggy hair. Since the physical manifestations of change do not compare to the clear mental and emotional changes the man underwent, this film begs the question: are we the same person after a journey? Another personal favorite was the film “Stones into Schools”, which chronicles Greg Mortenson’s (author of “Three Cups of Tea” and “Stones into Schools”) effort to bring educational opportunities to children in Afghanistan. A touching and inspirational story designed to bring awareness
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to people who only hear one-sided reports on Afghanistan, this film was socially and politically relevant, while maintaining the heart that makes great films. During the 12-minute film, the audience is introduced to a young boy who wants to go to school more than anything. Tragically, during the course of building the school, the boy loses his life after stepping on one of the many land mines still present in the area after numerous wars. This adds another level of depth to the film, as the boy’s father makes it his life mission to get rid of all of the land mines in the area to ensure that no one endures a similarly horrifying experience. One of the clear audience favorites was a film called “The Swiss Machine.” This film follows one of the greatest, if not the
greatest, climbers in the world Ueli Steck. The current man to beat in terms of speed climbing, this film captures the drive, endurance, skill and insanity necessary to ascend some of the world’s highest and most treacherous walls in record breaking time. This film was particularly successful in terms of engaging the audience: the tension was palpable as each person watched, wringing their sweaty palms when Ueli made a particularly difficult move or went tumbling 20 meters through the air, only to continue to climb. The series, as a whole, was a testament to mankind’s creative, physical and mental abilities and a thoroughly worthwhile experience that I would recommend to anyone regardless of their love of adventure. the outdoors or travel.
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Sports
The Pioneer ISSUE 1 JAN 27, 2011 Page 4
SCOREBOARD Women’s basketball Willamette 1/14 W, 7471 George Fox 1/15 L, 6457 Whitworth 1/18 L, 6663 !"#$%#&'())& W, 7055 Walla Walla 1/24 W, 8824
Men’s basketball starts second half of season by TYLER HURLBURT Staff Reporter
Men’s basketball Willamette 1/14 W, 7469 George Fox 1/15 W, 8677 (1 OT) Whitworth 1/18 L, 10471 !"#$%#&'())& W, 9465 Women’s swimming *$+%,-.&'('/ W, 14850 Willamette 1/15 W, 11950 !"#$%#&*012,3"+&'()'& W, 12660 !04,1&560+.&'())& L, 11986 Men’s swimming *$+%,-.'('/& W, 14854 Willamette 1/15 W, 10747 !"#$%#&*012,3"+&'()' W, 12757 !04,1&560+.&'())& L, 12777
UPCOMING EVENTS Women’s basketball 1/28 Lewis & Clark (Home, 6 p.m.) '()7&*$+%,-.&896:,;&<&=>:>?
Men’s basketball 1/28 Lewis & Clark (Home, 8 p.m.) '()7&*$+%,-.&896:,;&@&=>:>?
On Saturday, Jan. 22 a packed house cheered on the Whitman men’s basketball team as it trounced Pacific University 94-65. This win put the Missionary men at 4-4 against Northwest Conference opponents and 11-6 overall. With its 4-4 record the team finds itself in a tie for fourth place in the NWC with Linfield College. This position is exactly where the Missionaries were predicted to be in a pre-season poll of the coaches in the conference. According to sophomore Peter Clark, the team enjoys the fact that they are on track with preseason predictions, but they are still aiming to exceed these expectations and scale the standings. “We are definitely looking to move up,” Clark said. “We have our sights set on second or third.” Junior Brandon Shaw agrees that the team should be able to improve its record, especially since the team has been on the road for most of the season up to this point. “We see ourselves moving up because we only had three of our first eight conference games at home,” said Shaw. Head coach Eric Bridgeland feels that the team has performed very well up to this point despite having to battle through injuries and playing with a young team. “We have persevered through significant adversity. Losing sophomore returning starter LuQuam Thompson to an ACL on the first day of practice set us back a bit,” Bridgeland said. “We continue to pick up torn tendons, badly bruised shooting hands and severe tendinitis in some of our key players, yet we are pushing forward.” The team has been playing particularly well recently, winning nine of the last 11 games played. According
FENNELL
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to Bridgeland, this success has come largely from the attitude the team brings into the games. “We have played noticeably harder and were tougher than our opponents,” said Bridgeland. Shaw sees the team’s future success depending on how well it can uphold this attitude. “We need to be more consistent with our identity. We run; we play harder than anyone,” said Shaw. “It’s a matter of holding ourselves to that every game.” The team begins the second half of its conference schedule with home games against Lewis & Clark and Linfield on January 28 and 29. These two games will play a large role on the outcome of the season for Whitman because Lewis & Clark and Linfield are second and
tied for fourth respectively. For Whitman, to challenge the upper half of the conference, the team must win against these two opponents. Whitman lost to both teams in December while on the road, but look for victories at home if the team wishes to get into the postseason. In order to make the postseason, the team must finish in the top four teams in the NWC. If Whitman makes the postseason, there would be an opportunity to win the conference. “These are two of the teams we are battling for playoff spots,” Clark said. Bridgeland also feels that these games are important in terms of respect for his team. “I believe we are something like 1-29 versus Lewis & Clark in the last 30 contests and we haven’t beaten Linfield in
six years, so it’s a respect issue for our program at this point,” Bridgeland said. The players look forward to finishing the season with five of eight games at home because of the atmosphere and excitement that comes with playing on their home court. “Saturday night [January 22] was an absolutely packed house and it was one of the most exciting games I have played at Whitman,” Clark said. Shaw also expressed how much of an impact home fans can have on games. “With the crowd behind us, we should be able to do some great things,” he said. Whitman plays Lewis & Clark and Linfield on Friday, Jan. 28 and Saturday, Jan. 29 respectively. Both games start at 8 p.m. after the women’s team faces off these teams too.
!"#$%&"'&$"&()*&*+$,#-$&(*.'$/)"0*$.#$1(.&2"#$+/3'&+ by LIBBY ARNOSTI 5=631B&T.$163
As difficult as it can be for January Start students to break into Whitman’s social and academic scene halfway through the school year, a few of these new Whitties have taken on the additional commitment of becoming winter varsity athletes, jumping right into the season with their new teammates. After arriving on campus just two weeks before classes started, Olivia Bates, a varsity tennis player from Edmonds, Wash., played in her first collegiate match with her new team against Eastern Washington University--a Division I school--Saturday, Jan. 22. “We haven’t even had our first practice yet,” she exclaimed, “but we all played great--I love the team. They’re a great group of girls, and have been really welcoming to me as a Jan Start”. Coach John Hein and her teammates have played key roles in helping
Bates settle into college life as an athlete and student. “Olivia has a focused yet fun demeanor that really fits in on our team,” said Hein. “She’s off to a great start, and I trust the rest of the team to welcome, support and integrate her into our system as a new teammate.” Bates was not the only new player on the court last weekend: junior Lizzy Schiller has also acted as a source of friendship and guidance in the last few weeks. “I feel like I’m particularly close to Lizzy because she’s new to the team too but she can also tell me about Whitman,” said Bates. Bates spent the fall semester earning money to pay for school by working two retail jobs, which had her pulling 15-hour days five days a week. Keeping her eye on the goal of coming to Whitman, she lived frugally and worked tirelessly. “It’s going to be absolutely worth it,
I know. I already love it here,” she said. While Bates gets used to her new home in Walla Walla, Jan Start basketball player DJ Wright has already been living here for two years. A native of Orofino, Idaho, Wright found the opportunity to continue playing basketball after high school at Walla
I love the team... they have been really welcoming to me as a Jan Start. U&V-$L$"&W"1,B;&D'/
Walla Community College, where he enrolled and played for two seasons. Last spring, a series of chance events led him to Coach Bridgeland’s office, where he learned he would be
able to transfer and play on the varsity basketball team starting the following winter. “Of course I wanted to come here, seeing as it’s one of the top schools in the country and I can play [basketball]. But it had never been part of my plan,” said Wright. The 6’5 biophysics, biochemistry and molecular biology major is now on track to graduate with the class of 2013. To familiarize himself with the team and his future teammates, Wright spent all of last semester’s practices sitting on the sidelines, watching the Whitman men play. “It was my choice to come watch practices. I just wanted to let them know I was here for the team,” he said. Finally eligible to play on December 18, Wright squeezed in just two practices before he was put on the court during a tournament in Arizona with the team in late December. “I think it is very tough for Jan Starts
to get accustomed to our style of play and practice tempo. But [DJ] seems to learn and apply his knowledge to the court very quickly, which is great because we are deep into our season and there isn’t much time to explain each detail,” reflected teammate junior David Michaels. After a semester of working a concessions stand at WWCC and sitting in on Whitman practices, Wright is just glad to be playing with his team. “I’m having a ton of fun right now. Getting to finally suit up, it was a pretty good feeling,” he said. Although joining a team already in motion has its challenges, both Bates and Wright have found that being athletes has actually helped ease their transition to Whitman. With instant common ground on the court, their teammates and coaches have proven to be a valuable source of kinship and support.
DAY IN THE LIFE: Sophomore swimmer swims, sleeps, studies, repeats edited by NICK WOOD 5=631B&T.$163
Every few weeks, The Pioneer’s sports section takes a look into the daily life of a Whitman College varsity athlete. This week, a sophomore swimmer struggles to stay awake through an unending day of swimming and studying. Tuesday, Jan. 25 5:40 a.m.: Alarm goes off. Morning practice today. Countdown from ten, then will limbs out of bed. 5:43 a.m.: Don sweatpants, sweatshirt and parka, grab toast and head out the door. 5:51 a.m.: Arrive at Baker Ferguson Fitness Center. Exchange mumbled hellos with groggy teammates. Slowly
change into suit which is still damp from yesterday’s practice. 5:58 a.m.: On deck. Some teammates stretch, a few chat. One has fallen asleep on his stretch mat. Assistant coach announces the warmup set. 6:01 a.m.: Practice begins. 7:36 a.m.: Practice ends. Team in lively spirits on post-practice endorphin high. Choruses of “Breakfast Time” (sung to the tune of Flight of the Concord’s “Business Time”) echo in the locker room. 7:51 a.m.: Swipe self and upperclassman into Prentiss. Bleary-eyed diners with 8 o’clock classes recoil at our boisterousness. Load plate with an obscene amount of food. 9:07 a.m.: In Introduction to Envi-
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ronmental Studies. Awake and ready to go. 9:41 a.m.: Sleepiness setting in. Note-taking quality way down. Almost fall asleep during slideshow on logging. 9:50 a.m.: Class ends. Head to Olin for German, but have an hour to kill before class. 9:54 a.m.: Start working on tonight’s environmental studies reading, but too tired. Find an empty classroom, set phone alarm and fall asleep slumped over one of the desks. 10:45 a.m.: Phone alarm sounds. Wake up to see backpacks in the room, but no people. Creepy. Quickly leave before anyone gets back. 12:00 p.m.: Lunchtime. More absurd amounts of food. 1:03 p.m.: Microeconomics and the Environment. 1:42 p.m.: Post-lunch slump. Energy dropping faster than an inelastic demand curve.
LOOSDIALLO
Leave class under guise of a bathroom break and do jumping jacks in the hallway. 2:19 p.m.: Made it through class. Back to Douglas for a pre-practice nap. 4:00 p.m: Practice round two. 5:56 p.m.: 5,400 yards later and we’re off to the weight room. Sweat is pure chlorine. 6:15 p.m.: Basketball player walks by and comments how clean the varsity gym smells after the swimmers use it.
6:28 p.m.: Finish last set of reps. Dinnertime. 6:34 p.m.: Swimmers descend on Reid. Employees grumble about massive order influx, and other students are crowded out as swimmers colonize one of largest tables. 6:58 p.m.: Stuff face with remaining food and run to Kimball for a film screening. 7:41 p.m.: In film screening. Darkness and comfy chairs. I know where this is going. 7:43 p.m.: Asleep. 8:25 p.m.: Wake up for the end of the movie. I will never know what happens in the middle of Chinatown. 9:30 p.m.: Bedtime. Get to sleep in tomorrow. Recap: Three and a half hours of swimming, five separate instances of sleep, one clean-smelling weight room.
Opinion
Recycling cannot justify our overconsumption habits !"#$%& '%()($#*+& ,-)& .%& .%*%/(#-$& 012-'34& 0"%& %*5#'1*,%*06& #0& 7'1,10%4& (1,7$- (%*()&-*3&31%4&*10&%8(94%&41(#%0):4&%8(%44#5%&(1*49,70#1*&1;&,-0%'#-$&+1134< Don’t get me wrong, recycling has potential. Annually, recycling in America keeps more than 80 million tons ALEX of waste out of BROTT landfills and by Columnist many calculations significantly decreases greenhouse gasses associated with virgin production. Clearly your plastic is better off recycled than in a landfill. But there is a dark side to recycling that is often masked by the negative social stigma of not recycling. For Whitman College specifically, recycling costs money. Gas and maintenance for the recycling truck and the salaries of the various employees responsible for recycling adds up to more than the school makes selling its glass, plastic and tin to the Walla Walla recycling center. Likewise, there are significant energy costs in the transportation—Whitman’s plastics are reprocessed in China—and recycling processes. But these costs are negligible compared to the savings over raw materials, and the environmental payoffs are worth the slight loss the school takes. Recycling’s dark side stems from the way it can pacify ordinary, environmentally-concerned citizens. In many cases, recycling satisfies people’s need to protect the environment. Think of it as an environmentalism quota. Recycling cannot make up for our generally consumerist lifestyles, and is but a small part of environmental activism. Although recycling is a great first step in eliminating unnecessary waste, it detracts from more broad-reaching, effective and important environmental efforts. Recycling is by no means a new concept. Plato discusses the concept as
early as 400 B.C. In the United States, recycling has been prevalent during wars, where materials like nylon, rubber and many metals were heavily rationed and recycled for military uses. Today’s popular recycling movement re-surged in the 1970s along with the broad range of environmentalism sweeping the country at the time. Recycling became very popular as one of many ways people could easily help the planet. Never mind that recycling is only the third best waste option according to the widely-accepted “Waste Disposal Hierarchy” of reduce, reuse and recycle. Americans seem to be just remembering how to reuse, with reusable water bottles and shopping bags becoming increasingly popular. In the days of the milk man, reusing was the norm—you had your one glass milk bottle refilled repeatedly instead of producing a plastic bottle every gallon. Over time, recycling has become much more important to the American imagination of environmentalism than reducing consumption. Recycling seems to justify the degree to which we need plastic in our lives. I would prefer that bottles be remade into carpeting, clothing or new bottles, but I would much prefer that the bottle was not purchased in the first place. To make a meaningful environmental impact, do not just recycle your bottles; refuse to buy them in the first place. Better yet, push for legislation such as that passed by San Francisco in 2007 banning bottled water entirely (props to Whitman’s Sustainability Advisory Committee which has organized an effort to do so on campus). Recycling—and any other one of the easy ways to save the planet—has a tendency to produce environmentalism for the wrong reasons. This creates a sort of complacency wherein individuals are morally satisfied with small-scale environmentalism and
stop there. Recycling becomes less about a green lifestyle and more about convenience, social pressure or justifying consumption. Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), riding your bike, composting, etc., can save energy and resources, but reaching your “quota” from these types of activities distracts from broader changes necessary for a sustainable future. The energy saved from millions of Americans using CFLs would reduce the fossil fuel consumption of energy companies, but millions of Americans writing to their senator or congressman about clean energy policy would save a lot more.
Recycling’s dark side stems from the way it can pacify ordinary, enviromentally-concerned citizens. Recycling is paramount to the doctrines of popularized environmentalism present in liberal circles today, but this type of environmentalism is insufficient to produce much-needed changes in the way Americans approach the environment. The sorts of actions that individuals can take to produce real environmental change do not have to be time-consuming or difficult; I could easily write and send an e-mail to my legislators in the time it would take to drive to the store and buy CFLs for my home. I am not saying we should stop recycling, but it is crucial that we not be satisfied by recycling alone. So next time you are searching for a recycling bin, think about ways you can reduce your consumption and not have to recycle in the first place. GOT AN OPINION? Comment on this and other articles at whitmanpioneer.com
No escape from American culture found across the pond Here’s a true, albeit deeply embarrassing, story: I had to Google “England vs. Britain” to find out what the difference between the two was. AMI previously TIAN I’d thought they Columnist were the same thing, as I’ve been using the words “English” and “British” interchangeably. So, as Angela R. of Yahoo! Answers kindly clarified, Great Britain refers to the island of Great Britain which includes Wales, England and Scotland. The United Kingdom is composed of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. (For the record, it was another American who posted the question.) As embarrassing as it is that I know so little about England and the U.K., it’s not entirely surprising. Sadly, it seems that globalization hasn’t so much led to an overall increase in cultural awareness as it has to an increase in other countries’ awareness of American culture. What was most striking to me upon arriving in London was just how many proliferations of American culture exist at every turn. The tube is plastered with billboard-sized advertisements for American TV shows (“Boardwalk Empire”, “Mad Men”, “Twin Peaks”) and movies (“The Dilemma”, “Black Swan”, “Blue Valentine”). Looking at the TV listings in the Evening Standard, there are almost more American shows than British ones—even shows such as “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy” which heavily reference American pop culture. It’s not just American entertainment that’s crossed the Atlantic—McDonald’s, Starbucks and KFC are everywhere. I’ve probably seen more Pizza
Huts in London than I’ve ever seen in the United States. Music from the States plays in stores and coffee shops. Marquees in the West End advertise tickets to “Jersey Boys”, “Wicked” and “Legally Blonde.” In my Circuit of Culture class at City University, we’re working on group projects which focus on the representation of certain brands and products. My group was discussing the appeal of Starbucks: what makes Starbucks more successful or appealing than, for exam-
I was expecting London to be more, well, English... I hadn’t realized how much ‘cosmopolitan’ meant ‘American.’ ple, Costa Coffee (a competing chain)? One of my group members said, “It’s American.” Puzzled, I asked why that would make the brand more appealing in England. She explained that it wasn’t that American brands were more appealing because of their Americanness, but that they were more visible, due to the amount of American media that the British consume. “I mean,” she said, “More people watch ‘Desperate Housewives’ than ‘EastEnders’.” Maybe none of this is surprising to other people, but I was expecting London to be more, well, English. I’d often heard London described as a cosmopolitan city, but I hadn’t realized how much “cosmopolitan” meant “American.” Granted, America has its share of English imports as well—most notably comedians and actors (Monty Python, Ricky Gervais, Colin Firth), but also brands and shops (Burberry, The Body Shop, Pret A Manger). Still, these things give us a limited and muddled
impression of Englishness. The English are witty and possibly fashionable. They say “trousers” and drive on the wrong side of the street. They might drink tea and worship the Queen. In American cinema they’re often portrayed as uptight villains (in contrast with the wild, freedom-loving American). Based on these assumptions alone not only do we fail to get a distinct picture of Englishness, but based on a heavily commercialized central London, it seems like Englishness isn’t actually very different from Americanness. But beneath the superficial similarities there are deeply significant cultural differences stemming from the differences between our institutions. From their government to education to the arts, English institutions operate in ways that are often overlooked by, and definitely foreign to, Americans. As a result, these institutions produce conditions which may not be apparent to the American tourist, but which ultimately shape English culture and make Englishness what it is. What does it mean that the drinking age in England is 18? That despite being a secular and relatively more socialist society, England still has a royal family? That the English don’t have a constitution? That the English government, through Arts Council funding, basically pays artistic endeavors to fail? Or, what are the implications of even the simple fact that England has been around for approximately 800 years longer than the U.S. has? Although Americans may be aware of these English particularities, the ways in which they manifest are subtler than that which can be immediately perceived and be aware of. So while the English are not tweed-wearing, pipe-smoking villains, neither are they Americans with bad teeth and funny accents. What they are, or what Englishness is, is harder to define, perhaps as hard to define as “Americanness” is.
The Pioneer ISSUE 1 JAN 27, 2011 Page 5
Google must be held to higher standard B11+$%:4&4%$;C7'1($-#,%3&,1001&1;&D31*:0&.%&%5#$E&#4&#* 49;/(#%*0&;1'&0'9%&(1'71'-0%&-((19*0-.#$#0)< Journalists, academics and consumers have all criticized Google for failing to live up to its unofficial slogan, “Don’t be evil.” They all miss the TRISTAN GRAU point. “Don’t be Columnist evil” is a weak moral creed and criticizing Google for being evil simply strengthens Google’s authority to police its own morality. Not that Google should abandon this slogan in order to “be evil”; instead, I believe the slogan sets the ethical bar far too low. “Evil” is simply not a very helpful word when criticizing a corporation like Google. To begin with, “evil” is a strong word. It suggests a moral absolute. When Google agreed to censor search results in China, was that evil? What about when Google joined with Verizon to propose an Internet regulation policy that critics say would allow corporations to regulate wireless Internet outside of FCC regulation? Critics of Google who use “Don’t be evil” in their critique assume the difficult task of proving that Google’s actions are actually evil, not just harmful or wrong. Even if Google is acting evil, that does not mean that the company is doing good. “Don’t be evil” doesn’t say a thing about being good. To be fair, Google does make a connection between their slogan and doing good. Its corporate code of conduct web page states that “Don’t be evil” is
“also about doing the right thing”. But this commitment to do good is still based on a commitment to avoid evil. For Google, “Don’t be evil” comes first. Doing the right thing is simply the result of not doing evil, and this implies that Google recognizes good only by avoiding evil. Then how does Google determine what is evil? According to a 2003 article in Wired Magazine, co-founder Sergey Brin decides what is evil for the company. I suspect that more individuals contribute to this decision now. Still, if one person’s definition of evil is the sole moral restraint of a company, then the restraint is a poor one. At this point, one might object that Google does not have the final say on whether or not it is evil. After all, critics can and do challenge Google’s claim that its actions are not evil. One prominent example is googledontbeevil.com, a website protesting the Google-Verizon policy proposal that would allow corporate control of wireless Internet bandwidth. This website charges that the decision is evil and that Google should renounce the deal. The website is directly addressed to Brin and his cofounder Larry Page. This direct appeal supports the idea that Google should be judged by whether or not it does evil. It also supports the claim that Google’s leaders are the ideal people to decide. Criticizing Google for being evil means accepting the claim that to be a good company all Google needs to do is avoid doing evil. Instead we should consider holding corporations to a higher standard, one that they themselves do not set.
Advantages of Verizon iPhone depend on user
=&>%'#?1*&#@"1*%&2#$$&7'15#3%&.%00%'&(15%'-+%&.90&-$41 .'#*+4&2#0"&#0&10"%'&*%021'A&-*3&$1+#40#(-$&7'1.$%,4< The biggest product-related buzz in the tech industry this month has to do with the introduction of an iPhone that will BLAIR run on Verizon’s FRANK CDMA cellular Columnist network. It’s big news for both Apple and Verizon, and there’s a great deal of speculation as to what the CDMA iPhone will mean for both companies. Most people seem to be greeting the arrival of the Verizon iPhone as an event requiring about as much fanfare as the arrival of a small deity. Of course, there’s one pressing question for consumers: should you buy one? Verizon has certainly done a lot to make the way they handle the iPhone more competitive, and it’s a very attractive alternative to AT&T. The biggest appeal of the Verizon iPhone is that for some people, like those of us in Walla Walla, Verizon has better coverage. (Of course, the reverse is also true for AT&T in certain areas.) In general, users also tend to report higher satisfaction with Verizon over AT&T. When it comes to service, Verizon seems to have the advantage at this point. In addition, Verizon has made tethering standard on the CDMA iPhone. Tethering, for those who don’t know, is the ability to use your phone’s data connection with your computer. The CDMA iPhone will be able to act as a mobile wireless hotspot, and share its internet connection with up to five devices. That’s more than AT&T can say. In order to tether your iPhone on their network, you need to pay an additional $20 for the privilege. Of course, all of that’s well and good, but what are the drawbacks? First and foremost, there are all the usual problems with cell phone companies. If you’re thinking of switching to Verizon from another carrier, it’s possible you’ll have to pay an early
termination fee in the hundreds of dollars to your other carrier. In addition, most plans these days allow you to call other people on a given network for free, so if the people you have been calling the most aren’t on Verizon, you’ll end up using more minutes with a CDMA iPhone than your current phone. The second potential issue you may have is that the CDMA iPhone is being released in the middle of a product cycle. In the past, Apple has announced new iPhones like clockwork at their Worldwide Developer Conference in June. It’s entirely possible that there will be a new iPhone out in half a year. Of course, if you need a CDMA iPhone now, and don’t mind it being outmoded in a month, go for it. It’s also possible, depending upon demand, that Verizon, despite its preparations, will get slammed by an avalanche of bandwidth it’s not prepared for. While they have said that they’ve spent the time to fortify their network, I’m not sure how possible it could be to totally prepare for the massive data usage the iPhone tends to bring. Finally, there’s the problem with the CDMA network itself: it’s impossible to talk and use data at the same time. All those great commercials that show people talking about going to a restaurant while looking it up on their phone? Yeah, not possible on Verizon’s CDMA network. Of course, I can count on two hands the number of times I’ve needed to look something up on the Internet while talking on the phone. I’ve only bothered to do it once or twice. So here’s the bottom line: if you’re a Verizon customer eager to get your paws on an iPhone, and you won’t be shocked if a new version comes out in a few months, go for it. It looks like a quality product. On the other hand, if you’re staring down the barrel of an early termination fee, or everyone you call is on another network, or if you’re committed to wanting the next version of the iPhone, I would say hold off on your purchase.
Feature
The Pioneer ISSUE 1 JAN 27, 2011 Page 6
Looking for America
NOT TOURISTS, NOT CITIZENS: International students !"#$%##&"!'()")*&"(&+%, by KELSEY KENNEDY Staff Reporter
When Whitman College students returned to campus this month, few were faced with the daunting prospect of a 13hour overseas flight. Not so for international students such as junior Surabhi Veenapani, who makes these long trips back to India at least once a year. The sense of physical and psychological displacement that accompanies shifting back and forth between time zones is a familiar feeling for international students, who deal with culture shock both in their home countries and at Whitman on a regular basis. “Right after going back home, I have to transition back to thinking in Bulgarian and make sure that I know what is going on politically and within my family,” said senior Elena Zheglova. Growing up in one of Bangkok's few gated communities, junior Rimmy
Doowa became accustomed to a diverse environment that partially prepared her for the cultural adjustment of attending school in America. “At home I’m so exposed to American culture that sometimes I see more foreigners than Thai people,” she said. For Veenapani, it was difficult being labeled by students as one of the “internationals” after attending a diverse high school with 200 students representing over 80 countries. “Freshman year I had to fight so much harder to been seen as part of the community. Some people saw the differences as barriers,” she said. Zheglova also found it frustrating to be constantly identified as a foreigner and placed into the role of spokesperson for her country, especially as a first-year and sophomore. “I feel like a foreigner when people seem uncomfortable talking to me, asking me questions about Bulgaria or finding nothing else to talk about but Eastern Europe,” she said. One of the primary goals of
The United States is a country, American is an identity and Amer ica is an idea that we believe in collectively. This week in Feature, The Pioneer investigates what it is like to live in this country and not be American, to see the United States from an outside perspec tive and to adjust back to life in America after time spent abroad.
Whitman’s Intercultural Center is to help international students—who make up approximately 19.5 percent of the Whitman community according to the college website—deal with these frustrations and displaced sense of identity. Those interviewed especially appreciate the International Students and Friends Club as a forum to come together and share tips and experiences. International students are also partnered with local Walla Walla families through the International Friendship Family Program, an organization that offers students another outlet for support especially during school breaks. For Doowa, Whitman’s strong support system for international students put her parents at ease when she arrived on campus as a first-year. When Doowa originally looked at schools abroad she was encouraged by her parents to look at schools in the United Kingdom and Australia. “America was off-limits. My family was worried that I would come back spoiled and arrogant,” Doowa said. Tumi Mothei, a senior from Botswana, suggests that these stereotypes, which were also pervasive in his community, de-
velop out of the mass media’s distortions of American values, with television shows and movies often portraying a glamorous and materialistic culture predominantly present in cities like New York and Miami. When he goes back to Botswana, Mothei tries to correct his friends’ misconceptions and generalizations about American culture but is met with some wariness. “People think that with my education and liberated thought process I’m going to try to acculturate them,” he said. Going home and attending cultural events like weddings remind Doowa that spending so much time abroad has changed her. “It’s overwhelming and awkward. That’s when I feel the most American,” Doowa said. When asked if they plan to stay in America after graduation and even apply for citizenship, many international students feel pulled in multiple directions. “Going back to Botswana would be downgrading. I would be yearning to come back to the comforts, safety and cleanliness, but family is the compensation,” said Mothei. Veenapani does not plan to stay in India, wanting to continue living
what she terms “a nomadic lifestyle”. “There’s so much competition in India. It’s 100 times harder to get into India’s top colleges,” she said. Regardless of where they plan to live after graduation, international students emphasize how lucky they feel to have the opportunity to study at Whitman. “Going to Whitman is the longest I’ve ever stayed in one place. The first place I ever felt homesick for was Anderson Hall,” said Veenapani.
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hat are the !"#$%!&'%()"*#%)"% +,"-#'#%$,-$%.)/'% $)%/01*%(,'1%2)3% $,014%)5%America?” Wordle.net was used to analyze the 80 most common words or phrases generated by 91 Whitman students polled. Word size corresponds to frequency of response, with “freedom” (26 responses) as the most common.
Offcampus study offers new perspectives on America Though Whitman students may not have agreed with the opinions about the United States This January, 74 students are back at Whitman that they heard voiced abroad, their College after spending the Fall 2010 semester on overseas experiences did alter their own a study abroad or domestic partner program. perspectives. Granted, these Whitties are more worldly after “After coming back I find Americans more sotheir off-campus experiences. They have adapted cially inept,” said Georgiev. to a way of living different from the “American “Americans are a lot less environmentally Way”, and they have the stories and photos to aware—it’s less of a priority for them,” said Gerprove it. But Whitman students returning from ringer, comparing America and New Zealand. off-campus studies are also more knowledgeable She also said that she felt less patriotic while about a topic closer to home—the United States. overseas. According to Director of Off-Campus Stud“I saw another way of a country functioning ies Susan Holme Brick, typically one of the main and thriving,” she said. goals of students who study abroad is to learn Goldie also sees her home nation differently about the country they’re visiting. Many are now that she has returned. surprised at how much their “Americans are less inabroad experience puts their terested in their own hisSTUDY ABROAD BY THE home culture into perspective. tory than I thought,” she said. NUMBERS: FALL 2010 “By learning about how Though Goldie described STUDENTS STUDIED OFF people elsewhere do things, herself as no more or less CAMPUS: 70 WERE you learn about your own patriotic while abroad, “I felt OVERSEAS, 4 PARTICIPATED IN DOMESTIC PROGRAMS country,” said Brick, adding more aware of myself as an AND 10 ARE OFF CAMPUS FOR that study abroad offers stuAmerican,” she said. THE FULL YEAR. dents a “critical lens on their Whitman Counselor THEY STUDIED WITH own society as much as it ofSharon Kaufman-Osborn, DIFFERENT PROGRAMS IN fers insights into whatever M.S.W. finds that students DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. place they’ve gone to.” who study abroad return with The Pioneer asked several new awareness of their privirecently-returned Whitties leges as Americans. about the impressions of “Although they might have America that they came across while abroad. The complaints about U.S. politics, they sometimes stereotypes they cite are both amusing and tell- report that they appreciate what they have availing of the image our country projects on a global able to them as United States citizens,” Kaufmanscale. Osborn, who talks with students who have studJuniors Caitlin Goldie and Michail Gerogiev ied abroad, said in an e-mail. described stereotypes of American women that The return to life at Whitman is colored by exthey encountered. periences and perspectives gained abroad. “American girls are Christian and obsessed “It feels very restricting to be back in Walla with marriage,” said Goldie, who studied in Paris. Walla after London,” said Georgiev. “All you have to do to sleep with an American “The conveniences and comforts that we have girl is have a British accent,” said Georgiev, re- here are hard to adjust to,” said Daly. cently back from London. Gerringer and Goldie agreed, citing heating as Other impressions dealt with America’s super- an example, while Daly mentioned toilet paper. power status. Time abroad can give students a critical lens “You come from a very powerful place,” said on America, but it can also offer a new appreciajunior Hanna Daly, quoting her Peruvian host fa- tion of the ability to call a place home. ther. She attested that in Peru there is an associa“I felt tired of not being a part of the country.” tion of America with money. said Daly. “I wanted to feel that I belonged.” by PATRICIA VANDERBILT Feature Editor
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VANDERBILT & WORDLE.NET Study abroad, the aftermath: Students readjust to America by CARA LOWRY Feature Editor
As the vast majority of Whitties returned to campus after a four-week break, a fifth of the junior class returned to Whitman after four months spent in 43 countries and surrounded by unfamiliar faces, customs and languages. While students go abroad expecting to encounter startling cultural differences, many are surprised to find that readjusting to an American and Whitman-specific lifestyle poses an even greater challenge. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as “reverse culture shock” and Whitties experience it to varying degrees. “It’s really truly a range,” said Susan Holme Brick, director of Off-Campus Studies at Whitman College. “We have students who say, ‘Reverse culture shock? I heard about it but didn’t experience it at all.’ The more common reaction is, ‘Oh yeah, it was a little weird coming home, a little different.’” Reverse culture shock isn’t triggered by one thing in particular. Sometimes it’s a matter of missing the host language or food, explained Whitman Counselor Sharon Kaufman-Osborn, M.S.W. via e-mail. “They miss their new friends and lifestyle, speaking a different language, their favorite hangout; they long to live independently in a different environment, and yearn for life beyond Maxey, Olin, the science building, RCC, BFFC and Penrose,” she said. Sometimes students struggle adjusting to the replacement of leisure time by the hurriedness characteris-
tic of the infamous American work ethic. “In many of other countries, there’s a different kind of balance between work and leisure, and not the same ‘to-do list’ lifestyle that we have in the United States,” said Brick. Junior Hanna Daly, who spent the fall semester in Peru, notes that everyday life there is more relaxed. “The pace of life here is shocking to come back to. It is slower in Peru— they walk really slowly,” she said. Most cases of reverse culture shock do share a common theme—the feeling of being misunderstood or unable to adequately communicate the experience. “If you have a really significant life experience that’s really different from anything your friends and family have done, you may have grown in a way that’s difficult for them to relate to,” said Brick. Jumping back into life on campus and keeping busy can help minimize reverse culture shock. “Usually, this disruption subsides within the first few weeks, as students focus on their academic work, reconnect with old friends, establish new relationships and occasionally seek to practice what they have learned from their time abroad by extending themselves and exploring Walla Walla and Whitman in new ways,” said Kaufman-Osborn. After a semester or year abroad, Whitties return to a community bursting with resources and people eager to help with any and all transitional issues, no matter how big or small. On Thursday, Jan. 20, the OffCampus Studies office hosted a
reception for recently returned students and announced its upcoming Baggage Claim series. The first of six sessions, entitled “Storytelling: Funny Stories From Around the World”, will take place on Jan. 27 at 5 p.m. in the Glover Alston Center. The series will continue through March and includes a session in conjunction with the Counseling Center, scheduled for Feb. 1. In addition to Whitman-sponsored reintegration events and support systems, students often seek out their own ways of processing and incorporating their experiences. Brick encourages students to embrace reverse culture shock as a means of reaching out to a larger public. “A returning study abroad student could visit a local third-grade class to talk to them about what life is like in India. Walla Walla is a community where there are some families and children that don’t have many travel opportunities at all. Some of those kids could really benefit from Whitman students sharing their international experiences,” she said. After realizing that they can thrive in a different environment learning about another culture and/or language or conducting fieldwork, a certain percentage of study abroad alumni seek out overseas jobs or become involved in post-graduate programs abroad such as Whitman in China. In gaining new perspectives on the world, as well as ourselves, and then evaluating and sharing our experiences, it’s clear that time abroad is really just the beginning of something much bigger. “The experience doesn’t end with coming home,” said Brick.