Whitman Pioneer - Spring 2011 Issue 13

Opinion from the faculty

Dancers explore darker side of American history

Associate Professor of Politics Jeanne Morefield argues that overcoming gender inequality starts with ASWC. PAGE

A series of poems about Japanese internment camps are transformed onstage in Whitman Dance Theater’s “Minidoka.”

WHITMAN NEWS, DELIVERED

VOLUME CXXVIII

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Walla Walla, WA whitmanpioneer.com

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ISSUE 13

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ow much should athletic ability matter for college admission? For NCAA Division I schools, prospective athletes are often considered even if they fall outside of normal admissions criteria. For Division III schools like Whitman College, the story is a little different.

VARSITY ATHLETES SWING

THEIR WAY INTO WHITMAN

A SEVEN YEAR AVERAGE OF

GRADUATION RATES

93.4% athletes 86.3% non-athletes

by RACHEL ALEXANDER News Editor

and LIBBY ARNOSTI Sports Editor

“Regardless of whether a student is an athlete or not, the first thing is: is the student academically qualified?” said Director of Admission Kevin Dyerly.

As an elite academic institution, Whitman holds itself to a standard of academic excellence which admitted students must also reflect. This standard is attractive to some athletes, who want to get a good education while continuing to participate in athletics.

“I wanted to be a student-athlete rather than an athlete who happened to be at school,” said sophomore swimmer Katie Chapman, who decided to come to Whitman over the University of Washington, a Division I school.

In order to ensure that motivated and successful student-athletes like Chapman fill the athletic rosters, the Office of Admission works closely with coaches throughout the year to address the needs and priorities of varsity programs.

“The students who’ve been identified by our coaches as priority athletes, priority recruits, who are academically qualified, are going to get very strong consideration for admission,” said Dyerly.

Dyerly said that the Office of Admission strongly considers any applicant who has the potential to contribute to a Whitman program, whether in sports, theater, debate, music or another area. This consideration is sometimes referred to as a “bump”, and allows a coach to identify a few select students who would be critical to their team.

“We have a program where coaches can identify students who might be RECRUITMENT,

PHOTO BY FENNELL INFOGRAPHIC BY APPLETON

Cycling claims DII crown

L

Staff Reporter

Staff Reporter

ed by a strong group of upperclassmen women, the Whitman College cycling team took the NWCCC Division II title at the conference championships held on April 23 and 24 in Pullman, Wash.

The Whitman team took second place overall at the conference race, trailing only University of Washington, a DI school.

The team was able to accomplish this despite entering no men in the A category – the highest and most point-heavy racing category.

After a road race, team time trial and criterium, junior Rachel Hoar ended up as the top woman in the Northwest DII. Whitman had many other top ten finishes in the various racing categories.

As a team, one of the highlights of the weekend was the collective performance of all of the the teams in the team time trial. The Men’s C, Men’s B, Women’s B and Women’s A teams all finished in second place, while the Women’s C team took third.

Senior Simon Pendleton was proud of how his whole team took on the challenging races while having a good time.

“It was a really good weekend. People rode hard,” Pendleton said. “It was hard racing, but it was fun racing.”

While the conference championship marks the end of the cycling season for most of the team, four women will continue their season through this week. Hoar, along with seniors Roxy Pierson and Chelsea Momany, and sophomore Molly Blust are traveling to Madison, Wis. to compete at the Collegiate Road National Championships on May 6 through 8 where both Division I and II schools will be competing.

Pierson is looking forward to going to nationals and believes that the women can compete very well.

“It is extremely exciting. We have a long history of excelling at nationals,” Pierson said.

According to Pierson, the team has the best shot of winning nationals in the team time trial.

CYCLING,

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ach year, one show in Harper Joy Theatre’s season is either a musical or an opera. This year, Garret Professor of Dramatic Art Nancy Simon will be directing the musical “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”.

The Tony-winning musical depicts a quirky group of students competing in the titular spelling bee. Senior Monica Finney plays one of the students, Olive Ostrovsky, who has a penchant for switching the orders of words.

“I see her as kind of a space cadet ... but in a cute and quirky way. It’s fun to play that,” said Finney. “The play’s just so random, all about these kids who are all quirky and have issues, so it’s very entertaining.”

Finney saw a production of the show in Seattle last summer and enjoyed it

so much she wanted to participate in Whitman’s production.

Senior Chris Reid is looking forward to this show marking an exciting culmination to the year. Reid plays Vice Principal Douglas Panch of Lake Hemingway Junior High, who was almost not scheduled to help with the bee due to a previous accident, but was able to make it in and is eager to redeem himself.

“As a graduating senior I wanted to get involved with as much theatre work as possible before leaving a program that’s done so much for me ... [Because of the] simple fact that our closing night is the night before commencement it’s easy to see this show as a countdown to graduating,” said Reid.

Performances are on two nonconsecutive weekends, a schedule used in previous years to give students a free finals week while still having shows during commencement weekend when fam-

ilies and friends are in town.

Junior Charlie O’Rourke, who plays a comfort counselor and gives juice boxes to the children who are eliminated (as a requirement for his parole), feels the performance schedule is a good thing not only because actors will be less stressed after finals, but also so that senior theatre majors can have one last fun performance project.

“Usually there aren’t thesis requirements [surrounding the spring musical]; seniors don’t really do their thesis as performing in the musical ... it’s sort of just a fun way to cut loose at the end of the year,” he said.

O’Rourke is especially enthusiastic about the show’s music, which is also one of the things he is most apprehensive about.

“Honestly I do love the music a lot, but it’s kind of hard.

It’s been challenging, for me at least, to get the music down.

SPELLING BEE,

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Choreographer Rhya Milici ‘12 and actor Nick Hagan ‘13 goof around during rehearsal for “The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee”, which will be performed in Sherwood Athletic Center rather than Harper Joy Theatre. PHOTO BY FENNELL

The Panel of

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What is it? Who uses it? How does it affect our college?

Find the answers in Feature.

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Tuition keeps pace with peers

Theatre department brings musical spelling bee to Sherwood

by KATE ROBINETTE

by TYLER HURLBURT

PAGE

by DEREK THURBER and RACHEL ALEXANDER

Editor-in-Chief and News Editor

S

ince the seniors graduating on May 22 first came to Whitman in 2007, the annual cost of attending Whitman has continued to increase steadily. Over the past four years, tuition has increased by 5,470 dollars, from 32,980 dollars in the 2007-2008 school year to 38,450 dollars this year.

Next year, incoming firstyears will start their college education by paying an unprecedented 40,180 dollars in tuition.

According to Chief Financial Officer Peter Harvey, increases in tuition are the result of meeting the needs of the college in order to provide the best services to the students.

“Tuition is determined as part of [the budget process]. There’s no magical answer. We look at what the needs are, what our priorities are,” Harvey said. “How much we want to increase salaries and how much fringe benefits are going up are a big driver in the operating budget. And then we look at other requests for things like increased utilities—whether we need more computers or labs, more staff positions or faculty positions. And then we look at tuition and financial aid costs and try to come up with a balance.”

Whitman Controller Walter Froese further emphasised that the budget is never set before it is approved by the Budget Advisory Committee and the Board of Trustees. Setting tuition is part of this process, and both groups can provide input on any proposed raises.

“Sometimes, if it takes say a 5 percent increase [in tuition] to balance the budget, they may come back and say ‘we think that’s too strong of an increase’ and so you have to come back and cut spending,” Froese said.

“It’s not simply we just jack tuition to what it takes to meet our needs.”

The 5,470 dollar increase in tuition over the past four years represents a 9.8 percent increase in tuition costs above the market inflation rate for those years, using calculations based on inflation rates as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics TUITION,

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Yearbook name lacks discussion

by JOSH GOODMAN News Editor

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Walla Walla residents march for immigrtion reform at a rally on Sunday, May 1. The rally was organized by Whitman senior Ariel Ruiz to call attention to issues facing undocumented immigrants. PHOTOS BY VON HAFFTEN

MARCH FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM Whitman senior organizes rally calling for undocumented immigrants to be recognized

by ALYSSA GOARD Staff Reporter

D

ozens of concerned Walla Walla residents gathered on Sunday, May 1 to march for immigration reform. Participants arrived at Jefferson Park and marched down Main Street, past Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ office. Whitman College students and faculty played an integral role in this year’s rally, which was organized by senior Ariel Ruiz.

Ruiz transferred to Whitman as a sophomore and has spent much of his college career working on immigration reform. He founded the group El Proyecto Voz Latina, which raises awareness of undocumented immigrants and advocates for immigration reform in Walla Walla.

Aside from organizing rallies, Ruiz is currently working with Whitman administration to add a statement of support for undocumented students to the Whitman constitution.

"Club Latino has helped us

out a lot, as has the Black Students' Union," he said. "But no group at Whitman can officially endorse [El Proyecto] because in the Whitman constitution there is a clause which says Whitman cannot take a stand on a political issue."

There are currently seven or eight undocumented students at Whitman, and Ruiz feels that Whitman could do more to support them by taking a pub-

lic stand on the DREAM Act and other issues affecting immigrants.

"Other colleges like Whitman have gotten so much farther than we have," he said. "I'm not asking George Bridges to hold press conferences or present [the issue] before Congress, as presidents of other private colleges have done."

Many of the marchers seemed to share similar sentiments about community attitudes toward immigration reform as they followed Ruiz's dynamic presence and blaring bullhorn. The message chanted by participants was simple but strong: “What do we want? Immigration reform! When do we want it? Now!” and “We are Washington! We are Immigrants! We are Taxpayers!"

The march was coordinated by El Proyecto and OneAmerica, a statewide immigration reform group which Ruiz also works with.

Similar marches took place around the state in Seattle, Vancouver, Ellensburg and Yakima. OneAmerica's organizing director David Ayala Zamora spoke to rally-goers. Zamora noted that immigration reform activists in Walla Walla have much to celebrate, such as the fact that Washington is one of only two states which allows undocumented immigrants to obtain a driver's license. “ There are not many states that can hold up the light of hope for immigration reform,” said Zamora.

One of the primary types of immigration reform that Zamora and Ruiz are fighting for is occupational reform. Zamora said that some

Washington residents are hesitant to support full occupational benefits and rights to immigrants because they fear a loss of American jobs.

He believes this fear is unwarranted.

“We are not taking jobs away. If we did, it happened a long time ago because we are still here,” he said.

Senior JoJo Robertson was one of the Whitman students who attended the rally. She felt that the rally was a great way to spend a sunny afternoon getting out an important message.

"Immigrants are often underrepresented and I think that it's important for us Whitties to show support. So it was great to see some of the Whitman community out there because when you are so busy with classes and activities, especially around finals, it can be hard to make time for the things that are important," she said.

Ruiz will be graduating soon, but hopes that many of the advocacy projects he has worked on will have enough structure and momentum to continue with a new group of student leaders.

"I think my efforts have developed enough focus to set up a program. And Whitman is a great place — undocumented students here have access to financial aid; it is my gut feeling that they feel very welcome and supported," he said.

In spite of these steps, Ruiz hopes the administration will speak openly about its undocumented population.

"It is something we have to talk about," he said.

WHITMAN gets GREEN Read about Whitman’s ranking in the greenhouse gas audit and placement in a college green guidebook at whitmanpioneer.com ILLUSTRATION BY SLOANE

wo-thousand eleven has been a whirlwind for the students bringing back a Whitman yearbook. After struggling to get ASWC funding, they rushed to produce a yearbook in three months and have sold all but a handful of their 350 copies. Lost in the process was broad discussion about their decision to stick with the yearbook’s historical name -- Waiilatpu.

According to Mike Dedman, educational specialist for the Whitman Mission National Historic Site, Waiilatpu was the original name of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman’s mission. Waillatpu is a Cayuse phrase for “place of rye grasses.” After the Whitmans’ deaths, the mission was renamed in their honor.

Sophomore Ben Lerchin, editor-in-chief of Waiilatpu, said that the yearbook staff considered new names, but ultimately went with tradition.

“Choosing that name was partially a reflection of the fact that we hadn’t created anything yet, but it was obviously going to come from the legacy of Whitman [College],” he said. “I think the decision was more about preserving history than about saying a mission statement.”

Although the name Waiilatpu is ingrained in the yearbook’s history, it is also reflective of the United States dark past with native populations.

The Whitmans ventured West in an effort to convert the Cayuse tribe to Christianity, in the process infecting the tribe with measles; ultimately, members of the tribe killed the Whitmans.

ASWC Finance Chair and President-elect senior Matt Dittrich said that he was unaware that Waiilatpu was a reference to the mission and would have discussed it in the Senate had he known.

“I wasn’t aware of it,” he said. “We’re not into amending or censoring the artistic material and decisions, but it probably would have been nice to have a conversation about.”

Junior Meghan Bill, a race

Number of students at Whitman misrepresented

ILLUSTRATION BY URIU

by KARAH KEMMERLY

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Staff Reporter

ake a look at the brochures on display in the Office of Admission, the course catalog, or the Fast Facts sheet on the college web site and all will tell you that the number of enrolled students at Whitman College is 1,450.

However, the actual enrollment in fall 2010 was 1,555.

Because of the difference in numbers, the student-faculty ratio changes depending on the document. The course catalog lists it as 10:1; the Fast Facts page on the web site says 9:1. The actu-

WHITMAN NEWS, DELIVERED

EDITORIAL

PRODUCTION

WRITING

BUSINESS

Editors-in-Chief Molly Smith & Derek Thurber

Production Manager Maggie Appleton

NEWS

Business Manager Dhavan Vengadasalam

Managing Editor Alyssa Fairbanks

Production Associates Ted Hendershot, Miriam Kolker, Abigail Sloan, Meg Vermilion

News Editors Rachel Alexander & Josh Goodman

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Sports Editors Libby Arnosti & Nick Wood Opinion Editor Gary Wang Backpage Editor Diana Dulek Photography Editor Jack Lazar Illustration Editor Olivia Johnson Web Editor Ellie Gold

Marin Axtell, Faith Bernstein, Julia Bowman, Brandon Fennell, Ben Lerchin, Kendra Klag, Ethan Parrish, Marie Von Hafften

ILLUSTRATION Sam Alden, Jea Alford, Molly Johanson, Binta Loos-Diallo, Carrie Sloane, Jung Song, Markel Uriu

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FEATURE Hanna Kahl, Kelsey Kennedy, Maren Schiffer

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Founded before the turn of 20th century, The Pioneer is Whitman College’s weekly, student-run newspaper. With a circulation of over 1,200, The Pioneer serves both the Whitman College student body and its network of faculty, staff, parents and alumni as well as the local Walla Walla community. The Pioneer publishes a weekly issue of the latest news, arts and sports coverage and student editorials. The Pioneer is entirely student-run and serves as an open forum for the student body as well as an outlet for gaining journalistic experience at a school that has no journalism program. The staff receives guidance from a Board of Advisors, a group of campus and community leaders, including Whitman College faculty and staff with journalism expertise as well as members of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. The Pioneer strives to maintain the highest standards of fairness, quality and journalistic integrity and is governed by a Code of Ethics.

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SPORTS

Alex Brott, Lissa Erickson, Bryant Fong, Blair Frank, Tristan Grau, J. Staten Hudson, Ami Tian

al ratio for fall 2010 was 9.89:1.

Though these discrepancies seem strange, the explanation might actually be simple: printing costs make it practical to use a simplified average rather than exact numbers. Neal Christopherson, director of institutional research, calls 1,450 a “ballpark figure.”

In the last five years, total enrollment has ranged from 1,455 students in 2006 to 1,555 this year.

Director of Admission Kevin Dyerly believes that for now 1,450 serves its purpose.

“For a prospective student, knowing if a school has 10,000 or 2,000 students is important. The difference between 1,555 and 1,450 won’t have a huge impact,” he said.

Prospective student Molly Emmett said she would like to see publications reflect the bigger student body. Coming from a high school of 4,500 students, she saw Whitman’s small size as a potential detriment.

“I think 100 students is a considerable difference -- that’s 100 more people that you have the opportunity to learn from, be inspired by and form lasting friendships with,” she said.

First-year Claire Vezie doesn’t feel that the number discrepancy would have affected her decision to come to Whitman.

“I was looking for small schools, but small ranged from 1200-2000.

One hundred students wouldn’t have made a difference,” Vezie said.

Letters to Editor may be submitted to The Pioneer via e-mail to editors@ whitmanpioneer.com or sent to The Pioneer, Whitman College, 280 Boyer Ave., Walla Walla, WA, 99362. All submissions must be received by 4 p.m. on Sunday prior to the week that they are intended to appear. All submissions must be attributed and may be edited for AP-style and fluency.

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OPINION

and ethnic studies major, said she was also concerned by the lack of a conversation about the implications of the name.

“I don’t think students know what Waiilatpu means, and I think that is potentially problematic,” she said. “[History is] important for our students to understand — our school’s name, our yearbook’s name, our school mascot, the area in which the school is located. I think students not knowing what it means neglects any kind of dialogue about that history, which is a really important conversation to have.”

Although Bill believes it makes sense to stick with the name now, she nonetheless says that it’s problematic.

“I think it makes sense that the yearbook staff wanted to keep the tradition, but I don’t really like it because I don’t see the sense of having the name Waiilatpu in the first place,” she said.

With the yearbook back, Dittrich said now is a good time for a discussion.

“I’d be really interested to have a larger student discussion on this now that the yearbook will be alive and well for at least the next year or two,” he said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for ASWC to make a decision about what the name should be, but I think it’s appropriate for students to have a discussion about it and let the yearbook staff know.”

Lerchin said he hasn’t heard any comments on the name, but that’s largely because of how the yearbook was marketed.

“That hasn’t been a question that’s come up for it at all.

We’ve largely tried to market it as the ‘Whitman yearbook’,” he said, noting that ‘Waiilatpu’ didn’t have name recognition.

For now, Waiilatpu has its focus on growth. Lerchin envisions a longer production process and more planned-out content, and thinks the yearbook will grow into its name in that process.

“I think it will be a name we grow into and it will be interesting to see once people know more about it what they associate with it,” he said.

The Code of Ethics serves as The Pioneer’s established guidelines for the practice of responsible journalism on campus, within reasonable interpretation of the Editorial Board. These guidelines are subject to constant review and amendment by the current Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board. The Code of Ethics is reviewed at least once per semester.

To access the complete Code of Ethics for The Pioneer, visit whitmanpioneer.com/about.

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05 2011

Many departments lack open classes for incoming students

by SHELLY LE Staff Reporter

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pperclassmen have completed preregistration for the fall 2011 semester, leaving many introductory-level courses completely filled. Departments including politics, philosophy, sociology and psychology are struggling to find space for incoming first-year students.

Meanwhile, the administration plans to solve the problem by increasing class sizes or creating more classes, which will most likely be taught by visiting professors.

Enrollment pressure for incoming first-years has increased with the introduction of the 3-2 course switch, but other factors also contribute to the problem. According to ASWC Vice President senior John Loranger, the 3-2 switch is a major reason for enrollment pressure, but is not the only problem.

"We're having faculty teaching fewer courses this year, and then we have the largest student body in the history of the college, and to compound those two issues we have course compression," he said.

Provost and Dean of Faculty Timothy Kaufman-Osborn will decide in the upcoming week which departments will have courses added to make up for a lack of available course seats. He anticipates that if additional faculty are needed, the hiring process will begin over the summer.

“There's two criteria that I need [to add courses]. I need the financial resources available to me, but I also want to ensure that I find qualified people,” Kaufman-Osborn said.

Chair of the Sociology Department Keith Farrington worries, however, that hiring professors this late in the academic year may not bode well for next semester.

“I think that when you're hiring someone to teach the next year, you're at the end of the hiring year and the most excellent of candidates are already hired, meaning we're not dealing with the best pool of possible candidates,” he said.

First-year ASWC Senator Brian Choe believes that increasing class sizes and opening new sections of intro-level courses taught by visiting professors may be a short-term solution, but it may not be doing incoming students justice in the long run.

“As a liberal arts

school, we pride ourselves in small class sizes. As classes get bigger, it's going to affect our image and the way we learn,” Cho e said. “For first-years who have a hard time in an introductory class with a visiting professor, the solid foundation of what they want to major in is not solid at all and they don't have anything to work off of.”

Hiring new professors to teach sections of classes for incoming students is not an easy task.

Choe's opinion of professors echoes the sentiments of many Whitman students who have had classes taught by visiting professors.

"I'm really frustrated be-

You hear about certain classes taught by amazing professors, and we won’t get to take them at first.

SARAH CRONK, ‘15

cause my experience in the science department has swayed me away from majoring in science because of the negative experience of having a visiting professor in place of a tenure-track faculty," said first-year Julia Stone. xIncoming first-years, however, are not too worried about having to wait to take classes from tenure track faculty. Sarah Cronk, an incoming student from Bettendorf, Iowa is disappointed that she will have a hard time getting into in-

troductory-level courses taught by regular Whitman faculty; however, she is confident that Whitman is working on the issue and holds out hope that her following three years of registration won't be as difficult.

“I'm a little disappointed because you hear about certain classes that are taught by amazing professors, and we won't get to take them at first,” Cronk said. “I figure that I have four years to eventually get into classes I want.”

First-year ASWC Senator Kayvon Behroozian believes the key to getting an ideal schedule for incoming students is planning ahead.

“I didn't get into any classes I wanted during pre-registration, but what I had done before preregistration is I e-mailed professors to be put on my waiting list and I was let into those classes,” Behroozian said. “It's frustrating, but if you plan ahead, you have a chance of getting into the classes you want.”

Kaufman-Osborn ensures incoming students that while registration may be difficult for students initially, Whitman guarantees students sufficient credits to stay on track for graduation in declared majors within four years and the opportunity to satisfy distribution requirements and elective courses corresponding to their interests.

“The college cannot guarantee that every student is going to get the course he/she wants in the semester he/she wants,” he said. “[But] it does have an obligation that students meet the requirements [expected] of them as a condition of graduation, and I fully intend to keep that commitment.”

ILLUSTRATION BY JOHANSON

Athletic admissions prioritize academic ability, roster needs from RECRUITMENT,

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slightly more off-profile than our median,” said Dyerly.

The most recent data for athlete admissions shows a small gap between recruited athletes and the general applicant pool. For students admitted in 2007, the average athlete high school GPA was 3.68 compared to 3.75 for non-athletes. SAT scores also varied slightly, with an athlete average of 1300 (out of 1600) compared to a non-athlete average of 1333.

Dyerly pointed out that while variance exists, it tends to be very small.

Jeff Northam, who is the head coach of men’s tennis, said that he believes this policy is in Whitman’s best interest. Northam is also a Whitman alum, and believes that admitting these students makes sense, even if their GPAs are a bit lower than average.

“Maybe they got a couple of ‘B’s’ during their high school career, but they did something different,” he said.

He also pointed out that devoting a large amount of time to an extracurricular activity in high school likely means less time for studying, so a lower GPA might reflect a student’s busy schedule more than their innate academic abilities.

Once at Whitman, athletes tend to have slightly lower GPAs than their non-athletic peers. This difference is small--about 0.1 grade point on average, according to the Office of Institutional Research’s data.

Athletes also tend to have a higher average graduation rate. For the classes of 2004-2010, an average of 93.4 percent of varsity athletes graduated, compared to 86.3 percent of non-athletes. Men’s soccer coach Mike Washington attributed part of this difference to the rigors of a varsity athletic schedule.

“I think student athletes are more focused because they have to manage time better,” he said.

Coaches and admissions staff both feel that the athletic department has a good relationship with the Office of Admission. Dyerly said that coaches are very thorough in pre-screening recruits and making sure they meet Whitman’s academic standards before encouraging them to apply. The Office of Admission also works hard to make sure that athletic teams are able to have a full roster.

“We are looking to build a community of talented athletes that can support our varsity and club sports,” he said.

This can sometimes result in athletes being recruited during the summer, after the normal Whitman admissions cycle is over. In the summer of 2008, two men’s basketball players were recruited and admitted to Whitman in August before their first year.

“I made my decision in three days, packed all my stuff and

the next day drove up here,” said junior David Michaels.

The men’s head basketball coach, Eric Bridgeland, who had just been hired in May of 2008, had no opportunity to recruit incoming firstyears during the regular admissions cycle. In order to build his eightperson roster of returning players, Bridgeland used the summer as a last-minute recruiting opportunity.

Dylerly said this can happen for other programs as well, as long as the college has space. Class sizes tend to change slightly over the summer, as students leave Whitman’s waitlist for other schools or decide to take a gap year. Also, the actual yield rate -- how many admitted students choose to come to Whitman -- can be different than the rate admissions planned for, meaning that additional students can be accommodated.

“It’s not a matter of empty seats, it’s more [that] we have room,” said Katie dePonty, assistant director of admission.

Michaels said that in spite of the fact he applied during the summer, the integrity of the admissions process was upheld for him.

“I thought I was going to be able to do less of [the application] because it was so late, but [the admissions officers] were firm in the fact that they were going to treat everyone the same,” said Michaels, who completed the full application in under a week that August.

Whether a regular decision applicant or late recruit, a student’s athletic excellence does not excuse them from being held to a high academic standard.

“There’s no reason why academics have to be lowered to have very strong athletic programs,” said DePonty.

Swim coach Jenn Blomme said that she appreciates working at a school where academics are viewed as a priority. She believes that athletic scholarships, which are given out at Division I schools, would cloud her relationship with swimmers.

“Money gets in the way of relationships,” she said. “I really enjoy swimmers who are here 100 percent for the love of swimming.”

Athletic Director Dean Snider agreed that focusing on education was essential.

“If you’re going to run an athletic program in college, it needs to be about education,” he said.

“DIII provides maybe the fewest distractions from an educational model, but it’s not the only place where education happens.”

Washington believes that Whitman’s recruitment strategies allow for a good balance between sports and school.

“This is a good model: excellence in the classroom, excellence on the field,” he said.

Whitman remains competitive in tuition costs, financial aid from TUITION,

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By comparison, a decade ago, between 1997 and 2000, Whitman’s tuition rose by 1.6 percent above inflation for those years.

According to Harvey, this increase can largely be attributed to two things. The first is faculty and staff salary increases, as well as rising benefit costs. Personnel costs account for about 60 percent of Whitman’s operating budget, and faculty and staff have received significant raises in recent years to keep their salaries competitive.

“The first couple years of those five years when we were doing 7 percent tuition increases, we gave 6 percent salary pool [increases]” Harvey said. “That’s a big driver and those were larger increases than we typically do because we felt we were behind on competitive salaries for recruiting and retaining both faculty and staff.”

Another large factor is the tuition discount rate -- the percentage of tuition used to pay for financial aid -- which has increased from 36 percent to 40 percent over the past five years. Harvey said the discount rate

increase has been part of an effort to increase diversity at Whitman.

“We have intentionally tried to increase the number of students that are first-generation students and diversity students, and [those students] tend to have higher levels of need,” he said.

Junior Matt Dittrich, who is the current ASWC finance chair and a member of the Budget Advisory Committee, also emphasized the costs associated with necessary increases in financial aid.

“It is not a simple comparison between changing faculty rates and tuition,” Dittrich said. “It is no secret that for whatever reason recently accepted students have had high financial need and so financial aid has increased by a lot to meet that demand.”

For some parents of Whitman students, like Rich Roberts, this financial aid has made all the difference.

“As the father of two Whitman students, I am deeply grateful for the scholarship money [my kids] have been granted and equally concerned about the amount of debt that they will have to repay for the expenses that were not covered by the scholarships,” Roberts said. “The schol-

source: 2010-2011 U.S. news and world report

arship aid that my kids receive allow me to send them to Whitman ... is it worth it? Yes, and more.”

Graduating is a growing concern shared by other college students and parents. The average debt of a student graduating from Whitman in 2009 was 17,955 dollars according to the U.S. News and World Report. However, Whitman remains competitive compared to similar schools in terms of average debt.

Whitman parent Leslie Farrar, who has seen large tuition increases and more dramatic cuts as an employee of Humboldt State University in California, believes that Whitman has done better than other schools at maintaining educational quality and financial aid during the economic downturn.

“I think that you will find if you dig deeper, that Whitman is doing well with the results of the recession,” she said.

Harvey also emphasized that Whitman is doing the best it can in difficult times to keep tuition costs down while maintaining Whitman’s reputation and does not believe Whitman is driven by market forces.

“We don’t have that kind

of market presence to be able to [raise tuition based on market forces],” Harvey said.

Harvey further emphasized that Whitman keeps track of similar schools to make sure we remain competitive in terms of financial aid and tuition costs.

“We monitor other schools to make sure that our tuition and our financial aid policies are competitive,” Harvey said. “They don’t set our tuition but we monitor the marketplace just to make sure we’re competitive within it.”

According to Harvey, Whitman uses two groups of schools as benchmarks for tuition comparison. The first are liberal arts colleges which have the highest percentage of applicants in common with Whitman. The second is the Panel of 14, a group of similar liberal arts colleges which Whitman has been using to compare itself to for several decades.

Whitman’s current tuition rate places it as the seventh least expensive school, directly in the center of the Panel of 14. This is an improvement from 10 years ago, when Whitman had the ninth least expensive tuition. Relative to the Panel of

14, Whitman’s tuition has become more affordable over the past decade.

In terms of financial aid, Whitman is slightly below the Panel of 14 average for percentage of students receiving need-based aid. The mean for the panel is 53.8 percent, while Whitman provides need-based aid to 49 percent of students this year.

These numbers do not take into account the amount of aid given to each student, only the overall percentage of student who receive aid.

Ultimately, Harvey emphasized that increases in tuition result in a direct impact on the quality of education provided to students.

“Frankly, if we were too significantly less expensive, it might mean that we’re not able to attract and retain the best faculty and do the best things like Semester in the West and many of the educational programs that we do,” Harvey said.

Most parents and students are inclined to agree.

“The bottom line is that we feel that a Whitman education is worth it,” Farrar said. “Despite the personal sacrifices we have made to have this experience for our son, we would do it again.”

Total cost of attending college in academic year 2010-11 at Panel of 14 schools. Read more about the Panel of 14 in this week’s Feature Section. INFOGRAPHIC BY APPLETON PAGE 5

MAY

4

05 2011 DANCERS BRING POEMS TO LIFE IN

Minidoka “It’s something that really skips the history books way too much, Japanese internment; it’s a terrible time in history.

DAVE MCGAUGHEY ‘13

by TANEEKA HANSEN Staff Reporter

T

his weekend’s dance performance, Minidoka, will bring a dark part of American history back into the Whitman consciousness. The performance, based on poems by Lawrence Matsuda, tells a story of the Japanese internment camps during World War II. Choreographer and Whitman Adjunct Professor of Dance Vicki Lloid first encountered Matsuda’s work through her friendship with writer Tess Gallagher. Lloid was initially hesitant to base this semester’s performance around such a serious topic.

“The poems are beautiful but they’re very sad,” said Lloid.

“Then there was just this one poem where he talks about his mother, in the camp, being pregnant in the summer time and wearing an orange dress, and dancing to the radio music; and that [moment] was just kind of, ‘Okay, I think I can do this now.’”

Besides the collaboration with the poet, Minidoka involves a high level of collaboration between choreographer and dancer. Much of the first movement was either created through improvisation or will be improvised in the show.

“Some of the improvs have been very powerful … because new situations develop every time we do it,” said senior dancer Laura van der Veer.

Sophomore Dave McGaughey also found the improvisation powerful under Lloid’s guidance.

“Vicky’s an incredible choreographer; incredibly abstract, post-post-modern, all these things, but she really is amazing,” said McGaughey.

“We would spend, for example, a full rehearsal thinking about how to [work abstractly with the concept of] making somebody the other.”

“We’ll create or make someone into the other so we can treat them badly.... Everybody’s capable of that,” said Lloid. “I think it’s hard for [the students], though, to do it, because they’re working with their friends.”

The idea of the other might be difficult for Whitman students to work with in the abstract, but all the collaborators had their own perspective on the history of the internment camps. Van der Veer drew on her knowledge from classes and from the Japanese historical society in Portland, Ore. McGaughey visited one of the internment camps.

“On Semester in the West we went to Manzanar [internment camp in California]; and I’m really interested in Japanese internment,” said McGaughey. “It’s something that really skips the history books way too much, Japanese interment; it’s a terrible time in history.”

Lloid had a personconnection as well.

“My father had friends who were Japanese here in Walla Walla who were taken off to internment camps,” said Lloid.

Despite the seriousness of the topic, the performance is not all dark. It also includes a big swing dance number, inspired by descriptions of the dances held by the Japanese internees. The performers also pointed to the show’s ability to provoke conversation and its wide range of art forms as reasons the Whitman community might enjoy it. al

Staff Reporter

T

he second annual Shadow Hawk Music Festival will feature a lineup chock-full of Whitman bands and a capella groups, as well as three bands who are being paid to come and play. The festival’s primary organizer, senior Charlie Procknow, will grill burgers on Reid side lawn for lunch, and the Taco Truck will be around for dinner.

“I just want people to be able to come and sit outside and enjoy themselves on a beautiful spring day and listen to music all day long,” said Procknow.

“Shadow Hawk was my favorite event of the year [last year].”

Chicago-based band The Dogs, who have been never played at Whitman before, will headline the event. Senior Matt Bachmann, bassist for The Dogs, says that his band is quite excited for their show.

“For the rest of my band, Walla Walla has this sort of mythical quality to it ... and coming here is kind of unreal,” said Bachmann in an e-mail. “We always talked about pulling all of these stunts if we actually played a show here ... and now that we are playing at Shadow Hawk, we have to find a way to make it all work.”

Other bands journeying to Walla Walla include Portland blues band Jeff Handley Trio – which features first-year James Ford on drums – and Spokane blues band The Fat Tones.

WEB co-sponsor, senior Sarah Brooker, attested to the broad, Northwest appeal of the event.

“I’m definitely going to be there all day,” said Brooker. “It’s a really great opportunity not only for student bands but [with this] bigger venue, having three slated groups from the Northwest, [we’re] ... highlighting some talent from this area, is a really nice thing.”

Brooker estimates that last year’s festival had only half the budget, which is why this year’s festival has three paid bands visiting Whitman. However, since Brooker and Procknow will graduate, this new tradition will not automatically stick around unless some enterprising underclassman takes an interest.

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: Whitman Reading The Visiting Writing Readers Series presents the Whitman Reading, this year’s final series event of the semester. The Whitman Reading celebrates the poetry and short fiction of students who have completed a creative writing class this year.

Thursday, May 5, 7-8:30 p.m.

Kimball Auditorium.

Writer’s Colony The Writing House will wrap up this year’s Writer’s Colony season with a fantastical tea party-themed gathering. Traditional tea foods such as scones will be served, along with a healthy serving of stimulating prompts. Saturday, May 7, 3 p.m.

121 Otis.

Drive-In Movie WEB and the Co-Op invite students to a pre-release celebration of the final installment of Harry Potter with this semester’s Drive-In Movie: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1”. Popcorn and cotton candy will be sold during the screening. Saturday, May 7, 8 p.m. 406 Cypress.

Alice In Wonderland The Little Theatre of Walla Walla presents Eva Le Gallienne and Florida Friebus’ musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass.” May 6-7, 13-14 at 8 p.m., May 8 at 2 p.m. $12 for adults.

1130 Sumach. Call for tickets.

Members of the Whitman Dance Theatre practice for the Minidoka performance, which is based on a series of poems about Japanese internment camps. PHOTO BY AXTELL

Shadow Hawk Music Festival features Whitman, Northwest bands

by WILLIAM WITWER

“It’s a very beautiful, powerful, emotional show,” said van der Veer. “I think it’s one of Vicky’s best shows that she’s done so far, so I am very excited that this is my last. It’s a great way to end my experience with Whitman dance theatre.”

The performances will be Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. in Cordiner Hall.

“I want it to continue and I was trying to work with some underclassmen to do it with them, but there wasn’t much interest so I ended up doing it alone again,” said Procknow. “Maybe WEB could take it on. I haven’t talked to them about it; that was my idea, to have it keep going, but I’m graduating so I’m not going to be able to do it next year.”

Shadow Hawk will run on Sunday, May 8 from noon-8 p.m.

ILLUSTRATION BY URIU

Gym acoustics challenge musical from SPELLING BEE,

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There are some high notes I’m still not hitting perfectly,” he said.

Another sound challenge the actors and crew are worried about is that the musical will be held in George Ball Court rather than at Harper Joy Theater, which is in the process of renovation.

According to the actors, the show’s script calls for a school gymnasium, so the choice of the George Ball Court makes sense. However, with echoes and limited technical resources, they worry about acoustics and whether the audience will be able to understand them.

“One of the perks of using the gym is the ability of doing a relatively low-tech show … low-tech shows are easy because there are fewer things that can go wrong during the performances,” said the stage manager sophomore Alison Thoma.

While the lack of an intercom system makes communication difficult, rehearsals at the gym have been going well according to the cast.

“I think it’s funny that people are able to watch us rehearse from upstairs as they pass by … I just wonder what’s going through their heads as they see these drama kids jumping around and singing in their gym,” said Reid.

Additionally, the setting allows for better audience participation, which the cast anticipates with excitement.

“The few times we’ve had people to fill [the audience participants’] role it’s been really fun. Also the words and their definitions are pretty funny, it’ll be fun to see how they react to it,” said Finney.

Shows run at George Ball Court in Sherwood Athletic Center from Thursday through Saturday, May 5-7 and May 19-21 at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on May 8. Tickets are available at the Harper Joy Box Office.

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Antagonistic William Barfeé (played

by Henry Nolan ‘13) spells an appropriate word for his character: “lugubrious”. PHOTO BY FENNELL

New WEB chair looks to improve young program, increase participation Read the Pioneer interview with junior Noah Henry-Darwish online at whitmanpioneer.com

MAY

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05 2011

ILLUSTRATION BY ALFORD

JUST WHAT EXACTLY IS THE

the

panel of

14?

In 1967, Whitman College established a comparative peer group of various private liberal arts colleges from across the country.

Called the Panel of 14, these colleges serve as a context that informs major decisions, such as the switch to a 3-2 course load.

AND WHY DO WE CARE

fourteen to rule them all composition, function of panel

by KELSEY KENNEDY Staff Reporter

F

ew students have heard of, let alone know the function of, the Panel of 14 -- a comparison group of 13 other colleges Whitman uses to assess everything from faculty gender ratios to admission rates through comparative statistical analysis.

The college has used the Panel of 14 since 1967, when it was introduced by Kenyon Knopf, an administrator from Grinnell College in Iowa who later served as president of Whitman from 1973-75. According to the Comparative Data Report compiled by the Office of Institutional Research in 2006, Whitman’s aim in using the panel is to survey a “combination of peer and aspirant institutions” to determine Whitman’s strengths and weaknesses.

As a result, the peer group includes liberal arts colleges that are similar in makeup to Whitman and several that represent radically different geographic areas and cater to other demographics. In addition to Whitman, the Panel of 14 is comprised of Beloit College, Carleton College, Colby College, Colorado College, Grinnell College, Haverford College, Knox College, Oberlin College, Occidental Col-

lege, Pomona College, Reed College, Swarthmore College and Wabash College.

Director of Institutional Research Neal Christopherson, who compiled the 2006 Comparative Data Report along with Luke Erichsen ‘06, has mixed feelings about the relevance of this peer group.

The panel has been made up of the same 14 schools since it’s implementation in 1967. Whitman is not the same school as it was 40 years ago; neither are the others.

“Over the last 40 years these schools have changed, and as a whole this peer group may not be the best one for us. For example, some of the schools have billion-dollar endowments, others have endowments of less than 100 million. (Our endowment is about 11 percent below the Panel of 14 median). This makes a big difference when it comes to something like faculty and staff compensation. We tend to be somewhere near the median in compensation,” he said.

However, Christopherson also believes that consistent use of the same peer group can be beneficial to compiling relevant and well-informed statistical analysis. “[One] advantage of keeping with the Panel of 14 is the continuity it gives us in peer comparisons over time. This is the very, very helpful thing about having used the same peer group for so long,” he said.

Making the grade: How Whitman compares

by HANNA KAHL Staff Reporter

W

hitman compares itself to the Panel of 14 in order to make major decisions. So how do we measure up?

All 14 were ranked among the top 100 by U.S. News and World Report for this school year. However, even with the US News rankings, the rankings of the Panel of 14 are spread out, varying from Swarthmore College at 3 to Knox at 75. Whitman, ranked 38th, is in the middle of the U.S. News and World Report Rankings.

While they all have a relatively small student population, the student body size ranges from Wabash College with 872 students to Oberlin College with 2,948 students -- over three times the size. Whitman weighs in with a student body of 1,555.

The selectivity of each school also widely ranges from Pomona College at 15 percent admitted applicants to Knox at 75 percent admitted. Whitman is again in the middle with 47 percent admitted.

The gender demographics of Panel of 14 schools follow Whitman’s trend of a higher proportion of women with the exception of Wabash College -- a men’s college -- and Swarthmore, which has an equal percentage of men and women.

Some of the Panel of 14 colleges, such as Reed, Occidental and Colorado, offer master’s degrees along with bachelor’s degrees and Oberlin College offers diplomas, bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

In terms of bachelors degrees offered, Whitman College is at the lower end of the spectrum with 31.

In comparison, Pomona, which is roughly the same size as Whitman, offers 47 majors. Usually, when there are fewer students at a college, there are fewer majors offered at that college: Wabash has the fewest offered majors with 22, while Oberlin has the most to offer with 53.

Geographically, the colleges are from all over the United States.

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RANK AND FILE

U.S. News and World Report’s rankings of Panel of 14 members SWARTHMORE POMONA CARLETON HAVERFORD GRINNELL COLBY OBERLIN COLORADO OCCIDENTAL WHITMAN REED BELOIT WABASH KNOX 75

3 6 8 9 18 23 23 26 36 38 54 55 58

College faces peer pressure

by MAREN SCHIFFER Staff Reporter

W

ho uses the Panel of 14 -- and for what? According to Director of Development Jed Schwendiman, just about everyone with some sort of authority on campus.

“All branches of the administration as well as faculty look at this group as a default comparison group ... In many ways, the panel is used for all kinds of decisions across the board. Often, it is turned to for financial decisions, or at least gauging how we compare. We don’t necessarily want to be in the middle of the group, but we also don’t want to be an outlier -- unless it is for an extremely positive reason, like unique sustainability programs that other schools don’t offer,” he said.

Provost and Dean of the Faculty Timothy Kaufman-Osborn finds the Panel of 14 useful when handling issues specific to his position.

“In my case, I have a distribution list of my counterparts, i.e., the chief academic officers, at the other 13 colleges, and I often put questions to that group about how they handle particular issues (e.g., family leave policies). Also, each year, we compile a comparison of faculty salaries at different ranks at each of the 14 institutions in order to make sure that Whitman continues to offer competitive salaries.”

Though most students know little about how the panel is used, it is sometimes a key informer for administrators when making controversial changes on campus, like the recent switch to a smaller course load for faculty.

“When faculty voted to move to the five course load, they looked at this group. In fact, very few schools on the list still had a six course load -- maybe one or two,” said Schwendiman.

There are also many other panels considered when the administration or faculty is making important decisions. For example, Whitman often compares itself to other Northwest schools.

In addition, the admissions office looks at an overlap group, containing schools that Whitman students are frequently admitted to.

The Panel of 14 is often turned to first for information, but whatever data it provides is never the deciding factor.

“Comparing Whitman to [Panel of 14] schools is like doing your homework. We gather information from them, then use this information to see where Whitman stands in comparison. But of course everyone interprets that information differently,” said Schwendiman.

Kaufman-Osborn agreed.

“I don’t use the Panel as the basis for any decisions, although I do often use it as a reference group,” he said.

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MAY

6

05 2011

Both varsity and club programs reached new levels of excellence this spring, with cycling and men’s tennis winnning spots at national championships. Pictured athletes clockwise from upper left: cyclist Luke Ogden ‘14, baseball players Justin Weeks ‘13 and Aaron Cohen’14, Frisbee player Jeremy Norden ‘11, tennis players Emily Rolston ‘12 and Alyssa Roberg ‘13, golfer Katie Zajicek ‘14 and tennis player Andrew La Cava ‘14. COLLAGE BY LAZAR

spring sports wrap up seasons with big wins, new records

by ANDREW HAWKINS Staff Reporter

A

s spring in Walla Walla continues to tentatively unfold, varsity sports this semester have drawn definitively to a close.

The men’s baseball team recently had its last home game, and the men’s and women’s golf and tennis teams have all completed their seasons. The Pioneer looks back at the achievements and awards of Whitman College’s varsity sports teams over the spring season.

The women’s golf team recently finished its best season in Whitman College history.

“We, in our Spring Classic, took first place, which women’s golf has not done before. And we beat George Fox University, [which] was seventh in the nation,” said sophomore golfer Tate Head.

Ultimately, the team took second in the Northwest Conference. In its final tournament, Head shot an 80 to lead the team.

“Last year was the first time we had a full team, so getting to be one of the top teams in the conference in a season is the best. Next year we have a good shot at going to nationals, because George Fox is losing a lot of their best seniors,” said Head.

Men’s golf had similar highlights. Senior Brian Barton shot par in the NW Conference final tournament, putting up the third best score of the day. Going into the final day of the tournament, Whitman was one of four teams that was in position to take second, standing 19 points behind the leader and just nine strokes behind second-placed Whitworth University. In the end, the team went home with a fifth place conference finish.

Both the men’s and wom-

en’s tennis teams continued to be dominant forces in the NW Conference.

The men’s tennis team finished first in its conference for the fifth year running. This also means that it will compete in Division III nationals.

“This season we beat the number nine team in the nation, Trinity [University],” said first-year and two-time AllAmerican Andrew La Cava.

“Our team has three All-Americans: Etienne Moshevich, Conor Holton-Burke, and myself.”

The men’s successes have given them confidence in their growing presence in the national scene.

“I feel really good about us going to [NCAA] nationals. I think after we beat Trinity our guys realized that we can play with the best teams in the country. We could be one big win away from the final eight

at nationals,” said La Cava.

The women’s tennis team ended its season with a conference record of 9-3, after a 5-2 loss in the semi-finals of the NWC final tournament to second seed Linfield College.

Sophomore Alyssa Roberg and senior Elise Otto both received all-conference honors from the NWC for the second year running.

A majority of the women’s team — all but three players — are sophomores and first-years. With such a young team, the team’s in-conference successes will likely continue for the years to come.

The men’s baseball team, under the direction of coach Jared Holowaty, ended a rough season with a strong win against Whitworth University last Sunday, May 1. After being down 8-2, the baseball team staged a remarkable comeback in the ninth

inning. Senior captain Erik Korsmo batted the game-winning hit to beat Whitworth 10-9.

“It made all our hard work worth it. After the two losses earlier [against Whitworth], we felt like we let our seniors down. To have a moment like that, to run onto the field and dog-pile Korsmo, it’s really something special,” said firstyear pitcher Dakota Matherly.

The men’s team ended its season with five wins, one greater than last year.

“As much as we hate to use excuses, we start seven or eight first-years when most teams start maybe one or two. It’s a disappointing record, but now we have more experience and know better the competitive level that we are expected to preform at. We’ll come back next season and, hopefully, kick some ass,” said Matherly.

Strong conference finish W Club fund-­raiser cultivates connections sends cyclists to nationals from CYCLING,

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“We have won the time trial five of the past six years,” Pierson said. “It is very realistic for us to podium in the time trial, but the goal is to win.”

Unlike years past, no men will be competing this year at the national championships. Although a very strong group of seniors graduated last year, leaving the team with no A Men, there is a strong group of first-year men looking to move up.

First-year Luke Ogden, who had ridden for four years prior to coming to Whitman but had never raced before, was especially pleased with how helpful the upperclassmen have been to him as a first-year.

“They are very open. They are very welcoming to any newcomers on the team,” Ogden

said. “You can ask them anything and they will help you out.”

Ogden sees the team, particularly on the men’s side, improving over the next few years.

“A couple of years down the road we will be a really strong team. I see a lot of potential for growth as a team,” Ogden said.

Pendleton echoed this sentiment and pointed out that the team runs in cycles.

“The team kind of grows and shrinks every four years or so.

We lost a strong group of senior men last year who are now riding professionally. So [this year] was kind of a growing year,” Pendleton said. “But we have a strong group of first-year guys who are looking really good for improving over the next couple of years.”

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Drew Raher ‘13 and Peter Clark ‘13 mingle with alumni at Whitman’s second annual W Club Golf Tournament. PHOTO BY KLAG

by PAMELA LONDON Staff Reporter

E

very day, the W Club strives to foster excellence on and off the field of competition.

Last Friday, April 29, it turned to fostering connections between former and current Whitman College student-athletes at the second annual W Club Golf Tournament.

At Whitman, the W Club is an athletic booster group made up of alumni, parents and staff members led by president George Osborne ‘66. This year, the W Club and Whitman varsity golf teamed up to put on the alumni golf tournament.

“We invite alums and community members to support excellence in Whitman athletics,” said Athletic Director Dean Snider.

The main goals for the tournament were to bring people in the Whitman community together, have a good time and promote athletics, according to Varsity golf Head Coach Skip Molitor.

The tournament was also an opportunity to raise money in support of Whitman varsity athletics. All of the varsity programs were represented at the tournament, primarily through student-athlete volunteers.

The 80 players in attendance

included current Whitman varsity coaches and athletes, students, W Club members, parents and other alumni. Held at the Wine Valley Golf Course just outside of Walla Walla, the players competed in 20 groups to play 18 holes of golf in both a scramble and team best ball format. Following the competition a banquet was held to celebrate both the tournament and a year in sports at Whitman. “[The tournament] is a great place to connect W Club members with athletes,” said Molitor.

Each group was comprised of four players, with many quartets including at least one current student. The chance to meet and talk made the experience a rewarding one for all players involved, as the students were able to get to know and make connections with alumni and alumni were able to learn a little bit about the latest group of Whittie athletes.

While W Club members receive weekly e-mails updating them on the goings-on in Whitman athletics, the golf tournament allowed them to make faceto-face connections with the student-athletes who represent the school every day and experience the importance that varsity athletics holds on campus.

“[The alumni] were genuinely interested in what each of the programs was doing,” said first-year and varsity golfer Elaine Whaley.

The tournament also served as way to raise money for the various varsity athletics programs.

Those fund-raising techniques came in the form of donations, sponsorships – of players and holes on the course – and a raffle drawing for auction items. According to Molitor, the tournament hopes to raise 10,000 dollars from its various fund-raising methods.

The tournament was a success from all standpoints and not even the cool, blustery day could keep the players from enjoying themselves. The W Club was able to raise money while encouraging the establishment of connections between alumni and current student-athletes, checking off each of Molitor’s goals for the tournament. “[The tournament] was definitely rewarding because [the alumni] have given back so much to our athletics,” said Whaley. “We had a chance to show them how much it meant, how much their support means to all our varsity athletes.”

“It [was] as much of a friendraiser as a fund-raiser,” said Molitor.

MAY

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05 2011

Whitman needs a culture of transparent dialogue for key decisions ALEX BROTT Columnist

W

hile Whitman College is a fantastic home for almost all of us, we all have complaints now and again. However, it seems that recent complaints are more focused around a common source — a lack of transparency and spaces for student and faculty participation in administrative decisions.

The clearest of many recent examples is the switch to the 3-2 teaching system. While the switch will have important benefits for the longterm health of the college, it is troubling that students were not consulted throughout the process and were left with little recourse to mitigate the effects of the change.

I am unclear, however, about the benefits of cutting the ski team.

Or dropping the popular education minor. Or the push to cut German, had members of the faculty not been able to intervene. Or of cuttivng tuition exchange benefits despite their role in attracting high-caliber faculty.

In all of these cases, students (and sometimes faculty) not only lack a voice, but often ears in what will be cut.

Rather than address these issues, however, the administration seems to be mak-

how shady corporations are run rather than a liberal arts college.

The administration needs to open up space not just for transparency but increased participation in governance. It seems ironic that at a school that touts its tight-knit community, there are no open discussions about some of the most important issues on campus. Whitman is an ideal place to maintain an open dialogue between all levels of community participants.

Many faculty and some administrators have made temporal arguments, however, suggesting that limited perspective leaves students unqualified to make sound decisions about college governance. We are so focused on our short four years here that we cannot think about the broader, longterm issues facing the college.

Not only am I troubled by the notion that Whitties lack the intelligence to think in the long term, but challenges to our expertise should not preclude us being at the table in some capacity. I would argue that students are more qualified to make certain dec i sions about the college than trustees,

ILLUSTRATION BY JOHNSON

ing efforts to close off avenues of communication.

President Bridges decided to postpone discussions about the tuition benefit cuts until June, when students and many professors will be unable to protest or present their side. This seems more in line with

most of whom come to campus only four times a year.

Even if the administration asserts that we cannot make sound decisions, at least let us provide input. I would rather have my voice be ignored than have no voice at all. There needs to be a push for increased student and faculty agency in college governance.

Fortunately, this process has already begun, albeit slowly. ASWC’s push to get a student on the Curriculum Committee means greater representation, and our push to add a student to the Board of Trustees would only expand the student voice.

This issue is more than just having some students in committees, however. There needs to be a culture of consistent dialogue and deliberation if these issues can be addressed. Extra faculty meetings with trustees — such as the one which happened last weekend — are a fantastic first steps in this direction, but we can go further.

Middlebury College has had success in the past issuing a survey to administration, students, alumni, faculty and staff about budget priorities. The results of the survey were then incorporated into the distribution of the following year’s budget, soliciting input from as many parties as possible.

This sort of participatory budgeting process would let every member of the community have a voice in determining what Whitman values. This would not only strengthen the Whitman community, but have positive lasting impacts on the overall Whitman experience for students to come.

I have faith that the administration will listen to the sentiments of the faculty and students and open up more space for participation in college governance. It is something that Whitman can afford and should embrace with open arms.

Alex Brott is an environmental studies-politics major who is passionate about politics, economics and the environment. He is a junior class ASWC Senator and enjoys anything outdoors and making music.

from the FACULTY: Overcoming structural barriers to gender equality starts with ASWC VOICES

JEANNE MOREFIELD Associate Professor of Politics

A

s reporters Kelsey Kennedy and Maren Schiffer made clear in their excellent April 7 article, ASWC has a serious gender problem. On a campus where women constitute 58 percent of the student body, 66 percent of the Executive Council representatives are men. In my 10 years at Whitman College, there has been precisely one woman ASWC president. And, according to the American Student Government Association, Whitman is not alone in this regard. Among U.S. News & World Report’s Top-50 colleges, men account for more than two-thirds of student presidents despite that fact that nearly 60 percent of college students in the U.S. today are women.

What explains this gap if women are as suited for public office by nature as men and there are no official policies that prevent their participation? Obviously, there is no hidden control room in Reid in which sexist men sit, smoking cigars, plotting ways to keep ASWC male. Rather, as the April 7 article suggests, there are informal networks at work here which, through

friendships and affiliations, end up reproducing gendered assumptions about leadership that discourage women from running for office.

Why is this a problem? A theory of democracy that privileges the representation of interests alone would suggest that women aren’t necessarily better representatives of women’s interests than men (e.g. Rep. Cathy McMorris-Roger’s recent vote against Planned Parenthood). But a more civic Republican approach (which also has long-standing roots in the American tradition) argues that all citizens have a right and a duty to engage in formal democratic practices, that we gain as human beings when we do so, and that participation in politics is good in and of itself. Informal mechanisms that steer women away from campus politics deny them the experience of that good – democracy in action – at Whitman.

On a practical level, Whitman women are also informally excluded from the chance to get handson experience with political leadership and policy-making, and this has long-term, national implications. Political scientists interested in electoral gender disparity have found that, in contrast to men, women are far more likely to run for public office in this country if they have previously been involved with student government. In other words, there is a real connection, for women, between the experience of political leadership on campus and the choice to pursue political leadership on a state and national level.

This has major implications for anyone interested in addressing the basic gender inequality at the heart of American politics. Women hold

a mere 16.4 percent of the 535 seats in the 112th United States Congress, which represents a decline from the already paltry 18 percent that had held steady for the last three decades. The U.S. is ranked 83rd of 189 nations worldwide for total number of women in government.

If we believe that participating in democratic politics is good in and of itself, then clearly, when over 50 percent of a nation’s population is denied access to public service through informal mechanisms of exclusion, that democracy has a major problem. Whitman has a fantastic opportunity to make a difference in this regard. Simply, when you increase the number of women in campus politics, you directly increase the chances that they will someday run for office.

Making these changes will not be easy precisely because the mechanisms of exclusion are not formal.

ASWC and the Whitman student community are going to have to do some serious thinking about how to address the informal channeling of women students away from campus politics. This no doubt will involve extensive mentoring, information campaigns and outreach to women’s groups, perhaps even some form of affirmative action. It will definitely require creative, bold thinking.

It has been my privilege over the last 10 years to teach and know such fabulous, smart, service-oriented students. I exhort you all to embrace this challenge and make American democracy better by bringing real gender parity to ASWC. There are not many such clear-cut opportunities for an entire campus to truly be the change they want to see.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

I

’ve struggled with the introduction to this column for quite some time, which is fitting considering it’s the last piece that I’ll write for The Pioneer. Issue 13 not only marks my pending graduation but the end of my fouryear tenure working for the Pio. I’ve probably composed at least five drafts of this letter, and ultimately, I concluded that I couldn’t possibly sum up my experience on the Pio in less than 600 words. What I can sum up, however, are the accomplishments that I am most proud of from my past year as Editor-in-Chief.

At the outset of the fall semester, my Co-Editor Derek Thurber and I decided to cut the paper down to only eight pages with the goal of only printing the most relevant, well-written content. Nine months later, I can look back and say that this was one of our better decisions.

This year, more than ever, the content of the Pio has come to embody its tagline, “Whitman news, delivered.” We have published a range of in-depth, investigative articles exploring the 3-2 switch, the increase in tuition and the budget cuts being made across the board.

We have also challenged ourselves to produce content that impacts not only the student body, but the college campus as a whole, for all too often students seem to overlook the fact that many of the issues affecting students impact Whitman faculty and staff as well.

In order to print high-quality, informative content, we are very much indebted to our readers who have provided us with “news tips” and suggestions for articles over the course of the year. I encourage you all to continue letting our editors know what you want to read when we resume printing in the fall.

In shortening the print edition, we have also been able to focus more of our efforts on improving the design of the paper.

This spring semester we pushed for not only quality news content, but quality graphics and page designs. I think it is safe to say that

the design of the Pio looks as professional as it ever has, something that we hope to continue next year!

Speaking of next year, junior Tricia Vanderbilt will be taking over the reigns as Editor-in-Chief.

I am confident that Tricia will continue to expand upon the successes of this past year, as she has many ideas for ways to further improve the paper. Next fall also brings with it a greater emphasis on our award-winning web site. Now that the web site is finally up and fully functioning, we hope that it will serve as another outlet for campus news, featuring content that is published more frequently throughout the week. We also hope to focus on news and events coverage beyond the confines of campus, and to feature stories from around Walla Walla. I, for one, can’t wait to see what next year has in store for the Pio, and will most definitely be a regular visitor to the web site.

This column is not complete without a list of those who have tirelessly worked to produce the paper and those who provided us with constant guidance and encouragement.

I would like to thank the current Pio staff: without your hard work, producing a paper wouldn’t be possible.

I would like to thank our Board of Advisors comprised of Keith Raether, Bob Withycombe, Rob Blethen, Julie Charlip, Ashley Esarey and Lana Brown: your guidance and insight have been invaluable to our staff. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Julie Charlip who has taken many a late Wednesday night phone call from Derek and I. To my fellow seniors, I wish you the best of luck in the years to come. And to the rest of the student body, best of luck on your upcoming finals and have a wonderful, well-deserved summer.

Until we meet again, Molly

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Dear Editor, Last weekend, students threw a party which employed certain Catholic stereotypes and traditions as the party’s theme. The party organizers were clearly aware of the potentially offensive nature of their endeavor and they took some steps to reduce or eliminate the possibility of causing discomfort. They asked that people “think wisely” about the costumes they wore to the party, they articulated a desire to make the party be an event where people of all faiths felt comfortable, and they wanted guests to know that they were not trying to stigmatize one particular faith tradition.

The problem is, of course, stigmatizing one particular faith tradition is exactly what they were doing. It is not surprising that despite their articulated desires, people were offended. Of course they were! Some Catholics were offended, as were others who support the idea that whether or not you are a person of faith, people who are ought not be marginalized for this facet of their identity.

What’s more, the “disclaimers” which appeared in the party’s invitation puts the onus on the potentially offended to basically “get over it”. The disclaimers reveal that the party organizers recognized the potentially offensive nature of their endeavor, but by saying “with this party we are not trying to stigmatize or make fun of any religious beliefs” they believed that they were somehow off the hook. It is as if any discomfort individuals might feel is now a problem with those individuals, not the party. Even after being in conversation with some of the party organizers, I still don’t understand how such disclaimers could be made while so clearly trivializing the traditions of one particular faith. Such statements ring hol-

OPINIONS from the STUDENT BODY

low and are arguably more disturbing that simply owning the offensive nature of the activity.

Nothing is protected from criticism on this campus, nor should it be. People have a right, if they so choose, to criticize, or to poke fun at anything — including religion. And while I’d like to think that living in this community in a responsible way would mean that people would not throw a party which marginalizes a particular group, the bottom line is: offensive parties can be thrown. But folks should know what they are doing and not pretend otherwise.

Fundamentally, I think (I want to think) that the discomfort caused to several people on this campus by the party was a result of ignorance and not malice.

One’s motivations, however, do not change the end results. And because some Catholics might have attended the party and enjoyed themselves is, of course, irrelevant. Other folks were offended and it isn’t surprising and nothing can change that at this point. I’m disappointed that some students at Whitman would decide to make fun of Catholic practices. I’m baffled, however, that those students would think that they could do so without making some Catholics (and those who support all religious expression at Whitman) “uncomfortable”.

Sincerely, Adam Kirtley, Coordinator of Religious and Spiritual Life

MORE CONTENT ON THE WEB Additional columns can be found online at whitmanpioneer.com.

What change would you like to see at Whitman next year?

by KENDRA KLAG

Hannah Bauer

Joey Gottlieb

Julia Stone

Natalie Jamerson

Teaghan Phillips

Sophomore

Sophomore

First-year

Sophomore

First-year

MORE CLASSES AND MORE SPACE WITHIN THOSE CLASSES

EVEN MORE PUBLIC ART INSTALLATIONS AROUND CAMPUS

A WARMER SPRING

PERMANENT BADMINTON NETS ON ANKENY

CHANGES IN REGISTRATION SO STUDENTS CAN GET IN TO THE CLASSES THEY WANT

MAY

8

05 2011

IT GETS REDDER PROJECT NUMBERS IN THE HUES

1/3

Fraction of women who dye their hair at home and choose to become redheads

1 to 2

Percent of population with red hair

2 (maybe 3) Redheads in that photo slideshow on Whitman web site

6

Number of redheads liked on LikeALittle in the past four weeks

13

Percent of Scottish people with red hair

6 to 18

Million redheads in the U.S.

20

Percent more anesthesia is required to sedate redheads, according to a 2002 study

120,000

Number of hairs on the average human head. Redheads have less. sources: unreliable at best

DID YOU KNOW? George Washington was a redhead!

No wonder he wore that wig all the time ...

I

Raises awareness, draws critique

nspired by the It Gets Better Project and its success in empowering the LGBTQ community, redheads worldwide have taken the charge of making the world a better place for gingers. This has been heartening for many gingers at Whitman College, such as senior Derek Thurber, who explains, “It’s hard to connect with people while having red hair and freckles. People make fun of me, and I really just need to shrug it off."

The It Gets Redder Project has many students advocating for ginger rights here at Whitman.

“It’s no longer [politically correct] to make fun of ethnic minorities like black people or Hispanics, but making fun of redheads has not been recognized as a legitimate issue,” Thurber said.

“There was one time when an old woman walked up to me and called me a ‘soulless firecrotch’.

She then asked, ‘Don’t you burn the crotches of all the people you sleep with?’” recalled redheaded sophomore Brett Clark. “It was perhaps the most hurtful thing anyone has ever said to me.”

Tired of hearing such stories of emotional trauma experienced by redheads everywhere, a closeknit group of friends in Scotland started up the It Gets Redder Project. The project hopes that by having adult gingers speak out to younger gingers (or "baby carrots" as luck might have it), awareness might spread and they might perhaps prevent encounters such as the type Clark experienced from occurring in the future. The It Gets Redder Project envisions a world where firecrotches won't burn bridges, but rather blaze paths.

The project web site is headed with this concise mission statement: “Many ginger youth can't picture what their lives might be like as openly redheaded adults.

Senior Derek Thurber laments his fiery-haired misfortune. His red locks, he believes, have prevented him from achieving greatness. PHOTO BY LAZAR

They can't imagine a future for themselves. So, let's show them what our lives are like; let's show them what the future may hold in store for them.”

In Clark’s video, entitled “Firecrotches Don’t Burn”, he explains, “I don’t even ask that people recognize that I have a soul.

I just want them to acknowledge that I sporadically have emotions, and that, sometimes when people call me names, it hurts a little.”

It is important to note that the community of gingers that have gathered around the It Gets Redder project don’t include daywalkers (redheads without freckles) as having to deal with the same struggle that gingers do. The freckles matter.

Thurber hopes, though, that the project will help gingers gain equality in their day-to-day life.

“I see a day coming when the little redheaded children and little regular children will all hold

hands and play games and be happy. I see a day coming when carrot top jokes will be a thing of the past. I see a day coming when boys and girls with red heads and freckled faces will become adults without being regarded as having dubious, if not [any], souls. I see a day coming, and boy, that day is bright. When that day comes, I’m gonna need some sunscreen.”

Despite the growing support It Gets Redder has received around campus, the project still faces some opposition. The blonde community has been rallying to point out that they have put up with discrimination for ages because of their hair color.

Blonde sophomore Elz Hambleton has chosen to speak up on this matter. She has said that in terms of quantity of insults, she feels just as discriminated against as her ginger counterparts. She notes, however, that "people don't go around saying I have no soul. Usually."

Exacerbating the tense situation further, there exists the small community of blonde men who grow red beards.

One such man, sophomore Rick "Lambchop" Lamb, finds it difficult to remain positive about his facial hair.

"My beard has been called 'gross' and has been the subject of a number of ribs. My housemate, [sophomore] Lesli Meekins, told me that my scruff would look good if it were dark, but it isn't, and it doesn't. Am I more likely to shave because of it? I feel like I should wear my facial hair with pride, but I probably do shave more."

Pressed with questions about this population of blonde-headed-red-bearded men, the It Gets Redder Project has yet to return the Backpage's e-mails.

Diary of a Ginger-Hating Whittie 8:00 a.m.

Got the last croissant before that redheaded girl in my biology class. SUCKS TO BE HER. 10:00 a.m.

Some ginge in my religion class went on a rant about how he has a soul. LIKELY STORY. 12:00 p.m.

There are six ginges in the dining hall right now.

There goes the neighborhood.

1:00 p.m.

Just saw a townie fall off his skateboard. He was redheaded. Correlation? Yes. 3:00 p.m.

Chem lab reeks of copper.

Must be that ginger working at the next table.

4:30 p.m.

Someone just liked a redhead on LikeALittle.

They're totes high.

6:00 p.m.

Saw a ginger drinking Big Red at Reid. WHAT KIND OF A WORLD DO WE LIVE IN? 9:30 p.m.

Just watched "The Kids Are Alright". I'm learning to love Julianne Moore, but her hair just makes it so hard ...

12:40 a.m.

Still up working on a PowerPoint presentation for my 100-level class. I bet a brunette professor would've given me an extension.

COMIC

ILLUSTRATION BY SONG

WORD LADDER Hey everyone, Because I made a mistake on last week’s word ladder and I didn’t have time this weekend to pull together a crossword ( … again), here’s another word ladder!

Enjoy!

Adam, the Underperforming Slut

ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE PITS PIES PIUS PISS PASS PAST FAST FIST GIST LIST LISP WISP WISE RISE RITE RIFE

RAFT (RIFT WAS SUPPOSED TO COME BEFORE. WHOOPS!) WAFT WALT WILT KILT TILT TILE MILE MITE MATE KATE KITE KITT

A good place to begin

Terrify

Downey’s role in Iron Man

Almost as good as a strike

It’s impolite to do this

Sudden flood of a river

What the future has in _____ 2008 Maxis game Something one might wash up on Land of Tolkein’s pygmies Avoid, as in responsibility Hammerhead of tiger The MacGuffin of the first Transformers movie Sass Lion-O’s nursemaid What Sounders fans just love wearing

A fine-grained, foliated, homogenous metamorphic rock Armor worn over mail Lots of stuff happening all at once Make a speech Barrel partner Home of the Minotaur Excellence of any kind What 65 miles per hour is in terms of speed Recess of a fireplace