Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranks Whitman a “Best Value”
The recently released 2011 edition of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranks Whitman No. 31 on its list of 200 “Best Values in Private Colleges.” The ranking is based on a high four-year graduation rate, low average student debt post-graduation, good student-to-faculty ratio, excellent on-campus resources and overall great value, according to the report. Best value schools “combine outstanding quality with affordability.”
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Trick or treat! Residence halls welcome kids of faculty and staff this Halloween
Faculty and staff are invited to bring their children (in costume, of course!) to any residence hall on campus tonight for some trick-or-treating fun. All residence halls will participate, and the schedule is staggered from 5-9 p.m. See the poster [PDF] for a list of times residence halls will be welcoming trick-or-treaters. Only those residents with a “Trick or Treat Here!” sign on their door will have candy for the kids.
In the Interest House Community, feel free to knock on the doors of the Fine Arts House, Tekisuijuku, Global Awareness House, MECCA, La Casa and La Maison during their listed hours. According to Danielle Gross, resident director of Prentiss Hall, residences will also be decked out with child-friendly decorations and students are excited to hand out treats. “Prentiss started this tradition a few years back and every year we’ve been inviting the other dorms to participate,” Gross says. “This year we just got a tremendous turnout.”
Click here to download a PDF of the campus map and see where all of the residence halls and interest houses are located. With questions, contact Gross at grossdn@whitman.edu or x5601, or Heather Ferguson ’11, resident director of Jewett Hall, at fergusha@whitman.edu or x5477.
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Two “sneak peeks” of new college home page offered next week
Last spring, the college launched a project to evolve the Whitman web site with the goal to update and enhance the home page and the admission site, and to create a new page to support fundraising/development efforts. A number of staff and faculty from a variety of departments and disciplines have served the project as members of the ad hoc Web Evolution Group. Members were instrumental in providing important feedback to the external vendor, which successfully interpreted the information and created a page that distinguishes Whitman and reflects the Whitman brand and messaging.
The full site is expected to go live by the end of November. But if you’d like to get a sneak peek, there will be two reveal sessions:
- Thursday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. in Maxey Auditorium
- Friday, Nov. 11 at 4 p.m. in Olin 157
Questions? Contact Ruth Wardwell, assistant vice president for communications, at wardwers@whitman.edu.
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Speaker presents special paj ntaub to the college
May Ying Ly and Michelle Hobza ’66 present the paj ntaub in Hunter Conservatory. Photo credit: Kris Barry.
At a luncheon last week in honor of May Ying Ly, cultural broker and interpreter for Anne Fadiman, author of the 2011 Summer Read selection The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ly presented the college with a special surprise gift: a paj ntaub. This traditional Hmong story cloth was hand-stitched by her mother and gifted to the college by Ly and her friend, alumna Michele Hobza ’66. Like many items of this nature, the cloth depicts the Hmong exodus from Laos into refugee camps in Thailand at the close of the Vietnam War with images of huts and the Mekong River interspersed with soldiers, fighter planes, helicopters and paratroopers.
President George Bridges accepted the gift on behalf of the college, and expressed his gratitude to Ly and Hobza for their generosity. Tentative plans are for the paj ntaub to be displayed in the Glover Alston Center.
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Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend – “fall back”
Though phones, computers, iPads and iPods, etc., automatically do the work for us, remember to set your “low-tech” clocks back one hour this weekend. Daylight Saving Time officially ends at 2 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 6.
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Faculty news brief
Michelle Janning, associate professor of sociology and assistant dean of the faculty, hosted a retreat over the weekend for the board of directors of the Council on Contemporary Families, a national non-profit, non-partisan organization based at the University of Miami that is dedicated to providing the latest research and best-practice findings about American families. Janning, a member of the board, reports that the activities included a reception for Whitman sociology majors and faculty in addition to organization business, such as planning their annual spring conference, reviewing financial information and discussing other administrative matters, including social media strategies. She said having such a retreat at a liberal arts college is unusual for national academic organizations.
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High school debaters on campus this weekend
Expect Reid Campus Center to be crowded this Thursday through Saturday as hundreds of high school debaters will be on campus for the annual tournament. Also, expect that parking could be tight. The speech and debate tournament begins Nov. 3 at about 4:30 p.m. and ends the night of Nov. 5. Jim Hanson, professor of forensics and debate coach, reports that guides will be roaming the campus as well as Olin and Maxey Halls. Contact Hanson at hansonjb@whitman.edu or x5499 with questions or concerns.
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PAC leads successful tours for new staff members
The Personnel Advisory Committee last week hosted three campus tours for staff, especially targeting the newest staff members. Participants met for coffee and refreshments before splitting into groups of about seven each to explore the campus. This is the first year PAC has offered student-led tours, and staff members enjoyed learning about campus facilities and scenic areas – like the glen near Penrose House nicknamed Narnia – from a student perspective. Tour guide Emilie Gilbert ’13 also shared insights into student life, such as the Clarette’s Challenge, in which students stay up all night studying and then eat breakfast at the popular restaurant at 5 a.m. Staff benefits, such as free use of the Baker Ferguson Fitness Center and Penrose Library, were also highlighted on the tour.
“Because our guide was a student, we caught a glimpse of what life is like on the inside of Whitman, rather than just strolling around looking at buildings,” says Edward Weinman, writer for the department of communications, who started work at Whitman Oct. 17. “It was also a good opportunity for me to meet fellow newbies.”
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Winner announced: new library discovery service is elementary, my dear
Dalia Corkrum surprises contest winner Becci Moore in her office on Friday
Becci Moore, administrative assistant for annual giving, submitted the winning entry in the naming contest for the new Penrose Library discovery service and received the grand prize of a new iPad2. Now visible on the library home page, the new search engine has been dubbed “Watson” after Sherlock Holmes’ trusty sidekick, and aims to make research “elementary.” Dalia Corkrum, library director, says the new name is perfect because the powerful search engine is designed to guide researchers to scholarly content the same way Watson guides readers through each mystery. “It’s a great name, it’s simple but it conveys so much,” she says. “Watson was always the one providing Sherlock Holmes with the information he needed, so he was really the brains behind the operation.”
Moore explains how inspiration struck: “I often think of library research as sleuthing out clues and making connections that aren’t always obvious, which led me to thinking of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.”
More than 350 members of the Whitman community submitted names in the contest. The five Whitman librarians sorted through them and came to a collective decision, Corkrum says. With so many creative entries, she says it was tough to choose just one, but she’s thrilled with the outcome. “We’re just delighted,” she says. Click here for a list of honorable mentions.
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Memorial Building art show and reception planned for Margaret Walters
The campus community is invited to a special reception this Friday in honor of local artist Margaret Walters, which will mark the beginning of her art show at Whitman. Titled “IMPRESSIONS: The Paintings of Margaret Walters,” the art will be on display on the third floor of Memorial Nov. 4 through Feb. 3. It showcases the artist’s watercolors, several of which depict landscape scenes from the Whitman campus. Walters is a resident of the Odd Fellow’s Home and the aunt of Jonathan Walters, professor of religion and George Ball Endowed Chair of Humanities. She grew up in Canton, Ohio and spent 25 years as a librarian, focusing more seriously on painting after retirement.
The reception is sponsored by the Sheehan Gallery and the Office of the President, and will take place Nov. 4 at 4 p.m. on the third floor landing of Memorial. Light refreshments will be provided, and student Jonas Myers ’13 will treat attendees to some jazz piano improvisation.
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Registration now open for annual arts and crafts fair
It’s never too early to start planning for the holidays, and if you’re a craft connoisseur looking to spread some cheer and earn some cash, you’re in luck! The Student Activities Office and Reid Campus Center are hosting the second annual arts and crafts fair, and faculty and staff are invited to sell handcrafted and homemade goods. To register as a vendor, just fill out the form on the Student Activities web site. All registrants will receive a confirmation email upon receipt of the form, and more detailed information and instructions will arrive after the Thanksgiving holiday. This event will take place Monday, Dec. 5 in the Reid Campus Center Ballroom from 4-6 p.m. Questions? Contact Katharine Curles, student activities advisor, at curleske@whitman.edu or x4436.
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Coming Events
All free unless otherwise noted
Monday, 10/31
Film: Screening of the film “Human Terrain” followed by a discussion led by visiting anthropologist and U.S. military expert Brian Selmeski of Air University. 7 p.m. in Olin 130.
Tuesday, 11/01
Panel: The Annual Gender Studies Research Roundtable tackles “In Defense of Intimacy: Soldier Identities and Masculinities in Today’s Military.” 7:30 p.m. in Olin 130.
Tuesday, 11/01
Lecture: “Neither Nun Nor Laywoman: A Ground Level View of a Buddhist Temple Wife.” Presentation by Jessie Starling, a doctoral candidate in religious studies at the University of Virginia. 7:30 p.m. in Kimball Theatre.
Wednesday, 11/02
Lecture: “The Arab Spring in Historical Context.” Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, presents the historical background for recent revolutions and protests in the Arab World. 7 p.m. in Maxey Auditorium.
Thursday, 11/03
Visiting Writers Reading Series: Terrance Hayes, author of “Lighthouse” (2010), winner of the National Book Award in Poetry, visits campus for a reading. 7 p.m. in Olin 130.
Friday, 11/04
Art: The Sheehan Gallery and Office of the President host a reception for local artist Margaret Walters, whose work will be on display on the third floor of Memorial Building through February. 4 p.m. on the third floor landing.
Friday, 11/04
Music: Doug Scarborough, assistant professor of music, conducts the Fall Jazz Ensemble Concert. 7:30 p.m. in Chism Recital Hall.
Saturday, 11/05
Music: Jeremy Mims, visiting assistant professor of music, conducts the Whitman Orchestra Fall Concert, featuring Beethoven Symphony No. 8, Prevost Scherzo and Vivaldi Concerto for Four Violins, D major. 7:30 p.m. in Chism Recital Hall.
Wednesday, 11/09-11/13
Theatre: “The Altruists.” Harper Joy Theatre presents this quirky and beautiful story by Nicky Silver. Tickets available now. Performed on the Studio Theatre; for more information click here.
Wednesday, 11/09
Lecture: “The State of Food in America.” Chantal Valentine ’96 and her husband Shane give a multimedia presentation about organic food preparation. 7 p.m. in Maxey Auditorium.
Wednesday, 11/09
Music: Senior Lecturer of Music Pete Crawford conducts the Whitman Wind Ensemble Concert. 7:30 p.m. in Chism Recital Hall.
Thursday, 11/10
Lecture: “Hope for the Hidden Homeless.” Richard LeMieux, author of “Breakfast at Sally’s: One Homeless Man’s Inspirational Journey,” shares his experience of losing everything. 7 p.m. in Cordiner Hall.
Friday, 11/11
Music: The Whitman College Fridays at Four Recital Series presents Violin Spark: A Debut Recital with student Katherine Lee, violin, and Melissa Loehnig, visiting assistant professor of music, piano and harpsichord. Featuring works by Kreisler, Vivaldi, Handel and Khachaturian. 4 p.m. in Chism Recital Hall.
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Athletic Events – Home Games
Women’s Volleyball
Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. vs. Whitworth University (Sherwood Center)
Saturday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. vs. Lewis and Clark College (Sherwood Center)
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Parting Shot
By Greg Lehman, photographer/communications officer
Beauty in the common. From the right perspective, a duck swimming on a pond becomes an Anas Platyrhynchos gliding across the neon waters of Lakum Duckum. Full size.
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The Fountain is published by the Office of Communications. Send news to thefountain@whitman.edu. Photos are accepted. Submissions are due by Tuesday at 5 p.m. for the following week’s issue. Editor: Gillian Frew. Managing Editor: Ruth Wardwell. Online: www.whitman.edu/fountain
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