Call for nominations: 2011-12 Janice Abraham Award

The annual Janice Abraham Award recognizes staff members who have made significant contributions and provided outstanding service to Whitman College. It is named for and honors former Whitman treasurer and CFO Janice Abraham and celebrates staff who have gone above and beyond job expectations, brought forward creative and innovative ideas, promoted the philosophy of "customer service" and contributed to the excellence found at Whitman College.
Nominations will be accepted until Friday, May 4, 2012 and may be made by any staff, faculty or student. Only one nomination per person is allowed. Nominees must currently be Whitman College staff members and have been employed by the college for two years as of May 4, 2012. Direct nomination to Mary Luckstead, administrative assistant for human resources in Memorial 104 or email luckstd@whitman.edu. Be sure to include the name and department of your nominee and a short paragraph describing why he or she should receive this award.

Award presentations will take place at the Staff Appreciation Brunch on Friday, June 4, with a cash awartd and plaque awarded to the honorees. For further information, please call human resources at x5172. Click here for a list of past award recipients.

Seattle Times editor to present 2012 Hosokawa Journalism Lecture

David Boardman is the executive editor and senior vice president of The Seattle Times, Washington State’s largest newspaper, and has oversight responsibility for seattletimes.com. He presents “The Promises and Perils of Journalism in the 21st Century” in Maxey Auditorium on Thursday, March 29 at 7 p.m.

Through the prism of The Seattle Times, and illustrated by the Pulitzer Prize award-winning work he managed, Boardman will discuss what the act of professional journalism requires and marrying the use of modern tools and “citizen journalism” with traditional values. As an editor for The Times, Boardman has directed three Pulitzer Prize-winning team projects and edited six other stories that were Pulitzer finalists. As a member of the company’s senior executive team, David contributes to overall company operations, strategy and long-term planning. Read more here.

Faculty news briefs

Helen Knowles, visiting assistant professor of politics, recently participated in two panels at the Annual Meeting of the Western Political Science Association in Portland. In addition to presenting her paper entitled “‘Omak’s Minimum Pay Law Joan D’Arc’: Local Newspaper Coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in West Coast Hotel v. Parrish (1937)," she also was invited to participate in the roundtable discussion “New Directions in Teaching Constitutional Law.” The discussion centered on a new textbook, American Constitutionalism, which takes a revolutionary approach to teaching American constitutional law. Knowles has been “test-driving” versions of the text in the classroom for the authors since 2007. ALSO – Knowles was recently interviewed for and quoted in an article in The Tampa Bay Times about the challenge to the Affordable Care Act currently before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Nohemy Solórzano-Thompson, associate professor of Spanish, recently returned from the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies (NACCS) in Chicago, where she presented her research on Chicana lesbian documentary filmmaker Lourdes Portillo on a special panel about spirituality and cultural production. She also chaired two panels in which three of her current students and three of her former students presented original research on Chicana/o film, literature and media arts; these students included Ana Aguilar’12, Aaron Aguilar ’12, Tia Butler ’13, Griselda Guevara-Cruz ’11, Jazmín López ’10 and Diana Madriz ’11. Both student panels were well received and audience members praised the students’ research and preparation. Guevara-Cruz was further recognized at the conference as the undergraduate student winner of the 2012 Frederick A. Cervantes Student Premio, an award for the best student paper on Chicana/o Studies. Guevara-Cruz submitted her Spanish honors thesis on the portrayal of Mexican immigrant men in the songs of Los Tigres del Norte. The association will publish her research in its selected and edited proceedings for 2012.

If you haven't already, please take quick and easy Fountain readership survey

Staff and faculty are invited to take a quick and easy readership survey about The Fountain. Results of the anonymous survey will not be published; they will be used to help the editors assess provide content that aligns with the weekly campus information needs of the readership. Thank you in advance for your participation. CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY.

Staff, faculty invited to attend demonstrations of new library management systems

All staff and faculty are encouraged to attend one or more demonstrations of new library management systems taking place next week. As a member of a consortium of 37 academic libraries in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, Whitman already offers access to shared services like Summit. By replacing the 15 year-old catalog, library staff anticipate an immediate reduction in operating costs and time that staff need to devote to managing the current system. The new system will also improve services for students, faculty and staff at Whitman and across the consortium. Penrose staff will work with campus partners to ensure a smooth transition and keep the campus community informed as the project progresses.

Daily demonstrations are scheduled from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in Penrose Library the week of April 2-6. All feedback is appreciated. Questions? Contact Dalia Corkrum, library director at corkrum@whitman.edu.

Campus Events
All free unless otherwise noted

Monday 3/26
Film: “Good Kurds, Bad Kurds.” Award-winning filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist Kevin McKiernan presents a screening of his acclaimed film, which delves deeply into U.S. complicity in a human rights disaster in Turkey. 7 p.m. in Kimball Theatre.

Monday 3/26
Film: “The Last Mountain.” A spellbinding tour along the frontlines of America's most spirited battle over the environment and the economy set deep in the heart of Appalachian West Virginia. 7:30 p.m. in Olin 130.

Monday 3/26 to Tuesday 3/27
Special Event:Walla Walla Valley Violence Prevention Conference. A keynote speech by Dr. Vincent Felitti at 7 p.m. Monday in Maxey Auditorium followed by a day of workshops and panels on violence prevention in the community on Tuesday. For more information, click HERE.

Wednesday 3/28
Film: “Bringing King to China.” Award-winning filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist Kevin McKiernan presents a screening of another acclaimed film, which premiered last year at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. 7 p.m. in Kimball Theatre.

Wednesday 3/28
Lecture: Maureen Walsh. The state representative and Walla Walla native discusses a range of topics including marriage equality, education and her experience as a woman in politics. 7 p.m. in Maxey Auditorium.

Thursday 3/29
Lecture: The 2012 Hosokawa Journalism Lecture. David Boardman, executive editor and senior vice president of The Seattle Times, discusses “The Promises and Perils of Journalism in the 21st Century.” 7 p.m. in Maxey Auditorium. Read more.

Saturday 3/31
Lecture: “Local Power and Global Struggle: Linking Community-Based Organizing to Global Challenges.” Davis United World College Scholars presents a talk by María Belén Seara ’07. She will speak about how her experience as a UWC student and an international student at Whitman continues to inform her social justice advocacy work today. 7:30 p.m. in Kimball Theatre.

Tuesday 4/3
Reading: Poet Martha Collins reads selections from her poetry, including from Blue Front, a book-length poem based on a lynching her father witnessed when he was five years old. 7 p.m. in Kimball Theatre.

Wednesday 4/4
Lecture: “The Psychological Advantages of Conservative Ideology.” Visiting educator Chris Crandall, professor of psychology at the University of Kansas, discusses the psychological impact of political ideology, specifically how three basic tenets of political conservatism can be perceived as “natural” to the human psychological system. 7 p.m. in Maxey Auditorium.

Wednesday 4/11
Lecture: Political columnist, author and award-winning blogger Meghan McCain, daughter of Senator John McCain, discusses her personal experiences on the campaign trail and her observations on the future of the Republican Party. 7:30 p.m. in Cordiner Hall.

Wednesday 4/11 to Sunday 4/15
Theatre: HJT presents “The Birthday Party,” Harold Pinter’s chilling comic riff classic, in the Studio Theatre. Tickets available March 30. Call x5180 for prices and information.

Thursday 4/12
VWRS: The Visiting Writers Reading Series presents readings by Srikanth Reddy and Suzanne Buffam of the University of Chicago. 7 p.m. in Kimball Theatre.

Thursday 4/19
Lecture: “Life as Music in Chinese Philosophy.” Meilin Chinn, a promising young Ph.D. student at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa will discusswhy art/aesthetics was central to early Chinese philosophy and more specifically to the Confucian idea that music is an ethical practice. 6:30 p.m. in Olin 130.

Monday 4/23
Lecture: “Botanical Exploration in the Unexplored West: New Mexico.” Steve O’Kane, professor of biology at the University of Northern Iowa, delivers this year’s Brode Lecture. A widely recognized plant systematist and expert on the botany of the West, O’Kane will speak about his work and show photography.

Thursday 4/26
Lecture: “What is Comparative Thought?” Author and scholar Jason Wirthis addresses philosophical schools and thinkers in both the Asian and Western traditions, including Zen Buddhism from Japan and Deleuze and Schelling from the Continental tradition. 6:30 p.m. in Olin 157.

Monday 4/30
Reading: “War, Memory, and Forgiveness.” Author Sorayya Khan reads from her 2003 novel Noor. She is the author of two novels and a recipient of a Fulbright Research Grant who has conducted research in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia. 7 p.m. in Olin 130.

Athletic Events – Home Games

Men’s Baseball (Borleske Stadium)
Saturday, 3/31 at noon – vs. Lewis & Clark College (doubleheader)
Sunday, 4/1 at noon – vs. Lewis & Clark College

Men’s Tennis (Bratton Tennis Center or outdoor courts, weather permitting)
Saturday, 3/31 at 2 p.m. – vs. Whitworth University

Parting Shot
By Greg Lehman, photographer/communications officer

It didn't last long, but last week's snow stuck long enough for this view across a pure white Ankeny, looking toward Penrose, Styx and the science building. Full size.

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