Commencement website updated with new info: where to meet, times, etc.

The Whitman College Commencement website has been updated with all kinds of information for staff and faculty as well as graduates and families. The site includes an activities schedule, instructions for the faculty photo and general information for staff and faculty as well as for visiting family and other guests. The Commencement speaker this year is Eric Schlosser, author of “Fast Food Nation.” Matt Dittrich ’12 will serve as the senior class speaker. The ceremony takes place May 20 at 11 a.m. on Memorial Building South Lawn. Watch The Fountain for updates as needed.

Last call for nominations: Janice Abraham Award

This week is your last chance to nominate a staff member for the annual Janice Abraham Award, which recognizes staff members who have made significant contributions and provided outstanding service to Whitman. The deadline is Friday, May 4. Send nominations 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 paragraph describing why he or she should receive this award.

Award presentations will take place at the Staff Appreciation Brunch on Friday, June 1, the honorees will receive a cash award and plaque. For further information, call human resources at x5172. Click here for a list of past award recipients.

Campus community invited to artist’s reception for new exhibition in Mem

The work of artist Mari Jalbing is on display throughout the Memorial Building, and all campus community members are invited to a reception on Friday, May 4 at 4 p.m. on the third floor. The artist, wife of Trustee and former board Chair Jim Robart ’69, has had a long-held interest in art yet began her artistic career in 2004 after participating in a local artist workshop. She works mostly on paper but has started experimenting with paints on board, wood and canvas. She uses tempera, watercolor, gouache, pastel and acrylics to articulate her colorful and often impressionistic compositions.

The artist says: “Everything inspires me. I love the tingly feeling I get when I see something I want to paint. Often my images come from Mother Nature, but I can find even a black and white news photo equally inspiring.”

The reception will include a jazz pianist, and light refreshments will be offered. The exhibit runs through Sept. 1. All of her work is for sale, and a price is list available in the President's Office. To learn more about the exhibit, contact Kynde Kiefel, exhibitions and collections manager, at kiefelks@whitman.edu. Pictured: “Yellow Birds with Cat and Flowers,” tempera and collage on paper.

Faculty news briefs

Aaron Bobrow-Strain, associate professor of politics, continues to make news with his latest book, White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf. The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books invited him to be a member of a food writers’ panel that explored issues of authenticity in food. Read more HERE.

Machelle Hartman, visiting instructor of chemistry, and her husband, Jerry, who is an assistant professor of media at Walla Walla University, are screening their most recent documentary about human rights and environmental justice in Suriname, South America. Inside Suriname is the couple’s third film, and was produced with a community directed approach that put community members in control of cameras and content. The Hartmans traveled to Suriname in 2007 to work with indigenous and Maroon communities, who wanted to share their story with the outside world after enduring mercury poisoning, land loss and heavily polluted water as a result of foreign-owned mining companies. This film is a production of Eclectic Reel in partnership with Suriname Indigenous Health Fund. The screening takes place Thursday, May 3, at 7 p.m. at WWU’s Donnie Rigby Stage.

Campus Events
All free unless otherwise noted

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.

Wednesday 5/2
Lecture: “Islamophobia: Fighting Ignorance and Promoting Peace.” A talk by Captain James Yee, former Muslim Chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, who was arrested and falsely accused of spying for the alleged Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners. All charges were dropped. This event is part of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life’s month-long exploration and discussion of Religious Freedom in America. 7 p.m. in Olin 130.

Thursday 5/3
Student presentations: Students from the History and Ethnobiology of the Silk Roads field course (Asian Studies 221), who traveled to China during spring break with Professors Heidi Dobson and Brian Dott, present on a variety of topics relating to the current-day silk roads in China. 4 p.m. in Maxey 151.

Thursday 5/3 to Sunday 5/6 (and special performances during Commencement Weekend)
Theatre: HJT presents “Trelawny,” a romantic musical celebrating the theatre of an age gone by. Call x5180 for prices and information, or click HERE for the current season.

Friday 5/4
Lecture: “No City: Post-Cinematic and Post-Spatial Utopias in China.” A lecture by Yomi Braester of the University of Washington, sponsored by the Asian Studies Program. Noon in Olin Hall 130.

Friday 5/4
Art: A reception for the gallery showing featuring works by Mari Jalbing. Jazz piano accompaniment and light refreshments will be offered. All of the artist’s work is for sale and there is a price list available in the President’s Office. 4 p.m. in Memorial Building foyer.

Friday 5/4 to Saturday 5/5
Dance: Whitman Dance Theatre presents MYSTERIUM, a multimedia dance work by Vicki Lloid. The production features twenty five Whitman dancers interacting with and integrating music, film and poetry into a dance/performance piece comprised of seven movements. 8 p.m. in Cordiner Hall.

Friday 5/4
Music: Whitman College Fridays at Four Recital Series presents a Whitman Chamber Music recital; with Rebecca Young, violin; Spencer May, violin; Aleida Fernandez, viola; Carrie Sloane, cello; and Eric Lombardo, cello. Works by Dvorak, Borodin and Schubert. 4 p.m. at Kimball Theatre.

Saturday 5/5
Music: The Department of Music presents sophomore piano recitals with Kaitlyn McCraw and Russell Sperberg. 3 p.m. in Kimball Theatre.

Tuesday 5/8
Lecture: “Wolves in Our Backyard: The Biology and Sociopolitics of the Colonization of the Blue Mountains.” Dr. L. David Mech, Senior Research Scientist at the US Department of the Interior presents this year’s Rempel Lecture. Mech is the principle expert on North American wolves. 7:30 p.m. in Maxey Auditorium.

Tuesday 5/8
Music: The Department of Music presents a junior piano recital with Alex Kerl. 7:30 p.m. in Chism Recital Hall.

Saturday, 5/19
Baccalaureate: Welcome by President Bridges; speeches by Adam Kirtley, Patrick Frierson, Rich Jacks; student presenters and musicians. 3:30 p.m. in Cordiner Hall.

Sunday, 5/20
Commencement: With Commencement speaker Eric Schlosser, author of “Fast Food Nation,” and senior class speaker Matt Dittrich ’12. 11 a.m. on Memorial Building South Lawn. Light luncheon to follow. Visit the Commencement website for all details.

Save the Date
Staff Appreciation Day: Friday, June 1. Watch The Fountain and campus email for details.

Parting Shot
By Greg Lehman, photographer/communications officer

Something's missing! This shot of the creek between Hunter and the Hall of Music features stepping stones that normally would be seen on the right side of this shot. But heavy rains and clogged drainage last week caused the water level to rise, concealing the stones for a few days. 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