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Sociology Professor Discusses Implications of Household Contaminants
April 22, 2019 Assistant Professor of Sociology and Garrett Fellow Alissa Cordner, who specializes in environmental health and risk management, talked about the public safety concerns associated with a group of fluorinated pollutants known as PFAS, common but little-understood chemicals used in water-resistant clothing, stain-resistant furniture, nonstick cookware and many other consumer products. Cordner is one of the organizers of a nationwide PFAS contamination list.
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Sociology Professor Explores How to Help Kids in Blended Families Feel at Home
April 21, 2019 Raymond and Elsie DeBurgh Chair of Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology Michelle Janning explained the importance of personal space for children living in blended families, whether that means a room, a shelf, a chest, a desk or a drawer of their own. She noted, "The amount of stuff or the size of the space one controls doesn’t matter so much as the feeling that you have control over your things."
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Politics Professor Interviewed on New Immigration Book, Border Policy
April 20, 2019 Professor of Politics Aaron Bobrow-Strain spoke to NPR Weekend Edition host Scott Simon about his new book, The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez, which chronicles one undocumented woman's journey through the U.S. immigration system.
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Whitman Marine Biologist on Groundbreaking Snailfish Genome Sequencing
April 15, 2019 Carl E. Peterson Endowed Chair of Sciences and Emeritus Professor of Biology Paul Yancey described the "exciting" new genetic mapping of the hadal snailfish, the first animal from the extreme depths of the ocean to have its genome sequenced. It may reveal clues as to how such organisms survive in hostile environments like the Mariana Trench, the deepest place in the ocean.
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Whitman Professor Calls Notre Dame Fire a "Call to Conscience" for World Heritage
April 15, 2019 Assistant Professor of Sociology Álvaro Santana-Acuña, an expert on world heritage sites, reflects on the symbolic and material damage of the fire at France's Notre Dame cathedral (link in Spanish).
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Whitman Politics Professor Writes Nonfiction Border Story
April 14, 2019 In Professor of Politics Aaron Bobrow-Strain's new book, The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019), he explores the boundaries of empathy and justice and reveals the human cost of militarizing the U.S.-Mexico border.
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Sociology Professor Publishes Essay on García Márquez Screen Adaptation
March 28, 2019 Assistant Professor of Sociology Álvaro Santana-Acuña writes that just as the announcement that Netflix will turn One Hundred Years of Solitude into a series has reverberated throughout the world, the global distribution of the streaming giant may give new life to the stories of Macondo and the Buendía family.
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Brennan Johnson '16 Opens Community Supported Bakery in North Carolina
March 13, 2019 The environmental humanities major from Minnesota has set up shop in a space he named The Walnut Schoolhouse, located in the town of Marshall outside Asheville. His new business offers weekly bread deliveries and will sell baked goods at the local farmer's market this summer. Soon he hopes to also host workshops for community members to learn how to bake bread, cakes, croissants, bagels and other items.
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Lia Beatty '21 Advocates for Accessibility Amid Cheating Scandal
March 13, 2019 Beatty, who is studying neuroscience at Whitman, lobbied for students with learning disabilities on Capitol Hill last month as part of the National Center for Learning Disabilities' #StandWithLD event. She spoke out against the recent admission fraud case, calling it "deeply unsetting and upsetting." Since part of the scam allegedly involved exploiting test-taking accommodations meant for students with special needs, advocates like her fear it could become tougher for applicants who actually need such accommodations to get them.
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Whitman Professor Discusses Netflix Adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude
March 6, 2019 Assistant Professor of Sociology Álvaro Santana-Acuña, who is writing a book on the global impact of Gabriel García Márquez's classic novel, reacted to the news that Netflix has acquired the rights to the story and will produce the first-ever series set in Macondo.
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Walla Walla lauded as top travel destination
March 5, 2019 For "a town full of passion projects, but without pretense" look no further than Walla Walla, known not just for apples and wheat, but a thriving wine and fine dining scene with a "refreshingly down-to-earth spirit."
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Sheehan Gallery Adds Color to Local Art Scene
February 24, 2019 For a town its size, Walla Walla certainly sustains a vibrant art scene. Since 1973, Whitman's Sheehan Gallery has played a proud part in that tradition, welcoming countless visitors through its wide wooden doors to enjoy the six exhibitions it mounts each season, all of which are free and open to the public.
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Lee Mills '09 named Associate Conductor for the Seattle Symphony
January 9, 2019 As the Seattle Symphony’s new Associate Conductor, Mills will conduct a wide range of Seattle Symphony concerts throughout the 2019–2020 season, including Holiday programs and Family and Community Concerts.
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Alumna chosen to head Colorado's agriculture department
December 21, 2018 Kate Greenberg '09 will serve as the state's first female agriculture commissioner
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Harper Joy Theatre Explores Community Impact Of Immigration
December 17, 2018 For the new production, Because You Are Here, Whitman students and faculty interviewed about 35 people in Walla Walla ranging from a recent high school graduate to people in their 60s. Ten of those interviews became the script of the play. They also created a website called Hear Here, Walla Walla to showcase some of the stories.
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Whitties Enjoy Memorable Holiday Roadtrip
December 6, 2018 Psychology major Gökay Abacı '20, an international student from Turkey, and his friend Harry Kelso '20, a film and media studies major, took an unforgettable Thanksgiving vacation to California. After making a sign explaining that they were in search of a friendly family with whom to spend the holiday, they wound up invited to Thanksgiving dinner with a merry group of writers and musicians they had never met.
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Professor Michelle Janning on Socioeconomic Implications of Smart Homes
November 16, 2018 Raymond and Elsie DeBurgh Chair of Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology Michelle Janning, author of The Stuff of Family Life: How Our Homes Reflect Our Lives, discussed the connotations of high-tech furnishings in so-called smart homes: "Being able to have emptiness in a home, you have to be able to afford this in the first place. Minimalism is only affordable to the affluent," she said.
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English Professor Explores Themes of Debut Essay Collection
November 13, 2018 Assistant Professor of English Kisha Lewellyn Schlegel, who teaches creative writing at Whitman, spoke about her new work "Fear Icons," which won the inaugural Gournay Prize at Ohio State University’s Mad Creek Books.
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Harmony in the Valley: How Whitman Partners With Local Music Scene
November 12, 2018 As the holidays approach, few traditions are as time-honored as families gathering to enjoy good music together. With annual favorites like the Feast of Carols on the horizon, Walla Walla is the perfect place to do so — and not just now, but all year round, as musicians from the college and community come together in countless ways.
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Sociology Professor on "Romantic Marketplace" of Ghostwritten Love Letters
October 16, 2018 In an article on the significance of love letters, Raymond and Elsie DeBurgh Chair of Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology Michelle Janning explained how "paying for a [professionally composed or ghostwritten] love letter shows that people feel pressure to 'prove' their romantic worth to society" through the written word in much the same way as they would by buying a box of chocolates. In Janning's book, Love Letters: Saving Romance in the Digital Age, she found that 88 percent of the more than 800 people surveyed said that they keep the love notes they receive as mementos.
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