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On The Front LinesIn the spring of 2020, elaborate equipment, extra sterilization, and multiple layers of masks and gloves became the new normal for hospitals and health care workers around the globe as the novel coronavirus, commonly known as COVID-19, spread and surged. For Whitman alumni working in health care, each day brought new challenges.
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Whitman’s First-Ever Academic Theme Explores Race, Violence, and HealthThis is the first academic theme that Whitman has taken on, and its development has been spearheaded by Shampa Biswas, Professor of Politics and Judge & Mrs. Timothy A. Paul Chair of Political Science. In May, when people across the country took to the streets to condemn police brutality and racism—in the wake of the death of George Floyd—Biswas knew that Whitman needed to be ready to do something when students returned in the fall.
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Message from the PresidentIn this issue of Whitman Magazine, we’re highlighting members of the Whitman community who are supporting each other and their communities during the current COVID-19 crisis. Whitties are too creative to let a global pandemic keep us from building community and doing important work.
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Practicing in a Pandemic: Student Musicians Play OnNovember 19, 2020 Although musicians have to deal with a variety of limitations, many students are still enjoying making music from home or the Whitman practice rooms.
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Whitman Among Top Green Colleges for 2021November 18, 2020 The Princeton Review has ranked Whitman No. 9 among the 2021 Top 50 Green Colleges. Whitman ranked highest among schools from the Pacific Northwest. This ranking acknowledges the college’s efforts to promote sustainability and environmental responsibility on and off campus. The Princeton Review determines a school’s rating based on comprehensive measures of being an “environmentally aware and prepared institution.”
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Whitman Votes! Showing Up for DemocracyNovember 2, 2020 As the election nears, Whitman’s virtual campus has been abuzz with voter registration events, presidential debate watch parties, guest lectures and more. Whitman College faculty, students, staff and alumni have incorporated crucial voter education, activism and involvement into their busy schedules. In 2016, the last presidential election year, nearly 74 percent of eligible Whitman students voted according to campus voting data from the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education.
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Jack Jackson, Associate Professor of Politics Discusses the Supreme Court in Crisis in an Excerpt from his Book "Law Without Future: Anti-Constitutional Politics and the American Right"
October 29, 2020 "Our moment of crisis, which should be both welcomed and deepened, calls for the rendering of judgment on the following question: will the majority of the country allow an anti-constitutional minority, empowered by an anti-democratic constitution, to rule in perpetuity?"
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Associate Professor of Psychology Tom Armstrong Talks All Things Disgust Just in Time for a Creepy, Crawly Halloween
October 29, 2020 “Disgust likely evolved to keep us away from sources of pathogens,” said Tom Armstrong, assistant professor of psychology at Whitman College in Washington State. “Creepy crawly insects could be repellent because they tend to live in dark, damp places where bacteria thrive. Some may be human parasites, whereas others could transmit disease. While worms or maggots in food may not be harmful in themselves, they could indicate that food has been compromised by pathogens.”
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Associate Professor of Psychology Erin Pahlke: Kids Don't Understand Gender Imbalance in Politics
October 1, 2020 Pahlke writes that most children today know very little about the history of women’s rights in the U.S., including the suffrage movement or the fact that a woman has never served as president or vice president.
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'We Are in This Together': First Year Students Reflect on Their Virtual StartSeptember 30, 2020 Whitman’s decision to hold fall semester via remote learning left some students feeling FOMO (the fear of missing out) about what is popularly referred to as the “freshman experience.” First years can usually look forward to the fall as a period for self-growth, forging friendships and other experiences while on an exciting new campus.
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Politics Professor Aaron Bobrow-Strain Wins Washington State Book Award
September 30, 2020 His 2019 book “The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez" has garnered several awards, which now include the Washington Center for the Book 2020 Washington State Book Award for biography/memoir.
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Just the Facts: Alum Creates No-Spin COVID-19 Data CenterSeptember 29, 2020 Amid a global pandemic, Steve McConnell ’85, a software engineer and data scientist, was frustrated with his inability to understand what was going on. He encountered what he saw as biased and unreliable data.
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President Murray Signs Letter in Support of Princeton UniversitySeptember 28, 2020 The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education recently announced that it will be investigating Princeton University for possible misrepresentations in its reports of adherence to federal non-discrimination law because its president publicly recognized that historic racism has been embedded in the institution over time.
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Whitman Students Strengthen Community Ties During Pandemic
September 27, 2020 From writing letters to pen pals at Washington Odd Fellows Home through the Adopt-A-Grandparent program to recording children’s books in Spanish through the Storytime Project, Whitties are continuing the tradition of community engagement despite distance learning.
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Whitman's Early Financial Aid Guarantees Add Transparency to College Search
September 25, 2020 Whitman College invites interested students to submit academic information and financial data before they apply, so they can see how much money in scholarships and financial aid they'll be awarded if admitted. This option is especially useful for students considering applying early decision.
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Professor of Sociology Michelle Janning Probes Perceptions of Adulthood During Pandemic
September 16, 2020 She notes that the shift toward college students studying at home due to COVID-19 challenges traditional definitions of adulthood. "The criteria might change. There might be less emphasis on geographic independence to be an adult."
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Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold '06 Discusses Mail-In Voting
September 14, 2020 She appeared on the Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell to talk about mail in voting in her state and refute claims that it leads to fraud.
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Whitman Ranked Among U.S News & World Report Best Colleges of 2021
September 14, 2020 U.S. News evaluated more than 1,400 colleges and universities on 17 indicators of academic quality. The data used for the rankings was gathered in spring and early summer 2020.
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Professor of Sociology Michelle Janning Offers Tips for College Students Studying at Home
September 9, 2020 Due to the pandemic, college students across the country are adjusting to living and studying at home again rather than on campus. Janning provides context and advice for families navigating this new normal.
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New Theater and Dance Chair Laura Hope Sees Great Art Ahead
August 31, 2020 The seats inside Harper Joy Theatre may not be filled with audiences this fall. The stages may remain empty. But that doesn’t mean that the Department of Theater and Dance isn’t actively working to produce meaningful art. In fact, new department Chair Laura Hope, associate professor of theater, is excited to see the new types of performances and pieces created over fall semester.
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