Whitman Stories

For Whitman College’s Class of 2020, the stress and sorrow of the COVID-19 pandemic has been no laughing matter. The last few weeks of their senior year happened online. Many of them moved out of their residence halls or off-campus houses, not even getting a chance to say a proper goodbye to the friends they’ve made over the past four years.

For the 2019-2020 academic year, Jessica Luong ’20, a sociology major from Honolulu, Hawaii, worked as the Healthy Eating, Active Living fellow at the city’s Department of Community Health. During the first half of the fellowship, she worked with children in area schools and introduced them to locally grown produce.

A new work of art is finding a home at Whitman College this spring. The community has the opportunity to learn about the new piece in a video created by the Sheehan Gallery. The piece, “Underground Hornship” by Wangechi Mutu is a bronze sculpture reminiscent of an antler shed. Th majority of the work has a black patina, with the tips a vibrant polished bronze.

More admitted students and their parents attended and actively participated in the college's first-ever virtual event than previous on-campus tours.

Associate Professor of History Brian Dott, author of The Chile Pepper in China: A Cultural Biography, speak with the host of KCRW's Good Food about the chile's pre-modern journey from the Americas to a staple of Chinese cuisine.

Composer, pianist and Whitman College music instructor Kristin Vining wrote the song, "deep calls to deep," and had each part recorded individually by Whitman students and a fellow instructor. She then edited each part together to create a musical "call and response." The song evokes feelings around the pandemic and voices calling to each other across a vast distance, Vining said. Watch the video to hear the song and read more of the story of how it came together.

Whitman College's campus may be closed, but it is still a buzz of activity. The Physical Plant, Campus Security, Bon Appetit and Residence Life are among those teams continuing to work in-person to make sure the campus — and the students who are still living on it — are safe and cared for.

A model developed by Alan Turing helps explain the spots on the flowers—and many other natural patterns. Cooley and fellow biologists describe the intriguing species in-depth.

President Murray writes about how Whitman is adjusting to this strange new reality and thanks the Walla Walla community for its generosity of spirit.

Miller shares how admitted students are taking advantage of the enrollment flexibility Whitman has offered. When weighing the options for next year, starting their college education on time may make the most sense, especially considering gap year possibilities are likely to be curtailed due to COVID-19.

As graduating high school seniors ponder their next move in a time of unprecedented change, students like Rose Sosa and her family look to how helpful colleges have been during the crisis. With that in mind, Sosa chose Whitman despite not having the chance to visit campus this spring due to the virus.

The classes of 2008 and 2009 faced one of the most challenging job markets in decades, as the U.S. reeled from the impacts of the Great Recession. The Class of 2020 faces an equally uncertain job market, with hiring slowing and the unemployment rate rising in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.