Whitman Stories

The college will host its first-ever virtual graduation ceremony this Sunday, May 24, at 11 a.m. to honor more than 400 Whitman seniors. Anyone who would like to tune in and toast their success is invited to join the online event.

Whenever Annaliese Baker teaches costume construction in the Whitman College theater department, she rents a van and takes the whole class to JoAnn Fabric, where the students get to pick out material for their final project. But this spring, Baker was faced with the challenge of moving the entire course online over spring break in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Working quickly behind the scenes to bring relief during the COVID-19 pandemic is the Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC). When Murray announced March 12 that the college would move to online learning after returning from spring break, ASWC President Isaiah Banta ’20 called two emergency meetings of student leaders from across campus to begin brainstorming what needs students might have — and how ASWC could fill them.

Whitman College is creating a virtual event for its 134th Commencement Ceremony. The event will include remarks from President Kathleen Murray, Board of Trustees Chair Nancy Serrurier, class speaker Maude Lustig ’20 and Katie Krummeck '03, as well as the traditional reading of names by Provost Alzada Tipton, and short video clips and photos provided by the graduates themselves.

Sociology major Maraena Allen-Lewis ’20 and psychology major Sara Federman ’20 are both continuing to work for the benefit of the Walla Walla community, even from a distance. Federman is serving as the director’s intern for the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health, thanks to funding from the Whitman Internship Grant. Lewis has a yearlong Community Fellowship with United Way of the Blue Mountains.

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.