text:
18 9 6
Issue 9 | April 4, 2013 | Whitman news since 1896
Breaking down the budget
Yearbook denied funding amidst increased ASWC costs Extra costs leave ASWC 2014 current Allocated BUDGEt* budget tighter for clubs by SHELLY LE Web Content Editor
After a budget appeals meeting yesterday, Wednesday, April 3, ASWC allocated $3,825 of the $15,382.50 in funds set aside for the appeals process to campus clubs unhappy with their preliminary budget requests. Since the student fee was raised for the 2014 school year, ASWC had $41,910 more than last year to allocate for the 2014 fiscal year. But the preliminary budget released on Sunday, March 31, indicated that 12 ASWC recognized organizations were to receive less than 50 percent of their budget requests next year. According to ASWC Finance Chair and senior Sam Sadeghi, ASWC had to allot a larger amount to the Lifecycle Fund for next year, which is the primary reason less funding was available for clubs. The Lifecycle Fund is a savings resource set up to replace equipment for KWCW, The Pioneer, Sound and Lights, Waiilatpu, blue moon, quarterlife and the ASWC office. Typical equipment requests are expensive computer technology, amplifiers and soundboards. Since it's difficult for organizations to gauge when these items need replacing, it's also difficult to plan for replacement costs in their annual budgets.
Any money campus media organizations have left over at the end of the year closes into the fund, and ASWC also typically sets aside an amount of money to add to this fund. However, ASWC has not paid into the fund since 2009. ASWC President Kayvon Behroozian indicated that the past two ASWC administrations intentionally did not put money into the Lifecycle Fund to pay for other pressing costs. "It was an active decision not to [add money to the fund] by previous administrations," he said. The fund is currently sitting at $5,238 and ASWC needs to add money for future replacements. This problem was brought to the forefront when Sound and Lights submitted a request this year for $18,000 to fund outdated sub-woofers, a soundboard and amplifiers. Because need for the fund is dire but money is low, Sadeghi has decided to set aside $24,000 for next year's Lifecycle Fund. "Lifecycle was set up eight years ago and the idea was to help augment campus media organizations' budgets so if these people need money for broken equipment, ASWC will have it," said Sadeghi. "If [the fund] got any worse, half of the campus media organizations would have been in some serious trouble."
Web Content Editor
After a budget appeals meeting on Wednesday night, the ASWC Finance Committee has decided not to grant Waiilatpu, Whitman's yearbook, any additional funding for the 2013-14 academic year. The Student Affairs Committee will meet in the ASWC office at 8 p.m. on April 4 to vote on a by-law amendment which would derecognize Waiilatpu. The vote requires a 2/3 majority to pass to Senate, where it would have to meet 2/3 approval to pass. According to ASWC Finance Chair Sam Sadeghi, if the amendment does not pass, the Finance Committee will likely grant Waiilatpu $3,827, slightly less than the amount they appealed for at the Wednesday meeting. Waiilatpu's future was discussed at the Sunday, March 31 ASWC Senate meeting, after a preliminary ASWC budget allocated the yearbook only $150 out of a requested $7,383. This request represented a 45 percent decrease from the $13,350 that they received this year. $150 is the minimum amount
that ASWC can grant a recognized campus organization unless it specifically requests less money. According to Sadeghi, when allocating funds for the preliminary ASWC budget, the Finance Committee's intention was to bring about discussion regarding the feasibility of the yearbook and the option of derecognizing the organization. About half of the funds that Waiilatpu receives from ASWC is spent on publishing costs. This funding helps to subsidize the cost of the yearbook for students purchasing it. Senior Ben Lerchin, co-founder and former editor-in-chief of Waiilatpu, said that in previous discussions with ASWC regarding yearbook funding, both parties had come to the conclusion that the yearbook would slowly become less dependent on ASWC in subsequent years. Lerchin believed that subsidizing the yearbook at the start would garner students' investment, and over time Waiilatpu would raise the price of the yearbook so that they would no longer need ASWC to subsidize the yearbooks. see WAIILATPU, page 2
College lifts ban on funding for international travel by Sarah Cornett Staff Reporter
fter strong advocacy from ASWC, students next year will be able to travel internationally unaccompanied with college funding. At a Senate meeting on Sunday, March 31, ASWC President Kayvon Behroozian made the announcement of the policy change, attributing the results primarily to the efforts of ASWC. "It's been on ASWC's radar for a while, but this year is when substantial steps forward were made," he said. The ban on college-supported international travel was put in place three years ago, and according to administrators, removal of the ban has been a much-discussed topic ever since. By lifting the ban, the administration aims to expand the opportunities available to Whitman students. The ban proved detrimental to clubs that base themselves around missions of international travel, including Whitman Direct Action and GlobeMed. These clubs had to resort to fundraising efforts to continue their relationships with international communities. For GlobeMed, the change could help the club expand outreach efforts in Thailand. "Right now we are completely responsible for raising the money for our trip. Now that we could
potentially have ASWC funding, more people could be able to go," said first-year Brooke Bessen. Student groups wishing to attend conferences or events abroad were also unable to receive funding because of the ban. Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland maintained that its implementation was the result of increased safety concerns. "We found a lack of ability to vet the trips in terms of safety. It was mainly a liability issue," Cleveland said. Next year students groups can apply for international funding through the ASWC Travel and Student Development fund. "Starting next year, if the money is there, and if the Finance Committee and the Senate approve the funding for the trip, and [if] the country the group or person is trying to go to meets the criteria, ASWC will be capable of funding such travel," Behroozian said. International internships sponsored by the college will now also be possible. Currently, the Student Engagement Center offers a stipend to students planning on securing an internship, but this funding has been offered exclusively to students working domestically until now. As part of the decision, Assistant Dean of the Student Engagement Center Noah Leavitt announced that students will be able see TRAVEL, page 2
CLub sPORTS Travel
Honorariums are stipends for ASWC executive council members and senators, and organization and programming heads.
ASWC is funding a total of 13 clubs this year which did not receive funding in the 2012-13 budget.
5% 19%
Media Groups
The Lifecycle Fund replaces technology and equipment for the ASWC office and campus media organizations. For the past four years, ASWC has not put any money into the fund.
STAFF $80,962.00 ASWC pays the salaries for the Outdoor Program Rental Shop manager and the ASWC Administrative Assistant.
FY 2013 Operations Club sports
Travel $12,949.00
CLubs $31,041.00
Media Groups $116,445.00
During ASWC's first budget appeal meeting, an additional $3,825 was allocated to clubs and organizations. The remainder was put into the travel and student development fund.
The 2014 chart represents the latest allocation of the preliminary ASWC budget after their appeal meeting on Wednesday night. Initially, a total of $15,382.50 was set aside for clubs and other groups to appeal funding.
1% 3%
see BUDGET, page 2
Yearbook remains unfunded after first budget appeal by SHELLY LE
There is an additional budget appeal meeting on Wednesday April 10 at 8:30 p.m. in Reid 207. Money used for these appeals will likely come out of the travel and student development fund. The final ASWC budget will be approved by the Senate at their regular meeting at 7 p.m. on Sunday April 14. The budget must be approved by 2/3 of the Senate. INFOGRAPHIC BY MCNULTY
O N I O N F E S T pg. 9
NEWS 2 Clubs appeal for more funding
from BUDGET, page 1
However, Sadeghi indicated that this large payment into the fund will be a one-time investment. In order to ensure that ASWC takes care of this fund in the future, Sadeghi has been working to pass a by-law that will require ASWC to pay between 1.5 and 2 percent of the entire ASWC budget into the fund each year. Given the general amounts of past ASWC budgets, this annual addition would be somewhere between $7,000 and $10,000. Aside from the Lifecycle Fund, other costs have contributed to decreased availability of funds for other clubs. ASWC will be funding 15 new clubs and increasing funding for WEB, honorariums and club sports—all of which have made money tighter for ASWC clubs and organizations next year. Usually, any unused money that ASWC groups have left over at the end of the year is given back to ASWC to be re-appropriated, but this year some clubs will be allowed to use last year's leftover funds next year. Approximately 20 clubs, including Campus Climate Challenge (CCC) and Slam Poetry, who were originally allotted only $150 by the ASWC Finance Committee, are making ends meet by using their own rollover funds. Some campus groups, like College Coaches, only received $150 because they also receive funding in the form of grant money. Clubs without rollover or grant funds are able to appeal to ASWC for more funds. When drafting the budget, the ASWC Finance Committee must set aside 3 percent of projected revenues for appeals. This means that ASWC had $15,382.50 in additional funds to amend clubs' budget. Clubs had an opportunity to appeal their budgets on Wednesday, April 3 and will have another opportunity next Wednesday, April 10. "There are some groups where we want to give them more money, but we just can't. So we
Photo by von Hafften
have to wait until we can get that last 3 percent," Sadeghi said. Sadeghi notes that this year, about 17 groups will be appealing their budgets, which is a typical number compared to past years' budgeting processes. One of the clubs who appealed their proposed budget in front of the ASWC Finance Committee is Whitman Direct Action (WDA), which originally received only 6.62 percent of their requested funds. WDA was not excited to have to fight to keep their club alive yesterday. "This came as a really big surprise and I'm really upset," said senior Natalie Jamerson, president of WDA. After Jamerson's appeal to the ASWC Finance Committee yesterday, WDA was given a total budget of $2,050. "We have a few select clubs that we know we'll have high funds for, and we just had to wait to access that extra 3 percent of funds," Sadeghi said. Sadeghi also indicated that the ASWC Finance Committee cut travel from budget requests with the idea that clubs should apply to the Travel and Student Development Fund when organizations have a better idea of how many individuals will be going on trips and how much they will cost. Greekend Committee also only had 7.25 percent of their budget request filled. However, unlike Whitman Direct Action, Sad-
eghi notes that this was originally a decision either to move Greekend off of ASWC funds or to encourage them to make the Greekend event more inclusive to the non-Greek community. "There's six Greeks on Finance [Committee], and the consensus was, 'Why does ASWC pay for this?'," Sadeghi said. "Our issue is that next year, Greekend seems to be increasingly exclusive, with the idea that Barefoot Formal—which is a great experience for all of campus—is going to be in the Phi backyard." ASWC Clubs Director Nick Chow met with Greekend Committee members to discuss their situation yesterday, Wednesday, April 3. In order to be recognized as an ASWC club and receive funding, groups must not exclude any individuals on campus. ASWC has funded Greekend since 2009 through Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council. The two organizations decided to combine to form Greekend Committee to be more inclusive of non-Greeks on campus. However, the committee did not address past efforts to be more inclusive of non-Greeks. "Last year [ASWC] tried to mandate them to put an independent person on the Greekend Board, but there [were] no independent people on the board," Sadeghi said. "So there's been attempts, but I think they've failed." After their meeting on Wednesday, Greekend Committee
Sung's Barbershop 347 E. Rose. 509-522-6393. Walk-in haircuts. Tues-Fri 9-5, Sat 9-4 Students get 20% off!
"The idea was that this would be a big investment and that as the yearbook became more established, ASWC wouldn't be paying for publishing, and [they] might or might not be paying for staff stipends," he said. Sales were highest in 2010, the first year of the yearbook's renewed existence. The organization sold 350 copies, 169 of which were pre-sales. The following year in 2011, Waiilatpu sold a total of 47 yearbooks, 32 of which were pre-sales. This year, Waiilatpu has sold 76 yearbooks in pre-sales, and current Waiilatpu Editor-inChief sophomore Grant Rommel plans to double this number when yearbook shipments come in. According to Rommel, the main reason for low sales has been insufficient marketing. This year, Rommel has increased the number of pre-sale days with the hope of increasing excitement for the yearbook on campus. "We started on advertising for the very beginning of the year and we've definitely made more of an effort this year to make the yearbook more visible," Rommel said. Rommel could not be reached for comment after the results of Wednesday night's budget appeal meeting were announced by ASWC, slightly before 2 a.m. Thursday morning. Earlier in the week, he said the original allocation of $150 from ASWC and the discussion about derecognizing
the yearbook were unexpected. "I'm just frustrated that all of this came so suddenly, and at such a crucial time," he said. "The short timeline for finalizing the budget and voting on keeping the yearbook coincides with the timeline of the yearbook—we're planning on submitting our final pages next week. [It] has been really stressful." Rommel had been in contact with the ASWC Finance Committee since last Sunday's Senate meeting and was told that the yearbook could be allocated up to $3,827 out of the $15,382 that ASWC had set aside for organizations looking to appeal their budgets. "The meeting on Sunday seemed to take a turn in favor of the yearbook," said Rommel. "Since it is a fairly new publication, it's hard to establish a strong following in only three years." Rommel pointed out that the majority of yearbook customers are first-years and sophomores, indicating that there is a solid base of interest in the yearbook at Whitman. "Most of our pre-order sales are freshman and sophomores, which goes to show that they're the most excited and invested in buying a yearbook," he said. "The major reason I would say that people don't buy a yearbook is that they don't feel a need to have one. And there's a significant amount of people at Whitman who still remember that there was a time when Whitman didn't have a yearbook." However, the results of
Editor-in-Chief Rachel Alexander
Production Manager Sean McNulty
Business Manager Vincent Peterson
Managing Editor Libby Arnosti
Production Associates Callan Carow, Maddison Coons, Molly Johansen, Madison Munn, Annie Robison
News Editors Emily Lin-Jones Karah Kemmerly A&E Editor Aleida Fernandez Sports Editor Tristan Gavin Feature Editor Adam Brayton Opinion Editor Alex Brott Humor Editor Kyle Seasly Photography Editor Marie von Hafften Illustration Editor Julie Peterson
Chief Copy Editor Marisa Ikert Copy Editors Katie Steen Matthew Nelson Chloe Kaplan
ILLUSTRATION Toby Alden, Katie Emory, Luke Hampton, Emily Jones, Kelsey Lund, Asa Mease, Marlee Raible, Tyler Schuh, Eduardo Vazquez
PHOTOGRAPHY cade beck, Catie Bergman, Devika Doowa, Brennan Johnson, Susie Krikava Halley McCormick, Becca Mellema, Marlena Sloss, Skye Vander Laan
Travel ban lifted from TRAVEL, page 1
to apply for funding in Canada starting this summer. This announcement was made before the official lift of the ban, but it marks the beginning of wider opportunities available in the 2013-2014 academic year. Expanding professional opportunities for students served as a central motivation for the college. "The biggest change for us is that we are going to set up a process by which we have students develop proposals for professional experiences outside the United States," said Leavitt. "We're still exploring ways we want to handle the staffing and what proposals look like that address the safety and security, and what kind of criteria we are going to use to examine the travel." Students wishing to intern abroad must work with an established organization and have parental approval. Both of these stipulations are meant to increase safety for students. Additionally, Cleveland and Leavitt hope to establish a position within the SEC to help students procure both domestic and international internships. International research opportunities will also be considered, though nothing has been formally established. Travel expenses can be rather high for students doing thesis research abroad, so looking into those opportunities could fill an important niche. Senior Henry Gales, who did thesis research in Mexico City, supports expanding research opportunities. "In my case it coincided with a personal trip, but I'm definitely of the opinion that Whitman should be funding these. I can imagine that students want to do research other places but aren't able to because of money," he said. Cleveland said that a program for funding research abroad hasn't been formally established, but future talks among administrators will address the possibility. Cleveland, Leavitt and Behroozian were all very excited about this monumental shift in college policy. "I think it is such an extraordinary opening up of the college for all kinds of opportunities for students to enter the world. I'm personally really excited," said Leavitt. "I attribute this to ASWC for pushing us and to the college leadership for really looking hard about ways we can address this and open up the world to students."
Waiilatpu on chopping block from WAIILATPU, page 1
a place to eat
leaders junior Emily Blum and sophomore Julia Thompson have plans to make the event more inclusive for independent students. "We want this to be one event: one Whitman. We don't want this to be something that pits Greeks against Indies," Thompson said. "I want to see and have fun with my Indie friends [at the event] too." The Greekend Committee plans to increase marketing to make campus more aware of the event, including stuffing all campus mailboxes with event flyers. The Greekend Committee appealed to ASWC Finance Committee later yesterday and received a total of $400. Despite a tighter budget this year, ASWC President Kayvon Behroozian remains optimistic that the ASWC Finance Committee will make an informed decision to increase some clubs' funds. "I realize how tight the budget is ... but in a sense, we're cleaning up the mess of past administrations. We're also in the odd spot where we're setting up the future of ASWC financially so we don't encounter this issue again, and some clubs have had to take the hit," Behroozian said. "However, I want club budgets to be significantly heightened and I think it's possible." The money that wasn't allocated to amend club budgets was placed in the Travel and Student Development Fund. Next Wednesday, when organizations have another chance to appeal for more funds, the ASWC Finance Committee will consider the budget again and amend it accordingly. Sadeghi will present the finalized budget at the ASWC Senate Meeting on Sunday, April 14. Senators will have a chance to openly debate the proposed budget and propose amendments, which will require a 2/3 majority to pass. Because budgetary numbers are not final until the Senate votes on them, budget numbers are subject to change at any time until the Senate's final vote.
Sarah Cornett, Keenan Hilton, Lachlan Johnson, Daniel Kim, Maegan Nelson, Dylan Tull
Clara Bartlett, Emma Dahl, Nathan Fisher, Mallory Martin, Quin Nelson
Hannah Bartman, Serena Runyan, Emily Williams
Cole Anderson, Peter Clark, Sarah Debs, Kyle Howe
Sam Chapman, Blair Hanley Frank, Gladys Gitau, Daniel Merritt, Sayda Morales, Natalie Stevens, Spencer Wharton
Evelyn Levine, Tristan Gavin, Zach Gordy, Tabor Martinsen, Matt Raymond
Circulation Associate Tom Glass
WEB TEAM Webmaster Ben Schaefer
Web Editor Blair Hanley Frank Web Content Editor Shelly Le
ADVERTISING Advertising Manager Hannah Bauer
Advertising Associates Helen Brooks, Evie Vermeer For information about advertising in The Pioneer or to purchase a subscription please contact business@ whitmanpioneer.com.
the add
appeals meeting don't up with this promise. Sadeghi's main argument for wanting to derecognize the yearbook was because of low sales in the past two years. After Wednesday's appeal meeting, he also said funding the yearbook was a lower priority for ASWC than ensuring that the travel and student development fund and other campus organizations had adequate funding. In spite of Wednesday night's developments, neither the yearbook's funding nor its status as a campus media organization will be finalized until the Senate votes on the budget at their April 14 meeting. Sarah Cornett, Blair Hanley Frank and Rachel Alexander contributed additional reporting.
Students pack into Reid 207 for budget appeals meeting.Photo by von Hafften
The Whitman College Pioneer is a weekly student-run newspaper published under the auspices of the Associated Students of Whitman College. The purpose of The Pioneer is to provide pertinent, timely news and commentary for Whitman students, alumni, faculty, staff and parents, as well as the Walla Walla community. The Pioneer is dedicated to expanding open discussion on campus about the issues with which students are most concerned. We provide coverage of Whitman-related news as well as featured local and regional events, and strive to maintain a standard of utmost fairness quality, and journalistic integrity while promoting freedom of the press. In addition, The Pioneer strives to be a learning tool for students who are interested in journalism. The Pioneer welcomes all feedback and publishes Letters to the Editor in print and online.
Letters to Editor may be submitted to The Pioneer via email at editors@ whtimanpioneer.com or sent to The Pioneer, 345 Boyer Ave., Walla Walla, WA, 99362. All submissions must be received by 4 p.m. on Saturday prior to the week that they are intended to appear. All submissions must be attributed and may be edited for concision and fluency.
The code of ethics serves as The Pioneer's established guidelines for the practice of responsible journalism on campus, within reasonable interpretation of the editorial board. These guidelines are subject to constant review and amendment; responsibility for amending the code of ethics is assigned to the Editor-in-Chief in conjunction with the editorial board. The code of ethics is reviewed at least once per semester. To access the complete code of ethics for The Pioneer, visit whitmanpioneer.com/about.
Cultural norms produce rapists Spencer Wharton Senior
SEXCETERA (Content warning: This column discusses rape, rape culture and sexual assault.)
everal weeks ago, Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond, the boys from Steubenville, Ohio who raped an unconscious girl, were both found guilty and sentenced. This doesn't mean it's time to stop talking about rape. On the contrary, we need now, just as much as ever, to talk about how we raise our children—especially our boys—to become rapists. Of course, not all rapists are men, and not all men are rapists. These facts are indisputable and I would never argue otherwise. But we cannot beat the drum so vigorously in defense of men who aren't rapists that we forget some men are. If we want to move productively toward eliminating rape,
we need to accept the uncomfortable truth that rapists are not born, they're raised, molded by a culture that normalizes and excuses rape. How? Start by teaching a boy that there are fundamental differences between men and women—not just in anatomy, but in behavior. Tell him that masculinity naturally means aggression and compet it iveness, and that femininity naturally means timidity and an attentiveness to emotions. Encourage him to be "masculine" by surrounding him with masculine peers. Show him that there's something inherently unacceptable about displaying "feminine" traits—like wanting pink toenails. Expect him to be a winner. Teach him that seduction is a sport, a competition between his natural offense and the other side's naturally guarded defense. Drill him on a gameplan that involves scoring by whatever means possible. Keep sex a highly valued commodity,
in low supply and high demand, so that when he does score, he knows he'll win the status of a victor.
Teach him he has a right to others' bodies. Show him through shock and scorn that it is unusual to not want physical contact—that by default, he's free to touch other people as he wishes. Raise him to understand that
in certain circumstances, others owe him access to their bodies. Never expect him to control himself—least of all when he's horny. Make that someone else's problem. Water down what the word "rape" means. Use it to talk about video games, football games, tests— make it sound like a minor inconven ience, like stubbing your toe. Show him that the wholesale violation of another human's will is something you should be able to laugh N about or wish O R S on someone. TE PE D e mon st rate Y B N to him that he will alIO T A ways be protected. Show TR US him that his communiL IL ty, his teachers and his coaches will support him, no matter what he does or how clear the evidence against him. Impress upon him that his sex will excuse any "mischief" he causes, because "boys will be boys." Teach him through a sympathetic media that if he rapes, it will be a crime against himself and his bright future, not against the per-
Environmentalists are not all well-off
Political Cartoon by Asa Mease
Sam Chapman Sophomore
T Pioneer Board Editorial Waiilatpu needs time, institutional memory as well as money to flourish
mong the many issues raised by ASWC's preliminary budget for 2013-14, the future of Waiilatpu, Whitman's yearbook, has been one of the most discussed. While the Finance Committee has indicated that it will restore funding to a level which allows Waiilatpu to operate next year, the issues which prompted discussion about its future have not been resolved. It is the opinion of the Pioneer editorial board that financial support is not sufficient to allow Waiilatpu to become a successful presence on campus. Waiilatpu needs technical skill, institutional memory and vision. In the three years since Waiilatpu was resurrected, discussions about its viability have centered on whether or not students want a yearbook. Waiilatpu editors have responded to these concerns by talking about efforts to improve marketing and raise student awareness. These are good steps to take, but they still don't address what is, in our view, the fundamental problem. Student interest largely depends on the quality of the yearbook in question. When it comes to sales and relevance on campus, there's a world
of difference between having a yearbook and having a good yearbook. In the era of Facebook, a yearbook can't be relevant to most students by simply collecting photos of campus groups and events. To be a product which holds student interest, it needs to tell stories, provide a record of what happened during the year, and create features which add value to the online photo albums we've already seen. Whitman's yearbook could draw on the considerable artistic talent of the student body, the skills of staff members for other campus media organizations and the wide range of student, staff and faculty experiences to create engaging, meaningful content which sums up the year for the Whitman community. Thus far, it has mostly been limited to displaying photos of campus teams, clubs, trips and events. We say this not to criticize the hard work and effort put in by Waiilatpu staff over the past three years. Developing a vision for this type of product, not to mention the capacity to carry it out, requires time and resources. The Pioneer, blue moon, quarterlife and KWCW did not become what they are overnight, and Waiilatpu won't be able to consistently deliver a quality yearbook without a commitment from its staff, ASWC and other campus media organizations. Having to fight for ASWC funding every year
son whose humanity he ignored and whose body he violated. Show him a world that will make every excuse possible to make it not his fault. And never once talk to him about consent. Give him years of sex education where the only time he sees the word "consent" is on parental permission forms. Never tell him that just like turning an invitation to coffee down without saying the word "no," someone—no matter their clothes, their makeup, their history or their behavior—can say "no" to sex simply by not saying yes. Never tell him that people who are scared or intoxicated might be unable to say "no," and that he has the power to put his libido on hold in order to respect what they may be unwilling or unable to say. Then tell him that rapists are psychopaths and monsters who can't be reasoned with—not normal people like him. Tell him rape is committed by strangers in dark alleys—not him, with someone he knows, in his bedroom. Suggest to him that rape is only "legitimate" rape when it's violent. Tell him he is not, and will never be, could never be a rapist. This is what "rape culture" means. If we want to fight rape, any single one of these points is a good place to start. Or we can sit on our hands and continue to make excuses.
has also taken time away from staff which could have been spent working on addressing these deeper issues. ASWC can begin the process by providing institutional support for Waiilatpu. Currently, the ASWC Club Director provides assistance to new and existing campus clubs by offering leadership seminars and assistance with transitions. The ASWC Nominations Chair, who serves as the liaison for campus media organizations, could function in a similar capacity. While the Nominations Chair may not have personal experience with running a media organization, they should be able to help Waiilatpu editors receive training and support from people on campus who have experience in reporting, design and other necessary skills. They could also assist the editors in developing a longer-term, strategic vision for the yearbook, and in getting support to attend college media conferences where award-winning yearbooks from other colleges are featured. Because ASWC intends to fund Waiilatpu for the coming year, they should do so with the longer-term viability of the publication in mind. With dedication not only from Waiilatpu staff, but members of ASWC and other campus media organizations, Waiilatpu can grow into the publication that its creators imagine and the campus desires.
he image conjured by the word "environmentalist"—a vague and overlong term I still hate—is similar to the vision of the typical Whittie: a semi-outdoorsy, dirty-blonde post-hippie who jogs in sandals, feels very deeply about only the trendiest of issues and is, in all likelihood, financially well-off. If this is what you saw, don't feel bad: The perception of the environmentalist as white and upper-middleclass is pervasive in our generation. It is also untrue. The stereotype relies on the perception that those who have time to worry about pollution, conservation and greenhouse gases must be rich enough that they lack "real problems." It's true that people in higher tax brackets frequently turn to the environment when looking for a cause, but the green movement— diverse and decentralized as it is— does not have its genesis in luxury. The true green movement is a response of the downtrodden of all demographics, which the wealthy may choose to either aid or ignore. At the Qatar climate summit last year, a number of countries forgotten by globalization demonstrated this point perfectly. After a battle against blinkered obstruction by the United States, low-lying island nations such as the Maldives, Seychelles and Fiji won a decisive victory when delegates resolved that polluting nations should compensate the nations that suffer from rising sea levels. None of the members of the Alliance of Small Island States—Nauru, Mauritius, Cuba—are known to be overflowing with wealthy citizens. Nobody who heard their delegates' voices quaking with frustration as they tried to explain that the United States was weighing its economy against their lives could ever again subscribe to the cliché of the environmentalist who argues his case
over a seven-dollar cup of coffee. The plight of the Alliance is a perfect illustration of the concept of environmental justice, which acknowledges that the degradation of the planet has a way of disproportionately affecting disadvantaged populations. As I've written, we can look at this globally—burning coal in the United States and China will sink the Maldives, not the United States and China—but we must also acknowledge it locally. It doesn't matter whether it's a poor and historically black county chosen as North Carolina's major toxic waste dump or Oregon's fuel station attendants exposed to carcinogens on the job; when you're poor, not only do rich and powerful people believe they can harm you without consequences, but you are sometimes forced to put yourself in harm's way because you've got no other choice to survive. The economically downcast take the environmental movement into their own hands more than any other segment of society; it has belonged to them since the first progressives fought for clean cities and safe workplaces at the turn of the last century. The first Earth Day, based on the grassroots tactics of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cesar Chavez, succeeded by bringing out communities that ordinarily wouldn't have had the resources to demonstrate. In British Columbia, First Nation activists killed the Northern Gateway Pipeline. There is a reason that the Keystone XL has united environmentalists and Tea Partiers against it: When a corporation comes to bully a rural farmer off her land with the sanction of the government, she is going to fight back whether or not she's got the time and money— not because it's cool, but because it's her land, and it may be all she has. I don't mean to exclude wealthy people from the movement; not only is that wrong, but we can't afford to exclude anybody. I only mean to break down a stereotype, to demonstrate that while we may be annoyed by some privileged environmentalists, we have a moral responsibility to others. Fighting for the future of the earth is not something we do because we are bored, or want to impress our classmates. The real environmentalist campaigns out of a conviction that we must save the planet one way or another, and there is no other way.
Porn habits reflect fetishization of black bodies Maggie mae Lemaris Columnist
the big euphemism
he pornography industry is a topic I rarely hear discussed, despite the fact that most individuals in America partake in the multi-billion-dollar industry, specifically as customers or at the very least consumers. America's porn industry brings in over $13 billion a year. Whether or not you watch or pay attention to pornography, you can't deny it is important, employing many thousands of indi-
viduals worldwide. But the nature of pornography itself prevents it from being openly discussed as the booming industry that it has become with the rise of the Internet. It's the major global industry that people are okay with forgetting about when talk at the family dinner on Sunday turns to the global economy. Recently, a website called "PornMD" listed the top 10 porn searches of countries around the world. On a global scale, the website offers insight into the Internet's most intimate searches. In the United States the top searches of pornography strikingly point out an innate fetishization of race, one that will likely linger, if not increase, in the future.
When you look at porn, what do you search for? Pornography removes the inhibition against sexual censorship by making it a private choice of what image will arouse you. Porn habits mirror the images of race we desire. According to this infographic, "Ebony" is the top pornography search in North Carolina, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas—essentially the entire South—making it the most popular search in America. "Asian" is also one of the most popular searches in California and Washington, with several other surrounding states having "Asian" ranked highly. The top way we organize our desire
is apparently racial, that of a skin tone or ethnic identity, indicating a significant overlap between sexuality and race in this country. In the meantime, a black female porn actress averages threefourths of the salary of a white pornography actress. This mirrors the pay discrepancy in the larger work force, and it adds a disturbing wrinkle to what individual consumers are seeking in porn: There is an exploitative relationship here, and it recalls the long history of race and pornography in America. When considering this racial fetishization in tandem with the pay discrepancy, it is difficult to not see this exploitation as similar to that of the Hottentot Venus,
as orientalism or the gawking at various World's Fair expositions. Maybe it won't disturb you, but it disturbs me that people are searching up their porn by skin color rather than by a sexual act, or by some sort of sexual topic at least. But I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. Pornography seems to mirror and continue a horrible cycle of history, one that individuals privately enjoy and perpetuate behind closed doors. A change in this cycle is unlikely. Pornography is such a unique outlet with so few consequences because of its private nature. By staying taboo, however, it lets us see that other huge American taboo: race. Consider this next time you are thinking about getting yourself off.
Race: Whitman and beyond Last week, ASWC put on the first Power and Privilege Symposium to highlight issues of privilege on campus and in our society. In response to this year's symposium theme, columnists offer their thoughts on race.
Standardized testing reinforces privilege Sayda morales Sophomore
Race discussion must continue by mcebo maziya '15 Guest Columnist
fter much blood, sweat and tears from many Whitman student leaders, on March 27 the Power and Privilege Symposium kicked off with a smashing start. The thoughtprovoking workshops and compelling panels I attended made me realize that there are many students who care about issues of race and ethnicity on campus. After Whitman's 2006 blackface incident, many students realized that there needed to be a space where issues of race were discussed in constructive ways. Consequently, shortly after the infamous incident, there was a symposium held, suspending classes for that day. However, after the symposium in 2006 there was a general attitude that racism on campus had been "solved." Unfortunately, racism and other social "isms" are not mathematical equations that can be simply solved in a few days. We often fall into the trap of thinking that issues like racism can be eradicated by single actions, such as the USA's first black president and the success of people of color like Oprah Winfrey. These single actions raise a red herring because they disrupt us from the arduous and critical processes needed to effect actual equality for everyone and not just for some people. This is why ASWC and various student leaders have advocated that this symposium be held
each year so that the conversations can continue on a yearly basis. Through increased exposure and continuous learning, I firmly believe that we can be able to embark on the journey of mental re-education and decolonization. I'm glad that the Power and Privilege Symposium is a space that can allow this process to take place for our community. As a black African male at Whitman, I've found that many of my white peers have ceased to speak about race because there is a fear that they may offend non-white students. Firstly, racist and colonial actions remain whether or not I'm personally "offended." For instance, even though I may not necessarily be offended if a white person gropes my afro, the sociohistorical narrative displayed is still extremely problematic. Second, although the fear of offending someone else is important, the silence about people's identities creates more harm than good. This is one reason why the "colorblind" movement is so damaging. The fact that folks are willing to "look past" race implies that the color of our skin should be made irrelevant because of some underlying wrongness about it. Essentially, the phrase translates as "I'm willing to look past your alien skin to look beneath the surface." While this seems noble on a superficial level, under scrutiny it implies that skin color, even if it looks green and disgusting, should be overlooked because
people's colors are not important. In many workshops and panels I attended, such issues came to light and were discussed in complex ways. But because these workshops were only 45 minutes to an hour in length, we couldn't arrive at more insightful social meanings or discuss the ways we all subconsciously reaffirm white supremacy. This is another reason why a dialogue should be continuous: Meaningful social change doesn't occur overnight. We are always subject to prejudice and quite often we are even more prone to exercising and articulating this prejudice in racist/sexist/homophobic/xenophobic ways that could ultimately oppress and disenfranchise various peoples. In other words, racism exists without racists. This reinforces that the conversations must continue so we can begin to obtain deeper and more nuanced perspectives about how we relate to and learn about one another's multifaceted identities. Even though this symposium is over, we must continue to speak about and debate these issues amongst ourselves in ways that can create a larger consciousness about the way race functions in society, but most importantly, about the ways other identities function in accordance with race to create various matrices of oppression. I have bad news: Oppression is definitely not over yet. So we should all hang in there and challenge it because it matters so much more than we could ever imagine.
mind the gap
hitties come from all different walks of life, but what we all share in common is that we all had to endure standardized testing in order to get here. You remember that feeling in the months, weeks and days leading up to the test as you tried to use all the opportunities at your disposal to ensure you received the best score possible. Some of you may have been lucky enough to have hired tutors or others of you may have bought books and studied on your own. Either way, if you are white, it did not matter what you did to prepare for the SAT or ACT, because from the outset you already had an advantage over students of color. In theory, standardized tests are objective and non-discriminatory evaluations that can be used to assess a student's ability to apply the skills that they have learned. However, because students of color consistently perform worse than their white counterparts due to differing processes of socialization and societal pressures, these tests have become a mere platform for white students to excel and exploit their privilege. Recent studies have shown that "minorities" such as Hispanics and Blacks consistently perform worse than whites and "smart minorities" on basically all standardized tests, even after controlling for other factors such as socioeconomic status. Some reasons for this phenomenon include test questions that presuppose traditionally "white" or middle-class knowledge, especially in analogy ques-
tions. Another issue is that biased proctors are often suspicious of students of color. As a result, students of color feel pressure from white proctors that expect them to fail. This fear of failure is known as stereotype threat and is one that bogs down students of color to the point where they actually do fail. Stereotype and experience convince many students of color that we will not excel scholastically, especially if their parents did not make it past high school. Capable students of color are so intimidated by the threat of perpetuating these stereotypes that they are almost paralyzed with jitters when taking these tests. Consequently, their test scores negatively reflect this. In an experiment that demonstrated the effects of stereotype threat, identical test questions were given to whites and blacks. When the students were notified that their answers would not be scored, the effects of stereotype threat disappeared and black students performed just as well and at times better than their white counterparts. Therefore, it is clear that standardized tests are not fair or accurate representations of a student's scholastic propensity or intellect. Many education reformers have encouraged colleges to measure students based on portfolios, collections of tests, essays and other assessments that show overall improvement. Others advocate for elimination of standardized testing altogether. Whitman itself cannot bridge the gap between students of color and white students in regard to high school standardized testing scores, but we can follow the lead of the other 775 schools in the country that are now test optional. Wake Forest is among those schools, and with that switch the percentage of undergraduate students of color enrolled increased from 18 to 23 percent. If Whitman were to, at the very least, switch to being test optional, we could see a dramatic increase in the number of students of color present at this school. If we truly long for diversity like we claim, Whitman should take steps like these to correct for racially biased testing practices.
Technology industry remains non-inclusive Blair Hanley Frank Senior
couple months ago, Jamelle Bouie published a piece examining why it is that so many members of the tech press are white. What he said, essentially, is that the way the tech press is structured subtly excludes people of color, especially African-Americans and Latinos.
Of course, the tech industry would like to see things differently. Jason Calacanis got into an argument with Bouie on Twitter, arguing that all it takes to succeed is putting in hours and hours of work. As Calacanis put it: "There isn't a race wall in tech." Calacanis' view is not a unique one. After all, tech is supposed to be the great equalizer. Code doesn't care what race you are, or so the story goes. But if you look around at who's helming the hot new startups, that doesn't seem to be the case. As Bouie points out in his article, African-Americans and Latinos are "huge [I]nternet users," and according to a survey done by Nielsen, are more likely than whites to own smartphones. So clearly, the problem isn't that people of color don't use technology. We've created this myth that anyone with sufficient talent and vi-
sion will be able to succeed in the tech industry. After all, Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed to build Apple. There are plenty of rags-toriches stories involving enterprising software developers who built an app in their spare time and managed to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars selling it independently, or who managed to parlay their creation into venture capital funding and create a successful company. What Bouie made clear in his article is that a system that requires a lot of investment of time and personal capital into a career that may or may not prove profitable is only an option for those of us who have a backup plan. For many students at Whitman, it's possible to move back in with our parents and spend the time it takes to get a job in our field rather than have to go and get any job immediately in order to pay the bills. Actually sitting down and
Voices from the Community Erin Pahlke
Jaz Basi First-year
Professor of Psychology
"I was glad to have a chance to go to student-led and faculty-led discussions. More than anything, my appreciation for Whitman students' thoughtfulness increased as a result of the symposia."
"After the symposium, it made me think of ancestry and the connection with race. It made me think race almost didn't exist."
building proficiency in a programming language is a process that takes a very significant amount of time. If you come from a background where you need that time in order to pay for your education, or support yourself and your family by working multiple jobs, you're not going to have four hours at night to devote to hacking away on a potentially revolutionary iPhone app. Another problem is that when the tech industry promotes itself at conferences and company keynotes, there's a good chance the voices on stage will be primarily white and primarily male. As a white guy, I can look at Tim Cook on stage at an Apple keynote and identify with him. He's like me at least in some way. Those role models don't exist in tech for a number of communities of color yet. And that's important. We need to do a better job of promoting the work of people of color who are
doing great things in this industry. It's not enough to just expect that the best will spontaneously rise to the top. We've tried that, and look at where we are now. I care about this so much because I want the tech industry to live up to its promises of an egalitarian meritocracy. We're not there yet, but that doesn't mean we can't work to get there. There's a lot going for us: We're a young industry, with fewer barriers to entry than older markets. But we have to do a better job of outreach. This is an industry built on the idea that if you have the free time and willpower, you can do well. That only goes so far. We have to be proactive about creating opportunities and resources for people of color who are under-represented in this field, and do a better job of recognizing that just putting faith in the idea of a meritocracy will not, in itself, create one.
Have your perspectives on race changed since the Power and Privilege Symposium? Poll by SUSIE KRIKAVA
Olivia Kinney
Vanessa Ryan
"It made me think of humans as humans, instead of just categories."
"I don't think my perceptions of race changed much, but the symposium got me thinking more about stereotypes and also privilege and how race is connected with it."
Little Theatre of Walla Walla breathes life into 'The Diary of Anne Frank' by EMMA DAHL Staff Reporter
he Little Theatre of Walla Walla is, as its name implies, a small red building just north of Whitman's campus. Despite its size, the theatre can boast that it has presented approximately four shows per season since it opened in 1944. Its latest show is a new adaptation of "The Diary of Anne Frank," the well-known story of a group of Jewish families hiding from persecution in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, told from the perspective of young Anne Frank. Cheryl Sutlick, one of the co-directors of the play, explained that she had taught the play as an English teacher for quite a few years and decided it was time to act it out on stage. While searching for a copy of the original play, she discovered that there was a new adaptation. Sutlick explained that the differences in the new adaptation have a lot to do with respecting Otto Frank's wishes until his death in 1980. "There were certain things in Anne's diary I don't think [her father] wanted people to hear ... Anne had a lot of clash-
es with her mother, and he didn't want Edith to be seen in a certain light," Sutlick said. The new adaptation incorporates more diary entries than the original play, but Sutlick pegged the biggest difference as that the story is more genuine. "The characters are more authentic ... A few of the characters [in the original play] were sort of caricatures ... [They were] seen through the eyes of a 13-year-old girl and were probably exaggerated a little. This new one humanizes all of the characters in the Annex." She also cited the presence of the Hebrew language in the new adaptation, whereas before, all the dialogue was in English. Robert G. Randall, the other co-director, discussed the nature of the production. "[It was] a horrific time in our history, and a story that we should never forget," he said. He went on to explain that in a theatrical format, the story becomes much more personal for the audience, especially in the intimate setting of the Little Theatre. Randall explained that in order to better exemplify what the families had to go through, the actors
aren't going to leave the stage. "The eight that lived in the Annex stay on through the intermission and everything," he said. When asked what they wanted the audience to take away from the show, Sutlick stated simply "a sense of hope." She cited the popular quote from Anne's diary: "In spite of everything, I really believe people are good at heart." "That's what I want people to come away with," Sutlick said. "Even in this horrific situation of hiding and constant fear, she lived in hope." Randall added that the story shouldn't be thought of as sad. "There are some of the most gorgeous moments in this show. The Hanukkah scene, for instance." Randall went on to describe a scene of hope where the families forget their dire circumstances. Randall implored Whitman students to come to the play. "I think that they'll see a great piece of history live, and done well," he said. Shows will occur on April 5, 6, 12-14, 19 and 20. April 14 is a 2 p.m. matinee, otherwise the show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $14. You can find more information on the theatre's website at www.ltww.org.
Walla Walla and beyond
Saturday, April 27, 2013
6-10 p.m. | Kimball Theatre | Hunter Conservatory Ideas worth spreading from seven stars of the Walla Walla and Whitman communities: Solving Snakebite in Equatorial Africa Jordan Benjamin Aquaponics: The Ocean in the Wheat Fields Theo Cizewski DIY Music Katrina Allick Major sponsors:
Intersectionality Matters Aisha Fuskushima
Educating to Create Justin Lincoln
The Cat Lives: Superpowers of Curiosity Amy Davis-Bruner
Teaching in the Moment of Greatest Desire Jeffrey Townsend
Get tickets at www.tedxwhitmancollege.com beginning Sunday, April 7 Additional sponsors:
Tallman's Pharmacy Clarette's Restaurant Abajian Motors Walla Walla Union-Bulletin Vivio Technologies Whitman College Office of the President
With a more authentic representation of the characters, directors Cheryl Sutlick and Robert G. Randall have created an emotionally poignant story. Photos by Sloss
Justin Timberlake dresses to impress in new album 20/20 by QUIN NELSON Staff Reporter
t's weird to think of Justin Timberlake as old, but in pop star years, he is a dinosaur. While he has stayed firmly implanted in the nation's consciousness with movies and "Saturday Night Live" appearances, JT has not released an album since 2006, which in terms of music is a bygone era. When FutureSex/LoveSounds came out, Justin Bieber was 13 years old. Bieber, Lady Gaga and a whole new crop of pop stars have emerged in Timberlake's absence. While it's not easy to get back into pop music relevancy, Timberlake does so not by keeping up with the new kids, but by embracing who he is now. Throughout the lead-up to Justin Timberlake's new album, the imagery corresponding with his performances and videos has been uniformly retro. Hair slicked back, donning a suit while backed by "The Tennessee Kids," JT cuts a Sinatra-like figure, a classic entertainer. And it's a role that suits him, with his (sort of) decent movie career and great SNL hosting spots. By going the classic route rather than chasing relevancy through using dubstep or a 2 Chainz guest verse, Timberlake is able to craft an album that sounds comfortable in its own skin. Timberlake's new suit-andtie persona anoints 20/20 as a classic album before it arrives, and the music almost lives up to the hype. The first thing that needs mentioning is that JT's voice is still amazing, and that makes the album worth listening
PIO PICKS Each Thursday, The Pioneer highlights several events happening on campus or in Walla Walla during the weekend. Here are this week's picks: Walla Walla Jam Night Acoustic and/or electric, Rock, Blues, Funk, Country, Soul, R&B, Americana ... all styles are welcome at Sapolil Cellars' jam night! Bring yourself and your friends and create beautiful music. They will provide guitar and bass amps, PA and a drum kit. Thursday, April 4 at 7 p.m. at Sapolil Cellars
The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia This film regarding dyslexia will bring to light the issues facing our learning-disabled youth. A discussion after the film will follow. Thursday, April 4 at 7 p.m. in Kimball Theatre
Equality is Sexy Join WEB as they celebrate equality in the Reid Coffee House. For the first hour, it will be an open mic. The second hour, Whitman will welcome Sister Spit, a lesbian feminist spoken word and performance art collective based in San Francisco. Friday, April 5 at 7 p.m. in the Reid Coffee House
Whitman Undergraduate Conference See what your fellow Whitties are up to at Whitman's annual Undergraduate Conference. Sessions start at 9 a.m. in Olin Hall and the Hall of Science and continue throughout the day. Meals will be served at Reid Campus Center. Tuesday, April 9 at 9 a.m.
to on its own. It starts promisingly with "Pusher Love Girl," the album's best song, which rides the wave of rousing strings for a tremendously smooth eight minutes. It's a good song, and producer Timbaland uses strings, horns and keyboard extensively throughout to establish Timberlake's desired timeless vibe. The songs are all given plenty of time, sometimes too much, to rise, fall and change, to flow organically. Each song has stages with noticeable changes in tempo, including "Suit and Tie" and "Strawberry Bubblegum." This tempo never seems to be pushed, as the album just seems to flow along. Timberlake's songwriting is inconsistent, but his voice is smooth enough to ride out the rough patches, such as when he awkwardly purrs, "Stop, let me get a good look at it/ So thick now I know why they call it a fatty" on "Suit and Tie." He has moments of lyrical virtuosity as well, such as his hook on the subdued "Blue Ocean Floor," in which he sings, "If my red eyes don't see you anymore/ And I can't hear you through the white noise/ Just send your heartbeat, I'll go to the blue ocean floor." This music sounds like it isn't in any hurry, because Timberlake isn't in any hurry. The album has plenty of good songs, but none that are particularly ready-made radio singles. That's fine, because Timberlake has all the fans he needs anyway. The album will sell well regardless of how good it really is, and fortunately for JT fans he does well here, making a quality album that is not enthralling but is plenty enjoyable in its own smooth and pleasant way.
Not even cool explosions can save 'Retaliation' 'The Rock' Johnson), takes over to lead the remaining Joes in their mission—RETALIATION! The movemember playing with the cool ie has an endless supply of bad guys Hasbro G.I. Joe action figures including the Joes' worst enemy, Cofor hours at a time? Of course: bra Commander, who escapes from a great memories! Remember in 2009 German prison miles underground. when our toy soldiers made their big- The subplots are so numerous that screen debut in "G.I. Joe: The Rise of a flowchart is required to keep Cobra"? Painfully, yes: bad memo- track of who's who as the Joes kick ries. This week the Joes resurface in ass and fight to restore world order. their newest installment, "G.I. Joe: As "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" spins Retaliation." Unfortunately, "Retal- out of control, Bruce Willis, playiation" barely surpassed the very, ing General Joe, is inserted to try and VERY low bar set by its predecessor. save the day and the movie. Willis "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" follows shows the guns, ammo and grenades America's alpha dog elite fighting that he has hidden in every cushion force—armed with insane gadgets, and crevice in his house and seems to guns and swords—around the world have fun with his small part. Unforas they fight the evil guys and flying tunately it's too little, too late when ninjas. But wait, enemies are lurk- he finally gets a piece of the action. ing within our homeland. As hinted Even with the cool explosions, at the end of "The Rise of Cobra," nonstop violence, the added feZartan, one of the Joes' enemies, male Joes and the occasioncaptures and then imperal humorous banter, "G.I. Joe: sonates the President of Retaliation" was a dud and the United States (Jonafell flat. Supposthan Pryce). The Joes are edly, the release of framed for stealing nu"G.I. Joe: Retaliaclear weapons from tion" was delayed Pakistan, and then almost a year to suffer huge casuadd 3D effects. alties when they Do we realare ambushed. ly need to see Channing The Rock's pecs Tatum briefburst out of the ly reprises his role screen? I think not. as Duke, the leader G.I. Joes should bid of the Joes. Duke's adieu to the big screen number two man, and return to the playRoadblock (Dwayne room and sandbox. ILLUSTRATION BY SCHUH
by Nathan Fisher Staff Reporter
Whitman to welcome war survivor in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day by Clara Bartlett Staff Reporter
he evening of Sunday, April 7 to the evening of Monday, April 8 marks Holocaust Remembrance Day. The internationally recognized date comes from the Hebrew calendar and marks the anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising, a Jewish resistance that arose within the Warsaw ghetto in Germanoccupied Poland in 1943. Challenging Nazi Germany's final effort to transport the remaining ghetto population to Treblinka extermination camp, it was the largest single revolt by the Jews during World War II. On April 8 at 7 p.m. in Maxey auditorium, Whitman welcomes Holocaust survivor Dr. Willem Houwink to speak in reverence of Holocaust Remembrance Day, also known as Yom Hashoah. "Dr. Houwink has a fascinating history. He was heavily involved in espionage for the Dutch government before he was betrayed by a friend, and ultimately spent three years in concentration camps," the planner of the event, Stuart Coordinator of Religious and Spiritual Life Adam Kirtley, explained. "He is not Jewish, but is able to provide a firsthand account of those horrific experiences."
Dr. Houwink's talk, entitled "Life in the German Concentration Camps: A Survivor's Tale," is the story of his experiences in the concentration camps as well as his activity in the Dutch underground, fighting the Nazis during German occupation of his native country, Holland. One of the first to teach the principles of the free market economy in China, Dr. Houwink is now the Honorary Professor of Economics at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. In a video made by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust survivor Estelle Laughlin reminds us: "Memory is what shapes us. Memory is what teaches us. We must understand that's where our redemption is." Sophomore member of Whitman's Jewish Club, Hillel-Shalom, Corinne Vandagriff adds, "I think it's important that we always remember how powerful one person or mindset can be in the fate of a human group. But most importantly I think teaching the Holocaust is important because Jews are, for the most part, thought of as white people who are well off and it's important to remember that genocide should not be pathologized in an othering and 'white man's burden' type way. It can happen anywhere."
Live in...
Clinton Court Apartments 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments For Spring 2013 and beyond Adjacent to the campus—affordable No smoking please
Coldwell Banker First Realtors 525-0820
Photos by Bernstein
In the
DRIVER'S SEAT Students find freedom through cars
by Emily Williams Staff Reporter
enior Shannon McCarty is very accustomed to the 274 mile trek from Walla Walla to Seattle. She has been driving to and from school since the second semester of her sophomore year, filling her big SUV with other Seattle-bound friends, some extra gas money and a lot of luggage. McCarty decided to bring a car to school because her family wasn't using it and it made transportation to and from Whitman a whole lot easier. In addition to transportation to and from school, McCarty also finds that having a car allows for spontaneity and adventures. "It's very convenient to not worry about asking someone if I want to go somewhere; if I want to go somewhere spur of the mo-
ment I can and that's nice," said McCarty. "If I want to go just way out somewhere, sometimes just going for a drive with someone, not really knowing where I'm going to go, just driving for a while and then just stopping and sitting and looking because it's really beautiful out here." For McCarty, the car means escape from the confines of Whitman College. "It's really nice to get outside of campus because campus is beautiful but it can kind of get to be a little bit constricting and it's nice to go out to the open spaces and see the things that are there, watch the sunset or just going on some random adventure, just taking roads and seeing where they take you," she said. In addition, McCarty likes not having to depend on other people for a ride home.
"It makes it a lot less stressful before breaks. I don't have to worry about reserving a ride with someone in advance because I just drive myself, but it also can be burdensome when things go wrong with the car or just always having to drive," she said. According the McCarty, having a car comes with the responsibility of always driving for different events around town or even out of town. "Sometimes it just gets tiring always having to drive," she said. McCarty is glad that she didn't have a car her freshman year because she feels that it would have been too much of a burden, but Freshman Kevin Obey thinks having a car his freshman year has opened many door for him. While McCarty hails from nearby western Washington, Obey hails from New York. He got his
CAR spotlight After spending last semester repairing his car, Steven Klutho '13 and his '74-ish Volkswagen Beetle are now taking to the streets and driving around town. After driving his orange automobile to the library, he gave The Pioneer the grand tour of his car—new engine and all.
car as a graduation gift, brought it because he wanted to be able to go off campus and have his own adventures, and started off his freshman year adventure with a 2,870 mile road trip with his dad from New York to Whitman. "I think that was possibly one of the best experiences we've had. I mean, it's not very often that it's just two people in a car, just 2870 miles, sitting there talking," said Obey. Obey's favorite part of having a car, like McCarty, is the ability to be spontaneous. Obey, who didn't go home over Thankgiving or spring break, used his car to road trip around the Pacific Northwest with a group of friends. "I want to be able to stay here, and instead of feeling trapped on campus, this is enabling me to be here and enjoy it, and enjoy more than just the go-
Car Soundbites: "Albert Schueller, the math professor and my advisor, inspired me to get a bug because he got one a couple of summers ago with his daughter and they converted it into an electric car. So I was like, 'Whoa, that's awesome,' that it would be really cool to do." "I found it on Craigslist from a guy out in Kennewick, so I drove out there, test drove it, then bought it. Then 15 miles outside of Kennewick, it broke down cat-
ing to school aspect here, but the whole being in the Northwest and that's pretty awesome and lucky." Although Obey loves having his car on campus, he foresees that it could become a burden if he needs to get home quickly and make the drive in three days, but Obey thinks that the times that he can take his time and really experience America will truly make up for any burden that having a car on campus might cause. "The times when you don't really have to get home, you can just take your time and experience all of the country," he said. "Besides, [I don't just want to focus on] where I am right this second and where I want to be; a lot of time we are just worried about getting from point A to point B and we don't really appreciate everything in between, and I think that's kind of the best part." astrophically. Irreparable engine damage, smoking on the highway: It was a big mess. I had owned it for all of ten minutes, then it was already broken to the point where I couldn't drive it anymore. But, I thought, maybe this is a good thing. Now I'll have to learn how to fix it." "The engine is actually in the back. It's an upgrade, it's got dual carburetors, that's not stock. It's a little bigger than a stock engine, and has a little bit more kick to it." "The odometer on these models only goes to 100,000 miles, and then goes back to zero again, and this odometer is broken, and stuck at 90-thousand-something. I have no idea how many times that's turned over—it could have 90,000 miles, or it could have 390,000 miles. I have no idea. Through putzing around and going to get groceries, I'd say I've only put 50 miles on the car since fixing it up." "The most we've ever had in here is four [people], to go to Big Cheese customer appreciation day. That was the big event." "I'm a big fan of the orange color. That's the first thing I want to do when I get home is to take it to a body shop, work out the dents and give it a nice new paint job."
nt ude
st d i l a
hv t i w
HAPPY HOUR BAR MENU CHICKEN & BEER Any draft beer and chicken nuggets.
BURGERS & BEER Any draft beer and two sliders.
Glass of wine and two grilled chicken skewers or four potstickers.
Draft Beers $2.50 • Well Drinks $3.75 Monday - Thursday • 3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
(free refills on brewed coffee)
www.w2breadco.com 225 E. Main St. Downtown Walla Walla
BrewPuB 15 Years of Food, Fun, and Great Beers!
11 So. PalouSe • Walla Walla • 522-2440 www.millcreek-brewpub.com
FEATURE CAR spotlight Zack Strater '14 took The Pioneer for a spin through the wheat fields in his snazzy Volkswagen Cabria. (We promise, this isn't product placement for Volkswagen.) He then took
a moment to chat about his ride in the beautiful sunset.
and it gradually became my own after time."
Car Soundbites:
"Its name is Herb. It's kind of an old car now, and I wanted an old guy name and Herb seemed pretty good ... I think if Herb was a person he would be much different than I am, but I think we work well together."
"It used to be my dad's car for about eight years, and then he had his little midlife crisis thing and got a smaller, sportier looking car. This was around the time I was sixteen and started driving and no one was using this car, so I decided to learn stick and drove the car,
"Well, when I first started driving, I didn't realize that it's very important when the car is parked to keep it in gear. Once I forgot to leave the car in gear and just put the parking brake on and at some point in the night it rolled, and then rolled into our other car. It turned out that my car was fine, not even any bumper damage, but it destroyed the axel on the other car. That was pretty funny! Well, not for my parents, but for me. I was learning." "[I use the car] mostly so I can go home to Portland and back during breaks, but it's really nice being able to go to the grocery store when I need to, and I really like being able to drive out into the wheatfields for the sunset." "I drove it this winter in some icy snow conditions with chains and it was good. Mostly because it's a little brick." Photos by Bernstein
Zipcars considered for campus use by Hannah Bartman Staff Reporter
hether it's a ride to the airport or a weekend Portland getaway, accessibility to a car would give spice to the small-town Walla Walla life. Even though Whitman is a reputedly isolated college, it remains behind the increasingly popular trend of campus Zipcars. However, after three years of discussion, Zipcar may be making an appearance on Whitman campus in the next couple of years. Zipcar is a car service that would allow students, community members and possibly members from the surrounding Walla Walla colleges to rent and use a car on an hourly or daily basis. The driver of a Zipcar specifies the amount of time a car is needed, and insurance and gas money are included in the reservation charge. Currently 11 out of Whitman's 12 comparison schools use some sort of car rental service. "The more we move towards our comparison schools, the less unique we become as an institution, and that can be applied to Zipcars," said first-year ASWC Senator Jack Percival. "Before we pursue it more, we need to evaluate the value we place on our community. We need to ask ourselves, do we want [Zipcars] or do we want to maintain that solidarity as a campus?" One of these comparable schools is Lewis & Clark College, which offers car rentals for five dollars an hour. These "UCars" are accessible and used by students to go downtown and for transportation to the airport. "I really like U-Car; it's easy, affordable and super convenient," said first-year Lewis & Clark student Elizabeth Valadez. "It's nice to be able to rent a car and not have to be 25 years old." Senior ASWC Senator Caroline Carr has been an active member in attempting to implement Zipcars on campus. After emailing Zipcar, she reached a dead end when they asked to be put in contact with Whitman's sustainability coordinator or business office. Though there was no sustainability coordinator at the time, as of Feb. 21 the sustainability coordinator staff position that ASWC has pushed for will be filled beginning in the Fall of 2013. "I've done a lot of research on it, but now I need the administration to pick up the slack," said Carr. "With the sustainability coordinator coming in, it should be pretty easy for people to do it next year." The sustainability coordinator would be a staff position based
on implementing long-standing green initiatives for Whitman. Attaining this staff member creates a link between administration and students and will be helpful in creating contacts with organizations such as Zipcar. "Zipcar would fall in line with a greener goal for Whitman because it would reduce the amount of carbon emissions emitted by people going out on the weekends," said Percival. Similarly, Zipcar services would reduce the amount of cars that people bring to campus, which would enhance the goal of a greener campus. "I think it could be a great resource to Whitman students in that they wouldn't feel like they would need to bring their cars from across the state or from California or Washington, because they would have access to cars here," said senior Sustainability Intern Zoey Rogers in an email. "This would hopefully encourage less driving overall, and people would be more conscious of when they chose to drive a car because they would have to rent it through Zipcar." At the present time, the main means of transportation for students is through sharing of friends' cars. Cars are also available through the OP, but only for students who are certified and are typically for outdoor pursuits. This leaves the remaining population with limited weekend getaway options. "Zipcar would fall under the umbrella of this urban adventure program that I have. I think it would be really cool to have more cultural community-based things," said Carr. "We need more outlets for students who want to go to a city now and then." Carr's idea of an urban adventure program involves a structure similar to that of the Outdoor Program, but with off-campus activities such as concerts at The Gorge and trips to art galleries or other museums. The accessibility of Zipcars would allow students to not only take short, errand-like trips, but also longer weekend getaways to Portland or Seattle. However, this would also lead to more transportation and perhaps result in a converse affect for Whitman's goals of a greener campus. "On the other hand, I think it could potentially encourage more people to drive who normally don't," said Rogers. "If there is easy access to cars, people who may normally walk or bike to the store would be more inclined to rent a Zipcar." The Zipcar could be a positive or negative change for stu-
dents and Whitman's green goals, and is a discussion that will continue to develop and produce re-
sults within the ensuing year. The next step in this process is receiving student opinion on this isADVERTISEMENT
sue, and ASWC plans to reach out to students to find and represent the majority opinion.
Onion Fest brings regional Frisbee teams to Whitman by cole anderson Staff Reporter
ast weekend, the men's and women's Sweets teams hosted the annual Onion Fest. For those of you who are unaware of exactly what O-Fest is, imagine a motley crew of Frisbee players dressed up in ridiculous outfits trying to eat onions whole, all while competing in Ultimate Frisbee. Though this event is extremely goofy, it takes a surprising amount of behind-thescenes planning and hours of coordinating to produce a tournament laden with tradition, from silly cheers to wacky uniforms. "This event is one of the biggest fundraisers for both teams so it's really important to us," said Julia Bladin, a sophomore on the Lady Sweets. Being a club team, funding is tough to come by, so events like these contribute significantly to needed funds, especially for travel. However, the common theme for the players was not money, but rather bolstering the sense of Ultimate community. "O-Fest allows for all of us to see friends from the coast— players who we play against, but otherwise rarely get to see throughout the year," said Bladin. Onion Fest is a unique event, but one thing that contributes to this is the unique nature of the
sport. On the field, competition is everything, but before and after, competitors can be the best of friends. Most collegiate teams are hosted by off-campus houses and sleep on floors or couches. Even non-Frisbee households give up space to accommodate the teams coming into town. On Saturday night, after a day of competition, the teams come together and mingle around a bonfire and at a dance party put on by the Sweets. "The Oregon team has some of the nicest people we've met. They're all really respectful and super cool guys," said junior Nathan Sany regarding the University of Oregon team called "Ego." "That's probably the difference between Ultimate and other sports. Though it's really competitive, at the end of the day we're all good friends. It's a great community atmosphere," added sophomore Peter O'Rourke. Another important aspect of O-Fest is the alumni presence. In the two showcase games of the tournament pitting current Whitman Sweets against their program's alumni, the alumni involvement is amazing. These are also typically the most competitive events and the most fun to watch. "There are alumni coming from across the country for this event. It's really cool to play against previous Sweets, some who were our teammates
in years past. And for them to come this far for this event really means a lot," said Sany. The Sweets play against ex-teammates from club and high school teams, in addition to the alumni. Onion Fest is an opportunity to show these players from Seattle or Portland what a great regional Frisbee community Whitman has. "Most tournaments are near the Washington or Oregon coast, so these teams would not otherwise come out here. So for me, it's fun showing off where we live," Sany said. The tournament is about a lot more than winning, and has become a fixture of Sweets culture. "The goofiness makes everything so friendly and fun. This event last year was what really made me feel a part of this team as a freshman," said O'Rourke. One of the greatest traditions of the tournament is the sweet onion eating contest where players are chosen on the spot to race to finish the vegetable namesake of the Whitman Frisbee team. While a man from Missoula won this year, the contest is similar to the Frisbee tournament itself in that winning is rarely the top story. "Last year, Peter O'Rourke was picked to eat the onion, and upon attempting this, he cried. That's gotta be the highlight," said Bladin.
(Top left) Whitman's A team finishes a game played in beach-themed outfits. (Top right) Jack Hardiman '13 passes around a defender wearing a bear. (above) Justin Norden '14 of Carleton College was a Sweet for the weekend. Photos by McCormick
Janin steps into Frisbee spotlight by tristan gavin Sports Editor
(Top) Team Captain Jacob Janin '12 offers coaching tips between plays. (Bottom) Janin slips a forehand around the mark of Peter O'Rourke '15. Photos by Johnson
keptics of the 2013 Whitman Sweets will point to the void of leadership and star power after graduating a strong class last spring. That is where Jacob Janin comes in. Janin, a senior, is one of the team captains and brings extensive experience at high levels of club Ultimate. While the Eugene native has played for the Portland Rhino club team for years, he was given the chance to play against them last summer while touring with a collegiate all-star team called NexGen. With NexGen, Janin was able to compete with his top collegiate competition while touring the nation to play club teams. "One of the things that I took from it that I have tried to bring to the Sweets is the importance of being a selfless player. On an all-star team like that, everyone is so good that at times it can be hard to work together ... What was evident was that no matter how talented you are, if you don't work together and trust each other and your system, you aren't going to be very good as a team," said Janin. This year, more than any in recent memory, Whitman has really had to rely on self-
CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY COORDINATOR The Campus Sustainability Coordinator works closely with students, staff, and faculty to further sustainability efforts across campus. The Coordinator serves as the primary resource for all College sustainability initiatives and serves as the College's sustainability liaison to external constituents. The Coordinator assists campus departments in their efforts to implement sustainable practices in their day-to-day operations. The Coordinator collaborates with all campus constituents to begin to develop a feasible long-term sustainability plan for Whitman College.
Preference given to recent Whitman graduate. Job description and application are at https://whitmanhr.simplehire.com. The position is open until filled.
less teamwork to overcome the serious depletion of their roster last May that did not go unnoticed on the national stage. "A lot of people expected us to be a much weaker team this year after graduating such a talented senior class. Because of that we didn't get invited to any of the elite level tournaments," said Janin. In order to make a splash nationally, Whitman had to claw and scratch its way into the Stanford Invite by winning the Stanford Open in February. Once Whitman got their foot in the door, they turned a lot of heads and, in doing so, showed the nation's top Ultimate teams that Whitman deserves to be named alongside them. No moment captured Whitman's sense of belonging better than when the team rallied to defeat a top-ranked Wisconsin Hodag team that was undefeated leading up to the game. Although the Sweets are often depicted as an underdog in matchups against schools 10 times as large as Whitman, Janin maintains that their success is not a surprise. "We were only more of an underdog this year because those expectations were even lower. Being an underdog, however, is contingent on continually losing games. Even though we are such a small team, we win enough games that I don't really consider us underdogs unless we're playing the very best teams," said Janin. One team Whitman seems to always be playing the underdog against is University of Oregon's "Ego," whom Janin knows quite well. Janin's brother and father have both played Ultimate for the University of Oregon and his father is now the coach of the perennial national championship contenders. Although it maintains a friendly rivalry, Ego has been a tough team to match up with for Whitman, who hasn't beat the team in over five years. "The only time we have beaten them was back in 2007, I think. We have been really close the last two years but still haven't won a game since then," said Janin. At the start of the spring, Whitman lost an intense scrimmage to Ego in Eugene, Ore. on the final point. Oregon has shown countless times this spring that the Sweets have the potential to hang with high levels of competition, but they will have to do more than
hang around to make it to the national tournament this year. The path to nationals is difficult and mandates that Whitman establish itself as a top regional team. "Some of it depends on how many bids to nationals our region gets. Most of it depends on how focused we are over the next few weeks and whether or not we can be smart and consistent when it counts. We can't afford to be satisfied with where we are right now," said Janin. Whether they make nationals or not, the end of this year for the Sweets will mark the end of Janin's Frisbee career at the collegiate level, after which he plans to return to playing for Portland Rhino. "I haven't really had an offseason in a while. This will be my second year in a row of playing college, NexGen and club in succession. So in general when I have time in between I just rest. When I do have a big chunk of time off I hit the gym and try to put on weight," said Janin. Although the newly formed Major League Ultimate (MLU) has numerous teams that would be interested in inking Janin into their semi-professional rosters, Janin is skeptical of the league's new take on his sport. "I don't mind the semi-pro model for Ultimate but MLU has taken the approach of tying to cater to people who don't know anything about Ultimate. They've arbitrarily put Ultimate on a football field, added yardage penalties, a shot clock and refs. That's not Ultimate to me," said Janin. The growth of the sport is always a contentious issue because of the heavy tradition and community Janin has been immersed in since middle school. "As its popularity continues to grow, media coverage will increase and it will become more and more profitable. NexGen was actually one of the first to start that. I think that is inevitable and I have no problem with that. I just don't think we have to conform [to] other people's expectations in order to do it," said Janin. Regardless of the direction Ultimate takes for Janin, he will always have his place at Whitman, where, like most alumni, he plans on returning to rich traditions like Onion Fest to check up on the program he has helped shape in his four years as a Sweet. "I will most definitely be back in years to come," said Janin.
Sarah Anderegg '14 (left) and Marah Alindogan '14 (center) helped their team upset three teams with higher seeds en route to an Elite 8 berth. Coach Ferenz (right) led the women's team to the best finish in program history. Photos by McCormick
Women's basketball reaches Elite 8 of tournament by kyle howe Staff Reporter
ver spring break, the women's basketball team was hard at work shattering expectations reaching the Elite 8 in the Division III NCAA basketball tournament. This memorable season saw the team go 23-6 and get ranked 11th on the D3 Hoops.com poll and 22nd in the USA Today Coaches Poll. "Words can't even begin to describe our experience in the NCAA tournament ... It was an absolute dream come true hearing that we were the last team let into the tournament ... We were so grateful to be getting to share this experience with each other," said junior Sarah Anderegg. The road to the final game in the team's incredible season was not easy, but with incredible determination the team overcame many obstacles. "As for the entire experience, we were thrilled to earn a berth. We had our best season overall with 20 wins in a very good conference but because we lost a close game to Whitworth in our playoffs we were unsure of whether it was good enough to get us in. But we got an at-large bid and drew SCIAC Champion California Lutheran as our first opponent at Lewis & Clark," said Coach Michelle Ferenz.
The team beat California Lutheran and then Conference rival Lewis & Clark College to advance to the Sweet 16. The team then stunned Emory University with a comefrom-behind win to enter the Elite 8. "I was very proud of how we played in all four of our NCAA tournament games and we were the last team left from the West region when we qualified for the Elite 8 by beating Emory University at Williams College," said Ferenz. The team's hard work was definitely rewarded, as the team received the perks of being an Elite 8 team. "Teams are definitely spoiled in the tournament—from buses with On Demand cable, to flying home in a private jet, to not having to eat all our meals at Safeway, we definitely got the all-star treatment. To us, these surprises were an added bonus. We were honestly just so happy to still be playing the game we love with the people we love," said Anderegg. With the tournament completed, the team has many great memories to build off of. "The entire experience was honestly indescribable. I would definitely say we were the Cinderella team because the whole thing felt like a fairy tale. Even though we knew all season we could get that far, the gener-
al feeling was that other teams underestimated us. The private jet was really the icing on the cake and was a wonderful way to end my career," said senior Mary Madden. Now that they have experienced the benefits of success, the team looks towards next season with high hopes of surpassing this year's achievements. "Playing in the NCAA tournament is our goal every season but we know how hard it will be. The Northwest Conference is very good ... It takes a lot of hard work and focus to even give ourselves a chance and that is what this group did," said Ferenz. With a small graduating class, another run in the national tournament is not out of the question. "Every season is different but with only two seniors, Emilie Gilbert and Mary Madden, graduating, we are hoping to add a good recruiting class to our roster and work hard in the offseason and build on our success. We have a great core of players back who know what it takes to compete in the NWC and nationally," said Ferenz. The team also hopes that their performance this year will attract even more fans. "Hopefully after the outcome of this year's season, the Whitman student body will recognize
our efforts and support our commitment to basketball and Whitman as a whole by coming out to our games," said Anderegg. With the strong showing on the national stage, the team is beginning to feel a sense of respect on campus. "The results I think have brought a lot of much-needed attention to the women's basketball team. A lot of times we end up playing second fiddle to the men's program. And while they do deserve the recognition, it felt nice to finally be in the spotlight and be the team everybody was talking about. I think we definitely gained a lot of respect on campus," said Madden. Now with great memories from the past season, the team is excited to see what next year has in store. "We are definitely fighting to get back to where we are and go even further. We know that we have what it takes to compete with the best teams in the country and that just gives us even more of a drive to improve in the off-season. This year we made memories that will last forever, and we plan to make even more of those memories in the years to come," said Anderegg.
Contributing Reporter
or the first 18 years of his life, wrestler Hudson Taylor didn't think he knew anybody who was gay. Since graduating from the University of Maryland in 2010, however, he has spent much of his time standing in front of college athletes around the country discussing the importance of recognizing and supporting their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender peers. On Monday, he came to Whitman to talk to students about this importance of having straight allies speak out in support of their fellow athletes. "How many of you have heard somebody say in the last week, 'That's so gay'?" asked Taylor to a mixed audience of athletes and nonathletes in Maxey Auditorium. "We hear it. It gets thrown around. Any amount of homophobic or transphobic or sexist language in some way divides us. It makes us less able to accomplish our athletic goals." Since its inception, the nonprofit organization Athlete Ally has spread to college campuses nationwide. The organization is based on promoting conversations and awareness of LGBT issues in athletic communities on college campuses. Student allies are called to take on the challenge of actively starting conversations among their teammates, coaches and the athletic community at large. The program arrived on Whitman's campus in the fall of 2011, which resulted in many athletic teams signing the Athlete Ally pledge and having conversations about the importance of practicing inclusive and non-discriminatory language. Since then, student ambassadors have been working to fuel the conversation to keep awareness up about LGBT issues in sports. To this date, 12,207 athletes across the nation have signed the Athlete Ally pledge, which defines an ally as any person who "takes a stand against homophobia and transphobia in sports and brings the message of respect, inclusion and equality to their athletic community." Claire Collins, a junior AllAmerican Honorable Mention breaststroker on the varsity swim team, has stepped into the role of Whitman's student Athlete Ally ambassador this year with the goal of increasing awareness and stimulating further conversation. "I think this isn't a conversation that's just limited to athletes. Everyone, regardless of whether or not you play a sport, is part of the culture," she said. First-year Jack Percival, who
attended the event representing the ASWC Student Affairs Committee but is not part of an athletic team, found Hudson's talk to be compelling in a broad context. "I think that his message to young athletes that it's okay to not be afraid, and advocating for people to condemn homophobic and transphobic language, is really important to effecting social change both at Whitman and on a larger scale," said Percival. This message was echoed in Taylor's hour-long talk. "One of the things that is most important to me is to start a conversation with as many people as possible," said Taylor. Athletics Director Dean Snider sees the future of this program as being in the hands of student athletes. Some have already found ways to express their support. "One of our students wants to gather some folks and do a video and post it on our website. We've got the women's tennis team that wants to put an [Athlete Ally] patch on for their game this weekend," said Snider. Given that Athlete Ally is about inspiring thoughtful conversation and action more than making institutional changes, Snider's role in the conversation is largely one of a facilitator. "I think our students are so much more creative than I am. My role is to promote and find ways to support our students' great ideas. And I look forward to hearing more of those," said Snider. Collins agrees that the program has plenty of room for growth on Whitman's campus, and anticipates more action by active student athletes on behalf of supporting LGBT peers. "We have a lot of goals, and now that there are a bunch of different athletes on board, and [Student Athletic Advisory Council] is on board,
it will be easier to access all of the different sports teams," said Collins. Taylor encouraged athletes to use their Facebook and Twitter accounts as platforms for speaking out in support of their LGBT peers. He talked of wearing buttons and wristbands as simple ways of showing acceptance and inclusivity. However, even for some who have admired the work of Athlete Ally for years, this type of action seems insufficient. "I think Whitman kids need a call to action, and I don't think a call to action is wearing a button," said Assistant Director of Admission Robert Street, a former varsity captain at Whitman. Street, who has been a supporter of Athlete Ally since it began, was excited to see the program arrive on Whitman's campus last year. A conversation at the college level, he said, is a good start. Now he feels it is time for further action. "I really admire Hudson, and I like his work. But I left [the talk] wanting something tangible to do. I want to see Athlete Ally have a very clear mission. What can we do? Other than wear a bracelet. There's more than that. That's like making it a fad. I don't want to be a part of a fad; I want to be a part of doing something to change things," said Street. Street agrees that starting the conversation is important; however, he suggests that starting in college means missing the critical age where discriminatory words and attitudes are developed. "I recall over and over again as a kid hearing 'You run like a girl' or 'Stop being a sissy'— things like that—from the playground to gym class. It's not necessarily on an organized team. I really think that [education] needs to start from an early age. Kids are raised in the locker room to not be sensitive to that language," said Street. Street suggested that one important thing Whitman athletes who are interested in this cause could do is take the conversation to local high schools. "I think Whitman's place in this would be to do high school programming, and work with the community," said Street. Collins reports already feeling a greater student interest since Taylor's visit to campus. "A lot of students came up to me and ... told me that they were interested in keeping this going and making sure that this stays alive. And that was really exciting. The biggest deal is going to be what happens now," said Collins.
v. Lewis & Clark College Mar. 29: L 7-5 v. Lewis & Clark College Mar. 30: W 9-3 v. Lewis & Clark College Mar. 30: L 7-3
Men's v. Whittier College Mar. 18: W 6-3 v. Hawaii Pacific Mar. 21: L 9-0 Women's v. UC Santa Cruz Mar. 16: L 7-2 v. University of the Redlands Mar. 16: L 5-4
upcoming tennis
Men's v. Whitworth University Apr. 4, 4 p.m.: AWAY v. Pacific University Apr. 6, 2 p.m.: HOME Women's v. Pacific University Apr. 6, 10 a.m.: HOME v. Whitworth University Apr. 7, 1 p.m.: HOME
v. Pacific University Apr. 6, 12 p.m.: HOME v. Pacific University Apr. 6, 4 p.m.: HOME v. Pacific University Apr. 7, 12 p.m.: HOME
Men's v. NWC Spring Classic Apr. 6-7: AWAY Women's v. NWC Spring Classic Apr. 6-7: AWAY
March brings out madness
Athlete Ally founder comes to campus by libby arnosti
PETER CLARK Senior
ike most diehard college basketball fans, I believe that the Opening and Second Round games in the NCAA tournament are the four greatest days of the year. I call it an extended Christmas, some call it a shorter Hanukkah, but all agree that it is a state of basketball euphoria. While most of us watch these games clutching our brackets in hand and praying that our predicted upsets come true to prove our basketball genius, some people nervously view the games with hopes of winning big money. Like other sports, people love to gamble on college basketball. Legally, experts expect that the total of all bets will exceed $100 million by the tournament's end. When including bracket pools, underground bookies and offshore sports books, that number skyrockets to $12 billion. To me, the phenomenon of college basketball gambling is not ludicrous because of the large amounts of money being exchanged, but rather because of the fact that people will leave their money in the hands of 18-22-year-old athletes. I understand that the athletes who play in the NCAA tournament are there for a reason. They are mentally tough, talented basketball players who all have a chance of playing professionally in some capacity once their college years are over. Out of the thousands of college basketball players in the country, they are the ones still standing when the dust of the regular season has settled. The part that leaves me dumbfounded is considering all of the outside distractions that occur behind the scenes that gamblers cannot ac-
count for, but still are willing to take a chance on. Sure, the most studious gamblers factor rumored injuries and travel time into their bets, but how are you supposed to know if a team's first-year point guard didn't get any sleep because he was Skyping with his high school sweetheart all night? Or if a veteran post player is finally getting the chance to play in his hometown, but can't focus on preparing for the game because every contact in his cellphone is blowing him up for a ticket? Coaches attempt to minimize distractions by limiting cell phone use and issuing strict curfews, but various types of distractions inevitably take place, especially on a stage like the NCAA Tournament. To make matters worse for hopeful betters, first-years and sophomores now fill the starting lineups of many of the high-profile teams in the tournament. While they are undoubtedly high in talent and potential, they don't possess the experience that grizzled seniors bring to the table. History shows, however, that the cream rises to the top. Regardless of a player's age, the truly elite players historically carry over their exceptional play from the regular season into the NCAA tournament. The problem for betters lies in figuring out which player can carry over regular season success into the NCAA Tournament. Because for every player that lives up to their lofty pre-tournament billing, there are slews of players who underperform not only because of previously described outside distractions, but simply because guys have offnights. That's the nature of the game. For the average, avid fan, the unpredictably of the NCAA tournament is what makes beautiful. For people losing their paychecks to a half court buzzer beater, the tournament is maddening. So while we spend two more evenings watching the Final Four and eventually the National Championship game, I hope that we can all tear up our brackets in unison and leave our wallets out of it.
Allison Kelly
This year I served as a senator on the Nominations Committee. I quickly came to realize that the nominations chair has a very important job. They must lead a committee of students to search and select campus media organization heads and college committee members. Throughout the year, I was able to gain valuable experience, and I feel confident that I know what is needed to effectively head the Nominations Committee. You can trust that I am very well acquainted with all the ins and
outs of the position. The job needs a dedicated, knowledgeable and experienced leader—all qualities I see in myself. But even more importantly than having a good understanding of the job, I am also inherently interested in the work I do. I honestly enjoy working for ASWC, and I feel appreciative of having the chance to serve ASWC this year. I know I would excel as the nominations chair, and I am excited for the prospect of serving on the committee again next year.
Nominations Chair Candidate
Presidential Candidate
What is your year & major?
that differentiates me is that next year, as a sophomore, I will have the time and ability to fully dedicate myself to the position.
I'm a freshman and am undeclared, but I'm considering majoring in anthropology, politics or philosophy.
What is one change you would like to bring to campus and/or ASWC if elected?
What do you think differentiates you from other candidates or makes you especially qualified for the position you're running for?
One change I'd like to see brought to the nominations process is already happening within the committee. We are working on extending deadlines and making the application process, from first sending out advertisements to narrowing down applicants and finally to selecting a candidate, as transparent and accessible to the student body as possible. If elected for next year, I will not only continue this campaign but also take it to the next level by making better use of available social media tools such as ASWC's website, the newsletter and The Pioneer.
A few key elements differentiate me from my competition. First and foremost, I have the necessary institutional knowledge to be successful in the position. Not only do I have leadership experience within and outside of Whitman, but more importantly I also know which direction to lead the committee. Since the committee operates on such a tight schedule, it is crucial that the chair has been through the process and is familiar with the time frame. Additionally, I will be much better qualified to teach the new committee what to look for in candidates and how to go through the search process. Another advantage
What is the role that ASWC plays, or should play, on campus? Every meeting I've had this
year as a senator I've focused on maintaining the "associated students" in ASWC. On a fundamental basis, I believe that prioritizing the thoughts, needs and opinions of the students is the most essential factor towards having a wellrun student government. I pledge to continue my devotion to the students in every single elected position I may have in the future. On an operational level, it is also extremely important to foster strong ties between the elected officers and the constituents. I'd like to destroy this disconnect and see more collaboration and connectivity amongst all students. It is by no means an easy task, but by increasing transparency and accessibility in the nominations process, we can come closer to this goal. What is your favorite place to study? The best place for me to study is in the quiet room, but my favorite place is anywhere where there's food, friends or a comfortable couch nearby, like the Fishbowl.
My name is Brian Choe, a junior from Beaverton, Ore., and I am running to serve as your vice president. My experience on ASWC consists of serving two years as a senator on the Student Affairs Committee. This past year I had the perspective of a student with no affiliation with ASWC. My experiences of being both on and off ASWC have given me great insight of a
What is your year & major?
What do you think differentiates you from other candidates or makes you especially qualified for the position you're running for? I am qualified for the position because I have a complete understanding of how ASWC functions as a whole and how the president specifically works to power student life. Simply put, this is necessary knowledge to turn any ASWC president's vision into a reality. The position of ASWC president is a time-intensive commitment and will require the full attention of whoever holds the office. If elected, I plan to withdraw from my significant time commitments, including varsity soccer, so that I can best serve the student body. ASWC needs a leader that intimately understands the purpose and processes involved in all parts of
Vice-President/Student Affairs Chair Candidate
What is your year & major? I'm a junior economics major. What do you think differentiates you from other candidates or makes you especially qualified for the position you're running for? Experience. I've had the privilege of serving two years not only on ASWC but also on the Student Affairs Committee. The experience I have gained by being a part of those two years has given me great insight into what works well for the committee and what doesn't seem as pertinent. What is one change you would like to bring to campus and/or ASWC if elected?
Continue to expand student participation on the Board of Trustees committee meetings. What ASWC has accomplished this year by having a student representative on the Board of Trustees is a fabulous accomplishment—I want to work to expand the student participation on the other committees. I sit on the Board of Trustees Enrollment Committee. Within committee meetings Tony Cabasco, George Bridges and the Board of Trustees discuss enrollment numbers, enrollment strategies and various other aspects within the admissions process. Committee Chair Dean Nichols stated that he would like to see more students on committees such as the Enrollment Committee because they are individuals that have gone through the admissions process and
What is your year and major? I am a junior politics major. What do you think differentiates you from other candidates or makes you especially qualified for the position you're running for? I am qualified for the position because I have a lot of leadership experience both on campus and off campus. I worked as a student chair for a nonprofit organization in 2011, facilitating student activities for a conference. I am hard-working, and over the past three years I have been a leader of three successful campus student organizations. I have also had a fair share working both in planning events and advertising, as well as facilitating students. Therefore I believe I have the skillset necessary to help the Nominations Committee be more efficient and more accessible to the student body. What is one change you would like to bring to campus and/or ASWC if elected? My aim will be to increase dialogue between the Nominations Committee First and foremost I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve you again. If you elect me I will commit 100 percent of my energy, skills and motivation to make the Nominations Committee more transparent and accessible to the student body.
can give strong feedback. Initiatives like these lead to more transparency and communication between the board and the student body. What is the role that ASWC plays, or should play, on campus? ASWC's role is to help reinforce the voice of the student body. One of ASWC's biggest roles is supporting student groups around campus, like The Pioneer, KWCW and WEB, and other student initiatives. What is your favorite place to study? Quiet room (Qui Ri).
and the student body. I will do this by advertising the release of applications, in addition to extending application deadlines, so that students have ample time to apply to vacant positions. This will resolve the current lack of interest in applying to positions that are beneficial to the student body as well as campus media organizations.
ZAC PARKER Presidential Candidate
What is the role that ASWC plays, or should play, on campus? ASWC should play the role of a liaison between the student body and the college's administration to ensure that student voices are heard on issues that concern them. On the part of ASWC, this means trying to understand what the students want and representing that to the best of our abilities. What is your favorite place to study? My favorite place to study is the library.
RANIA MUSsA
What do you think differentiates you from other candidates or makes you especially qualified for the position you're running for? I have two years of experience within ASWC not only as an active participant, but as an elected senator and as Chair of the Nominations Committee. I have ensured that several dozen application, interview and selection processes went off without a hitch, and I feel that my track record of success speaks well to my qualifications. I think my experience coupled with the institutional reforms I have undertaken as Nominations Chair, like switching to onlineonly applications and creating the Bon Appétit Advisory Committee, demonstrate that I have a unique drive and passion for ASWC.
I am an experienced and passionate advocate for students' interests, and I believe that I will represent Whitman students responsibly and effectively. I seek to promote a transparent and effective student government which will guarantee that Whitman students are able to gain access to the resources they need when they need them.
What do you think differentiates you from other candidates or makes you especially qualified for the position you're running for? I have a diverse background in student and governmental politics having served as Beta Theta Pi President, interned for a U.S. senator, a congressman, a governor and worked as a co-chair for a successful $242.2 million school bond campaign in my hometown of Salem, Ore. Having never served on
informed of the nominated student and why that individual was elected. The aim of this transparency is to create communication between the Nominations Committee and the student body in order to best represent the interest of the students to the fullest extent.
ZAC JOHNStON Presidential Candidate
What is your year and major? I'm a sophomore and I'm applying to create a major entitled "Health Science, Policy and Culture," in the hopes of pursuing a career in global health. What do you think differentiates you from other candidates or makes you especially qualified for the position you're running for? I'm qualified to serve as finance chair because I have spent the past two years learning about and improving the ASWC finance process as a finance senator. Additionally, I served as a student representative on the President's Budget Advisory Committee this year. The finance chair also sits on this committee, which will allow me to continue to work with the administration to guarantee that student dollars are spent wisely.
What is one change you would like to bring to campus and/or ASWC if elected? If elected, my main goal is to ensure that all funds allocated to student travel are brought back to the campus though workshops, guest speakers, publications or the strengthening of club leadership. I plan to implement this by restructuring the ASWC Finance Committee through by-law revisions or acts. These revisions will ensure that all organizations and entities that receive funding are held accountable for sharing their experience with the campus. This will allow for student dollars spent on travel to benefit all Whitman students, not just those who apply for funding. What is the role that ASWC plays, or should play, on campus? ASWC plays a vital role in advocating on behalf of students
regarding the college budget. This year, ASWC has successfully advocated for the establishment of a full-time sustainability coordinator, for increased student representation on Whitman's governing boards and for lifting the ban on college-funded unaccompanied international student travel. These accomplishments serve as prime examples of how ASWC can work with the administration to implement lasting change on behalf of the student body. What's your favorite place to study? The Hall of Science atrium!
A tangible change I'd bring to campus would be increasing our campuswide discussion of differing viewpoints and perspectives. We have so much to learn from each member of our community, and the unique and intimate nature of Whitman allows us to do so—if we choose to do so. A well-led ASWC will build off the success of the Power and Privilege Symposium and look for innovative and creative ways to create a campus that is committed to respecting perspectives from every scope of life. I'll appoint and extensively work with a specific executive council member who is committed to encouraging this discourse and actively look for methods of community engagement.
I am a sophomore double majoring in philosophy and rhetoric studies.
Nominations Chair Candidate
For transparency to occur, the student body will be aware of the step-by-step process in the selection of potential candidates. The selection process will be publicized in a way that will not only give students ample time to apply but equal access to apply. The student body will also be
What is one change you would like to bring to campus and/or ASWC if elected?
What is your year and major?
What is your year and major? I am a junior double majoring in philosophy and rhetoric.
concerning differing perspectives and ideologies. My key goals for creating this discourse are designating a member of the Executive Council committed to fostering campus-wide discussion, ensuring the longevity of structured events like the Power and Privilege Symposium and creating spontaneous spaces for cross-campus connection, like bringing the community together over a late-night event with free food on a weekly basis.
ASWC, and can articulate what ASWC does for the student body. I have that experience and knowledge.
I am a sophomore philosophy major.
senator's perspective and the perspective of a student from the outside. Initiatives that I want to continue on ASWC are allowing student access to class syllabi before registration, expanding student representation on Board of Trustee Committees and working with the Student Engagement Center and Alumni House to make it more accessible for students to find internships by reaching out to Whitman alumni.
I'm excited to be running for ASWC President. I've served on ASWC since my first semester here, and I envision an ASWC that is easily understood and accessible, and is constantly supporting student initiatives in whatever way possible—and you should know how to get that support. Aside from increasing alumni mentorship through the SEC and making a concise, intelligible diagram outlining every part of what ASWC does, I would bring an increase in community-wide discourse
What is one change you would like to bring to campus and/or ASWC if elected? The largest change I would bring to campus would be increasing support for the Counseling Center. Currently students are faced with typical long wait times for appointments and occasionally have
What's your favorite place to study? The quiet room. No greater study pattern exists than the tried and true class-quiet room-Clarette's Challenge circuit during finals week.
What is the role that ASWC plays, or should play, on
Finance Chair Candidate
Favorite place to study would have to be in the private study rooms in the library. Every now and then, I'll be there into the wee hours of the morning, so if you feel inclined for late-night, earlymorning philosophizing, stop on by.
I believe that ASWC's duty is to be responsible and active stewards of the student will, and that is why I would plan to enact smaller changes to increase outreach like doing weekly tabling in Reid where any student could come and ask a question or have a conversation in person with me, knowing that they are being listened to. ASWC should be something that every student knows they have a personal stake in, a support network for student clubs and organization, and an organization which reaches out to students. I believe that my policies present the best way to do that.
I would like to introduce a schoolwide CPR program. I envision a strong emphasis on freshman sections participating in CPR training together and allowing other grades to sign up on specific dates to learn CPR.
campus? I believe ASWC serves three connected roles: advocating for student-backed initiatives, supplying beneficial services to students and providing a venue to discuss Whitman's future and the steps needed to achieve that future. I believe ASWC should provide each student the tools necessary to make the most of their time at Whitman and to facilitate a plan that leaves Whitman better than they found it. What's your favorite place to study? In the warm nook of Hari Raghavan's bosom.
Whitman 2) Improvement of health and safety standards 3) Fiscal transparency 4) Increased student involvement in ASWC activities and decisions. While there is plenty that ASWC gets right, there is much room for improvement. And with every step we take, the sole consideration should be you. Together, you and I can improve our shared experience at Whitman College.
work with you to ensure that your idea receives the support necessary to take root. In order to increase student initiatives on campus, I will improve communication between the ASWC Finance Committee and the student body. I will do so by working closely with ASWC Communications to ensure that all students have access to the information necessary to apply for the funds available to them. During my past two years as a senator on the Finance Committee,
What's your favorite place to study?
What is the role that ASWC plays, or should play, on campus?
What is one change you would like to bring to campus and/or ASWC if elected?
My name is Tatiana and I am running to serve you as your ASWC Finance Chair. As finance chair, I will dedicate my time to responsibly allocating student dollars and advocating on your behalf regarding the college budget. I will do so by encouraging the development of student initiatives that will improve our campus. Whether it is by creating a new club, hosting a workshop, inviting a speaker or improving campus sustainability, I will
I see ASWC continuing to build upon the wide institutional impact we currently have and making this impact more transparent and understandable. ASWC is here to serve you, and that means making sure you have access to funding and support from ASWC in a manner that is friendly and not intimidating. ASWC plays an integral role in almost every part of student life, and I hope to have ASWC next year be the most open and understandable ASWC we've ever had.
to miss class to make appointments because of the precious few available times. The hardworking staff has had many nights where they are on campus until the wee hours of the morning. The demand for the Counseling Center as a student resource is high, and its ability to meet that demand can be improved. This excellent resource should be available for everyone, and if elected, I would focus ASWC's power to lobby trustees and college administration on increasing its availability through any possible means.
ASWC, I feel I am uniquely suited to bring new ideas to ASWC and to ensure there is a healthy skepticism of all current ASWC practices as opposed to operating under business as usual methods.
My name is Zachary Johnston, and I am running to serve as your ASWC President for one simple reason: To improve our shared experience at Whitman. My fellow Missionaries, ask not what you can do for ASWC, ask what ASWC can do for you. So how can I serve you as ASWC president? Going into next year, we must address four issues: 1) An ASWCcoordinated service for life after
What is the role that ASWC plays, or should play, on campus?
I supported requests that improved student life. While serving on the President's Budget Advisory Committee, I advocated for the establishment of a full-time sustainability coordinator and funding for unaccompanied international student travel. As your finance chair, I will continue to serve as your voice regarding ASWC funding and the college budget. Please feel free to contact me at kaehletj@whitman. edu with any comments or questions!
12 Veteran cigarette smoker anchors sweets T his time of year, it's not uncommon to see Frisbees flying across Ankeny Field like carrier pigeons. Reasonably athletic Whitties dress up in backwards hats, synthetic jerseys, soccer cleats and something the kids are calling "friction gloves" to throw plastics across the lawn. In a recent study performed by Whitman's sociology department, it was discovered that a small percentage of these plastics were thrown by Jean-Paul Cathcart (the last "t" is silent), a junior French major and recently converted plastic-throwing fanatic. Cathcart's recorded plastic tosses should come as no surprise, but they do. This weekend, the Whitman Sweets hosted Onionfest, an annual invitational Frisbee tournament which attracts teams from all over the Pacific Northwest. This year, Whitman fielded three teams. Unsurprisingly, Cathcart's team, Whitman Team C, emerged from the pack to win 16th place. "Whitman C's success can be at least partially attributed to the stellar play and leadership of JeanPaul Cathcart," said captain Raymond Fatthew '14 following the de-
feat of a team of Willamette University alums. "I mean, he was definitely on the field today. I think we all learned a lot from that. The less experienced guys like [Jacob] Janimal can really gain a lot from watching Jean-Paul be on the field." Cathcart smoked cigarettes and quoted the French existentialists off the field, but on the field he smoked opponents and quoted the French existentialists. Playing primarily as a cutter, he managed to get himself in position to catch the disc on several occasions. After his team's victory, Cathcart spoke to The Pioneer about his play and his strategies. "They forced backhand all game. I knew Janimal was trying to huck O-I, so I got in the hostack and tried to work on my unders. I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world," he said. Cathcart also told reporters that he doesn't run at all, ever, and dispelled allegations that he was an elite athlete. "I'm not really sure if my heart's supposed to be beating this fast, but I definitely made some sick up-bids today. And a downbid. I also made a couple of stationary bids today, too. Man is
condemned to be free, because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does." Perhaps Cathcart's most impressive performance this weekend came in the famed onion-eating contest, held at halftime of Whitman's showcase game between current Sweets and alumni players. Typically, contestants opt to eat the sweet onions raw. However, Cathcart julienned the onions with a santoku, caramelized them, simmered them in thickened beef broth and red wine and topped them with gruyere cheese-covered croutons. "The rustic French onion soup method really worked for me," said Cathcart. "I was able to maintain the rich natural flavor of the onions by slowcooking them in a crock pot, but I balanced it with an appropriate savory stock and some Tunisian sel de mer. I had only a little time left and I didn't want to waste it on raw onions."
Fouls of Instagram Backpage ORIGAMI Your actual teeth after wisdom teeth surgery: Picture of your face with ice and cheeks looking like a gopher = cute. Picture of your nasty, bloody teeth makes me want to throw up. Your nails alone: Seriously, how boring. Isn't the point of painted nails to complement an entire outfit? Just the nails makes it seem like you're proud that you stayed in the lines. Good job, my 23-year-old compadre. Mirror selfies: Go back to Myspace, or just gain some self-esteem. Better yet, get yourself a Snapchat. Homework: That shit
...Why? pretty.
Doing transformation Tues-
day, throwback Thursday and flashback Friday all in the same week, or any of them more than once a month: We get that you think you were cute when you were a kid. Now stop being so damn conceited. Also, last weekend is not a throwback. Your own tweet: People didn't like it on Twitter, why would they like it here? If I wanted to read your thoughts I wouldn't have followed you on a visual media. Adding more than 10 tags: Is that even necessary? Are you that desperate for likes? All that time adds up when adding those tags–put that to good use and make friends in real life. Your newborn baby: It's wrinkly. At least leave out the placenta. Or surround it with puppies to make it somewhat bearable. Your friend passed out on the toilet: As funny as that is, it's just ratchet. No one wants to see those sorts of intimate moments between someone and the porcelain god.
Photo contributed by Hughes
Your feet while lying in the sun: Sunshine is great, don't get me wrong, but no one wants to see your crusty-ass toes.
Voices from the Backpage
How much would you like this to be a real question, not a blank?
ex-pope Benedict xvi
abraham lincoln
kyle seasly
Tristan Gavin
Super Senior
Backpage Writer
Editor-in-Chief of the Backpage
Elbow Model
"Some facts about me: I used to be in the Hitler youth. I'm keeping myself busy these days by participating in a Kraftwerk a capella band. It's good to get back to my rüüts."
"We should emancipate the Backpage to the front page. Having actual news is more evil than John Wilkes Booth. Also, have you heard the new Waves (with two V's) album? It's not that good, but worth a listen or two."
"Love. 陰莖, Amor, kakoti, 船尾, คนเซ่อ, Amour, kako, תוירגיס, 香煙, køn, perä, amore."
"Hello. I'm president of the Anti-Bread Club here on campus. You can join us at www.antibreadnation.ca. P.S. I'm also a member of that Kraftwerk a capella group and we're singing at Fridays at Four. Our 'Trans-Eüropa Express' and Taylor Swift mashup is divine. "
Dubblebaby by Sam & Toby Alden
For more DUBBLEBABY go to http://dubblebaby.blogspot.com/