Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Vol. CLIV, Issue 6
Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Day of Silence’s message lost on Whitman campus

Chelsea Bissell April 23, 2009

Last Friday, April 17 marked the National Day of Silence, which aims to bring awareness to anti-GLBT behavior and sentiments in the United States.   In an effort to understand the event, this reporter...

Sleep deprivation for a cause

Rebecca MacFife April 23, 2009

College students are notorious for their sleep deprivation, but this weekend some of them are staying up for something other than studying.   Beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, April 24, and ending the following...

Credit: Mitchell

IM debate provides cash prizes, chance to learn

Lauren McCullough April 23, 2009

Though most intramural sports on campus require physical exertion, Whitman provides an alternative method for earning one of those highly coveted blue IM championship shirts. On Thursday, April 23, the...

As spring temperatures approached 80 degrees, hundred of admitted students and their family members flocked to campus for Admitted Students Day on Saturday, April 18. Credit: Jacobson

Admitted Students get a taste of Whitman life

Josh Goodman April 23, 2009
As spring temperatures approached 80 degrees, hundred of admitted students and their family members flocked to campus for Admitted Students' Day on Saturday, April 18. The annual event, featuring tours, sample classes and information on programs such as study abroad, provided an opportunity for many high school seniors to get a better feel for Whitman. “Getting to meet the faculty was pretty amazing," said Laignee Barron of Ojai, California. “I talked to two of the professors here; they were really approachable."
Credit: Johnson

Three-college celebration planned for Earth Day

Gillian Frew April 16, 2009
The United Nations first established Earth Day as an annual celebration during the March equinox. In the 1970s, a U.S. senator chose April 22 as its official date. Leave it to Whitman students to expand the festivities into an entire week of environmental service projects and activities. According to Sustainability Coordinator, senior Karlis Rokpelnis, the increasing scope of the celebration and number of activities scheduled for Earth Week are the primary changes from last year's event. “Earth Day is a long standing tradition at Whitman," Rokpelnis said. “But there is a particular focus this year on cooperation between the campus environmental groups and other organizations."

Imagine Celebration emphasizes diversity, education through music

Maggie Allen April 16, 2009

Performers and clubs will gather to observe diversity next Saturday, Apr. 18 at the annual Imagine Celebration.   Organized by the Intercultural Center, this festivity brings together student organizations,...

Author Satrapi talks comics, movies, cigarettes

Iris Alden April 16, 2009

"Already an hour and a half without a cigarette is painful," Marjane Satrapi said in eager anticipation of the five-minute break she would take after her lecture had finished.   Her love of cigarettes...

Poet Simic sifts through darkness with humor at Walt Whitman Lecture

C.J. Wisler April 16, 2009

For senior English major Jake Kinstler, former United States Poet Laureate Charles Simic pleasantly surprised him with his craft as well as his personality at the Annual Walt Whitman Lecture. "I had...

Andrew Aviza, ‘09, lectures on the impact of new media on environmental campaigns. Credit: Norman.

Undergraduate Conference features record number of participants

Alethea Buchal April 9, 2009
Two days ago, Whitman cancelled classes to celebrate the accomplishments of its students. Comprised of four lecture sessions and one poster session, the 2009 Undergraduate Conference boasted 184 student presenters featured in six different venues. This year's Undergraduate Conference, the eleventh in Whitman's history, signaled a connection between under and upperclassmen. “There were very few first-year and sophomore presenters, so it allowed us [underclassmen] to meet the upper-classmen through their interests and presentations," said first-year Elizabeth Fleming. For upperclassmen, many seniors were just glad to see the work of their classmates. “It was nice to be able to see friends' thesis work, because I didn't really have a chance to talk to them about it during the year," said senior Jared Burns.

Marjane Satrapi to visit campus tomorrow evening

Iris Alden April 9, 2009
When first-year Michaela Gianotti opened up a package from Whitman College at the end of the summer, she was surprised to find that it contained a comic book. “I opened it up and I was like, ‘Whoa!' I was really excited," said Gianotti. The decision to assign Marjane Satrapi's “Persepolis," a compilation of a four-part comic book that was originally published in France, as summer reading to first-year students came after what Assistant Professor of French Nicole Simek called “a joint inspiration" between her and her husband, Assistant Professor of French language and Literature Zahi Zalloua. “We had been involved in the Global Studies Initiative with faculty members who want to increase the awareness of global relations on campus," said Simek. Professors Zallou and Simek had both taught “Persepolis" in their respective classes and found the issues raised in the book of particular interest. “Persepolis" tells the story of Satrapi's upbringing in Teheran during the Iranian Revolution and her subsequent stay in Vienna during the Iran-Iraq War, which took place during her teenage years. “We thought that this book was timely in its subject matter in dealing with Iran and Islamic fundamentalism and the relationship between art and politics," said Simek.

Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Ricks on campus

Becquer Medak-Seguin April 2, 2009

Former senior military correspondent for the Washington Post and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas E. Ricks will speak at Cordiner Hall at 7 p.m. on Thursday. His lecture, titled "The Three Things...

Credit: Mitchell.

Undergraduate conference promises creative variety

C.J. Wisler April 2, 2009

Most students are merely thankful for cancelled classes and an extra day to do homework when the annual Whitman Undergraduate Conference comes around. However, the Undergraduate Conference offers the...

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