Myth 1
Sororities can’t purchase houses the way that fraternities can because more than seven women living in a house is technically a brothel, which is illegal in the city of Walla Walla.
“The brothel myth is one that every incoming freshman hears, though it is absolutely untrue. The sororities are free to move into houses though the problems and changes that it would create are numerous,” said Rachel Constantino-Wallace, the Panhellenic Council President.
Constantino-Wallace said that with the recession, it would be very expensive to purchase a new house.
“The sororities would have to amass an extremely large sum of money from Whitman alumni who are very supportive of the un-housed system,” she said.
If a house were to be purchased, “national rules would begin to apply in the event that the sororities became housed chapters. For example, a ‘house mother’ would need to live in, men would not be allowed anywhere but public spaces,” said Constantino-Wallace.
Constantino-Wallace also had cited the live-in requirements as a deterrent to not only live in the house but stay in the sorority. “The live-in requirement is what causes many women to de-activate in order to move off campus with friends,” she said.
Myth 2
80% of Whitman students marry other Whitman students.
“I heard about the ‘myth’ from a fellow student, whose parents were both Whitman alum. I’ve spoken about it with my psychology thesis advisor: apparently studies have shown that in most successful couples, the two individual’s IQs are within one standard deviation of each other,” said senior Molly Gordon.
“Being that Whitman attracts a particular type of students and also a brand of person it is likely then, taking the said study into account, that Whitman students might be compatible with one another, at least intellectually, and probably in other facets as well,” she said.
“I’ve always said, especially when I first got to Whitman and knew I was in love with the school, that it is as if the admissions committee is a sort of friendship/dating service: they tediously go through applications, make decisions, and eventually a particular student body is created. You show up to campus as a freshman, and it’s like ‘Here are a ton of people who are incredibly driven, talented, interesting, and with whom you have the potential to have a great deal of chemistry. Go make friends. Or meet “someone special,”‘ Gordon said. 2007 statistics related by Polly C. Schmitz, Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations, show this myth is false and the actual proportion of Whitman students who marry other Whitman students is only 16%.
“The actual figure is slightly higher because we rely on self-reporting for this information” Schmitz said. “There are people who, for a variety of reasons, do not wish to share this information. This would also not include alumni who had been married to one another and are no longer because of the death of a spouse or divorce.”
“The definition of married includes spouses and life partners. Whether the relationships start here or after has not been studied to my knowledge. This statement, “that 80% of Whitman students marry other Whitman students,” is 99% false because if they do marry, It is usually not while they are students,” said Schmitz.
Myth 3
North Hall is haunted by a ghost.
Although there is no way to confirm this, first-year Emily Coba testifies claims a supernatural experience while she and some friends were playing with a Ouija board.
“[U]using the Ouija board to communicate, we discovered that the ghost’s name is Jack and that he was a patient in the hospital around 1920 I think,” she said. “we were in another room before that using the Ouija board and we encountered another spirit. We think it was either angry or a mental patient because the indicator was spinning like crazy all over the board.
This experience was enough to make Coba support this myth.
“I had never used a Ouija board before this, or even believed in ghosts, but our encounters with these two spirits definitely convinced me that there are at least some forces out there that we can’t explain,” she said.
Myth 4
There is a “tunnel” underground tunnel connecting Lyman and Jewett.
According to Jewett Resident Director, Jon Lundak, this myth is true and the connecting area is used primarily for storage.
Myth 5
Lakum Dukum is heated year-round in order to keep the ducks happy.
This myth is not true. “The pond is spring fed and the water comes out of the ground slightly warm. That’s all there is to it,” said Director of Grounds, Gary Brown.
