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On Tuesday, Jan. 28, a small group of Whitman College students met with Rep. Michael Baumgartner to discuss higher education, climate change, foreign affairs and more. The WA District 5 Congressman also met with Whitman College President Sarah Bolton and took a brief tour of Whitman’s campus.
Baumgartner arrived at the meeting, held at Reid Campus Center, approximately 25 minutes later than expected, leaving little time for a substantive policy discussion. Though Baumgartner made a clear effort to connect with each student, telling light-hearted anecdotes about playing basketball on the Nez Perce reservation and watching wrestling in Afghanistan, he avoided addressing some of the more controversial topics that came up in his earlier town hall event, including deportation of undocumented immigrants, the Lower Snake River Dams and President Trump’s cabinet picks.
Whitman first-year Vinson Russell asked Baumgartner about his plan to lower the cost of higher education. Baumgartner alleged that many universities have inflated their tuition to support superfluous administrative positions and “fancy buildings,” arguing that colleges should redirect their focus toward promoting economic development through education.
Though Baumgartner addressed many of the problems he sees in higher education spending, Russell left the meeting feeling unsure of how Baumgartner actually plans to decrease tuition.
“He told me his ‘why,’ but I asked him his ‘how.’ …He didn’t really answer that question,” Russell said.
In response to Baumgartner’s statement that colleges and universities waste money on eye-catching, state-of-the-art buildings, Whitman senior Kate Moe asked how schools should limit spending while prioritizing updating campus facilities to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
“He responded in the most politician way possible,” Moe said.
Moe explained that he affirmed her concerns, but redirected his response away from the issue of accessibility.
Other students came into the meeting with questions for Baumgartner relating to climate change and immigration, neither of which were discussed in depth.
“He has been very clear on his stance on the border, but I would have liked to hear more specifically what his justifications are for that,” Whitman senior Sara Marshall said. “We discussed a range of incredibly important and complex topics that simply can’t be addressed in such a short period of time.”
Baumgartner’s visit to Whitman comes at a time of unease at colleges and universities across the country. In the last 14 months, student demonstrations related to Israel’s war in Gaza have created massive rifts in higher education that are unlikely to be resolved any time soon.
In 2017, while serving as a Washington state senator for District 6, Baumgartner took a hardline stance against pro-Palestine movements on college campuses by proposing a bill to prevent universities from engaging in boycotts targeting Israel.
During his visit with students, Baumgartner referenced “problems regarding the question of free speech and intellectual diversity” on college campuses, but did not directly address student protests.
When questioned after the event, Baumgartner said he was not aware that Whitman is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights for alleged instances of antisemitism on campus.
Baumgartner said he does not necessarily support President Trump’s campaign promise to disband the Department of Education, but he does want to cut back on federal spending and oversight.
“I want things brought down to the local level as much as possible,” Baumgartner said.
Baumgartner said his brief visit with Bolton allowed him to learn more about the programs and opportunities available to Whitman students.
Gina Zandy Ohnstad, Whitman’s vice president for communications, explained how Baumgartner came to be connected with the college.
“Representative Baumgartner was connected with President Bolton through Independent Colleges of Washington, an advocacy group for the private colleges in our state and the students who attend them…[H]is staff offered some time for him to visit campus to meet with President Bolton,” Zandy Ohnstad said. “Representatives for Congressman Baumgartner [also] requested to meet with a small group of students.”
Baumgartner’s brief meeting with students was not open to the entire student body. Co-Director of the Career and Community Engagement Center Noah Leavitt said students were invited based on their expressed interest in law and public policy.
Despite Baumgartner’s tight schedule, he made a clear effort to engage students on a personal level.
“Overall he was very kind, he was very approachable, he wanted to talk to us,” Moe said.
Baumgartner spent his last few moments in Reid taking pictures and shaking hands with students before leaving to meet with the Port of Walla Walla Commission.
“I appreciated that he took the time to meet with us and I hope he will continue to take time speaking with stakeholders and constituents throughout his time in office,” Marshall said.
Baumgartner plans to meet with representatives from Walla Walla Community College and Walla Walla University next time he visits the region.