Dear Whitman,

I attended Whitman College last year and although I loved many parts of the school I was even more disappointed with my time spent there. I’m writing to you to explain my decision to take a leave of absence for a year and then transfer to another college in the hope that it will provoke some change.

While there are various reasons why I do not feel that Whitman is the right fit for me, a primary reason is sustainability. Upon arriving, I was very excited to be part of a group of students and an institution that deeply cared about the environment. In high school I actively worked to make my school more environmentally friendly and for my efforts in and out of school, I won the Environmental Sustainability award my senior year. I have worked with the forest service, interned with Washington Trails Association and given a TEDx speech on the impact the food we eat has on the environment to encourage other people to eat more consciously. So, in my search for colleges I purposefully looked for schools that were sustainability driven. Based on the way that Whitman presents itself, I thought that it was a perfect fit. However, within months of attending, reality fell short of the images I conjured in my mind based on Whitman’s representations.

Upon arriving I started to seek out fellow students interested in sustainability by joining the campus climate coalition and filling out an application to be a part of the Sustainability Committee on campus. While I found like-minded individuals in these groups, I was disappointed by how few members there were. I think one of the reasons for the lack of student body support in these clubs is because being in them requires a lot of effort and is disheartening. Both traits are due to the lack of funding and difficultly in gaining support for any initiatives from the administration. But I’m not one to give up easily and being the optimist that I am, I had hoped that we could change some of the minds in power.

As part of the committee, I got to work with our school’s Director of Sustainability and learn insider pieces of information about the actions being taken at an administrative level to make Whitman more sustainable. The information shared about the school’s budget for sustainability and the efforts being made by the school were out of line with the school’s representation of itself. As the year went by I began to dread going to meetings because when I left them I would always feel sadder than when I arrived.

I know that all sustainability efforts take a lot of work, dedication and often compromise to be successful. However, I was not prepaid for the stark pushback by some Whitman trustees making statements such as “Don’t come to me about sustainability issues until all the students on campus turn off the lights after they leave the room.” What I found is that most students on campus do care about sustainability issues but aren’t willing to put in the time and effort to petition the administration to change.

I know that money and enrollment tend to be at the forefront of any college administration’s mind, and without certain levels of student demand the desire to change isn’t as strong, but I do believe that Whitman would greatly benefit if it showed more interest in sustainability. Benefits would come not just because protecting the environment helps to create a better future for generations, but because by showing more interest in sustainability I believe Whitman could attract more sustainability driven students and earn a greater reputation in the college world.

Anytime there is a disconnect between what an institution says it values and what it actually does, it will disappoint and disillusion its students. I consider myself to be one of these students, and for that have chosen to take my studies elsewhere. I hope that moving forward Whitman can make better decisions that align with its represented values and choose to follow its morals and help the environment.

Sincerely,

Vivian Voth