Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Vol. CLIV, Issue 6
Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Calling the Whitman Bubble Home

Calling the Whitman Bubble ‘Home’

May 15, 2014
Senior guest columnist Jillian Davis examines how she has learned to call the "Whitman bubble" home and encourages students to immerse themselves in the unique culture of Whitman College.

Education Must Accompany Global Vaccination Distribution

Anuradha Lingappa May 1, 2014
I don’t like to think of vaccines as controversial. I went to an alternative school where many parents chose not to vaccinate their kids. I never understood it. Not vaccinating against at least the classics, such as mumps, measles and rubella or polio, seems both foolish and selfish.
Violence in Harry Potter Community Calls for Barrier between Fans, Stars

Violence in Harry Potter Community Calls for Barrier between Fans, Stars

Anuradha Lingappa April 17, 2014
Wizard rock is a genre of music generated by the fan culture surrounding the "Harry Potter" books. Since J.K. Rowling and the books themselves are so universally popular, many fans look closer to home to find new ways to channel their love for the series. Wizard rock songs are all about things that happen in the Harry Potter universe. As a genre, it has gone through many different incarnations, and its uniting theme is the content, not sound or quality. Though wizard rock fills a very specific niche, the fandom is big enough that it has a huge cult following and fan base of its own. There have also been spin-off bands playing music about "Doctor Who," "Lost" and the "Hunger Games." Only a handful of bands actually get known for their music, but famous wizard rockers have between several hundred thousand and over a million subscribers on YouTube and other forms of social media.

Birth is Magical Experience for All Humankind

Anuradha Lingappa March 13, 2014
Last week, Feminists Advocating Change and Empowerment put on Breaking Ground, the annual monologue show written by Whitman students, professors and alumni. I wrote and performed a monologue about my experiences working as a volunteer doula in a hospital’s birth center. Doulas are birth attendants who support and advocate for the mother, making sure she is in a good physical and mental space throughout the course of her labor. I've done over 100 hours, working 12-hour night shifts in the delivery ward. When not needed in the delivery room, I helped take care of the newborns across the hall. My monologue was called “The Miracle.”

Russian Problems Remain Despite Revolutionized Games in Sochi

Pamela London February 27, 2014
With an emphatic ceremony celebrating the past and the future, the XXII Olympic Winter Games came to a close. The flame was put out—by giant stuffed animals crying fake tears, no less—and now the eyes of the world turn to the next great sporting venture. The Olympic cycle will next stop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Summer Games in 2016, a short turnaround for Brazilians as they host the FIFA World Cup this coming summer. In numerous ways, the 2014 Olympics were a success and revolutionized the Winter Games, both from a sporting and political standpoint. In countless other ways, however, questions remain not only about Sochi and its future but also about the Olympic system as a whole.

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week Offers Opportunity for Education

Anuradha Lingappa February 27, 2014
This week, Feb. 23–March 1, is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week. In the United States, 20 million women and 10 million men will suffer from a serious eating disorder. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric disorders. Many important issues have days or weeks dedicated to raising awareness, and sometimes I wonder what the point is. Why would you raise awareness about an issue for one day or week, and then tacitly ignore it with no follow up for the rest of the year? However, raising awareness for eating disorders is absolutely crucial, not because people have never heard of them, but because, like most psychological disorders, they’re surrounded by misconceptions and stigma.

Miley Cyrus: Simply Growing Up

Dani Hupper November 21, 2013
When I was in elementary school, I confidently wore tie-dye sweat pants with a silver sequin belt. A couple years later I tried to go for the boho-chic look, but my confidence was wounded by Gresa H. during our Shakespeare unit when she commented that she “really liked my Friar Lawrence costume.” Even now I’m forced to wear pieces of my first-year wardrobe, as I am too lazy and too cold to shop for less tool-ish apparel.

School Segregation Lives on in Class Difference

Andy Monserud November 7, 2013
On a recent trip to New Orleans with a few other Whitties, a concierge at a hotel made a joke that made me think. Exhausted from almost a full day of traveling, we had come to the hotel for the Associated College Press conference hosted there. Amused by our dazed appearances, the concierge laughed and said, “Y’all look like you’ve never seen a black person before.” We explained our fatigue, but over the course of the weekend, I realized that the man had a point. African Americans, especially from working-class backgrounds, are conspicuously absent at Whitman. Less than three percent of the class of 2017 are African American, and while first-generation college students are more common, they still only make up 10 percent of the class. This has a lot to do with geography, of course. From sheer historical background, Louisiana will probably always have more African Americans than Washington does. The African American population of the state of Washington is not much denser than that of Whitman, representing a little under four percent of the total population.

Letter from the Editor: Mid-Semester Check-in

Shelly Le November 7, 2013
This is our ninth issue of the year, and while we've passed our halfway mark of the semester and of publication, now is a better time than any to reflect on the work we've done so far this semester. This period has been a time of tremendous growth and learning. While we've hired many returning staff, we've also hired a large group of eager first-years to fill positions as reporters, columnists, photographers, illustrators, production and advertising associates. Although this is my seventh semester working for The Pioneer, I still have a lot to learn with my position. During my short time as editor-in-chief, I hope to do a lot of things that maintain the high quality standards that have been set by editors-in-chief before me, while also forging new avenues.

Why Whitties Drink: The Overlooked Reasons

Dani Hupper October 3, 2013
Loosening the mood and lowering inhibitions are not the only reasons Whitman students consume alcohol. In fact, the use of alcohol is most strongly promoted when it's not even in our presence.
Bon Appétits new policy presents dilemma

Bon Appétit’s new policy presents dilemma

Kyle Seasly September 19, 2013
It’s always tough when a situation presents itself as completely unfair. Sometimes one has no words to express the frustrations at a system that intentionally screws people over. That’s how I felt when working at Jewett Dining Hall last Monday night when a co-worker informed me of a change in Bon Appétit policy.
Frisbee: Dont Sell Out

Frisbee: Don’t Sell Out

Tristan Gavin September 19, 2013
Don't get me wrong; I love Frisbee. I think it is a great game and one that should be enjoyed by the masses. The commercialization of the game and attempts to make the sport marketable through Major League Ultimate (MLU), for example, has pushed Ultimate toward something it is not: a big-market sport.
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