Skip to Main Content
Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Vol. CLV, Issue 3
Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Students Demand Sexual Misconduct Prevention at Trustee Meeting

Students Demand Sexual Misconduct Prevention at Trustee Meeting

Sarah Cornett, Editor-in-Chief April 29, 2016

Editors note: this article was updated on May 5 to reflect developments since last Friday's interruption. Please see the concluding section to read about these developments. “Your silence is...

ASWC Hosts Title IX Panel to Educate Students on Policy Changes

ASWC Hosts Title IX Panel to Educate Students on Policy Changes

Helen Angell May 1, 2014
Title IX is the primary federal policy that shapes how college campuses respond to cases of sexual misconduct, including rape. However, it is up to individual colleges to adopt sexual misconduct policies and investigation processes that comply with Title IX.

Mixed Reactions as Sexual Misconduct Report Goes Paperless

Sarah Cornett October 23, 2013
The familiar pink paper forms from years past, found in residence hall bathrooms, offices and other campus buildings, were removed at the start of this year. They have been replaced with small information sheets detailing the process of reporting sexual assault with the new online forms, part of Advocate, Whitman’s new data gathering system.

New grievance policy provides students an outlet

Emily Lin-Jones September 13, 2012
According to the Statement of Rights included in the Student Handbook, all students have “the right to redress grievances"—but it wasn’t until this year that they were given an official means to do so. The college has published online this year an interim grievance policy, which gives students, staff and faculty the ability to formally lodge a complaint against another member of the Whitman community.

Changes made to handling of sexual misconduct cases

Rachel Alexander September 6, 2012
The Whitman administration made significant changes in its procedures for handling sexual assault over the summer, with an emphasis on improved communication with the Walla Walla YWCA and police department. These changes were made in response to student complaints about Whitman's handling of sexual assault on campus.
Victims find sexual misconduct process ineffective

Victims find sexual misconduct process ineffective

Rachel Alexander March 1, 2012
From 2005 to 2010, there have been a total of 43 incidents of sexual assault reported on the Whitman College campus, according to Whitman's Clery crime statistics. Of these, 31 were incidents of forcible rape. It is likely that far more rapes have actually occurred over that period, because many go unreported. Some of these cases have made their way through Whitman's formal hearing process, and some have resulted in the college punishing the offender. Yet in the time that Detective Miguel Sanchez has been investigating rape and domestic violence cases for the Walla Walla Police Department, there hasn't been a single rape case from Whitman where criminal charges were filed.
Load More Stories