Earlier this week, the ASWC Oversight Committee investigated a complaint regarding negative campaigning within the junior-class Senate election for the 2015-2016 academic year. The complaint arose from another Senatorial candidate as a result of a Facebook post under the heading “Continuity.” The post read that, “unlike two other [candidate] options, I am planning on serving for both semesters, so you can be sure to get fair representation for both semesters.”

The Oversight Committee, led by senior Oversight Chair Molly Olmstead, held a lengthy two-day discussion regarding the post and determined on Thursday, April 16, that it was clear from the language used in the Facebook post that a comparison was drawn between the candidate in question and his opponents. Oversight ruled that only one of the candidate’s statements (“The two options that are running on a split ticket will not give you fair representation because they will each be serving on ASWC for only one semester.”) could be constituted as negative campaigning. Therefore, the candidate would not be disqualified from the Senate race and Oversight would not pursue an investigation.

During their discussion, Oversight also reached an explicit definition of negative campaigning. They defined it as “any explicit attack against another candidate or defining feature of another candidate’s platform… [in order to] advance the attacker’s position over another candidate’s.” In the case at hand, Oversight ruled that the specific candidate seemed to use this comparison to advocate for his own candidacy, however, the candidate did not explicitly criticize those running on split tickets.

In a statement to the student body, Olmstead reminded that negative campaigning or any other cases of unethical conduct may result in disqualification from future elections.

“Attacks that are implicit in nature, though they cannot disqualify a candidate on the basis of negative campaigning, may still be held to the standard of ethical conduct within an election. The Oversight Committee rules that the particular comment in question is not unethical conduct,” wrote Olmstead.

The junior class senators for the 2015-2016 school year will be: Dana Casterella/Tom Howe, Mitch Cutter, Gordon Kochman, and Teagan Coleman.

**The investigation into the suspension of the Whitman Debate Team is ongoing. The Pioneer will report more information as it becomes available.

Following the recent cancellation of the Policy Debate Team season, President George Bridges wrote in an email today that the college would be suspending all Debate Team activities for a minimum of two years. The decision came after multiple years of Title IX complaints and other “problematic behaviors” by team members and coaches during travel to competitions. Despite multiple investigations into the prevailing culture within the Debate Team on behalf of the college, according to Bridges, the persistent nature of the problems necessitated a “forceful intervention.”

“A culture on the team appears to have developed over many years in which sexual misconduct and the prohibited purchasing and use of alcohol has become a prevailing norm,” said Bridges in his email to the college.

According to the email, new allegations of policy violations were brought to the attention of Dean of Students, Chuck Cleveland, and Associate Dean of Students, Juli Dunn. Cleveland, Dunn and Provost Pat Spencer conducted investigated these accusations leading Spencer to cancel the scheduled nationals trip for two members.

In his email, Bridges expressed his sincere disappointment at the members and coaches of the Debate Team for, what he called, their flagrant disregard for team rules. The college will now issue an independent review which at the end will determine the future funding and fielding of a Whitman debate team.

In the meantime, Whitman will be:

1. Suspending all Debate Team activity immediately. We expect this suspension will continue for a minimum of 2 years

2. Suspending the summer Whitman National Debate Institute (WNDI) indefinitely

3. Taking personnel action in cases where staff members were implicated in the team’s violations

4. Planning to conduct an independent review of national collegiate debate programs and culture in an effort to determine whether it is possible for Whitman to continue to compete in debate in a manner consistent with our values and behavioral expectations for our teams and coaches.  This review will seek to identify debate programs at schools similar to Whitman (but where egregious misconduct is not present) and to identify and describe the structures, policies and practices at those institutions inhibiting these problems from occurring.

“It’s important to understand that our expectations for the Debate Team are no different than those we place on our intercollegiate athletic teams,” concluded Bridges. “While deeply regrettable, the pervasive nature of the problems with debate warrant the steps outlined above. The actions I have described seek to address the problems within Whitman Debate thoughtfully, effectively and as promptly as possible.”

It is time Whitman students stop small-scale, apathetic protesting. In the last four years, there have been multiple student-led protests against perceived administrative faults or injustices. Each begins with primarily justifiable reasons, each riles up the majority of the student body, but each ends two weeks later. It’s these types of short, angry flare-ups that leave me frustrated, both by the lack of visible change on campus and the pattern of ineffective protesting. Too many Whitman protests are quick and uneven, making it easier for administrators and other students to tune out and silence important issues while diminishing the credibility of all student protesting.

Students have the ability to enact real change on campus, so it’s important to continue to have student voices heard. Too often, however, the public conversation ends with the protest. Look at the protests surrounding our mascot, The Missionaries. Every few years, a group of students take on the issue of changing our mascot to a less “colonial” and “genocidal” one, yet our mascot remains the same and the debate surrounding it has become a campus-wide punch line.

Many times the conversation ends because students don’t fully understand the issue or feel uncomfortable voicing their opinion. They may fear they will look ignorant or be met with the dreaded label of having too much “white privilege.” We as student activists can prevent this. We need to listen to those voices that perhaps don’t fully understand the protest at hand and not meet them with anger or annoyance, but with understanding and compassion. Not every Whitman student understands what it’s like to live without privilege, but every Whitman student is willing to try to understand if given the opportunity.

Other times protests at Whitman end because of student apathy. Many protests on campus don’t concern the majority of campus, so students lack the wherewithal to keep the pressure going when the elaborate demonstrations start to fade. I believe that this is because many of the student protests on campus have revolved around what the Whitman Administration should or should not be doing. There has only been one notable example in four years — the racism rallies in the fall 2013 semester — that instead asked the student body to reflect on their own assumptions and beliefs. Throughout the fall, students held multiple teach-ins around campus and advocated canceling classes during the annual Power and Privilege Symposium to increase attendance. As a result, the conversation surrounding racism and privilege on campus has continued and there were multiple institutions put in place to keep it from dying.

These all-campus and student-driven efforts prevent all-campus apathy. The Whitman Administration is an elaborate bureaucracy, and it takes them years to make noticeable change. Yet through student-led efforts, we can be the change we want to see on campus. The administration can botch multiple Title IX investigations, but it’s the students that can prevent an investigation from ever needing to happen in the first place. It’s time for Whitman students to ask not what Whitman can do for them but what they can do for Whitman. Let’s pick a cause that challenges us, not the higher ups, to make a difference.

In April of 1968, students at Columbia University occupied multiple university buildings after students discovered links between Columbia’s institutional apparatus and the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, as well as their concern over the construction of a segregated gymnasium in the nearby Morningside Park. For two months the students protested, even as 30 students were suspended by the administration and as protesters were met with violent clashes with the local police.  In the end, however, the student protesters achieved their stated goals: Columbia disaffiliated with the Institute for Defense Analytics and they scrapped the controversial gym plans.

The Columbia University protests illustrate how student protests can have a positive effect on university politics. They had large and passionate numbers and they did not give up when times became hard. It’s important for Whitman students to stand up for what they believe in; many of the issues that have been raised through student protests are issues that the college and its administration should be addressing. But it’s also important to ask ourselves how the student body can be a mechanism of change. We need to organize, to plan and to execute a protest so that it does not become one in a long list of other grievances or part of a joke. Protests are about sustained discontent, and just like the Columbia University students, Whitman students should advocate for change in a manner that inspires a real difference on campus.

Dear Student Body:

We give up. After nine months of listening to protests, staying up way too late on Production Night, responding to angry emails from frat presidents, falling asleep at ASWC senates and solely subsisting on Oreos, chips and baby carrots, we have decided to dissolve the Whitman College Pioneer effective immediately.

This isn’t to say that we haven’t had a good run. We have! We have fond memories of publishing our first Circuit, investigating real issues on campus, defending our credibility to the entire campus, seeing the student body — including ourselves — use our paper as wrapping paper or kindling. Those times bring tears to our eyes, and not for the reasons you may think. But if we’ve learned anything from our Whitman education, it’s to quit while we’re ahead. Just think of this as our final gift to the college.

It’s been real, Whitman; it’s been fun. Let’s be honest though, it hasn’t been real fun for either of us for a long time. But look on the bright side: We take up nine percent of the ASWC budget. That’s nine percent that can go to other clubs now! If your club wants to become the next student organization everyone complains about their student fees funding, now’s your chance (looking at you, blue moon).

So when you’re feeling blue because you no longer have something to recycle, just remember it was us, not you. But really it was just you.

See you never,

Aleida Fernandez

First-and-Last-Publisher

Emily Lin-Jones

Eternally Bitter Editor-in-Chief

On Monday, March 16, Provost and Dean of Faculty Pat Spencer notified students, staff and faculty via email that the Whitman College Policy Debate Team’s 2014-2015 season would be canceled. The cancellation follows a policy violation regarding alcohol consumption while on tournament travel. Spencer was made aware of the violation the previous week by Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland and Associate Dean Juli Dunn.

“Student safety is our utmost priority. In fact, members of the College’s debate teams and its coaches agree to adhere to strict standards of conduct. Violations of College or team policies can lead to sanctions,” wrote Spencer in his email.

The cancellation of this year’s season is unrelated to last year’s Title IX violation but does follow last year’s tumultuous season which included the resignation of longtime coach, Jim Hanson. In his email, Spencer promised that his office would work together with members of the College community to decide upon the future of the debate teams. However, there is no time frame for when an ultimate decision would be made.

“Discussions are ongoing and there is no timeline for decision-making,” said Spencer in an email interview.

If you have questions or concerns regarding the College’s Debate programs, please connect with Pat Spencer directly at spencerp@whitman.edu or via phone at (509) 527-5397. Please note that this action does not impact the Parliamentary Debate team or its competitions at present.

In late elementary school and throughout middle school I participated in a local summer theater program. For five summers I was cast in various roles (the femme fatale, the sassy older sister, the help) that, at the time, didn’t mean anything to me. I was just happy to have a speaking part.

I tell this story because as I got older, I realized that it wasn’t just a fluke that I happened to play very similar — and perhaps a little too mature — roles when I was younger.  Growing up, I realized that Latina women were also typecast in almost oppressively one-dimensional stereotypes on television. Look at Eva Longoria who portrayed a conniving Latina homemaker who used her looks to advance her agenda in “Desperate Housewives.” Or look at Sofia Vergara who plays the overly emotional, overly loud and overly crazy Gloria on “Modern Family.” Turn on Lifetime’s “Devious Maids” for 10 minutes to see the silent-but-sexualized maid trope. Even Santana on “Glee,” Fox’s hour-long PSA against harmful stereotypes, falls victim to these cliches.

It was with these years-long expectations and grievances that I turned on the CW’s new show, “Jane the Virgin.” The show follows Jane Villanuevas who, like the title suggests, is a virgin who is accidentally inseminated with her boss’s baby. Comedy, romance and drama ensue as Jane comes to terms with her pregnancy, her Catholic guilt and her torn romantic feelings for her old boyfriend and her baby daddy. Puerto Rican-American actress Gina Rodriguez plays Jane, and the show — which features an almost exclusively Hispanic main cast — highlights a Latina family in a light that hasn’t really been seen before on TV.

As a Latina, it’s refreshing to see a Latina portray something other than a caricature. Jane is determined, bubbly, observant and kind. She knows how to work hard and how to hustle when necessary. Jane is a woman who is deeply rooted in her origins but conflicted by her desire to establish herself as different from her mother. Jane reminds me not only of myself but also of many other girls because she grapples with issues that any young woman can relate to: boys, a desire for independence, a responsibility to her family, religion, growing up. The only reason why I feel compelled to write about her is because it’s such an anomaly that such a multidimensional character on TV happens to be Latina.

Watching such a complex Hispanic character has gotten me thinking about the kind of Latinas that we as a society want to see on TV. Journalist Tanisha Ramirez explained in the Huffington Post that “the problem [with television] is that this idea of the curvy, sexy and sultry Latina … traps our culture … ignoring the values, ethics, and traditions that contribute to [their] sense of culture and community.” Jane, however, is the Latina that unfortunately goes often unseen in television. Jane embraces her culture but in a way that reminds me of any second-generation Latina. As Jaime Camil, who plays Jane’s father, said in a recent interview, “The house doesn’t need to have piñatas hanging from the ceiling.” Jane shines by living in a tangible real life.

I know that the show isn’t perfect. Sure, they say one too many “Ay’s” in their quest to be relatable. And yes, some classic stereotypes still pervade (the trap of religion and the virgin/whore complex are ones that especially annoy me). Yet overall, “Jane” is moving in the right direction. The show gives us examples of some ways Latina life can play out without claiming to be the definitive universality. It’s fast-paced, clever and full of dramatic twists and turns that give the actors and its leading Latina lady seldom-seen opportunities to excel.

When Rodriguez unexpectedly won a Golden Globe for her role as Jane, she said, “This award is so much more than myself. It represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes.” It is my hope that as the demographics of the United States are rapidly changing and Latinos soon replace whites as the majority, we will have more of these complicated and nuanced heroes on TV. I choose to believe that “Jane” is just the beginning.

David Sedaris spoke to a nearly sold-out crowd on Nov. 19 in Cordiner Auditorium. Sedaris was brought in by Main Street Studios in cooperation with Northwest Public Radio and Barnes and Noble.

Sedaris read three essays about his family, his height, and people who insist on pronouncing foreign words like natives. A North Carolina native who now lives in England, Sedaris poked fun at himself and living in a foreign country.

At the end of his lecture, Sedaris plugged This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett. Sedaris praised Patchett’s writing and storytelling.

“I’m not upset that I can’t write like her,” said Sedaris. “I’m just happy that someone out there can write like her. It doesn’t have to be me.”

Sedaris also spoke about the Love Hope Strength organization that helps pair bone marrow matches. Sedaris is a spokesperson for the organization and encouraged all those who could donate, to do so.

Sedaris is one of the many artists coming to town via Main Street Studios. For more information, please check the Main Street Studios events calendar.

Audience members mill around the foyer of Cordiner Auditorium before a reading by essayist David Sedaris on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Photo by Halley McCormick.

Last night, Main Street Studios presented Acoustic Night featuring Tim Atlas, Haley Heyndericks and Walla Walla’s own Kory Nagler. All proceeds from the night went to the Artist Residency, a new program created by Walla Walla Center for the Arts and Main Street Studios.

“We just want to let [the artists] do what they do best,” said Alisa Gilbert, Vice President of Talent Relations at Main Street Studios, “whatever that may be.”

Singer Tim Atlas is Main Street Studio’s first resident artist. From San Jose, Calif Atlas became intrigued by the moving and romanticized songwriting of Bon Iver and the blues guitar playing of John Mayer. His rising success resulted in a record collaboration with producer Jesse Barrera in 2013. As well as a singer, Atlas is also a producer.

As a part of the Artist Residency, Atlas worked with other musicians around the Walla Walla area to fine tune their work. Currently, Atlas is working on his new album.

Acoustic Night is one of the many events that Main Street Studios puts on throughout the year.

New president Kathleen Murray shakes hand with the Chair of the Board of Trustees Brad McMurchie at her announcement earlier today. Photo by Annabelle Marcovici.

Earlier today, Dr. Kathleen Murray was announced as Whitman College’ s 14^th president.  Murray is currently the Provost and Dean of Faculty at Macalaster College in Minnesota. Murray received her Bachelor of Music degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1979. She went on to receive her Master of Music in piano performance Bowling Green State University in 1982 and her Doctor of Music in piano performance and pedagogy from Northwestern University in 1989.

Murray has been at Macalaster for seven years, where she acted as president in the fall semester of 2013 during the president’s sabbatical. Before arriving at Macalaster, Murray spent a few years as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Birmingham Southern College in Alabama but spent the bulk of her career at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisc. At Lawrence, Murray was Associate Professor of Music and Piano Department chair.

Murray will begin her presidency in July 2015, but first, she sat down with The Pioneer for a first interview:

To begin, tell us a little bit about yourself.

I grew up in Davenport, Iowa right on the Mississippi River. I’m the youngest of five children with four older brothers. and they taught me persistence and confidence along the way. I went to a small liberal arts college as an undergraduate, but my training is all in piano.

[Before I went to college], I didn’t know what a liberal arts college was so I can’t say that I was intentional in my choice. My parents never went to college so they were very supportive, but we were flying blind. I walked onto the campus at Illinois Wesleyan University in Central Illinois, and I just thought, “I can maybe fly by.” I had low confidence, but I thought maybe I could survive, I could manage. It turned out to be the perfect choice for me. While I was a music major, all of my liberal arts courses were with students majoring in [other] fields. I really only understood what that meant when I got my first job at Lawrence and understood that [a full liberal arts education] was really right for students.

What attracted you to pursue leadership roles within the colleges?

I don’t think any of us starting off our academic career imagine becoming provosts or deans or presidents. So in my case, it happened quite by chance.

I was on a sabbatical and living in Amsterdam, having a great time. Somehow the president of Lawrence found me and said that the Dean of the Conservatory had resigned and it was too late to mount a search for a replacement and would I be interested in being the interim Dean? It was kind of the middle of my career so I thought it would be fun to do for a year. It’s only a year! Well, that search failed so they ultimately asked me to stay in the position and end their search.

[In my position as Dean] I really did start to love thinking about the broader issues of the institution. In another serendipitous moment, the person who was the Dean of the Faculty [at Lawrence] went on to become the president of Macalaster.  When they made the presidential transition at Lawrence, I left and went to Birmingham for a few years until I was invited to apply to Macalaster where I’ve been for the last seven years. Now, it just seems like the right moment to think about the biggest picture of the whole institution.

Why did you want to apply for the presidency of Whitman?

I was here in 2009 to help Tim Kaufman-Osborne think about the structure of the provost office when he took over as provost. I have to say, I became smitten with the college then – even though I was in meetings all day. I was also really impressed with the faculty. About a year ago, I said, I can’t imagine [President] George [Bridges] is ready to retire, but I did really love Whitman and thought about it every so often.

So when [the position of the presidency] did come open, I started digging a little bit more. Two members of the Board of Trustees came to Minnesota and visited with me about the position. They were so clearly passionate about this place… and that’s pretty infectious when that happens.

[During the search] I got to know the college a little bit better… they sent a box this big of documentation for me to read, and I read through all of it. During the second round of interviews [which were in Seattle] I spent a day here incognito, just exploring the campus and the town. I just became more and more engaged as time went on. Now [Whitman] feels like a really good fit.

How will your previous experience at Macalaster help you in this new role?

They’re both really exceptional liberal arts colleges so I understand that kind of liberal arts culture. What will be different here is that each college has their own campus culture and ethos. I need to understand Whitman’s better than I do now. I think knowing the liberal arts world – and working closely with the faculty, as I do now at Macalaster – will also help.

One thing I don’t get to do is work closely with the students as I really want to. That’s a piece that I’ve really missed a lot. It’s exciting to get back in touch with students.

How will you get back in touch with the students?

I think being a presence on campus is important. [That means] going to sporting events, concerts, guest lecturers, etc. I think there are all kinds of ways, but I think the students should guide it in terms of what would be meaningful to them with my presence.

What will your transition to Whitman look like?

I will admit [my partner, Bridget, and I] haven’t spent too much time thinking about that in the week since I was confirmed. President Bridges was incredibly gracious this morning when he told me I could come back any time, but I still want to be sensitive to the fact that he is still Whitman’s president. And I still have a job to do in Minnesota.

I do think we will be back occasionally for meetings and to get to know people better. The official move will happen in July. I would like to spend the summer and the beginning of the fall listening to all the people on campus I can find. I want to learn everything about this place. We do need to move fairly quickly into a strategic planning process, but we can’t do that until I understand the community a little bit better than I do.

President Bridge’s big project was his Now Is the Time campaign. What is your big project for Whitman?

It will be this strategic plan [I referred to].

The normal sequence on campuses these days is that a campus has a planning process that informs the principal goals for fundraising and then you have a campaign to raise that money. Then you spend some time thanking the donors because they’ve done great things for the institution but at the same time you launch the next planning process. What are the principal, strategic objectives to move this college to the next phase? That process has to be really true to the community and that’s the piece I really want to make sure we get right. It will result in good things as long as the process gets set up well.

Photo by Marcovici

Dr. Kathleen Murray has been named Whitman College’s 14^th president. Murray is the former Provost and Dean of Faculty at Macalaster College in Minnesota. Murray was selected from a nationwide search of about 100 candidates.

The search committee, which was composed of staff members, faculty members and students, recommended Murray to the Board of Trustees after a seven-month search. Current president George Bridges announced his resignation last spring.

“We had this amazing pool of applicants, but you get one president. We were fortunate that one person really stood out,” said Chair of the Board of Trustees, Brad McMurchie of Murray. “[Murray] combined distinction in academy with a rich history of leadership roles at liberal arts institutions. [She] displayed an intelligence, a warmth, and a wisdom that outshined above the rest. [Murrary] displayed a vision to advance Whitman to new heights.”

In her statement to the college, Murray said that she is committed to working with the community to help shape the future of the school.

“I told the search committee that if I had the privilege of becoming the 14th president of Whitman College, I would work with the community to shape the vision for the next pivotal faze of the college’s history. I told them it would be hard work and that we wouldn’t always agree, but the opportunity to change students lives… is the most important and rewarding work I can imagine doing in my professional life, and I can’t wait to start engaging in that work with you,” said Murray.

Murray will begin her presidency in July 2015.

There will be an informal reception with Murray at Reid Ballroom today from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

To hear what Murray has to say about the liberal arts, Whitman and her vision for the college’s future, click here for her interview with the The Pioneer.

Correction: In a previous version of this article, it stated that Murray’s presidency would begin in July 2014. It will actually begin in July 2015.