Whitman Today
 

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Inclusive Excellence Year-End Celebrations

Feature by: Dr. John Johnson, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence

A crowd shot of people applauding at the 2023 Inclusive Excellence Awards ceremony.

Lavender Graduation
Wednesday, May 8 at 3 p.m. - Reid Campus Center Young Ballroom

Lavender Graduation is a special moment where we come together to recognize the resilience, diversity and contributions of our LGBTQIA2S+ graduates. This community celebration provides students with a chance to reflect on their accomplishments and offers a venue where all of us can show support for the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Whether you are a graduate, faculty member, staff member, ally, friend or family member, your presence will help make this celebration unforgettable. Mark your calendars and prepare for an evening filled with unity, reflection and joy! 

For event planning purposes, please RSVP by Friday, April 26. Questions? Email the Division of Inclusive Excellence at diversity@whitman.edu.

Inclusive Excellence Awards and Recognition Ceremony
Thursday, May 9 at 5 p.m. - Reid Campus Center Young Ballroom

Please join us for the second annual Inclusive Excellence Awards program. There are numerous folks in our community who, with or without recognition, and in large and small ways, work to move us closer to inclusive excellence. At this powerful ceremony, we will recognize a number of students, staff and faculty who made meaningful contributions to inclusive excellence at Whitman. Awards will be presented for Inclusive Excellence in Teaching, as well as Inclusive Excellence in Leadership and in Service. Detailed information about each of the awards can be found here. We hope you will attend the ceremony and celebrate those individuals and organizations that help us win with culture and make Whitman a place where people not only feel included and welcomed, but also a place that makes us proud. We will also announce the recipients of the David Nord Award, Class of 1986 Award, and Nasir Khan Award at this event.

Questions? Email the Division of Inclusive Excellence at diversity@whitman.edu.

Intercultural Excellence Stole Ceremony
Friday, May 17 at 5 p.m. - Reid Campus Center Young Ballroom

The Intercultural Excellence Stole Ceremony is a special pre-Commencement event that provides space for graduating students to celebrate their commitment, achievement and culture. It is a ceremony where students acknowledge their cultural wealth and come together with their fellow graduates, families and friends to reflect on their Whitman experience, the beauty of the journey and the obstacles overcome along the way. The Intercultural Excellence Stole Ceremony is a tribute to the rich communities and supportive networks that sustained many of our graduates as they navigated the Whitman environment. Seniors who take part in this optional ceremony will be bestowed with a stole symbolizing their cultural heritage. Join us in celebrating this group of remarkable graduating seniors!

Graduating seniors interested in participating in the ceremony can register using this form. Questions? Please contact Intercultural Center Director Tebraie Banda-Johns at bandajot@whitman.edu.

Noteworthy

Seven Students Recognized for Journalism

Congratulations to the following students who recently received the Hosokawa Prize for content published in the Whitman Wire:

  • Alexa Grechishkin ’25 for On a Roll: Roller Slay Club Reclaims the Skate Park (Feature)
  • Sailor Harris ’26 for 27th Annual Wheelin’ Walla Walla Weekend Races Through Downtown (Photography)
  • Bex Heimbrock ’25 for America’s Problematic Favorite: Football (Opinion)
  • Paloma Link ’24 for Double Jeopardy: Jaahnavi Kandula’s Murder (Photography)
  • Audrey Marthin ’26 for Whit City Packs the Stands (Sports)
  • Coden Stark ’24 and Natalie Comerford ’25 for Long Road Ahead Following Downtown Gas Leak (News)
Submit a Noteworthy Announcement

Announcements

Accreditation Visit Exit Meeting Today

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) accreditation evaluation team will conclude their visit to campus today. All Whitman community members are invited to an exit meeting on Wednesday, April 17 at 10:30 a.m. in Olin Auditorium. You may also communicate directly with NWCCU via email to info@nwccu.org.

 

Bike Maintenance Class Tonight

The Outdoor Program will host a Bike Maintenance 101 class, “How To Keep Your Bike Clean and Ready To Ride,” on Wednesday, April 17 from 4–6 p.m. at the newly-relocated Bike Shop (see Photo Finish below). A second Bike Maintenance 101 class, “How To Change a Flat Tire,” will be held on Thursday, April 25 from 4–6 p.m. Sign up in advance on Compass (click on Catalog). 

 

Environmental Studies Book Talk Tonight

The Environmental Studies Program welcomes author Betsy Gaines Quammen for a talk titled “Extremism in the West: Christian Nationalism in Rural Communities” on Wednesday, April 17 at 7 p.m. in Olin Auditorium. Gaines Quammen will discuss her new book “True West,” which examines how myths of the American West can distort the realities of the present and exacerbate polarization. (Flyer attached.)

 

Learn About Human-Centered Design Tomorrow

Whitman’s Human-Centered Design concentration will hold a “Hello Coffee Drinkers” event to build community and answer questions about the program on Thursday, April 18 from 4–5 p.m. at the long table in Cleveland Commons. (Flyer attached.) Coffee and snacks will be served. Learn more about Human-Centered Design on the website and Instagram!

 

Adam Dublin Award Presentation Tomorrow

Nissa Schlossberg ’24 will deliver an Adam Dublin Award presentation titled “The De- / Re-Construction of Native Identity in Southwest Alaska” on Thursday, April 18 at 6 p.m. in Kimball Theatre. Drawing largely from the concepts of food sovereignty and nutritional colonialism, this presentation examines how food acts as an important marker of cultural identity for rural Yupik villages, and, subsequently, how centuries of colonization have disrupted their ability to control their food systems. (Flyer attached.)

Photo Finish

A map of campus with “Raft House” and “Bike Shop” identified with text and red arrows.

The Bike Shop and Raft House, both operated by the Outdoor Program, have been relocated to behind the Interest Houses and adjacent to the Recycling Center. Starting tomorrow, the Bike Shop will be open Monday–Friday from 4–6 p.m. 

Happening Today

 

10:30 a.m.

Accreditation: Exit Meeting

Olin Auditorium

11 a.m.

Webinar: It’s About Time, Part II

Olin Hall, Room 129 (RSVP)

Noon

Deutscher Tisch (German Language Table)

Cleveland Commons

Noon

Financial Planning Discussion (Staff)

Maxey Auditorium

12:10–12:50 p.m.

Movement That Matters: Stretch & Strength

Sherwood Athletic Center

1–5 p.m.

Thesis Support Time

Penrose Library

3–5 p.m.

Off-Campus Studies Open Office Hours

Memorial Building, Room 205

4 p.m.

CCEC Workshop: Resumes

Reid Campus Center, Room 240

4:30 p.m.

Microlesson: Navigating Mixedness

Reid Campus Center, Room 207

4:30 p.m.

Z-Fit!

Reid Side Lawn or Sherwood 114 (weather dependent)

5 p.m.

Whitman Women’s Lacrosse at Whitworth University

Away

7 p.m.

DISCO Film Screening: Crip Camp

Reid Campus Center, Basement

7 p.m.

Senior Recital: Andrew Hanson (Trombone)

Hall of Music, Chism Recital Hall

7 p.m.

True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America

Olin Auditorium

8–10 p.m.

Open Kayak

Harvey Pool

Whitman Events Calendar

Would you like to share an event with campus? Submit the information to the Events Calendar.

“Whitman Today” is produced by the Office of Communications and is emailed Monday through Friday to Whitman College staff, faculty and students.

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Previous issues of Whitman Today are archived on our website.

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