Wednesday, March 30, 2022

With Ramadan (the most sacred time in Islam) less than a week away, a cohort of students from Whitman’s Muslim Student Association (MSA) traveled to the Islamic Center of the Tri-Cities (ICTC) for prayer and meetings with leaders from the mosque. ICTC serves Muslims from close to 30 countries, which mirrors the international diversity present within Whitman’s Muslim community. The students were warmly received and encouraged to return to participate in the many offerings of the mosque, especially during Ramadan.

Whitman’s Muslim community has never been stronger with over 30 students on the MSA list, many of whom will be observing the month-long Ramadan fast that will begin at the end of the week. Those observing the fast consume their morning meal (suhur) before the sun rises, and they are to abstain from food and water until they break their fast with a meal (iftar) at sunset. Ramadan is a time of important religious obligation, but also a time for charity and celebration of family and friends within the community. Learn more about Ramadan here.

Most Muslims at Whitman come from places where Ramadan is central in the lives of everyone they know. It can be uniquely challenging to navigate this important time when surrounded by others who aren’t aware of their experience. The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life invites all of Whitman to seek ways to support these students and raise the visibility of an important part of our community. Ramadan Mubarak (Blessed Ramadan), Muslim Whitties!

Updates to COVID-19 Booster Availability

This week the FDA and CDC have approved an additional (second) booster dose of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for people aged 50 and over if it has been more than four months since their last dose. They also approved a third booster dose for immunocompromised individuals. 

As noted by NBC News, "The speed with which the two agencies cleared the additional vaccine doses indicates their concern about the spread of the extremely contagious omicron subvariant, known as BA.2. The subvariant accounts for about 55 percent of the new cases in the country, according to the latest data from the CDC."

Local Booster Availability

Due to reduced demand for the COVID-19 vaccine, the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health is adjusting their vaccine clinic schedule. Beginning today, vaccine clinics at the Providence Southgate campus will take place on Wednesdays only. Clinics on the first Wednesday of the month will run 11 a.m.–1 p.m; all others are slated to operate 3 p.m.–5 p.m.

The library is here to help you with your thesis, no matter where you are in the process! Staff can help with citations, final research needs and starting to format your thesis for submission (required if you’re receiving honors). The library will have thesis drop-in hours from 1 p.m. –5 p.m. every Friday throughout April. Come find staff in the library cafe at the bottom of the stairs on the first floor. At the end of April, they will be hosting a workshop to show you how to format and prepare your honors thesis for submission (more information to come). Check out the thesis guide for more information, and if you want one-on-one time or Fridays don’t work, you can make an appointment with library staff.

WEB invites the Whitman community to Kimball Theater tomorrow at 7 p.m. for a screening of "Quo Vadis, Aida?", an Academy Award nominee for Best International Feature.

Movie synopsis: Aida is a translator for the UN in the small town of Srebrenica. When the Serbian army takes over the town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp. As an insider to the negotiations Aida has access to crucial information that she needs to interpret. What is on the horizon for her family and people: rescue or death? Which move should she take?

In accordance with Washington state Labor & Industries employer requirements, we are notifying the campus community that in the past 24 hours, a person with Whitman access was confirmed positive for COVID-19. This person is now in isolation in accordance with our campus and CDC guidelines. Though the likelihood of transmission is low due to our campus COVID-19 protocols, it is possible that others may have been exposed to COVID-19. There is nothing you need to do at this time aside from following our campus COVID-19 protocols. Anyone identified through the contact tracing process as a close contact (within 6 ft. for at least 15 minutes over 24 hours) will be personally notified. 

Have an event you'd like to share 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. All times are listed in Pacific Daylight Time. 

Submissions are welcome! If you have a professional or personal accomplishment to celebrate, an event to publicize or other content to share with the Whitman community, email whitmantoday@whitman.edu. Submissions should be 125 words or less. The deadline for submissions is noon for the following day's newsletter, though submissions may be held for a later date according to space and editorial needs. By submitting to Whitman Today you also authorize use on Whitman's social media unless otherwise specified.

Previous issues of Whitman Today are archived on our website.