| A newsletter for alumni and friends
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Happening this week...February 2-3, 2021
Our Blues are back in action! Help our student-athletes compete at the top of their game this season with a gift during Game On! The campaign kicks off tomorrow, but you can give early today at give.whitman.edu/gameon!
Your gift will directly support Whitman varsity programs, from recruiting prospective student-athletes to enhancing equipment and gear for game day. Participate with a gift to the varsity sport of your choice or to the W Club Fund to support the department's greatest needs across all sports!
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Tuesday, February 23rd 4:00 PM PT
Dr. Alissa Cordner will discuss her research on on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, highlighting the Whitman student researchers working with her in the PFAS Project Lab.
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Wednesday, March 10th 4:00 PM PT
Alumni, students, families and friends of Whitman College are invited to screen the documentary film "Signing Black in America" with associate producers Ceil Lucas '73 and Carolyn McCaskill.
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Whitman Geology Professor Discovers Evidence of Giant Underwater Volcano
A giant volcano may be hidden beneath the waters off the southwestern coast of Alaska. The discovery is the result of years of research by scientists from across the country, including Whitman Geology Professor Kirsten Nicolaysen and her team of student researchers.
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Covid-19 Campus Dashboard
As students returned to campus during the past two weeks, they were immediately tested for Covid-19 as were all faculty and staff. If you are curious about the outcome and interested in other information about what the campus is doing to keep the Whitman community safe, visit the dashboard.
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Associate Professor of Psychology Erin Pahlke Shares Insights on How Kids Interpret Sexism in Politics
With Kamala Harris sworn in as the country's first female vice president, Associate Professor of Psychology Erin Pahlke explains how kids see sexism and racism in politics, and how to teach them to understand discrimination.
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Whitman College Commits to Being ‘All In’ on Climate Action
Whitman College President Kathleen Murray has signed the "America Is All In" statement, assuring Whitman’s commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change and pledging to partner with the Biden-Harris administration to tackle the climate crisis.
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Virtual Whitman
Missed a virtual alumni event? Recent additions to the Virtual Whitman site include An Inside Look at Forecasting the COVID-19 Pandemic and Whitman, National Security and America's Long Wars. You can find these recordings, attend a COVID-19 class, find a science experiment to try at home and more on our Virtual Whitman page. See all recordings here.
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Race, Violence and Health Events for February
Wednesday, February 10, 5 p.m. PT
Lisa Cook, Professor of Economics and International Relations at Michigan State University
“Economic and Social Dimensions of Racial Disparities: Lessons from the Past for the Present and Future”
Register for the Zoom Webinar
Tuesday, February 16, 7 p.m. PT
Safiya Umoja Noble, Professor at UCLA in the Department of Information Studies and co-founder and co-director of the UCLA Center for Critical Internet Inquiry
“Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism”
Register for the Zoom Webinar
Please check the Academic Theme site regularly; more than a dozen events are already scheduled for the next few months, with more on the way. These listings are updated with talk titles, descriptions, and Zoom links as they become available.
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Class Notes Deadline
Send in notice of career updates, publications, honors, awards, appointments or other significant life changes! How have your Whittie friends stayed connected during the pandemic? To be included in the Spring issue of the magazine (May), please use the button or email northajl@whitman.edu by Monday, February 8th.
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Athletic Schedules
Blues Basketball and Swimming continue this month, joined by Soccer and Volleyball this weekend! Baseball kicks off their season during the final weekend of February. Competition will be streamed live whenever available. See the schedule for all varsity sports in one place.
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Alumni Board Seeks Passionate Volunteers
The Alumni Association Board of Directors seeks qualified individuals who will bring diverse experiences and perspectives. The Whitman Alumni Board has a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply, particularly alumni who identify as people of color, representatives from the 1960s and 1970s and/or candidates who will contribute to increasing alumni engagement in the San Francisco Bay area.
Members are eligible to serve two, three-year terms beginning July 1. The Alumni Board typically meets on campus twice a year and virtually on a monthly basis. Each member serves on a working group aligning with and supporting strategic priorities. Attendance is required at in-person meetings and expected at local area events.
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Nominate a Whittie!
Each year, the Alumni Association recognizes alumni with outstanding achievement in their careers, communities, or through service to the college. New this year: the Trailblazer Diversity & Inclusion Award, recognizing alumni striving to light a path for others to follow. Nominate a classmate, family member or friend by March 29th. See the criteria and nomination form.
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Sad news of faculty passings
We recently received word of the passing of two esteemed faculty members. Their obituaries will appear in upcoming issues of the Whitman Magazine. If you would like to read tributes written by their colleagues, please send a request to alumni@whitman.edu.
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John Desmond
Professor of English Emeriti
February 24, 1939 - December 16, 2020
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J. Walter Weingart
Professor of History Emeriti
March 30, 1938 - January 6, 2021
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Faculty Book of the Month
Love Letters: Saving Romance in the Digital Age
Raymond and Elsie DeBurgh, Chair of Social Sciences, Michelle Janning, Professor of Sociology
Published by Routledge in 2018
Through stories, a rich review of past research, and her own survey findings, Janning uncovers how people from different age groups and genders approach their love letter “curatorial practices” in an era when digitization of communication is nearly ubiquitous.
Janning shows how our connection to the material world and our attraction to nostalgia matter in actions as seemingly small and private as saving, storing, stumbling upon or even burning a love letter.
Janning joined the Whitman College faculty in 2000. She researches, speaks and writes about relationships, parenthood, pop culture, interior design, inequalities and Scandinavian life. She earned her bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College and her master's and doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. Her last book was “The Stuff of Family Life: How Our Homes Reflect Our Lives” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017).
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Hire a Whittie!
Looking for your next rockstar employee? Hire a Whittie to help you develop, start, or finish projects on your team. Please post your internships and early career opportunities on our Handshake platform to increase visibility among students and your alumni.
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Whitman's Private LinkedIn Community is Waiting for You!
If you haven't visited the Whitman community on LinkedIn, you are missing out on an opportunity to serve as a resource for Whitties. We are looking for alumni who graduated in the 1980s and 1990s to join the community and share about how their Whitman experience prepared them for the working world. Join us today!
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Performing Artists in Whitman Connect
Join the community of current and former performing artists in Whitman Connect and share in the conversation. Not signed up in Whitman Connect? Go to: https://whitman.wisr.io/.
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February Quick Quiz
Slowly but surely, the COVID-19 vaccine is making its way around the country. Have you received your vaccine? Made your appointment? Will you get your shot as soon as you are able? Or are you opting out?
Answer here and we'll publish results this Friday on the Whitman Alumni Instagram, @whitman_alumni. Follow us for alumni features, event info and campus news.
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In January 2021, Whitman students returned to campus with excitement and strict safety protocols.
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