I-Spy as a Whitman Student

Whether it’s early morning and you’re sleepy-eyed and headed to your first class or you’ve just had lunch at Jewett Café and you’re headed to the library to study, your walk across campus will be full of things to see.

The first thing you’ll notice is other students on their way to class. Many of them will have headphones in, tote bags over their shoulders and water bottles covered with stickers. I like seeing cool outfits and trying to spot the people from warmer areas: you’ll be able to tell they’re not used to the weather yet because they’ll be all bundled up in warm coats. Some students are even more exciting to see, whizzing past you on their bikes, skateboards, scooters, or even roller skates with backpacks slung over their shoulders. 

Another thing you’ll see is animals. With the 1:1 student-to-tree ratio, there’s usually a squirrel or a bird chattering at you or shaking the leaves on a branch. In the fall there are crickets and ladybugs, and in late spring the cutest little yellow ducklings will hatch at Lakum Duckum. And on Ankeny Field, you’ll find families from Walla Walla walking their dogs. They will usually let you pet their dog or throw the ball a couple of times. On sunny days, Ankeny is the popular spot to be. Read more about Ankeny in this blog post! 

My favorite thing about my walks on campus is my friends, of course! Most of the time I just wave to them as we pass by (because we’re both running later than we should be!) but if we’re headed in the same direction we have some time to catch up before splitting off into our classrooms.

Sometimes a brisk walk and the blue sky is enough for me to recharge before my next class, but all of these things on the Whitman campus definitely make the walk more interesting! And sometimes it’s fun to make a fool of yourself waving to a friend who’s too deep in thought to notice your frantic movements.

The ducks!

A squirrel in a tree.

Pan and their sister, carrying groceries, immediately before falling into College Creek.

Pan Deines ‘26 (they/them) is a first year student from Vashon Island, Washington who intends to major in English and minor in Creative Writing. Pan has accidentally fallen into College Creek, and they are grateful that the ducks were busy elsewhere when it happened, or else they would have never heard the end of it.