April 15, 2025: Chalking on Campus

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 email from President Sarah Bolton to campus regarding recent chalking on campus:

Dear members of the Whitman Community,

In the past two weeks we have seen a significant uptick in the frequency and number of chalked messages around campus, both by members of our own community and by members of the Walla Walla community. In some cases, the messages of the chalkings are in direct opposition to our values of inclusivity. Our intent is to support free expression and to be a welcoming and equitable campus where all members feel like they belong. As we all know, bringing together these two ideals can be challenging, and it is in this instance. We do not wish to engage in viewpoint discrimination. In addition,  we cannot clearly distinguish between messages written by members of the Whitman College community and those outside of it, and it is not feasible for our staff to proactively review each of the many messages rapidly appearing all over campus to assess which may be of significant concern to individuals or communities.  For all of these reasons, we have asked Facilities Services to routinely clean sidewalk and other surfaces and regularly remove chalkings around campus for the remainder of the semester, regardless of the content of the chalked messages or who has created them. 

This shift in practice does not prohibit the use of chalking as a form of expression on campus. People are free and welcome to chalk. However, we cannot guarantee that chalked messages will remain for extended periods of time.

I acknowledge that this approach is likely imperfect and may raise concerns for those who have used chalking as a primary means of communication as well as those who might wish to see certain messages stay while others are removed. As we look forward to next year, we may engage in some additional discussion with the community about how best to meet the dual goals of free expression and a fully welcoming and equitable community that is free of harassment, in the context of anonymous public messaging such as chalking, which becomes an impactful part of the living and working landscape of everyone on campus. 

As a reminder, chalking on vertical surfaces (other than chalkboards) is never allowed. Chalkings that publicly target individual members of the community by name are also not allowed as they could be considered intimidation or harassment, depending on the context.

Every member of the Whitman Community has the right to feel safe and welcome on campus and we all share the responsibility for maintaining a campus atmosphere that encourages open discourse and freedom of expression while also being conducive to teaching, studying, learning and working. I am grateful to all those thinking through these complex issues, and look forward to our continued work together and to celebrating the accomplishments of our students, faculty and staff as the semester draws to a close.

Sincerely,

Sarah Bolton