Whitman Stories

As the election nears, Whitman’s virtual campus has been abuzz with voter registration events, presidential debate watch parties, guest lectures and more. Whitman College faculty, students, staff and alumni have incorporated crucial voter education, activism and involvement into their busy schedules. In 2016, the last presidential election year, nearly 74 percent of eligible Whitman students voted according to campus voting data from the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education.

"Our moment of crisis, which should be both welcomed and deepened, calls for the rendering of judgment on the following question: will the majority of the country allow an anti-constitutional minority, empowered by an anti-democratic constitution, to rule in perpetuity?"

“Disgust likely evolved to keep us away from sources of pathogens,” said Tom Armstrong, assistant professor of psychology at Whitman College in Washington State. “Creepy crawly insects could be repellent because they tend to live in dark, damp places where bacteria thrive. Some may be human parasites, whereas others could transmit disease. While worms or maggots in food may not be harmful in themselves, they could indicate that food has been compromised by pathogens.”

In response to the global and national events of 2020, Whitman has selected "Race, Violence, and Health" as its first academic theme to help students navigate trying and transformative times.

Pahlke writes that most children today know very little about the history of women’s rights in the U.S., including the suffrage movement or the fact that a woman has never served as president or vice president.

Whitman’s decision to hold fall semester via remote learning left some students feeling FOMO (the fear of missing out) about what is popularly referred to as the “freshman experience.” First years can usually look forward to the fall as a period for self-growth, forging friendships and other experiences while on an exciting new campus. 

His 2019 book “The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez" has garnered several awards, which now include the Washington Center for the Book 2020 Washington State Book Award for biography/memoir.

Amid a global pandemic, Steve McConnell ’85, a software engineer and data scientist, was frustrated with his inability to understand what was going on. He encountered what he saw as biased and unreliable data.

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education recently announced that it will be investigating Princeton University for possible misrepresentations in its reports of adherence to federal non-discrimination law because its president publicly recognized that historic racism has been embedded in the institution over time.

From writing letters to pen pals at Washington Odd Fellows Home through the Adopt-A-Grandparent program to recording children’s books in Spanish through the Storytime Project, Whitties are continuing the tradition of community engagement despite distance learning.

Whitman College invites interested students to submit academic information and financial data before they apply, so they can see how much money in scholarships and financial aid they'll be awarded if admitted. This option is especially useful for students considering applying early decision.

She notes that the shift toward college students studying at home due to COVID-19 challenges traditional definitions of adulthood. "The criteria might change. There might be less emphasis on geographic independence to be an adult."