Whitman Stories
![Sewing material](/images/whitman-stories/stories/2020/May/SewingClass-Thumbnail.jpg)
May 21, 2020
Bomber Jacket Serves as Memento, Final Project for Costuming Class
Whenever Annaliese Baker teaches costume construction in the Whitman College theater department, she rents a van and takes the whole class to JoAnn Fabric, where the students get to pick out material for their final project. But this spring, Baker was faced with the challenge of moving the entire course online over spring break in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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![A screenshot from Whitman Virtual Campus](/images/whitman-stories/stories/2020/May/Whitman-Virtual-Campus-thumbnail.jpg)
May 20, 2020
Student Government Steps Up in Big Ways to Help Peers
Working quickly behind the scenes to bring relief during the COVID-19 pandemic is the Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC). When Murray announced March 12 that the college would move to online learning after returning from spring break, ASWC President Isaiah Banta ’20 called two emergency meetings of student leaders from across campus to begin brainstorming what needs students might have — and how ASWC could fill them.
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![A portrait of Katie Krummeck](/images/whitman-stories/stories/2020/May/Katie-Krummeck-Thumbnail.jpg)
May 20, 2020
Educational Designer Katie Krummeck ’03 Creates Innovative Commencement Address
Whitman College is creating a virtual event for its 134th Commencement Ceremony. The event will include remarks from President Kathleen Murray, Board of Trustees Chair Nancy Serrurier, class speaker Maude Lustig ’20 and Katie Krummeck '03, as well as the traditional reading of names by Provost Alzada Tipton, and short video clips and photos provided by the graduates themselves.
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![A portrait of Sara Federman.](/images/whitman-stories/stories/2020/May/virtualinternships-federman_thumbnail.jpg)
May 19, 2020
Virtual Internships Help Students Stay Connected to Walla Walla
Sociology major Maraena Allen-Lewis ’20 and psychology major Sara Federman ’20 are both continuing to work for the benefit of the Walla Walla community, even from a distance. Federman is serving as the director’s intern for the Walla Walla County Department of Community Health, thanks to funding from the Whitman Internship Grant. Lewis has a yearlong Community Fellowship with United Way of the Blue Mountains.
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![portrait of Maude](/images/whitman-stories/stories/2020/May/MaudeLustig-Thumbnail.jpg)
May 19, 2020
Senior Commencement Speaker Wants to Leave Classmates with a Laugh
For Whitman College’s Class of 2020, the stress and sorrow of the COVID-19 pandemic has been no laughing matter. The last few weeks of their senior year happened online. Many of them moved out of their residence halls or off-campus houses, not even getting a chance to say a proper goodbye to the friends they’ve made over the past four years.
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![Jessica Luong works with children.](/images/whitman-stories/stories/2020/May/Jessica-Loung-Thumbnail.jpg)
May 16, 2020
Jessica Luong '20 Reflects on Community Fellowship and Impact of COVID-19
For the 2019-2020 academic year, Jessica Luong ’20, a sociology major from Honolulu, Hawaii, worked as the Healthy Eating, Active Living fellow at the city’s Department of Community Health. During the first half of the fellowship, she worked with children in area schools and introduced them to locally grown produce.
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![Wangechi Mutu piece](/images/whitman-stories/stories/2020/May/wangechi-mutu-underground-hornship-thumbnail.jpg)
May 14, 2020
Mutu Bronze Sculpture Joins College’s Collection
A new work of art is finding a home at Whitman College this spring. The community has the opportunity to learn about the new piece in a video created by the Sheehan Gallery. The piece, “Underground Hornship” by Wangechi Mutu is a bronze sculpture reminiscent of an antler shed. Th majority of the work has a black patina, with the tips a vibrant polished bronze.
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May 13, 2020
Whitman's Virtual Admitted Students Day Sees Increased Participation
More admitted students and their parents attended and actively participated in the college's first-ever virtual event than previous on-campus tours.
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May 13, 2020
Associate Professor of History Brian Dott Traces Path of Chile Pepper in China
Associate Professor of History Brian Dott, author of The Chile Pepper in China: A Cultural Biography, speak with the host of KCRW's Good Food about the chile's pre-modern journey from the Americas to a staple of Chinese cuisine.
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![Rose Heising plays the violin outside Hunter Conservatory.](/images/whitman-stories/stories/2020/May/Rose-Heising-thumbnail.jpg)
May 12, 2020
New Musical Piece by Whitman Instructor Kristin Vining Evokes Feelings of Pandemic
Composer, pianist and Whitman College music instructor Kristin Vining wrote the song, "deep calls to deep," and had each part recorded individually by Whitman students and a fellow instructor. She then edited each part together to create a musical "call and response." The song evokes feelings around the pandemic and voices calling to each other across a vast distance, Vining said. Watch the video to hear the song and read more of the story of how it came together.
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![A sign in front of the dining hall reminds students to practice social distancing.](/images/whitman-stories/stories/2020/May/200331_Pandemic-Campus-13-thumbnail.jpg)
May 11, 2020
Caring Teams Behind the Scenes Keep Campus Going
Whitman College's campus may be closed, but it is still a buzz of activity. The Physical Plant, Campus Security, Bon Appetit and Residence Life are among those teams continuing to work in-person to make sure the campus — and the students who are still living on it — are safe and cared for.
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May 11, 2020
Associate Professor of Biology Arielle Cooley Explores Genetic Mysteries of the Monkeyflower
A model developed by Alan Turing helps explain the spots on the flowers—and many other natural patterns. Cooley and fellow biologists describe the intriguing species in-depth.
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