Whitman Stories

What is an ally? Who decides? And at what point does allyship become more about the status of being “in” with an affinity group then it does about using your privilege to elevate and protect it? Is the concept of “allyship” itself broken and harmful to those wanting to build coalitions that will advance a more equitable society? These were just some of the many questions that students, staff and faculty at Whitman College grappled with during the 2020 Power & Privilege Symposium on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020.

Blagov provided his perspective on the psychology underpinning public reaction to celebrity Jameela Jamil's statements on her sexual orientation and the question of not feeling "queer enough."

Whitman College students received recognition for their work in costume, scenic and make-up design, scholarly work and playwriting in February at the Region 7 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). Associate Professor and Director of Theater Daniel Schindler also was awarded the Kennedy Center Medallion in recognition of his service and commitment to the KCACTF and its values.

The award will be presented on October 1, 2020, during ceremonies hosted by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Crocker’s distinguished diplomatic service spans more than 40 years and includes serving as ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan.

On Feb. 21, 2020, Whitman Innovation Network hosted an open house to introduce the WINcubator to the college and Walla Walla community. Located in the basement of the Whitman College Technology Services building on Main and Touchet streets, the project was funded by a $25,000 grant from the Port of Walla Walla, a nonprofit dedicated to tourism and business development in the valley.

What does it mean to know a place? It’s a question that Whitman College grapples with introducing to incoming new students each year during orientation. The orientation planners work to provide programming that gives an introduction to the Walla Walla Valley and Whitman College that acknowledges and informs incoming students of the human history of the area.

As an associate professor of philosophy, Tom Davis, doesn’t often find himself diving into the world of medicine. However, recently he has experienced it twofold: as a cancer survivor and as co-author of the new book “Story by Story: Who I Am, What I Suffer.”

In an editorial in the local newspaper, she describes her many years working with families on financial aid and what everyone should know about paying for college.

The Whitman College and Walla Walla communities welcomed Angela Davis to Cordiner Hall with a standing ovation Wednesday evening, Feb. 19, 2020. As the keynote speaker for the 2020 Power & Privilege Symposium, Davis spoke broadly about systems of inequity and injustice, both in the U.S. and abroad, while also sharing her own story and her work in the prison abolitionist movement.

When Anthony Nevoso ’20 graduates from Whitman College this May, he will be the first person in his family to earn a degree. But that’s just one piece of a trajectory that will take Nevoso literally into the skies. This summer, the economics major and captain of the Whitman Blues baseball team will begin flight school, fulfilling a lifetime dream of being an airline pilot.

The Princeton Review this month released its list of 200 best value schools. Whitman is one of three schools in Washington to make the list.

The civil rights icon and scholar will deliver the keynote address for Whitman’s student-organized Power & Privilege Symposium on Feb. 19.