NEWS
Oct
27 2012
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Health Center offers free flu vaccinations for faculty, staff by Elise tinseth Staff Reporter
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n Oct. 2, Health Center staff, with funding from the Human Resources Center, gave a free flu shot clinic to all staff and faculty members in hopes to make vaccination convenient and to encourage people to stay healthy during flu season. Director of the Health Center Claudia Ness, along with other Health Center staff members, was at Cordiner Hall with vaccines ready for staff and faculty during their lunch hours. The flu shots are part of staff and faculty fringe benefits in their contracts. “The clinic is very easy, convenient. The vaccine helps ensure that I can avoid absences because of illness,” said Professor of Environmental Studies and Geology Ellen Bishop, who visited the clinic for the first time this year. The more people that get vaccinated, the less likely it is that there will be a flu outbreak. If one does happen, it will be less severe if you receive a vaccination, said Ness. “We try to do this ... to encourage them to do it, and if we have it all in one place it’s really centrally located for special faculty ... it is just truly for convenience,” said Ness. “We have done that for many years. I don’t have a crystal
Administration releases annual security report by ALLISON WORK
O
News Editor
ct. 1 marked the annual day by which colleges across the nation must publish facts about the crimes that occur on and around their campuses in an Annual Security Report. This year’s report, with data through the end of the calendar year 2011, was emailed out to students on Sept. 28. The report is often referred to as the “Clery report” and is named for a student murdered in the 1980s. The data are fairly consistent with data of years past, although there were fewer cases of both sexual misconduct and alcohol referrals for the 2011 year. The report, required for all colleges that offer federal financial aid, includes data from the past three years and is a compilation of information from the Whitman Security Department, the Dean of Students’ Office, and the Walla Walla Police Department, according to Craig McKinnon, associate director of security. “These numbers are cross-referenced to ensure no duplication of the statistics,” said McKinnon in an e-mail. “All colleges that receive federal funding are then required to post the statistics on the Department of Education’s website.” “The Clery crimes that we’re required to report on are all very serious crimes,” said Barbara Maxwell, associate dean of students for student programs and activities. “[They’re crimes] like murder and negligent homicide. So if you look across [the data], most of the categories are going to show a zero.” Because of discrepancies in ways crimes are reported on campuses around the country, Clery report data is difficult to compare from college to college. But an intent of the report is to provide good information for people looking into the college. “At its heart, the Clery is intended to provide students and employees—as well as future students and future employees—with a snapshot about safety on campus,” said Maxwell. “[It shows] security on campus and not only does it have the crime statistics, it also includes things like some of our policies.” The report data is not significantly different than from years past, and neither Maxwell nor McKinnon noticed any abnormalities in data. The report is available online and in print, and students have been notified by e-mail. According to Maxwell, part of the stipulations mandated by the Federal Government include being able to prove the information was made available to students. If an issue were to occur, Whitman would have to be able to go back and prove that they did indeed send out information. The federal government could audit the school’s procedures for several months at a time and fine the school if they were found to be non-compliant.
ball so I can’t promise that we will continue that, but I certainly will anticipate it.” Flu shots will also be available for family members of staff and faculty for $25 a dose. “ T h e charge of $25 to family members and students is actually a pretty good bargain bec a u s e m o s t p l a c es will charge you more than that, plus, you have to actually go there,” said Ness. Assistant Professor of Art History and Cultural Studies Lisa
Uddin, a new faculty me m ber at Whitman this yea r, w a s also attending the clinic for the first time. “[The clinic was] convenient. I don’t have to figure out which pharmacy to go to. It’s nice, especially if you’re new to town like me,” said Uddin. Va c c i n a t io n s for students are not included in the clinic, but, along with other care, flu shots are available to anyone on campus at the Health Center for $25 a vaccine. “I really want to encourage everybody on campus to get a flu shot because it really does make a difference in your ILLUSTRATION BY RAIBLE ability to minimize the
flu when you get it or make the whole thing go away,” said Ness. According to Ness, there are few reasons to not get vaccinated for the flu, some of which are allergies to eggs or preservatives, or if you have had an allergic reaction to a vaccination in the past. Besides the shot, there are other safety measures that can be taken to prevent the spread of the flu. “I encourage handwashing, handwashing and more handwashing,” said Ness. “[What] I would encourage [for] students, especially in residence halls and if you are living with more than a couple people is to clean the door knobs, faucets, cell phones, things that you are touching over and over and over.”
Corrections to Issue 6 In “ASWC undergoes major overhaul” on Page 1 of Issue 4, it was incorrectly reported that ASWC elections were until recently closed to much of the student body. It should have been reported that although many nominations have historically been made from within the Executive Council, other students have always had the option of petitioning to be put on the ballot by collecting student signatures. Recent changes have made applications for appointed positions open to all students.
NUMBERS IN THE NEWS by emily lin-jones News Editor
68,966
Ballots turned in by early voters nationwide as of Oct. 12, 2012. SOURCE: elections.gmu.edu
3,763,242
Active registered voters in the state of Washington as of Sept. 19, 2012. SOURCE: sos.wa.gov
79.7
Approximate percentage of voting-eligible population in Washington that is registered to vote.
SOURCE: sos.wa.gov
392
Number of voter registrations submitted for the “We Like Women Political Party” in California as of Sept. 7, 2012. SOURCE: SOS.CA.GOV
72.58
Percentage of voting-eligible population in California that is registered to vote. SOURCE: SOS.CA.GOV
103,004
Number of voter registrations needed to qualify a new political party for inclusion on the ballot in California. sOURCE: SOS.CA.GOV
Facebook, Twitter open channels of electronic communication between groups at Whitman from SOCIAL MEDIA, page 1
A majority of respondents were unaware that the college has a Twitter account. The Office of Communication is also looking deeper into the realm of social media. However, since their Facebook and Twitter pages mainly target alumni and students off campus, Wardwell and her team are researching to establish a guideline that will help not only communications but also the Office of Admission. “What the guideline does is help integrate communications [and] help further the brand messaging,” said Wardwell. “It enables a cross-pollination, so if coaches or faculty members, for example, are doing blogs that prospective students might be interested in, let’s make sure that the Admission Office knows in case they want to link to those on the Admission page. That’s at the heart of the guideline.” The Office of Admission has been taking advantage of the expanded influence of social media. Sadie Nott and Robert Street
are the primary admission officers in charge of the updates in the social media for Whitman’s outreach to prospective students. The two are also tasked with increasing the awareness of so-
“My goal with Facebook is to continue engaging both people who know us and people who don’t.” Ruth Wardwell
cial media beyond Whitman. Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Tony Cabasco understands that in future application years, social media will be just another method of interacting with students who may be interested in Whitman, giving them more options to receive information about the school. But the use of social media is a balance that the Office of Admission must find. “The people who aren’t on Facebook, they’re going to contact us and engage us in what-
ever means that they want,” said Cabasco. “If there are people who are in that social media space, we want to be there too and make sure that we are engaging those folks who want to be there.” Even though Whitman has generally started trending toward these new vehicles of communication, other methods of communicating with people who are associated with Whitman are important to retain. “If you run a TV ad, there are people who don’t watch TV. If you run a newspaper ad, there are people who don’t read the newspaper,” said first-year Everett Wild, who monitored his high school’s Facebook account and Twitter feed. “The more different outreach pool[s] you can get into, the better off your outreach and events and your visibility and transparency are.” The Pioneer survey suggested that Whitman could improve its communication to current students in the social media realm. Respondents said that they would
like to see updates about campus events (50.8 percent), reminders about college deadlines,such as registration (28.3 percent) and a greater variety of information in posts (32.5 percent). The net result is that most students still receive information about campus news and events from places other than the college’s social media accounts. Most respondents said that listserv emails, word-of-mouth, or signs and flyers around campus were their main sources of information. Several noted that they got information from Facebook, but generally from friends’ posts, rather than Whitman’s account. “I think it’s good that we’re exploring [social media] and students are also exploring it,” said Technology & Marketing Fellow for Student Engagement Center alumnus Kyle Scott ‘12. “I think that Whitman is experiencing that growth. In the end, it will be a good move. This is evolution and we’re going to have to evolve into new forms of talking to people.”
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ASWC MINUTES 9/30 Approved request of $780 by Nilce Alvarez to continue offering Zumba classes this year. Approved request of $4590 by The Pioneer to allow eight staff members to attend the Fall Associated Collegiate Press Conference in Chicago. Approved request of $946 by Maya Abramson to attend the Interfaith Leadership Institute Conference at UCLA. Approved request of $1702 by Ashley Hansack for three students to attend the Facing Race Conference in Baltimore.
P(whittie) P(graze) = P(happy)
Ratified four clubs pending executive approval: China at Whitman, Body Kind, Young Democrats, and South East Asian Student Association. Confirmed two new members of Nominations Committee: Aliza Whalen and Livingston Martin. Also confirmed Fernando Medina-Corey as ASWC Ombud.
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1.0 509-522-9991 Sunday 10-3:30 Monday-Saturday 10-7:30
Wilkerson lecture illuminates author’s writing process from WILKERSON, page 1
First-year student impressions were positive after reflecting on the evening with Wilkerson. “There’s no one who has the same dedication to the story, and that makes [Wilkerson] so qualified to tell it,” said first-year Sam Gelband. “She’s one of the most passionate nonfiction researchers/authors that I’ve certainly ever heard speak ... I’m really happy that with all the resources that we have; we get to fully immerse ourselves in the text by having a speaker come.” The discussion and ideas encompassing Isabel Wilkerson and “The Warmth of Other Suns” didn’t end with the lecture. A workshop Oct. 2 entitled “The Warmth of Future Work” by Noah Leavitt, assistant dean for student engagement, aimed to build upon the themes of Wilkerson’s lecture and discuss how students can take advantage of the offerings at Whitman and prepare for the subsequent world of work.
On Oct. 10, Whitman invites Mac Arnold, one of the country’s great blues musicians, to lead a master class in Chism Recital Hall. On Oct. 22, Stewart Tolnay, professor of sociology at the University of Washington, will examine the Great Migration in depth in Olin Hall 130. Wilkerson incorporated Tolnay’s extensive sociologic knowledge of the migration into her book. To wrap up her lecture, Wilkerson left the audience with the implication of a new life—whether it be escaping the injustice of the Jim Crow laws or going to college. “When people leave, they’re making this heartbreaking decision that’s going to change their lives forever,” said Wilkerson. “In some ways, when they do that it is such a perfect metaphor for any person coming to college for the first time. They’re leaving all that they have known and all the people who have raised them to go off to someplace new to re-create themselves.”
Isabel Wilkerson, author of the 2012 Summer Read Program book selection, addresses an audience of students and community members in Cordiner Oct. 2. Photo by Mellema