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WHITMAN NEWS, DELIVERED
Columnist Staten Hudson advocates the repeal of the Repatriation Act. PAGE
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Walla Walla, WA whitmanpioneer.com
VOLUME CXXVIII
March 3 2011
ISSUE
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Page 1 to whom the allegation is leveled against. We feel that we have an obligation to all students to provide them the support they need to get through difficult issues and times.” The TKEs initially declined to be interviewed for this article, preferring instead to respond to allegations in a Letter to the Editor which can be found on page seven. Ultimately, current Whitman TKE President, junior David DeVine, responded over e-mail.
by MOLLY SMITH & DEREK THURBER
Editors-in-Chief
with RACHEL ALEXANDER & JOSH GOODMAN News Editors
Several weeks ago, The Pioneer was approached by senior Dan Hart with some of the allegations described below. As a result of his coming forward, we began an investigation into his claims as well as into the policies of the administration, of TKE and of all the Greek groups in regards to initiation. This article is the first of a series based on our investigation into initiation practices across campus, including those of sports teams and student organizations. Our goal in printing this article is not to write an exposé on any fraternity’s initiation practices or to damage the reputation of Greek groups on campus. On the contrary, we have attempted to present the facts and opinions expressed to The Pioneer from all sides of this matter. We hope this article will inspire a thoughtful discussion on all the issues presented here, and we encourage you to comment on this story at whitmanpioneer.com or to submit a Letter to the Editor expressing with your thoughts.
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n Feb. 18, senior Dan Hart approached Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland as well as The Pioneer with hazing allegations against Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE). According to Hart, TKE violated Whitman’s Code of Conduct, specifically the college’s hazing policy, during the fraternity’s initiation ceremony of new members last winter. Hart, a junior at the time, underwent 16 hours of TKE initiation before making the decision to cease participation in the activities and de-initiate from the fraternity. Hart alleged that the 2010 TKE initiation included restrictions on food and sleep, verbal abuse and required clean-up work—all of which are in violation of Whitman’s hazing policy. He waited a
Allegations Leveled
The Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) house on Issacs Street, where members of the fraternity go through initiation. PHOTO BY PARRISH
Allegations of hazing levelled against TKE initiation practices Administration in the midst of investigation
year to come forward over concerns for his personal safety if he made the allegations public. According to college policy, which is found in the Student Handbook, “[hazing] is any activity of a physical or psychological nature that is degrading or humiliating to another person.” Associate Dean of Students Clare Carson said the college expanded this hazing policy in 2008, after the administration became aware of hazing incidents occurring as part of a vart-
sity sports team’s initiation process. In addition to Whitman’s hazing policy, the state of Washington has its own laws against hazing, thus students attending college in state—whether public or private—can be prosecuted under these laws separately from the policies of individual schools. In the two weeks since the allegations were first brought to Cleveland’s office, the administration has begun a formal investigation into the validity of Hart’s claims. The administration has
met with both Hart and the members of the TKE Executive Council. “The college takes all these kinds of investigations seriously and we have an obligation to investigate. That’s what we’re doing,” said Cleveland. “When students come forward with allegations, we are always concerned about their personal safety, how they are doing, what kind of support they need,” Cleveland added. “By the same token, we’re also concerned about the well-being of either the individual or the group
The last initiation activity Hart participated in, and the event that ultimately compelled him to de-initiate, took place in the TKE kitchen. According to Hart, he and his fellow initiates were instructed to prepare breakfast for the active members in accordance with TKE initiation rule number 13— provided to Hart by the TKE Hegemon—that all pledges must “make and serve breakfast”—a task made more difficult by the trash and food that had previously been smeared on the kitchen surfaces. Hart said that when the pledges cleaned up the trash, it was smeared back on the floor and kitchen surfaces; when they finished cooking the food, it was thrown against the wall. He said this went on for four hours. “It was senseless and I was terrified and I was scared by what the TKEs were doing. They were purposefully intimidating me into doing what they wanted: to clean this kitchen, which in the first place had no point other than to submit to their actions,” said Hart. Hart alleged that the TKEs employed verbal abuse to force the new members into labor similar to that in the kitchen, as well as to “dehumanize” new members in an attempt to make explicit the power dynamics between new and active members.
INITIATION,
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Media spectacles discussed in Global Studies symposium by WILL GREGG
U
Staff Reporter
prisings in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries over the past few weeks have demonstrated the importance of spectacles in the international media. With these recent events in mind, speakers gathered in Maxey Auditorium to participate in a symposium entitled “Global Media, Global Spectacle” on Sat. Feb. 26. The symposium featured a panel of Whitman students and professors as well as visiting professors, who discussed various media spectacles and the ways they inform opinions about current events. This event was part of Whitman College’s Global Studies Initiative, which brings faculty from a variety of disciplines together to discuss and engage with global issues. Salman Hameed and Shiloh Krupar listen to and address questions from the audience. Credit: Marie Von Hafften The Global Studies Initiative was first conceived at Whitman in 2005, and the first symposium was held in 2009. Thus far, symposia have been funded by a $345,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which was given for the
purpose of globalizing the college. “It’s always a challenge to keep a liberal arts education up to the moment,” said Professor of Sociology Bill Bogard, while moderating the symposium. The discussion topic--global spectacles--prompted conversation about the role that media plays in representing events worldwide. Assistant Professor of English Gaurav Majumdar said he hoped that the symposium would increase awareness of the issue among students. “[I hope for] an increased selfconsciousness about what he or she is seeing in the media and what he or she is seeing the political circus,” he said. Bogard opened the discussion by explaining the topic of spectacle. According to Bogard, events are globalized by media and become spectacles. One important consideration is for what purpose or for whom spectacle is being used. “Globalization is not necessarily a good thing,” said Bogard. “Globalization does not serve everyone equally.” The topic of spectacle was then discussed by three visiting professors: Douglas Kneller, Chair of Philosophy of Education at University of California at Los Angeles; Salman
Hameed, professor of Integrated Science and Humanities at Hampshire College in Massachusetts; and Shiloh Krupar, assistant professor of the Culture and Politics program at Georgetown University. Kellner discussed the role of spectacle in recent Middle Eastern uprisings, as well as the use of social networking sites by activists in the region. According to him, media is used by protestors to uncover police brutality and corruption as a revolutionary tool. The wide variety of its uses make media “contested terrain.” Hameed’s talk focused on the conflict between science and religion in the Islamic world. Scientific discoveries can take the form of spectacle, particularly when they are perceived to be in conflict with religious beliefs. Based on this conflict, Hameed asked “Who has the authority to interpret science?” Today, those with authority in the Arab world are mainly religious and political authorities, but according to Hameed, 60% of the Arab world is age 26 and under. “This is a population that is young, educated, and globally connected,” he said, adding that they will
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Alpha Phi approved by Whitman faculty Shannon Flood ‘11 sculpts a her tea pot for an advanced independent study. Flood was able to get clearance to enter the building during evening hours. PHOTO BY KLAG
Art space limited for non-majors by MCCAULAY SINGER-MILNES Staff Reporter
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tudio art at Whitman is both a hobby and an academic discipline, a fact that makes use of the art building and its studios a controversial issue, as some students feel they should have access to said facilities even if they are not art majors or enrolled in art classes.
The art building currently closes at 10 p.m., but is available to a select number of students via identification card swipe access. “The building closes at 10, and it is open from 7-10 for students enrolled in art classes. The building is not designed for recreational space for Whitman students, [just as] the science building is not designed for recreational science projects,” said Assistant Professor of Art Michelle Acuff.
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Seeking... This week Feature explores the search for spiritual purpose PAGE
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by RACHEL ALEXANDER News Editor
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hitman College faculty voted on Wednesday, Feb. 23 to approve Alpha Phi as Whitman’s fourth sorority. The vote was the culmination of a yearlong selection and approval process, and means that a chapter of Alpha Phi will be started at Whitman next fall. The news was met with enthusiasm by junior Heather Smith, who was
Panhellenic President last year. “I feel really fortunate that I was able to be a part of Panhellenic at such an exciting time,” she said in an e-mail. “I don’t know if the Whitman community and the Greek system fully realize how rare and exciting this is.” Smith is currently abroad, but largely directed the process of recruiting and approvi n g the addition of
Alpha Phi to Whitman’s Greek community over the past year. Current Panhellenic President sophomore Alex Woodward echoed Smith’s sentiments, and said that Panhellenic will now be able to move forward with starting the new chapter. “We were at a standstill until they voted,” she said. Whitman’s Panhellenic Extension Committee voted last April to begin the process of selecting a fourth sorority to come to campus. The decision was made to address overcrowding issues and reduce chapter sizes for the three existing sororities-Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta and Delta Gamma. “This is something that we’ve
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ALPHA PHI,
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Social Dance Club gets into the ‘swing’ of things at Winter Ball PAGE
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