Friday, November 22, 2024

Many campus offices and buildings will modify operations during Thanksgiving Break. Schedules are as follows:

On Sunday, Nov. 24, Isaac Vale ’27, a Film and Media Studies major, will premiere his directorial debut “The Family” during the 18th Annual LA Skins Fest at the Los Angeles Gauman's Chinese Theater. The festival showcases distinguished original works and hosts indigenous filmmakers from around the world. Vale is a member of the Hopi Tribe, belonging to the Sun and Eagle Clan, originally from the mesas of northern Arizona, and his creative passions include music production, filmmaking and skateboarding, all of which fuel his artistic exploration.

International students staying in Walla Walla during Thanksgiving break will have fun activities to choose from:

A workout with Laura and taco feast is also on the docket. In addition, Friendship Families host many students on Thanksgiving day, and some go Black Friday shopping as well. 

Did you miss the joint presentations and Q&A webinars with Human Resources and Whitman’s benefits broker, Parker, Smith & Feek?  A recording of Thursday’s session is available by reaching out to hr@whitman.edu to request the link and password. 

There are still a few spots available in today’s staff focus group regarding campus signage and wayfinding!

If you are available to participate in a focus group via Zoom today from 1–2 p.m., please email Vice President for Communications Gina Zandy Ohnstad at ohnstagz@whitman.edu and she will send you the link. The session will be led by Selbert Perkins Design, who will ask a series of questions about your experiences and barriers getting to and navigating campus as well as questions you get from visitors.

While this opportunity is specifically for staff, there will be other opportunities for all campus groups to provide input. Stay tuned for more invitations.

Faculty and staff are invited to share their interest in serving on the Employee Relations Council (ERC). The ERC is used as a critical part of the Whitman College Grievance Process in that a subset of the ERC serves as an investigative review committee for staff grievances. At the completion of a staff-related grievance investigation, this group reviews the investigative process 1) to determine that the investigation was conducted in a thorough, reliable and impartial manner and 2) is consistent with the college's policies and procedures. ERC members must display absolute confidentiality and a commitment to integrity and due process of the proceedings, including the disclosure of any personal conflict of interest in specific cases, or other reasons that would preclude being completely objective and unprejudiced in the deliberations.  

Whitman's policy indicates that at least two positions on the ERC should be non-supervisory staff positions, two positions should be supervisory staff positions and two positions should be faculty positions. Human Resources hopes to build a robust group that has broad representation across all divisions of the College. Training for this committee occurs annually.

If you would like to be considered for this role, please let Cara Setchell, Associate Director of Human Resources, know by Wednesday, Dec. 8. She can be emailed at setchecl@whitman.edu or by phone at 509-527-5970. 

O’Donnell Visiting Educator Jason Finkleman and Wamuchii Mwangi ’24 accompany Faculty Fellow in Dance Jessica Bertram Williams’ Beginning Afro-Contemporary class on Nov. 19. Finkleman is pictured playing the berimbau and Mwangi a djembe. Finkelman was on campus Nov. 16–21 leading Improvisors Exchange Workshops and creating an original score for a new choreography by Associate Professor and Director of Dance Renée Archibald and Mallory Rubin ’24. The new work will premiere in the Studio Series at Harper Joy Theater in January.

Noon–1 p.m.

French Table

Cleveland Commons

Noon–12:50 p.m.

Movement That Matters: Yoga

Sherwood Athletic Center

2–5 p.m.

Study & Sip @ the QRC

Reid Campus Center, Queer Resource Center

5–6 p.m.

Study Break

Reid Campus Center, Room 207

5:30 p.m.

“Wicked!” Premiere

Cinemark (Meet in the Harper Joy Theatre Lobby)

7–10 p.m.

Whitman Chess Club

Reid Campus Center, Room 240

Would you like to share an event with campus? Submit the information to the Events Calendar.

Produced by the Office of Communications, Whitman Today is emailed to Whitman College staff, faculty and students each weekday during the academic year and twice a week during breaks. An archive of previous issues is available online.

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