Thursday, June 13, 2024

Our campus is known for its towering trees, lush lawns and winding waterways. While the overall aesthetic is undeniably beautiful, the landscaping at Whitman does not purposely incorporate native plants or reflect the cultural heritage of the Indigenous peoples who have called the region home for thousands of years.

Quinn Miller ’24 (pictured), who graduated last month with a Biology and Hispanic Studies double major, is changing that.

Working with Heidi Dobson, the Spencer F. Baird Professor of Biology, and Amy Molitor, Senior Lecturer of Environmental Studies, in an independent study, Miller designed a course that would allow students to not only learn about landscapes holistically, but also develop projects for specific locations on the Whitman campus. Dobson and Molitor co-taught the course that Miller designed, Campus Landscape: A Living Laboratory, in Spring 2024.

“I was excited to create a course that could change what our landscape looks like,” Miller says. “I knew this was a class that I would want to take and my friends would want to take.”

Read the full article in the Spring 2024 Whitman Magazine.

Assistant Professor of Classics Daniel C. Smith has co-authored an article in the latest volume of the journal Near Eastern Archaeology. In the piece, Smith and his colleague detail how they created the first system of braille representation for Coptic, the primary language of Late Ancient Egypt. The article discusses the steps taken to form, test and finalize a Coptic braille system and what was learned from the use of this new representational mode in Smith’s translation process. The piece provides guidance to other institutions wishing to ensure access to ancient language texts for blind and low-vision students while pointing toward future work to make the study of the ancient world more inclusive.

Whitman Dance Department is inviting you to The Get Down Volume 3 this Saturday, June 15. The dance battle is happening downtown at the newly renovated Heritage Square from 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Whitman faculty and students are producing this event, which is also being funded in large part through the college. For more information see attached flyer or watch last year’s highlight video.

The Outdoor Program Rental Shop is currently open Monday–Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Tuesday/Thursday from 2–4 p.m. Find everything you need for a short adventure or a weeklong expedition. The Rental Shop has paddle boards, camping gear, backpacking gear, kayaks, rafts and canoes, plus retail merchandise including buff neck gaiters, Nalgene water bottles, headlamps, bike tubes, bike locks, other bike accessories, crazy creek camp chairs and more.

The Outdoor Program Bike Shop, now located next to the Recycling Center in the alley between the interest houses, is currently open Monday and Wednesday from 2–4 p.m. You can work on your own bike or drop off your bike to have it serviced by a mechanic. Questions? Email James Long at long2@whitman.edu. 

The Climbing Center is currently open Monday–Thursday from 6:30–9:30 p.m. Whitman faculty, staff and students can climb at no charge. Guests are also welcome and will pay an entrance fee.

Congratulations to the following faculty and staff members who received awards at the End of the Year Faculty Reception (pictured, from left): Zahi Zalloua, The Suzanne L. Martin Award for Excellence in Mentoring; Pat Spencer, The George Ball Award for Excellence in Advising; Richele Heilbrun, The Sally A. Hooker Award for Excellence in Staff Support for Teaching; Arielle Cooley, Faculty Award for Service to the Alumni Association; Rosie Mueller, The Robert Y. Fluno Award for Distinguished Teaching in Social Sciences; Jonathan Collins, The A.E. Lange Award for Distinguished Science Teaching; Mark Hendricks, The G. Thomas Edwards Award for Excellence in the Integration of Teaching and Scholarship; and (not pictured) Aarón Aguilar-Ramírez, The Thomas D. Howells Award for Distinguished Teaching in Humanities and Arts.

7 p.m.

The Get Down Volume 3

Heritage Square

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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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