BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT WHITMAN KICKS OFF WITH PRESENTATION ON CODE-SWITCHING

Tenzin Uden
Campus Life Reporter

Since 1969, the U.S. has celebrated Black History Month every February. On Feb. 2,  to celebrate the start of Black History Month, Whitman hosted guest speaker George Paasewe. Paasewe is an educator, entrepreneur, author and public speaker currently working as a Professor of Sociology and Career Development at Bryant & Stratton College in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. The presentation, held in Reid Ballroom, centered around Paasewe’s best-selling book “How Black College Students Learn Code-Switching.” 

Read the full story here.

• Students journal to record and reflect - Amelia Leach, Campus Life Reporter

• Dress up with Suite Success - Tasha Hall, Campus Life Reporter

• Contra dancing creates connections on the dance floor - Alexa Grechishkin, Campus Life Reporter

AMERICA'S PROBLEMATIC FAVORITE: FOOTBALL

Bex Heimbrock
Opinion Editor

Photo by Adrian Curiel.

This Sunday, two Black quarterbacks — Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Eagles’ Jalen Hurts — will face off at the Super Bowl for the first time in history. Hidden behind the infectious energy of Super Bowl Sunday is a legacy of racism and exploitation. Football is an uniquely American sport, yet it depends on the existence of a working and racial caste who are manipulated both as viewers and players, while also using the pain of this subjugation as a form of entertainment.

Read the full opinion article here.

• Occidental Orientalism - Kaitlin Cho, Opinion Columnist

• The rise of cannibalism culture - Chloe Hansen, Opinion Columnist

IDENTITY WITHOUT APOLOGY: WHAT I WISH I HAD KNOWN

Sneh Chachra
Feature Writer

Illustration by  M Hu.

Beauty standards are not all created equally. In white-majority spaces like Whitman, beauty standards are often heavily racialized. These standards are often incredibly time-consuming, expensive or downright impossible to achieve for those who are plus-sized or POC. Feature writer Sneh Chachra talks with several women of color on campus about their experiences learning to love and find beauty in their bodies in a Western-centric world.

Read the full feature article here.

FDA RETHINKS BLOOD DONATION RESTRICTIONS

Natalie Comerford
News Reporter

Historically, regulations around blood donation prevented bisexual and gay men from donating blood. In 2015, some rules changed to allow gay or bisexual men to donate blood if they had not had sexual contact with a man for a year. The federal government justified these policies by stressing the priority of keeping human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) out of the blood supply. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now seeking to remove the blanket ban on gay and bisexual men by focusing on individual risk assessment. 

Read the full story here.

• Marcus Whitman statue in D.C. to be replaced - Maleda Sims, News Reporter

• Walla Walla City Council debates reintroduction of plastic recycling - Katherine Ellis, News Reporter

• Walla Walla street construction update - Sebastian Squire, News Reporter

• Celebrating Black History Month at Whitman - Nazaaha Penick and Sara Marshall, News Reporter and News Editor

"MAPPING INDIA" EXHIBITION TAKES HISTORY FANATICS ON A NEW ROUTE

Sam Patterson
Campus Life Reporter

Photo by Chloe Collins.

On Jan. 31, Associate Professor of Art History Krista Gulbransen finished curating the exhibition “Mapping India” alongside a group of dedicated student researchers. The show is set to offer a compelling combination of Gulbransen’s expertise in South Asian art history and the extensive South Asian map collection of Georgetown geology professor Mark Giordano. The spectacle fills the walls of Maxey Museum with a cartographic perspective of South Asian colonialism and independence.

Read the full story here.

STUDENT HEARTBROKEN OVER BREAKUP THAT DOES NOT CONCERN HER

Grace Canny
nosy

Illustration by Amelia Ebling.

“I haven’t eaten in days; I’m losing sleep. I can’t even focus on my crocheting; I’m torn to shreds over this,” sophomore Kelsey Smith said. The thing eating her alive is something some of us occasionally fall victim to: Kelsey had developed a parasocial attachment to her favorite Whitman couple. 

Read the full humor article here.

• Are your thrift halls ethical? What to know before you cash out - Lee Thomas, Humor Writer

• Sociology senior's groundbreaking thesis gets national recognition - Carmel Stephan, Humor Writer

• Walla Walla road construction linked to Freemasons - Rachel Husband, Humor Writer

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST:
THIS WEEK ON THE "WHITMAN WIRE PODCAST"

Leo Cohen
Podcast Reporter

Illustration by Alicia Buchter.

Between Feb. 1 and the end of the semester, students, staff, faculty and alumni have the opportunity to participate in 18 different Outdoor Program trips. These OP trips range from cross country skiing to canoeing to climbing. This week, podcast reporter Leo Cohen speaks with several members of the Outdoor Program to discuss their hopes for the future of the program and immediate projects that are intended to make the outdoors more accessible to all.

New episodes of the "Whitman Wire Podcast" are released on Fridays at 11 a.m.

Tune in here.

WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING:
WIRE WATCH FEBRUARY 12-18

The “Wire Watch” keeps you up to date on all the hottest campus and community events you won't want to miss.

Read more here.

Want to be featured in our weekly “Wire Watch?” Email wire@whitman.edu.