Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: April 2001

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

Greetings from you know where - 12D. It's not that I fly all that much; it just seems that way to people who read the Mind and Heart. Writing this newsletter is a way to redeem the time and reduce the misery when I do travel. Yesterday I awoke in San Antonio, and tomorrow I'll wake up in Washington, D.C., but last night I teased my body by letting it sleep in its own bed. Racing through three time zones in three days, including a shift to Daylight Saving Time, has my system in a more confused state than usual. Fortunately, I'm a lousy sleeper, which I have the ability to be in any time zone. But life awake is good. I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying the first signs of spring. March was a wonderful month at Whitworth. Our students fanned out for a well-deserved break, and even Bonnie and I were able to grab a few days of self-indulgence off the coast of Mexico with Trustee Board Chair Chuck Boppell (who just became a grandpa again, which explains where Grandma was). April is packed, so all of us at Whitworth needed to get restored. I hope those of you who celebrate Easter will experience the spiritual restoration of the risen Christ. Life is good, awake.

Academics

The Whitworth Graduate School of International Management has been selected as a semi-finalist in the nonprofit category for this year's Agora Awards. The Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce sponsors this program, which recognizes and honors entrepreneurs for their contributions to the region's economic and cultural progress. Since I'm the chamber's current board chair, this makes me look either A) good by association, or B) bad for exercising influence. The right answer is A. I didn't even know we'd been nominated. Congratulations to the WGSIM team.

Pamela Corpron Parker (English) and Steve Meyer (Philosophy) have each received $15,000 grants from the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities to direct research projects over the next three years. Pam's will look at the influence of faith on 19th-century women writers, and Steve will continue his work on the argument for design in creation. Both have planned their research to be collaborative with faculty members from other institutions. Notably, of the three grants that the CCCU made available to its nearly 100 member schools, two went to Whitworth faculty.

Our Theatre Department's spring production of the Italian comedy Servant of Two Masters delighted audiences during its four-day run. Leading actors included Andrew Ware Lewis (the servant), Zachary Brown, Colin Hesse, Chris Irvine, Julie Kurtz, Lauren Luksic, Julia Marsh and Jan Pettersson. The play was an updated version by Tom Cone of an original work by Carlo Goldoni. Directed by Rick Hornor, '70, this story of romance, disguised identities, and deliberately overdrawn characters was Whitworth's first shot at commedia dell'arte. Great fun, and I don't think I've ever seen a more energetic performance. I wouldn't be surprised if the 50-60 cups of coffee Andrew downs each morning gave him a little boost.

The latest Faculty Scholarship Forum was offered by Keith Wyma (Philosophy) on "The Puzzle of Intentional Action and Weakness of Will," or why people do things that they don't want to do and that they know are wrong. I hated to miss that presentation. I have chatted with Keith about some of the fascinating work he has done on the weakness of the will, a subject that I have studied from a social-psychological perspective. These forums, supported by alumni Dave and Carol Myers (Dave is also one of our trustees), have been great.

Frank Caccavo (Biology) has been awarded a $33,330 Murdock Life Sciences Grant for a research project that studies the use of bacteria to fight toxic waste (The Ecology of Bioaugmentation with Metal-reducing Bacteria). This grant will involve undergraduate student research over two summers in examining how bacteria can be used to help clean up toxic waste in soil.

Enrollment

If you know students who hope to attend Whitworth this fall as freshmen, please be aware that the May 1 deposit deadline is fast approaching. Because we already have so many "deposited" students, it is very likely that students who submit their deposits after May 1 will be wait-listed. Freshman applications are up 45 percent, and transfer applications are up 27 percent. We're happy for that, and I hope the tumbling economy doesn't damage too badly our families' ability to afford Whitworth. We're grateful that generous friends of the college are helping us provide financial aid through their gifts, but it's still a huge challenge for students and for us.

The fourth annual Faculty Scholarship Competition was held on campus in March.Approximately 100 senior honors students from high schools in 10 states participated. The applicants spent time with Whitworth faculty and students in small groups, gave individual presentations, and took part in essay-writing, debates, and problem-solving. I love working with these students. So many teachers and parents can take pride in the excellent work they're doing with high schoolers. The Faculty Scholarship winners this year were Heather Stout, from Central Valley High School in Veradale, Wash., and Josh Rodland, from Snohomish High School in Snohomish, Wash.

The Financial Aid Office is beginning to send out 2001-02 awards to current students.Generally, the award notices will be going to students' on-campus mailboxes. The renewal priority deadline for filing the FAFSA form is May 1, so families still have time to meet this deadline. Please call (509) 777-3215 or e-mail finaid@whitworth.edu if you have questions or concerns.

Sneak Preview for high school juniors and their parents will take place May 6-7. I really like this event. Juniors getting their first look at college life go through excitement, anxiety and wonder within an hour of hitting campus. I, of course, go through exactly the same emotions as I picture these students arriving in fall 2002.

Student Life

Most of student life at Whitworth is rich and good. But some elements are not. A couple of days ago one of our African-American students got pulled over by the police and was treated very unfairly. Last night at a special meeting of the Black Student Union, it surfaced that all of the black male students in attendance had been stopped by police, and none had received a citation. "Profiling" is shameful, and it is depressingly common in our "land of the free." Pray for our students - all of our students. As a Christian institution, we are resolved to be an exemplar of racial equality and sensitivity. But at times, I'm sure we are not. The other large, but usually hidden, battle in the lives of a significant number of our students is the use of Internet pornography. We are looking at a series of ways to help students escape and avoid this degrading evil. As a community we are engaged in a very positive discussion of whether Internet filters should be one part of the support we provide. We've learned a great deal and will soon make decisions about appropriate measures to support students in their efforts to live well.

March was consumed with hiring student leaders for next year. Among the many students serving next year in ASWC coordinator positions are Sara Hornor and Josh Smart in intramural sports; Tristan Brown as senior class coordinator; Maren Anderson as SERVE Coordinator (again); Stacey Johnson as campus activities coordinator; Alexis Stuart as special events coordinator; and, finally, Andy Hall as outdoor rec. coordinator. Around 45 RAs and ministry coordinators will be serving the residence halls next year, along with 10 health coordinators, 10 cultural diversity advocates and one residence hall president for each building. ASWC elections for executive positions will take place this month.

Resources

Spring Phonathoners are back at the touch pads, punching in your phone numbers to reach their goal of $225,000 in pledges to The Whitworth Fund. They're getting close. Thanks for talking to these dedicated students. Thanks even more for your generosity. We really need your help in order to provide financial support for some of the same students who call you. (Speaking of support, I'm now back from Washington, D.C., where two nights ago some Chamber of Commerce folks and I had dinner with Senators Murray and Cantwell and Congressman Nethercutt. It is clear that our energy-cost hikes will not go down soon. Again, thanks for your financial help with this challenge.)

At last, we're moving dirt around. We have started construction of the new residence hall on the east side of campus. The contractor is working on the footings, and if all goes well we're hoping that it will be finished sometime in the fall.

Both the Financial Aid Office and the Athletics Department staffs have worked closely with our award-winning web team to redesign their presence on the Whitworth site.Please check out both sites. These new pages are available at the following locations: www.whitworth.edu/athletics and www.whitworth.edu/administration/financialaid.

We've selected the architectural firm to design the $6.5-million classroom building that will be the centerpiece of our $50-million Faith in the Future capital campaign.Spokane's 3E Design Group will work with Sasaki and Associates, a Boston-based firm with a national reputation for designing academic facilities.

Athletics

The Whitworth men's swim team gets better every year. This year the guys finished 11th at the NCAA national championships, the team's highest-ever NCAA finish. Juniors Brent Rice and Troy Schuknecht earned All-America status, while sophomore Ryan Freeman and freshman Kevin Wang were honorable mention All-Americans. Rice (carrying on his family's amazing swimming dominance) finished fourth in the 400 I.M., setting a new Whitworth record, and fifth in the 200 I.M. Schuknecht was 6th in the 100 breaststroke and 8th in the 200 breaststroke. Freeman came in 9th in the 100 backstroke, breaking his own school record in the event. Wang finished 7th in the 1,650 freestyle and became the first Whitworth swimmer ever to beat 16 minutes in that event. Senior Erin Kay competed valiantly at the women's meet, but did not place.

Women's tennis has won five straight matches to improve to 8-4. They recently went 3-0 during a Spring Break trip to California, defeating Dominican College, Mills College and San Francisco State. Senior Amy Austin has played extremely well at No. 3 singles and has teamed with sophomore Jill Huibregtse to form a tough No. 1 doubles duo. Sophomore Addi Norman is 10-2 this season at No. 6 singles.

The men's tennis team, at 6-6 this season, has already improved on last year's 5-11 mark. Seniors Mark Rice and Matt Lemberg have been solid at the top of the singles ladder and have formed an excellent doubles team.

How about the Buc boys of summer? The Whitworth baseball team is in first place in the NWC and off to its best conference start since 1991. The Pirates are 6-1 in the conference - not a bad start for a team that was picked to finish last in the pre-season NWC coaches' poll. Seniors Matt Squires and Matt Neill have been throwing aspirin tablets, each earning important wins the last two weekends, and freshman Josh Taylor and sophomore Marques Molett lead the team in hitting.

The Whitworth softball team continues to struggle against veteran teams. One piece of exciting softball news is the upcoming dedication of the team's beautiful venue, Diana Marks Field. A long-time coach at Whitworth, Marks pioneered women's intercollegiate athletics in the Northwest. It is appropriate that Whitworth's first athletics field dedicated to a women's sport be named in her honor.

The track and field teams look like they've picked up where they left off last season.The men are looking for their first NWC title since 1972, while the women will contend for their first-ever conference championship. Senior Annie Scott broke a decade-old team record in the 10,000 meters at a meet two weekends ago, qualifying provisionally for nationals. The teams' first scoring meet is this weekend at Boppell Track, where they host Puget Sound, Lewis & Clark, Whitman and Eastern Oregon.

Alumni

Members of the Class of 1941 and all graduates of 1952 or before are invited to campus for reunion festivities on May 19 and 20. Contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations (800-532-4668, 509-777-3799, khabbestad@whitworth.edu) to RSVP or to get more information.

Registration packets will soon be in the mail for Summer Reunion Weekend, June 29 to July 1. This is the 50th reunion for 1951, the 45th for 1955-57, 35th for 1965-67 and 25th for 1975-77. It will be a terrific time, and I look forward to having breakfast with all of you attendees on Saturday morning. Hard to believe we're getting so old.

Come to campus Saturday, May 5 (Bloomsday weekend), and take a walk through campus. Tours will depart from the Admissions Office (in MacKay Hall) at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Then join us at 8 p.m. for the debut of a new Whitworth-commissioned piece for wind ensemble and choir by Professor Michael Young, who'll retire this spring. This concert will honor Michael's years of service to Whitworth.

The Whitworth Institute of Ministry is coming up July 16-20. WIM serves pastors, music/worship directors, lay leaders and families through worship, theological reflection, Bible study, prayer and small-group interaction. This year's institute will focus on the theme of "Making Disciples in the 21st Century" and will feature keynote speaker Robert Mitchell, Bible teacher James Edwards and Convocation leader Karen Petersen Finch, and will include special youth and teen programs, recreational opportunities and family activities. Contact Chapel Assistant Michelle Seefried at (509) 777-3275 or mpace@whitworth.edu for information. This will be a superb program.

Closing Thoughts

When I include our struggles in these newsletters, I never worry that you might think less of the quality of the Whitworth experience. Sad stuff goes on wherever there are humans, even at Whitworth. Just moments after writing my thoughts on the evils of profiling, I got up to stretch my legs and caught myself assuming that a person standing by the lavatory, who looked not at all like me, probably wasn't very smart. I should get the prize for "not smart." When I get sanctimonious, ignorance often follows. I don't want to think this way, and I don't want our students making such unjust assumptions. I fear that unfairness begets unfairness, and we need to break the cycle. Although tomorrow I will speak to Spokane's mayor about acts of blatant discrimination, it is not fair for me, or for you, to stereotype all Spokane police officers as profilers. But one thing is certain: life is particularly unfair for some of our students. I hope that we at Whitworth can help bring change. Keep us in your prayers. God's best to you all.