Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: April 2002

An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson

Each year a certain joy visits Whitworth as springtime records its first few victories over the stubborn presence of winter. This year our joy was pierced. Two days before Spring Break, Cameron Gray, a sophomore from Austin, Texas, was struck by a car as she crossed a nearby street; she died within hours of the accident. Separating for Spring Break was difficult as we all carried a deep sense of unfinished mourning. The day our community reunited marked the beginning of Holy Week. It would be a week in which we'd draw comfort from the Man of Sorrows, strength from the resurrected Lion of Judah, and consolation from the remarkable life of Cameron Gray. Cameron arrived at Whitworth with the intelligence level of, maybe, Rhode Island. During her senior year in high school, she and her mother sat in our living room and mused about the differences between her final two college choices: Johns Hopkins and Whitworth. She settled on Whitworth, feeling it provided a better opportunity for her to grow as a person. And grow she did. After witnessing the rise of this diminutive young woman we felt both empty and inspired when she departed. We all cling to Cameron's deep faith in the resurrected Christ, but my greatest consolation comes from the words expressed by the person who brought this wonderful young woman into the world. On the morning of Cameron's death, her mother was able to whisper, "Somehow I know that God loves Cameron even more than I do, and I know she is now with him." We will miss this dear child of God.

Academics

I thought it would be interesting this month for you to catch a glimpse of a few faculty members' recent endeavors:

Susan Mabry (Math/Computer Science) just returned from the National Science Foundation where she served on a review panel for a grant competition. She was the only reviewer from a private liberal arts college on the 16-member panel. This experience provided a good deal of insight into how grants are reviewed and how to develop stronger proposals.
Forrest Baird (Philosophy) spent his sabbatical revising the fourth edition of his book series, Philosophic Classics. He focused on "the basics of teaching" and was able to visit and speak with professors of ancient philosophy at a number of colleges and universities. He ended his sabbatical by leading a Jan Term study tour to Athens.
Betty Williams (Education) just received official confirmation through Rep. George Nethercutt's office that the Spokane Guild's School will be awarded a $500,000 federal-appropriations bill for research on best practices for serving infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. The program will begin in May 2002. Because Betty facilitated the strategic planning that led to this funding and helped draft the original application, she has been asked to provide direction for the project. She'll do a great job.
Barbara Sanders (Education) has been honored with an appointment to the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Board of Examiners for a three-year term. NCATE is the professional body that reviews and accredits the teacher preparation programs in the U.S.
Ken Pecka, '80 (Instructional Resources), has received an in-kind grant from the SMARTer Kids Foundation that will allow Whitworth to purchase NEC portable projectors at a substantial discount below the regular school pricing. The value of the grant is $42,525.
Rick Hornor, '70 (Academic Affairs/Theatre), has been invited by Kristin Pilgrim, director of education at Spokane's Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, to conduct workshops this month for the museum's docents.
Karen Stevens (Chemistry) returned from sabbatical having written several articles for publication in both educational and research journals in chemistry. One of the articles discussed teaching pedagogy in chemistry. (My mother needed this when she gave me my first, and only, chemistry set and I tried to blow up our garage.) Two other articles were based on Karen's current research.
Mike Ingram (Communications Studies) used his sabbatical time to do research in the area of civility and ethics, leading to his attendance at the National Communication Association Ethics Conference and revisions to a number of his courses.

Enrollment

Our family doesn't have a great track record for remembering to get the mail every day (or two, or three...), but we have a 12th grader trying to decide on a college. (I know what you're thinking and it's too painful for me to talk about, but our older daughter and son went to Whitworth, and to quote from a horrible song performed by a human named Meat Loaf, "Two out of three ain't bad.") So this is the time of year when all of us dash to the mailbox to get financial-aid news. Whitworth's Financial Aid Office has sent out awards to all new freshmen and transfer students who applied by the priority deadline of March 1. If you are a student planning to start at Whitworth this fall, and if you filed the FAFSA form by the deadline and have not yet heard from our Financial Aid Office staff, give them a call at 1-800-533-4668.

Whitworth's fifth annual Faculty Scholarship Competition program is on campus this weekend. Prospective freshmen who have been admitted with honors will have the opportunity to compete for two four-year, full-tuition scholarships. Students will interact with Whitworth faculty and make juried presentations. On the less competitive side, they will also attend the annual Hawaiian Club Luau and come to our house for a reception.

Student Life

Political scrambling at Whitworth is in full swing. ASWC has been consumed with this since Spring Break, as next year's executive and residence-hall elected positions are currently being voted upon. All other student-leader positions are already hired, and the whole group of new student leaders will be meeting on April 20 for leadership training.

April rocks at Whitworth. Outdoor Rec will sponsor rock-climbing every Wednesday afternoon. Students will also have the opportunity to head downtown to see the Broadway presentation of The Music Man and then rock the night away at the annual spring formal, A Night in the Orient. April will end with Springfest, ASWC's carnival-like celebration featuring professional bands and comedians, lots of food, inflatable games and activity booths. All proceeds from Springfest this year will go to the Second Harvest Food Bank.

This month I'm hosting two more living-room conversations with students. Next week we will talk about how to create a warmer, more affirming environment for those who feel like outsiders at Whitworth. Toward the end of the month we will talk about students' intellectual life at Whitworth. In last month's discussion on being a Christian at Whitworth, one of the recurring themes was how hurtful it is when we withhold compassion toward a person because he or she does not share our spiritual convictions. I hope the example of Christ's far-reaching love can become the lens through which we see all people, even those who aren't members of our particular groups. In that spirit, kudos to the many students who will be acting as facilitators for Spokane's Congress on Race Relations at the end of the month.

Resources

Whitworth's most important resource is its people. I'm regularly amazed by the talent and dedication of the folks who carry out the mission of this institution. I thought you might be interested in two human resource items. Later this week I'm hosting a living-room conversation for some faculty and staff around the subject of women's career mobility in higher education and at Whitworth College. Actually, Whitworth has done a very good job numerically in expanding the presence of women on the faculty and in administration (for example, three of our four vice-presidents are women). But we need to make sure that when folks crack through the glass ceiling we give them a microphone that works. So I look forward to this gathering. Related to all of this is the information that next month our human resources director, Alice Mewbourn, is retiring. She'll be the first member of the president's cabinet to leave since 1997. Alice has been so helpful to so many people in so many ways. Her departure will be a great loss to Whitworth, and we wish her all the best.

Athletics

Last Saturday, I got a great workout being a fan. I dashed from track to baseball to tennis to softball to track to tennis to baseball to track to home. I was whipped, but I felt better than the Lewis & Clark baseball players as Whitworth racked up 43 runs against them in three games. The Bucs are headed for another run at the Northwest Conference pennant. Despite an overall record of 11-11, Whitworth is 7-2 in the NWC and tied for first place, coming off a weekend sweep of LC. Transfer Kurt Reese has been spectacular on the mound, going 3-1 in five starts with a 2.37 earned run average. Senior catcher Brian Savery is having another outstanding season, batting .384 with 22 RBI. Freshman infielder Daniel Gebbers is leading the team at the plate, batting .395.

Whitworth softball has shown improvement this season despite the team's youth. Of the 16 players on the roster, 12 are freshmen. Four of those freshmen are batting over .400 so far this season. Aubri Azzarito and Andraya Robertson are both hitting .426, while Carrie Edwards and Lacey Thompson are batting .400. It was fun to watch them play. They're going to get good.

Whitworth's track-and-field teams are hoping to repeat as Northwest Conference champions in 2002. The Pirate men continue to be led by senior Ryosuke (Leo) Suzuki, who is just scary fast. The two-time defending NWC champion in the 400 has the conference's fastest time this year as well. Jessica Austin currently has the country's second-fastest time in the steeplechase, Abby Jo Hornstein earned a provisional qualifying score of 4,074 points in the heptathlon, and Kristen Shields has posted a time of 12.37 in the 100. Whitworth hosts the NWC Championships April 26-27 at Boppell Track in the Pine Bowl. I look forward to seeing track alumni at breakfast before the conference meet on Saturday, April 27. Call us at 800-532-4668 or 509-777-3799 to make reservations for the breakfast. Coach Toby Schwarz will tell how the program has risen so sharply. Also giving brief remarks will be Chuck Boppell (who is finding out about giving those remarks as he reads this), benefactor of Boppell Track and chair of our board of trustees.

The tennis teams are looking to peak for the NWC tournament, which we'll host in Yakima on April 19-20. Jill Vaughan is 6-3 in singles matches this season and has paired with Jill Huibregtse to post a record of 4-5 against some very formidable competition at no. 1 doubles. The men's doubles team of Edwin Rivera and Justin Glaser is 4-3 this season.

The swim teams concluded great seasons well. Freshman Serena Fadel scored 32 points all by herself at the NCAA Division III Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, becoming the highest-placing Whitworth woman ever at the meet when she placed 5th in the 200 breaststroke (2:22.31). She also finished 8th in the 400 individual medley and 10th in the 200 individual medley. And for the men, sophomore Kevin Wang became Whitworth's first individual NCAA champion in any sport when he won the 400 individual medley at the Men's NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. His time of 3:55.99 shattered the old Whitworth record and was within 1.5 seconds of the NCAA Division III national record. His performance highlighted an outstanding meet by the Whitworth men, who finished 10th overall with 136 points. Senior Brent Rice concluded his outstanding career with two more NCAA All-America finishes - a third in the 200 individual medley and a sixth in the 400 I.M. He retires as a six-time NCAA All-American. Junior Ryan Freeman earned Whitworth's other All-America award when he finished fifth in the 100 backstroke and added an 11th place in the 200 back.

Alumni

Thirty-one alumni, parents and friends of Whitworth enjoyed eight incredible days during Spring Break on the Core 650 Tour to China with Forrest Baird (Philosophy).Alumni Director Tad Wisenor writes, "Visits to important historical sites were enriched by Forrest's lectures on Eastern philosophy and Chinese history. The group spent six nights in Beijing, where we visited the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, and two in Xi'an, where we saw the terra cotta warriors." Similar educational programs are offered annually for Whitworthians, so look for announcements of future programs.

For information on the following events, please contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at 800-532-4668, 509-777-3799, or alumni@whitworth.edu. You can register for most events online at www.whitworth.edu/calendar/alumnicalendar.htm.

Plan to run back to campus on April 27 for a track-and-field reunion. Visit with fellow athletes, hear from Head Coach Toby Schwarz, and watch the Pirates compete in the NWC track-and-field meet at Boppell Track. Whitworth's 1959 Evergreen Conference Champions will be there, and all former tracksters are invited to attend. Breakfast begins at 9, and the cost is $7. Reservations are required.

Plan now to join us on Saturday night, May 4, in the HUB for a chance to carbo-load for Bloomsday and connect with other alumni and friends. Enjoy a pasta buffet and entertainment for just $7.

The Class of 1942 will be joined by other alumni in the 50+ Club for a luncheon celebration on Saturday, May 18, on campus in the HUB. This will be a wonderful time to honor the graduates and share memories.

The classes of 1950-54, 1961-62, 1971-72 and 1981-82 are all holding special era reunions this summer. Registration materials should have arrived already, so if you haven't seen them, please let us know.

Closing Thoughts

Can there be a more resilient population than college students? Papers, tests, and deadlines pull, while youthful optimism and a caring community push. Students' vitality helps us all to see life beyond death. And we do. But a catastrophe of the proportion of Cameron Gray's death can leave some of its victims in utter ruin. Last Thursday I witnessed a miraculous effort to reclaim one of those victims. At 3 that afternoon I stood in a small circle held together by abject pain and overflowing grace. Cameron's family had asked to meet with the driver of the vehicle that brought her life to an end. Tears flowed as a heartbroken young man searched for words to express his regret and sorrow. On the night of the accident, he was actually on his way home from training as a volunteer firefighter and he simply did not see Cameron crossing a dark corner. In a split second, his life became one of unimaginable torment. But last Thursday afternoon, Cameron's family literally held him in love and support and forgiveness as they prayed for his full restoration. Their benediction on Cameron's life was a commission of overwhelming grace. And, as they quietly explained, their source of strength was the amazing grace that they themselves had experienced. There is a balm in Gilead.