Of Mind & Heart Newsletter: October 2001
An update from Whitworth University President Bill Robinson
My friend Tom told me that when he read the September Mind and Heart, he sighed and said, "My, it was a different world when Bill wrote this." I'm sure many of you felt the same way. Like all the campuses in our land, we were rocked to the core by the events of Sept. 11. In the face of the victims' unimaginable suffering, it feels irreverent to report on how we are doing. But it is important for you to know that Whitworth students responded to this horror with profound sadness, great compassion and generosity, and a very mature patriotism. Especially warm has been the mutual embrace among international students, U.S. students, and all community members of Middle-Eastern descent. Remarkably, there were few losses that hit the Whitworth community directly, but all of us were touched in some way. I'll refer below to several ways in which the college reacted to the attacks, but let me conclude these remarks by expressing appreciation for your prayers. We stand under the same security that King David claimed when he declared, "The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom, then, shall I be afraid?"
Academics
When Corliss Slack (History) wrote her recently published book, Crusade Charters: 1138-1270, she would not likely have predicted that we would now be in the midst of a war with those who name Islam as their faith. Her collection of 31 charters issued by crusaders departing from Northern France reveals that these warriors were not driven to battle by high religious ideals. Translated from Latin, the charters record the financial arrangements of the departing crusaders, who, Corliss concluded, were prompted largely by a complex mix of economic and political motives. The contents of these charters challenge long-held assumptions about why the Crusades were launched. Great work, Corliss!
Congratulations to trombonist Richard Strauch and cellist Roberta Bottelli (Music).Both successfully auditioned for the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. Rich and Roberta were competing against musicians from all over the country, so their accomplishments are all the more notable. Spokane is blessed with a superb symphony, and it just got better.
We've resumed our bi-weekly series of lunchtime faculty scholarship presentations,made possible by the generosity of Carol Myers and her trustee husband, David. Betty Williams (Education) gave a compelling presentation in mid-September on what we know about autism and the approaches to treating this little-understood disorder. In the second forum, I presented findings from my research on the ways in which changes in 20th-century organizations and leadership have resulted in a new set of demands upon leaders. In other words, I scoured the last hundred years looking for some glimmer of justification for going about my job the way I do.
Associate Dean Gordon Jackson has written another very helpful book, A Compact Guide to Discovering God's Will. "It's a tool-kit to help people make godly decisions," Gordon says. "As I worked with Whitworth students on academic issues and hard questions they faced in their personal lives, I began to think that if more people simply sat down and thought about some of the ideas in this book, then they could better do what God wants." The book, which addresses topics ranging from the nature of God's will to obedience to guilt, reflect a Web format, with brief topical chapters that are linked to other related sections.
In what is sure to be one of the most intellectually and emotionally compelling evenings of this academic year, we will soon be hearing from David Rawson, former U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda. Rawson's tenure included Rwanda's 1993 civil war, which led to the deaths of 800,000 people in just 100 days of brutal ethnic conflict. As Americans continue to come to terms with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, this veteran U.S. diplomat will bring Whitworth a message of Justice, Forgiveness, Peace: The Moral Challenge of Genocide at 6 p.m. Nov. 13 in the chapel. The lecture is sponsored by the Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith and Learning and Partners International, a Spokane-based nonprofit organization that supports indigenous Christian ministries around the world. Jim Waller (Psychology), a nationally recognized scholar and author on race relations and genocide, says Rawson's perspective and message are especially valuable in light of the Sept. 11 events as ordinary individuals in Spokane and around the country struggle to make sense of extraordinary evil. I've talked with Ambassador Rawson, and I was deeply impressed with his reflections on faith and politics in the face of moral chaos.
Enrollment
Immediately following the 10th day of classes each semester, Registrar Gary Whisenand presents us with a comprehensive look at our enrollment picture. There is plenty of good news this year. We have record total enrollment (2,107) and record full-time undergraduate enrollment (1,815). We are also very pleased that 85.6 percent of last year's freshmen are with us this fall as sophomores, and our six-year graduation rate has reached almost 70 percent. These numbers represent wonderful progress, but our 10th-day figures did include one disappointment: our minority student enrollment is down. That continues to be a concern to us, especially given the sustained efforts we've made in minority recruitment and retention over the past decade. This remains a high priority for me, and we'll continue to work on this issue at a number of levels across campus.
The Financial Aid Office says thank you to the students and parents who have worked diligently to finish their financial aid files. For students whose financial aid still has not been disbursed, please contact the Financial Aid Office (509-777-3215, 800-533-4668 or finaid@whitworth.edu) soon.
Great Escape, our admissions weekend for high school seniors, is coming up Nov. 11-12. This is a great program for experiencing Whitworth in action, for getting a preview of college life, and for discovering why college students are so tired so much of the time. Students can find out more information and register on-line by clicking on the Prospective Student section of our website.
Student Life
Homecoming was perfect. The weather couldn't have been better. The campus was gorgeous. Alumni, especially the Class of '91, came back in big numbers. What more can you ask for - a come-from-behind victory in the football game? Got it. Thanks to all of you for coming home.
Probably the most important event for students in October is Parents' (and families' and friends') Weekend. No matter what you may think, students love these visits; and, of course, parents do too. I know I look forward to visiting our son on his turf, as opposed to our turf, which he enters for the purpose of filling our washing machine or emptying our refrigerator. This year parents will be here Oct. 19-21. They will participate in mini-colleges with Whitworth professors, enjoy yummy food from the Sodexo people, take in a football game and attend this year's theatre production, God's Country. All registrations are due Oct. 12.
Events in October will include a relationship forum that will feature a panel of Whitworth professors and their spouses. And for those who find disagreements in marriage a bit too tame for their liking, we will host a Whitworth Night at Spokane Chiefs hockey. Students will also be engaged in service projects this month at Anna Ogden Hall and City Gate Mission. "The Weekend," a spiritual renewal retreat, will take place up at Camp Spalding on Oct. 12-14 and will feature Young Life Leadership Development Coordinator Kent McDonald. The month will end with Fall Break, when Outdoor Rec will sponsor a camping trip. Many students are also planning to take part that long weekend in a downtown Spokane conference, Beyond Bigotry: The Future of Human Rights, sponsored by The Northwest Coalition for Human Dignity. One day of the conference will focus specifically on campuses and students all over the Northwest, and the following day the material will take on a larger community focus.
Sometimes, being Whitworth is hard. Last weekend ASWC sponsored a coffeehouse in which the entertainer chose to disregard the guidelines she'd been given and was inappropriately raw in her presentation. The organizers were stunned, having heard her in another venue speak effectively of her trials with race, gender and sexual orientation. Students were divided on whether this kind of shock treatment really helps or hurts our community, although most of the ones who contacted me feel plenty exposed to this stuff without having to bring it on campus. Personally, I think there are much more effective and appropriate ways to confront our students with challenging ideas. But rather than pretend it didn't happen, we're all trying to learn from it. That's part of being Whitworth. At the moment, I'm confident of one thing we really should do and one thing we really shouldn't do. When we are caught up in disagreement, we really should express ourselves in a spirit of grace and humility. And when we get burned, we really shouldn't yield to the temptation to adopt a hunker-in-the-bunker mentality. Being in the world without being of the world is no cakewalk.
Resources
A group of Carlson Hall men from the early '80s has decided to work together to raise money for the new academic building. Though they may struggle to recall what such a building looks like, they're going to raise enough money to name one of the new classrooms. Sure, there may have been moments in their college years during which they were mildly diverted from academic pursuits, but they are dang generous now and have currently raised close to $70,000 toward their $100,000 goal. By the way, they're claiming that Mac Hall alums are too cheap to come anywhere near matching the Carlson philanthropists.
Thanks to all of you who have supported our Phonathon. You have brightened the evenings of our student callers and helped Whitworth. Students are encouraged by your generosity, which has resulted in more than $30,000 in pledges in just under two weeks. Thanks from all of our students. If you haven't been called yet, the students are looking forward to connecting with you. We hope you'll enjoy the call, regardless of whether you're able to give.
On Sunday, Nov. 4, we'll host one of our favorite events. Our annual Scholarship Dinner provides an opportunity for our scholarship donors and student recipients to meet each other. This is a joyous time with a lot of love going around the room. Many of these students would not be at Whitworth were it not for their benefactors. This year we are presenting more than 175 scholarships to deserving students. On behalf of these students, and of those of us who get to teach them, thank you to all our donors. If you would like more information about the Scholarship Dinner or how to establish a scholarship, please contact Whitworth Fund Director Jillian Bell at 509-777-4447 or 800-532-4668.
Yesterday I entered Boppell Hall for the first time. It is an amazing residence hall. It is spacious, well designed, very functional, absolutely beautiful and, best of all, occupied. Thanks again to Chuck, '65, and Karlyn, '67, Boppell. You two are in for some serious gratitude when the students get hold of you at the dedication.
Athletics
Whitworth is having a tremendous fall athletics season. Two teams are currently in first place in Northwest Conference standings. Two teams are ranked nationally and a third is right on the cusp of national ranking.
The women's volleyball team is off to its best start in 20 years. The Pirates are 13-4 overall and 6-1 in the NWC. Whitworth is ranked 13th in the nation, after reaching 7th earlier in the season. Julie Weatherred and Kristen Turner have formed a dominating one-two punch. They rank first and second in the NWC in overall hitting percentage, and Nicole Weedman leads the conference in sets per game. All the women are playing well, and they're really having a fun year.
The football team will battle for the Northwest Conference title this year. The Pirates are 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the NWC. The conference win was a huge one, a defeat of Pacific Lutheran for the first time since 1965. I got to see that game, and did I lose my optimism when we were down 26-6 in the third quarter to a team that had beaten us 33 consecutive times? Nah, never a doubt. Whitworth has not started this well since 1990, when the Bucs started 4-0 but finished 6-3. Wide receiver Dwayne Tawney is second in the nation in receptions per game (averaging almost 11). Quarterback Scott Biglin has engineered three second-half comebacks this season and has driven the Pirates to five final-minute wins in his two years as a starter. Linebacker Doug Edmonson has led a Whitworth defense that's playing great this year. And there are many more guys who are having great seasons. Go, Bucs!
The men's soccer team is also looking unbeatable. The Pirates are 9-1-1 overall, 6-0-1 in the NWC and ranked 23rd in the nation. The guys have been doing it with defense. Whitworth has given up only four goals in 11 matches, and their goals-against average ranks second in the nation. Sweeper Matt Stueckle anchors a defense that allows few good shots, and goalkeepers Doug Lupton and Ben Oakley have turned away almost all of the attempts that have reached them. The soccer Pirates have a strong chance to win their first NWC title since 1993.
Women's soccer came out of the gate a little slower, but I saw them this weekend and they looked great. The Pirates are 5-6 overall and 3-4 in the NWC, but they showed the kind of spark in their most recent games that could turn things around, beating George Fox and Pacific, both in O.T. Midfielders Heather Sale and Jessie Butte have been playing great, and Grace Grabner, also a midfielder, continues to direct the Pirate attack.
I've seen several cross-country meets this year, and the runners look very strong. The women have won three of the four meets in which they've competed. This is really impressive in light of them losing five of their top seven runners from last year. Leslie Nelson, Beth Abbey and Elizabeth Bailey have stepped up their performances from last season, and the addition of all-around athlete Jessica Austin (last spring's NWC heptathlon champion, who also plays on the women's basketball team) could make them contenders for the conference championship. The Whitworth men, led by Ben Robinson, Jesse Stevick and Adam Thornton, have also shown dramatic improvement. They have a legitimate shot at finishing in the upper third of the conference this year.
Alumni
Join alumni, parents and friends for an evening of sweet treats and cool jazz on Saturday, Nov. 10. (See more about the concert below.) Hear from director Dan Keberle and guest artist Steve Turre as you enjoy a pre-concert dessert in the HUB. For information about the dessert or the event below, contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations (509-777-3772, 800-532-4668 or atomson@whitworth.edu).
Core 650 is coming to Northern California. Enjoy an interactive lecture from Professor Ron Pyle (Communication Studies) on Nov. 3 at Community Presbyterian Church in Danville, and/or hear Ron preach the next day at Saratoga Presbyterian Church.
Tickets are now available for Saturday Night Jazz. Come hear jazz trombone virtuoso and Saturday Night Live band member Steve Turre in concert with the award-winning Whitworth College Jazz Ensemble on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m. in Cowles Auditorium. Call the Whitworth Music Office, 509-777-3280, for more information. Steve Turre will also be conducting a free clinic on Friday, Nov. 9, at 5:15 p.m. in the Whitworth Music Building band room.
Whitworth's responses to Sept. 11:
- On Sept. 11, I sent out three e-mails to the campus over the course of the day, with the objective of providing emotional/spiritual support and information. We did not cancel classes. We felt it important for students to gather in class, but to process this issue rather than conduct curricular business as usual. We had a prayer vigil at noon at which Terry McGonigal, our dean of the chapel, and I made comments and invited prayers. We supplemented our full-time counseling staff with part-time counselors and had them all positioned to support the students on campus. We set up opportunities to donate blood and we also stationed TVs in some places on campus where we felt they would be helpful. We kept the HUB open all night and had faculty members meeting spontaneously with students in the residence halls throughout the evening. At 9:45 p.m. we held a gathering in the chapel that replaced our normal Hosanna service. I'm sure that most of us ended the day by whispering prayers for the victims.
- In addition to the many classroom discussions and informal conversations between faculty and students, we hosted a very thoughtful panel presentationby several of our faculty the week after the attack. Bringing a wide range of insights were Julia Stronks (Political Science), Raja Tanas (Sociology), Kyle Usrey (School of Global Commerce and Management), Rob Wilson (Economics/Business and Political Science), and John Yoder (Politics and History). The panel covered topics ranging from the appropriate Christian response to the attacks, including thoughts on the Just War theory, to its economic implications. Ginny Whitehouse (Communication Studies) served as moderator.
- Many of us invited students into our homes for discussions. On Wednesday, Sept. 12, Bonnie and I had students over to chat. Two students were especially affected. One was a Chinese student who couldn't fathom how this could happen. The other was a student from Columbine High School who reported how hard this was for our Columbine students who lived through a different and closer terror.
- From ASWC: ASWC has done several things in response to the attacks of Sept. 11. First, we set up a kiddie pool (complete with actual goldfish) in the middle of the HUB. It was a place for students to put money to go to the Red Cross. Second, dorm presidents and members of the assembly went around the dorms to collect money. Both of these efforts were very successful, and we managed to raise $2,526.44 for the Red Cross.
Closing Thoughts
This is a longer Mind and Heart than usual. Every time I write one of these, I send it to Terry Mitchell (Publications), who promptly tells me to shave words - lots of words. This time Terry and I agreed that the extra words were merited. I'll close this long letter by citing two e-mails I received after the attack. One came 15 minutes after I sent my first message on the morning of the 11th. It said simply, "Thank you. I was waiting to hear from you." The other e-mail was from a student who said, "I have found that despite the media's showing of images of hate crimes against Arabs (or those who appear to be Arabs), the Whitworth community has been very positive. I commend students and faculty on their comments and actions. The message has been plain: 'Don't condemn an entire race, just forgive the perpetrators.' I am particularly sensitive about this because I am of Arab descent." Both of these messages lift high the privilege and responsibility of our calling to Whitworth College. Whitworth is needed more than ever. I can get shaken pretty easily by terrorism and a tumbling economy. But God is faithful, our strength and our redeemer. Whitworth is going to be fine. As I wrote in a recent note to our trustees: I don't think Chicken Little majored in history. The sky didn't fall any of the other times this country or this college faced serious threat. A strong mission and great people seem to prevail over time. We at Whitworth are trying to get out in front of the challenges, but we are not preoccupied with worst-case scenarios. We believe in our cause and in our people. In Dale Soden's book, The Reverend Mark Matthews, he quotes William Jennings Bryan's opening remarks to the 1896 Democratic National Convention in Chicago: "The humblest citizen in all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of error. I come to speak to you in defense of a cause as holy as the cause of liberty - the cause of humanity." Whitworth plays a very important role in advancing the cause of liberty, the cause of humanity and the cause of Christ. Thank you for your very important role in Whitworth's mission.
