Mind & Heart Newsletter: December 2015
An update from Whitworth University President Beck A. Taylor
I woke up on Tuesday, Nov. 17, knowing that it could be a long day. As I prepared to meet with Whitworth's staff that morning for our monthly coffee time, I periodically checked the latest from the National Weather Service. The previous evening, the NWS had issued a severe-wind warning for Spokane for Tuesday. The language they used made me nervous. Phrases like "certain wind event" and "worst storm in 10 years" are enough to get anyone's attention, especially after the damage Spokane sustained in August 2014, during another "storm of the century." As we concluded our time together, I told the staff to be ready to respond if things got as bad as predicted.
Later that morning, I guest-lectured in Leadership Studies Professor Jack Burns' class, but I must admit that the students got only about half of my attention: I was focused on the storm brewing outside. At 11 a.m. I spoke with Communications Director Nancy Hines, who had attended a meeting that morning hosted by Spokane County and various emergency-response officials. Nancy reported that these folks advised employers to send their workforces home for the day. Our first tree fell in The Loop as I hung up the phone with her. Only later did I watch video of that same tree coming within 10 feet of hitting a faculty member who was walking to the HUB.
I ordered our emergency-response plan into action. Text messages and audible warnings were sent to every student and employee to shelter in place. A few minutes later I advised all non-essential employees and off-campus students to head home. From my office, I watched two more trees fall in The Loop as cars frantically exited campus. An hour later, half of the campus and five residence halls lost power as lines were taken down by falling trees on Hawthorne Road. By 5 p.m., I estimated we had already lost 40-50 trees on campus with no signs of the storm letting up. From our command post in the facilities services conference room, we could hear the wind howling and feel the occasional sickening thud as another tree came down somewhere in the dark.
The winds had subsided enough by 11 p.m. for our facilities and grounds crews to begin surveying the damage. But it wasn't until sunrise that we got our first real look at the devastation. Having grown up in the South, I know the destruction tornadoes and hurricanes can wreak. That was the kind of damage I saw as I walked around campus early Wednesday. Dozens of the iconic Ponderosa pines that have graced our campus for more than a century were heaped on top of one another like matchsticks, or were leaning against buildings. We lost more than 90 trees, and Cowles Memorial Library, Hawthorne Hall, and the Lindaman Center took direct hits. For the first time in my presidency, I cancelled classes, and we began the clean-up. Power was restored to campus late Wednesday night, after we'd moved 600 students to warmer dorms, not wanting them to spend another powerless, cold night in dark residence halls. Many off-campus students were still without power a week later when students departed for Thanksgiving Break. Public officials are calling this storm and its destruction the worst Spokane has experienced since the 1996 ice storm that brought about an early end to the fall semester at Whitworth.
Throughout the storm and its aftermath, a Bible story I learned in childhood kept coming to mind. As Jesus and his disciples crossed the stormy sea, Jesus reminded his friends, and us, of two important things: First, he reminded us that he is sovereign over all of creation. The winds and rain are his. God is in control. Second, Jesus never promises that the winds won't blow and wreak havoc in our lives. He does promise to be present with us, even in the midst of the storm. Acknowledging God's sovereignty and lordship in and over our lives enables us to place our trust in him, even as the winds howl around us.
The day after the storm, we gathered in the HUB for worship, prayer and thanksgiving. We praised God for sparing our community from injury or death and for protecting residence halls and the dining hall, allowing the university to serve students and employees in need. We reminded each other that although the beauty of our campus is something to celebrate, Whitworth is defined by the ways we love one another, the opportunities we take to serve others in need, and the ways in which we honor God in all things.
Whitworth is alive and well. The physical signs of the storm will be gone in time. But the heart and soul of Whitworth never took a hit. If anything, they are as strong as they've ever been. Thanks be to God.
Academics
Alex Hoffmann, '16, working with Aaron Putzke (Biology), won first prize at the Murdock Undergraduate Research Symposium for his presentation, "The roles of FER kinase in the vascular development of zebrafish."
Thom Caraway (English) ended his two-year tenure as Spokane poet laureate with a reading, "Out Like a Lamb."
Elizabeth Richardson, '18, received the Exceptional Student Award from the Washington State Public Health Association.
Michelle Bodman, '16, Hannah Tweet, '16, and Phillip Terrell, '16, were selected for January 2016 internships at the Smithsonian Museum.
Marc Robinson has been hired as professor in ethnic studies. He will join the Whitworth faculty for spring semester 2016.
The Whitworth University forensics team took first place at its third tournament of the season, at Lower Columbia College. Emily Goodell, '17, led the way by winning editorial commentary and dramatic interpretation and taking third place in programmed oral interpretation.
The Arts
Professors Scott Miller and Brent Edstrom (Music) received an $18,000 commission to create a musical adaptation of Willa Cather's writings. Edstrom will compose a new song cycle that Miller will premiere at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in spring 2017.
I hope you'll make every effort to experience one of Whitworth's 2015 Christmas Festival Concerts, which will feature the Whitworth Choir, women's choir, men's chorus and chamber singers, as well as student-instrumentalists and narrators. The concerts take place in Seattle on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church, 1013 8th Street; and in Spokane on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 3 p.m., at Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox, 1001 West Sprague Avenue. Tickets – $20 general admission, $15 students and seniors (62-plus) – are available for the Seattle concerts at www.whitworth.edu/musictickets. Spokane tickets are available at the Fox box office (509.624.1200) or at www.martinwoldsontheater.com.
A memorial exhibition for Associate Professor Emeritus of Art Pauline Haas, who died earlier this year, at age 92, will be displayed in the Lied Center until Jan. 29. The exhibition highlights Haas's impact on Whitworth students over the past 50 years.
Student Life
In November, Monday Madness celebrated the beginning of the basketball season and winter sports. Students earned prizes for participating in a three-point-shot contest and a dance-off, to name just a few of the many activities offered, while members of the men's basketball team showed off their slam-dunk skills. At the conclusion of the hour, which was filled with lots of music and craziness, all students received their Monday Madness T-shirts.
November also featured Cultural Awareness Week. Programming included panel discussions and films confronting racism, sexism and stereotyping, as well as a fair featuring all of Whitworth's cultural clubs. It concluded with the annual international dinner and festival, which highlights the cultures of our Whitworth students.
Financial Aid
It's time to start gearing up for the 2016-17 FAFSA, which will be available Jan. 1. You and your student will both need an FSA I.D. (a username and password) to log in and sign the FAFSA. You can create an FSA I.D. at www.fafsa.gov. We strongly encourage both students and parents to utilize the IRS data-retrieval tool to transfer federal tax return information electronically into the FAFSA. You may use it within two weeks of the date upon which you file your taxes electronically.
In mid-December, student-accounting services will email students their estimated charges and estimated financial aid for spring, along with a link and instructions for completing the Billing Information Form online. The due date for this form is Jan. 8.
Alumni & Parents
Join us for Alumni Night at the Fieldhouse on Saturday, Feb. 6! Enjoy free basketball as the Pirate women (4 p.m.) and men (6 p.m.) play Pacific. Enter to win prizes, and join us for a reception with complimentary snacks and beverages.
Alums, save Oct. 7-9, 2016, for Homecoming Reunion Weekend. All alumni are invited! Members of the classes of '66, '76, '86, '96, 2006, and 2011 will celebrate their reunions with special gatherings, and all members of the classes of '56 and earlier are invited to join in the 60-years-plus reunion. More info to come.
Admissions
Congratulations to prospective freshman students admitted with honors for fall 2016. Be watching for your invitation to attend one of our Honors Colloquium weekends, Feb. 13-14, Feb. 27-28 and March 12-13. While two full-tuition, four-year scholarships and 10 $2,000 semifinalist scholarships are at stake at each event, fun and fellowship are also hallmarks of these gatherings. Attendance is capped at about 100 students for each event, and registration is handled on a first-come, first-served basis. Parents, we'd be glad to have you attend, as well.
Christmas Break is a great time to explore and apply for outside scholarships. You'd be surprised how many scholarships offered by local civic groups (i.e. Lions' and Rotary clubs) remain unawarded each year for lack of qualified applicants.
The Campaign for Whitworth
Thanks so much for your generosity. I hope this has been such a great year for you that you will benefit from making a tax-deductible gift. We would certainly benefit from receiving one! December is always the biggest giving month of the year, and we have some significant goals laid out in our strategic plan in 2015, including raising nearly $1.6 million dollars for The Whitworth Fund. So as I boldly ask you to help us reach these goals, I also encourage and thank you for your past gifts. It's my privilege to witness the ways in which our students and alumni bring physical and spiritual support to people in need, and we're grateful for every contribution you make to this mind-and-heart mission. Please visit www.whitworth.edu/give to make a gift.
Whitworth Serves
One of the greatest gifts you can give during the holidays is your time. Whenever you serve those around you, you live out the Whitworth mission. Please consider this request: Jump online at www.whitworth.edu/whitworthserves, click on the "Share Your Service" button, and tell us how you serve.
Sports
Football finished the regular season 9-1 and ranked 22nd in the D3football.com top-25 poll. Fourteen Pirates earned All-NWC honors, including First Teamers Kyle Cosby, '16; Nick Kiourkas, '18; Daniel Portillo and Dalin McDonnell, both '17; and Rehn Reiley. '19. The Bucs received a bid to the NCAA D3 playoffs, losing to the nearly invincible (at least in 2015) Linfield Wildcats.
Volleyball won its second straight NWC title. The Bucs fought hard, but lost to 14th-ranked Texas-Dallas in the first round of the playoffs to finish 19-8. Maddye Dinsmore and Nicole Leonard, both '16, were named First Team All-NWC, and Kati Bodecker was voted NWC Coach of the Year for the second straight season.
Men's soccer claimed its second consecutive NWC crown and advanced to the NCAA D3 tourney. In the first round, the Redlands Bulldogs rallied to beat the Bucs 3-2 in overtime. Karl Muelheims, '16, was named NWC Offensive Player of the Year, and Spencer Wolfe, '16, was voted NWC Defensive Player of the Year.
Women's soccer finished the season 6-11-3. Tiara Pajimola, '16, was named to the 2015 All-NWC Second Team.
Women's cross country won the NWC title and added a third-place finish at the NCAA West Regional meet to earn a bid to the NCAA D3 championships in Wisconsin. Kellyn Roiko, '16, led the way with a third-place finish at the NWC championships.
Men's cross country finished fourth in the conference championships and eighth at the regional championships. Chris MacMurray, '16, earned an individual berth to the NCAA D3 championships.
Men's hoops defeated La Verne (Calif.) in the 2015-16 season opener. The Pirates played at the earliest-possible moment, tipping off at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 13, and the Bucs' fan base was out in full force. Whitworth is ranked third in the D3hoops.com preseason poll, and the always-dangerous Pirates were picked in the NWC Coaches' Poll to finish first in the conference.
Women's basketball has four new starters in the lineup. The women, who dropped their season opener to Eastern Oregon, were picked to finish third in the conference in the NWC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Swimming is off to a strong start. The men are 4-0 in NWC dual meets, and they won both the NWC Sprint Pentathlon and the NWC Relay Invite. The women's team is 3-1 in NWC dual meets this season.
Pirate Night 2015 was a roaring success. Athletics Director Tim Demant, Assistant Director for Development and Sales Bob Castle, and Program Coordinator Jennifer Toulouse-Lee did outstanding work sharing the Whitworth Athletics story with the larger Spokane community.
Closing Thoughts
So many of you responded to the storm with prayers and support. I've received encouraging messages on behalf of the Whitworth community from around the globe. Local parents, friends and employees took in displaced students. Sodexo helped us to feed students and employees without power, including those without meal plans. I'm so grateful for the ways in which the Whitworth family cared for each other. I certainly didn't welcome the storm and its destruction, but I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything. As we begin Advent, a season of anticipating God's blessings through Christ, we at Whitworth can attest to having already seen God's faithfulness and presence in and through the storm. God bless you, and may God continue to bless our beloved Whitworth.
