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Whitman College

Undergraduate School

Mailing Address
345 Boyer Ave
Walla Walla, Washington 99362
Phone
(509) 527-5111
Email address
admission@whitman.edu
School Information
"Situated within the rich and complex landscape and history of the Walla Walla Valley, Whitman College provides a rigorous liberal arts education of the highest quality to passionate and engaged students from diverse backgrounds. Whitman students develop their intellectual and creative capacities in a supportive scholarly community that prioritizes student learning within and beyond our classrooms. We help each student translate their deep local, regional, and global experiences into ethical and meaningful lives of purpose." The college offers 53 majors, enrolls about 1,500 students, and has a 9:1 student-faculty ratio. (Source: https://www.whitman.edu/about/mission-constitution-and-bylaws) (Source: https://www.whitman.edu/about)
General Information
Whitman College's Inclusion Task Force has committed to "Train the campus community on cultural competencies," although the meaning of this is not yet clear. Additionally, the college has provided antiracism and Critical Race Theory resources to students. No Critical Race Training sessions are yet required of students. See developments below:

Actions Taken

Admissions Policies
  • The Division of Diversity and Inclusion 2022-2023 Annual Report states that its "decisions are guided by our commitment to equity and racial justice; where we proactively work to recruit, retain, and support faculty, staff and students that do not merely reflect diverse social group identities, but that also contribute to our core values of diversity, equity and inclusion and our institutional principles of inclusive excellence."
  • On June 29, 2023, Whitman's President issued a statement in response to the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action which reads: "I wanted to take this moment to reiterate Whitman College’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism. Earlier this spring, in a joint statement with Board Chair Joe Davis, we communicated that the Supreme Court Decision will not change our values and our mission of providing a high-quality, rigorous liberal arts education to students from diverse backgrounds."
Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
  • The Whitman Inclusion Task Force promised to "Train the campus community on cultural competencies."
  • The Division of Inclusive Excellence hosts the "Microlessons and Skillshops" series which includes the workshop "racial battle fatigue" and takes place during the spring 2024 semester.  
  • Whitman is a member of the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance (since 2020) which offers "monthly antiracism, diversity, and equity virtual learning sessions designed for higher education professionals." The 2024 "Racial Equity eConvening Series" includes "Sustaining and Advancing Racial Equity Post-Affirmitive [sic] Action," and "Understnding [sic] Your Students' Racialized Classroom Experiences."
  • The Division of Diversity and Inclusion 2022-2023 Annual Report states that the Division of Diversity and Inclusion provided training for hiring managers which "focused on bias and counterbias [sic] strategies."
Curriculum Changes and Requirements
  • The Whitman College 2028 Strategic Plan ("Transformative Learning for a Changing World") states that it would "advance inclusive teaching approaches and the diversity of voices represented in the curriculum" and "[a]dvance DEIA [Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility] in the curriculum and co-curriculum."
Disciplinary Measures
  • Whitman outlines its "Bias Reporting and Response" protocol and states that "[b]ias incidents are acts or behaviors motivated by the offender's bias against age, ancestry, color..." and that "a bias response team member can also help you evaluate whether you wish to pursue disciplinary action against a member of our campus community, based on Whitman's grievance policy."
Faculty/Staff Requirements
  • The Division of Diversity and Inclusion 2022-2023 Annual Report states, "New staff at Whitman are required to complete an online training on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging."
Program and Research Funding
  • Whitman's Intercultural Center "works to strengthen Whitman’s intercultural community and ensure a positive Whitman experience for those from historically under-represented backgrounds" and seeks to "educate the campus as a whole on issues related to diversity."
  • The Division of Inclusive Excellence provided an update (September 27, 2023) on its DEIA Cultivation Grants, which are "designed to support projects, programs and events that advance diversity, equity, inclusion and/or antiracism (DEIA) at the college."
Resources
  • Whitman College has provided resources on anti-racist terminology and materials related to Critical Race Theory.
  • The Glover Alston Center "enhances intercultural and international awareness" and is a "place where conversations about diversity, difference, multiculturalism and social justice occur."
  • The Division of Diversity and Inclusion 2022-2023 Annual Report states that the Inclusive Excellence in Teaching Award is for teachers who "[seek] to remedy the absence of BIPOC scholars in the broader curriculum and among the faculty body, whose scholarly work is addressing issues of social injustice and who inspires students to challenge systems of oppression that have real material consequences on the lives of marginalized communities."
Symbolic Actions
  • Whitman is hosting the 2022 Power & Privilege Symposium that plans on "address[ing] physical, economic and identity-based barriers to access and education to interrogate norms that exclude marginalized bodies and voices from spaces." The theme for this year's event is "Beyond the Bare Minimum."
Last updated July 16th, 2024
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