The Whitman Wire

In 1976 a study was conducted in a nursing home called Arden House in Connecticut. Known as the Langer and Rodin study, researchers divided residents into two groups. A “high responsibility” and “low responsibility” group. Residents who participated were given plants to take care of regardless of the group they were assigned to. The “high responsibility group” was told they were responsible for the plant’s care and were provided other opportunities to exercise choice as well.

For the first time in more than two decades, the National Basketball Association (NBA) is moving formally toward expansion, setting the stage for what could be the league’s most consequential structural change since the early 2000s. During meetings on March 24 and 25, the NBA Board of Governors voted to begin a formal evaluation process that could add two new franchises to the league, which are widely expected to be in Seattle and Las Vegas.

I feel bad for billionaires. They did the hard work of lifting themselves up by their bootstraps to get where they are today. Now, they have to get up every morning and fly around the world in their private jets, and they don’t get an ounce of praise that they so desperately deserve. That’s just wrong. We should bow down to billionaires for the work that they do.

When I was little, my parents showed me “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. I was little enough that I don’t remember any of that particular watch-through, but my parents have a story that they love to retell. My house in Portland sits right next to a public park. Throughout my childhood, I had some of the best people-watching spots imaginable. One time, right around when my parents showed me “Buffy,” a blonde woman was jogging outside.

I’m sorry, but… well, they are! I don’t know how I’m going to stretch this article into 300+ words; it just seems intuitive, you know? Like, the sun rises in the east, water is wet and your purebred poodle is a certified Fugly Beast. When I shop for a dog, I look for mixbreeds at a discount price! Sure, I run the risk of letting a disobedient lunatic into my home, but they at least look like dogs.

Washington State’s new House Bill 2105 (HB2105), entitled the Immigrant Worker Protection Act, was signed into law by Governor Ferguson on March 30, 2026. The new law requires employers to post notice, in posters created by the Attorney General (AG), of upcoming federal I-9 searches within five days of the search date.

“Oh you can’t scare me, I’m sticking to the union, I’m sticking to the union, ’til the day I die,” sang Faith Petric (1915-2013), an American folk musician, political activist and Whitman alum, in a documentary screened on campus. The audience sang along to Petric’s rendition of Woodie Guthrie’s song “Union Maid” in Olin Auditorium on Tuesday, April 7.

One of the perks of attending Whitman College is that it has such a high duck population. The ducks are cute, they’re friendly and you can see them all over campus! However, if you pay close attention, you might notice something curious. It seems that a very high percentage of the Whitman College ducks are in duck throuples or other polyamorous relationships.

Chewing leaves into lacey skeletons, dessicating acres of grass and fueling the outpour of thousands of gallons of insecticides into waterways, this infamous emerald insect has certainly made a name for itself. Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) have been flourishing throughout the eastern United States since they were first introduced to New Jersey in 1916.

From painting to music and more, art has played a vital role in political movements for decades, providing a platform for expression and a method for spreading awareness. On campus, Whitman students put together their passions for art and activism through clubs, protests and student publications. One student combining art and activism is sophomore Katherine Finger, who has participated in activism with Whitman’s Students for Justice in Palestine [SJP].