....................
Northwest Conference member Whitman College in Walla
Walla, Wash., to drop Missionary/Missionaries as mascot of its athletic teams. Story
below from the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin/U-B newspaper. The Fightin’
Missionaries logo is not from the U-B.
Headline:
Whitman
to drop Missionary as mascot
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin 4/6/2016
Whitman College officials have dropped
Missionary as their official mascot and are working on deciding a new name.
College officials today announced the move, and
along with it cited a survey of more than 18,000 alumni and current students,
of which 62 percent said they did not think Missionary was an appropriate
mascot for Whitman today.
Another 29 percent believed it was an
appropriate name and 9 percent had no opinion.
According to the survey conducted in February,
78 percent of both faculty and students believed that the mascot name of
Missionary is inappropriate.
In two statements released today, college
officials also noted that some faculty objected to dropping Missionary as
mascot.
“Some alumni expressed concern that a change
of mascot will result in a loss of history for the college,” media and public
relations manager Gina Ohnstad said.
Whitman College was named after Marcus and
Narcissa Whitman, early pioneers in the Walla Walla Valley who started a
mission to teach members of local Indians tribes and as a way station for
arriving white settlers.
A Mascot Working Group study report stated
opponents considered the Missionary name to be “divisive and doesn’t represent
Whitman’s commitment to inclusion.”
Earlier this year, the campus newspaper, The
Pioneer, said it will change its name because it reflects the “racism” of
settlers who warred with local tribes and took their ancestral lands. The new
name for the paper is also to be decided this fall,
To determine a new campus mascot, a working
group of faculty, staff, students and alumni will be created compile a list of
prospective official mascots. The entire college community will vote on the new
name in the fall of 2016.
The move for the change started in the fall of
2015, when new Whitman College President Kathleen Murray assembled a working
group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and governing board members to
consider the mascot name.
The Mascot Working Group developed and
distributed the survey.
After the survey, the group unanimously
decided that Missionary was not appropriate for Whitman College.
“I recognize that a significant group of
Whitties, particularly among our alumni, voiced strong opposition to any move
away from the Missionary mascot,” Murray wrote. “I know that this decision will
disappoint those in that group, but hope that the retirement of the Missionary
mascot is understood in light of the fact that all were given the opportunity
to comment on the question and that the Mascot Working Group considered all the
input it received.”
...............
April 6, 2016
Dear members of the Whitman community,
I write today to provide an update on the work of the Mascot Working Group and information on the next steps in this process.
There are myriad elements and
influences that define a college experience: its history, its faculty,
its students, its location, its governance, its co-curricular
opportunities. As I have learned in my first year at Whitman, our
college offers a wonderfully rich and robust experience. We work hard to
make that experience as inclusive of and welcoming to all members of
our community as possible, while also acknowledging that it is sometimes
the difficult conversations around challenging ideas that lead to
meaningful learning and growth. Last fall, based on questions raised in
the past about the Whitman mascot and conversations that were then
taking place across campus, I decided that it was time to ask whether
our college mascot was appropriately inclusive and welcoming to today’s
Whitman community. I do not think a mascot (defined as a person, animal,
or object adopted as the symbol of a group and believed to bring good
luck) should precipitate the difficult conversations around challenging
ideas. A mascot is meant to be something around which supporters of a
college, and particularly athletic teams, rally.
To help answer the question,
we formed the Mascot Working Group in December 2015, chaired by Whitman
Overseer Tricia Montgomery (Class of 1990), and consisting of current
students, faculty, staff, alumni, and governing board members. They were
charged with making a recommendation about whether the Missionary
mascot is appropriate for Whitman today.
After a thorough process that
took into account the feedback of thousands of alumni, the Mascot
Working Group reached a unanimous decision that the Missionary mascot is
not the appropriate mascot for our college today. I and the Executive
Committee of the Board of Trustees have endorsed that recommendation.
The full working group report, including a summary of their process,
guiding principles, and recommendation, is available online at https://www.whitman.edu/mascot
for your information, along with an executive summary of the survey
data. While the working group reached a unanimous recommendation, I
recognize that a significant group of Whitties, particularly among our
alumni, voiced strong opposition to any move away from the Missionary
mascot. I know that this decision will disappoint those in that group,
but hope that the retirement of the Missionary mascot is understood in
light of the fact that all were given the opportunity to comment on the
question and that the Mascot Working Group considered all the input it
received. More importantly, we all know that the mascot is not the
defining element of Whitman College; instead, it is our shared
commitment to the educational mission of Whitman – that of providing a
rigorous, residential education in the liberal arts.
This review process enabled
us to hear from more than 7,100 Whitman students, alumni, and other
members of the community; we learned that it is important to have a
unifying symbol to reflect our collegiate pride and enthusiasm. And so I
have again turned to Tricia Montgomery to lead a new working group to
tackle the next phase of establishing an official mascot for Whitman
College.
The committee, which will
also include faculty, staff, students and alumni, will work over this
summer to compile and refine a list of prospective official mascots. We
will have the unique opportunity to create a new symbol for Whitman and
its athletic teams, with a vote among the entire college community
resulting in the naming of a new mascot in the fall of 2016.
There is strength in numbers
and there is strength in diversity. On behalf of all our students,
alumni, faculty and staff, I thank the members of both the Mascot
Working Group who have completed their assignment and the newly forming
working group, as well as the 7,100 members of the Whitman community who
responded to the survey. As a school that is committed to honoring
with integrity the spirit and traditions of Whitman College, we stand
with you in wanting to create a college environment that is welcoming to
all.
Some might suggest that a
change in the mascot might portend more dramatic changes at Whitman. To
the contrary, Whitman staff, faculty, students, and graduates across the
generations are united around the value Whitman College places on
intellectual inquiry in the liberal arts and how that education prepares
students to make a difference in the world. Even as we retire one
mascot and eventually identify another, our pride in the 134-year
history of this college makes it clear that Whitman College will remain
our name.
Among the thousands of
comments on the topic of the mascot, including both those for and
against the Missionary, there was a common thread expressed as a sincere
desire to re-introduce a greater understanding of the history of the
Whitmans, this region, and the emergence of Whitman College. We look
forward to adding this perspective into our new student orientation.
Moving forward, I know that
Whitman College will be strengthened as a result of the collective
efforts that we are making to be inclusive and welcoming. I look forward
to working with all of you as a college community to ensure that we are
always evolving while remaining true to what makes us Whitman College.
Very sincerely,
Kathleen M. Murray
President
Whitman College
........
Whitman College Decides to Drop Missionary Mascot
By Nicholas K. Geranios, Associated Press
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Apr 23, 2016, 7:30 PM ET
Whitman College, a private, liberal arts school located in the rolling
hills of Walla Walla, Washington, has dumped its long-time mascot.
Whitman teams will no longer be called the Missionaries, a reference
to Marcus and Narcissa Whitman who came to the Walla Walla Valley in
1836 and were massacred a decade later.
Campus officials said Missionaries' mascot was considered
non-inclusive, imperialistic and incorrectly implied that Whitman was
a religious school.
It also was not terribly intimidating and often mocked. The old name
was officially retired in early April and now the school is working to
select a new mascot in the fall, Whitman spokeswoman Gina Ohnstad
said.
Some alumni aren't happy.
"If the sports teams and the school didn't feel the name was fearsome
enough, then change it," said Graham G. Storey, class of 1995, who is
now a high school teacher in Juneau, Alaska. "But the given
justification for changing the mascot is a misguided act of atonement
to make up for some perceived imperialistic stain that Marcus Whitman
engaged in 180 years ago."
Whitman was an important historical figure, Storey said. His statue is
one of two that Washington state has in the U.S. Capitol National
Statuary Hall.
Those who feel the word Missionary is offensive must logically push to
change the name of the college, Storey said.
"As far as my future with the college is concerned; I am done," Storey
said. "No more donations."
The college, whose sports teams compete in NCAA Division III, has no
intention of changing its name, president Kathleen Murray said.
Most people connected with the college welcomed the change. Many
didn't even use the old nickname, Ohnstad said, preferring the name
"Whitties" instead.
Efforts to drop the Missionaries name have been underway for decades, she said.
"There are always going to be people who feel strongly about the
past," Ohnstad said. "But we have really, really supportive alumni."
While the NFL's Washington Redskins have resisted appeals to change
its name and mascot, efforts to remove college team mascots and
imagery that are deemed offensive have been ongoing for decades.
Walla Walla is tucked into the southeast corner of Washington, far
from the state's population centers. Whitman was founded in 1882 and
has about 1,500 undergraduates. It is considered one of the nation's
top liberal arts colleges. Famous alumni include former Supreme Court
Justice William O. Douglas and "Batman" star Adam West.
The college was named for the Whitmans, who arrived in the area in
1836 and started a mission to bring the Christian religion to the
Cayuse Indians.
Eventually, settlers poured into the region. Following the deaths of
nearly all the Cayuse children and half the adults from a measles
epidemic in 1847, the Cayuse killed the Whitmans and about a dozen
other settlers in what became known as the Whitman Massacre.
The administration conducted a survey of more than 18,000 alumni,
students and community members last winter. More than 7,100 responded.
Of those, 62 percent supported the change, 29 percent did not and 9
percent had no opinion.
Among those who wanted to keep the mascot, there was criticism that
the change was the result of pressure to be politically correct, the
survey found.
"Now that our community has spoken, we are going to work to create a
new, official mascot for everyone to celebrate," Murray said in a
recent letter to the community.
Some alumni expressed concern that a change of mascot will result in a
loss of history for the college. In response, Whitman plans to add
programming to new student orientation to instill a greater
understanding of the Whitmans.
"While important, we all know that the mascot is not Whitman College's
defining element," Murray said.
.............
Whitman College
........
Whitman College Decides to Drop Missionary Mascot
By Nicholas K. Geranios, Associated Press
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Apr 23, 2016, 7:30 PM ET
Whitman College, a private, liberal arts school located in the rolling
hills of Walla Walla, Washington, has dumped its long-time mascot.
Whitman teams will no longer be called the Missionaries, a reference
to Marcus and Narcissa Whitman who came to the Walla Walla Valley in
1836 and were massacred a decade later.
Campus officials said Missionaries' mascot was considered
non-inclusive, imperialistic and incorrectly implied that Whitman was
a religious school.
It also was not terribly intimidating and often mocked. The old name
was officially retired in early April and now the school is working to
select a new mascot in the fall, Whitman spokeswoman Gina Ohnstad
said.
Some alumni aren't happy.
"If the sports teams and the school didn't feel the name was fearsome
enough, then change it," said Graham G. Storey, class of 1995, who is
now a high school teacher in Juneau, Alaska. "But the given
justification for changing the mascot is a misguided act of atonement
to make up for some perceived imperialistic stain that Marcus Whitman
engaged in 180 years ago."
Whitman was an important historical figure, Storey said. His statue is
one of two that Washington state has in the U.S. Capitol National
Statuary Hall.
Those who feel the word Missionary is offensive must logically push to
change the name of the college, Storey said.
"As far as my future with the college is concerned; I am done," Storey
said. "No more donations."
The college, whose sports teams compete in NCAA Division III, has no
intention of changing its name, president Kathleen Murray said.
Most people connected with the college welcomed the change. Many
didn't even use the old nickname, Ohnstad said, preferring the name
"Whitties" instead.
Efforts to drop the Missionaries name have been underway for decades, she said.
"There are always going to be people who feel strongly about the
past," Ohnstad said. "But we have really, really supportive alumni."
While the NFL's Washington Redskins have resisted appeals to change
its name and mascot, efforts to remove college team mascots and
imagery that are deemed offensive have been ongoing for decades.
Walla Walla is tucked into the southeast corner of Washington, far
from the state's population centers. Whitman was founded in 1882 and
has about 1,500 undergraduates. It is considered one of the nation's
top liberal arts colleges. Famous alumni include former Supreme Court
Justice William O. Douglas and "Batman" star Adam West.
The college was named for the Whitmans, who arrived in the area in
1836 and started a mission to bring the Christian religion to the
Cayuse Indians.
Eventually, settlers poured into the region. Following the deaths of
nearly all the Cayuse children and half the adults from a measles
epidemic in 1847, the Cayuse killed the Whitmans and about a dozen
other settlers in what became known as the Whitman Massacre.
The administration conducted a survey of more than 18,000 alumni,
students and community members last winter. More than 7,100 responded.
Of those, 62 percent supported the change, 29 percent did not and 9
percent had no opinion.
Among those who wanted to keep the mascot, there was criticism that
the change was the result of pressure to be politically correct, the
survey found.
"Now that our community has spoken, we are going to work to create a
new, official mascot for everyone to celebrate," Murray said in a
recent letter to the community.
Some alumni expressed concern that a change of mascot will result in a
loss of history for the college. In response, Whitman plans to add
programming to new student orientation to instill a greater
understanding of the Whitmans.
"While important, we all know that the mascot is not Whitman College's
defining element," Murray said.
.............
............
From: Whitman Mascot Working Group <noreply@qemailserver.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2016 2:33 PM
Subject: Whitman College Mascot Ideas Survey
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2016 2:33 PM
Subject: Whitman College Mascot Ideas Survey
Dear members of the
Whitman community,
We write to you today as the group guiding the selection process for Whitman’s
new mascot.
As you know, Whitman made the decision last spring to retire the Missionary. We
are now working to identify a new mascot that will bring together the Whitman
community, instill pride in Whitman, and reflect the shared values of our
community.
You can help us by completing a brief survey, where you can offer suggestions
for the new mascot, and share your ideas about what values our Whitman mascot
should embody.
This survey should only take a few minutes of your time. The committee
will review all survey responses.
Begin the survey here:
Whitman Mascot Ideas Survey
We write to you today as the group guiding the selection process for Whitman’s new mascot.
As you know, Whitman made the decision last spring to retire the Missionary. We are now working to identify a new mascot that will bring together the Whitman community, instill pride in Whitman, and reflect the shared values of our community.
You can help us by completing a brief survey, where you can offer suggestions for the new mascot, and share your ideas about what values our Whitman mascot should embody.
This survey should only take a few minutes of your time. The committee will review all survey responses.
Begin the survey here:
Whitman Mascot Ideas Survey
Or copy and paste the
URL below into your internet browser:
https://whitmancollege.co1.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_887MJSiQ50pW2mp&Q_CHL=email
https://whitmancollege.co1.qualtrics.com/SE?SID=SV_887MJSiQ50pW2mp&Q_CHL=email
The survey will be
available until 11:59 pm on Sunday, September 11.
After the survey closes, the working group will review the list of suggestions
and identify a short list of finalists, which will be sent out to the community
later this semester for a final vote to select Whitman’s new mascot.
Thank you for participating in this important process.
Sincerely,
Whitman Mascot Working Group
Tricia Montgomery ’90, Committee Chair
Neal Christopherson, Director of Institutional Research, ex officio
Theresa DiPasquale, Gregory M. Cowan Professor in English Language & Literature
Tim Howell ’18
Josh Jensen, Vice President for Communications and Public Relations
Kazi Joshua, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Lynn McKelvey ’88, W Club Vice Chair
Nancy Mitchell, Director of Alumni Relations
Greg Petcoff, Sports Communications Director
Dean Snider, Athletics Director, ex officio
After the survey closes, the working group will review the list of suggestions and identify a short list of finalists, which will be sent out to the community later this semester for a final vote to select Whitman’s new mascot.
Thank you for participating in this important process.
Sincerely,
Whitman Mascot Working Group
Tricia Montgomery ’90, Committee Chair
Neal Christopherson, Director of Institutional Research, ex officio
Theresa DiPasquale, Gregory M. Cowan Professor in English Language & Literature
Tim Howell ’18
Josh Jensen, Vice President for Communications and Public Relations
Kazi Joshua, Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion
Lynn McKelvey ’88, W Club Vice Chair
Nancy Mitchell, Director of Alumni Relations
Greg Petcoff, Sports Communications Director
Dean Snider, Athletics Director, ex officio
…………………………………
The committee will entertain nearly all suggestions.
However, we are unlikely to consider a mascot already used by another school in
the Northwest Conference. These include: Bearcats, Boxers, Bruins,
Loggers, Lutes, Pioneers, Pirates, and Wildcats.
Please provide your suggestions in the spaces below. Please write only
ONE MASCOT IDEA PER QUESTION. If you have more than 3 ideas, you may take
the survey again using the same link.
Please use the follow-up question to provide us with reasons why you think your
mascot suggestion is a good fit for Whitman College. Your rationale
will be very helpful as the committee deliberates ideas and tries to come up
with a final list of 3-5 choices.
--What values do you think the new Whitman College mascot should represent?
Please provide your suggestions in the spaces below. Please write only ONE MASCOT IDEA PER QUESTION. If you have more than 3 ideas, you may take the survey again using the same link.
Please use the follow-up question to provide us with reasons why you think your mascot suggestion is a good fit for Whitman College. Your rationale will be very helpful as the committee deliberates ideas and tries to come up with a final list of 3-5 choices.
--What values do you think the new Whitman College mascot should represent?
--What is your suggestion for a new mascot for Whitman
College?
--Why is this mascot a good fit for Whitman College?
Providing a rationale for your mascot idea will help the committee understand
why it should be seriously considered.
--If you have a second suggestion for a new mascot at Whitman,
please write it here:
--Why is this mascot a good fit for Whitman College?
Providing a rationale for your mascot idea will help the committee understand
why it should be seriously considered.
--If you have a third suggestion for a new mascot at Whitman,
please write it here:
--Why is this mascot a good fit for Whitman College?
Providing a rationale for your mascot idea will help the committee understand
why it should be seriously considered.
..............
:::Whitman College will be known as the Blues::::::
WALLA WALLA, Wash. (AP) -- Whitman College has chosen a new nickname to
replace the old Missionaries. The college's sports teams will now be known as
the Blues, the school said Thursday.
The decision came after a survey of alumni, students, faculty and staff.
That survey found 35 percent of respondents chose the Blues as their first
choice, while 58 percent voted it their first or second choice.
The Blues are a mountain range near Walla Walla and have long been an
important symbol for Whitman and the surrounding community, the school said.
The other finalists were the Appaloosas, the Blue Ravens and the
Sockeyes, which is a kind of fish.
Concerns had been raised over the years about the old Missionaries
nickname, which was a reference to Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, who came to the
Walla Walla Valley in 1836 and were massacred a decade later.
School officials said the Missionaries mascot was considered
non-inclusive, imperialistic and incorrectly implied that Whitman was a
religious school. The old name was also not very intimidating and often mocked,
school officials said.
"As excited we are for our new mascot, we all know that the mascot is
not Whitman College's defining element," college President Kathleen Murray
said. "Instead, it is our shared commitment to our educational
mission."
The administration conducted a survey earlier this year and concluded
that the old nickname should be retired.
Members of the Whitman community voted on the four finalist names in
October.
Walla Walla is located in the southeast corner of Washington, far from
the state's population centers. Whitman was founded in 1882 and has about 1,500
undergraduates. It is considered one of the nation's top liberal arts colleges.
Famous alumni include former Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas and
"Batman" star Adam West.
……….
:::Whitman College announces new mascot:::
» Newsroom » Whitman College announces new mascot
November 3, 2016
From Whitman College website
After a months-long process to examine its mascot and several surveys to
get input from the community, Whitman College has chosen the "Whitman
Blues" as its new mascot.
In a recent survey to alumni, students, faculty and staff members, 35
percent of respondents chose the Blues as their first choice, while 58 percent
voted it their first or second choice. The Blues also received the fewest
number of last-choice votes.
The Blues are Whitman's local mountain range and have long been an
important symbol for Whitman and the surrounding community.
With their far-reaching and high peaks, the Blues represent both a
challenge and a sense of accomplishment. The Blues evoke the expansive skyline
of the West, the expansive way Whitman students see the world around them and
the strong sense of connectedness amongst the members of the Whitman community
and with our local community in the Walla Walla Valley.
The process that led to the selection of a new mascot for Whitman College
began back in fall 2015. That's when conversations about diversity and
inclusion in higher education, both on the Whitman College campus and
nationwide, intensified. Many Whitman community members expressed interest in
examining the appropriateness of the previous mascot, the Missionary.
In light of those conversations, Whitman College President Kathleen
Murray assembled a working group of students, faculty and staff members, and
Governing Board members to consider the question of whether or not the Missionary
was an appropriate mascot for Whitman today.
The Mascot Working Group, chaired by Whitman Overseer Tricia Montgomery
'90, developed a survey that was distributed to more than 18,000 alumni,
students and Whitman community members in February. The group reviewed each of
the more than 7,000 responses. The results of that survey made it clear to the
Working Group that the Missionary was not considered an appropriate mascot.
Upon receiving the recommendation and results from the working group at
the end of March, Murray and the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees
endorsed the recommendation and decided that the Missionary mascot would be
retired.
"It was really important to the Working Group that everyone had a
voice in this decision," said Montgomery. "We worked hard to ensure
transparency in our communications and process and always remained focused on
the goal of finding what was best for Whitman overall."
This summer, Montgomery agreed to chair another working group, charged
with identifying a new official mascot for Whitman College. The committee,
which also included faculty, staff, students and alumni, worked over the summer
to compile and refine a list of prospective official mascots. After receiving
more than 1,500 responses with 400 unique suggestions from a survey sent to the
Whitman community, the committee narrowed the choices down to four: the
appaloosas, the blues, the blue ravens and the sockeyes.
After a vote by the Whitman community in October, it was obvious that
that the Whitman Blues was the mascot preferred by alumni, faculty, staff and
students.
Murray acknowledged that change is not always easy, but said she looks
forward to moving forward with the new mascot as Whitman evolves as a college
community.
"As excited we are for our new mascot, we all know that the mascot
is not Whitman College's defining element," Murray added.
"Instead, it is our shared commitment to our educational
mission—that of providing a rigorous, residential education in the liberal
arts."
In the upcoming months, the Whitman College Office of Communications will
begin the work of visually representing the Blues, with an anticipated
unveiling in fall 2017.
...............
Sent 8:30am PDT Thur 3 Nov. 2016
Dear members of the Whitman community,
I write today with the results of the months-long process of the study,
retirement and replacement of the Whitman mascot.
After looking at all the responses from alumni, students, faculty and
staff to the most recent survey, it became clear right away that the Whitman
Community feels the Blues is the mascot that best represents Whitman. 35% of
those who answered the survey indicated the Blues as their first choice. 58%
voted it as their first or second choice. This represents a more than
two-thousand point difference from the second-place finisher. The Blues also
received the fewest number of last-choice votes.
The Blues, our local mountain range, have long been an important symbol
for Whitman and the surrounding community. With their far-reaching and high peaks,
the Blues represent a formidable challenge and a sense of accomplishment. The
Blues evoke the expansive skyline of the West, the expansive way Whitties see
the world around them and the strong sense of connectedness amongst the members
of the Whitman community and with our local community in the Walla Walla
Valley.
I’d like to thank everyone who has participated in the mascot process
that began last fall. You’ll recall, based on questions raised in the past
about the Whitman mascot and conversations that were then taking place across
campus, we decided that it was time to take a closer look at whether our
college mascot was appropriate for today’s Whitman community.
To help answer the question, we formed the Mascot Working Group in
December 2015, chaired by Whitman Overseer Tricia Montgomery ‘90, and
consisting of current students, faculty, staff, alumni, and governing board
members. They were charged with making a recommendation about whether the
Missionary mascot is appropriate for Whitman today.
After a thorough process that took into account the feedback of more than
7,000 alumni, students, faculty and staff, the Mascot Working Group reached a
unanimous decision that the Missionary mascot was not the appropriate mascot
for our college. I and the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees
endorsed that recommendation.
Starting this summer, Tricia Montgomery again agreed to lead another
working group to tackle the next phase of establishing an official mascot for
Whitman College.
The committee, which also included faculty, staff, students and alumni,
worked over the summer to compile and refine a list of prospective official
mascots. That committee received more than 1,500 responses with 400 suggestions
and narrowed the choices down to four. You all received those in October and
had the chance to weigh in on your favorites.
Moving forward, the Communications Department will begin the work of
visually representing the Blues mascot, and we anticipate that it will be
unveiled in the fall of 2017.
I know that the decision to change the mascot was not popular with
everyone. Choosing a single mascot to represent such a diverse and vibrant
community is no easy task, and we acknowledge the limitations inherent to any
mascot. No mascot can ever fully represent the complexity and richness of our
community.
Mascots, by their very nature, oversimplify who we are, what we stand for
and what it means to be a Whittie. But through the feedback we’ve received from
the mascot surveys, we’ve also learned that having a symbol to reflect our
collegiate pride and enthusiasm is important. Moving forward we hope that the
Blues are that symbol, and can serve as one part of Whitman’s shared identity
for all students and alumni.
In the end, the mascot is not the defining element of Whitman College;
instead, it is our shared commitment to the educational mission of Whitman –
that of providing a rigorous, residential education in the liberal arts – that
truly defines us.
I look forward to working with all of you as we evolve together while
still remaining true to what makes us Whitman.
Very sincerely,
Kathleen M. Murray
President
Whitman College
..............
:::Whitman College will be known as the Blues::::::
WALLA WALLA, Wash. (AP) -- Whitman College has chosen a new nickname to
replace the old Missionaries. The college's sports teams will now be known as
the Blues, the school said Thursday.
The decision came after a survey of alumni, students, faculty and staff.
That survey found 35 percent of respondents chose the Blues as their first
choice, while 58 percent voted it their first or second choice.
The Blues are a mountain range near Walla Walla and have long been an
important symbol for Whitman and the surrounding community, the school said.
The other finalists were the Appaloosas, the Blue Ravens and the
Sockeyes, which is a kind of fish.
Concerns had been raised over the years about the old Missionaries
nickname, which was a reference to Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, who came to the
Walla Walla Valley in 1836 and were massacred a decade later.
School officials said the Missionaries mascot was considered
non-inclusive, imperialistic and incorrectly implied that Whitman was a
religious school. The old name was also not very intimidating and often mocked,
school officials said.
"As excited we are for our new mascot, we all know that the mascot is
not Whitman College's defining element," college President Kathleen Murray
said. "Instead, it is our shared commitment to our educational
mission."
The administration conducted a survey earlier this year and concluded
that the old nickname should be retired.
Members of the Whitman community voted on the four finalist names in
October.
Walla Walla is located in the southeast corner of Washington, far from
the state's population centers. Whitman was founded in 1882 and has about 1,500
undergraduates. It is considered one of the nation's top liberal arts colleges.
Famous alumni include former Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas and
"Batman" star Adam West.
……….
:::Whitman College announces new mascot:::
» Newsroom » Whitman College announces new mascot
November 3, 2016
From Whitman College website
After a months-long process to examine its mascot and several surveys to
get input from the community, Whitman College has chosen the "Whitman
Blues" as its new mascot.
In a recent survey to alumni, students, faculty and staff members, 35
percent of respondents chose the Blues as their first choice, while 58 percent
voted it their first or second choice. The Blues also received the fewest
number of last-choice votes.
The Blues are Whitman's local mountain range and have long been an
important symbol for Whitman and the surrounding community.
With their far-reaching and high peaks, the Blues represent both a
challenge and a sense of accomplishment. The Blues evoke the expansive skyline
of the West, the expansive way Whitman students see the world around them and
the strong sense of connectedness amongst the members of the Whitman community
and with our local community in the Walla Walla Valley.
The process that led to the selection of a new mascot for Whitman College
began back in fall 2015. That's when conversations about diversity and
inclusion in higher education, both on the Whitman College campus and
nationwide, intensified. Many Whitman community members expressed interest in
examining the appropriateness of the previous mascot, the Missionary.
In light of those conversations, Whitman College President Kathleen
Murray assembled a working group of students, faculty and staff members, and
Governing Board members to consider the question of whether or not the Missionary
was an appropriate mascot for Whitman today.
The Mascot Working Group, chaired by Whitman Overseer Tricia Montgomery
'90, developed a survey that was distributed to more than 18,000 alumni,
students and Whitman community members in February. The group reviewed each of
the more than 7,000 responses. The results of that survey made it clear to the
Working Group that the Missionary was not considered an appropriate mascot.
Upon receiving the recommendation and results from the working group at
the end of March, Murray and the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees
endorsed the recommendation and decided that the Missionary mascot would be
retired.
"It was really important to the Working Group that everyone had a
voice in this decision," said Montgomery. "We worked hard to ensure
transparency in our communications and process and always remained focused on
the goal of finding what was best for Whitman overall."
This summer, Montgomery agreed to chair another working group, charged
with identifying a new official mascot for Whitman College. The committee,
which also included faculty, staff, students and alumni, worked over the summer
to compile and refine a list of prospective official mascots. After receiving
more than 1,500 responses with 400 unique suggestions from a survey sent to the
Whitman community, the committee narrowed the choices down to four: the
appaloosas, the blues, the blue ravens and the sockeyes.
After a vote by the Whitman community in October, it was obvious that
that the Whitman Blues was the mascot preferred by alumni, faculty, staff and
students.
Murray acknowledged that change is not always easy, but said she looks
forward to moving forward with the new mascot as Whitman evolves as a college
community.
"As excited we are for our new mascot, we all know that the mascot
is not Whitman College's defining element," Murray added.
"Instead, it is our shared commitment to our educational
mission—that of providing a rigorous, residential education in the liberal
arts."
In the upcoming months, the Whitman College Office of Communications will
begin the work of visually representing the Blues, with an anticipated
unveiling in fall 2017.
...............
Sent 8:30am PDT Thur 3 Nov. 2016
Dear members of the Whitman community,
I write today with the results of the months-long process of the study,
retirement and replacement of the Whitman mascot.
After looking at all the responses from alumni, students, faculty and
staff to the most recent survey, it became clear right away that the Whitman
Community feels the Blues is the mascot that best represents Whitman. 35% of
those who answered the survey indicated the Blues as their first choice. 58%
voted it as their first or second choice. This represents a more than
two-thousand point difference from the second-place finisher. The Blues also
received the fewest number of last-choice votes.
The Blues, our local mountain range, have long been an important symbol
for Whitman and the surrounding community. With their far-reaching and high peaks,
the Blues represent a formidable challenge and a sense of accomplishment. The
Blues evoke the expansive skyline of the West, the expansive way Whitties see
the world around them and the strong sense of connectedness amongst the members
of the Whitman community and with our local community in the Walla Walla
Valley.
I’d like to thank everyone who has participated in the mascot process
that began last fall. You’ll recall, based on questions raised in the past
about the Whitman mascot and conversations that were then taking place across
campus, we decided that it was time to take a closer look at whether our
college mascot was appropriate for today’s Whitman community.
To help answer the question, we formed the Mascot Working Group in
December 2015, chaired by Whitman Overseer Tricia Montgomery ‘90, and
consisting of current students, faculty, staff, alumni, and governing board
members. They were charged with making a recommendation about whether the
Missionary mascot is appropriate for Whitman today.
After a thorough process that took into account the feedback of more than
7,000 alumni, students, faculty and staff, the Mascot Working Group reached a
unanimous decision that the Missionary mascot was not the appropriate mascot
for our college. I and the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees
endorsed that recommendation.
Starting this summer, Tricia Montgomery again agreed to lead another
working group to tackle the next phase of establishing an official mascot for
Whitman College.
The committee, which also included faculty, staff, students and alumni,
worked over the summer to compile and refine a list of prospective official
mascots. That committee received more than 1,500 responses with 400 suggestions
and narrowed the choices down to four. You all received those in October and
had the chance to weigh in on your favorites.
Moving forward, the Communications Department will begin the work of
visually representing the Blues mascot, and we anticipate that it will be
unveiled in the fall of 2017.
I know that the decision to change the mascot was not popular with
everyone. Choosing a single mascot to represent such a diverse and vibrant
community is no easy task, and we acknowledge the limitations inherent to any
mascot. No mascot can ever fully represent the complexity and richness of our
community.
Mascots, by their very nature, oversimplify who we are, what we stand for
and what it means to be a Whittie. But through the feedback we’ve received from
the mascot surveys, we’ve also learned that having a symbol to reflect our
collegiate pride and enthusiasm is important. Moving forward we hope that the
Blues are that symbol, and can serve as one part of Whitman’s shared identity
for all students and alumni.
In the end, the mascot is not the defining element of Whitman College;
instead, it is our shared commitment to the educational mission of Whitman –
that of providing a rigorous, residential education in the liberal arts – that
truly defines us.
I look forward to working with all of you as we evolve together while
still remaining true to what makes us Whitman.
Very sincerely,
Kathleen M. Murray
President
Whitman College
