The Whitworthian

05/07/2023

Letter to the Editor: Is Whitworth Committed to Remaining Aligned with God’s Word?

Disclaimer: Letter to the Editor does not represent the viewpoints of The Whitworthian, members of the editorial board or Whitworth University.

Dear Editor,

“Regarding the issue of hiring people who identify as LGBTQIA+ for faculty positions at Whitworth, I believe that in doing so, the university is taking a huge step away from living into the call of being a Christian institution. When I first stepped onto campus two years ago, I believed that this was a university filled with people who wanted to follow the immutable truth of God’s word. But it has become clear to me that the importance of holding to God’s word is becoming second in line behind the goal of inclusion.

In Mark 10:6, the Bible says, ‘From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.’ The Bible is also clear that being involved in homos*xual relationships is a sin. As followers of God, we are called to love everyone, but we are also tasked with pursuing holiness. While students of all backgrounds and faiths should be welcome, the faculty are called to a higher standard as Christian leaders who students should be able to look up to. If we are a university that wants to reach students for Christ, why would we choose to hire professors who do not hold firmly to scripture? Christianity calls us to stand out from the culture and be different. We need to shine the light of God’s love and truth amid a world that promotes ‘anything goes’ values and confusion. While tolerance may appear loving, it will lead us to be indistinguishable from the world and ineffective in helping to introduce unsaved students to their Savior.”

Sincerely,

Elijah Hayrynen, Class of 2024

May 2, 2023

https://thewhitworthian.news/opinions/is-whitworth-committed-to-remaining-aligned-with-gods-word/

05/07/2023

Letter to the Editor: Justice Seeking Faith While Being Q***r

Disclaimer: Letter to the Editor does not represent the viewpoints of The Whitworthian, members of the editorial board or Whitworth University.

“The Psalms cried for justice. Jesus fought for justice. Justice is in all of scripture, it is to be understood with the Godhead. However, when I sit with the statement of the Godhead is good to us, I can only think, I don’t think he is good to me because I do not see justice. The issue is that this justice allowed me to see love, and a life worth more than my dead one. So, how much longer can I take wondering if this justice is a real thing and if I will see it again? I am so riddled with doubt about the goodness of justice that I begin to wonder if I know justice, and if it is something God, Christ and the Holy Spirit have. When does that become doubt in Jesus? Christ and the Almighty are supposed to be the center of our faith, but if I am doubting an essential truth of the gospel where does that leave my faith? My faith is mangled and not worth holding on to because it looks like me praying to God to just let me not believe. Will God let me go from the chains of this faith?

Can I find justice somewhere?

My comfort comes from the support I have had. If it wasn’t for other allies/q***r people guiding me through Whitworth, I would have not stayed at Whitworth. I did think about transferring to Gonzaga and I only stayed because of having genuine support for who I am and who my family is.”

-Kyleia Rhodes

May 2, 2023

https://thewhitworthian.news/opinions/letter-to-the-editor-justice-seeking-faith-while-being-q***r/

05/07/2023

Letter to the Editor: Christian Moral Duty in Hiring Practices

Disclaimer: Letter to the Editor does not represent the viewpoints of The Whitworthian, members of the editorial board or Whitworth University.

“Whitworth University’s mission statement is ‘to provide its diverse student body an education of the mind and the heart, equipping its graduates to honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity.’ This, I would argue, is distinctly a Christian mission. If we wish to be associated with God, we must be prepared to pay a price for following him. Jesus said that the world will hate the disciples for what they stand for (Luke 14: 25-34, John 15:18-25) and that his teachings would bring division (Matt. 10:34-36). We should expect pushback from living lives that honor God.

Considering this, we cannot ignore the Bible’s teachings concerning homos*xuality. God sees these lifestyles as sins. God clearly abhors s*xual immorality in any form, when we look at the Bible! Premarital s*x, homos*xuality and be******ty are all forbidden by God (Hebrews 13:4, Leviticus 18, Rom. 1:18-32). Today, forms outside heteros*xuality are against God’s designed plan for humanity and marriage (Gen. 1:27, 2:24).

Now why does this matter in terms of a professorship at Whitworth? As a distinctly Christian University, we cannot, in good conscience, hire individuals who, by their lifestyles, condone sinful practices. We cannot confuse the message of the gospel in such a way! Jesus calls us out of our sins to live a better life with Him, not to lounge in our sins and live as we please. How can we rightfully “serve humanity” if we potentially lead our student body astray and into sinful lifestyles through who we hire?

If Whitworth wishes to hire individuals who identify under the LGBTQ+ label, I won’t be the only one disappointed—God will be. God makes the rules of what’s right and wrong. He has been clear on his stance toward the LGBTQ+ agenda. Whitworth must take a stand as well.”

Sincerely, Jonathan Gray

April 22, 2023

Letter to the Editor: Christian Moral Duty in Hiring Practices Disclaimer: Letter to the Editor does not represent the viewpoints of The Whitworthian, members of the editorial board or Whitworth University. “Whitworth University’s mission statement is ‘to provide its diverse student body an ed...

05/07/2023

Letter to the Editor: LGBTQ+ Rights at Whitworth from a Q***r Student’s Perspective

Disclaimer: Letter to the Editor does not represent the viewpoints of The Whitworthian, members of the editorial board or Whitworth University.

“I fiercely believe in changing Whitworth’s hiring policy to protect LGBTQ+ staff from discrimination. For me, this is less of an opinion or viewpoint and more of a moral imperative. One of the things that disturbs me most surrounding this whole issue is the way that q***r dignity is discussed like favorite ice cream flavors— ‘Oh, I prefer this, but of course, it’s okay if you prefer that.’ Frankly, I don’t see homophobia as a difference in opinion. I see it as a failure to love and respect others. I wish the board, and Christians in general, would stop diminishing and falsely framing the LGBTQ+ ‘debate’ as something where two equally valid ‘sides’ exist. My lived experience is not an opinion for you to agree or disagree with. To claim so is to dehumanize me.

I’ve thought a lot about whether I regret going to Whitworth because of these issues. Honestly, I don’t and it’s because of the troves of wonderful and supportive people I’ve met on campus. I love the English department deeply. The vast majority of professors and students at Whitworth are kind, affirming and courageous people who I am glad to know. I do not believe the homophobia in the letter addressed ‘To the Whitworth University Board of Trustees,’ which was signed by some current board members, is representative of Whitworth’s student body or staff.

My hope for myself and others is to find peace in the fact that their ignorant words are not ours to carry. Their closed-mindedness is not our burden to bear. Live defiantly as the q***r wonder you are, for your existence is resistance.”

—Celia Hagey, class of 2023

April 18, 2023

Letter to the Editor: LGBTQ+ Rights at Whitworth from a Q***r Student’s Perspective Disclaimer: Letter to the Editor does not represent the viewpoints of The Whitworthian, members of the editorial board or Whitworth University. “I fiercely believe in changing Whitworth’s hiring policy to prote...

05/07/2023

Whitworth’s music department is giving back while growing

“We’ve had an excellent program, we just needed somebody to take it to the next level. When I came on board, I realized that we had such passionate students that really were going to be tremendous music educators, and we just needed somebody to mobilize it,” said Dr. Joshua Chism, associate director of music education and associate director of choral studies, as well as Whitworth’s latest addition to its music department.

“Here in the music department, we decided that the department needed someone to take hold of its music education sector a little more solidly,” Chism explained. “When I was hired, I was given specific instructions to make sure that our music education program was thriving, and for our instrumental kids, our band kids, our choir kids, anyone who’s going to become a music teacher, that we had some excellent programming for those students.”

Read the rest of the story by clicking the link in our bio or by visiting thewhitworthian.news

By: Hannah Rainford | Staff Writer
Photo by: Ben Gallaway/ The Whitworthian

05/07/2023

What do international students do over academic breaks?

During spring break, international students either hunker down on Whitworth’s campus or plan trips all over the country. While local students get to spend breaks at home with their families, many international students don’t have that option.

Niraj Pandey, a sophomore student from Nepal, hasn’t been home in almost two years because the flight would cost $1,600. “It’s not worth it,” Prandey said.

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By: Katie jo van den Bogaert | Staff Writer

Photos by:Timara Doyle/ The Whitworthian

05/07/2023

Exploring the First Amendment from a Christian conservative perspective

Whitworth students piled into the Hixson Union Building (HUB) ABC room on Thursday, March 16, to hear from Andrew Greene, Leadership Institute’s (LI) deputy assistant to the president, donor services officer and starter of the nonprofit Students for America. The title of the presentation, “The First Amendment from a Christian Conservative” was splashed across the screen below a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) heading as students took their seats.

Greene spoke for approximately 45 minutes, had a 15-minute question-and-answer segment and then answered lingering questions while mingling around the room.

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By: Isaac Price | Staff Writer and Samantha Holm | Arts and Culture Editor

Photos by: Juan Rodriguez| The Whitworthian

05/03/2023

“She Said” is a portrait of womanhood and those who’ve defended it

Poignant yet subdued, the 2022 biographical film “She Said” documents the journey to the conviction of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein for perpetrating decades of s*xual assault, as well as the rise of the “Me Too” movement.

The film follows New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor (played by Cary Mulligan and Zoe Kazan) as they seek to break a massive story and the silence surrounding s*xual assault. Produced by Brad Pitt and directed by Maria Schrader, the film is based on the 2019 novel written by Twohey and Kantor.

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By: Hannah Rainford | Staff Writer
Image: Official Movie poster for “She Said”. Universal Pictures. 2022.

05/03/2023

Chat GPT: Innovative AI or a threat to academic integrity?

Chat GPT is a new AI platform prototype that uses a text-to-image generator called DALL-E to create a specific medium based on an individual’s input parameters. The way the algorithm works is by taking a simple prompt, such as “write an essay on Shakespeare” and using data stored in the algorithm, to generate a thorough response. The algorithm will continue to generate a response to the prompt until the user selects the “stop generating” option above the chat box.

Users can also choose to type any statement, as long as it does not violate the platforms’ community guidelines which prohibit offensive or inappropriate content. Prompts can be as complicated as “explain quantum physics” or as simple as “how to tie shoes.” These prompts will generate a step-by-step guide explaining the process.

As useful and efficient Chat GPT may appear, there are several ethical concerns with the platform. With so much data readily available to users, the platform essentially does research for you, which can be detrimental to academic honesty, especially at the university level.

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By: Britney Botez l Staff Writer
Photo by: Caleb Flegel/The Whitworthian

05/03/2023

Unauthorized posters hung up in efforts to change the hiring policy

On Monday, April 10, at 8 p.m., Associate Professor of English, Thomas Caraway, opened his print shop and provided students the space and supplies to make posters that asked the Board of Trustees to change Whitworth University’s hiring policy. Students distributed these posters around campus on Wednesday and Thursday.

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By: Emma Maple | Editor-in-chief
Photos by: Grace Anderson/ The Whitworthian

05/03/2023

Whitworth Ice Cream Club founder wants to bring students together

This semester, Whitworth has a new club on campus—the Ice Cream Club. President Meg Fairborn wants to bring Whitworth students together using the power of dessert. She invites students to join her club to make and taste from a growing selection of two hundred homemade ice cream flavors and to be in the community with one another.

Fairborn said that it is her vision that students who may be isolated from each other, because of heavy class loads or different majors, could utilize Ice Cream Club as a way to meet each other.

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By: Caleb McGever | Staff Writer

04/27/2023

𝐀𝐒𝐖𝐔 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐏𝐔𝐒𝐀 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐞

On April 19, over forty campus members crowded into the Associated Students of Whitworth University (ASWU) chambers in the HUB. They gathered to express their viewpoints on ASWU’s April 12 decision to reject Turning Point USA (TPUSA)’s request to bring Xi Van Fleet, who survived Mao’s cultural revolution, to campus as a club speaker. The meeting had standing room only and extra security had been requested by ASWU.

Following brief club updates and general business items, ASWU Vice President Christian Aguilar handed the floor to TPUSA treasurer Vanessa Flowers, who had requested to open the discussion with a brief prayer.

Aguilar opened the floor for discussion, and ten hands immediately sprang up.

The week prior on April 12, ASWU had voted to decline TPUSA’s request for Van Fleet as a speaker. Nine members voted against the proposal, four voted in favor and two members abstained. *

This vote occurred after a discussion regarding concerns about bringing Van Fleet to campus. Those in favor of bringing Van Fleet to campus discussed the idea of desiring a voice for the conservative community and allowing free speech and civil discourse.

Some of the concerns about bringing Van Fleet included the content of her tweets. Many of the tweets compare what Van Fleet calls “woke culture” to her experiences within Mao’s cultural revolution. ASWU members said their constituents were concerned with the analogies she made and what sort of precedent allowing this sort of rhetoric would set for future speakers, as well as the impact her rhetoric could have on certain campus communities, especially the LGBTQ+ community.

Read the rest of the story by clicking the link below:
https://thewhitworthian.news/news/aswu-denies-tpusa-speaker-reactions-ensue/

By: Isaac Price | Staff Writer & Emma Maple | Editor-in-Chief
Photo by: Juan Rodriguez/ The Whitworthian

Fox News
Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
Campus Reform

04/27/2023

Rainbow chalk is removed from the Chapel exterior

On the morning of Thursday, April 13, chalk messages decorating the outside walls and some of the sidewalks surrounding the Seeley G. Mudd Chapel were removed by facilities, at the request of Forrest Buckner, Storm family dean of spiritual life and campus pastor.

The chalk was in association with the activities taking place this past week advocating for a change in Whitworth’s hiring policy. The chalk messages removed from the Chapel included I Corinthians 13:1 which states, “If I have faith and can move mountains and have not love, I am nothing,” drawings of rainbows and a sign stating “you are welcome” in rainbow colors.

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By: Emma Maple | Editor-in-chief
Photo by: Photo by Aidan Speake

04/27/2023

Performance by Whitworth Choir and Symphony Orchestra explores faith and gender

The Whitworth Choir and Symphony Orchestra had an enthusiastic audience for their performance on Saturday, March 11, at First Presbyterian Church of Spokane.

The concert showcased Whitworth students’ musicianship under the direction of the Whitworth Choir Director Dr. Xiaoshia Lin and Whitworth Symphony Orchestra Director Dr. Philip Baldwin.

Baldwin played alongside his students as a violinist, while Lin introduced each song, its historical context and its meaning before conducting the students.

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By: Charis Tiamson | Staff Writer
Photos by: Ben Gallaway/The Whitworthian

04/15/2023

Embodied: Reversing unhealthy narratives about body image

Whitworth students Kendra Guttridge and Emma Moore are promoting conversations about maintaining healthy relationships between ourselves and food through their new club, Embodied.

Read the rest of the story by clicking the link in our bio or by visiting thewhitworthian.news

For more information about Embodied, visit the group’s Instagram page, embodiedwhitworth, where Guttridge and Moore post helpful resources.

By: Caleb McGever

04/15/2023

Students protest Whitworth’s hiring policy with chalk rainbows

On Tuesday, April 4, Whitworth students were greeted with rainbows and affirming chalk messages drawn on Whitworth’s sidewalks. These messages were initiated by Westminster Round to show their support for changing Whitworth’s hiring policy, although many other students have joined the effort.

Whitworth’s hiring policy does not include s*xual orientation or gender identity as a protected class, which means Whitworth reserves the right to consider these characteristics in decisions made regarding people’s careers at Whitworth.

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By: Grace Uppendahl | Opinions Editor
Photo by: Ben Gallaway/ The Whitworthian

04/15/2023

Bringing accessibility to the arts

From January 21-22, Whitworth’s own Whitopera presented “Speed Dating Tonight,” an opera written by Michael Ching. The one-hour interactive opera is a mixture of musical theatre, cabaret music, American songbook, opera and folk. It’s a collection of American music put together by Michael Ching and Dean Anthony at the JaniecOpera Company in Brevard in 2013.

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By: Hannah Rainford | Staff Writer

04/15/2023