Turbulent Times, Placid Campus
Is Low Engagement Whittier College’s Long Covid?
Note: Though it discusses campus events focused on the Israel-Palestine conflict, this article is not about and does not address that issue.
On an unusually cold day at Whittier College in early November, Eliana Peretz, a member of SAMi (Sephardi American Mizrahi Initiative) Club, hosted an event to mourn the lives lost in Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. The event’s location, in the Whittier Campus Courtyard, ensured maximum exposure as most heading to the Campus Inn for dinner would pass by. Still, few engaged. At one point, as Peretz spoke of a couple that were separated by Hamas, a student yelled “Free Palestine” and disappeared into the night.
The terrible violence that has accompanied the latest conflagration in the long-running conflicts in the region have put Isreal and Palestine at the forefront of discussions, debates and protests around the world. Whittier College students and faculty are no exception: students have expressed a desire now more about the issues and sought guidance on how to engage with them.
Since October 7, Whittier College’s campus has hosted three events aiming to initiate conversations about the Israel-Palestine conflict: one organized by SAMi, another by college faculty, and the last by Whittier Students Workers Alliance (WSWA). Arlo Tinsman-Kongshaug, who helped organize the WSWA event, believes that having these conversations is crucial for students in the long-term. “It’s either people are going to be informed with dialogue or they are going to be informed by the vacuum of social media,” he said.
While happy that there have been events on campus addressing the strife, Tinsman-Kongshaug has noticed that institution hasn’t done much outwardly to engage students in the discussion. “They [Whittier College Administration] don’t do anything to facilitate the conversation,” says. “The school needs to take an interest in making sure that these events are happening and not just placing it in the hands of students.”
WWSA’s Noel Davidson, who initiated the November 18 discussion hosted by the Alliance, think the school is simply reflecting thew student body. “I don’t think school does anything [to facilitate the conversation] because there is no call from the students. But I would say it is something that needs to start to happen and it needs a push. Whittier College needs to want students to talk about these events,” he says.
Not everyone sees it that way. “Whittier College is doing enough by spreading the word [about on-campus Israel-Palestine discussion] and including it in the schedule and on the flyers,” says Gabe Ramirez, a graduating senior with military experience specializing in mental health issues. “I think that College is doing a good job at facilitating it [the conversation] by not getting in student’s way.”
“Whittier College needs to want students to talk about these events.”
Tinsman-Konshaug thinks the relative lack of urgent discussion around the Israel-Palestine conflict is not specific to this issue, but signals a broader issue among students. “The question of why there is no widespread discussion of Israel-Hamas on campus is the same question we can ask of why isn’t anything happening in Whittier College right now? The reality is, Whittier is a declining school,” he says. “There is a lot of apathy from people who are in their own bubble here.”
“There is a lot of apathy from people who are in their own bubble here.”
Some students say the underlying reason for low student engagement with issues such as the Israel-Palestine conflict, and in general, is the culture of the campus. “This is a quiet campus, like people here want to put their heads down and go to class,” says SAMi’s Peretz. “And one of the disappointments with the school is that there is a cultural apathy within the school. Apathy towards the school spirit. Apathy towards political events.”
Davidson takes it a step further, saying the school has yet to shake off the effects of several years of tumult. “People in general are sad in Whittier College. They see their surroundings and and see that [people] are sad that they are here and that makes them sad. For such a small school, there is no sense of community,” says Davidson. “For me that’s odd. How you can go to school with people and not even acknowledge their existence? …Apparently, it used to be fun here and then Covid happened.”
“For me that’s odd. How you can go to school with people and not even acknowledge their existence?”
While Whittier College is still trying to shake off its COVID-19 “hangover”, some students say social life their well-being is getting worse.
“Yeah I don’t do shit here, dude. Back home I would train a lot in MMA and study. Here, I just go to classes and smoke with you guys,” says Clint as he passes a joint. “I met most of you through weed. You see weed connects people. There’s nothing to do here anyways,” says Peter, as he laughs and grabs the joint. “Yeah, yesterday I was driving through Uptown with Bruce and I told him that I am so glad I’m graduating. I just don’t understand how people actually go here for four years,” adds Steve.
“Facts. I was thinking what has happened that I ended up here,” says Tony, smiling, but with a serious look in his eyes. “But this school was completely different back before Covid. It was actually lit. The way it was promoted to me was as genuinely good school and then Covid happened. The school right now compared to back then is just two different worlds.”
The names of the students above have been changed to protect their anonymity, but they are not alone in their assessment that the college has yet to shake off its post-Covid doldrum.
Rich Heyward is a lacrosse player who entered as a freshman in 2019. His college career ended abruptly when the school cut the program last year. “Whittier was amazing before COVID and that’s the reason I’m here right now. Our sports games were pretty packed and it was filled with fans. Even Lacrosse had love, which I didn't even experience back home…” says Heyward, who is from Upstate New York. “The reason I didn’t choose other schools back home is because I’d seen a good team and a good program here… When I came back to Whittier after the pandemic, the whole program was the faded version of the team and Whittier College itself was a faded version of what it used to be.”
Heyward says it wasn’t just sports, but also social life that was more active. “Social life before COVID-19 was everything I imagined college would be. You could go out and just see people. You’ll go outside to Quad right now and you won’t see a soul. But my freshman year, it was full of people all the time. Even party-wise it was not the matter of if, it was the matter of where and when.”
The Office of Student Engagement office does not necessarily agree that the campus is in a post-Covid doldrums. When visited recently, a staff member, who started working after COVID-19 hit, noted that there are 45+ clubs and honor societies with around 1,000 on-campus events that happened last year alone. She added that Whittier College students should check Engage (the college’s campus activities and engagement page) as well as the school’s social media to learn more about events happening on campus.
Many Whittier College students, though, will say they don’t use Engage and don’t follow social media closely. “Students don’t figure out events on the Engage,” says Heyward. “I have never checked Engage.… Just posting [events on social media/Engage] is not raising awareness.”
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a psychological theory based on five-tier human needs. It ranges from physiological, such as food, water, and safety, to self-actualization needs, such as creativity and purpose. It is believed that you need to satisfy each preceding stage to get to a higher point of your life experience. Few people are able to reach self-actualization, but we all can have moments in our lives of experiencing the peak.
Through the interviews with students, one recurring theme is the poor student-support infrastructure. Students spoke about a number of issue from a lack of water fountains in Harris Hall to only two dorms being equipped with air conditioning. One student noted that pre-pandemic, the Campus Inn “had real plates and all the meal stations were open.” The Spot used to be open until later in the evening, which one student-athlete said was convenient, “because me and my team would sometimes skip dinner if there was a team-lift and just go to Spot.”
Others noted that the Library closes at 5 p.m. on Fridays, isn’t open on Saturdays and that students in Harris, Turner, and Wanberg have to make with long walks to go get to the library. “ Why aren’t there more study lounges on campus?” asked a student.
The issue of low engagement among students Whittier College is obviously a complex issue with no easy fix. Rather, it appears to be a variety of small and large problems that pile up and prevents students from getting the college experience they desire. Some students have noted, though, that the administration is taking steps to shake over the Covid hangover. The lights installed around campus that is one example, making it feel safer to walk around the quiet campus at night.
Stay tuned.
