Making It Happen
Students Hold The Key To Reviving Campus Life
Whittier Colleges’ campus grounds are green all year long for the students to enjoy. The buildings hold comfortable spots for students to hang out in and do their work. Little events pop up around the campus to get students out of their dorms or classes to talk to one another. But, it’s quiet here. Some say, too quiet. The lively school that Whittier College used to be isn’t the same anymore. One of California’s oldest Liberal Arts colleges, Whittier College is for many students a place to learn and grow into the people they want to be. For others, it’s just a place to get a degree and not much more.
For 19-year-old commuter Calvin Morgenstern, the college is a place to not only study and learn, but also to make friends. Morgenstern, with his love of band tee shirts, collared shirts and jackets, has been making friends left and right, as he says “hi” or “good morning” to people walking by on campus. Due to his habit of asking people how their day is, almost everyone knows the first.
Morgenstern has been engaged in campus life. As someone in Theater, he is constantly working with other students on the new plays the Theater Department produces. He is also a broadcaster at KPOET, the college’s radio station, and is at many campus events. He wishes more students would join him a these functions. “I would prefer more engagements from other students,” he says. “I say, just get the word around the dorms, maybe more posters around campus. The events are fun I don’t see why there isn’t anyone there.”
On the other side of campus, on the top of the hill are Turner and Harris Hall dormitories, which show the sunrise and sunset better than any building at the main campus. These quiet halls house many Whittier College students, such as Bella Murnane, a 19-year-old resident. She says residents of these dorms don’t always attend events because of how far they are from where events take place. And, sometimes there is little word of mouth about what’s happening.
Murnane’s main forms of engagement are hanging out with friends outside or inside the eSports Room on campus. The eSports room is located adjacent to the Career Center and you might not notice it if you didn’t already know where it is. This small room is filled with gaming equipment that students are allowed to use for free to spend some time playing their favorite video games with friends.
Murnane says she’ll sometimes browse the college’s main Instagram account to see what’s going on, but adds, “Most of the time there aren't like any events on there. So maybe do that [post thee], since that’s the main account. More people will be able to see it and go to the events?”
On the other hand, Alexie Hurtado, a 21-year-old student, sees an uptick in student engagement with campus activities compared to previous years. Now in her fourth year, Hurtado works for the Program Board, a group that plans most events held at Whittier. She is also a member of The Palmers society. Societies are a big part of campus life. They host many events for new members and often volunteer for events.
Hurtado’s first two years however weren’t easy. Both her freshman and sophomore year at Whittier were mostly online due to Covid-19. During those two years she was involved with the Red Cross Club online. When classes resumed on campus, she decided to try new experiences. “My pledge sisters really pushed me to go ahead to be active,” says Hurtado, “and honestly, I wouldn’t be doing it now if it weren’t for them!”
Covid-19 had a massive impact on student life everywhere. Many schools all over the world moved to online classes during the pandemic’s peak. This lowered engagement significantly. In 2023, with the worst of the pandemic seemingly behind us, many schools have bounced back. Whittier College is struggling, though, with both low enrollment and low engagement.
In 2022, Whittier cut the football team, male lacrosse team, and thegolf team off to save money for the college. School enrollment is about half what it was before the pandemic.
The lack of student engagement all starts with the numbers. In 2015, the student population was roughly 1600 students, says Jessica Hernandez, a student alumni who works at the Center for Advising and Academic Success. Enrollment peaked pre-pandemic in 2019 with a robust 1,776 students attending classes, according to the Los Angeles Times. Last year, the Times reports there were just over 1,000 students enrolled. The Quaker Campus student newspaper reports enrollment at about 800 students this year. .
Whittier College wasn’t always so sleepy. Professor Ann Hickey notes that in the past, there would be students studying and eating lunch outdoors with their friends, parties hosted by clubs and societies that students would look forward to weekly, people showing up to events, evebn playing football or throwing frisbees outdoors in the quad.
In office number 320 at the newly air-conditioned Science and Learning Center, Hickey is found preparing for upcoming classes with her highlighted planner. The office is warm and has a great view of the large upper quad. Hickey is not only a professor but also a Whittier College alumni, an athlete, and a Thalian Society sister. She is eager to talk about student engagement.
“This topic is really interesting,” says Hickey, “since it’s a big one for me because I always tell my students, ‘Just get involved, because there is no time in your life like college.’”
“I always tell my students, ‘Just get involved, because there is no time in your life like college.’”
Originally from Saint Louis, Missouri, Hickey is a Kinesiology Professor who got her B.A. in Psychology at Whittier College and her Ph.D. at University of California. She describes her college years as unforgettable and full of events that brought students out of their shells and into each other’s lives. A huge fan of old-school rap and hip hop, Hickey remembers some of her favorite artists performat at Club 88, located right underneath the Campus Inn.
“One year was amazing because they brought Digital Underground to play at the little club on campus, you know the people who made The Humpty Dance?” says Hickey. “And at the after party The Luniz were also there, like these are big names coming to our little campus.”
“One year was amazing because they brought Digital Underground to play at the little club on campus.”
Hickey says her involvement in athletics — she played basketball and ran track — helped her engage with her college experience. She also joined The Thalians society and became a member of the Associated Students of Whittier College Senate, the student government body. In her day, it was common for student-athletes to also be society members. She notices that is not so common today.
“I think that's less often now. You know, coaches really discourage that, which I don’t like, since societies are very engaged on campus. You know there's more life on campus with them,” she says. “Many coaches always mention your team is your family — they see the pledging process and see how much time it takes, maybe thinking how much time it really takes away from the team.”
Hickey thinks that a society, club, or even program board needs to throw something big, something that would really bring the college back together fully. “Even a local artist that we can promote that they can do for a small fee or a free concert for students, it can work!” she explains. “I just want to see more social events happening on campus, seeing societies and students thrive.”
“I just want to see more social events happening on campus, seeing societies and students thrive.”
Students sit around in the warm student lounge waiting for events to come around. With the big flat screen TV that constantly shows a live feed of all the events coming up, students just don’t see it. The flyers plastered on cork boards in academic halls aren’t cutting it, either. What students want is more buzz about events. Most say they are simply not hearing enough about the events going on.
With student engagement on the uptick, however slightly, after years of being low, there are many things to look forward to in the years ahead. Duncan Smith, president of the ASWC Senate says he is working on pumping up the volume.
“One of the more tangible things that we’re working on right now is building a strong partnership with athletes and societies,” says the 19-year-old political science major. Smith says that these groups account for most of the student body and are heavily engaged in the school.
“They both stand to gain something,” says Smith. “Societies want more people in societies and athletes want more people at their games…getting the right people to know each other, getting the right people working together, is what I see is the key to success in the future.”
“Getting the right people working together, is what I see is the key to success in the future.”
Students suggest a variety of ways to get the word about about campus events, including placing flyers in more visible places and focusing on more social media promotions. any students suggest more flyers, in places that aren’t just on the cork board. It is important, they say, to talk up events. Word cannot get around if you don’t say something.
Most important, though, may be just doing it. As Professor Ann Hickey puts it, “If you want to see something happen, don’t wait for someone else to do it, make it happen!”
“If you want to see something happen, don’t wait for someone else to do it, make it happen!”
