In an era where over 15,000 self-help books are published in the United States each year, everyone seems to have two cents to share about how we can improve our lives. Despite these countless publications, each quick-fix or new mindfulness appears ephemeral. Self-help needs help.
Modern language has become violent in a way that abstracts our words from their actual meanings. Phrases like “slay” “break a leg” “you’re killing it” and many others reveal how violence has settled into quotidian linguistics. This reorientation towards violence desensitizes people to its larger social implications and promotes inadequate communication. Language that was once, and by dictionary definition still is, seen as violent or harmful is now utilized in neutral or even uplifting ways. Desensitization towards larger problems in society like gun violence, racism, global warming, etc. engenders an escalation of language in order to gain an appropriate reaction to said issues.
My project, MisMatch, started from a real-life frustration — how much time and energy it takes just to pick an outfit. Research shows that people spend around 102 hours a year deciding what to wear (Marks & Spencer), and about 50% of Americans say it’s the most stressful part of getting ready for an event (Trunk Club). At the same time, the fast fashion industry produces around 92 million tons of textile waste each year (UNEP), most of which ends up in landfills. I wanted to create something that helped people in their everyday lives while also promoting more sustainable habits.
Aging Americans and their caregivers should have easy access to dignifying end-of-life care. The rapid increase in the 65+ population requires policy innovation in current Medicare regulation concerning hospice. Coordinated, intentional efforts between government and private sector providers, insurance navigators, community organizations, and houses of worship are also needed to change public attitudes towards hospice care, encourage referrals, increase uptake, and offer emotional, psychological, and spiritual support.
Sigma Xi Five new Honors students inducted This semester, five honors students were inducted into the Sigma Xi branch at Whitworth. Sigma Xi is a well-respected National Research Honors Society that supports quantitative research aimed at positively advancing society, according to Dr. Aaron Putzke. The five students added this semester include Eleanor Jeffers, Casey Moddrell, Kendall Sandhop, Corrine Vasiloff, and Ethan Worth. While this organization has traditionally focused on STEM fields, Whitworth has made a goal to include other disciplines with quantitative research. This allows Whitworth’s chapter to be more inclusive with students that are both in
As an English Writing major, I am constantly asked the question, “what are you going to do with your degree?” The answer, as I have discovered during my time in Whitworth’s honors program, is that the possibilities are far more wide-reaching than even I would have guessed as I declared my major in 2019. Eighteen-year-old literature-loving me would not have anticipated using my writing skills to interpret and communicate water law— but that’s exactly what I did throughout the fall of 2021. HN300, or the community-based research honors seminar, is a class that divides honors students into
During the summer 2019 and continuing into the school year, we worked in the developmental biology lab of Dr. Aaron Putzke here at Whitworth University. We worked on a project that was presented at an international conference by Dr. Putzke and that we presented at the regional Murdock College Science Research Conference in November of 2019. Our project has now been accepted to be presented by us at The Allied Genetics Conference in Washington DC in April. Our project has also led to a paper that we contributed to and is being submitted to the G3
