Student Life
Student Life
The college provides students with learning opportunities through involvement and engagement. Students may participate in activities, such as the Associate Students of Whitman College (ASWC), community service projects, academic-year internships, sorority & fraternity life, or the Outdoor Program that enhance their leadership skills. The college supports an active campus social life, a comprehensive wellness program, and excellent recreational programs that include varsity competition and an extensive program of club and intramural sports. The campus programs are designed to foster a community feeling within a climate of inclusion and understanding.
The offices of the Dean of Students and the Provost and Dean of the Faculty direct and coordinate a wide range of student support services. The Dean of Students coordinates new student orientation, housing and residential life, counseling, health services, the debate program, campus security, and the Reid Campus Center. The Provost and Dean of the Faculty coordinates major advising, postgraduate fellowship and scholarship programs, the Career and Community Engagement Center (CCEC), Academic Resource Center (ARC), Disability Student Services (DSS), Global Programs, and Athletics. Both the Dean of Students and the Provost collaborate closely with the Intercultural Center on a range of campus issues such as student support and programming.
The Residential Campus
Residence halls and houses are designed to assist students to succeed academically and develop personally. Residential living is an integral part of the Whitman educational experience. In order to enhance the residential experience for the whole community, all students are required to live in college-owned housing for 8 semesters. Over their 4 years, students can experience a range of residential communities, including first-year residence halls, interest houses, fraternity and sorority living, off-campus college-owned rental houses, and the new Nancy Serrurier Village for juniors and seniors, opened in 2025.
Students may select from a variety of residences. With the exception of Prentiss Hall, all residential facilities house students of all genders. On-campus housing options include: Anderson Hall, for 137 students; William O. Douglas Hall, for 70 students in suites of eight students each; Prentiss Hall, for 145 women including members of Whitman’s four national sororities as well as women not affiliated with a sorority, housed in two-room doubles; Jewett Hall houses 154 students; Lyman House has two-room suites for 91 students; and Stanton Hall, housing 150 sophomore students in mostly single rooms. Also on-campus is the Nancy Serrurier Village for 210 juniors and seniors in 2- to 4- bedrooms apartments with full kitchens.
Thirteen interest houses offer unique learning opportunities. Language houses, such as French, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, and German, further the academic and cultural interests of students studying a foreign language. Approximately six to nine students reside in each house. Other interest houses are the Multicultural House, which fosters cross-cultural communication and understanding; the Environmental House, focusing on environmental and ecological issues; the Fine Arts House, which promotes programs emphasizing studio, theatrical, and musical arts; the Wellness House which focuses on the 8 dimensions of wellness; the Writing House, which provides resources to encourage the growth of writing as a discipline; the Lavender house, which celebrates LGBTQIA+ lives and experiences; the Spirituality House, which lifts up and supports all faith traditions and practices; and the Community Service House encourages discussions of service issues among students and the Whitman community and includes a community service requirement.
Four national fraternities maintain chapter houses near the campus. Each has its own dining, sleeping, study, and recreational facilities.
Just as it is important to live on campus, it is equally important to dine on campus. Dining on campus helps to integrate students into the campus community. It provides the opportunity for sections to spend time together, contributes to community within the halls, and allows further opportunity for students to interact with faculty outside the classroom. During the fall of 2018, a new central dining facility, Cleveland Commons, opened for the whole campus community supplemented by other, smaller dining options on campus. In addition, Jewett Hall has a café with breakfast and lunch options as well as a coffee bar. Reid Campus Center also has a small marketplace for students and community members. Students who live in the residence halls are required to subscribe to a board plan (see exceptions under “Board” in the Charges section). Students living off-campus are encouraged to eat in college dining halls and may subscribe to one of several board plans. Junior and senior students living in the Nancy Serrurier Village are not required to be on a meal plan.
While it is difficult for the college to provide highly specialized diets in the dining halls, Bon Appétit (the college’s food service provider) as well as the Health Center will work with students who have dietary concerns. There are vegetarian and vegan alternatives at every meal. Any student, on-or off-campus, may purchase a meal plan.