Name: Whitney Polich
Class Year: Junior, Class of 2019
Major: Psychology, Women and Gender Studies
Hometown: Wilmington, Delaware
HC: What are you involved with at Dickinson?
WP: I am involved in One Love, DTones, the Writing Center, Pi Phi, and I am a Student Admissions Interviewer.
HC: What kinds of things does One Love do on campus?
WP: One Love is a new organization on campus but we have had several events over the course of the past year! Primarily, we have hosted a variety of workshops, called Escalation, which serve to educate students on the signs of dating violence and abuse, and how to help yourself or a friend out of dangerous situations. We promote a variety of short videos and social media campaigns to raise awareness about emotional, physical, and verbal abuse. We also have collaborated with a few groups on campus to host certain citations such as the Sticky Note Campaign and the Ribbon Project, which act as visual projects to promote One Love.
HC: Why do you think One Love is an important to have, both at Dickinson and in general?
WP: Dating violence and abuse on college campuses, and beyond, is an epidemic. Unlike physical abuse, emotional, verbal and mental abuse is just as harmful, but does not always display the same warning signs. As such One Love is important because it begins a vital and potentially life saving conversation regarding toxic relationships and defining what a healthy and happy love is. It may be easier to think that dating violence is not present on our campus, however the work done by One Love is essential to improving our relationships here at Dickinson, and keeping us all safe. Moreover, I hope that the work done here on campus will inspire people to value the health of their future relationships going forward and to have tools to help themselves or others leave a dangerous situation.
HC: What are your goals for the rest of your time at Dickinson?
WP: My goals for the remainder of my time at Dickinson include getting One Love established on campus, enjoying my time abroad, doing well in classes and soaking up as much of this place as I can!
HC: How do you balance your extracurricular activities with your academics?
WP: It definitely is not easy! The best method I have used is focusing on time management – my planner is my life. I also try and balance my obligations with things that I enjoy, such as working out.
HC: What is your favorite thing about Dickinson?
WP: My favorite thing about Dickinson is the people I have met hear, and the lessons and experiences they have shared with me!
HC: What is something most people would not know about you?
WP: I am one of a set of triplet girls!