Westminster University announced its new president, Dr. Sylvia Torti, the current president of a northeastern liberal arts college and a former dean of the University of Utah Honors College. Sylvia Torti announced as Westminster’s 20th president, who will replace current President Beth Dobkin this summer. Photo from Westminster’s press release. Torti will replace current Westminster President Beth Dobkin this summer and will be inaugurated this fall. Westminster announced T

Pictured above is Converse Hall, a staple of the Westminster University campus. Westminster University housed the Olympic security teams for the 2002 games. Photo credit: KSL TV For those who have been in Salt Lake City the last few months, it is hard not to notice the fact that the 2034 Winter Olympics will be upon us in eight years. Signs at the airport, parades downtown, and numerous Instagram posts are reminders that Salt Lake City will be hosting one of the biggest spor

Students often pass by the organic garden hidden behind the bicycle workshop and the orchard tucked between Giovale Library and Emigration Creek, not knowing that behind those places is a purpose. Denise Živković is the Growing Spaces program manager at Westminster University, who heads the organic garden, orchard, greenhouse and Skaggs garden boxes. These spaces were developed nearly a decade ago to be opportunities for community, learning and growing fresh food to eat. Ži

The Westminster Wardrobe is a new professional clothing exchange on campus, created this spring to help students dress for current, graduate, or post-grad opportunities. The initiative began with Honors Dean Dr. Alicia Cunningham-Bryant, donors, and the office of fellowship advising. Yvonne Francis, a Westminster alum and manager of Honors College Operations & Engagement, and Sarah Phillips, a sophomore, sociology major and Westminster Wardrobe Student Manager, both said ho

Approximately 100 Westminster students chant and protest at the ICE Out Walk Out in Richer Commons on Wednesday. The Social Action Committee engages students in meaningful social action and advocacy. Nora McAndrews, a junior political and environmental justice major and president of the Social Action Committee, urged attendees to call Utah Senators to vote against any bill appropriation funding towards ICE. “Between now and the first of February, I need you guys to call Joh

There is an estimate of 3.1 million undergraduate student-parents in universities across the United States according to the most recent National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). This means 18% of the current undergraduate student population are parents according to NPSAS. Student-parents have the difficult job of raising their child(ren), doing schoolwork and often working jobs to make ends meet. Aryan Rai, an international student from England, getting a masters in e

With Westminster’s Mountain Sports Initiative, mountain biking is now on campus with one student on the team . With Utah being one of the most popular states for mountain biking, it has still been hard to start a team according to the head coach of mountain biking, said Nic Sims. “It is way harder than I thought it was going to be,” Sims said. “Utah is the biggest high school mountain bike league in the country with over 7,100 kids registered.” Sims said it’s the lack of co

Spiritual Life hosted an Interfaith Thanksgiving event for students to participate in gratitude activities. “We just want to increase visibility for our spiritual life organization and also to show folks on this campus that spirituality isn’t just limited to religion,” said Mike Park, the assistant director of Student Care and Belonging. “I think a lot of the times when we talk about spirituality, the first thing their minds go to is religion.” “Especially, I think in a state

With increasing attention on national politics, the Creating Change panel event Thursday, highlights getting involved in local politics. Kate Bradshaw, alum of Westminster and the now elected mayor of Bountiful emphasized the importance of getting involved with the community by following local social media accounts, joining Facebook groups and volunteering for campaigns to stay informed and gain experience in the political sphere. “I’ll just take a second to reiterate how muc

Tailgate for the Arts event Thursday was a potluck to give students, faculty and staff a chance to get together before the play Accidental Death of an Anarchist. The event had a low attendance with students, but faculty and staff showed up. Dean of Students, Kellie Gerbers explains the event and the purpose she had in mind for the gathering. “Folks are encouraged to bring a potluck dish to share, but it’s not required,” Gerbers said. “It’s really an opportunity for us all

ASW hosted a discussion panel of administrators for students to raise questions about on-campus concerns. ASW President Max Gutierrez introducing panelists President Beth Dobkin, Provost Debbie Tahmassebi and Vice President for Student Affairs & Athletics Jessica Brazell-Brayboy at the Doughnuts and Discussions event on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Students at the event asked questions they had about any topic. ASW President Max Gutierrez, a senior and philosophy major, started the even

The Purple Basket is running on 10% of its budget compared to past semesters according to Dean of Students Kellie Gerbers, who is temporarily overseeing the Purple Basket. “The Purple Basket is a campus resource designed to assist students facing nutrition and food insecurity while enrolled at Westminster,” Gerbers said. “The Purple Basket is part of Westminster’s larger efforts to address short-term basic needs for students and build a community of care.” Since the past year

An opportunity offered to students at many universities is to study abroad and travel during their studies, but a small percentage of students in the U.S. take advantage of this opportunity although the interest has been significantly growing. During the 2022-23 academic year, 49% more students reported to have studied abroad, according to NAFSA, The Association of International Educators. This increase in global interest reflects students’ desire to connect with the rest of

President Beth Dobkin is retiring at the end of the school year after 40 years in higher education. California is where she plans to go after Westminster. “[I’m] looking forward to riding my horse and working on our organic garden, traveling and spending more time with kids,” Dobkin said. “Those are the immediate plans.” Dobkin is the 19th president of Westminster University; she started the role in 2018. COVID-19 caused uncertainty for most. Dobkin said navigating during t

Westminster renewed a 20-year partnership with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team, becoming an official four-year college provider through 2034. This partnership provides a 6 year contract with athletes, where every year that they are enrolled at Westminster, they receive a tuition reduction. “We had a partnership 20 years ago that was established to give athletes tuition benefits,” said Michele Lowry, the athlete professional development manager of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team.

More students accepted the offer to join the Honors College this year compared to previous years. Honors is a small cohort at Westminster, this year it saw a jump in enrollment. “Usually we sit around 40-42 incoming students and about six to eight lateral entry students with a mixture of internal Westminster transfers into honors and external transfers into Westminster,” said Alicia Cunningham-Bryant, Dean of the Honors College. In a normal year, the Honors College has aroun

Kilby Block Party began in 2019 as a “literal block party” to celebrate Kilby Court. “Our dream with KBP is to recreate the supportive atmosphere of this beloved venue by bringing together SLC’s music community with some of our favorite artists,” according to Kilby Block Party. It now holds the title of “the largest indie music festival to ever happen in Salt Lake City,” according to Kilby Block Party. Kilby Block Party sign welcoming attendants to the annual indie music f

The slopes of Brighton Ski Resort now feature a pop of purple with Westminster University-branded features that were unveiled at the Grill and Chill event on March 28. A student hits a rail at the Grill and Chill event, which was reported to have a big turnout. Photo courtesy of Hannah Bettis The three features include a box, a pyramid rail and a waterfall rail according to Isabelle Gerry, president of the Westminster Ski and Snowboard. “ I brought it up to Sheila at the ve

President Trump issued a record-breaking number of directives in his first 100 days in office, including an executive order on Jan 21, titled “ENDING ILLEGAL DISCRIMINATION AND RESTORING MERIT-BASED OPPORTUNITY.” The order required federal agencies to terminate existing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility mandates and included language “encouraging the private sector to end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences.” As a private school, Westminster University ex

After two days of voting and weeks of campaigning, the results for the new ASW representatives are in: ASW President: Max Gutierrez VP of Internal Affairs: Chase White VP of Government Affairs: Simeon Hammond VP of Campus Affairs: Hailey Kim ASW announced their results this afternoon after students voted for their representatives over Canvas. Photo courtesy of ASW. With ASW elections in full swing, candidates are ready to express how they want to change campus engagement. S