2020 Spring The Honorable Mention

The required reading of three memoirs for Dr. Connie Etter and Daniel Cairo’s Honors course, Global Welfare and Justice. Photo courtesy of Ceci Rigby New ways to feel old ideas: How an Honors seminar paves the way to integrate awareness in the classroom BY SOPHIE CALIGIURI Awareness is, to put it lightly, a rather hefty term. Awareness Both to think and to name are ideas guided by action, has the ability to shapeshift, weaving seamlessly in and out of theories turned into practice. It is this—the thinking paired different definitions. If we are to pay attention to technicalities with the naming—that forces the definition of awareness to (which is always risky), awareness presents itself as a steadfast evolve, as encouraged in the classroom of Global Welfare and noun, simply: knowledge, perception, or understanding. Justice. However, Dr. Connie Etter and Daniel Cairo, professors Etter and Cairo look beyond the clichéd use of awareness currently leading the Honors seminar as understanding and instead instill Global Welfare and Justice, encourage in their students the importance “Are we going to be okay with the way the students to question the verity of this of awareness as action. Awareness world is or are we going to transform it? This particular part-of-speech designation. operating not stagnantly as a noun, but class presents a very weighty ‘so what?’” “Global Welfare and Justice is a instead as a verb, with every ability to class that asks us to name—with more embrace fluidity and enact change. Dr. Connie Etter clarity and specificity—the global, As Etter states, the origin of structural inequalities that influence inequalities lies in the hands individual and community welfare,” said Etter. “It’s a class that of humanity. As taught in Global Welfare and Justice, asks us to not only think about the human impacts of global, understanding this is only tier one of enacting awareness. structural inequalities but the very human origins of those “It’s possible to sit safely removed from these questions and inequalities.” issues of global welfare and justice,” Etter said. “Dan and I continued on page 11 students PAGE Honors advocate through club leadership FOUR · PAGE FIVE · Spring 2020 Volume 18 Issue 2 Building resilience through community on campus Westminster Honors College alumni engage in social advocacy B Y G W E N D E LY N S A L A Z A R create their own products to sell at local markets. “We want to build on what is available and known but improve on that and bring women and young people into the marketplace,” he said. “At the Peace Corps, we work within our means.” Yerkes said he became interested in the Peace Corps during his time at Westminster and chose the Benin program because he could contribute with his background in business, farming, and French. “Mutual growth is what we’re working toward,” he said. “And personal development.” Both Yerkes and Hill said the Honors College helped prepare them for where they are now. Yerkes said white saviorism is inherent with his work, and Westminster taught him how to grapple with that. “The Honors College gave me the capacity to think about the world-changing people within the realm of diverse identities,” Yerkes said. “It gave me the tools to reconcile what I’m doing with my white male privilege.” Hill also mentioned being aware of her privilege and looking at things critically. “The Honors College taught me to look at interdisciplinary aspects of all systems,” Hill said. “Understanding how the system works helps us combat it and bring down what is unjust.” Westminster Honors College alums Caroline Hill (’11) and Greg Yerkes (’15) are utilizing their skills and passions to make the world a little better. Caroline Hill is finishing law school and interning at the San Francisco public defender’s office after having taught English in Mexico following her graduation from Westminster. “Seeing another country’s prison system was eye-opening,” she said. Hill said the experience made her realize while the justice system in the United States is flawed, there is good that can be done despite the obstacles. Hill works with immigrants and said that in the Trump era, much of the immigrant experience involves the carceral system. “Everyone is human and deserves representation and deserves help,” she said. “I really enjoy working directly with people. It humanizes who the people are that we’re incarcerating.” Hill said working inside the prison system allows her to be part of the solution. “We don’t need one solution. We need people working together,” she said. Greg Yerkes (’15) studied business at Westminster before joining a two-year program with the Peace Corps in Benin, West Africa. Yerkes’ program uses local resources to create sustainable economic development. He is currently working on a project that will give sixty local women access to beehives and training to Honors alum Caroline Hill (’11). Photo courtesy of Chung Li Honors alum Greg Yerkes (’15). Photo courtesy of Nicole Roberts 2 Horiuchi interns take behind-the-scenes looks into political processes BY JULIA VORSTEVELD Is it safe to say American politics are perhaps the most polarized they have ever been? And if that’s true, how do collegeaged folks navigate conversations and be politically engaged when assumptions and opposition seem to be constantly present and inhibitive of critical thinking and learning about multiple answers to a single question? Maggie Regier (’20), a senior with a custom major in community health leadership, and Jaedri Wood (’20), a senior double majoring in international business and economics, are two students who can lend their insight to the Honors community from their experiences as this semester’s Horiuchi interns. The internship program is named after Randy Horiuchi, a late Salt Lake County politician who was known for working across the aisle and who also co-taught the popular Honors course “Presidential Elections: Strategy and Substance.” Every semester during the state election cycle, two Westminster students engage in paid internships with the Salt Lake County Democratic and Republican Parties, respectively. While the Honors College administers the program and Honors students have often been selected as interns, the program is open to all Westminster students. Regier and Wood are completing their internships during a particularly interesting time: a presidential election year. The opportunity has positioned both students to be highly knowledgeable of complex issues and political practices, on both the local and national level. Each has answered hundreds of constituents’ questions Horiuchi Intern Jaedri Wood. when they called Photo courtesy of Jaedri Wood into their respective offices. “We are so used to talking down on politicians without seeing what they do on a daily basis and seeing what their job is like,” Wood said. “These people work long hours and deal with numerous unhappy constituents and still want Utah to be a better place and are working hard to make it so.” Beyond informing constituents, helping with communication efforts, counting 3 votes, organizing materials, confirming event locations, attending meetings, and fundraising, Regier and Wood were also able to witness the inner workings of political function, and sometimes political dysfunction. “People who work alone are not nearly as successful, and behind every great leader is a great team,” Regier said. “It Horiuchi Intern Maggie Regier. has been surprising Photo courtesy of Anna Barnes to learn where there is room to work together in the State Legislature.” That doesn’t mean, however, that every political party is unified. “There is never a truly unified front in anything political,” Wood said. “There are infinite ways to do things that come with different reasons and beliefs as well; we should all accept that there is no silver bullet, no perfect legislation, nothing is 100% politically correct. We are all flawed and will continue to be— politics is no exception.” Wood stressed the importance to students—or anyone, for that matter—of learning to become more knowledgeable versus more opinionated when it comes to politics. “Being politically engaged is being aware of those biases and ideologies that frame your political mindset,” Wood said. “Politics is not for everyone and that is okay, but everyone is affected by politics, so you need to find your reason for wanting to be involved—even if it is in a ‘small’ way.” One of the most important things to remember is to stay informed. “Know that you can’t do everything, and you can’t know everything,” Regier said regarding thinking about political issues on a national level. “So stay in tune with news and policy happening in your city.” Along with the listening, critical-thinking, and question-asking skills that Wood highlights, Regier adds a simple guideline. “Go with your interests,” Regier said. “If you’re interested in healthcare, economic reform, the environment, get involved with a nonprofit or group in the area and they are likely doing some work lobbying our legislators.” Honors students advocate through club leadership BY BRENDAN SUDBERRY The Westminster College community prides itself on personal and social responsibility. One way many students uphold this value is through the advocacy work being done by the on-campus clubs and organizations they are involved with. Feminist Club does advocacy work in a variety of formats, all with the goal of empowering and uplifting members of the community, said Gwendelyn Salazar (’21), a junior communication major and the current president of Feminist Club. “For example, in February we went to a local women’s shelter to serve a meal, and we also presented the Vagina Monologues,” Salazar said. “These are two very different forms of feminism, and we prioritize participating in varying types of advocacy to best support our community.” While these activities can look vastly different, Salazar said they’re all important to the mission of the club. “[Our work] can look like a discussion about ecofeminism one day, a service project another day, or a silly craft night where we all vent about finals,” she said. Like Feminist Club, the Latinx Xicanx Union (LXU) strives to do work with community organizations that benefit all members of the Salt Lake area, not just those at Westminster. Members of LXU choose to use “Latinx” and “Xicanx” in the club’s name in place of “Latino” and “Chicano,” which many feel do not accurately represent the diversity of the communities. In the past, LXU has worked with Unidad Inmigrante, a local grassroots organization, to raise funds to cover legal fees for DACA recipients and their families and have put together an off-campus event for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) to provide a space for community members to honor and remember loved ones and collectively reflect upon issues they are facing. LXU also strives to create on-campus spaces for Latinx and Xicanx students to come together to foster community. “We help and provide a space for students to successfully navigate institutions that were inherently not built for them to succeed by having an open conversation about existing inequities,” said Pedro Rico (’21) a junior with a custom major in education policy and advocacy, who serves as a co-chair of LXU. “We implement a culture of reciprocity, responsibility, respect, and relationality as a form of resistance to a dominant culture of consumerism and accumulation.” The on-campus club Students United for Reproductive Freedom (SURF) works directly with the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah (PPAU) to support the organization’s education and advocacy work. Many Westminster community members know SURF for their large-scale events, like the Condom Olympics and Take Back the Night. However, SURF also programs educational and advocacyfocused events, like residence hall sex education workshops, voter night, and lobbying trainings. “These events not only bring a community of like-minded and passionate people together but encourage dialogue about safe sex, the importance of activism work, and the power of a space focused on healing and creating a more just world for folks often left out of the conversation,” says SURF vice president Ren Brian (’22), a sophomore public health major. On a larger scale, the advocacy work of SURF, in collaboration with PPAU, “is fighting in the best interest of everyone left out of the conversation,” Brian said. “We do this for queer and trans folks, women, survivors of sexual assault, people of color whose health has suffered under unjust systems, and every person who is impacted because they don’t have a choice,” Brian said. In addition to these clubs, there are a variety of other clubs on campus that advocate for causes important to their members, including Black Student Union, the Public Health Action Team, Students for Climate Solutions, and many more. “If something is important to you, and you wish you could do something about it, you always can,” Brian said. “Not only at Westminster, but beyond. Volunteer, write your representatives, protest, form groups, join groups, make art, make change. This work matters! Showing up matters.” Brendan Sudberry, 2019 – 2020 Associated Students of Westminster (ASW) Clubs President. Photo courtesy of Alyson Pinkelman. 4 Building resilience through community on campus BY SAMM HERNANDEZ AND MAGGIE REGIER Students in the Center for Centers participating in the Queer Rodeo. Photo courtesy Marley Dominguez. Perhaps one of the most popular spaces on campus for students but the advocates themselves are often involved in more than one to convene and work on making a difference in the world, the area of giving back—that makes this part easy! “Center for Centers” is a hub for students of various backgrounds “The Center,” as students often call the space, provides exceptional and interests to create community through awareness and to foster opportunities to learn and grow beyond the classroom. It gives social change. advocates and students alike a space to explore their interests and In the big glass room in the Bassis Center for Student passions that in turn enhance student education. Learning, you will find the Katherine W. Dumke Center for “Powerful stuff is happening in the classroom,” said Honors Civic Engagement, the Environmental Center, and the Student alum and Environmental Center staff member Bridger Layton Diversity and Inclusion Center. Individually, they promote (’18), “and co-curricular stuff rounds it out.” He said that students community-based learning, are looking for a place to sustainable living, and “put boots on the ground cultural intelligence. These and make a difference in “We thrive from difference, even though we fear it. may seem to be different the real world.” The Center Programs like this are important because we all benefit causes, but the centers provides space for students often work in collaboration to do just that. from inclusive and thoughtful practices.” to provide a more holistic The Center is responsible service to students. Not for initiating important Kari Lindsey, assistant director of the only do they support one dialogue and encouraging Student Diversity and Inclusion Center another in their programs, students to challenge what 5 The entrance of the Center for Centers, located in the Bassis Center for Student Learning, with the Environmental Center’s Thrift Collective open Photo courtesy of Ceci Rigby they know not only about their community but also about with other people in finding ways to address systemic injustice.” themselves. There is an important emphasis on identity salience, Addressing oppression on campus is exhausting work, and it is which is the capacity to articulate identities as we see them in easy to give up, but Lindsey always goes back to the students to action, and how they function in understanding one’s place in the keep her going. world. “They are changing oppressive practices, and I want to be there “I firmly believe that diversity—racial diversity, sexuality to help them do it,” she said. “It helps to be an optimist, and diversity, ability diversity, et cetera—makes society stronger,” said to remember that every social change movement we know was Kari Lindsey, the assistant director of the Student Diversity and started by those most impacted by it.” Inclusion Center. “We thrive from difference, even though we Van Dyk brings a passion of community organizing from fear it. Programs like this are important because we all benefit her work outside campus into her role as the environmental from inclusive and thoughtful practices. We honor the resiliency, justice coordinator. Having previously worked as an outreach strength, and power of marginalized students.” coordinator for the Environmental Center, Van Dyk has enjoyed Enacting this type of social change is no easy task and can impact the autonomy her position gives her for projects like a campus the mental health of the advocates involved. Although it can be Indigenous Lands Acknowledgement. overwhelming to work to create such large scale change when it A large part of her job is thinking about how to spread the often feels hopeless, student message of environmental employees are finding light. justice, which can feel “I spend so much of daunting. Last semester, “I spend so much of my time thinking about social and my time thinking about her team developed and environmental injustice. The biggest source of positivity for social and environmental distributed a zine, or an injustice,” said Eliza independent magazine, me is actually getting to work with other people in finding Van Dyk (’21), a junior about climate justice. ways to address systemic injustice.” environmental studies “It’s been cool to think major. “The biggest source about creative ways to Eliza Van Dyk (’21) of positivity for me is spread awareness and actually getting to work encourage action,” said Van 6 Dyk. The zine was so popular that you may still find its bright sunflower cover circulating campus.” Student-led awareness projects, like those Van Dyk worked on, bring people together in the context of a greater world, which not only boosts identity saliency, but also provides community and empowerment to those involved. “There is a certain sense of community that goes with being in a shared fight with other folks,” said Layton. “If you can rally around other people who also care about similar things, you can find really great friends and really wonderful connections.” The Center provides so much more than student employment. It is connecting students to the causes they care about and building resilience through community. “You’re finding other people to lean on in a world that can be pretty heavy,” said Layton. The second half of the semester has been a whirlwind. With coronavirus changing what we know as “normal,” it is critical we find ways to develop community, advocate for the less fortunate, and build resilience. The Dumke Center for Civic Engagement, Environmental Center, and Student Diversity and Inclusion Center are three powerful organizations on campus working to do just that. While it may feel overwhelming to navigate combined identities of student and citizen in a pandemic, resources like these remind us of the importance of continuing on and looking after one another. L to R: Brigder Layton of the Environmental Center, Kari Lindsey of the Student Diversity and Inclusion Center, and Julie Tille & Mackenzie Bledsoe of the Dumke Center for Civic Engagement. Photo courtesy of Kari Lindsey Honors College paving the way in science B Y A L I C I A C U N N I N G H A M - B R YA N T, D I R E C T O R O F F E L L O W S H I P A D V I S I N G Always host to incredible scientists, Westminster—and the Honors College, in particular—made college history this year by winning three National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) awards and having three students receive honorable mentions. An exceptionally competitive national award, the NSF GRFP provides $34,000 per year for three years and a $12,000 stipend for students pursuing graduate degrees in science. Our winners study everything from biogeochemistry (Maria Guadalupe Alvarez Zavala, ’20, chemistry/McNair) to ecology (Ember Bradbury, ’19, Honors/biology) to psycholinguistics (Douglas Getty, ’16, Honors/psychology) and our honorable mention winners study neuroscience (Grace Padilla, ’20, Honors/neuroscience/McNair), machine learning (Jadie Adams, ’18, Honors/math), and biomedical engineering (Jake Bergquist, ’17, Honors/biology). These students have done (and are doing!) world class research and it is thrilling to see them recognized on the national level. Congratulations to all our winners, honorable mentions, and applicants! We are so proud of you for the work you are doing! Grace Padilla (’20) holds her finished NSF GRFP application. Photo courtesy of Alicia Cunningham-Bryant 7 Student profile: Eliza Van Dyk How a student works collectively to raise awareness around land, food BY PEDRO RICO Eliza Van Dyk (’21), who uses both she and they pronouns, administration. is a junior environmental studies major with minors in Spanish It included the history of Westminster, examples of land and gender studies. Van Dyk works both on and off campus to acknowledgment, and the steps to begin a process of tribal reimagine a culture in which society considers their relationship consultation. with land and people—a world that prioritizes fostering healthy The second project is assisting and coordinating a Food Justice communities, care, and reciprocity. Working Group, which operates across different programs on “I think we’re trying to reach as many people as possible and campus to address food insecurity. build community in political times that are really isolating,” “We started working together in the spring of 2019 after Karen said Van Dyk. “Right now, we are being socially conditioned to Washington came to speak on campus about institutional food distance ourselves from each other in so many ways. That distance inequity,” said Van Dyk. Washington is a food justice advocate and is formed around race, class, gender, sexuality, the founder of Black Urban Growers in New or the literal walls being built across borders. York City, New York. Building community is actually really radical The group includes representatives from the and really important.” Associated Students of Westminster (ASW), Van Dyk manages to do this by navigating the Environmental Center, the Katherine the legal, political, and institutional systems W. Dumke Center for Civic Engagement, that continue to obstruct the work she is doing the Student Diversity and Inclusion Center, in the community for systemic changes. the environmental studies program, the On campus you’ll find Van Dyk working Westminster Student Union, Bon Appétit, and on two major projects. The first is instituting the Health, Wellness, and Activities Center. a tribally informed and consensual land “I think the community that emerges when acknowledgement at Westminster College. a group of people decides to address issues Van Dyk worked with Dr. Forrest Cuch (’73) or injustices has been the biggest impact that and Dani Almansouri (’21), another student Eliza Van Dyk (’21). I’ve seen come from the different projects I’ve at Westminster, to write a proposal to the Photo courtesy of Jo Englert taken on at Westminster,” said Van Dyk. Professor profile: Daniel Cairo Honors professor integrates community wellness, unity into teaching B Y VA N E S S A E V E L E T H This spring, the Honors College welcomed The social conditioning to ignore diversity Daniel Cairo, the director of the Student is another focal point for viewing others on an Diversity and Inclusion Center and the assistant individual basis, according to Cairo. Society dean of students, to its faculty. Throughout his has conditioned people to ignore or avoid three years at Westminster College, Cairo has talking about concepts like race or queerness. observed the unique commitment to engaging “These conversations benefit our campus in diversity, equity, and inclusion work. because they make us better because of it,” said Cairo views the Student Diversity and Cairo. Inclusion Center’s role as creating a place to Building an inclusive campus, he believes, frame people’s individual experiences and requires the commitment and choice to see build relationships to work towards collective others on an individual basis and to work justice and solidarity. Infrastructure and how Daniel Cairo, director of the Student collectively to engage in diversity, equity, and individuals conduct themselves are the two Diversity and Inclusion Center and assistant inclusion work. dean of students. key components for collective justice and Photo courtesy of Ceci Rigby Cairo said he remembers being told solidarity, according to Cairo. The center that “every single one of us matters” in his works towards the goal through infrastructure, elementary school after immigrating to the while Cairo focuses on viewing others as more than their social United States as a young child. positions of student or staff. “I believe that idea down to my core, that every single one of our “I want them to know that I see them beyond just a student,” stories is important, that we matter,” said Cairo. “We also know said Cairo. “We are people together and as people I want them to that injustices make it so that some people matter less than others. see me also as a type of person. And so, stopping and saying hello, Work about inclusion is making [good] on that promise that we really asking, ‘how are you?’ and meaning it. I think those are the were told from the beginning: that every single one of us deserves small practices that allow us to build that community.” the best shot that we can get.” 8 Let’s Get Your Perspective How do you advocate for your own perspective, especially when facing resistance? Kellie Gerbers Marley Dominguez Professor perspective Student perspective While I believe awareness can take on different forms depending on the person, a very important element is the ability to advocate for yourself and for others, especially during challenging times. This is something I took into consideration when I heard about the tuition increase that would be implemented in the Honors student Marley Dominguez. fall of 2020 and realized that as Photo courtesy of Ceci Rigby a student who would be affected along with several others, I needed to act. After the rumor of the tuition increase was confirmed, I started telling my friends about it because I knew that they would also be greatly affected. We ended up creating a group chat in order to relay information, do extra research to figure out why the college decided on a tuition increase instead of other measures, and figure out when we could meet to organize a protest. It only took a day or so where we had several students join in our frustrations at the administration’s decision and had hundreds of other students fill out a survey about the tuition increase designed by Anthony Giorgio (’22), a sophomore communication major. Through this, I saw that several people were against the tuition increase and wanted to protest against it. I felt confident organizing against it, despite the administration’s resistance. Coming back to the question, I find that it is easier to advocate for my own perspective while facing resistance when I know that there is a supportive community with me to back me up. The organizing that happened regarding the tuition increase was so amazing to experience and be a part of because students came together to fight a decision that would affect the most marginalized students. During the entire process, I never questioned if I was doing the right thing or if the organizing against the tuition increase was worth the resistance because I knew that it was what was best for our Westminster College community. So many good things have come out of the organizing around the tuition increase, and I’m proud of the students who continue to work to maintain community support at Westminster. In outdoor education and leadership, we spend a considerable amount of time discussing how climate change is and will continue to impact our industry. Shorter ski seasons, entire swaths of land devastated by wildfires— if our current practices related to energy use and waste continue on the same track, we won’t have Honors and outdoor education many outdoor spaces left on which and leadership professor Dr. Kellie to recreate. Gerbers. Photo courtesy of Ceci Rigby Many environmental advocates have been expressing concern and calls to action for decades, and unfortunately, these concerns are frequently left unaddressed by those with the most power and ability to impact change. Why the disconnect? In many of my classes, I discuss the concept of “interest convergence,” a tenet stemming from the work of Derrick Bell (1980) within the field of critical race theory. Interest convergence is the idea that that when people make decisions that benefit marginalized groups (or in this case, the environment), it’s generally not because they’re pursuing a path of moral good—it’s because the proposed action also benefits the decision-maker. With the environmental crisis, it seems pretty obvious that curbing the impacts of climate change benefits everyone living on the planet, but for whatever reason, some folks have a tough time seeing short term and long term impacts to their own way of life. No interest convergence, no plan for change—sounds pretty icky, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, that’s the world we’re living in—but it doesn’t mean that we have to resign ourselves to relying on persuasive powers to effect change. What it does mean is that the power of human connection—authentic relationships—matters more now than ever. To advocate for our perspective, we need to open space for dialogue. I have a few pointers on how to get started. 1. Demonstrate to your conversation partners early on that you will be respectful and an active listener. Ask thoughtful questions. Summarize their perspective to ensure you’ve understood their point. Pause. 2. When it’s your turn to share, you have to truly believe in the thing for which you’re advocating. My belief in stemming climate change comes from a combination of personal experiences and objective data. Different conversations will necessitate different forms of evidence. If it doesn’t seem like your conversation partner understands or respects your argument, you may find that the impact of sharing your perspective resonates with that person later (when you’re not around). “ I f in d th at i t i s e a s i e r to a d vo c ate fo r my own p e rs p e c tive wh i l e fa c i n g re s i s t a n ce w h en I k now th at th e re is a s u ppor t i ve co m m u n i t y with m e to b a c k m e u p.” 9 NEWS & NOTES Kate Bradshaw (’03), currently director of government relations for Holland and Hart, was elected Councilwoman of Bountiful City Council in Utah and was also recognized by Utah Business Magazine as a “Forty under 40” awardee. Stewart Anderson (’04) published his book A Dramatic Reinvention: German Television and Moral Renewal After National Socialism, 1956–1970 (Berghahn 2020). Marie Martin’s (’08) co-authored book, University Management, the Academic Profession, and Neoliberalism, will be published this summer (SUNY Press). Dallin Van Leuven (’10) started a new position as a lead researcher at Search for Common Ground, an international non-profit operating in 36 countries whose mission is “to transform the way the world deals with conflict away from adversarial approaches toward cooperative solutions.” Chris Roundy (’11) completed his Ph.D. in human pathophysiology and translational medicine at the University of Texas (Medical Branch). Jeff Pedersen (’13) will continue his postmedical school training in a two-year child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at the University of Utah starting this summer. Fehmi Yasin (’13) completed his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Oregon and now works as a postdoc at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science in Japan, where he conducts nanomagnetism and materials research. Nicole Bedera’s (’14) essay “An Inherently Masculine Practice: Understanding the Sexual Victimization of Queer Women,” co-authored with Westminster Honors and sociology professor Dr. Kristjane Nordmeyer, appears in the most recent issue of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Tawni Johnston (’15) completed her M.D. at the University of Utah and will start her general surgery residency at Dartmouth College in the fall. Emma DeLoughery (’16) is headed to Oregon Health & Science University for her medical residency following her graduation from the Mayo Clinic Medical School. Ashleigh Albrechtsen (’17) will start the master’s program in environmental humanities at the University of Utah in the fall. 2020 ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, the premier international conference of human-computer interaction. Warren Cook (’17) successfully defended his master’s thesis in communications/ media studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder and will start the Ph.D. program in communications at the same institution. Jaedri Wood (’20) and Maggie Regier (’20) are interning as the spring 2020 Randi Horiuchi Fellows to work with the Utah State Party chairs during the upcoming election on the Republican and Democratic sides, respectively. Kate Tsourmas (’18) will start the Ph.D. program in neuroscience at the University of California, Irvine this fall. Emily Calhoun (’20) has won a U.S. Fulbright Chile Science Initiative Award to work with Dr. Marcelo Gutierrez of the Universidad de Concepción COPAS on her research project, “Phytoplankton Changes of Freshwater and Marine Microbiomes in the Chilean Patagonian Fjords.” Megan Fairchild (’20) won the Ekdale Scholarship for Women in Geosciences, an award that covers field camp costs for women in geosciences to advance the goal of diversifying the field. Katherine Fredrickson (’20) accepted a promotion at her job at Sylvan Learning Center and is now an acting director for two locations across the Wasatch front. Abigail Mower Rampton (’20) will enter the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law this fall on a full scholarship. Savannah Olsen (’20) was accepted to the University of Utah’s doctor of physical therapy program. Grace Padilla (’20) will start the Ph.D. program in neuroscience at the University of California, San Diego this fall. Kate Pasco (’20) won the Young Adult Community Icon Award from Encircle, a statewide nonprofit serving LGBTQIA+ youth, for her work as the former program coordinator of Westminster’s Queer Compass program. Nicole Rodriguez (’20) will start the Ph.D. program in physics at Washington University in St. Louis next fall. Dalton Rutledge (’20) is second author on a paper titled “Gaze-Guided Magnification for Individuals With Vision Impairments,” presented at the 10 Asma Dahir (’21) was one of four students in the state of Utah named a Truman Fellowship Finalist. Yongtai (Terry) Li (’21) presented a paper called “Evaluation of Alternative Methods of Quantifying the Force Involved in a Long Jump” at the 2020 Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research. The project grew out of collaborative work with fellow Honors students Julianna Manseau (’22), Adrik Da Silva (’20), and Michael Greenwald (’20). Cami Mondeaux (‘21) was hired as a digital content producer for KSL NewsRadio reporting on government, national trends and other local stories. Obaid Barakzai (’22) was hired by the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy as a program associate intern for ambassador experience. Jenessa Jimoh (’22) was awarded the Hanks’ Scholarship at the NAACP’s 36th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Luncheon. Brendan Sudberry (’22) accepted a position with the Walt Disney Company to participate in the fall 2020 Disney College Program at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida as a character attendant. Brynlie Green (’23) was selected as a member of the statewide UServeUtah State youth council, where she will organize a large service project and present it to the state commissioners at the end of the year. Dylan Richmond’s (’23) story “I Don’t Know How to Tell You I Love You” was recognized with the honorable mention award in this year’s Ellipsis student prose writing contest. Did you do something notable? We want to know! Email your news and notes to Richard Badenhausen at [e-mail]. Honors College creates student research fund BY RICHARD BADENHAUSEN, DEAN OF THE HONORS COLLEGE Richard will have to dye his hair Westminster purple at some The highlight of this spring’s philanthropic efforts in the point. And as the most generous faculty donor, Professor Han Honors College was the collective effort during Westminster’s Kim will have the class of his choice visited by Richard delivering March 4th Giving Day, where students, faculty, staff, alumni, balloons and a singing telegram. parents, and other friends of Honors came together for a day of Thanks to all those who directed fun and philanthropy. hard-earned dollars our way in support 158 separate gifts were directed of student learning. And special thanks to the new Honors College Student to the crew of Honors Senior Giving Research Fund, which supports students Ambassadors—Diana Khosrovi (’20), presenting their research at national Mary Grace Lewis (’20), Maggie Regier conferences. We raised $14,404 for (’20), Katie Saad (’20)—who led this that new fund, which will ensure that effort. They were joined by Prof. Julie 28 Honors students receive grants to Stewart and Honors Alum Catherine support their work. Blakemore (’17), who worked with Along the way, many giving faculty and alumni, respectively, benchmark challenges were reached, and executive officers of the Student including an embarrassing photo of Honors Council, Asma Dahir (’21) and the Honors dean being posted on the Marley Dominguez (’21). At the end program Facebook page, Steph and of the day, VP of Advancement Daniel Richard making a TikTok (an homage Lewis expressed admiration at how to Laura Dern’s own TikTok), and a enthusiastically this group “attacked” visit to Global Welfare and Justice by the Giving Day event. Richard dressed as Santa Claus and I hope you’ll join us for next year’s shouting “You go, Glen Coco!”—those Giving Day and a whole new set of fun who know Mean Girls will understand challenges, though of course one can the reference. As per one of his benchmark challenges, dean of the Honors College Richard Badenhausen delivers candy canes to always give to the Honors College and Honors faculty got into the act, too! its ongoing campaign at any time of the Because 75% of them gave (hitting the students while dressed as Santa Claus once Honors reached 100 donors on Giving Day. year! mark at 10 minutes before midnight), Photo courtesy of Katie Saad Continued from page 1 didn’t take that route. The framework of our class positions global welfare and justice—and injustice—right within the complexity of human experience, relationships, and decisionmaking. Thinking with the lived, day-to-day experiences of real people to analyze global welfare and justice is a scarier, messier approach.” Active engagement, the articulation (however messy) of personal experience, and empathetic listening are all key components of Global Welfare and Justice, guiding students gently away from simple comprehension and instead towards the active disruption of unjust systems and ideas. “We’re not separated from or isolated from those structures and processes,” said Etter. “Are we going to be okay with the way the world is or are we going to transform it? This class presents a very weighty ‘so what?’” Etter said she and Cairo designed their version of the seminar this semester to allow students to “engage with texts that, paraphrasing Audre Lorde in ‘Poetry Is Not a Luxury,’ demonstrate new ways to feel old ideas.” Global Welfare and Justice is a rare class in the sense that it offers up knowledge to its students not through facts, figures, notes, or lectures. No, with grace and sophistication, the class provides ideas, questions, memory, and feeling—those rare things that have seemingly begun to slip quietly away from academia. In Global Welfare and Justice, it is not about whether or not we can understand or make an informed analysis of these varying aspects. Instead, it is what we do with them. It is how we hold these ideas in our hands, how we clumsily attempt to answer the seemingly unanswerable, how we both recall aspects of ourselves and willingly delve into the memories of others, and it is about finding new ways to feel old ideas. In Global Welfare and Justice, it is how we engage and act with the various aspects of our (sometimes scary, sometimes messy) lives that constitutes true and active awareness. 11 HO N O RAB LE MENTION E DI T O RS 2019-2020 Cami Mondeaux (’21) Copy Editor Marina McTee (’21) Layout Editor Ceci Rigby (’22) Photo Editor Jen Hylwa (’20) Layout Editor Kate Pasco (’20) Managing Editor Lia Knox-Hershey (’21) Copy Editor Letter from the Editors Westminster College’s commitment to meaningful learning both in and out of the classroom is impressive—by simply walking around campus, you will notice posters and signs for informational events, overhear students talking about a change in perspective they experienced after a class discussion, and see club and organization members fundraising or spreading the word on pressing issues. Because Honors students drive so much of these efforts to bring attention to the communities and problems they care most about, the Honorable Mention editors selected awareness as this edition’s theme. While the coronavirus pandemic has prevented us from visiting campus, attending these events, and interacting with our peers during the second half of the spring semester, we want to keep you updated from afar on the work by Honors students, alumni, and faculty to promote dialogue. Even when life is overwhelming, we can lean on our Honors community to share passion with each other. Honors College Westminster College 1840 South 1300 East Salt Lake City, Utah 84105 westminstercollege.edu/honors · · Spring 2020 Volume 18 Issue 2