Student leaders at campuses across the state, including Westminster College, came together to pledge their commitment to creating safe campus communities during a Trump presidency. Photo by Taylor Stevens
Campus leaders at Westminster College, the University of Utah, Dixie State University and Salt Lake Community College came together to write a letter of support for safe campus communities and diverse populations during Trump’s presidency. Read the letter here:
In light of the divisiveness of the recent election, as a community, Utah campus leaders choose to stand united and challenge our community to do the same. We have always striven to work in coalitions, but now more than ever, we know our differences bind us together as our rights and communities are threatened by political rhetoric and actions.
We, as campus leaders, choose to stand for justice, equal opportunity, and inclusion. We choose to welcome and accept people as they are and who they want to become without judgment. With an inclusive and accepting campus community, we know our ideas are brighter, our classrooms are more vibrant, and we are stronger together.
We pledge to redouble our efforts to create a safe community that celebrates spaces of diversity and inclusiveness on our campuses. We will continue our commitment to work for racial justice. We encourage our white brothers and sisters to shout Black Lives Matter from the rooftops. We uplift the voices of Native folk as they stand up for not only for their own families, but also to protect the Earth’s resources for us all. We passionately work to educate and oppose Islamophobia. We fight for our community’s vulnerable refugee population and petition our campuses to do the same by declaring themselves sanctuary campuses. We stand with our queer siblings as we defend their right to exist and love as who they are. We stand in opposition of power structures that seek to divide us, and will not let them, misogyny, ableism nor anti semitism, even at the hands of our government, roll our rights back in time.
We affirm that our country’s greatness is, in fact, our vibrant diversity and democracy. We want to believe that it is not just our circles that will stand up for each other; get involved and prove us right.
Alex Frol, President of Hillel for Utah
Brittany Bickley, President of Students for Choice at Salt Lake Community College
Ben Pok, Student Body President of Westminster College
Carissa Christensen, President of V-Day Chapter at Westminster
Deepika Mala, President of Asian American Student Association at U of U
Ebony Tyler, President of Black Student Union at Westminster
Estephanie Mercado, President of Alphabet Soup at Westminster
Hannah Milne, President of Students for Choice at Dixie
Kiman Kaur, President of Students for Choice at U of U
Leah Weisgal, Past President Hillel for Utah, President Students for Choice Westminster
Natalie Saavedra, President of Students Advocating for Youth at Westminster
Nicole Tyler, LGBTQIA+ Program Coordinator at Westminster
Racheal Holiday, Co-President of the Inter-Tribal Student Association at U of U
Sabi Lowder, President of the Feminist Club at Westminster
Simranvir Kaur, President of Medical Students for Choice at U of U
Stuart Cai, Vice President of International Student Council at U of U
Theresa Nielson, President of Students for a Democratic Society at U of U
Tiffany Perry, President of the Tipping Point at Westminster
