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Show ( I ' - T ( ,.,! I- 1840 South 1300 East Salt Lake City, UT 84105 ' Tuesday, March 27, 2007 Volume XL: Issue 14 LDS Presence on Campus Feels Little Resistance Campus clubs bring together LDS community at Westminster where they are the minority Sara Lockwood & Jasmine Mier Puente Staff Writers Choosing a college is a difficult decision for any student to make. And choosing Westminster College is no different. A liberal arts campus, Westminster attracts students from an assortment of backgrounds and beliefs who wish to be associated with the opinions of students and professors who also come from those diverse backgrounds including different religious beliefs. In Utah, where the dominant religion is The Saints (LDS), Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y making the college decision is further strained. The LDS population knows when they come to Westminster, their beliefs are no longer mainstream. But that may be exactly why LDS students attend Westminster. A big part of the college experience is getting to learn things that you never learned before, in ways you never learned them, said sociology professor Mark Rubinfeld. Junior Christopher Skinner, an LDS student and ASWC presidential candidate for 2007-O- S, agreed. He said since he began attending Westminster, he has had the opportunity to test and strengthen his beliefs in his religion. A big part of the college experience is getting to learn things that you never learned-before- , ASWC Student Elections Enter Run-o- ff in ways you never Low candidate participation parallels low student voting for Annette Smith. I dont think anyone learned them. Brooke Niemeyer 2006-0- 7 - Mark Rubinfeld, sociology professor Most students were positive in their experiences at Westminster. I know I have been pinpointed as the good little Mormon girl at Westminster, but that doesnt bother me because those are values and thats who I am, said junior and wee president of the Institute Womens Association (IWA) Meghan Moore. The IWA (and Institute Mens Association, IMA) are two the three clubs LDS members can join where they can associate with others involved in their religion. Saints Student Association (LDS-SThe Latter-da- y is a club on campus with about 150 members. The LDSSA has a president, Megan Gorringe, and committee of students that organize monthly activities. Last semesters activities included hosting a Halloween Carnival for inner city kids and a Luau, which brought in more than 200 students on the Westminster campus. Unlike any other club on campus, a faculty member does not advisfi LDSSA. The adviser is Warren Miller, the director of the'Institute of Religion and is a place ...seepage 6, LDSSA A) Staff Writer The polls are closed for the elections of the 2007-0- 8 student government at Westminster College. While the candidates for Associate Students of Westminster and director of Clubs College (ASWC) elecand Organizations have been chosen, a run-otion will be held Tuesday, March 27 for president and attorney general positions. Because of The Forums vice-presid- ent ff publication schedule, it was unable to report the results of that voting outcome. Elected Jessica Felt ran unopposed. Current ASWC President Ray Bradford ran unopposed last year. Many of the senate seats are left unfilled and the majority of the students who applied for senate also ran unopposed. The Westminster trend of running unopposed in at least one position every year has sparked debate about how coveted ASWC positions are. Others disagree and think the few candidates didnt take away from the quality needed to fill the positions. I think we had a lot of good candidates this year, said Director of Clubs and Organizations Vice-Preside- nt who ran would do a bad job. In addition to the few candidates, the turnout for ut trend. Only student voting has followed a 528 students voted in the first election this year, but information was unavailable about how many students voted in last years student government elections. I feel elections have a low turnout because of the lack of knowledge and care of what ASWC does and the intimidation of waiting in the lines to vote, said eliminated attorney general candidate and current business senator Hunter Richardson. low-turno- I don t think anyone who ran would do a badjob. - Annette Smith, 2006-200- 7 director of clubs and organizations Some students feel that the low voter turnout is due to students thinking that voting is like a popularity contest. I believe the ASWC organization has become increasingly insular and exclusive," presidential ...see page 7, Elections In Memoriam: Lauren Mulkey, Westminster student Lauren Mulkey was killed in a tragic automobile accident on about 2100 S. 1300 East The family has set up a Lauren Elizabeth Mulkey Scholarship Fund support students with their educational careers. TJjc Counseling Center is happy to speak with students during this time of . need. Call JeffBell at or Kathy Couillard at at Westminster to S01-S32-22- 46 801-832-22- 37 Hiking Ttaih , pageti |