Student Life
At Westminster, you are invited to explore and ask questions, getting to know yourself and your peers better while building community and forming long-lasting friendships. On campus, you can find or create a club, program, or organization that fits just about anything you’re looking for. Odds are, if you’re interested in or passionate about something, someone else probably is too. And, if you aren’t sure what you’re looking for, Westminster is a welcoming place for students from all backgrounds, allowing you to meet people that may help you discover something new about yourself and the world around you.
As an added benefit, campus is close to downtown Salt Lake City and is housed within the vibrant Sugar House neighborhood, which means you’ll never run out of new local places to explore or events to attend. And if professional experience is something you crave, the surrounding area offers an abundance of businesses you might explore for internships, job shadowing, and much more.
10
ski resorts within an hour's drive
40+
clubs and organizations
10
minutes from downtown Salt Lake
The Westminster College Experience
Westminster's distinctive setting—right in between the business and industry opportunities of the city and the endless expanse of the Wasatch Mountains—provides a prosperous home for interactive, place-based learning as well as picturesque destinations for recreation, art, and entertainment.
Explore Utah
At Westminster, your learning experience is not confined to classroom walls. The campus is a gateway to endless outdoor spaces that offer opportunities for recreation and learning. Forge adventures in local canyons, ski resorts, 5 national parks, and more, and take advantage of courses like Desert Writing and Downhill Skiing and Snowboarding, or multiple courses through a field study opportunity.
Opportunity Central
In addition to outdoor adventure and learning, the opportunity promised by the leaders in the technology, healthcare, hospitality, and financial sectors found in Salt Lake City offers exciting possibilities. You will have access to internships and meaningful jobs through industries large and small in Salt Lake City and Silicon Slopes (Utah’s tech and start-up community).
Local Fun
When you’re not busy with classes or honing your skills with professional experience, you can venture on foot through the friendly Sugar House neighborhood (home to Westminster College) or hop on public transit (free for students) to explore downtown Salt Lake. The local area has plenty of places to add beautiful, eclectic, and delicious flare to your life.
Student Financial Support
If you and/or your family are facing financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic, Westminster has provided several resources you may find useful.
Online Learning Resources
The Office of Student Success and Retention has shared some tips that you may find helpful in your transition to online courses.
Student Involvement and Leadership
Your life at Westminster consists of much more than just going to class and studying in the library. Personal growth and exploring your interests are a fundamental part of your college experience. Bring your curiosity to campus—pick up a new hobbies, develop new skills, and serve as a champion for the causes you care about.
Westminster strives to encourage equity, wellness, and leadership in the community. Your experience should be the most enriching one possible. The learning and development that take place outside of the classroom is are just as important as what takes place inside. Take time to get involved in the many student-focused organizations on campus—immerse yourself in the creative, spontaneous community.
Bike Collective
The Bike Collective grew out of a desire from Westminster students to minimize campus
traffic and reduce their carbon emissions. Expert mechanics can teach you how to maintain
your bike or help you rent a bike for free.
Center for Financial Wellness
The Center for Financial Wellness works to improve the community’s financial wellbeing
through a variety of programs that students can get involved with.
Center for Veteran and Military Services
The Center for Veteran & Military Services provides support to veteran students and
their dependents as well as Reserve Officer Training Corps students. Westminster also
has the Westminster Military Association, an organization dedicated to providing support
and camaraderie to all students, faculty, and staff who have served or will serve
in the United States military.
CPR and First Aid Courses
The Fitness, Wellness, and Recreation Department offers a variety of American Red
Cross CPR and First Aid courses to best meet your needs, whether it be for employment
requirements, personal knowledge, or to fulfill certain degree requirements/prerequisites.
Dumke Center for Civic Engagement
The Dumke Center for Civic Engagement enhances your education through volunteering,
service programs, community-engaged learning, and other activities. The center hosts
civic and political engagement events throughout the academic year and also provides
funding resources to students to create projects and initiatives.
Environmental Center
The Environmental Center promotes environmental awareness and leadership on campus
and offers educational events and services that promote sustainable living. The center
also provides support for students who need assistance designing, implementing, and
funding environmental projects.
Great Salt Lake Institute Student Research
The Great Salt Lake Institute welcomes your participation in its study of the Great
Salt Lake. Whether you're a scientist, a poet, a performance artist, they are interested
in helping you make connections to enhance the study, understanding, and appreciation
of the lake and its surroundings.
Office for Global Engagement
The Office for Global Engagement offers programs and services that prepare you to
live in a world that is integrated, complex, and interdependent. If you’re interested
in studying abroad, international internships, or Westminster’s May Term Study Experiences,
the Office for Global Engagement is your destination.
Office for Global Peace and Spirituality
The Office for Global Peace and Spirituality is a space where students, faculty, and
staff come together to advocate for a more peaceful world. The office promotes the
spiritual growth of the community through empowerment and provides projects that promote
prosperity and positive change. The center also hosts a variety of campus events.
Organic Garden
Westminster’s Organic Garden is a space for students to collectively grow, eat, and
learn more about fresh and healthy food. The garden includes raised vegetable beds,
a teaching/gathering space, a permaculture spiral, and compost tumblers. You can help
plant and maintain the garden, and produce is available to the campus community.
Outdoor Program
The Outdoor Program takes full advantage of Westminster's unique environment for learning.
From world-class skiing, mountain biking, and rock climbing in the local Wasatch Mountains
to the red rock deserts, wild rivers, and vast wilderness areas that lie beyond, there
is never a shortage of meaningful outdoor experiences.
Student Diversity and Inclusion Center
The Student Diversity and Inclusion Center serves the community through programs and
initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion on campus, providing opportunities
to develop your social identities and spaces for discussion about issues of power,
privilege, oppression, and social engagement. The center also hosts a variety of campus
events.
Undergraduate Research
Participating in an undergraduate research experience at Westminster can help you
understand a subject better, but it also can help you explore connections between
disciplines or gain experience that will help when it comes time to apply to graduate
school or for prestigious fellowships.
ASW Events and Involvement Opportunities
In addition to managing campus clubs, ASW sponsors a wide range of social, cultural,
and educational events each year which include dances, lectures, concerts, community
service, and more. In addition to attending these events, you can get involved with
ASW by applying for open positions in its branches.
Clubs and Organizations
Westminster has more than 40 campus clubs and organizations. From outdoor organizations
like the Ski and Snowboard Club to organizations like the Entrepreneurship Club where
you can bond with people who share your academic major or professional interests,
there are many opportunities to explore. And, if you don’t find what you’re looking
for, ASW can help you with proposing, advertising, and funding a new club or organization.
Residence Hall Association (RHA)
The Residence Hall Association acts as the voice for students living on campus. Getting
involved is a great way to immerse yourself in the community and support fellow residents.
Every floor in each residence hall selects a representative to the RHA council.
Residence Life
Living on campus gives you a community of people to study, hang out, and explore with
and allows you to take advantage of everything on campus as well as in the surrounding
Sugar House neighborhood and nearby downtown Salt Lake City.
Griffin Athletics
Westminster College Athletics is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
(RMAC) and NCAA Division II. Westminster currently has 17 NCAA II sports teams and
7 non-NCAA sports teams. The men's soccer club and the spirit team (cheer and dance)
are non-affiliated programs within the athletics program.
Health, Wellness, and Athletic Center
The Health, Wellness, and Athletic Center is home to the Fitness, Wellness, and Recreation
department and hosts a variety of educational and exercise programs and services that
can positively impact your health and well-being. From the climbing wall to group
exercise, certifications, personal training, and more, the center has a lot to offer.
Intramural Sports
Westminster’s intramural program provides fun and friendly competition in a variety
of individual and team sports and activities. You can join a team or apply for a paid
intramural officiating position to build job skills and increase familiarity with
a sport.
The Forum
The Forum is Westminster’s student news source, providing news coverage on and beyond campus,
including written, podcast, and video news pieces.
ellipsis… Literature and Art Journal
ellipsis… Literature and Art Journal is a nationally and internationally recognized journal published by the students
of Westminster, featuring poetry and creative writing by Westminster students and
guest contributors.
The Myriad
The Myriad is an online journal that showcases the scholarly and creative works published by
undergraduate Westminster College students from all academic programs.
“The small campus here facilitates social connections to the point where it feels like everybody knows everybody else. After you’ve been here for a semester, you’ll start seeing people you know almost every time you walk across campus.”
– Luke Vayo (’21)
Campus Bookstore
The Campus Bookstore is your destination for course materials and Westminster merchandise.
In addition to buying items for yourself, your friends and family can even order merchandise
online to show their Griffin pride alongside you. And, renting or buying new textbooks
online each semester has been made super easy with the online ordering available to
you.
Campus Concierge
Westminster has a Campus Concierge who offers discounted tickets and information about
student activities, volunteer opportunities, recreational information, student services,
events on and off campus, and more.
Campus Dining
Dining services on campus are provided by Café Bon Appétit. You can catch a meal with
friends in Shaw or stop by Griff’s Roost for your morning cup of coffee. Daily menus
for Shaw and dining hours can be found on the Café Bon Appétit website.
Career Center
The Career Center can offer you help with networking, personal branding, interview
preparation, and much more! By taking advantage of the Career Center, you’ll be well
prepared for whatever career or other professional ventures you seek out once you
graduate.
Counseling Center
The Counseling Center assists students in clarifying and accomplishing personal and
academic goals and offers individual counseling, group counseling, support groups,
referral services, and programming.
Mail Services
Campus Mail Services can receive, deliver, and hold mail and packages for students
in both on-campus housing and off-campus, college-owned housing. For your convenience,
you can also drop off stamped letters and postage paid packages on campus to be sent
out.
Student Disability Services
Student Disability Services provides equal access in higher education to academically
qualified students with physical, learning, and psychiatric disabilities and works
with departments to help ensure that programs and facilities are accessible to all
members of the community.
Student Employment
Westminster hires hundreds of students each year. You can put your skills and passions
to work in a variety of different offices and departments on campus, including many
positions which offer internship level job opportunities to gain real-world experience
while you complete your studies.
Student Health Services
Student Health Services offers quick, convenient, and affordable access to medical
care provided by a family nurse practitioner who can diagnose and treat common health
problems. Student Health Services offers services for well and sick visits, prescriptions,
and family planning as well as certain immunizations, procedures, and testing.
Tutoring Centers
Free tutoring is available for business, math, physics, computer science, and chemistry
undergraduate courses through various tutoring centers. Assistance with writing is
also available to all students through the Writing Center.
The Purple Basket
The Purple Basket addresses the impact of hunger and nutrition insecurity and disparities in access to basic needs through a dignified and destigmatized approach to reducing hunger and increasing resources for all presentations of food insecurity—whether it be a skipped meal or a week of groceries. Students can access sustainable and ethically sourced foods as well as hygiene and basic household items through The Purple Basket.
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Location: Carleson Hall lower level (access through the patio on the south side of the building)
Questions/Donations: Contact Nayethzi Hernandez
Housing Security Support
The Purple Basket also offers support with housing security. As each situation is unique, individual meetings are held to problem solve, search for housing, and connect you with resources. To schedule a meeting, contact Nayethzi Hernandez.
- View Directory Profile
Nayethzi Hernandez
Role
- Part-Time
- Food & Housing Insecurity Volunteer