Valparaiso student newspaper releases article on Troy VanAken

The Torch, Valparaiso University’s student publication, reported on President Troy VanAken’s visit to the VU campus on Feb. 25 in their “The race for the presidency” series on the institution's presidential candidates. 

In The Torch’s article, student life at Elmhurst College was mentioned, specifically the diversity and inclusion present.

“Elmhurst is a place that when I had the privilege of joining up four years ago, our students of color were about 35 percent of our incoming class, this last year, they were 49 percent,” VanAken said at VU. 

Students asked VanAken on how he plans to bring changes to the diversity of VU to which he responded that it would be a two way conversation in order to enact change. 

The Torch reported that VanAken told students that he likes to keep himself informed with what is going on with multicultural groups at EC in order to attend an event or meet with the groups once a semester. 

At the session with VU students, VanAken brought up the hate incidents that occured on campus in the fall semester, stating that he wanted to show support to the marginalized groups who felt targeted. 

VanAken spoke about how he attended QSA’s Drag Show on Oct. 25, 2019 to show support after homophobic threats were found in the 2nd floor bathroom of Niebuhr Hall on Oct. 21.

The article notes that student retention has gone up 7% in the time VanAken has been president at EC.

“That’s really what drives me,” VanAken stated at VU. “I don’t want students to just come to the institution, I want them to walk across the stage.” 

VanAken was the last candidate to be reported on after presidential candidates Kirk Farney and Andrew Finstuen. 

At the end of the article, The Torch reported that it and its staff plan to endorse a candidate for the VU presidency.