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ASWU senate vote in favor of tabling the resolution to affiliate a Willamette chapter of TPUSA with ASWU on Nov. 13, 2025 in the Montag Den. Photo by Keenan Yoshizawa. In their upcoming Nov. 20 meeting, the Associated Students of Willamette University (ASWU) senate will vote on whether or not to affiliate a Willamette chapter of Turning Point USA  (TPUSA). Two prior discussions resulted in the senate not reaching a consensus.  At their previous Oct. 23 meeting, the ASWU senat

A variety of WU students sit and stand on upward trending arrows. Art by Addie Martin. Last year, the Willamette administration prepared for the “demographic cliff,”  or a decline in first-year enrollment brought on by low, recession era birth rates. But now, in the 2025-26 academic year, despite the demographic cliff showing its effects, undergraduate enrollment is up.  Willamette's 2025 enrollment trends depict fewer first-year students, but expanded transfer and graduate s

Ken Wytsma, Willamette’s new chaplain, speaks with The Collegian in his office in the Dean’s Suite in Smullin Hall on Sept. 30, 2025. Photo by Keenan Yoshizawa. This fall, Willamette welcomed Pastor Ken Wytsma as the newest university chaplain, marking the return of the chaplaincy role to Willamette since the  closure of the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life  (OSRL) in June 2024.  Wytsma is a scholar of justice, theology, history, and religion and an author. One of his b