The dean of the U’s Honors College emailed students what seemed like an endorsement of Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, who’s currently running for re-election, and later apologized for the statement.
The original message, sent by Sylvia Torti to all honors undergraduates on Oct. 31, read, in part, “I have cast my vote for Mayor Ralph Becker for the simple reason that our city is thriving because of him and I want it to continue to thrive. Ralph and his team have done transformative work around issues of housing, homelessness, air quality, transportation, gender equity in pay and open space. He is a superb supporter of education.”
At the end of the short email, Torti encourages students to participate in the election, noting that this is “your city, your vote, your decision.” It is unknown how many received the message.
After concerns were raised by a group of about 12 honors students who felt Torti was using her position of authority at the U to sway voters, she sent a second email Monday noting that her support for Becker was her “own personal view and not that of the University or Honors College.”
“In the event that it was not clear, the intent of my email was for you to exercise your rights and responsibilities as citizens, not that you should vote for any candidate in particular,” she wrote.
The act could be considered a violation of Utah election code, which reads: “a person may not send an email using the email of a public entity, for a political purpose or to advocate for or against a ballot proposition.” Torti’s action could result in a $250 fine for a first offense.
Torti denied several requests from The Utah Chronicle for comment, and the Honors College would not issue a statement on her behalf. Diona Giannopoulos, an academic coordinator with the program, said in an aside that Becker, an alumnus, has previously been involved in supporting the U and the Honors College.
Taylor Pope, a senior and honors student in math, was one of the students who disapproved of Torti’s email about Becker. He tried responding to the listserv anonymously to let others know how he felt, but his email was blocked. His message questioned Torti for “what was obviously a plug for a specific candidate.”
“Encouraging us to vote is one thing,” Pope told The Chronicle. “Encouraging us to vote for a specific candidate using the title of dean is another.”
He later sent a direct message to U President David Pershing questioning the appropriateness of Torti’s email. Pope encourages others who feel “uncomfortable” to do the same.
“Many of my friends, and to some extent even myself, feel uncomfortable raising a complaint directly to Dean Torti because she has power over housing, approving theses and other things directly impacting our lives and education,” he said in the email to Pershing. “I just want to make my voice known so it isn’t a silent majority being bothered by this abuse of the honors mailing list.”
Pope received a response Wednesday to his email to Pershing from Ruth Watkins, senior vice president for academic affairs, who said she is “confident” Torti remedied the situation with her apology.
“This has been an important learning moment about the messages we send and how they might be read,” Watkins wrote.
Pope is undecided for which candidate he will vote in Tuesday’s election. The race, which is expected to be close, is between former state legislator Jackie Biskupski and current SLC Mayor Becker.
@CourtneyLTanner