UW Tacoma news updates
UW Tacoma has upcoming events, updates to parking and transportation, student government position changes and more.
By Michaela Ely
Campus Events
UW Tacoma’s Trans Day of Visibility main event will occur March 31. There will be morning chalk art from 8-10 a.m., crafting and cupcakes during Husky Hour from 12:30-1:30 p.m. and a Queer Formal that includes a student art and poetry exhibition, dancing and a DJ from 5-8 p.m.
UW Tacoma’s first ever HuskyCon will be hosted by the Student Activities Board, Tabletop Games Club, Xpress!ve Dance, Improv Club, Game Development Club, Riot Games Club and the Center for Equity and Inclusion on April 1. It will occur in William Phillip Hall from 12-3 p.m. The event will include booths, activities, a cosplay contest and more.
The fourth annual UW Tacoma Poetry Festival will occur April 7 in William Phillip Hall from 5:30-8 p.m. The festival will feature two poets, Kat Smith and Ally Ang, as well as an open mic, author signings, food and Tacoma literary partners such as Write253 and Creative Colloquy. There will also be a kickoff event the week prior on April 2 in the TPS Commons
Transportation and Parking News
Starting the week of March 23, there will be changes to parts of S. 19th Street between Jefferson Avenue. and Market Street, as well as Court C between S. 17th Street and Jefferson Avenue as the City of Tacoma has approved a street vacation to UW Tacoma. This means that UW Tacoma will now own and manage these segments as part of the campus.
The portion of S. 19th Street between Jefferson Avenue and Market Street will be closed to vehicles, but pedestrians will be able to use the sidewalks along S. 19th Street to access campus. There will also be temporary lane changes at the intersection of Market Street and S. 19th Street to accommodate the closure. There will eventually be additional permanent changes such as University parking controls on Court C, but no other changes have been specified yet.
The Cragle parking lot closed March 16 and is scheduled to reopen in July, after a project for updatingthe campus’s main electrical system is completed. This does not impact other parking on C Street.
ASUWT News
ASUWT has had several position changes during the winter quarter. Former Legislative Liaison Heba Qatrani began her role as the Director of Legislative Affairs in late January after a vote by the ASUWT Senate. After the resignation of the Director of Outreach at the end of January, former ASUWT Multimedia Specialist Eon Hu was hired into the role of Director of Outreach after a vote by the ASUWT Senate. Former Director of Internal Affairs, Maxwell Kao, moved into the role of Vice President, following the rules of succession and after a vote by the ASUWT Senate. Former Pre-major Senator Zaid Namaat was hired into the role of Director of Undergraduate Affairs after a vote by the ASUWT Senate.
UW Tacoma Awards
Nominations for the 23rd Annual UW Tacoma Outstanding Student Ceremony for Awards and Recognition (OSCARs) are officially open. The OSCARs recognizes the efforts of UWT students, faculty and staff with several key awards. These awards include the Top Dawg award, Registered Student Organization (RSO) of the Year Award, RSO Advisor of the Year and many more. Nominations will be open until 4 p.m. on April 10 and can be submitted on the Center for Student Involvement website. The ceremony itself will take place May 8.
Nominations for the Chancellor’s Medal are also open. This award is presented to an undergraduate student who has made a lasting impact at Commencement in June. Nominees must hold a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and be graduating during the 2025-26 academic year. Nominations should be sent to Lorraine Toler at ltoler2@uw.edu by April 1. Additional instructions and guidelines can be found on the Chancellor’s website.
