The Minaret

The Minaret The student-run news source of the University of Tampa since 1933. Join us! Meetings will restart M Look for it! That's a lot of free stuff.

Meet The Minaret, the student-run newspaper that has been the University of Tampa's news source since 1933. We also have a dynamic Website (http://www.theminaretonline.com), and in the fall, we'll be developing a video Webcast. Registration is free and includes registration for Breaking News updates as they happen. The Minaret Online also offers free classifieds and free calendars. To get the summ

er edition and/or breaking news, you have to register for free at http://theminaretonline.com/subscribe/

Make sure to register for The Minaret so you can keep up to date before you move in. Got a question about UT life? Write on our wall, send us a message, or send us an e-mail! We have a bunch of staff members who can answer your question, and if we can't, we'll find out how to answer it!

2016-2017 Staff! Editor-in-chief: Tess Sheets
Managing Editor: Bianca Lopez
Poduction Editor: Selene San Felice
News Editors: Arden Iglheart, Liz MacLean
Opinion Editors: Kelly Smith, Carissa Economos
Sports Editors: John Feltman, Candace Martino
Arts and Entertainment: Kaitlyn Stockdale, Ivy Velazquez
Photo Editors: Julia Albini, Christian Maldonado
Multimedia: Regina Gonzalez

PHOTO STOY | Rebel Wrld Closing Day: Sunday Photos courtesy of Lexi Smith.Rebel Wrld’s final day for the fashion festiva...
05/01/2026

PHOTO STOY | Rebel Wrld Closing Day: Sunday

Photos courtesy of Lexi Smith.

Rebel Wrld’s final day for the fashion festival featured many artists on the runway like PINK BUNNI, ISLAND OF VERSATILITY, LEDOUEE, STITCHED EMOTIONS, SYD SHINE, TE ALY and 3AM IN MIAMI. Each artist displayed their own unique creative style on the runway with an accompanied vendor booth for fashion goers to see and buy some of their work.

PHOTO STORY | Photos courtesy of Lexi Smith.This past weekend, Rebel Wrld, a Tampa-based immersive fashion experience, h...
04/30/2026

PHOTO STORY | Photos courtesy of Lexi Smith.

This past weekend, Rebel Wrld, a Tampa-based immersive fashion experience, hosted a fashion festival with live performances, wellness booths and panels, DJs, vendors, fashion shows displaying local artists, live competitions, and more. On Saturday, models and fashion goers were given the opportunity to participate in a runway competition for the best face, best walk, and best fashion. The winner of the competition would compete against each on Sunday for the chance to win a contract to walk for Rebel Wrld.

Visit website for all photos.

Over the weekend, the University of Tampa Spartans baseball team rallied in all three games against the Florida Tech Pan...
04/30/2026

Over the weekend, the University of Tampa Spartans baseball team rallied in all three games against the Florida Tech Panthers. As the race to win the conference winds down, the Spartans’ sweep brings their magic number down to one game.

Tampa has won eight games in a row with six remaining. They face Eckerd on Friday, May 1. One win against the Tritons will clinch the Sunshine State Conference for the sixth straight season.

On Friday, April 24, Robert Satin, junior left-hander, took the mound for Tampa one week removed from a complete game against Rollins. He allowed a leadoff double but struck out the next two. Marshall Burke, junior infielder, hit a two-out single, but Satin got out of the jam, inducing a groundout to shortstop. In the bottom of the first, Tampa loaded the bases but failed to score.

Visit to read more.
Written by Jeremy Fishman, Photos courtesy of Hannah Walls

The whole state of Florida is facing an extreme drought. In the Tampa Bay area, the city has limited water use because o...
04/29/2026

The whole state of Florida is facing an extreme drought. In the Tampa Bay area, the city has limited water use because of it. Because of the drought, the Southwest Florida Water Management District has passed a “Modified Phase III Extreme Water Shortage Order.”

As the weather continues to warm with no clouds or rain in sight, the conditions are only getting worse. The average rainy season in Florida begins in late May. For now, due to a lack of rain, Florida residents will face restrictions.
​
The National Integrated Drought Information System website states that these conditions factor in multiple elements, including precipitation, temperature, and soil moisture.

“Driest year to date over the past 132 years (January-March 2026),” the website states for Hillsborough County.

Visit website to read more.
Written by Madison Overmier, Photo courtesy of Ka23_13 via Wikipedia Commons

Spartans Against Homelessness (SAH) at the University of Tampa (UTampa) is working to strengthen its presence across Tam...
04/28/2026

Spartans Against Homelessness (SAH) at the University of Tampa (UTampa) is working to strengthen its presence across Tampa Bay through consistent volunteer efforts, student engagement, and a mission centered on supporting the local unhoused community.

The organization is dedicated to providing students with meaningful opportunities to engage in community service and to address homelessness through direct action.

SAH hosts volunteer events almost every week, alternating between Tampa Hope and Portico Café, where students assist with food service and donations, and, most importantly, build connections with those they serve.

Visit website to read more.
Written by Ebony Hanna, Photo courtesy of Ariella Schwartz

BREAKING: Your next opportunity just dropped. The Minaret is hiring for next semester!Get involved, gain experience, and...
04/27/2026

BREAKING: Your next opportunity just dropped. The Minaret is hiring for next semester!

Get involved, gain experience, and be part of the story.
Apply by May 15 @ 11:59 PM

Apply now through the QR code or link in bio!

BREAKING: Your next opportunity just droppedThe Minaret is hiring for the 26/27 school year!Get involved, gain experienc...
04/27/2026

BREAKING: Your next opportunity just dropped
The Minaret is hiring for the 26/27 school year!

Get involved, gain experience, and be part of the story.
Apply by May 15 @ 11:59 PM.

Apply now through the QR code or link in bio!

Throwback: The University of Tampa Spartans in 2016As the 2026 spring semester comes to a close, some University of Tamp...
04/24/2026

Throwback: The University of Tampa Spartans in 2016

As the 2026 spring semester comes to a close, some University of Tampa Spartans athletic teams continue their seasons while others have already finished. Throughout the 20 recognized athletic teams, looking back at just ten years ago provides a window into familiar trends, changes, and evolutions.

In 2016, the University of Tampa had not yet even introduced beach volleyball as a collegiate sport. Of the 20 teams, only four had won their respective Sunshine State Conference (SSC) tournaments and titles.

Now, with much of the spring season yet to play, the Spartans have won six conference titles during the 2025-2026 academic year and have six spring sports teams still actively seeking to defend SSC conference titles.

Written by & photo courtesy of Terry Hunsicker

The Minaret was recognized at this year’s Leadership Awards Night ceremony on April 22nd! The Minaret was awarded Outsta...
04/23/2026

The Minaret was recognized at this year’s Leadership Awards Night ceremony on April 22nd! The Minaret was awarded Outstanding Commitment to Global Fluency!

Our Managing Editor, Franchesca Murrugarra, won Student Leader of The Month, and our Science and Tech Editor, Hayden Randolph’s organization Environmental Protection Coalition (EPC) won an award!

Congratulations to everyone!



Photos courtesy of Alyssa Cortes & Franchesca Murrugarra

The Thursday evening air inside the Scariff School of Irish Dance carries the sharp rhythm of hard shoes striking the fl...
04/23/2026

The Thursday evening air inside the Scariff School of Irish Dance carries the sharp rhythm of hard shoes striking the floor, a sound somewhere between a tap dancer’s shuffle and a horse’s gallop at a parade. Children as young as 7 years old stretch their legs while teenagers drink blue slushies from the store next door. 21-year-old Holly Rushing carefully wraps white tape around her hard shoes.

“To make them tighter,” Rushing said. “And to make them look pretty.”

It is a small, deliberate ritual, one of hundreds she has repeated over her 16 years of Irish dancing. The University of Tampa senior, who will graduate this spring before heading to Texas Christian University for graduate school, has spent nearly her entire life inside studios like this one, chasing a form of movement most people only recognize from a Riverdance clip. For Rushing, it is something far more personal than a performance.

“Every year in school, I’m known as the girl who does Irish dancing,” Rushing said. “People ask me to do a little dance for them, even in college, which is kind of crazy.”

Visit website to read more.
Written by Genesis Aviles
Photo courtesy of Holly Rushing

In 1967, the publication introduced its first print with color accents, followed in 1982 by color images. Throughout the...
04/22/2026

In 1967, the publication introduced its first print with color accents, followed in 1982 by color images. Throughout the 1990s, each year brought a distinct theme, logo and color scheme; culminating in 1999 with the red color scheme still used today. By the 2000s, the paper had become fully colorized.

The Minaret became a reliable source of news for students, documenting major historical events, including the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. By the 2010s, The Minaret office had relocated to the second floor of the Vaughn Center. In 2011, special-edition magazines were introduced to the publication’s circulation. In 2015, the online version of The Minaret was born, theminaretonline.org. That same year, The Minaret came close to eviction from its Vaughn Center office, but it remains there today.

Visit website to read more!
Written by Alyssa Cortes
Photos courtesy of The Minaret & Special Collections & Archives, Macdonald-Kelce Library

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401 W Kennedy Boulevard Box P
Tampa, FL
33606

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