The Atrium is the official SBE Student Publication and Resource Guide. It has been a long standing part of SBE's history. The Atrium aims to represent the students of SBE through articles published about current issues, concerns and interests within our community. Our goal is to capture the culture, news, and views of Laurier.

Our Mission Statement

To unite the community of Laurier’s School of Business and Economics and its surroundings through the delivery of exceptional news, services and school spirit.

A Brief History of the Atrium

by Professor Franklin Ramsoomair, Faculty Advisor to the Atrium

Jillian Swartz
Founder of the Atrium

It was a warm day in September that Jillian Swartz came to me and suggested that we form an SBE newsletter. Jillian was not someone you could ignore. She was bright, articulate and at the top of her class. She was demanding of high standards and I knew that having her in my classes was an asset not only to me, but to the rest of the students in the class. She explained the yearning to communicate what was happening in the Business School to all those in it. Additionally, she wanted a forum for students. How like her, I thought.

I got the necessary procedures in place and soon after, she announced that it should be called the “Core of Biz.” Wonderful, I thought- because not only did she have a conceptual model and philosophy for the newsletter, but she had a name also. She was infectious in her drive and enthusiasm and together, we drew the interest of a number of interested students.

Jillian would write articles, solicit them from students and faculty, gather news of interest and then type all the material. She would then go to the old Xerox copier we had and print the newsletter. I remember going to get her at her apartment on sunny Saturday afternoons, from where we would go to the Business School and staple the sheets by hand. It was time consuming hard work and were it not for her vision, the exercise would have stopped right there. When she graduated, the “Core of Biz” was taken over by other students and thus, the “Atrium” was born. We owe a debt to Jillian Swartz, who originally had the foresight and motivation to bring to life what is now a vibrant magazine.

Jillian is now a successful lawyer at Blakes, one of the largest law firms in Canada. She still maintains dedicated interest in the Atrium and in the SBE as a whole.