Trinitonian 08.19.11

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Trinitonian SERVING TRINITY UNIVERSITY SINCE 1902 s WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

VOLUME 109, ISSUE 1

s August 19, 2011

Deconstructing Trinity

What’s Inside

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

Comedian replaces Welcome Week Concert n

Student Programming Board abandons concert in favor of comedian

A GUIDE TO TRINITY LINGO

Cool Trinity students have their own way of communicating Page 11

by Rachel Puckett

Reconstruction of buildings, like McLean Hall (above), began this summer and will continue through the year. Construction covers campus, marring the view of Trinity’s symbolic bell Murchison Tower.

ASR PRESIDENT ADDRESSES YEAR AHEAD Logan Walsh talks funding, student activity fee and accountability Page 8

TU STUDENT SURVIVAL GUIDE Advice on what to do in any situation Page 19

WEEKEND WEATHER

Friday High 104° Low

Saturday High 102° Low 77° Sunday High 98° Low 77°

ON THE WEB Follow the Trinitonian at www.trinitonian.com

photo by Carly Cowen

Construction continues at Trinity n

Center for the Sciences and Innovation largest endeavor undertaken at Trinity, pipe integral

by Kellie Benn

Reporter

Over the summer, Trinity continued construction of the $127-million Center for the Sciences and Innovation, along with other projects meant to increase the quality of campus life.

Besides the center, construction projects included renovations to Mabee Dining Hall, Verna McLean Residence Hall, the tennis stadium, and the entrance to Coates University Center. Most prominently, construction crews have been working throughout the summer and into the fall on the installation of an underground pipe. The pipe will consolidate the university’s heating and cooling system to prepare for the next phase of the Center for the Sciences and Innovation. n See CONSTRUCTION Page 3

Class of 2015 exceeds expectations n Larger class size comprises diverse, talented students by Alecia Jarrett

n Reporter

The enrollment rate of the class of 2015 exceeded the univiersity’s Office of Admissions’ expectations this year in terms of quantity, while maintaining Trinity’s dedication to diversity. Despite downturns in the economy and last year’s lower enrollment, 642 first years are scheduled to start classes this fall. According to current statistics from Chris Ellertson, associate vice president of Enrollment and Student Retention, 37% of students are from outside of Texas; 9% are international; 18% are Pell Grant eligible, and 11% are first generation college students. “It’s a real nice group of students, I think,” Ellertson said. “Students that come in with different perspectives add value to the campus experience.”

n n n n n n

Class 2015 Overview:

Average Test Scores: SAT = 1269 ACT = 28.7

Average GPA = 3.5 73% were in the top 20% of their high school classes 9% are international 37% are from outside Texas 11% are first generation college students 18% are Pell Grant eligible n See ENROLLMENT Page 5

Due to budget revisions and ongoing construction projects, the Student Programming Board elected to book a comedian instead of a band as the culmination of this year’s Welcome Week. Alexandra Empie, the associate director of SPB responsible for organizing the Welcome Week concert, said that the decision to bring a comedian to campus rather than a band followed many discussions concerning the construction. They were particularly concerned about the construction around the football field and its effect on the band’s ability to perform during Welcome Week.

photo by Christina Velasquez

Reporter

It was just too much of a risk. You can’t really take that kind of risk with that kind of money. Alexandra Empie

Associate Director of Student Programming Board

“We’d be taking a risk if we had booked a band because there wouldn’t be a 100% guarantee we would have been able to hear them because they wouldn’t be able to play,” Empie said. The SPB’s budget when selecting a band to perform at the Welcome Week Concert generally runs between $35,000 and $40,000. Such an amount often procures a recognizable band. With this in mind, Empie and the rest of SPB decided that booking a band for the Welcome Week concert was not worth the potential loss construction would have caused. “I want the student body to understand that I wanted to bring a band in as much as they did because it’s tradition,” Empie said. “And I’m sad that we couldn’t, but I think it would be better than not having a finale at the end of Welcome Week at all. It was just too much of a risk. You can’t really take that kind of risk with that kind of money.” With additional research, SPB found that half of the money used to book a decent band could be used to book a comedian of equal caliber. n See CONCERT Page 6


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