Trinitonian Student Involvement Fair A sample of Trinity clubs and activities was presented at annual event in Laurie Auditorium Monday, August 22.
Frank Ocean ends dry spell After four years with no new releases, Frank Ocean presents his sophomore album “Blonde.” The album hit stands Wednesday, August 31.
PAGE 3 NEWS Volume 114 Issue 3
Welcome Week Concert brings students together BY GABRIEL LEVINE
NEWS REPORTER
Earth-shaking bass, euphoric synths, live instruments and frenzied lights came to Trinity last Saturday night with the performances of Patrick Baker, Robert DeLong and 3LAU for the Welcome Week Concert. In marked contrast to the indie and rap artists of years past, all three of this year’s artists produce various flavors of the umbrella genre known as electronic dance music (EDM). Performing first, Patrick Baker kicked off the concert on a relatively relaxed note, both playing a guitar and DJing. “Patrick Baker created a really chill vibe,” said Daniel Dahlinger, sophomore. This relaxed environment might have been due to lower attendance at the start of the concert. “He was trying to pump up the crowd but there were not as many people there for him,” said Andrew Harrington, junior. Even so, Harrington still considered it a good start to the concert. Performing second, Robert DeLong created a more upbeat show using drums, DJ equipment and even Nintendo controllers. “He was very dynamic and exciting, he
Soccer ready to open season BY CHRIS GARCIA
SPORTS REPORTER
Trinity women’s soccer season is underway, and they are looking to repeat the success that they have had throughout past years. Over the last 12 years, previous coach Lance Key led the women’s soccer team to a school record of 209 wins, which equates to an 88 percent winning percentage. Some fresh faces will be given the spotlight this year, in particular the new head coach who was hired this summer, Dylan Harrison. Coach Harrison is an alumni of Trinity University, who graduated in 2002 with a degree in business administration. It certainly will be a hard spot to fill, but Coach Harrison and the Lady Tigers are more confident than ever.
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was pumped to be here. I thought the vibe he created was very energized, very positive. After his concert I started listening to more of his music,” said Cat O’Shei, junior. 3LAU, the headliner and final performer, combined the upbeat synths and vocals of mainstream house, swaggering trap beats, brutal dubstep drops and remixes of classic non-electronic songs with smoke machines and pulsing stage lights. This approach was not universally acclaimed. “He seemed to be playing a lot of EDM crowd pleasers, and less so his own music. He just seems like the generic brand version of better EDM artists,” O’Shei said. Others had different opinions. “This was my favorite performance because he did the best at getting the crowd involved. It was fun when he came off stage and interacted with the audience. The artist created a really fun/lively vibe. I would like to see 3LAU in concert again,” Harrington said. On the whole, there seemed to be something for everyone. “Overall, I loved it. Although it wasn’t my style of music, I really enjoyed it and it was super entertaining,” Dahlinger said.
PAGE 8 A&E
Serving Trinity University Since 1902
Trinity Art Collective The reformation of one of Trinity’s art clubs seeks to bring art lovers together on campus. PAGE 9 PULSE SEPTEMBER 02, 2016
Trinity students enjoy electronic music during the Welcome Week Concert with three performers back-to-back.
photo by Will Insul
Group from Germany near end of visit to Trinity Fulbright program allows students to experience American culture and education BY MICHAEL DROZDIAK
NEWS REPORTER
A group of 15 students with the Fulbright Program, one of the most prestigious collegiate exchange programs in the world, is nearing the end of their time at Trinity. The students, all from Germany, have been on campus since a week before the start of classes. “It’s a program that started last year,” said Brenna Hill, an intern sponsor for the program and also the Student Government Association (SGA) president. “It’s great for Trinity, to say that we hosted this program. It’s good publicity for Trinity, but also the Fulbright students are getting a lot out of it through learning about U.S. culture.”
Fulbright students have been engaging in a somewhat specialized curriculum relevant to their specific position as exchange students, but they also experienced the flavor of standard Trinity academic life. “Fulbright students had their own special course on American culture, before the Trinity classes started,” Hill said. “They’re currently enrolled in a special course called social entrepreneurship, which is just with the Fulbright students, but right now they’re also all enrolled in a first year experience course, with first-year students. So they are integrated into campus life.” The idea to bring over this specific group of Fulbright students, unified by German nationality instead of academic focus, partially germinated two years ago during Trinity’s Global City Berlin trip. The Global City trip was sponsored by Peter O’Brien, professor of political science and also the sponsor of the current Fulbright program. Even though Trinity is somewhat infamous for being
insulated in a “Trinity bubble,” the Fulbright students made sure to explore well beyond campus limits. “They are definitely very plugged into campus life, but they’ve also done a lot of excursions around San Antonio,” Hill said. “They’ve done a city tour of San Antonio, they have bus passes and they’ve been using Uber to explore the city a bit more. They’ve definitely been getting out of the Trinity bubble and making the most of their experience.” Despite the lack of a precise academic focus, the Fulbright students visiting Trinity feel as though there are clear benefits from the unique opportunity to study abroad in America. “I just wanted to know something about the United States,” said Stephanie Bär, one of the German Fulbright students. “A lot of things we know are based on prejudices and what we see in the movies.” Apart from the simple dispelling of stereotypes, the Fulbright students have picked up on quite a few subtle quirks that make American life, and specifically
campus life, distinct from life in Germany. The Fulbright students began every day of their American Culture class sharing something they observed about life in the United States. “The way of life on campus, I would say, is strange,” said Marieme Kandji, another German Fulbright student. “Every student that lives on campus loves Trinity, they all have the T-shirts and caps and backpacks.” The most notable difference, though, has been the overall different social paradigm that exists in America. “I also noticed that American people tend to be friendlier in the first place,” Bär said. “They come and talk to you, even strangers in the supermarket, and that would never happen in Germany.” Fulbright students have found a satisfactory taste of American college life and feel a sense of community on campus. “Everyone says that Trinity is a small school, because it’s private,” Kandji said, “but Trinity is like a little village.”