10.21.16

Trinitonian Design your own degree?

Win 2 tickets to Mala Luna music festival!

Hungry to learn more after FYE, sophomore Christiana Ellard plans new interdisciplinary food and nutrition major.

PAGE 9 PULSE

Indie rock meets Dr. Seuss

The icon on the left is hidden somewhere within the issue. Find it and send us a picture at trinitonian@trinity.edu. Submitters will be added to a drawing and the winner will receive two tickets to Mala Luna, valued at over $100 each.

Emily Peter sits down with up and coming band, the Barbaloots to learn more about their eclectic sound and quirky name.

PAGE 21 A&E

Serving Trinity University Since 1902

Volume 114 Issue 9

October 21, 2016

Exploring culture with Mabuhay Continued

success for distance squad

Annual fall dance event takes the stage with a wide variety of performing groups

BY KATHLEEN CREEDON

NEWS REPORTER

BY ALEX MOTTER

SPORTS REPORTER

Bright colors, twinkling lights and rich food are all essential aspects of Trinity’s annual Mabuhay Festival. Derived from the Tagalog word for “live” that is used in cheers and celebrations, Mabuhay celebrates unity between all members of our campus through dance and song.

Erika Salarda, junior neuroscience major and co-president of FSA, has grown up distant from a lot of Filipino customs. Salarda was born in Texas, and unlike the majority of Filipino people, she is not a practicing Catholic. The majority of cultural festivals center around Catholicism, for example.

“The Philippines is really big on Christmas.

The Christmas season begins in November and extends past January to even February,” Salarda said.

The 2016 Mabuhay signifies the 13th anniversary of the festival, which has a very unique history.

“A lot of the other Asian cultural clubs have festivals like Lunar New Year that are specific to their culture. In the Philippines it’s primarily religious, so we wanted to create Mabuhay as a way for not only Filipino students but also all students here at Trinity to share our culture, share our food especially, and those different traditions,” Salarda said.

October also bears significance to cultural clubs like FSA because it marks Filipino Heritage Month. Mabuhay hinges around an attitude of celebrating the month of October.

“There should be feelings of excitement and enjoy the lively performances. If anything, I’m just trying to continue this and keep it going,” Salarda said.

Mabuhay is designed to incorporate elements of both the cultural and modern elements of the Philippines.

“We have ballad performances like the umbrella dance choreographed by Xi Xi. K-pop might not be necessarily Filipino, but it will be featured in this year’s Mabuhay because it’s really spread throughout Asia and is really big in the Philippines. I’ve also been choreographing the candle dance or ‘Pandanggo sa ilaw’ and dancing in it since my freshman year,” Salarda said.

Opportunities to develop a more diverse

TOP: Senior, ANTHONY SANCHEZ, practices a dance for Mabuhay performance.

BOTTOM: Some of the members of The Prowlers,Trinity’s dance team, have spent several of the past days practicing the parasol-themed dance to perfection in the gym for the upcoming Mabuhay stage performance photos by GRACE FRYE cultural perspective are very important to Salarda.

“Think of this as an opportunity not only to open your mind and see a lot of different traditions and cultures, but also as a way to meet new people, get into it, try out foods, watch our dances, listen to our music, try and understand

what we live through,” Salarda said.

Lei-An Chen, an junior international student and accounting major, will be participating in the festival for the first time this year. In her native country of Taiwan, celebrations like Mabuhay aren’t very common.

Continued on page 9

As they draw closer to the championship portion of their season, Trinity cross country runners continue to exercise dedication in pushing themselves and their teammates. Over the last few weeks, the Tigers have run at the Chile Pepper Festival and the UW-Oshkosh Kollege Town Sports Invitational, meets that saw the Tigers finishing with some of their best times.

“I’m really happy with my performance,” said Molly McCullough, sophomore runner. “It was a big [personal record] for me just going into the rest of the season that gave me a boost of confidence.”

McCullough, along with junior Emma MacEachern, made great strides in her personal time. In addition, the women’s team as a whole saw a faster overall time than last year.

“We did really well. We averaged 10 seconds faster than last year,” MacEachern said. “We’re looking good for later this season for regionals and SCAC [conference meet].”

Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas, saw Trinity cross country running alongside a great number of competitors from all three NCAA divisions. This competition allowed the Tigers to measure their progress alongside runners with whom they would not typically compete.

Two weeks after Chile Pepper, the Tigers participated in the UW-Oshkosh Kollege Town Sports Invitational in Wisconsin.

“The conditions weren’t super favorable,” said Jacob Hammond, junior runner. “For where we are and given our training and the season as a whole, we put down some solid times.”

On the men’s side, the start of the cross country season has been plagued with injuries, especially among the top runners.

The UW-Oshkosh meet saw them back together for the first time all season.

“It’s the first time we’ve had the top eight back together all season,” said Ben Matthews, sophomore runner. “We’ve always had one of our travel guys out with injuries. This is the first time we’ve had everybody back together and running on the same course.”

Continued on page 23

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • October 21, 2016

Zeta Chi to host drag show Friday

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Sorority prepares for annual event benefiting AIDS Foundation

BY PHILLIP McKEON

NEWS REPORTER

The ladies of Zeta Chi (ZX) will be hosting their ninth annual charitable drag show this Friday at 7 p.m. in Mabee Dining Hall.

ZX partners with the San Antonio AIDS Foundation to put on the show.

“We’ve held this fundraiser for several years not only to satisfy standards, but to raise money in support of a cause that we actually care about,” said Michelle Kong, vice president of ZX and co-chair for the drag show.

Because of the club’s association with the LGBTQ+ community, this is a cause they care deeply about.

“A lot of the people in our club are gay, and we have a lot friends who are gay,” Kong said. “I think that affiliation really strikes a chord with us. I think a lot of us feel connected to this issue since we identify as part of the community, and so that’s why we have such a big interest in this cause.”

Many of the ladies of ZX are also personally supportive of the AIDS foundation as an organization.

“I really like the [AIDS foundation] because they don’t discriminate against anyone for any reason,” said Allyson Huffman, junior communication major and member of ZX. “A lot the people who have AIDS unfortunately don’t have access to health care that’s affordable, so it’s very important to keep these diseases contained, to take care of them properly and to keep people healthy.”

The show will consist of songs and dances performed by students dressed opposite of their own gender.

“Drag shows are really just people doing performances,” Kong said.

“It could be a dance, a song, whatever they want, all while dressing up in drag. We have drag queens and drag kings, and people just come out to have fun and

enjoy music and dancing. Part of the fundraiser is that the performers are going to walk through the audience and people can throw dollar bills at them, and that will be part of the final donation that we make.”

In addition to supporting a good cause, the show raises awareness to a subculture that many have not been exposed to.

“It’s trying to throw it in people’s faces in the sense that this is real life,” said Miranda Reinhardt, senior.

“This is what people do. It’s a way of life that I think a lot of people are ignorant to, and having this drag show shows how it enables people to switch genders and be okay with it. My friend came in heels and a corset and sang a Britney Spears song and played the Ukulele. It’s empowering.”

While many students come to see their friends perform, the drag show also presents an opportunity to expand students’ ways of thinking.

“The show is fun because it flips everything,” Kong said.

“Everyone is dressed in a way that you wouldn’t normally expect them to, and I think it’s a very fun celebration of sexuality and how we express it. I think drag shows can help people think differently in how they think about sexuality. Instead of thinking about it in binary terms, we can break out of that shell and see it from a different angle.”

The drag show also serves to highlight the diversity here at Trinity.

“I think Trinity is an accepting place, but there’s a lingering discomfort to start the dialogue, and I think events like this do help start the conversation.

The dominant idea here at Trinity is one of peace and acceptance,” Huffman said.

The show exposes students to a group they may be unfamiliar with and contributes to the diversity on campus.

INDEX

CLASSIFIEDS

News................................................... 2-4 Opinion..............................................5-7 Pulse....................................................8-10 The Health Issue...............................11-18 A&E.....................................................19-21 Sports..................................................22-24

• NEWS

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SGA This week SGA discussed the upcoming election for the new President, Vice President, and senators. They also discussed funding for an upcoming conference and how other schools have decided to cut funding for those kinds of expenses. They f inished up a discussion on study abroad changes and heard from Bruce Bravo and Cory Bourg about campus dining updates. Finally the committees presented their reports before ending with an open discussion on whether SGA can count toward service hours.

Compiled by Alex Uri

WE HAVE A WINNER! Congratulations to Andrea Lee for winning the Painting With a Twist gift card from our October 7 issue. Information about this week’s contest and the opportunity to win two tickets to Mala Luna can be found on the front page.

Staff editor-in-chief: Julia Elmore managing editor: Grace Frye business manager: Dzung Vu ad directors: Lauren Harris & Christina Moore news editor: Alexandra Uri pulse editor: Emily Elliott arts & entertainment editor: Dylan Wagner sports editor: Markham Sigler opinion editor: Daniel Conrad photo editor: Miguel Webber graphic editor: Tyler Herron layout editor: Katie Groke web editor: Abi Birdsell circulation director: Maddie Kennedy reporters: Kathleen Creedon, Chris Garcia, Elise Hester, Courtney Justus, Haley McFadden, Philip

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NEWS • OCTOBER 21, 2016 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

Mid-Autumn Festival honors Asian traditions

Culture clubs host event for students to eat, craft, and learn about holiday

BY CHRISTIANA ZGOURIDES

NEWS REPORTER

On Thursday, October 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Fiesta Room, the Chinese Culture Club (CCC), Japanese Culture Club (JCC), Vietnamese Student Association (VSA) and Filipino Student Association (FSA) celebrated Mid-Autumn Festival with a variety of food and activities.

“It’s a very traditional festival that a lot of Asian countries celebrate. I’m an international student from Vietnam, so I’ve been celebrating that event for my whole life,” said Hoang Le, co-president of VSA. “Usually that event, it’s like a gathering of family and friends, and we go out and celebrate it with mooncakes, with food, and lights and a lot of stuff.”

Mid-Autumn Festival is commonly celebrated in China and Vietnam.

“So it might seem kind of weird, but the Asian cultural clubs, we’re trying to do more collaborations together,” said Ariel Reyes, president of JCC. Each group brought food from a different restaurant; students who attended were able to try foods from different Asian cultures.

FSA brought pancit, a noodle dish and a dessert called puto, both catered by Lily’s Philippine Bakery and Restaurant.

“Puto is a dessert rice cake — so usually there’s a small square of cheese on top — I guess this restaurant added coconut,” said Erika Salarda, president of FSA. VSA had food catered from Pho Kim Long.

“We brought some not very traditional Vietnamese food, but we had egg rolls, chicken wings and fried rice,” Le said.

JCC brought yakisoba, a Japanese fried noodle dish, and gomoku sushi, both from Niki’s Tokyo Inn. “I didn’t even get to try it because the food went so fast,” Reyes said of the gomoku sushi dish. “But what it looked like to me was almost like sushi not in the form of sushi, kind of like a sushi casserole. The rice is the base, and [it has] lots of toppings.”

While exact attendance was not counted, there were almost certainly more than 100 students over the course of the event. Le explained that the 120 plates they had bought for food were used up in about 30 minutes.

In addition to this smorgasbord of foods from each cultural club, the festival celebration included bunnies, crafts and fortune telling.

Students were able to pet and hold bunnies, which relates to an idea in East Asian folklore.

Saldara explained that the legend says if you look closely at the full moon, you will see the figure of a bunny pounding rice cakes.

CCC also has a paper-cutting craft for students to participate in; they could make Chinese characters or other cutouts. JCC also offered an origami activity where festival-goers could try their hand at making traditional paper cranes, as well as a “cultural photo booth” in which students could try on traditional Japanese clothing.

Reyes explained that the main clothing item at the event were yukata, a light version of the kimono used in the summer.

“We always want to make things educational, but also like with a twist of fun, because otherwise if we just like lectured on Japanese culture or something, it would be just like

Commons gets new Jamba Juice machine

New smoothie option is met with mixed reviews

BY PHILLIP McKEON

NEWS REPORTER

The Commons food court recently added a smoothie machine manufactured by Jamba Juice, a national smoothie brand, with flavor choices strawberry and mango. A 12 ounce cup costs $3.39, a 16 ounce cup costs $3.89 and a 24 ounce cup costs $4.89.

Sara Calvo, junior mathematical finance major, is excited about this new addition and believe it is a step in the right direction for food choices on campus.

“I’ve always been a fan of Jamba Juice, so I’m pretty excited about it. Granted, it’s not as good as the real thing, but I’ll take what I can get,” Calvo said. “I wish they had the actual flavors you can get from the store, but I also think they were just trying to pick something easy that would appeal to the most people.

Strawberry and mango are both pretty basic flavors, so I think a lot of people will want to try it.”

Nick Santulli, junior political science major, is underwhelmed by the option the new smoothie machine provides.

“I honestly don’t know why people are so excited about it,” Santulli said. “It would be

one thing if they opened an actual Jamba Juice on campus. I’d love to see them open a new place to eat on campus, Jamba Juice or otherwise, but this is just another thing that they’ll sell in commons. It’s pretty much just like they decided to stock something new.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the Jamba Juice machine. It’s more of an icee than a smoothie, but it’s still pretty good.”

Zeina Zayat says that the money used for the machine could have gone to an actual need.

“I think it was a waste of money,” said Zeina Zayat, junior and biochemistry major. “You can already get smoothies from Einstein’s, and they’re pretty good. If I’m going to get a smoothie, I’d rather go there. It’s fresh, I can watch them make it, I know they use real fruit.

I just don’t see why the Jamba Juice machine is necessary. What are we getting out of it? It’s literally just a different version of something we already had.”

Further, Zayat thinks that after a little time has passed the novelty of the smoothies will wear off.

“People are only excited about it because it’s new,” Zayat said. “Do you think people are going to care next semester? They’re going to get tired of it, just like we get tired of everything else on campus eventually. It’s not that campus food is really that terrible, it’s just that we get tired of it. So, once people have had enough of it, it’s just going to be another thing that people don’t want.”

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Students participate in creating paper crafts at the student-run Mid-Autumn festival. photo by CLAUDIA GARCIA

another class and people would lose interest,” Reyes said. “So the photo booth is one way that we could incorporate Japanese culture.”

In addition, Le explained that VSA was in charge of a ‘fan dance’ activity. Club members taught students how to do the dance, and those who were interested could sign up to perform at Lunar New Year in February. Finally, FSA was in charge of the fortune-telling activity.

“It’s not associated with the Philippines, but fortune-telling is a big cultural aspect in a lot of East-Asian culture. You see it in Vietnamese culture, you see it in Chinese culture, you see it in Japanese culture,” Salarda said. “So they believe that you can tell a lot about a person by reading their palms, reading their facial features, their build.”

Salarda explained that because these types of fortune telling require a lot of skill, FSA used a

“cootie catcher” — folded paper that tells your fortune based on a number that you pick.

“We based it off the usual fortunes that you might see in the Chinese Zodiac,” Salarda said. “So we did education — because we’re all college students — health, and of course, always interesting, your love life.”

Reyes explained that the event was a broad celebration of Asian cultures rather than strictly adhering to traditional celebrations of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

“Honestly, the stuff that we did, would they actually do that in China to celebrate midautumn festival? Probably not,” Reyes said.

“We had mooncakes, which is definitely a mid-autumn festival thing. But other than that, not so much. I guess we kind of turned it just into a way to make a fun event to educate people on Asian cultures in general.”

4

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 21, 2016 •

NEWS

TigerTV celebrates 20-year anniversary

Campus TV station hits milestone this year and looks forward to future growth and innovation

BY KATHLEEN CREEDON

NEWS REPORTER

TigerTV is celebrating its 20th year of production. Over the years, the station has refined its production and has begun incorporating more advanced technology.

For the past two decades, TigerTV has been a student-run broadcasting organization.

Because of this, the students are given the opportunity and creative freedom to produce the shows they want.

“TigerTV is and always had been very student-run,” said Benjamin Gomez, TigerTV station manager. “We’ve always had one or two staff advisors to oversee things, but every show is entirely student-produced, and that’s happened for 20 years. It’s awesome that students have continued to have the drive and commitment towards something without that much push from the university.”

The crew agrees that watching TigerTV turn 20 years old is exciting. The station has developed a great deal since it first began, and the students are able to understand this firsthand with their advisor.

“It’s really exciting to be a part of TigerTV at this time, especially because our faculty advisor, James Bynum, has been here since the creation of it,” said Mackenzie Hill, promotions and marketing manager.

There have been many changes in the past 20 years, and James Bynum, faculty advisor, has witnessed them all. From new members to new technology, the station has developed constantly since its start. The station started with only a handful of students.

TigerTV has provided students with the opportunity to create, produce and broadcast their own shows. photo by NOAH DAVIDSON

“I’ve seen TigerTV grow from five students producing a single morning show to a team of over 60 students producing hours of broadcast-quality programming every week,” Bynum said.

Over Alumni Weekend, the current TigerTV staff was able to meet former staff members, including the founding members.

“I got to talk to someone who graduated in 1999, and she talked about the use of VHS and how, when livestreaming, you had to run up and down the hallways to be able to turn things on and off and to have things go smoothly through live-airing on television,” Hill said.

Current students were also told stories of past complications with production and the

challenges that came with the older technology.

“Early TigerTV students used huge studio cameras and videotape machines that weighed hundreds of pounds,” Bynum said.

“Today, TigerTV has all broadcast quality, state-of-the-art digital HD equipment that is small, lightweight and very portable. TigerTV students are using the same equipment the professionals at downtown television stations are using,” The studio was remodeled in 2010, and everything is now located in the control room, including the best equipment the staff could have access to.

“The first set we borrowed from the theatre department back in 1996, and we had one little, old camera and one mobile unit that was

jerry-rigged. Now we have a fully HD studio with $1000 cameras and all these sets and lights,” Gomez said.

The studio has also begun to broadcast live online, a very different type of production compared to the broadcasting when TigerTV first started. TigerTV has also increased the number of hours of original content it produces weekly; however, the staff hopes to continually boost that number.

“Right now, we produce roughly 1.5 hours of original content a week, but I’d like to see us do 24 hours of content a day. We want to eventually produce enough content for a whole day of broadcasting,” Gomez said.

Although the station has always produced student-run shows, the current shows are not the same as the original shows that aired. TigerTV offers a variety of genres of production, which allows students to seek whichever style they are most interested in.

“We have people who want to pursue comedy doing the Not-So-Late Show, people who like music a lot doing Studio 21, and people who have gone to work for KSAT who used to work with Newswave,” Gomez said.

TigerTV hopes to increase its involvement with both the Trinity and San Antonio communities with expanded coverage and a larger range of segments and shows.

“With that, it’d bring more diversity within our segments. All of them are informational and are geared toward Trinity students, but I think doing more within the San Antonio community and not being as-geared for Trinity students,” Hill said.

To celebrate the last 20 years, TigerTV will be hosting a 20-hour live broadcast on the weekend of November 19.

The show will engage the entire Trinity community with skits and segments involving many student organizations. For more information on the anniversary program individuals should contact Benjamin Gomez at bgomez@trinity.edu.

SPB and Swashbucklers plan spooky events Organizations to host haunted opportunities for students both on and off campus

BY KATHLEEN CREEDON

NEWS REPORTER

The Swashbucklers and the Student Programming Board (SPB) have put together events for students to celebrate this Halloween.

The Swashbucklers will host their annual

Haunted Hallway, while SPB is planning a new event with San Antonio’s 13th Floor Haunted House.

These two events are happening consecutively this year. The Swashbuckler Hall event will be in Myrtle McFarlin Hall this year on October 28, and the SPB event will be downtown on October 29.

Swashbuckler Hall has been hosting Haunted Hall for 11 years, and each year it has become more intense.

“Haunted Hall started at the beginning of Swashbuckler Hall with some guys thinking it would be hilarious if they turned their room into a haunted house, so they did,”

The Swashbuckler Hall creates a Haunted Hallway every year to let students celebrate Halloween on campus. photo by CLAUDIA GARCIA

said Ryun Howe, one of the captains of the Swashbuckler Hall.

This tradition has progressed from one scary room to a haunted house on an entire floor of their hall. Because the tradition has grown in popularity, the Swashbucklers have had to dedicate more time to coming up with a theme and decorating the hallway.

“It’s something we prepare for all month.

Planning starts at the beginning of September, generally. We start setting up the day before and room set-up starts about 10 the day of,” Howe said.

Swashbuckler members donate their rooms while their personal belongings are hidden, so the rest of the room can be used to create whatever the group pleases. Because the organization elects a new captain every year, Haunted Hall is never the same.

“It’s something that changes under every captain, but we pass down our wisdom and the Haunted Halmanac and hope that it keeps improving,” Howe said.

As the Swashbucklers plan their Haunted Hallway, SPB has also planned another opportunity for Trinity students to enjoy this Halloween. However, this event offers students the chance to get off campus while enjoying the holiday.

“We have purchased a certain number of tickets for the 13th Floor Haunted House downtown and are offering them free to Trinity Students,” said Lorene Sugars, public relations chair of SPB. Students can get a ticket by registering with their Trinity ID number later this month. As for transportation, SPB is offering buses that will run from the Bell Center to the haunted house and back from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. on October 29.

“The whole idea of this event is to give Trinity students a fun and free off-campus experience from Halloween that is different to the on-campus events we have done in the past,” Sugars said.

Students may have to wait in line at the haunted house, but they won’t have to pay for anything. Although the reactions towards this event have been primarily positive, SPB has also received some concern.

“So far we have had great reactions from those who would want to go. Usually there are two generic responses, either excitement or ‘I don’t do haunted houses,’” Sugars said.

There has been discussion about conflicts between the two events, but because they’re on different days, neither group thinks it will affect the number of people who participate in the events.

“I think they’re such different events that appeal to such different audiences that there won’t be much conflict,” Howe said.

Each group has been planning the event for months, and the overlap was not intentional.

“It is our hope that students will be able to participate in both the Swashbuckler’s Haunted House in the dorm and experience our event at 13th Floor in downtown San Antonio as well,” said Carolyn Young, director of SPB. For students who don’t like leaving campus, the Swashbucklers’ Haunted Hallway is a quick walk to Myrtle Hall. For those who want to get off campus for the holiday, the 13th Floor is more suitable.

Haunted Hallway will be open the evening of October 28, and buses will be provided for transportation to the 13th Floor on October 29. Both events are free and open to all members of campus.

...

COMMENTARY Have an opinion? Want others to hear it? For a chance to be featured as a guest columnist, please submit your article to trinitonian@trinity.edu by Monday night to be in Thursday’s issue of the paper.

Opinion

No, the election isn’t rigged Contrary to Trump’s claims, the system is working fine; he’s just a sore loser Questions about the legitimacy of the United States government and its institutions should never be taken lightly.

When a candidate for president disavows the ALEX PERKOWSKI system, it reduces the OPINION COLUMNIST trust the populace has in that system. Donald Trump’s fears of a rigged election are misplaced and dangerous.

The United States has a unique system of governance in that the government is an unqualified bipartisan representative democracy. There is nothing in the Constitution mandating an adversarial system or any organizational ideas for the populace. The first-past-the-post elections and the electoral college facilitate the two-party system, but they are not the be-all and endall. However, nature abhors a vacuum, and eventually we came to the current system, with some bumps along the way. It is not a rigged system. It could use some reform with regard to financing and gerrymandering, but it is by no means broken.

Elections are run through the state and county governments of the nation, not by the federal

government. Yes, the federal government does maintain agencies for regulating elections, but, by and large, there is no strong federal presence.

The electoral college hinges in part on the roles of the state and county actors. However, there are thousands of volunteers and bureaucrats who dedicate their time each election to ensure elections continue as planned. To be sure, it would be incredibly difficult to alter the results of such a large election. Although voter fraud is a serious topic, it is extremely rare (according to a News21 report, overall numbers amounted to 1 in 15 million voters between 2000 and 2012).

The numerous allegations of fraud and “rigging” are entirely vacuous. Not only is it incredibly tedious and difficult to commit real voter fraud, especially in the digital age, but there are staff whose careers depend on running elections. Trying to delegitimize an election while running in that same election is foolish and dangerous. It creates an expectation of a broken system. Ten-year-olds have a term for this: it’s called “being a sore loser.” Trump’s emphasis on the “rigged” system has created a tense atmosphere and unnecessarily stressed the electoral system of the nation.

This is not new to Trump, or other politicians for that matter. In particular, Trump accused

Marco Rubio of rigging the primary in Florida several days before Trump won Florida. He accused Ted Cruz of rigging the primary in Texas. Trump uses polls as indicators of how voters will actually vote, instead of focusing on results. He does this because it’s an excuse if his campaign falls short — which it has.

Trump’s polling has not increased past its 40-point ceiling since the Republican National Convention. Voters expect their candidates to win no matter what because their opinions are shaped by their perception of themselves and their friends. Although this is a result of a lack of perception that there are millions of Americans in the United States who have different views, it is mindless.

Trump is using the “rigged” idea to make an excuse for his poor candidacy. In essence, it is a cop-out. The election is not rigged, and the polls have shown a consistent favoring among Hillary Clinton’s electorate. Demographic changes mixed in with unchanged perceptions of America have led to this argument gaining traction. Trump is saving face — this is a man who cannot stand to be considered a loser.

Ultimately, this self-service will do nothing but incite further politically charged issues, without addressing the real problems the country faces.

EDITORIAL

Surviving, if not thriving, as a college student Midterm grades were due this week, and though the scramble to finish projects and study for tests is behind us, the all-nighters and 2 a.m. trips to Whataburger are still taking a toll on our bodies and minds.

Busy seasons, like test-heavy midsemesters, wreak havoc on our sleep schedules, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be difficult throughout the entirety of our time as college students.

If only there were more hours in the day, we might have time to fit in classes, extracurricular activities, social time with friends, exercise and homework, all while getting sufficient rest each night. Alas, our time is limited, and when managing our responsibilities, sleep always seems to be neglected. While it’s true that the ramifications of missing an assignment deadline are usually more severe than those that come with missing out on a night of Z’s, making a habit of neglecting sleep can have serious effects on our health and wellbeing. Sleepiness impairs cognitive processes, making it harder to pay attention in class and remember information.

Sleep deprivation also leads to symptoms of depression, and true insomnia and depression are commonly linked. It also impairs our judgement and leads to other unhealthy practices, like over-eating.

Speaking of poor eating habits, the college atmosphere is conducive to unhealthy eating.

Students tend to opt for quick, inexpensive snacks, which are often not the most nutritious. At Trinity, the PODs, Freshii and Einstein’s do offer some healthier options, but they are still more expensive and come with less variety. After midnight, our options are limited to Whataburger and Taco Cabana, neither of which have many, if any, healthy options. In addition to the foods being

Harold,it’s it’s just “Oh“Oh Harold, justeyeballs.” eyeballs.”

unhealthy, the manner in which we consume them is often problematic as well. Stress eating is a common practice among students that can lead to unhealthy habits in the long term.

On the other hand, under-eating can also be the result of pressure to attain a particular body shape or weight. Certain dietary habits can be dangerous when eating disorders come into play. These are more serious issues that warrant professional advice.

Stress eating is not our only coping mechanism: we often turn to other substances to calm and comfort ourselves. Use of alcohol and recreational drugs — we’ve all seen TrinitySnaps — is common, and the university has taken steps to promote safe drinking. But alcohol abuse and the abuse of prescription drugs can put students at risk of health emergencies and also lead to the formation of life-long addictions.

These are just a few examples of behaviors prevalent in a college atmosphere that have the potential to become dangerous habits or disorders if not addressed. But on a more positive and seemingly contradictory note, health and wellness technology and services have come a long way on college campuses.

comic by MICHAEL MILLER

For example, awareness of conditions like dyslexia and ADD has promoted the addition of services to help students succeed in school. Improvements in medical technology allow students who struggle with hearing impairment or diabetes to attend college where, 50 years ago, they might not have been able to.

Most recently, we have made progressive steps in the realm of mental health.

Admittedly, we still have a lot to learn and relearn when it comes to addressing concerns of this nature, but students and faculty at Trinity are taking steps in the right direction toward reducing stigmas and addressing needs associated with mental health.

We have worked to collect helpful information about staying healthy and aim to provide ideas of how to do so at Trinity.

Turn to our Health Issue insert to learn about what is going on in your body when you have a hangover or how to make healthier eating choices on campus thanks to the ¡Por Vida! initiative. Throughout the special section, students can find information about healthrelated services on campus they can visit if concerns arise.

On the Road with Steve Hartman

If you’ve ever wanted to find solace in a piece of journalism, lend your eyes to the lovable Steve Hartman of CBS Evening News. He’s a reporter who currently, and has for many years now, travels around JOY LAZARUS OPINION COLUMNIST America in search of moving stories on his weekly feature, “On the Road,” which airs on Friday nights. His series is based on the segment of the same name by Charles Kuralt, a late newsman.

I came across his show one night on the couch with tea in hand. Scott Pelley said, “And now, another special journey for Steve Hartman, ‘On the Road,’” and then the clip rolled. I heard Steve Hartman’s friendly voice on the screen and was hooked. His interviews start off with people who appear ordinary, but turn out to be much more than that.

Hartman crafts interviews such that the outcome is unexpected. There’s the story of a corrupt ex-cop who now works at the same diner as the man he wrongly arrested — the two have become great friends through a long process of forgiveness. There’s Chris Rosati, a marketing executive who quit his job after being diagnosed with ALS and spent as many of his dwindling days giving away free donuts with his daughters to their community as he could. There’s Charles Evans, who created a museum of love for his deceased wife that contains photos and memorabilia plastered over the walls of his house to celebrate their 60 years of marriage. There’s the man who walked up and down Anderson, South Carolina with a “Need Kidney 4 Wife” sign over his chest in search of a donor for his dying wife. And there’s the little girl who adopted a duckling and, three years later, has a beaked best friend named Snowflake with a diaper who accompanies her to sleepovers and soccer games. These are just a few of the hundreds of stories Steve Hartman has found residing in the heart of America.

Hartman has these warm puppy-dog eyes that smile naturally. He chuckles often and creates a comfortable area for people to divulge their tales. He gets to the root of things, and evokes empathy every time he does. Somehow he manages to portray the friendliness of people in ways that feel so inspiring. Each segment is like a three-minute fairy tale that can take you to the pits of despair and then deliver a wonderful, heartwarming conclusion. Seeking meaning and finding hope is so generously communicated through these interviews that it’s hard not to watch without teary eyes. I’m pretty sure I’ve caught Scott Pelley regain his composure before he signs off for the night after “On the Road” airs.

What I love about “On the Road” is that it seeks out the goodness of the American people. Each segment leaves me feeling more restored in humanity, encourages me to be more understanding and nourishes the warm, fuzzy portion of the human soul, not in a cheesy, fake kind of way, but in a real way that only a viewer and an earnest reporter can know is true. This is the America I wish got more coverage, the America that I wish wasn’t just aired nationally once a week.

In an age when the famous are asked for guidance and advice, maybe we should look around to find who else knows a thing or two.

OPINION • OCTOBER 21, 2016 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Fox News in Chinatown: Sad, yet unsurprising O’Reilly segment yet another example of Asian-American stereotyping, prejudice ALEXANDER MOTTER GUEST COLUMNIST If you haven’t seen the O’Reilly Factor’s clip in Chinatown, you should watch it immediately. Watch how antiquated racial stereotypes appear on mainstream television without shame or subtlety. Watch a major news network abandon all journalistic integrity and humiliate unwitting interviewees who do not speak English in an attempt to incite laughter.

Watch a series of references completely unrelated to Chinese culture, including Mr. Miyagi, who is Japanese, asking interviewees to try karate, a traditional Japanese martial art, bowing before an interview, which is a Japanese tradition, the song “Kung Fu Fighting” by the Jamaican-British singer Carl Douglas, and practicing taekwondo, which is Korean.

This issue of racism against Asian-Americans in the entertainment industry is not a new one. As we’ve progressed further into the 21st century, a belief has traveled with us that we have transcended racism and racist behaviors.

This confidence has instead allowed racism to creep into many areas, such as entertainment.

On animals and suffering Those who defend the raising and killing of animals for humans’ consumption sometimes say that such practices benefit the animals by providing them existence. Leslie DANIEL CONRAD Stephen, the father of OPINION EDITOR Virginia Woolfe, wrote: “The pig has a stronger interest than anyone in the demand for bacon. If all the world were Jewish, there would be no pigs at all.”

Imagine a world with no pigs. Now, consider a world with plentiful pigs, where each one lives a life of pain and suffering. (The second world doesn’t quite resemble the real world, but factory farm conditions aren’t too far off from this picture.) Is the second world really better for pigs than the first? I don’t think so.

First, an observation about what can be valuable for us: Nothing can be good or bad for the nonexistent. Who could you say is better or worse off? If no pigs existed, it couldn’t be better for them to have existed even in dour conditions — there’s no “them” to be worse off by comparison!

But then, you might think the pigs are better off being raised and killed after all. At least they’re living, right? Unfortunately, this cuts both ways. If the nonexistent aren’t worse off for never coming into existence, the living aren’t better off for merely existing at all. And surely it’s not the bare survival of a species that matters. What matters is living a good life.

Besides, the important matter isn’t that being brought into existence can’t be good for you, it’s that being brought into existence to live a life of suffering is decidedly bad for you. In fact, it’s bad for all sentient beings. Chickens, cows, fish, pigs and pretty much every animal with a central nervous system has an interest in avoiding pain and suffering. There are more issues to consider, but on the face of it, I take this as a pretty strong reason to doubt the permissibility of raising and killing animals.

On an unrelated note, the Trinity Philosophy Club meets every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in Chapman 045. Join us for drinks, snacks and thoughtful discussions about topics like this!

There’s Scarlett Johansson playing the Japanese character Major in “Ghost in the Shell,” one of Japan’s defining science fiction stories. Critics have noted that the themes of existentialism and identity are so uniquely Eastern that they cannot even take on a Western setting, a problem directors felt could be solved through CGI to make Johansson “look more Asian” through what was essentially high-tech yellowface. This pattern continues on and on, with films like “Gods of Egypt,” “Aloha,” “Dr. Strange,” “Death Note,” “The Martian,” “The Last Airbender,” “The Great Wall,” and “Exodus: Gods and Kings” which all whitewashed originally Asian ethnicities.

The filmmakers of the upcoming Bruce Lee biopic, “Birth of a Dragon,” have gone as far as creating an entirely fictional white protagonist to tell Lee’s story without his daughter’s consent. Even some of the defining movies of the last century prominently display yellowface — Mr. Yunioshi of the 1960 cult classic “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was played by the white Mickey Rooney.

Hollywood has been consistently criticized for its lack of diversity, and the trending #OscarsSoWhite hashtag of both this year and last publicized the Academy’s glaring misrepresentation. However, during Chris Rock’s hosting dedicated to the mistreatment of minority actors, Rock touted three Asian children he dubbed the show’s “accountants.”

Conversations combatting discrimination

seemingly do not protect Asians. The stereotypes are so pervasive that Rock concluded the skit saying, “Just tweet about it on your phone that was also made by these kids.” To make matters worse, Rock’s bit came directly after two South Asians had just won documentary Oscars.

This isn’t to say, however, that AsianAmerican actors aren’t working hard to receive the equal treatment they deserve. Constance Wu of “Fresh Off the Boat” and Johnny Cho of movies like “The Green Hornet,” which Cho could only play because of Bruce Lee’s groundbreaking portrayal of the same character in 1966, starred in a campaign to reimagine whitewashed blockbusters with Asian lead characters.

Aziz Ansari included an insightful episode of his self-produced show “Master of None” entitled “Indians on TV,” which broaches the similarly prejudicial arena of television.

“Fresh Off the Boat” was the first Asian family sitcom in decades, and even then critics rushed to accuse the primarily Asian producers of a racist title. Actors like Kumail Nanjiani of “Silicon Valley” have been told by red carpet photographers, “Smile, you’re in America now.” Conservative commentator Ann Coulter dared to call Asian-Americans “Mandarins” on “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” which she insisted was the politically correct term.

These deeply ingrained stereotypes cause more harm than simply offending Asian

Americans — they further systemic oppression in America. Asians have become victims to the “Model Minority” stereotype, which attributes extreme studiousness, a subservient nature and antisocial behaviors to all within the race.

While this caricature retains some aspects of truth, its entirety helps reinforce prejudicial beliefs to such a degree that a Harvard reviewer described an Asian applicant by saying, “He’s so quiet and, of course, wants to be a doctor.”

The Model Minority myth, while it may appear complimentary, has devastating consequences for Asian-Americans. It increases the overall difficulty for us to thrive in the liberal arts, as the two stereotypes of antisocial intellectual or martial artist are the only permissible options. It also allows people like Jesse Watters of Fox News’ Chinatown clip to blatantly act upon racist beliefs, falsely secured in thinking we are too submissive to complain.

As someone who is half Asian, I have grown up almost my entire life experiencing this limited representation. I look forward to the day when Asian-Americans are given equal opportunities for casting and hailed for our successes instead of mocked. But until that day comes, I refuse to be silent when people of any race or ethnicity are made the butt of a joke. Jesse Watters, Bill O’Reilly and anyone who misuses their position of authority: You are supposed to represent the voice of the American people, but we have spoken up for ourselves and we say no.

Do you talk to your computer?

Artificial intelligence and machine learning continue to expand the technological horizon MARK LEWIS

FACULTY COLUMNIST The last few years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of applications that expect people to interact with machines through a voice interface — that is to say, you tell it what to do by talking to it. Most likely, you don’t do this with your “computer.”

It is far more likely that you do it with your phone, which is just a computer that you can put into your pocket. There are even products like Amazon Echo or the recently announced Google Home, where voice is intended to be the primary means of interaction. Recently I placed a call to a customer support line and spent quite a bit of time in dialog with a machine. It wasn’t simply a voice menu system. The interaction followed the same type of script that humans in call centers have used for years and did a really good job of understanding me.

What is really significant about this is that only a few years ago, voice interfaces were rather broadly ridiculed. There was a reason for this — they weren’t very good. That voice system on the phone really stood out to me because it was so much better than what I had previously experienced, where the software barely understood me saying numbers for menu options. The voice recognition on my phone, which I use occasionally to send text messages when it isn’t convenient to type, also generally does a very good job. The error rate is definitely much lower than it was just a few years ago.

So what’s changed? It turns out that the difference isn’t improvements in voice recognition specifically, so much as improvements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning in particular.

AI isn’t new. We are in what one might call the third golden age of AI. The first came in the 1950s when digital computers were still

young, and many people believed that human intelligence was just a collection of logical rules. They believed that if they could just figure out the right rules and put them into a computer, they could reproduce human-like intelligence. In the 1980s, AI became a hot topic again, and there was a lot of work on techniques like neural networks. Both of these previous golden ages died when reality failed to live up to their assumptions.

The most recent rise in AI has been fueled by machine learning, which is feeding off the vast quantities of data that we create on the internet and through our various connected devices. The specific form of machine learning that is behind the ability for you to talk to your computer is called “deep learning,” and it uses constructs called “deep neural networks.”

Neural networks are based on the structure of neurons in biological brains. The recent addition to them is the “deep” part. Basically, people have made the neural networks a lot bigger. Neural networks are generally “trained” by feeding them inputs where we know what the output should be, and adjusting the connections between neurons to reflect whether the output is right or wrong. Bigger networks require more data to train on.

If you want to train a neural network to understand what people are saying, you have to feed it a lot of audio clips where you know what is being said. Getting a hold of a large amount of such information might have been challenging in the past, but it has gotten a lot easier. How many hours of captioned video are available on YouTube alone?

The turning point for deep learning wasn’t actually related to giving voice commands to computers. It was in 2012, when a program using a deep neural network dramatically outperformed other approaches in the ImageNet challenge, which was a competition to recognize the objects in millions of digital images. To help advance the field of image processing, the creators of the ImageNet challenge created a database with over 10 million labeled images that could be used for training AIs. The 2012 winner had an error rate of 16 percent for identifying images it had never “seen” before; compare this to the 25 percent error rate of the previous year’s winner.

By comparison, people have an error rate of 5.1 percent.

With the success in the ImageNet challenge, many technology companies have begun to invest heavily in their own deep learning projects. Earlier this year, a deep learning AI from Google made headlines for beating the world champion in Go. Microsoft’s 2015 entry into the ImageNet challenge used a deep learning AI to achieve an error rate under five percent.

The technology is used in more practical applications as well, including many products that you likely use today. Google Translate uses an AI that was trained on the vast amounts of text data in multiple languages available on the internet. Autonomous cars are largely driven by machine learning software that is constantly getting smarter as it drives.

The work in image recognition has grown to include video recognition that not only identifies what objects are in the videos, but also what activities they are performing.

Deep learning also powers other applications, like IBM’s Watson. When Watson won Jeopardy in 2011, it wasn’t using deep learning.

Now, nearly all the components in Watson use deep learning, and IBM has been investing heavily in the technology. Watson is training to do medical diagnosis andhas already proven to be more capable than human doctors in some areas. It is also trained for call center use.

For all I know, that might have been a Watsonbased system I was talking to when I called that customer service line.

As with all new technologies, it isn’t clear what the full range of applications are for deep learning, but my guess is that we are only scratching the surface, and the full implications of this technology could be quite profound.

Want to have your voice heard? Email trinitonian@trinity.edu today.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 21, 2016 •

OPINION

The misadventures of empathy

The call for collective empathy is prevalent a m o n g rightfully concerned people.

A friend recently MARKHAM SIGLER suggested SPORTS EDITOR to me that if everyone consciously chose to be more empathetic, the world’s increasingly distressing sociopolitical issues would quickly dwindle.

Our president possesses a similar mindset. At one point, President Obama handpicked empathy as the primary quality he searches for in potential Supreme Court Justices. To many, empathy is the ideal cure for a wounded social machine, similar to how pickle juice is the ideal remedy for a muscle cramp. If this is indeed true, it cannot be a small number of people who are not capable of exercising empathy. It must be a sufficient quantity to the extent that our glaring societal deformities would not exist if these people were capable of being empathetic to the extent that others claim they are not.

It matters, then, what empathy is and what it is not. While it is certainly impossible for everyone to share a dictionary, that does not excuse trumpeting foolishly optimistic fantasies through the medium of a word with a clear definition.

Our English word is rooted in the German “einfühlung,” coined in the late 19th century by Robert Vischer

in his dissertation on aesthetics. He intended for it to explore a human’s ability to feel the emotions that an artist had hoped to convey through a particular painting, sculpture or song. Additionally, he considered it a means for verbalizing the emotive response any inanimate object evokes. Over time, the capacity for sharing another human’s mindset was added to its definition. The Cambridge dictionary now defines it as “the ability to share someone else’s feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like in that person’s situation.”

So when ABC news averred that Mr. Obama “beat [Mitt Romney] on empathy,” a notable reason for his victory in the 2012 election, they insinuated that empathy is a personal characteristic that is held in high esteem by the American public, and that President Obama exemplifies this characteristic to a higher extent than Mr. Romney.

And based on the election results, a fair amount of people likely agree with ABC. Now, sentiments are nice. They are often, however, self-pleasuring and not necessarily beneficial, especially with regards to public matters. That is, good intentions do not necessarily translate into good results (see: Venezuela). I have no doubt that it feels good to believe oneself to be more empathetic then another. Deep insights such as this tidbit from George H. Lewis of the Huffington Post can also be morally delicious.

He said, “Empathy is the cosmic

glue that holds us together, without this we don’t have a civilization. We are all facets of the same jewel, which we call the Universe.”

But does empathy truly deserve the acclaim? Is it the key to the kingdom of Arcadia? I’m not so sure.

The development of the Empathy Epoch coincidentally corresponds with the development of the Age of Moral Relativism. People today fear a universal moral code because its existence implies a supernatural moral commander who deserves subservience; additionally, on a more basic level, we detest the concept of holding our fellow man accountable for his actions. Universal empathy has become the ideal substitute to the now antiquated Judeo-Christian law. But of course, like every purely human endeavor, it is not without its limits. Studies have demonstrated these limits in ways that can be quite revealing as to humanity’s nature in general. For example, scientists concluded that people innately empathize more readily with people who look like them or are particularly good-looking.

We subconsciously succumb to the “identifiable victim effect,” sending a thoughtful, get-well-soon card to the little girl on the news slowly getting the life sucked out of her by cancer, but never giving much thought, time or money to the millions of people across the world suffering from daily hunger. In the 1970’s researchers conducted an interesting social experiment. They placed a dime in a phone booth,

and 87% of those who found the dime consequently offered to help a person (part of the experiment) who dropped a stack of papers nearby. Only 4% of those who did not find the dime stopped to help the person who had dropped her papers. Perhaps most notably, once a potential empathetic action infringes on the unmistakable threshold of natural self-interest we each possess, we rarely act on it. Like practically every other quality of person’s moral complex, one’s capacity for empathy is substantively flawed.

Our genetic makeup is one thing.

Indeed, is it not illogical for some to assert that we must escape nature’s restrictions in order to achieve a level of empathy that will dramatically improve the world as a whole? How can we? And more importantly, why should we? No one believes empathy to be wrong. It is a quality, or perhaps more precisely, a skill, that is quite helpful in assessing a person’s mental state — best exemplified in field of psychology. But, as psychologist Carl Rogers notes, it is a “demanding and strong complex,” that is ultimately achieved and implemented in order to understand [a patient’s] condition. Psychologist Lauren Wispé put it this way: “In empathy, the self is the vehicle for understanding, and it never loses its identity. . . . The object of empathy is understanding. The object of sympathy is the other person’s wellbeing.”

This quote drives at the heart of the empathy issue as a universal

cure all. When empathy motivates the layman’s actions, those actions are often misguided and irrational, and never evenly disseminated. By empathizing with someone in a truly deplorable situation, the wrong decision can easily be made. Often, a person’s background and current outlook are extremely detrimental to their decision-making process.

Joining them in their delusion is not the best way to help them. In fact, it commonly provides social reinforcement to decisions that are typically harmful to the self and society as a whole.

Instead, active sympathy is a more reasonable approach. Contrary to popular belief, empathy is not the upgraded version of sympathy. We have sympathy when we have great pity on someone because of his or her misfortunate. Sympathy, unlike empathy, is concerned with the person’s ultimate outcome, not their present feelings. Most importantly, for the sake of America’s well-being as well as that of the larger world’s, we must recognize empathy for the distraction it has become. Instead of concentrating efforts on the distorted idea supporting a fallible concept in collective empathy, we should focus on better understanding what truly divides us — the perspectives that make us different, and in some cases, lead to disparaging, hate-filled speech and actions. Only through a mature, clear dialogue that does not play on trivial emotions will we reach the level of mutual respect and reverence that we seek.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT “My advice for undergrads afraid of learning a new language is to ignore the negative voice in your head, be confident and not care about the mistakes or what others think.”

Jesus Castro Gorfti, visiting professor

Pulse

Poet NIKKI GIOVANNI delivered a powerful speech about a variety of topics, including politics and the writers of the future, to an audience composed of students, professors, and other faculty members on Monday. photo by MIGUEL WEBER

Esteemed poet and speaker visits Trinity, brings large crowd to Laurie DeCoursey Lecture guest, Nikki Giovanni on campus last Monday

BY MIRIAM CONE PULSE INTERN On Oct. 10, Laurie Auditorium was filled with people who came to hear esteemed writer and poet Nikki Giovanni speak. She visited as a part of the DeCoursey Lecture Series, which alternates speakers from the sciences and humanities and has featured speakers, such as Jane Goodall, in previous years.

This event marks the second time Giovanni has spoken at Trinity.

Giovanni is well-regarded for her contributions to poetry, and is considered one of the most famous African-American poets. Her writing has received countless accolades and nominations from acclaimed organizations and people, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Oprah Winfrey.

Giovanni was introduced to the audience by junior Arianna Payson, a double major in theater and English

with a minor in creative writing. In her introduction, Payson revealed her admiration of the poet.

“Gotta be honest, I’m a little starstruck now,” Payson said.

Payson’s awe was a result of all that Giovanni has accomplished during her 73 years.

“A few words to describe her are: poet, dream-maker, culture-creator, legend, artist, teacher, student, loved one, chance-taker, trend-setter, granddaughter, mother, lover of life and all things good,” Payson said.

Giovanni has been awarded over 20 honorary degrees, and numerous awards, such as the NAACP Image Award and the Langston Hughes Medal. She has also been nominated for awards she has yet to receive, such as a Grammy, and she acknowledged the awards she has yet to earn during her lecture.

“Everybody who says they don’t want a Nobel Prize is just a damn liar,” Giovanni said.

Jenny Browne, professor of English, encouraged her students to attend Giovanni’s lecture.

“I think she’s transcendent. She is just one of those people both in age and race that transcends the boundaries of social movements, of gender and race and of genre. She can speak out about these things but is also of them, suggesting that it’s possible,” Browne said.

Payson also spoke about Giovanni’s importance primarily as a poet.

“People like Giovanni provide this legacy for other people to jump off. Poetry is an amazing way to protest things you disagree with.

It is nonviolent, eloquent and emotionally charged, and I think a lot of her early stuff talks about this. She’s also really funny, which is great,” Payson said.

Before Giovanni presented her speech, she attended campus events, including a discussion with a group of poetry students. She introduced herself not as a poet or an activist, but as someone who actually has a bat named after her: the Micronycteris giovanniae, better known as the Giovanni’s small night flyer.

Giovanni told anecdotes that often made the students laugh during this more personal session.

“Rather than speak directly about writing poetry or style or poetic devices, she mostly just talked about life and life’s experiences. Just by talking about her life and the things that she’s experienced, she opened up to me new ways to look at my life and extract inspiration from the things that I see and do,” said Vladislav Chalenko, a sophomore biology and history double major.

Giovanni ended the discussion by expressing her hope that she would be able to live another ten years in

order to read what the writers of the future would produce and share, including writing students at Trinity.

“I’m really excited and hoping that I will live long enough to read what you [Trinity students] will eventually write,” Giovanni said.

Although she opened her speech by thanking the Trinity writing students, her friends at Texas A&M and Deneese Jones, the vice president of academic affairs, she claimed that she was not actually a people person. Giovanni maintained great charisma and frankness into the lecture, however.

“I’ve really gotten out of the habit of doing these lectures because if you make sense, then no one listens to you, and if you don’t make sense, then nobody listens to you, so what the hell,” Giovanni said.

Her frankness was especially apparent with regards to politics, which she discussed at length, as the second presidential debate had aired just prior to her lecture.

“Last night I stayed up late to hear that fool talk. That little Nazi standing around talking about how he’s going to grab somebody, and it really makes you upset because nobody running for the president of the United States should not say the things he said. I don’t care how long ago he said it. I hope that whatever you [teenagers] have done, you have

registered to vote. Vote for Hillary of course, because that’ll show you have good sense,” Giovanni said.

Besides politics and voting, Giovanni also spoke about Rosa Parks, sex versus love, space exploration and read two of her poems: “Deal or No Deal” and “Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day.” These selected poems she shared are frequently quoted and referred to by other scholars and writers. She ended her lecture by reading “Rosa Parks,” another of her more wellknown poems.

“But it was the Pullman Porters who safely got Emmett [Till] to his granduncle and it was Mrs. Rosa Parks who could not stand that death and in being unable to stand it, she sat back down,” Giovanni said; her concluding lines received a standing ovation from the crowd.

The impact Giovanni’s words had on her audience was evident in the energy and awe of spectators, who were quick to applaud her and thank her for presentation as she finished her speech.

“I think anyone who got out the other night would have found something to relate to,” Browne said.

Those interested in the opportunity to attend another lecture can find a list of upcoming speakers for the remainder of the fall semester in timely Leeroy announcements.

PULSE • OCTOBER 21, 2016 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Students encouraged to create their own degree Sophomore Christiana Ellard plans her interdisciplinary food and nutrition major

BY COURTNEY JUSTUS

PULSE REPORTER

Christiana Ellard, a sophomore urban studies major, is in the process of creating an interdisciplinary second major in food and nutrition studies. She hopes to create a major that falls between the pre-med track and environmental studies and helps students learn about food from a social science perspective.

“My goal with this project is to give students an overarching look into food beyond biology.

I want them to see both the social and biological aspects of it,” Ellard said.

During her first year at Trinity, Ellard took a First Year Experience (FYE) called Food Matters. This course inspired her to continue studying nutrition.

“I was looking at a concentration in global health and wanted to expand it,” Ellard said.

“Taking Food Matters really helped me expand my horizons.”

Ellard wants to be a field medical epidemiologist, which is a profession that focuses on disease control; an interdisciplinary approach to food and nutrition could help her better prepare for a career in this field.

“I discovered that a lot of the issues I was learning about could be approached from an interdisciplinary perspective,” Ellard said.

Ellard has worked closely with Alfred Montoya, assistant professor of anthropology, to develop her major.

“I had Christiana in my Health, Illness and Society class, which has content in food

Mabuhay finalizes prep continued from Front “There’s not that much Filipino culture in Taiwan. People usually know Filipino culture, but usually it’s craftsman or trade people and not art or culture,” Chen said.

Attending the festival is important for people regardless of race or ethnicity.

“Either participating or watching the performances can help you learn more about the culture, because every culture has unique

and nutrition.” Montoya said. “She is a very energetic and dynamic student. Working with her was a great experience.”

In the past, Montoya taught a First Year Seminar called Food, Culture and Power, which dealt with themes such as the cultural applicability of certain foods, food security and inequality as it relates to nutrition, among other similar topics. These topics are similar to the ones offered in some of his other classes, such as Health, Illness and Society. Montoya hopes to help Ellard and other students continue to pursue these contemporary, interdisciplinary interests.

“We need to show students the different potential opportunities that they have to pursue their different interests,” Montoya said.

In order to create an interdisciplinary major, students must create a formal proposal that must be passed by the University Curriculum Council. The council will approve the major if they see that it is rigorous and is made up of the right kinds of classes.

Nanette Le Coat, professor of French and director of the international studies major, is in charge of helping students with the creation of interdisciplinary second majors. When Ellard decided to create the food and nutrition studies major, Montoya directed her to Le Coat, who could make Ellard’s vision a reality.

“The first step would be for a students to approach a professor that could advise them and people in various disciplines that they think they would like to explore,” Le Coat said. “Many students are interested in interdisciplinary subjects and I think that the university encourages that.”

Le Coat met with Ellard earlier this week in order to talk about some of the details of her proposed major.

“Professors love it when students have ideas and when they are self-motivated, enthusiastic and open to new ideas,” Le Coat said. traditional dances,” Chen said.

Junior business administration major Trent Walker, although unfamiliar with Filipino culture, has enjoyed participating in the festival so far.

“I actually saw the festival on TigerTV and reached out to my friend to ask if there were any spots open. I’ve learned about all the different types of things they do, a lot of the different movements. It’s more about making yourself more cultured. It’s very much organized to both entertain and educate people on the subject,” Walker said.

FSA will host Mabuhay for those interested in attending a night of entertainment and cultural education next Friday Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. in Laurie Auditorium.

Some of the members of The Prowlers, Trinity’s dance team, have spent several of the past few days practicing their parasol-themed dance to perfection in the gym for the upcoming Mabuhay stage performance. photo by GRACE FRYE

ALFRED MONTOYA lectures students enrolled in his Introduction to Anthropology course about various topics photo by MIGUEL WEBER

The official requirements for the interdisciplinary second major can be found in the Courses of Study Bulletin. Students are encouraged to create interdisciplinary second majors and to reach out to professors for

guidance and assistance. The process is lengthy and requires patience, but ultimately allows students to develop various majors that offer them a deeper understanding of the world around them.

Fluent undergrads talk about language Bilingual students share their experiences learning and speaking multiple dialects

BY MIRIAM CONE

PULSE INTERN

There are seven different languages offered as subjects at Trinity University, which makes English not the only language spoken on campus. Language diversity goes beyond the classroom with bilingual students, both international and local.

“My first language is Vietnamese. I started learning English when I was four years old, but I studied it seriously for the SAT when I was in high school,” said Bella Nguyen, a junior mathematical finance and accounting major.

The university has a language requirement for all students and highly encourages students to learn a new language through classes and study abroad opportunities. Many bilingual students utilize these opportunities to become fluent in a third language.

“I’ve been learning Spanish for eight or nine years now. When I moved here, I was encouraged to take up another language.

Since French and Spanish are pretty similar, [Spanish] was easier to learn,” Adrien Lavigne, a junior international business and Spanish double major.

Camila Londono, a junior mathematical finance and international business double major, is also attempting to learning her third language while at Trinity.

“I’ve taken French courses at Trinity.

I consider myself to have intermediate conversation skills,” Londono said.

The difficulty of learning different languages varies from person to person.

“It took me a while to get [English], but it wasn’t that bad. Chinese is my third language, it is way harder than English,” Nguyen said.

Regardless of the various difficulty levels of languages, it takes time to become fluent.

“I’ve been learning [English] since I was in third grade. You’re not going to feel fluent about it for a lot of years,” Londono said.

Lavigne has found small details can sometimes get lost in translation and other minor issues can arise.

“Since English is my second language, there are still some words I don’t know to the same extent that Americans do,” Lavigne said.

Although there are minor inconveniences, knowing more than one language has numerous benefits.

“You have a bigger network because you can reach out to people who speak either Spanish or English,” Londono said.

Speaking more than one language offers opportunities and knowledge that can only be accessed with that ability. Whether in or out of the classroom, in the U.S. or abroad, the chance to learn a new language is there.

10

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 21, 2016 •

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12

THE HEALTH ISSUE

Clean CAMPUS CUISINE

City- wide ¡Por Vida! initiative identifies dishes that meet nutrition standards

BY JEFF SULLIVAN Restaurants across campus are highlighting healthy eating options with ¡Por Vida! labeled foods. The program’s stamp of approval signifies which foods meet their standards for the promotion of health and wellness.

“It started out as a restaurant recognition program put forth by the city of San Antonio,” said Anna Mack, ¡Por Vida!’s registered dietitian nutritionist. “This came about as a collaborative approach to offering, labeling and promoting the healthiest options on a restaurant’s menu.” ¡Por Vida! has set nutritional requirements that must be met before they can endorse food items with their logo. The standards listed on their website dictate that meals must have less than 700 calories, 8g of saturated fat, 12g of added sugar and 750 mg of sodium without being fried or using hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.

Mabee Dining Hall is one of the places that already has some certification from the program.

“In the dining hall we have the food ID names, and next to them are the ¡Por Vida! certifications,” Mabee’s executive chef Miguel Morales said. “Most of the recipes that we have in our books passed certification without any issues with ¡Por Vida!”

Certified foods will be found throughout Mabee during all hours of operation.

“Here at the dining hall, we have more ¡Por Vida! items than anywhere else,” Morales said. “We always have some in the main line. It could be the soup, it could be in the international area and maybe in the pizza.”

Collaboration between ¡Por Vida! and Trinity started with the Trinity Market’s co-founder and outreach coordinator, Hayley Sayrs. As a Trinity alumna, she outlined some of the issues that students face when deciding what to eat on campus.

“I thought it’d be really nice to have more transparency and labeling on campus for where students can find a healthy option,” Sayrs said. “We’re very stressed out, we don’t have a lot of time to choose things. So when you really structure the environment of what we can choose things from, you’re gonna really have a big influence on the choices that we make”.

The Trinity Market’s collaboration with ¡Por Vida! centers around the food truck vendors that serve food on campus at the market.

“Some of our vendors are already ¡Por Vida! certified, or in the process of becoming ¡Por Vida! certified because a big part of what we do is health and wellness,” Sayrs said. “So kind of

thinking of the Trinity market as another place to eat on campus, but also having those vendors really take with them the idea of, ‘Well, I’m really thinking consciously about what I’m putting in this food for people to eat.’

The initiative also allows for the Trinity Market to help contribute local fruits and vegetables in food preparation.

“It’s more like another great healthy item because I know they’re not using a lot of chemicals,” Morales said. “It’s been produced in the San Antonio areas, so not just the healthy way but also helping the economy here with small farms.”

The partnership between Trinity and ¡Por Vida! hopes to expand into all campus food spots.

“We want to have an option labeled at every single place to eat on campus,” Sayrs said. “That raises some issues because places like Taco Taco don’t really have meals that fit into the ¡Por Vida! requirements. That’s a little bit concerning. We want to see a lot of these places come around to thinking more about what our healthy options should be.”

photo by HENRY PRATT

¡Por Vida! logos can be found around campus. The standards set by ¡Por Vida! require foods to contain less than 700 calories, 8g of saturated fat, 12g of added sugar and 750mg of sodium without being fried or using hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. ¡Por Vida! is a city-wide initiative and was recently introduced to Trinity.

THE HEALTH ISSUE

What’s your go-to campus health hack?

I do soy milk at Einsteins and always opt for brown rice or pasta.

13

The mix up Medication mishap makes for funny story, brings awareness to important issue

BY ELISE HESTER

Brooke Hawley Sophomore

I really like to get salads from Freshii.

Chris Glennon Senior

I take fruit back from Mabee to my dorm.

Matthew Anderson Sophomore

I get yogurt with fruit.

Quinn Duncan Senior

I try to manage my proportions, like proteins, vegetables, fruits and sweets.

Sarah Wysocki Sophomore

photos by CLAUDIA GARCIA

I have read stories of people who accidentally put super glue in their eyes thinking it was eye drops just because the bottles look similar. At some point or another, we have all made a terrible mix up, whether it be taking a sip out of someone’s spit cup, or, in my case last weekend, taking sleeping pills instead of my ADHD medication.

Some time last week, though by the time you’re reading this it was several weeks ago, I got an email from Health Services that a prescription had come in for me.

When I picked it up, I did not read the bottle, but just looked at the pills inside. They were blue capsules, just like my daily 60 mg of Vyvanse which I take for ADHD, so I assumed that was what they were. Since I was not yet out of Vyvanse I kept the bottle in the back of the drawer until I ran out of my Vyvanse last Thursday.

The pills were actually Sonata, which I was recently prescribed for insomnia, and, until last weekend, had never taken before.

That following Friday I woke up at the usual 7:30 a.m., took a Sonata sleeping pill, and went to breakfast and then to EIT, where I felt super tired. Then I went to work for the campus videographer.

We set up tripods for the soccer game and, due to the physical nature of this work, I did not notice that my brain was not working. I yawned a bit and felt tired, but did not think it that strange. I was also uncommonly hungry. I had a lot to get done that afternoon but I did

none of it. I fell asleep, which felt strange since I can never nap while on medicine. At 3 p.m., I went to an InterVarsity meeting, where I fell asleep several times, including in the middle of a conversation with someone. I assumed I was just tired and after the meeting I took another nap. That night I made cookies and was verbally expressing how weirdly tired and spacey I felt.

I still have not found my cookie pan.

The next morning, Saturday, I woke up at 8 a.m., took my pill, and went to breakfast. I was still tired, despite the abnormally good night of sleep before. I knew I had to film a volleyball game at 1 p.m., so I set my alarm for noon and fell asleep listening to the same song on repeat. When I was filming the game, I could not focus. I started crying in the staircase of Sam’s Gym. I went back to my dorm and ate some of my roommate’s ice cream and fell asleep.

Sunday morning, I started to nod off several times during Sunday School. When I got home from church, I wrote a recap of the volleyball tournament for the Trinitonian, which may just be the worst thing I have ever written. I slept for three hours and then went to a Trinitonian meeting. On the way, I ate two ice cream cones. I do not remember much of what happened during this meeting.

After the meeting I called my dad to wish him and my mom a happy anniversary. During our conversation he asked if my

sleeping pills had come in and I said they had not, but that something was up with my regular medicine. When I looked at the pill bottle I saw that, instead of the usual 60mg, the bottle read 5mg.

I read the name of the medicine on the bottle and saw Sonata, not Vyvanse. Sonata, my father explained, was the new sleeping medication. I was so relieved that I was not going insane.

The point of all this is double folded. First, check labels on everything you put into your body.

Second, it proves that my ADHD is not all in my head. I thought I was on my pills, but I still could not focus. I guess it also shows that my new sleeping pills work, which is great news. I am still a tad bit loopy, and as I write this, I feel like I am floating. Mainly, I’m just glad I’m not dying. Check your labels.

Trust me.

Since this incident, I have began using a medicine box similar to the one your grandmother uses, where I have boxes for each day of the week separated by morning and evening. If I do not know what other people’s experiences with ADD/ADHD are like, I only know my own. For me, ADHD is a constant part of my life, and the Elise I know best is the Elise who is medicated. Without medicine, I am not in full control of myself.

It is a feeling that stopped being fun a long time ago. If you have ADD/ADHD and need help, Accessibility Services is always there.

THE HEALTH ISSUE

14

it’s All in your mind - and THAT’S WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

BY JULIA ELMORE Although physical health is important, it often overshadows mental health, which is equally, if not more, important. According to research conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in four students have a diagnosable illness. While the following list is by no means exhaustive, it highlights symptoms and signs of some of the most common mental illnesses for college students. If you or someone you know exhibits signs of these, Trinity offers services that can assist in diagnosing or getting help with mental illness.

Depression: Likely caused by a combination of genetics, biological, psychological and environmental factors, depression is a common but serious illness. In a survey by the Association for University and College Counseling Directors, approximately 36.4 percent of college students reported experiencing some level of depression in 2013. Symptoms include lack of energy, loss of interest in socializing, trouble concentrating and thoughts of suicide. Those suffering from depression may show signs, such as negative or apathetic reactions to most things, declining to attend social events, extreme anger or sadness or talking about death or suicide.

Anxiety: Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. They also report that nearly 75 percent of those affected will experience their first episode by the age of 22. Generalized anxiety disorder, obsessivecompulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder all fall under the category of anxiety disorders. Those with anxiety disorders experience symptoms including feelings of stress and apprehension, irritability, trouble concentrating, shortness of breath, headaches and frequently upset stomachs. Many of the symptoms are common in college settings, so anxiety disorders sometimes go undiagnosed. The causes are unknown, but according to the ADAA, they could include genetics, naturally occurring brain chemicals, life experiences or stress. Some indicators of anxiety disorders in yourself or others include unhealthy coping habits after a tragic event, appearing to live in constant fear, inability to concentrate and visible panic attacks.

Eating disorders: Statistics from the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders show 91 percent of college women attempt to control their weight through dieting, and 25 percent binge and purge to manage their weight. The three most common eating disorders are: anorexia nervosa, characterized by distorted body image and an extreme fixation on thinness and behaviors, such as refraining from eating. Bulimia nervosa is a binge eating disorder, where episodes of extreme over eating are followed by purging or excessive exercise.

Binge eating disorder is characterized by constant cravings throughout the day that result in binge eating. Symptoms vary by person and disorder, but some common red flags are distorted or poor body image, excessive exercise, dehydration, fear of eating in public and obsession with calories or portion sizes. Some signs of eating disorders may be refusal to eat, obsession with body weight or shape, taking medications to suppress appetite or sudden disappearances to the restroom after meals. Though more talked about in women, these disorders affect men too.

Addiction: The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that about 50 percent of students are binge drinkers, and a survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that 21.3 percent of adults between 18 and 25 used illicit drugs. While participation in alcohol and drug use does not equal addiction, a combination of environmental factors and genetics could lead to dependence on these substances. Some signs of addiction include a need to use more of the substance to obtain the same effects, drinking to relieve stress or suppress issues and withdrawal from activities or school work.

Health and wellness services at Trinity Health Services: Myrtle McFarlin Residence Hall 210-999-8111 healthservices@trinity.edu Hours: Mon to Thurs 8 to 8 Fri 8 to 5 Sat closed Sun 2 to 8

Counseling Services: Halsell Center, Suite 201 210-999-7411 Mon to Fri 8 to 5 Walk in hours 3 pm to 4:30pm

Student Accessibility Services Halsell Center, Suite 201 210-999-7411 sas@trinity.edu

Wellness services Halsell Center, Suite 201 210-999-7411 Katherine Hewitt khewitt@trinity.edu

Academic Support Services 330F Coates Library 210-999-8247 Stacy L. Davidson sdavidso@trinity.edu

Health and wellness services at Trinity Health Services: Myrtle McFarlin Residence Hall 210-999-8111 healthservices@trinity.edu Hours: Mon to Thurs 8 to 8 Fri 8 to 5 Sat closed Sun 2 to 8

Wellness services Halsell Center, Suite 201 210-999-7411 Katherine Hewitt khewitt@trinity.edu

Counseling Services: Halsell Center, Suite 201 210-999-7411 Mon to Fri 8 to 5 Walk in hours 3 pm to 4:30pm

Academic Support Services 330F Coates Library 210-999-8247 Stacy L. Davidson sdavidso@trinity.edu

Student Accessibility Services Halsell Center, Suite 201 210-999-7411 sas@trinity.edu

THE HEALTH ISSUE

15

when foods bite back Identifying, managing food allergies

BY ALEXANDRA URI In the past year, there has been an increase in the number of celebrities who have touted a dairyfree diet as the next best way to lose weight. While cutting out lactose leads to health benefits for the average person, for millions of people worldwide, a dairy-free diet isn’t a fad. It’s a necessary way of life.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “a deficiency of lactase — an enzyme produced in your small intestine — is usually responsible for lactose intolerance. Many people have low levels of lactase but are able to digest milk products without problems. If you’re actually lactose intolerant, though, your lactase deficiency leads to symptoms after you eat dairy foods.”

The increase of high-profile people like the Kardashians turning to a dairy-free life have created some benefits for those suffering from lactose intolerance. Because of this surge in popularity, more restaurants and businesses provide dairy-free or dairy-substitute products. However, living with a lactose allergy can present many challenges.

If you’re lactose intolerant, here are a few useful tips on how to get by with your allergy.

Know that you can develop the allergy at any point: According to the Mayo Clinic, there are two types of lactose intolerance: primary and secondary.

People with primary lactose intolerance develop the allergy early on in life. People with secondary lactose intolerance develop the allergy later on, sometimes without any real cause.

Let people know about your allergy: A lot of the time, restaurants and cafes will charge extra for soy or almond milk. If you don’t like black coffee, let the barista or waiter know. If you let them know that you have an allergy and they’re in a nice mood, you may not have to pay the extra amount.

Invest in medication: If you can’t handle a cheese less taco or you can’t give up pizza, consider purchasing medication to help your body digest lactose. There are several options on the market and each work differently.

Shop around to see which one works with your body best.

Know what foods have sneaky dairy: If you’re especially sensitive to lactose, know what foods contain dairy. Some brands of gum, hotdogs, peanut butter and even potato chips can contain dairy, according to godairyfree.gov. If these products give you digestive issues, dairy may be the culprit. Avoid those foods or find dairy-free alternatives.

Come up with dairy-free meals: As mentioned, with so many celebrities turning to a dairy-free lifestyle, the options for people who can’t digest cheese or milk are much greater than in the past. Products like soy and almond milk allow people with a lactose allergy to enjoy milklike products. Further, brands like Lactaid provide milk products without lactose.

Keep up your calcium levels: People who have a lactose allergy need to be hyper-aware about making sure they’re getting enough calcium. Foods like broccoli, oranges, spinach and some beans contain calcium. Both soy and almond milk have high amounts of calcium.

Restrictive diets caused by an allergy can be burdensome, but with a little planning, they can be manageable. Alternatively, you can eat all the cheese you want and deal with the repercussions.

graphic by TYLER HERRON

THE HEALTH ISSUE

16

HANDLING A HANGOVER:

The science behind hangovers and how to treat them

BY GABRIEL LEVINE The sun is bright and the birds are chirping. It’s another lovely Saturday morning in San Antonio. Well, at least it is for everyone else. For you, that sun feels like daggers in your eyes and those birds could stand to choke on a moldy piece of bread.

To top it off, you’re exhausted, your head hurts and your stomach isn’t feeling quite right.

In other words, you’ve got a hangover. Most people who drink any amount of liquor with any frequency have had to deal with the crippling morning-after effects of alcohol consumption. The fascinating thing about hangovers is that despite being extremely common and known for thousands of years, modern science is only

recently starting to really understand how alcohol causes hangovers and how to treat them.

Of course, in the absence of conclusive scientific evidence about how to avoid hangovers, a vast reservoir of folk wisdom has arisen to fill the void. Depending on who you ask, hangovers are due to dehydration and electrolyte loss, not eating beforehand, poor sleep, drinking dark liquor instead of clear liquor, drinking a lot at once instead of over time and so on. Everyone has their own strategy. “I’ve never been hungover when I’ve drunk water after drinking a lot, and I have been hungover when I’ve had a few drinks and forgotten to drink water,” said John Croxton, junior.

Similarly, there is a vast amount of folk wisdom on how to treat a hangover once it’s already kicked in the next morning. For a long time I personally swore by a mix of twothirds blue Powerade and one-third Sprite with my first meal of the day in Mabee, which is typically around 2 p.m. Others have more complex rituals. “I drink water and take a multivitamin as soon as I wake up.

Then I go back to sleep and get breakfast when I wake up again,” said Stephen Chang, junior.

This glut of different strategies can be partially attributed to the uniqueness of different human beings. Some people naturally have higher tolerances to alcohol.

Some people will get hangovers from just one beer, while some can

drink a tremendous amount and experience no adverse effects the next day. Women are known to process alcohol less efficiently than men. Large portions of the Japanese, Korean and northeast Chinese population as well as Ashkenazi Jews lack a specific enzyme that is key for processing alcohol.

But certain folk methods of hangover alleviation are almost universally accepted and it’s natural to assume that some of them do, in fact, work. However, the key question is whether these methods treat the actual hangover or just tertiary symptoms that tend to accompany a night of drinking.

Let’s take the practice of drinking lots of water as an example. Since alcohol suppresses bladder control, drunk people use the bathroom more often and thus lose significantly more liquid.

Additionally, when you’re drinking and out at a party for hours on end, you’re unlikely to be drinking as much water as you normally would if you were spending the night in.

As a result, it would be reasonable to expect dehydration to result from a night of drinking. Drinking water would naturally fix that problem.

Moreover, since dehydration can lead to symptoms, such as dizziness and headache, that are commonly associated with hangover, it makes sense that people would think that drinking water will prevent and treat a hangover, even if that’s not actually the case.

But this leads to the really critical question: what is a hangover?

Science in the last few years has demonstrated that a hangover is more than just a combination of hunger, thirst and poor sleep that follow from a night of drinking.

Instead, hangovers bear remarkable similarities to a typical inflammatory response, suggesting that the brain is actually somewhat inflamed as a result of alcohol consumption.

This suggests that taking overthe-counter anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or aspirin right before bed or the morning after a night of drinking can more rapidly return your brain to normal. Of course, you should always read warning labels on antiinflammatories. Taking several ibuprofen before taking shots can be dangerous and makes an adverse reaction much more likely.

Some folk wisdom are supported by scientific research though. Distilled, clear liquors such as vodka or gin contain fewer toxic byproducts of the fermentation process and are likely to cause less severe hangovers than brown liquors, such as whiskey, or alcoholic beverages such as beer and wine.

Of course, the best, if least followed, method to avoid a hangover is not to drink. But if you do have a drink or four and want to be productive the next day, take an ibuprofen before bed, and it doesn’t hurt to have some water and food. And most importantly get home safe.

THE HEALTH ISSUE

17

FItness and Fun:

Health club provides classes for students

BY COURTNEY JUSTUS

Members of TUFit lead a yoga season on Prassel lawn Wednesday night. photos by HENRY PRATT

TUFit: The Health Club offers Trinity students fun ways to stay active throughout the semester. Its executives offer a variety of classes that often provide students with unique ways to work out.

“My whole philosophy on working out is that the only way you’ll be able to stay fit is if you enjoy your workout,” said Connor Lenihan, president of TUFit and senior biochemistry and molecular biology major.

Lenihan first got involved in TUFit as a sophomore and started teaching classes during the spring of that year. He became president of the club last spring.

“I’ll find interesting movements online and teach myself how to do them. I was at a gym in high school for a little while that introduced me to these movements, but then the four years that I’ve been here I’ve been self-taught,” Lenihan said.

TUFit executives often give free yoga classes that are open to students of all skill levels.

“Yoga and acro-yoga are also great ways to work out, increase flexibility and become aware of the body and how it moves,” he said.

During the first month of the class he is currently teaching, Lenihan showed students how to design a workout that would help them meet their specific goals. The topics of these classes included muscle endurance, building mass and increasing strength.

“In this class, I want to be able to provide new and interesting ways to work out, so that people can realize that they don’t just have to lift weights or swim laps in a pool,” he said.

Class instructors for TUFit suggest going outside and trying a variety of new ways to stay active. Executive Maddie Kennedy has found a number of ways to stay active both on and off campus that don’t require spending an excessive amount of money.

“I recommend getting out and playing soccer, football or frisbee with some friends, renting a bike to explore the Riverwalk, going for a hike or coming out to one of our free classes with one of your friends.” said Kennedy, vice president of TUFit and sophomore political science and Spanish major. “All levels are accommodated. The key to fitness is finding what works for you. This means trying new things and going on adventures.”

Students can perform many of these activities for free or at low cost. Some of them can be done without having to leave Trinity’s campus,

although there are plenty of opportunities for fitness within a short distance.

“San Antonio is a great place to pursue your health and fitness,” Kennedy said. “There are tons of opportunities on and around campus that are free or low cost.”

In addition to providing free classes involving a wide range of physical activities, TUFit is also getting involved with other organizations on campus to help students have better access to a healthier lifestyle.

“My current goal as a TUFit executive is to work with the campus community and with organizations like Aramark to improve healthy food and nutrition access for the community,” said Molly Lenihan, treasure of TUFit and sophomore biology and Spanish double major.

“I’m hoping to pursue some sort of cooking or nutrition class as a coordination between Aramark, TUFit, the campus nutritionist and other groups.”

Molly also suggests that students should find physical activities that they enjoy in order to stay fit.

“Whether it’s a team sport like ultimate, or a solo recreational activity, like hiking, the key is to find something you enjoy, because that’s always the easiest way to stay fit,” Molly Lenihan said.

The executives of TUFit hope that more students will share ideas and suggestions for classes with them, in order to make their class content more enjoyable.

“We would love it if everyone would check out TUFit. We are always open to new suggestions and ideas because we know that our own are not exhaustive and we want to continue providing exciting fitness activities to the campus community,” Molly said.

TUFit classes are taught every Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m. on Trinity’s Intramural Field and are free to attend. Students of all experience levels are encouraged to participate.

Apply to be on the SPB Board!

Oct. 20: Director & Accountant Applications Open Oct. 24: Director & Accountant Applications Due by 5 pm Oct. 25-27: Director & Accountant Interviews Oct. 28: Director & Accountant Notified Nov. 4: General Board Member Applications Open Nov. 11: General Board Member Applications Due by 5 pm Nov. 14-18: General Board Member Applications Nov. 18: General Board Members Notified of Acceptance and Positions

Board positions: Director, Accoutant, Traditions Chair, Co-Traditions Chair, Concerts Chair, Co-Concerts Chair, Public Relations Chair, Co-Public Relations Chair, Membership Chair, Entertainment Chair, Co-Entertainment Chair

photos for cover art by MIGUEL WEBBER cover art by TYLER HERRON

AE &

Frank Ocean strategically loses Grammy’s

Trump found to be culprit in all four voter-fraud instances

Showing his classic disrespect for authority by not filing his paperwork on time, national badass and large-body-of-water rep Frank Ocean skipped out on the music awards this year.

In a shocking turn of events, purporter of the widely debunked vote-corruption claims Donald Trump was found Wednesday stuffing ballot boxes with handwritten pieces of paper, all inscribed “dOnnalld.”

“Planet Earth II” announced, documentary now tackles climate change, energy policy

MAX FREEMAN A&E WRITER

In 2006, “Planet Earth” made its debut on BBC One. Ten years later, the BBC Earth YouTube channel has released a trailer for “Planet Earth II,” taking us back into one of the most significant nature

documentaries ever.

The new title will include a narration by the man, the myth, the legend, Sir David Attenborough, the same voice of the original series. However, returning to the same voice obviously means other names were left out of the picture. I think people like Morgan Freeman, Tilda Swinton, Alec Baldwin and perhaps most of all, Snoop Dogg, would have been excellent guides to learning about our planet.

While names like Morgan Freeman, or even Snoop Dogg, would have been great, it makes the most sense that the BBC would stick with the G.O.A.T. of nature documentary narrators to accompany the revival of perhaps the greatest nature documentary series. In effect, Attenborough’s calm and intelligent sounding British accent will provide a nostalgic and elegant presentation of the planet’s beauty.

Because it’s been an entire decade since the first “Planet Earth” documentary and climate change has earned an increasingly important position amongst the world’s issues, the upcoming sequel comes at an interesting

graphic by TYLER HERRON

time. With the change in both climate change research as well as the recent international climate discussion and coalition held in Paris, “Planet Earth II” will have a timely message about global climate and what’s at stake when countries make decisions that affect it.

Part of the original message behind “Planet Earth” was the beauty and appreciation of those

places untouched by human development and civilization. This was put into perspective in the first line of episode one, in which Attenborough explains, “A hundred years ago, there were one and a half billion people on Earth. Now, over six billion crowd our fragile planet. But even so, there are still places barely touched by humanity. This series will take

Comedians on the hook online?

Pixellated offenses don’t go away When new SNL member deletes offensive tweets after getting hired, questions of comedic backlash are raised Soon after “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) announced they were hiring Melissa Villaseñor, their first Latina cast member, she deleted around 2,000 of her NABEEHA VIRANI previous tweets that played on stereotypes A&E WRITER of people of color and included racist comments.

Tweets like, “Coworker at Forever 21 dates black guys and said she will set me up on a blind date for valentines, I said yes but I’m scared” and “I hate those mexicans on bikes, they threw something at my car. The world doesn’t need them” have now been deleted from Villaseñor’s account.

This is similar to what happened to Trevor Noah last year, before he took over “The Daily Show” following Jon Stewart’s retirement.

Noah was under fire for some anti-Semitic and sexist tweets such as, “Almost bumped a Jewish kid crossing the road. He didn’t look b4 crossing but I still would hav felt so bad in my german car!” and “‘Oh yeah the weekend.

People are gonna get drunk & think that I’m sexy!’ - fat chicks everywhere.” were brought back up with many people calling for Comedy Central to fire him and find someone else as Stewart’s replacement.

Comedy Central issued a statement defending Noah, saying he “pushes boundaries ... To judge him or his comedy based on a handful of jokes is unfair.”

Comedians have always gotten away with making bold statements for the sake of comedy.

One reason is that sometimes comedy can be used as a tool to make people aware of pressing issues in a less serious manner than the news and statements from politicians.

In any case, it’s important to understand that comedy depends on context: both the context of the way the joke is expressed, and the context of current society and culture that determines whether or not the joke is funny.

Given the sociopolitical culture of this country and basic humanity, Noah’s tweets weren’t funny, and neither are Villaseñor’s.

Both Villaseñor and Noah probably thought they were doing what they were supposed to be doing. As comedians, they knew their audiences (in this case, Twitter followers), and thought their followers would appreciate their “jokes.” Only when they gained more attention following the announcements of the advancements of their careers, they received backlash due to their fame.

Twitter and the rise of other social media sites have led to people voicing their opinions on sensitive and controversial topics, so it’s just a given that some people are bound to get offended on almost anything. Consequently,

it’s hard to collectively agree on what’s funny and what’s offensive. What can be agreed on is that when people have very strong opinions on certain jokes, comedians should use audience and critical reactions to their stand-up acts to alter their routine based on those opinions and societal context.

It’s safe to say that comedy is subjective, but jokes are often used as a way to generalize a group of people. While this is an easy way for comedians to appeal to one group of people while they insult another, sometimes they are taken too far and comedians face criticism for their words and actions. Take, for example, Tracy Morgan’s homophobic rant about how if he had a gay son he would stab him. Morgan received criticism from fellow actors and fans, and both the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance against Defamation demanded an apology from him. He expressed his apologies, but this comment definitely tainted his image. He definitely has not been as successful after he said that comment as before he said it. His outburst may be the most aggressive of these, but many comedians get away with saying offensive things over time because people give them a pass for doing it for comedy.

While people may not think they’re being offensive, it’s important for everyone — especially comedians and those in the public eye — to stay educated on these controversial or sensitive topics. Villaseñor, Noah and Morgan aren’t the only comedians who have faced backlash from their jokes, but it’s clear that racist, sexist and homophobic banter isn’t funny anymore.

you to the last wildernesses and show you the planet and its wildlife as you have never seen them before.” Whether the it’s trying to or not, the release of “Planet Earth II” will shape people’s ideas about the changes the natural world has gone through over the past decade.

It will, inevitably, show us what is at stake.

On a lighter, less daunting but no less awesome and exciting note, the other man, myth and legend, Hans Zimmer, will be creating new music for “Planet Earth II.” For some, Zimmer is about as good as it gets when it comes to film soundtracks, but for those who don’t know him, I can provide a short list of some of the soundtracks he composed. There’s “The Lion King,” “The Thin Red Line,” “The Dark Knight Trilogy,” “Inception,” “Interstellar,” “Gladiator” and “The Last Samurai.” Zimmer’s composition of another original soundtrack for a big title may be enough to get excited about simply because of the name behind the music. But the music in a nature documentary like “Planet Earth” has a unique role that I think makes it much more important to what the film is actually saying. Besides the words of Attenborough, the music is perhaps the only other form of humanity in the film series, but I don’t want to delve into the significance of this in a short article.

The trailer for “Planet Earth II”, viewable on YouTube, suggests a revival of one of the greatest nature films of all time, and the influences behind it promise to yield an asgood to even-better-than sequel to the original documentary.

Staff and (staph) Infections, Injuries “In first grade, second base was a tree. I ran into it and broke my collarbone.”

Markam Sigler, sports editor “I once had the flu three unrelated times in a single year.”

Alex Uri, news editor “It’s possible to be so scared that your poop comes out white.”

Spoke on condition of anonymity “Impetigo is a bunch of yellow crusty sores that were around my nose and mouth, then got into my ear, which then evolved into an ear infection.”

Julia Weis, copy editor “I burst my eardrum when I blew my nose. There was pus, blood and snot.”

Katie Groke, layout editor “I bit through my lip when I was two.

I still have the scars. Want to see?”

Grace Frye, Managing Editor “I was riding my scooter too fast down a hill, so I turned into a driveway but the driveway was raised, so I flipped headfirst off the scooter when I hit it.”

Julia Elmore, Editor-in-Chief

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 21, 2016 •

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

2016’s pre-Oscar cinematic standouts try to stand out on Academy radar ALEJANDRO CARDONA

A&E WRITER

We are currently entering one of the year’s best seasons for movies. Whereas summertime features most family-friendly franchises and high-budget blockbusters, the last months of the year usually showcase films with a higher profile, which are usually released in hopes of landing some Oscar nomination.

Each studio hopes these releases will be fresh in the minds of Academy members when the nomination ballot comes along in January, which is why “serious dramas” get stacked toward the end of the year. Here’s some of what you can expect in the box office for the next two months.

The winter often brings blockbusters with slightly darker tones than those released during the summer, and this year seems to be no different. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” are both major spin-offs which will expand their respective cinematic universe with noticeably grittier narratives.

It has been noted that “Rogue One” will be a more “war-focused” movie than any other Star Wars film before. Similarly, “Fantastic Beasts” takes on the dark tone of the latter Harry Potter movies, while still maintaining a decidedly teen-friendly edge.

Most importantly, however, these two films will serve as proof of concept for the application of Marvel’s cinematic universe to

non-superhero franchises, and their success or failure will likely decide how aggressively studios will continue to expand franchises into multi-storied universes.

As if billion-dollar grossing “Zootopia” wasn’t enough, Disney Animation is looking to make waves with the upcoming “Moana,” an adventure story deeply embedded in Polynesian culture. The film stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson - himself a South Pacific Islander as Maui, a classic hero in Maori culture. Pair that with a soundtrack partially composed by “Hamilton’s” Lin Manuel Miranda, and you’ve got a clear Oscar contender.

There is a pair of early Oscar-profilers which fascinates for their similarity in narrative and wild discrepancy in style. “La La Land” and “Rules Don’t Apply” both tell the story of a young starlet who arrives in Los Angeles with a dream to become a star — and they could not be more dissimilar.

“La La Land” is a romantic musical comedy set in the present day that stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. It’s noteworthy for its highly expressive lighting and coloring, and decidedly modern cinematography. “Rules Don’t Apply,” on the other hand, is set in 1950s Los Angeles, and its style aptly harkens back to films from that period.

“La La Land” has received staggeringly good reviews as it’s made its way through the festival circuit, while “Rules Don’t Apply” has garnered great anticipation as an auteur work

by Warren Beatty, who starred in, wrote and directed the film.

Before you

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Matthew McConaughey headlines in “Gold,” the rise and fall of a man who makes a fortune mining for gold in Indonesia. This Christmas day release is a clear attempt at an acting nomination. I’d make a joke about McConaughey mining for a gold statue, but every major publication beat me to it.

Another Christmas Day release stars Denzel Washington in the adaptation of one of the most important African-American plays.

August Wilson’s “Fences” was written as part of a cycle of plays on the black-American experience, and it’s shaping up to be a major event in this year’s movies.

“Birth of a Nation” is another AfricanAmerican champion, defiantly repossessing the title of W.D. Griffith’s racist 1915 film.

Despite some ambivalent-to-negative reviews from the New York Times and the New Yorker, “Birth of a Nation” has performed well in numerous festivals, which makes it a likely Academy nominee. These two films alone give some hope that #OscarsSoWhite won’t be trending again this year.

One last movie to look out for is “Allied,” a Robert Zemeckis espionage thriller set in the dawn of the second World War. This is only a selection of some titles to look out for in the next few months - naturally, there’s countless others. Staying on top of the latest releases is no easy feat, but hopefully this primer will help you decide where to place your bets, and avoid the crushing shame (we’ve all been there) of having no opinion when the Oscars come around.

Alejandro’s Picks of the Flicks • “Rogue One” • “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” • “La La Land” • “Rules Don’t Apply” • “Gold” • “Fences” • “Birth of a Nation” • “Moana” • “Allied”

Obama’s April White House Dinner revisited, surprisingly topical given the time lapse Walking into the room with the swagger of a powerful man with nothing to lose but more color in his hair, President Barack DYLAN WAGNER Obama appeared A&E WRITER at the White House Corrospondents Dinner with a wry sense of self. His jokes were dry and on-point from the beginning, with “[y]ou all look great. The end of the Republic has never looked better.”

As many expected, the dinner speech was all about looking back: after eight years of some of the harshest opposition in recent political history, Obama looked ready for the sweet, sweet release of endless book tours and having a library named after him. Actually, I doubt even his library will be free of conflict, especially if they dare to include a copy of the Quran. Wait, who am I kidding? If they include a copy of “Harry Potter,” people will probably riot.

Obama’s joke-writers were worked from every angle for this event: he covered a whole spectrum of humor during the dinner, from a good-natured “Red Wedding” jab at spurned Supreme Court Justice Merrick Garland to a more PG-13 “in my final year, my approval ratings keep going up ... The last time I was this high, I was trying to decide on my major.”

Not shying away from negativity or drugrelated jokes (albeit ones implicating a crime with an expired statute of limitation), Obama showed his lack of regard for critics (now that hoarding political capital doesn’t matter).

While I have always had differing opinions of Obama as a statesman and Obama as a person, his sense of humor and eloquence lends itself particularly well to an environment like the Corrospondents Dinner, where he doesn’t have to worry about his every word being picked apart and can (with a smile) lampoon federal agencies, personal gaffes and the poor, poor Fox News table that still shows up for some reason.

What was shocking beyond the predictable cadre of celebrities and smiling faces for the cameras was how appropriate most of his jokes stayed, even after six months have passed. His jabs at The Donald seem a bit lighthearted given the unfortunate turn of events we saw on the debate stage on Wednesday, but who can blame a man six months out of time?

His comments about his age, his reputation and his grudging preparation for leaving the Oval Office all sound like quips he could have whipped out on his last day of office. But this was before he was thrust into his penultimate role (prior to Lame Duck, of course) as Chief Moral Support for Hillary Clinton.

As Trump’s rise to (hopefully) almost-power became a more real prospect, many of us lost our sense of humor about the man who might have ruled the country with a shrunken iron fist (I can’t say I ever did). So it was a breath of fresh air to see time-traveling Obama give a resounding smackdown, with humor no less, to many of his old villains and to some of our current ones.

And, I kid you not: as his speech came to a close and the applause and laughter died down to wait, he gave us what we wanted: “Obama out,” he proclaimed, and dropped the mike.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • OCTOBER 21, 2016 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Boba tea sold across San Antonio, best locations rise to the challenge NHI NGUYEN A&E INTERN

For the last few years, bubble tea (also known as “boba milk tea”) has begun to grow in stature in the American beverage world. Despite the fact that it is a newcomer to American palates, the Taiwanese drink has attracted fans with its combination of sweet milk tea and chewy tapioca pearls. The funky combination of chewing and drinking has helped it join many college students’ lists of favorite drinks. When walking into a bubble tea store, however, people are more likely to stick to the safe, classic options and forget other delicious drinks they could choose from. Though this habit will always get them the satisfying drinks, it may hinder them from exploring other interesting choices. With rising demand for bubble tea in San Antonio, here is a short list of bubble tea stores you should visit.

Depending on what you are looking for, find

your options in any of these three places. Each has a different take on the milk tea beverage, but you should try each of them to find your favorite one.

If you are looking for high-quality and authentic boba milk tea in San Antonio, come to Boba Tea on S. New Braunfels Ave. Besides having excellently flavored beverages, the store also offers a surprising array of options, from beverages like slurpees and smoothies, to interesting toppings such as egg pudding and fruit jelly. The tapioca pearls are finely cooked and deliver the right texture. Remember to save the punch card to have a free drink for every ten purchases you made.

If you are a night owl who wants bubble tea at midnight, and a beautiful place to study, check out Suck It Hookah And Bubble Tea on Babcock Road. It closes at 2:30 a.m., so it can satisfy your late-night cravings. The menu is pretty diverse and the drinks are delicious

(even though the texture is not as rich as Boba Tea). The store is well-decorated and suitable for nocturnal test cramming. It also sells other interesting Asian snacks and main dishes in case you want solid food.

If you do not have a car and your stomach is calling for milk tea, I got your back. Pho Kim Long on McCullough Ave. is a decent milk tea place for you. It takes around a 2030 minutes walk, depending on where your dorm is. However long or short the walk may be, Olmos Park is a beautiful place to stroll, so do not be discouraged by having to drag your body there. Although Pho Kim Long is a restaurant and it mainly serves food, the milk tea and smoothies, in spite of the limited choices, are still yummy and satisfactory.

I do not want to sound cliché, but the truth is that life is too short just to limit yourself to certain options, especially in terms of food.

For your next boba shop visit, if you have

never order anything outside bubble tea or your own classic drink, cross beyond that zone and get other drinks. The money you spend on the drinks (despite good or bad flavors you later find out), is well worth your time. If you are not sure about what new drink to have on that long list, here are a few beverages I highly recommend because of their popularity in many Asian countries. According to my experience from trips to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand, you should try a matcha green tea smoothie, Thai milk tea, avocado smoothie (for health-conscious folks), passion fruit black tea, taro-coconut smoothie, kumquat-lemon juice or yogurt green tea. Just go through the list, see which one captures your attention, and try it next time. If you fall in love with some new drinks, share them with your friends or me so that we can create a more dynamic and colorful bubble tea community.

There’s a new indie group on the block with a Seussian flavor: the Barbaloots Trinity based band the Barbaloots, are bringing indie rock music close to campus.

The Barbaloots debuted their fresh sound with KRTU in the recent EMILY PETER months and have A&E WRITER begun performing around San Antonio. Before you catch one of their shows, get a sneak peek of what the Barbaloots’ sound is all about from a quick conversation with the band.

EP: Barbaloots are bear-like creatures in Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax.” Was this the inspiration for your band name?

B: The name of our band, Barbaloots, is in fact inspired by the fluffy little bears from “The Lorax.” We were a little unsure of the name at first, but we can all agree that it has started to catch on. We’re Barbaloots — and proud of it.

EP: When did you start the band — and what were the early influences and passions that helped form the band?

B: Barbaloots came to be during the summer

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of 2016. The four of us have had a common interest in indie rock and pop for a while, and a lot of our ideas are inspired by our favorite bands and styles in the genre. Dominic and Sean were both a part of 16 Psychē when Barbaloots formed, and most of the band had already been playing music together at one point or another. The formation of Barbaloots wasn’t coincidence — it was bound to happen.

EP: What genre is your music?

B: The music of Barbaloots is somewhere on the spectrum of indie rock/pop, but we also want to steer away from adamantly sticking to a specific genre. You could call our ideas “experimental indie music.”

EP: Do you perform in public?

B: Our performances vary depending on the venue! In San Antonio, there are some very unique places to play, including bookstores, vape shops, bars and restaurants. Each one has its own crowd, and we love to interact with our audience and get people to groove along.

So far, the crowd has been different every time.

EP: What feeling does your music convey?

B: Our music tends to be pretty upbeat.

Most of it is fairly easy to listen and jam

along to, although we do like to try and keep the audience guessing. We don’t like to be predictable. Our bassist, Isaac, describes some of our music as a reflection of “walking through grassy fields.”

EP: What are the main impulses that cause you to want to make music?

B: It’s the common love and passion we have for the music that we play that helps us continue to keep trying. Music is such a beautiful form of art and expression, and we want to share as much as we can with the San Antonio music scene. Given that we spend a lot of time together, it’s easy to pick a theme, topic, or melody and make it come to life.

EP: What do you personally consider to be the parts of your sound that sets you apart or makes you similar to other bands?

B: While indie rock music is a broad and quickly growing genre, we like to think that we stand out just a bit. With vocal lines scattered with conversational tones, and guitar melodies that make you question the next phrase of the song, we hope to share a style of music that is original and genuine. This style reflects each of us individually as musicians, but also is its own

unique beast that we are still in the process of crafting and perfecting.

EP: How would you describe the music scene of San Antonio and how important is it in terms of your musical growth?

B: San Antonio’s music scene is truly incredible. The artists in this city are extremely friendly and inclusive, and we are truly fortunate to be a part of a musical movement like this. It isn’t coincidence that an increasing number of shops and businesses are opening up their doors to host live music events. San Antonio’s music scene is continuously growing into something beautiful, and Barbaloots is a part of it. There’s no other place we’d rather grow as musicians.

EP: What song would you most like to cover as a band?

B: At a Barbaloots gig, you’re going to hear mostly original music. We actually have yet to cover anything live, so no guarantees as far as covers go! Being that we are heavily inspired by bands like Pavement, Alex G, Stephen Malkmus, Ducktails, and (dare we say) The Beatles, it might be a possibility that you could hear some of that … Maybe.

Sports

Changing Times OCT.

21

Forty-three years ago, President Richard Nixon called Jim Thorpe the greatest athlete of the first half of the century. Dismissing Nixon’s ruined reputation for a second, it’s interesting to reflect on how a Jim Thorpe would compare to a LeBron James, Bo Jackson or Rafael Nadal in terms of sheer athletic potential. The incredible advancements in training methods, developed awareness on the effects of poor sleep, excessive drug use and other habits detrimental to health, plus the tremendous amount of time athletes spend nowadays honing their craft — it’s not that far-fetched to assert most current “average” athletes have higher physical capabilities than Thorpe could have ever imagined. Which is sort of insane.

Golf teams drive their way to gold Soccer Women lead Alamo City Classic from day one, while men take lead in day two Spotlight

BY CHRIS GARCIA

SPORTS REPORTER

Golf closed out the fall season with a bang, as both teams won the Alamo City Classic this past Monday and Tuesday. Coming into this early week showdown, each team had experienced a good amount of success in prior tournaments. It finally came together in a victory, and gives all the more reason to look forward to the spring season.

Both teams competed in a six school field of competition against familiar conference opponents, including Schreiner University, Southwestern and Texas Lutheran University.

At the end of the first day of play, the men’s team was in third place, optimistic about their chances of coming from behind to pull out the win. Day two saw a huge improvement as they were able to shoot 19 strokes lower than their day one score. Seeing as five different players finished in the top 15 of individual scoring, it is clear that this tournament victory was a team effort. Senior captain Redmond Lyons was one of these five, finishing ninth overall in the tournament. Lyons was ecstatic about how they were able to finish the season with a win, and looks forward to training well in the offseason so they can pick up where they left off.

“I think there are a lot of good takeaways from this win. A couple of guys went under par and had some great scores. So I think we’ve proved what we’ve felt for a while, which is that we are capable of big wins and great team scores,” Lyons said. “Outside the starting five, there were a lot of positives too. Some of our younger freshmen came out and had great rounds and I think that second group really proved how deep of a team we are.”

In the end, the Tiger men were able to come back after being behind three strokes to win by five strokes over second place TLU. The Tiger women finished the first day of the Classic already in the top spot, and were able to sustain it that way until the triumphant end. Through day one, the women’s team had seven players within the top 13, and leading the way was sophomore Emilee Strausberg.

After round one, she sat three strokes behind the leader of the tournament, shooting four over par with a score of 75.

A sitdown with four members of the Trinity women’s team

Back row from left: REDMOND LYONS, PEYTON BARTEE, CORBIN CORMIER, WILL STREET, TRAVIS HINKLE, TUCKER NORRIS, MAX MITCHELL, TREVOR WARNER. Middle Row from left: CHRISTINE CAMPBELL, HANNA NINER, REBECCA DERBY,ELIZIBETH McGILLIVRAY, SHELBY DEVORE. Front row from left. EMILEE STRAUSBURG, TAYLOR MOSER, LAUREN PETTINATI. The Tigers won the Alamo City Classic this week.

What’s the funnest thing you’ve ever done in your life?

provided by JUSTIN PARKER

“It was really fun that both the men and the women won, and it showed that our hard work really paid off at our home tournament.

That was really cool that we were able to finish the season with a win. We have a lot to work on for the spring, and that is really our main season. The spring has the national tournament, better competitions, and more of them. Although, it was nice to get our rankings up this fall and build some momentum going into the spring,” Strausberg said.

The Trinity women’s team came into this tournament ranked 17th, which is sure to improve after this big win. After day one, they were able to cruise to a commanding lead over the course of that second day. Senior Shelby Devore also had a great showing at

the Classic, finishing tied for fourth with Emilee Strausberg. Devore really feels that the confidence built off this tournament will serve them well going into the spring season.

“We proved to ourselves that we can compete and we can win. This tournament really built our confidence up going into the off season.

We know what we need to work out so now we can focus on perfecting those things for the spring. There was good competition out there this week. They were great competitors, but each girl on our team played well and came out and gave it their all,” Devore said.

The Trinity women finished 22 strokes ahead, a dominant win. Be ready for another Tiger golf season when they resume play this spring.

Do athletes need to take PE? No Trinity sports teams’ members have been held to this standard for too long

BY HALEY McFADDEN

SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

Trinity University is known for its liberal arts curriculum, which requires all students to take a wide variety of classes. Among these classes is a physical education requirement. This requirement can be fulfilled through courses such as ballroom dancing, yoga and weight training to name a few, but not through being a student athlete.

Having a physical education requirement makes sense. It is important to establish healthy habits at a young age, and taking a PE class can give students a way to explore an activity they are interested in through a controlled environment. What is nonsensical is that students who already spend several hours a week working out should be required to take a PE class.

“When I first heard about the requirement I was a little confused, but when I asked about the requirement they told me that the idea was to give student athletes other ways of working out to encourage lifelong health,” said firstyear Lauren Taylor.

This argument is not entirely invalid. Most Trinity athletes’ collegiate years will mark the end of official careers. However, how is a student who takes one weight training class in college, and then completely quits the practice,

any more prepared to have “lifelong health” than a student who does four years of football, soccer or track? It seems more reasonable that a student who finds a sport they love, and then spends years learning how to stay healthy and take care of their bodies so that they can perform at a top level would be more ready to stay healthy post-college than a student who took a one-credit course one time.

Beyond that, being a studentathlete is hard.

It is exhausting to wake up before six every morning for two hours of practice, only to turn around and have practice again in the afternoon. Competing, whether it takes the form of having three soccer games in a weekend, racing five miles over grassy hills, or playing tennis matches in the heat of the day, is draining. Student athletes at Trinity are also expected to be upstanding students and have to balance practices with hours of school work, which oftentimes results in sleep deprivation.

For these athletes, a PE class may not only be an unwelcome addition to their already busy schedule, but could increase the risk of injury by forcing athletes to push their bodies past their limits.

“I think the biggest concern I had about taking a PE class was the fact that I was already running 60 miles a week and doing weights, so there were a lot of classes I couldn’t take

The Trinity women’s soccer team is dominant. They are a force to be reckoned with, currently 25-0, and have outscored their opponents by an incredible cumulative score of 67-3. Just last Friday, they destroyed Austin College 7-0. The teams’ members, COMPILED BY seven seniors, 12 juniors, ELISE HESTER eight sophomores and five first years, are as fascinating off the field as they are on it. Brigitte Taylor, senior forward, is renowned among the team for her life-changing chocolate chip cookies.

Yasmeen Farra, senior center mid, speaks Arabic. Nicole Gardini is a senior defender who has never finished a whole tube of chapstick.

Alice von Ende-Becker, a sophomore center mid, wears a lot of skirts and dresses. The four sat down with me for a quick chat about their deepest fears and funnest moments.

because they could cause me to get injured,” said senior Natalie Belew. “I couldn’t do anything that would involve more running or putting more pressure on my shins, since shin splints are such a common injury, and so really all I could take was yoga, which conflicts with morning practices, and something like trap and skeet which is expensive. It was more just a hassle to find something that would fit in my schedule and not make it more likely for me to get hurt.”

Even if Trinity did remove the PE requirement for athletes, they would still take PE classes.

Many student athletes enjoy exploring sports outside of their own, and would continue to do so even without the requirement.

“I took country western dancing for my PE credit and I personally really enjoyed it. It was fun to learn a new skill and have a break from my academic classes, and I think even if I hadn’t been required to take it I still would have,” said senior Ben Willey.

Overall, Trinity athletes do a lot of work for little tangible reward. While taking a PE class is not the worst thing and many even enjoy taking the classes, it seems reasonable that with hours dedicated to an athletic endeavor, an extra PE class should be optional.

Gardini: Hiked the …

Taylor: Dove with sharks!

Gardini: OK [laughter] hiked the Longsheng Rice terraces in Guilin, China. Yeah, look it up, it’s pretty awesome. Google it.

Taylor: She hiked a mountain.

Farra: Oh! Swam in the Mediterranean sea off of a black-sand beach.

Taylor: I like to climb waterfalls. I’ve done it twice.

Farra: Waterfalls?

Taylor: Waterfalls.

What’s your ultimate jams, both pre-game jam and just jam-jam?

Taylor: Rihanna, “Needed me.”

Gardini: Yes! Taylor: It’s my jam-jam.

Farra: Pre-game jam — Future, “Stick Talk.”

And jam-jam, “Broccoli.” I don’t know who sings it.

Gardini: I’m drawing a blank. I have so many jams. Peach, blackberry and apricot.

What’s the scariest moment of your life?

[On their trip to Italy this summer, a large number of the players crammed themselves into a tiny elevator, which proceeded to get stuck for about 45 minutes.]

Gardini: That elevator was pretty scary. I thought at any moment the cable was gonna break and we were just gonna hit the ground and my legs were gonna break. It was really scary. I kept my cool though.

Farra: Nothing that scary.

Taylor: I don’t get scared … I’m kind of nervous about the clowns.

Farra: That’s a real one.

Von Ende-Becker: This one time, I went dingdong ditching, but we didn’t actually want to ring the doorbell ‘cause it was late.

Gardini: So you didn’t ding dong.

Taylor: You just ditched.

Von Ende-Becker: So we gently knocked and then we ran. I was so scared.

Farra: That was the scariest moment of her life.

Gardini: And there you have it.

The Tigers have four more conference games before the playoffs begin. They will all be away.

This weekend they are playing Southwestern and Texas Lutheran University, and next weekend they are playing Schreiner University and University of Dallas.

SPORTS • OCTOBER 21, 2016 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

The curious case of the zone

BY MARKHAM SIGLER

SPORTS EDITOR

In the cult classic “White Men Can’t Jump,” Woody Harrelson stars as Billy Hoyle, a loud-mouth basketball player with a knack for abusing opponents’ weaknesses. Los Angeles pick-up in the 1990s was primarily a 2 vs. 2 affair, and Billy and his teammate, Sidney Dean (played

by Wesley Snipes), compliment each other’s physical gifts on the court nicely. Marrying their mentalities, however, is a challenge.

Billy spends the opening rounds of a high-dollar tournament bombarding overwhelmed opponents with demeaning trash talk, all the while developing a hilarious sideline presence by verbally eviscerating their main competitors (the team of Flight and Willy) who they would eventually meet in the finals.

Sidney does not jive with Billy’s method, finally pulling Billy aside and shouting angrily, “Do you shut up!? Do you ever shut up!!?” With gusto, Billy retorts, “What do you care man, I’m in the zone! I’m in the fucking zone …They’re pissed off, and I’m in the zone!”

The zone. It’s a concept that each culture, religion and dramatic profession strives for.

It’s what Buddhists refer to as “Enlightenment,” Kurt Cobain may have called “Nirvana” and why Marv Albert screeches “He’s unconscious!” when attempting to articulate another seemingly exnihilo J.R. Smith hot streak. The perfect emptiness that occurs when the mind is ridded of distracting fear and desire — this is the zone. It’s a sensation that defies psychological norms, with individual cases existing only to be recalled nostalgically once the mind has regained control.

The zone is a blissful place. But unlike most places, a material map cannot lead you there. Ironically, as the zone exists as a locale free from evolutionarily-imposed limitations, it seems the most effective route to it is through rigorous selfdiscipline, strategically designed to collide unforgivingly with these very limitations. Then again, to a very American, hard-work-pays-off extent, it makes sense that earthly transcendence can be corralled if you beat your head against the (metaphorical) wall long enough.

In the States, the zone’s most beloved manifestation takes place in the arena of sports. Like “Fight Club,” the original sin regarding the zone is talking about the zone, as if it is just another conversation piece to be prodded. Not surprisingly then, the zone is hardly even mentioned as a deserver of dialogue. Its primary abode lies within those magical moments where we spectators comment on its transpiration as it lives before our eyes, causing us to either respectfully murmur under our breath, “That dude is on fire,” or let our animalistic side loose so that we stand up and scream, “For the love of God, pour some water on that man before he explodes!”

The thing is, once the person inside of the zone makes the fatal mistake of reflecting on his current state, being in the zone, the zone is shattered, as if he couldn’t help but look at himself in the mirror in order to witness his own beauty and, by looking, is cruelly reminded of those necessary limitations he has managed to forget for the past few minutes while he rained three pointers Klay Thompson style, or trucked wouldbe taacklers Marshawn Lynch stlye.

I would guess they are among the more zone-familiar individuals on the planet — but I am certain their

exit from the zone is what they remember — never the entrance.

The zone. It is fragile, and glorious to behold. The legend Bill Russell once remarked, “At that special level, all sorts of odd things happened …

It was almost as if we were playing in slow motion. During those spells I could almost sense how the next play would develop and where the next shot would be taken. Even before the other team brought the ball in bounds, I could feel it so keenly that I’d want to shout to my teammates, ‘It’s coming there!’ — except that I knew everything would change if I did. My premonitions would be consistently correct, and I always felt then that I not only knew all the Celtics by heart, but also all the opposing players, and that they all knew me.” It’s a lovely description — the zone is unnatural, causes onsets of unspoken prophecy and creates a tangible feeling of some inscrutable form of existence where complete solitude and complete connectedness merge.

David Foster Wallace touches on “the zone” in “Infinite Jest.” He dedicates a chapter to a humorous phone conversation between older brother Orin and younger brother Hal. The state of Hal’s ongoing experience with the zone as he cuts his toenails is a central, fascinating theme to their insightful dialogue.

(1) “‘Interesting you should call just now. Because I’m clipping my toenails into a wastebasket several meters away.’

‘Jesus, you know how I hate the sound of nail clippers.’

‘Except I’m shooting 70-plus percent. The little fragments of clipping. It’s uncanny. I keep wanting to go out in the hall and get somebody in here to see it. But I don’t want to break the spell.’”

(2) “Orin I lied. I haven’t even

started on the right foot yet. I’ve been too afraid to change my angle of approach to the nails. The right foot’s a whole different angle of approach. I’m like your superstitious lineman. Talking about it’s broken the spell. Now I’m self-conscious and afraid. I’ve been sitting here on the edge of the bed with my right knee up under my chin, poised, studying the foot, frozen with aboriginal terror. And lying about it to my own brother.”

(3) “I’ve got a whole foot to yield to the magic with. I’m not going to alter the smallest particle. I’m just ready to bear down on the clippers.

It’s going to feel right, I know.”

In that great Kia commercial, a suburban dad finds himself in a heaven-like environment, where he happens upon Blake Griffin, coolly reading a newpaper. In the commercial, the zone is peaceful, free and filled with extreme sportsmen popping in and out midst trick, and Griffin, who appears quite comfortable, in the zone.

“So you’re just chilling here,” Dad asks, enchanted and confused.

“Actually,” Griffin replies, “I’m in the middle of a very intense game.”

“But you look so relaxed?”

Griffin gives him a knowing shrug.

“It’s the zone.”

If only the zone was actually like this — fit for permanent residence, be you a singer, a secretary, a sanitation engineer or a stockbroker.

Sports psychologists have recently begun trying to study the zone, to better understand what it is exactly, how one gets there, how they remain and why they leave. There may never be a clear picture of the phenomenon, and maybe that’s okay. The zone’s majesty, after all, is derived from its impossibility.

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Cross Country

Continued from front page Even though the sport is considered individual, cross country members rely on each other. Through morning workouts with their training groups, runners strengthen each other by holding teammates both physically and mentally accountable, as well as pushing them to test their limitations as athletes.

“We eat meals together and we spend time outside of practice together,” McCullough said. “We built this really close relationship with each other, and we know we can rely on each other.”

Additionally, a team’s cumulative time determines who wins meets.

Throughout the 6Ks and 8Ks of the cross country season, members of the team must maintain mental fortitude to ensure the best performance possible. The knowledge that a runner is running for something bigger than themselves is a solace during the long races over golf courses, grassy parks and worn, bumpy trails.

“When it gets tough, we can remember we’re running for our team,” McCullough said. “We’re not just running for ourselves, and that can help pull us through the tough parts of the race.”

Stay tuned as the team progresses into the most important part of the season. The SCAC tournament is at the end of the month, taking place on Oct. 29th in Austin. The team seems to be full of confidence, excited about their recent performances and mentally prepared to enter the playoffs strong.

Hey Tigers! It is time to GET OUT THE VOTE. I am endorsing Norma Gonzales who is not only my step mother and a huge role model in my life but is also by far the most experienced candidate.

Experience Matters!

Leigh Anna Logsdon – Class of 2013

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 21, 2016 •

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