11.03.2017

Volume 115 Issue 11

Trinitonian Serving Trinity University Since 1902

Campus mourns death of student

TU hires first director for diversity and inclusion Allison Roman brings a strong vision to the new executive position

Cayley Mandadi, 19, remembered fondly by friends, cheer team, XBE sorority sisters DANIEL CONRAD

KATHLEEN CREEDON

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

NEWS EDITOR

Sophomore Cayley Mandadi, cheerleader and woman of Chi Beta Epsilon, died on the afternoon of Oct. 31. Mourning students joined a Nov. 1 gathering led by university chaplain Stephen Nickle and Gary Neal, director of Counseling Services; a memorial vigil is being planned.

Students, staff and faculty were officially informed of Mandadi’s death early Nov. 1, when university president Danny Anderson sent an email to campus with the subject line “Mourning the Loss of a Trinity Student.”

“While I wish I could provide the answers we all seek about how and why something like this could happen, few details are yet available,” Anderson wrote. “Our focus now must be on supporting Cayley’s family, friends and classmates as we grieve her loss.”

There are few details available regarding Mandadi’s passing, which is the first time an enrolled Trinity University student has died since a car crash took the life of Corey Byrnes in late March, 2015.

“The university community suffered a very terrible loss, and our primary purpose is supporting the students and the family, and supporting her friends and classmates, and supporting campus,” said Sharon Jones Schweitzer, assistant vice president for external relations. “It was a very tragic loss. There are very few details to share other than to confirm that she died.”

Schweitzer said she does not have any information regarding the causes of Mandadi’s death.

“I don’t know when we will know more.

I would imagine that sometime in the near future we might know some more, but I cannot promise that we might share more information,” Schweitzer said. “You know, a large focus is [on] protecting her privacy.”

Nick Santulli, president of Student Government Association (SGA), provided comforting words for students shocked by the news.

“At Trinity, where we are all so interconnected, the loss of one person affects a ton of people around them,” Santulli said.

“It creates a really big impact. I think in times like this, it’s really important for all of us to find strength in each other and our memories of Cayley as well.”

Santulli says that SGA is working with Trinity University, Chi Beta Epsilon, and Mandadi’s family to host an event honoring the deceased.

“There are a lot of parties involved and a lot of them would like some more space to figure out how to best address the tragedy,” Santulli said.

November 03, 2017

KENDRA DERRIG

NEWS REPORTER Allison Roman was recently selected by a committee of Trinity University faculty, staff and students to fill the newly created position of the director for diversity and inclusion (DDI). Roman will start at Trinity on Jan. 2, 2018.

The creation of the position and the subsequent candidate search has been underway since March of 2016, after the departure of the coordinator for diversity and intercultural relations in January of that year left a vacancy in the administration’s vision for diversity.

SGA is planning to honor CAYLEY MANDADI with a to-be-dated vigil in collaboration with her family, the cheerleading team and her social sorority, Chi Beta Epsilon. FILE PHOTO

Nickle and Neal offered one way for those affected to address Mandadi’s passing. The two organized an opportunity for students to share their feelings and their memories of Mandadi in confidence. According to Nickle, about 20 students joined the group.

“It feels crazy to think, ‘Here is somebody down in the front of the crowds, leading cheers on Saturday,’ who is dead several days later,” Nickle said in an interview following the support group’s meeting. “That’s a crazy concept.”

Nickle recognized the varying degrees of grief that students may experience and emphasized the validity of each.

“Sometimes people have passing acquaintances, and then that person dies. It’s like there’s a different sense of loss. ‘Gosh, I never got to really know that person the way I would have liked to,’ but now they’re gone,” Nickle said. “Some of the loss is, ‘This is my dear friend, and how can the world still exist when this person is not here?’ ” University officials including Anderson, TUPD officers and David Tuttle, dean of students, referred reporters to Schweitzer for further questions.

EDITORS’ NOTE Campus learned of Cayley Mandadi’s death early on the day we produce the paper.

To avoid insensitivity, we refrained from contacting close friends and relatives on the day of the announcement.

Next week’s Pulse section will feature a full-page tribute in Cayley’s honor. Those interested in contributing their memories are invited to contact trinitonian@trinity.edu.

Roman brings with her experience as the assistant director of the Center for Women and Gender Equity at Grand Valley State University. In an email interview, Roman wrote of her excitement to start in a position with no precedent in how the directorship should be handled.

“I think what really attracted me to this position is that it is new. That means that there’s an opportunity for the us as a community to come together and build something really amazing,” Roman wrote. “The role is also unique in that I really center on supporting students and their experiences on campus but also work closely with faculty and staff. This role would also allow me to be creative and collaborative in how we approach diversity and inclusion.”

In her visit to campus, Roman was impressed with Trinity’s apparent readiness to engage in issues of diversity. continued on PAGE 4

Melissa Flowers accepts job at Brown University Director of Residential Life to begin working at the Ivy League school in January 2018 KAYLIE KING

NEWS REPORTER Melissa Flowers, director of Residential Life, has accepted a position at Brown University. Starting in January 2018, Flowers will serve as senior director of residential education and operations and assistant dean at the Ivy League school.

During her time at Trinity, Flowers accomplished many initiatives with Residential Life, including the sophomore college initiative, the implementation of HOPE Hall, the Game of Life financial literacy initiative, the acquisition of City Vista and more.

Flowers is currently in her 10th year of working at Trinity. She began working as a residential life coordinator in 2008, was promoted to assistant director for residential education in 2010 and took over as director in 2015. Flowers expressed her love for the Trinity community and her feelings about leaving Trinity.

“The students are amazing. I’m going to miss the students, the staff, the faculty, immensely.

I absolutely love this community. My husband went to Trinity — he graduated in 2004 — so we have a special connection,” Flowers said.

“I was not looking for a position — Brown called me, and this was probably the single hardest decision I’ve had to make in my entire life.”

Flowers has come to think of Trinity like a home and plans to visit in the future.

“Trinity has been great to me and great to my family,” Flowers said. “I’m really excited to come back in the context of being the spouse of an alum as opposed to working here. To the Trinity community, thanks for helping me progress my career. These have been such formative years in my professional career so I am so thankful to the students, staff and faculty who have supported me through that.”

However, Flowers also expressed her excitement about the upcoming opportunity to work at Brown.

“I’m originally from New York, so it’s a great opportunity for my family to be closer to my mother who is still there,” Flowers said. “I have two small children, so for them to be closer to their other grandmother is going to be great.”

Flowers also expressed the excitement that she feels about being able to work at an Ivy League school.

“Working at the Ivy Leagues is going to be very exciting for me, I’ve never done that, and I didn’t attend an Ivy League, so that’s a brand new challenge,” Flowers said. “It’s a larger institution — they have about 8,000 students.

Also, it’s a three-year residency requirement, so larger campus, larger department and new, different responsibilities.”

Nathan Tuttle, residential life coordinator, has known Flowers for a long time and worked with her professionally for a year. He had mixed feelings when he heard that Flowers was going to be moving to Brown.

“I was excited for her but sad for us,” Nathan Tuttle said. “It’s an amazing opportunity, and it’s exciting for her, but I think it’s even more exciting for Brown that they get her. She’s been a great leader of our department and I’ve enjoyed having her guidance and her leadership and her wisdom.”

Nathan Tuttle spoke about his appreciation for Flowers’ assistance in the workplace. continued on PAGE 3

Uber Driver Tigers: Trinity students take the wheel

Mabuhay celebrates Trinity’s Filipino culture

History earned: Astros win their first World Series

Seniors tell stories of ride-sharing passengers ranging from wacky to rude, funny and awkward alike.

FSA event features food, dance to celebrate Filipino-American History Month at Trinity.

Trinity students react to the Houston team’s unprecedented win against the L A Dodgers

PAGE 11 PULSE

PAGE 15 A&E

PAGE 20 SPORTS

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 •

NEWS

Previously, on SGA: Reduce, Request, Recycle This issue covers the SGA meeting held on Oct. 30 GUEST COMMENTS Cathy Terrace, a junior anthropology major, brought up the inconvenience of having glass recycling on central campus, in places like Coates University Center, and not closer to upperclassmen dorms, where alcohol is allowed.

(Terrace is a Trinitonian reporter.) SGA agreed that the types of recycling accepted on campus and the placement of recycling bins are inconsistent and said they would look into the issue.

CAMPUS CLIMATE CHECK Senator Benjamin Gonzalez brought up the discussion of proposed changes to the schedule that the University Curriculum Council (UCC) has been having. (Gonzalez is a Trinitonian columnist.) Part of the discussion has been adding an additional long block of time on MWF for organizations to meet, as well as having more MW classes. The senate agreed that they will draft a formal declaration of their support of these changes.

The senate discussed the recent vandalism of a student’s car. Senator Callie Struby updated the senate with what she knew of the event. The senate agreed to put out a statement of their support of the student whose car was keyed.

President Nick Santulli announced that the Student Board of Conduct has agreed to serve on the senate’s council of review but does not feel comfortable electing the Judicial Chair. The senate discussed whether the position should be elected or appointed and will vote on the decision next week.

FUNDING REQUESTS The Center for International Engagement requested $2,360 for the “Fight Culture Shock Day” on Nov. 17. The money would cover the cost of Aramark food. 200 people are expected to attend the event throughout the day. The full amount was approved.

Trinity University Forensic Society requested $6,250.10 for the National Debate Tournament. The tournament is a four-day event in March. The amount would cover the costs of hotels, flights, entrance fees, judging fees and ground transport. The full amount was approved.

CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW The senate clarified the language of Article 2 section 8, which attempts to decrease conflicts of interest in SGA. The article was reverted to its original formatting, which outlines which executive members of organizations on campus cannot hold office.

RESOLUTIONS Senator John Croxton re-presented the resolution he brought to the senate last week, “Declaration of Dissent,” which asserts the importance of SGA’s involvement in university decisions, such as the tobacco and hard liquor bans.

Croxton wants to send a message that SGA should be a part of the decisionmaking process on policies that govern student behavior. The senate suggested he first present the resolution to Danny Anderson, president of the university, before SGA presents the resolution to the rest of the administration and school.

Tune in each week for Kathleen Creedon’s SGA summaries . SGA meets at 6 p.m. on Mondays in the Waxahachie Room in Coates University Center.

Corrections •

• • • •

In the Oct. 27 issue, there were multiple mistakes on the graphic on page 3: the photo used for Angel Ramirez is not Ramirez; Juan Luevanos is a sophomore; Luevanos’s picture was mistakenly used for Blaise Ford; Isabella Schag was mistakenly named “Isabelle Schag;” Maddie D’Iorio was mistakenly named “Maddie D’Lorio;” D’Iorio is a first-year, not a junior; Julia Schults was mistakenly named “Julia Schuts;” and Benjamin Gonzalez’s name was incorrectly spelled Gonzales.

In the Oct. 27 issue, Benjamin Gonzalez’s name was misspelled Gonzales on page 6 in the article “SGA holds forum.”

In the Oct. 27 issue, Emmett Schelling was mistakenly named Emmett Shelling in the article “PR IDE hosts activists” on page 1 and page 5.

In the Oct. 27 issue, the article “Entrepreneurship students stay on the grind” on page 11 was misattributed. It was written by Kara K illinger.

In the Oct. 27 issue’s article “Prof. organizes ‘Iran in the World’ lecture series,” Sussan Siavoshi was incorrectly titled associate professor. Siavoshi is the Cox Chapman professor of political science.

Spot a mistake? Let us know at trinitonian@trinity.edu.

Staff DANIEL CONRAD editor-in-chief ALEXANDRA URI managing editor GRACE FRYE director of digital presence SHIVALI KANSAGRA business manager REBECCA DERBY ad director KATHLEEN CREEDON news editor MADELYN GAHARAN pulse editor NICHOLAS SMETZER a&e editor, circulation director JULIA WEIS sports editor JULIA POAGE opinion editor AMANI CANADA photo editor TYLER HERRON graphics editor KATHARINE MARTIN adviser CONTACT INFORMATION Editorial Email: trinitonian@trinity.edu Advertising Email: trinitonian-adv@trinity.edu Ad Office: 210-999-8555

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CLASSIFIEDS Selling 2 tickets to see Willie Nelson & Family at Majestic on Nov. 20. Great deal! Call/Text (830) 370-0171 for details. $70/each.

Want to take out an ad?

REPORTERS Kendra Derrig, Elise Hester, Kara Killinger, Kaylie King, Saul Malek, Cathy Terrace, Dominic Walsh, Hailey Wilson CONTRIBUTERS Austin Davidson, Georgie Riggs, Abigail Wharton COLUMNISTS Soleil Gaffner, Benjamin Gonzalez, Theresa Ho, Micaela Hoffman, Gabriel Levine, Manfred Wendt COPY EDITORS Evan Chambless, Cristina Kodadek, Nathaniel Pigott ILLUSTRATORS Yessenia Lopez, Andrea Nebhut PHOTOGRAPHERS Chloe Sonnier, Allison Wolff, Stephen Sumrall-Orsak BUSINESS STAFF Sarah McIntyre, Tam Nguyen ADVERTISING STAFF Jenna Flexner, Benjamin Milliet, Jonah Nance, Regis Noubiab, Isla Stewart

Classified ads are free for Trinity students. For nonstudents each ad is $25. Send your ads to: trinitonian-adv@trinity.edu

COMMUNITY CRIME ALERT NOV. 1, 2017 TUPD issued a Criminal Tresspass Warning against Mark Howerton.

Should one see Howerton on campus, contact TUPD at (210) 999-7070.

TUPD is directing questions to Sharon Schweitzer.

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NEWS • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Homophobic slur keyed into student’s car Vandalism elicits strong campus reaction CATHY TERRACE

NEWS REPORTER Shock spread through campus as student Daniel Dahlinger, junior engineering science major, shared how someone had keyed a homophobic slur into his car. The event most likely happened on Thursday, Oct. 19, while Dahlinger’s car had been parked in the City Vista parking garage.

“Friday morning last week I got off work, and I realized that I had my fraternity letters keyed into my car,” Dahlinger said. “I walked around my car and looked at the other side and was greeted with a not-so-nice word on the other side.”

Dahlinger posted about the incident over the following weekend on the student-run closed Facebook group, Overheard at Trinity. Many students responded, showing him their support.

“Whenever I made my posts on Overheard, I just had a few texts,” Dahlinger said. “By the end of the day, I had been reached out to personally by over 20 people, letting me know that they cared, including some other Greek organization members from different fraternities and sororities saying that’s not in their values.”

In addition to the personal responses Dahlinger has received, campus organizations have also responded to the event. PRIDE, the student organization centered around support for LGBTQ students, will have a general meeting on Nov. 16 for those students who wish to speak about it.

“I am very disappointed [by the vandalism], as both a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and a Trinity student. Whatever the motivations of the vandal, the keying signals a lack of respect for our community and for personal property,” wrote Chiara Pride, sophomore anthropology

and political science double major and PRIDE’s activism and outreach chair, in an email interview. “As a member of PRIDE, I sincerely hope that our membership does not internalize the hate that slurs confer, and instead uses this incident to rally together as a community with joy and creativity.”

In addition to PRIDE’s responses, several other student leaders on campus have condemned this behavior, including Nick Santulli, senior political science major and president of Student Government Association.

“That behavior is clearly unacceptable, especially considering the content of the slur. I think that, at Trinity, we strive to be a community that’s welcoming, friendly and inclusive, and I think this runs counter to that,” Santulli said. “I think the administration should respond strongly, just to reiterate Trinity’s values of warmth and inclusion and to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.”

Immediately following the event, the administration reached out to Dahlinger. Sheryl Tynes, professor of sociology and associate vice president for academic affairs, personally contacted him to show his support.

“After it happened on a Thursday night and was posted on Facebook, and I heard about it and called the student to see if he was okay — just to talk to him about what he knew about it — and conveyed to him that it is entirely unacceptable from my vantage point,” Tynes said. “To be living on campus is a privilege for students; I think that if people will do that to other students, there should be accountability.”

Other members of the administration similarly denounced the vandalism, stressing the values that Trinity hopes to uphold.

“I think it’s concerning on multiple levels.

It’s concerning that someone would vandalize another person’s car; it’s concerning that they seemed to know who this person was and that they were in a specific organization so that it was targeted. And then, the homophobic slur

Daniel Dahlinger’s car was found vandalized in the City Vista parking garage. Along with his fraternity’s letters, a homophobic slur was keyed into the side of the vehicle. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

is concerning because that’s not how we should be, or what we should be about,” said David Tuttle, dean of students. “It’s disappointing, and of course, the university is concerned about anything like that that happens. We should be a welcoming university, and we shouldn’t reduce people to slurs. … It’s disrespectful to the entire Trinity community.”

While the Trinity University Police Department (TUPD) is currently investigating the incident, neither Tynes nor Tuttle could comment on their progress. According to Tynes, TUPD has been reviewing footage from the parking garage in an attempt to get more information.

In the week following the event, Danny Anderson, president of the university, also sent out a statement concerning this and several other incidents that have targeted underrepresented groups.

“I ask you to think about the ‘bystander intervention’ skills more broadly, beyond the sexual assault scenarios they are designed to address,” Anderson wrote. “In its simplest form, bystander intervention does two things. First, it asks us each to become aware of the wellbeing of everyone around us — to observe, to listen and to be sensitive to situations that seem off balance and could leave someone vulnerable. Second, it asks us to each imagine ways that we can change the dynamics of the situation, usually by speaking up and adding a new and unexpected element to the scenario … We all need each other to be strong as a community.”

Those with any information concerning any of these incidents are encouraged to report them to TUPD, who may be reached at their nonemergency line at (210) 999-7070.

Flowers takes position at Ivy League school continued from FRONT

“She’s incredibly humble; she’s done so much for Trinity and for Residential Life, but you’re not going to hear her talking about it or getting credit for it,” Nathan Tuttle said.

“But if you look at the list of things she’s accomplished while she’s been here, it’s really impressive. We deal with tough situations and I always feel comfortable going to Flowers and asking her counsel and advice on things. She’s been here for so long so she’s got great context and insight on things that I’m experiencing for the first time.”

Nathan Tuttle hopes that Flowers is able to find a supportive community and Brown and believes that she will accomplish great work there. “[Flowers] is so dedicated and loyal to Trinity, and I think she really appreciates the community here. She talks about loving the people that she works with, loving our students and really feeling like this is a family.

So I hope that she finds that at Brown, and I think that she’ll be able to take a really fresh perspective to their housing and residential life offices,” Nathan Tuttle said. “She has a knack for looking at things in new and different ways and is always looking to improve things and change things. I think that she’ll bring fresh eyes to their program and be able to do amazing things for them.”

David Tuttle, dean of students, hired Flowers when she first came to Trinity. He has worked with her for her entire time at the university.

“I hope she really regrets leaving us,” David Tuttle joked. “I think Trinity is a hard place to leave because of all the

qualities that we know that this institution has the quality faculty, the students, the grounds, the buildings, the community, the atmosphere, and so my hope for her is that her experience at Brown is as positive as I think her experience here has been and that it’s an institution that she feels like is one that puts students as its priority.”

David Tuttle expressed his wish that the faculty and staff at Brown appreciate her efficiency and diligence as an employee.

“I hope she has good colleagues that get her and appreciate her and that can have fun with her and that can learn from her,” David Tuttle said. “I hope it’s an enriching experience and one that she feels becomes a new home for her.”

David Tuttle highlighted some of the best parts about working with Flowers and many of the things that she accomplished during her time at Trinity.

“One of the things I like about [Flowers] is that she and I can disagree about things and discuss things without getting mad at each other,” David Tuttle said. “We can have conflict, but we can walk away from it.

Whenever that’s happening it’s always because we can focus on what’s best for the staff or the students. That’s a really valuable thing to have in a colleague and I’ll miss that.”

David Tuttle also pointed out some of Flowers’s concrete accomplishments during her time at Trinity.

“Her strength has been her high-level thinking and her ability to see things with vision and her ability to take a vision and implement it and put something into motion,” David Tuttle said. “Things like the Game of Life, which received a national

MELISSA FLOWERS is currently in her 10th year at Trinity. She will relocate to Providence, Rhode Island after this semester to take on the position of senior director of residential education and operations and assistant dean at Brown University. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

award, work that she has done with others on StrengthsQuest or 1869 Scholars. … A lot of the projects that she does, they turn to gold. That’s something that we will miss and that will create a void. Having that kind of quality at that level is a pretty special thing to have.”

Rachel Boaz, assistant director for residential education, has known Flowers

since she was a sophomore attending Trinity until she graduated in 2008, and then began working with her professionally in 2013. “[Flowers] will be missed,” Boaz wrote in an email interview. “I hope she finds a fresh, new challenge. [Flowers] isn’t just a hard worker herself, she knows how to motivate those around her to realize their fullest potential as well.”

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 •

NEWS

TUVAC responds to Hurricane Maria Organization has been raising money for soldiers in Puerto Rico GABBY GARRIGA

NEWS INTERN Category four hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico late September this year. The storm destroyed the territory, leaving more than three million U.S. citizens without electricity or running water. Since then, relief efforts have been slow going, inspiring some Trinity students to get involved.

Jenna Shultz, first-year and intended biology and classical studies double major, approached David Tuttle, dean of students, concerning a fundraising campaign she felt passionate about. Both of Shultz’s parents are in Puerto Rico working with the soldiers and their families. Shultz’s mother is the commanding officer of all federal military forces in Puerto Rico and surrounding areas.

She has been in Puerto Rico working with the soldiers who have been rebuilding the territory since Hurricane Maria hit.

“They are literally getting up every morning, in the same conditions as everyone else — no electricity, no running water.

They’re putting on their uniforms, and they’re going and they’re clearing roads.

They’re helping other people and then they have to come home every night to the same conditions,” Shultz said.

Although there are larger organizations helping with the destruction in Puerto Rico, Shultz’s unique perspective inspired her to start helping from Trinity.

“There are a lot of large nonprofit organizations that are focusing on Puerto Rico as a whole, but they’re missing the military side of that,” Shultz said.

When Shultz approached Tuttle, he directed her to Trinity University Volunteer

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

Action Community (TUVAC) and its advisor, Scott Brown, assistant director of Experiential Learning. Brown oversees the projects that TUVAC handles.

Brown met with Shultz and other TUVAC coordinators to discuss what they could do to help the soldiers of Puerto Rico and their families. They decided to create a GoFundMe

campaign, so students, alumni and faculty could donate to help this cause. Because resources are scarce in Puerto Rico, the students plan to use the donations to buy supplies in the United States. Then, they hope to get the student body to help package and ship them to the Puerto Rican soldiers and their families.

TUVAC coordinators have been working with Shultz to execute this campaign and get Trinity students involved in the process. Senior neuroscience major Ryan Reusch is the executive coordinator for TUVAC. “I’ve mostly been working with [Shultz] to kind of take this big idea and come up with tangible steps to achieve it,” Reusch said.

TUVAC’s marketing and recruitment coordinator, Noureen Morani, a senior business analytics major, has been working to advertise the campaign. Morani organized tabling in order to raise awareness about Puerto Rico’s situation and the effort Trinity students are making to help.

“We wanted to do as much as we can and Jenna gave us access to do that, so we were happy to help,” Morani said.

This project is being promoted not only to students, but also to parents. Tuttle promoted this campaign to parents during Fall Family Weekend.

“It seemed like a natural connection as we had a parent in a prominent leadership role in a natural disaster making a direct plea for resources. And that seemed to resonate with other parents,” Tuttle wrote in an email interview.

This project is unusual because the effects of the campaign will be felt outside of the continental United States.

“What TUVAC does is we’re set up and designed as an organization to provide volunteer opportunities ongoing volunteer opportunities in the San Antonio community and in a way this is new territory for us — all of the hurricanes and earthquakes and other disasters,” Brown said.

To find out more on how to donate or volunteer, TUVAC will be tabling during Nacho Hour for the next couple of weeks.

First director for diversity and inclusion appointed continued from FRONT

“I chose to come to Trinity because during my interviews, I felt that Trinity was a very warm and welcoming community. I was impressed with some of the work that has been already been done around diversity, inclusion and social justice as well as the values of Trinity University,” Roman wrote.

“Upon hearing how Trinity encourages productive collisions and seems to be a space for perhaps some difficult dialogue, I felt that this would be a great community to be a part of. Knowing that we as a community can grapple with social justice topics and struggle together to be better was so affirming.”

Already, Roman has a detailed vision for the future, an aspect of her application process that stood out to senior DDI search committee member Cristian Vargas.

“She [outlined] a concrete plan of action for her first few years in the position, which included fantastic ideas like the creation of an interdisciplinary social justice minor, the creation of a social justice leaders summit at Trinity and the creation of a living learning community similar to HOPE Hall that would focus on inequality in the city. This level of detail and creativity definitely set her apart from the other candidates in my mind,” Vargas wrote in an email interview.

But Roman plans on beginning her stint focused on learning about the existing Trinity community before moving on to long-term plans.

“Honestly, right out the gate, I want to get to know the Trinity University community

and meet with students, faculty and staff. The main priority would be to find out what are the needs and gaps of the campus community and in what ways can this office support those efforts,” Roman wrote. “Some of my long term plans are to create spaces for students to engage in social justice work whether through research, cultural programming and working with community. In several years, I would also love to create a social center.”

Haile Duplantier, senior DDI search committee member, spoke to Roman’s character as a potential resource for students, which is one of the tasks the committee hoped the new director would be able to execute.

“As a person, she was approachable and personable. I felt like she would be someone that students would want to work with and feel comfortable confiding with on critical issues,” Duplantier said. “Individually, I am excited about the opportunity to potentially collaborate with Alli in this role and offer my insight as a graduating senior. Overall, I am excited for Trinity to have this office and for the Trinity community to experience the impact of having an office dedicated to this work.”

Vargas hinted that this is not the end of Trinity’s search for administrative positions focused on diversity.

“Last thing that I’d add is that for folks out there who think that the new director position is the end of the story, that’s not the case. Both the committee and the administration recognize that fostering diversity and inclusion cannot feasibly be one person’s job, nor should it be one person’s job

ALLISON ROMAN has accepted the position of director for diversity and inclusion and will start at Trinity on Jan. 2, 2018. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

— rather, it’s a responsibility that everyone in the community shares. As such, this is only one example of the administration’s stated commitment to diversity and inclusion going forward,” Vargas wrote. “Trinity can finally move forward with its vision for a 21st-century education.”

Roman encourages students to reach out to her as soon as she gets on campus.

“I am so excited to make connections with faculty and staff and especially students.

I believe everyone has unique and powerful stories so I’m looking forward to hear those stories and build relationships with folks,” Roman wrote. “I look forward to once I settle in to be able to meet with folks over coffee and just get to know people. I hope folks stop by my office and say hi.”

NEWS • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Ezra Klein to give free lecture at Trinity Founder of Vox participates in annual lecture series

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

KAYLIE KING

NEWS REPORTER Ezra Klein, American journalist and founder of Vox, which describes itself as a news site for the 21st century, will give a lecture at Trinity as part of the Maverick Lecture series. Klein will share insights on current political issues at the lecture.

The series honors the late Maury Maverick Jr., a lawyer, politician and columnist from San Antonio. Sharon Schweitzer, assistant vice president for university communications, shared information about the Maverick Lecture series and its history.

“Since 2008, we have been hosting the Maverick Lecture,” Schweitzer said. “Each year we try to bring a speaker that represents the individuality and iconoclastic individualism that honors the memory of Maverick. Klein was selected this year from a group of possible speakers, and Bill Scanlan is representing the William and Salome Scanlan Foundation, which is helping to support the lecture, along with the university which helped select Ezra Klein.”

Previous Maverick Lecture speakers have included Seymour Hersh, Andrew Bacevich, Rashid Khalidi, Naomi Wolf, Amy Goodman and Sebastian Junger.

“These are activist journalists who are working in the field to promote human rights, civil rights — those kinds of things,” Schweitzer said. “Ezra Klein was one of the founders of Vox.com, which is a new site that’s dedicated to explaining the news. It’s a very new news platform, and I think that a big part of their focus is what is going on in Washington D.C.” Schweitzer explained that the Maverick Lectures are important to both the Trinity and the San Antonio communities. The speakers who are brought in for the Maverick Lecture series are individuals who focus on issues that Maverick considered important: freedom of speech, civil rights and human rights.

“I think all of our lecture series really enliven the civic and cultural landscape of our campus as well as San Antonio because we open these lectures up to everyone in the community,” Schweitzer said. “I’ve been to almost all of these lectures, and these individuals are really trying to hold up the rights and the ability of the underdog to have the kind of life that they want to have. I think they bring a perspective that reminds us of the liberties that we have in this country and how easy it is to lose them, depending on the luck of the draw and where you were born and how you’re living your life.”

Kay Casey, assistant vice president of Alumni Relations and Development, helped coordinate Klein’s lecture. Casey elaborated on the importance of the Maverick Lecture series.

“Both the Maverick and Scanlan families have deep American and Texan roots,” Casey said. “They’re very interested in the public discussion and the preservation of civil liberties. This lecture brings forth a keynote speaker who is currently taking the lead in making sure that there’s a public discussion and dialogue about civil liberties and civil freedom. Trinity has a phenomenal lecture series program, not only the Maverick Lecture. We bring in outstanding keynote speakers that many universities can’t even touch. Trinity students are enriched because of this dedication to a public speaker series.”

Casey also expressed her excitement about the opportunity to have Klein speak on campus.

“He’s vibrant; he’s young; he’s on the cutting edge,” Casey said. “It’s really a unique opportunity for him to come to San Antonio.

Public lectures like this can be found on university campuses for sure, but it’s quite common that they’re ticketed. It’s because of the commitment of community leaders who have given willingly of their resources that they’ve endowed these lectures so that they are free to the public — not just to students, but to the whole community. That’s something to take a lot of pride in. I’ve had the privilege to work at four other colleges, and there’s a reason that Trinity is ranked number one in the West. This is just one very small example.”

Communication professor Aaron Delwiche explained why he is excited for Klein to speak at Trinity.

“Journalism is the lifeblood of democracy,” Delwiche wrote in an email interview. “At a time when traditional journalism outlets have struggled to find an audience, Ezra Klein’s Vox has done a terrific job of reaching younger readers. We are living through a very strange moment of American history.

According to a recent poll, seven out of 10 Americans believe that political polarization is at least as bad as that of the Vietnam era.

As President Anderson’s recent message to the campus community demonstrates, Trinity has been deeply affected by the wider political climate.”

Delwiche explained that the lecture is important to Trinity students and all citizens because they desperately need to be informed about what is going on in the world.

“Trinity students aren’t just students,” Delwiche wrote. “They are also citizens. In times like these, citizens desperately need access to information about the world. They need to know what’s happening, they need to know why it matters, and they need to know what they can do to make things better.

Journalists like Ezra Klein, and sites like Vox, have an important role to play in delivering this information.”

Delwiche believes that journalism matters and that it and this lecture is relevant to all sides of the political spectrum.

“Whether it comes from the political right or from the political left, journalism matters,”

Delwiche wrote. “Fox News matters, and so does CNN. The Wall Street Journal matters, and so does the New York Times.

President Trump has attempted to discredit the press, and he has accused journalists of being ‘enemies of the people.’ Americans on all sides of the political spectrum should be appalled by these attacks on the free press.

Trinity students can show their support for the institution of journalism — and the values of our nation — by attending this lecture.”

Trinity University Press recently published the book “Maverick” by Lewis F. Fisher, which includes information about the Maverick family and Maury Maverick, Jr. The book will be available for purchase at the lecture. Fisher and his wife, Mary Maverick Fisher, will be attending the lecture and signing the books. A hardbound copy of the book will be presented to Klein at the end of the lecture.

The lecture will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 13 in Trinity’s Stieren Theater.

The lecture is free and open to the public. No tickets are required.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 •

NEWS

Ted Koppel emphasizes the importance of objective journalism Broadcast journalist delivers lecture on fact-based, honest reporting

KENDRA DERRIG

NEWS REPORTER

TED KOPPEL, a broadcast journalist and the founder of “Nightline,” spoke in Laurie Auditorium of the importance of truth and factchecking in news and of the current political climate in media. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

Journalist Ted Koppel boasts an impressive career, covering conflicts from Southeast Asia to the hostage crisis in Iran. Founder of “Nightline,” Koppel anchored and managed the revolutionary nightly news broadcast for 26 years.

Koppel addressed a large crowd of Trinity students and members of the public in Laurie Auditorium on Nov. 1, presenting his lecture, “The Future of Journalism: A Brave New World.” While he spoke of his personal history, Koppel’s lecture chiefly covered the interactions between journalism and the current state of affairs, with particular interest in terrorism, cyber warfare and the importance of accepting good journalism to receive information on critical events.

Koppel’s visit was a part of the Distinguished Lecturer Series. After he was introduced by Danny Anderson, president of the university, Koppel asked members of the audience to shake hands with the person sitting behind them in the spirit of unity in a time of political division.

Koppel continued to keep the mood light and conversational throughout the lecture, despite the more serious subject matter, choosing to sit on a stool instead of behind the podium. Koppel ended his lecture with an impression of Richard Nixon that impressed the older audience and with an original song inspired by his visit to the Great Wall of China with the former president. Koppel

then interrupted the question and answer session to tell an anecdote about Henry Kissinger forgetting to zip up his pants.

In his lecture, Koppel touched on the interactions between the media and the current U.S. president.

“We are caught in this death struggle between the president and the media. It’s not a death struggle — it’s a dance of life.

He needs us, and we need him. The New York Times is doing better now than ever,” Koppel said.

Koppel also spoke of the importance of objective, fact-based journalism.

“I’ve made it a point over the course of my political career to not talk about my political beliefs and who I vote for,” Koppel said. “I think it is very important to have a core of journalists who remain objective, who don’t editorialize. We are obsessed with dividing ourselves. If the minute I say I’m a Trump supporter or a Trump adversary, you disbelieve everything I say, then there is no use for me. A nation like ours cannot survive without objective journalism.”

Koppel also spoke about President Trump in relation to his predecessors in a press conference before the event.

“What we have never seen before is a president who jumps into the arena himself and says he doesn’t need the media as an intermediary, ‘I’ll just tweet to my thousands of followers.’ The president looks upon

journalism as an obstacle of getting his message across,” Koppel said.

In a press conference held earlier in the day, Koppel spoke of the changes in how the public received their news, encouraging people to question the accuracy of their sources.

“More people get their news from Facebook than from the New York Times and the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal put together. Those are three great newspapers. If I was the czar of American media consumption, you ought to read all three of those newspapers every day,” Koppel said.

Koppel also commented on the state of journalism in the American political climate.

“A democracy cannot survive in this kind of a climate, where everything and everyone is suspect, where everything in journalism is being denounced, where no one who is a journalist is believed unless he or she reflects the political viewpoint of the person who is under discussion,” Koppel said. “That’s dangerous. We need to make our decisions in a democracy based on facts, real things, not matters of opinion.”

Connie Laing, a sophomore communication major, was present for the lecture.

“I was interested to hear about his process and his approach to new stories,” Laing said. “I really enjoyed the lecture and found it insightful to the effects the internet has on the speed at which information is now

delivered versus what it was during the Vietnam War.” Mackenzie Hill, senior communications major and executive producer of “Newswave” on TigerTV, introduced Koppel to a class of students earlier in the day.

“As someone interested in broadcast journalism, it was incredible to not only listen to Ted Koppel speak, but to meet him,” Hill said. “With 50 years in the industry, he had such insight about how students can handle how different the media is now versus in the past. He encouraged us to have a well-rounded relationship to the media, for us to watch CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and all of the above so that we were getting every perspective. For those of us interested in a similar career, he told us that we really need to love journalism to pursue it because it’s a tough and thankless job.”

Koppel also provided advice for young journalists in media today.

“There’s no such thing as a boring subject.

There are only boring ways of telling it,” Koppel said. “Stick to the facts. Journalism is not a matter of opinion. Journalism is trying to get the facts as objective as you can and presenting them accurately to the public. A good journalist is like a good mapmaker, and a good mapmaker can take an entire city and reduce it to a single page, and someone can take that page and follow it from point A to point B without getting lost.”

LET’S HEAR YOUR VOICE.

...

Have an opinion? 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 Opinion Section

FROM TH E EDITORS’ DESK

Frequently Asked Questions

Facing our community tragedy We face a number of challenges during our time at Trinity. We face the task of balancing a rigorous academic courseload and a complex social ecosystem. We face the tough transition from adolescence to adulthood. Sometimes, in moments of true challenge, we must face tragedy. We are in the midst of one of those challenges.

Early Wednesday morning, university president Danny Anderson sent a campus-wide email informing the Trinity community of sophomore Cayley Mandadi’s death. In the email, Anderson addressed the lack of details available about Mandadi’s death. He urged students to “find ways to honor her life and find meaning and purpose in her passing.”

It’s times like these when we recognize the Trinity University’s truly tight-knit nature.

Chances are, even if you didn’t know Cayley, you know someone who did. The situation before us is difficult. On the one hand, we all must shoulder a terrible emotional burden; on the other hand, we have the opportunity to come together and share that weight.

In the coming days, as information and details surrounding this tragic situation emerge, it will become more enticing to chase gossip and rumors, to question those closest with Cayley for any detail, no matter how small.

We understand this desire for information — we empathize with you. We all want answers. As members of the press, we have an obligation to pursue those answers while remaining respectful and sensitive to the wishes and concerns of our grieving friends.

It’s stressful and difficult to not yet have answers. But we can’t succumb to rumors and panic. Questions will linger, but with the help of the administration and TUPD, the truth will emerge.

In the meantime, we must cope with Cayley’s death. We don’t expect healing to come easily. No one could immediately heal from such a sudden passing. Healing will take hard work for a long while, both for individuals and the community at large.

We must come together as a university to support one another. As we gathered

information about Cayley’s passing, student government president Nick Santulli offered a wise suggestion to this end.

“I would recommend just trying to do a kind thing,” he told us. “Every day, just remember to have empathy and kindness as you go about your day.”

“Talk to the people you love and be there when words fail.”

At a school as small as Trinity, the death of a fellow student isn’t just felt in the classroom. It’s felt in student organizations, residence halls, and in the shared silences between grieving friends.

Talk to the people you love and be there when words fail. Please, take time to remind your loved ones of how much they mean to you.

Treasure your TU curriculum MANFRED WENDT OPINION COLUMNIST

As college kids, we don’t know much, but as a result of the Trinity experience, we become informed on a plethora of issues. I know that I came to Trinity in order to get a political science degree and to be a productive member of the American Conservative Movement. But, in the process I have learned about far more things than just American domestic politics: I have become informed on the history of East Asia, the theft of ancient artifacts and kinda how coding works.

In my education, no class has quite opened my mind as much as Sussan Siavoshi’s Middle East and the World course. Siavoshi was born and raised in Iran, and this provides her with insight into the Middle East that the average student can’t possibly have. I originally decided to take this course last spring when I realized that I wanted and needed to know more about the Middle East.

Siavoshi begins the course by laying down the basic history of the region and making sure that students understand some vital specific differences that often become lost in the Western world. For example, she takes time to highlight the difference between Arabs and Muslims.

Arabs are a group of people originally from the Arabian Peninsula, while Muslims are followers of the Prophet Muhammed. Not all Muslims are Arabs, and not all Arabs are Muslims. From there, she goes on to lay out the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is not nearly as black and white as each side wants or claims it to be.

After helping students comprehend this conflict, which is often considered the most salient issue in the contemporary Middle East, she moves on to what is an arguably more important but less salient issue in the realm of

Are the opinions on these pages held by all of the Trinitonian staffers?

The opinions expressed here are those of the individual writers, not of the whole newspaper staff. The editorial, found in the box marked “From the editors’ desk,” expresses the opinion of the Trinitonian. The section editors, managing editor and director of digital presence work with editor-in-chief Daniel Conrad on it each week.

How long should letters to the editor be?

When are they due?

Who do I send them to?

Letters to the editor should be 300 words or less. They are due Sundays at noon. Email your thoughts to trinitonian@trinity. edu and opinion editor Julia Poage at jpoage@trinity.edu. She or the editor-in-chief will get back to you.

How long should guest columns be? When are they due? Who do I send them to?

SUSSAN SIAVOSHI poses in her office. Siavoshi teaches Middle East and the World. photo by AMANI CANADA

international relations: Iran’s relationship with the rest of the Middle East and the United States.

Siavoshi opened the segment on Iran by asking the class what we had heard about Iran.

She egged us on and told us that she wasn’t going to be mad at us for stating ignorant stuff that we had heard, so we began to speak up. We finally came up with a variety of statements, most of them negative.

“Iranians are wide-eyed religious radicals who hate the United States and want to destroy the United States and kill us,” was the general consensus.

The United States and Iranian international relationships are marred by a dearth of trust due to missteps by both sides. Iran is very distrustful of the West due to the coup of 1953 in which Western powers couped out a democratically elected prime minister. In addition to the 1953 coup, Iran was also occupied by Russia and the United Kingdom during World War II. On the

American side, the Iran hostage crisis, when Iranian students stormed the American embassy and held American citizens captive for 444 days, remains in our nation’s psyche.

I have found this class to be vitally important in my understanding of the world and of the Middle East. I would like to encourage everyone to take classes that are out of your comfort zone.

Take classes about important topics that pertain to the future of the world so that you can be an informed citizen and inform others of the nuances of that issue. We are all blessed to be able to attend a liberal arts school, so we might as well make sure that we get that vast liberal arts experience and knowledge that we all signed up for. With that, take classes that are outside of your comfort zone, you never know when you will need it.

Manfred Wendt is a junior political science major.

Guest columns should range between 500–700 words in length and are due Sundays at noon. Email your opinions to the opinion editor, Julia Poage, at jpoage@trinity.edu.

Students, please include your graduating year and declared or intended majors and minors.

Faculty and staff members, please tell us your job title. Alumni, please describe your current occupation and include the year you graduated from Trinity as well as the majors and minors on your degree.

If relevant, please attach photos related to your guest column. We also have staff illustrators who can create a graphic if you describe one.

Will you edit my guest columns?

The opinion section editor and the copy editors review guest columns for clarity, libel and style, but will not alter your argument.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 •

OPINION

Catalan independence for dummies

the U.S. government for the amount of taxes that it is required to pay each year. As Spain has struggled more in the past few years, especially in the global economic crisis of 2007 and 2008, Catalonia has begun to demand more fiscal freedom. The rest of Spain is struggling to make it through the economic crisis, yet Catalonia complains of too many taxes. Instead of caring for the rest of Spain’s citizens, the richest autonomy begins its plans for complete independence.

In 2012, Catalonia’s government became left-wing, and it began proposing physical moves for independence. From 2013–2015, Catalonia made several moves towards declaring independence from Spain, including non-binding referendums and informal votes on independence. These steps led to the parliament calling for an official referendum to be held on Oct. 1, 2017. However, the Spanish government in Madrid declared it unconstitutional, because, as per the very legal constitution that Catalonia signed in 1978, it is illegal to secede from Spain. The Spanish government suspended Catalonia’s calls for referendum, and decided to take more time to ponder the decision over the legality for a referendum.

SOLEIL GAFFNER OPINION COLUMNIST

Spain is in an uproar. For the first time since the 1970s, Spain is facing internal conflict concerning self-governance and the right to nationalism. As an outsider looking in, I have less of an emotional stance on the issue of Catalonia’s independence, and instead just see what this community’s rally for independence is: a temper tantrum.

“Catalonia’s referendum for the right to separate from Spain is not completely sudden or unexpected.”

First, let’s get caught up to speed. Catalonia’s referendum, which was held on Oct. 1 for the right to separate from Spain, is not completely sudden or unexpected. The history of this autonomous community traces nationalist sentiments back to the 19th century, when Catalonia became one of the most prosperous communities in Spain because of its industrialization efforts. This gave Catalonia power, which it has held to this day. In the 1930s, when Spain was under democratic rule (known as the Second Republic), Catalonia was granted some degrees of independence from Spain. They had their own regional governments and were allowed to express themselves as a different culture than Spain.

With this, the Catalan identity was born.

However, when General Francisco Franco won the Spanish Civil War in 1939, Catalonia was stripped of all her independence.

Franco’s dictatorship was not kind to the different cultures of Spain. Galicia, Pais Vasco and Catalonia all faced harsh repercussions, and their regional languages and cultures were oppressed. This dictatorship has caused ripples

“Spain’s government acted impulsively and selfishly, refusing to listen to the demands and create a solution.” photo provided by SOLEIL GAFFNER

of negative sentiments towards the government today, and many Spaniards fear the government is becoming too autocratic and corrupt. In this sentiment, I understand why Catalonia wishes so much for nationalism today.

Fast forward to the 21st century. Franco is dead, and Spain has been a constitutional monarchy since the 1970s. In 1979, Catalonia became an autonomous community within

Spain, and Catalan became considered its own nationality.

Catalonia is considered the Spanish economic powerhouse, and its economy is the biggest of all the autonomous communities that make up Spain. Over the years, Catalonia has become disgruntled with the amount of money that it pays to the rest of Spain — think of this like Texas becoming angry with

This is where the Spanish government made their first mistake. The ‘suspension’ is not a suspension. The government simply calls it that to buy more time and hope that the independent uprising dies down. The Catalan government, having heard this same response since 2013, decided to take drastic measures.

The current president of Catalonia, separatist Carles Puigdemont, pushed for the referendum, calling Spain’s refusal an attack on democracy. continued on PAGE 9

Trinity faculty: Students must have impact BENJAMIN GONZALEZ OPINION COLUMNIST

This past Friday, I had the opportunity to attend the University Curriculum Council (UCC) meeting regarding the addition of a ‘common time’ to the weekly class schedule. This proposed open period would last from 11:20 a.m.–12:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and would provide more time for faculty to meet with each other and with students.

Added side benefits include a guaranteed period in which students can eat lunch or meet with student organizations.

While I was originally excited by the prospect of an open period for students to pursue extracurricular activities, I quickly began to realize the downsides of this proposal.

The lines for lunch in Mabee and Coates University Center, which are already inconveniently long during the lunch rush — especially on Panda Express day — would likely be worsened by the increased flow of students during the common time.

I also heard concerns from students that this free period might push more classes to be offered later in the day, essentially lengthening the school day and making it harder for students to participate in activities outside of class. Since the common time only lasts an hour, clubs and organizations would most likely choose not to squeeze their meeting in the middle of the day when students are still in the midst of taking their classes.

“Don’t allow administrative walls or lack of proper advertising get in the way of changes you’d like to see on campus.”

The combination of these factors revealed a contradictory nature of the proposal: The plan, intended to free up students’ time, may in fact create more scheduling

complications. This led to me and other students attending the meeting to question whether the common time proposal would actually help students or merely provide faculty with a convenient meeting time.

The reason I call attention to this (admittedly, dull) topic is due to one of my biggest concerns with the proposal: The lack of student representation during its development. The UCC consists of entirely faculty members save for a single student representative. The common time proposal was only presented to the Student Government Association once last year without any request for a formal vote or opinion.

Anyone who has consistently read the opinion section of the Trinitonian this semester might have noticed a common theme of calls to action for students to make their voices heard.

While larger-scale political issues are important to follow for the sake of being an active citizen, let us not forget about the decisions here on campus that need our voice if we want to see policies we can take pride in. However, sometimes the administrative organizations that enact these decisions fail to even ask for our opinion. I, for one, was only informed of the proposal a couple of days before the meeting occurred.

Fortunately, the UCC decided to convene another committee to revisit the schedule and produce a new plan that works for more students. But if the small, last-minute group of students had never attended the UCC meeting, the student body would have likely faced an entirely restructured class schedule with scant student input.

I hope that future university proposals and decisions affecting the day-to-day lives of students are given more time for consideration by the students themselves, and I encourage students to look further into campus issues that they feel passionate about. Don’t allow administrative walls or lack of proper advertising get in the way of changes you’d like to see on our campus.

If administrative organizations forget or choose not to include us, we have to rely on existing student networks, such as the Overheard at Trinity group on Facebook or the Trinitonian, to spread the word about topics that affect us. Faculty at Trinity are ready to listen to us, but sometimes it’s a matter of letting them know that we actually have an opinion in the first place.

Benjamin Gonzalez is a sophomore anthropology major.

OPINION • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Go to BSU events Independence JULIA WEIS SPORTS EDITOR

As the Trinitonian’s sports editor, I’m not used to writing about my opinion, but I had a really eye-opening experience last week that made me want to speak up.

I’d like to start off by saying that this is about my experience only, and I by no means want to speak for anyone else. What I want is for Trinity’s majority white community to start making more of an effort to learn about the diversity on this campus, and actively engage with fellow students.

On Tuesday, Oct. 17, I went to David Tuttle’s discussion called “Colin Kaepernick, Race, Sports and the National Anthem.” I initially went to accompany my new sports reporter, Saul, and help him write his article about this event, but became more engaged as students opened up to tell their stories about race issues on campus. However, it was hard to ignore the disconnect we all felt.

At this event about an important issue that practically

every American has an opinion on, there was a total of 15 people.

Every single student, besides my reporter and I, were involved with Trinity’s Black Student Union (BSU), who advised Tuttle and helped him put the event on.

They came to this event engaged and excited to discuss their thoughts with their fellow peers, but found nothing but an echo chamber, because not a single student showed up to support the opposing side.

Maybe it’s an issue of the event being held on a Tuesday night, or a lack of advertising, but members of BSU made it pretty clear to me that this has been an ongoing issue for some time now.

They put so much hard work and dedication into putting on inclusive events for all students on campus, but lots of people don’t bother to show up or learn more about the black community.

After the Kaepernick event, I talked to BSU adviser Stacey Davidson and BSU president Tahlar Rowe. They told me that they would love to see more people at their events who are curious or hoping to learn more about what’s going on in the black community. There seems to be a perception on our campus that BSU is only for black people and that white people or anyone else isn’t welcome. I don’t know why,

clearly every poster they put up on campus says somewhere on it that all people are welcome. But still, they get so few non-black people coming out to their parties, when really all of us should be making a bigger effort to get more engaged with the black community.

Trinity students, especially those of us coming from a place of privilege, spend too much of our time not bothering to care about other people and their experiences if they aren’t related to us in some way.

Dear white Trinity students: I want you to get uncomfortable.

I want you be less self-absorbed.

I want you to think about your black classmates, who, because of their color of their skin, don’t have a choice about feeling uncomfortable at our majoritywhite school.

The Kaepernick discussion was the first BSU event I’d gone to in my three years at Trinity. I regret not making more of an effort to learn about BSU in the past, and I can’t stress enough what you’re missing out on if you’re not going to these events. This is such an opportunity to become a more educated, respectful human being.

Julia Weis is a communication major with a minor in Chinese.

continued from PAGE 8

However, the Catalan government and pro-separatist parties still claimed that the vote, which was 90 percent proindependence, proved that they should separate. What they failed to mention is that only 42 percent of voters managed to vote that day. The integrity of the ballots were also compromised by both riot police as well as citizens. The Spanish government ordered police to confiscate ballot boxes — therefore taking away votes — and several media outlets recorded evidence of voters voting multiple times, and of tampered ballot boxes. All in all, no one is innocent.

This call for independence is a call for attention, to force the hand of Spain to give in to Puigdemont’s demands.

However, instead of handling this situation like adults, Spain’s government acted impulsively and selfishly, refusing to listen to the demands and create a solution.

Now, the world sees Catalonia’s cry for independence as a sad case of oppression. Brutal videos of Spanish guards attacking peaceful protesters are circulating, pulling at heartstrings everywhere. But let’s take things seriously here.

The Catalan government is overwhelmingly separatist, but that does not mean its people

are. We have no clear idea of what all of Catalonia feels about independence and its repercussions: the loss of the European Union, the potential businesses that do not want to operate in an unstable country and the testy idea of Spanish immigration. Independence will take years of development, and is riskier than most realize. This heartfelt rally for independence might be felt strongly amongst certain citizens, but the government seems only to be fighting for the right to stop paying taxes to the rest of Spain. Only a few Catalans would benefit from this.

And then there’s the Spanish government, which is handling the situation poorly. Not only does it refuse to communicate sensibly with the Catalan government, but also proceeded to invoke Article 155, stripping Catalonia of all of its autonomous power. They have revoked all of the power of the regional government, and therefore added fuel to the inferno.

If the majority of Catalans were undecided about independence before, they will take this as a sign of oppression and support the referendum now.

Soleil Gaffner is a junior communication and Spanish double major.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 •

OPINION

Who really needs electric cars? Part 2 MARK LEWIS FACULTY COLUMNIST

In my last piece I looked at the history and current state of electric cars. 2017 is the year when they have the ability to go mainstream with ranges around 300 miles that cost less than $50,000. I also noted that one of the big advantages of electric cars is that they have lower maintenance costs and longer life expectancies. Indeed, there are estimates that current electric cars will be able to drive as far as 800,000 miles.

The thing is, most people have no need for that, especially in a car that is basically a rolling smartphone or tablet that quickly becomes obsolete.

“The distinction between rental cars and ride-shares would disappear in a world with self-driving cars.”

So the question is, who would actually need a car that can last for 800,000 miles with minimal maintenance costs, but which becomes obsolete in just three years?

In order for that specific combination to be advantageous, it really requires that the

illustration by YESSENIA LOPEZ

vehicle be on the road driving all the time.

Literally all the time. To get to 800,000 miles in three years requires driving an average of 30 mph the entire three years, 24/7, 365 days a year.

While normal consumers can’t possibly take advantage of that, services that provide vehicles for transportation can come closer. This includes services that provide rides, whether taxis or ride-sharing, as well as rental car companies. While the idea of having a Tesla for a taxi might seem silly to many readers, if you go to Norway, you’ll find exactly that.

At this point, it is interesting to ask what is the difference between a taxi or rideshare and a rental car? The answer is the driver. The taxi or ride-share has a driver who comes to get you and takes you where you want to go. The rental car generally

requires you to get yourself to them to pick up the car that you drive. This distinction would disappear in a world where cars can drive themselves.

That happens to be a world we are very close to living in. When Google first started its self-driving car project in 2009, the goal was to have them commercially available by 2020. Since then, many other players have entered the market, but the date of 2020 has held up quite well.

This year, Elon Musk predicted that Tesla would release a car that you could sleep in while it was driving by 2019. Also significant is the legal side. California has proposed new regulations for autonomous cars under normal usage, not testing, that should go into effect this year.

The real question for me isn’t whether there will be autonomous cars on the road

in 2020, it is a question of how fast their numbers will scale once they come out.

The plan for the future ride-sharing or car rental companies is nothing less than complete domination of personal transit.

Here is how they see that happening.

First, a number of people will start using autonomous ride-sharing services for convenience. In addition to the rides that people do today with taxis or ride-sharing, you might have the occasional overworked professional who wants to reclaim a few hours of their day and continue work on their laptops during the commute. By scheduling such rides in advance, it should be fairly easy to have a near zero wait time.

While that is the start, the real key change comes when scale allows these ride-sharing services to bring the prices down. The general prediction is that the total cost of using an autonomous rideshare will be significantly less than the cost of owning and driving your own car.

Predictions range from being half the cost to one tenth the cost when you factor in insurance, maintenance, and the other costs associated with owning and operating your own vehicle.

If they can pull that off, it will be cheaper than not only personal cars, but most public transit, and at that point it will probably convince a fair number of people to switch to autonomous ride-sharing as their primary form of transportation.

The significant implications of a lot of people using autonomous, electric ridesharing will be the topic of my article next month.

Mark Lewis is a professor in the computer science department.

HAVE A STORY THAT NEEDS TO BE TOLD? Know a professor or student who embodies what it means to be a Tiger? Email us at trinitonian@trinity.edu to let us know about the people and events that should be covered in an upcoming issue of the Trinitonian.

A YEAR OF

Pulse

TRUMP graphic by TYLER HERRON, graphics editor photos by GREG SKIDMORE, freelance photographer

One year in, students have new and old emotions toward the president CATHY TERRACE

NEWS REPORTER As the one year anniversary of Trump’s election rolls around, students reflect on the new administration following the surprising upset against Senator Hillary Clinton.

“My initial reaction was to kind of cringe, because I didn’t want either of the main presidential candidates, because I thought they were both bad — but I thought everyone was bad,” said Travis Fulkerson, junior political science major and Tigers for Liberty (TFL) member. “I was surprised with the results going into it, but after the Wisconsin count came in, I wasn’t surprised by the outcome.”

Since taking office in January, Trump set forth with a variety of campaign promises, most of which students have observed he has not been able to follow through with.

“I think Trump's time in office could definitely be a lot better than it currently is. The thing is, even though Congress, the president, and the bureaucracy are all a majority Republican, they can't agree on much because Congress will be on one side of an issue while Trump will be on the other side of the issue,” wrote first-year TFL member Emma McMahan in an email interview. “It's hard to get legislation passed at this time.

Honestly, Trump probably has more failures than successes … [but] I respect him as our president because he could be worse.”

Other students express far more critical views of Trump’s time in office, pointing to widespread disapproval for the direction of his international policies.

“Trump is doing a very poor job of governing the country, in my opinion,” said Cristian Vargas, senior biology major and a member of the debate team. “In terms of international support and policy, he’s a joke.

No country takes him seriously anymore, and a lot of our long-time allies are seriously worried because of his inflammatory rhetoric against countries such as North Korea, which is upending the strategy the United

States and its allies have worked for decades to build.”

Vargas is referring to the pattern of critical and sporadic tweets the president has garnered a reputation for. His Twitter presence makes students concerned for the reputation and ideology of our country.

“It’s hard for me to imagine more of a disaster, to be honest with you, short of nuclear war,” said Callie Struby, junior political science and sociology double major. “I think it’s astounding that he’s lasted this long; I hesitate to say we’re worse off logistically that we were before, because I don’t think that’s necessarily true, but I think that in terms of the more theoretical aspects of what this country needs, it’s been called into question by his presidency.”

Discontent with Trump’s international performance is also reflected in students’ opinions about his ability to govern domestically.

“There are still several key positions in the state department that he has yet to fill,” Vargas said. “As for his domestic policy, he hasn’t been doing much on that front either so far ... Not to mention all of the golf trips he’s been taking.”

In addition to these policies, members of the administration itself also received a lot of criticism.

“I think when you look, his cabinet nominees were controversial even within Republicans, like Betsy DeVos and Jeff Sessions received backlash for their discriminatory nature and history,” said Maddie Kennedy, junior political science major and co-president of Trinity Progressives. “I think hate crimes have been up since he’s been elected, there’s been legislation and directives in various departments that have been impacting a lot of minority Americans — LGBTQ+ people were removed from the census.”

The United States still has three years left of Trump’s administration. Students, while critical, still hold hope that the trajectory of the administration will change.

“As for the future, I hope the administration will pass new tax reform legislation. Also, I hope border security will be tightened,” McMahan wrote. “Another issue I hope to see with actual results is health care reform; I hope to see something different than Obamacare.

Something that will help the majority of Americans.”

Student jobs take to the street with Uber Most don't know the other end of ride-sharing; these students experience it daily KARA KILLINGER

PULSE REPORTER It was late at night, and the stranger in the back seat of Suzanne Roberts’ car didn’t seem to be moving.

“Are you alright, sir?” she asked, but the only answer she received was the sound of tires rolling on road. Her heart beat faster.

In the past, the drunk strangers in Roberts’ car had, at worst, laughed at their own jokes.

If someone was seriously hurt, what would she do?

At last, a stoplight gave Roberts a chance to glance behind her. To her relief, the passenger was breathing. Closed eyes, slumped in the seat, but alive. She continued to drive him home. Roberts’ time as an Uber driver began in May of this year, when the senior biochemistry and molecular biology major started her unpaid summer internship at Medical City Hospital in Fort Worth.

“I needed the internship for experience, but I didn’t have time for another job, and no one really wants to hire over the summer,”

Roberts said.

A friend suggested that Roberts drive for Uber in order to make money on evenings and weekends. So, she signed up and has been working for Uber ever since.

“It works out really well with my schedule.

Since I’ve started school, I’ve been a lot busier, so I haven’t done as many hours. But I do it on the weekends,” Roberts said.

Flexibility entices many students to drive for Uber. This is one of the rare jobs for which, if a student is overwhelmed by midterms or papers, they are not obligated to call in or get a co-worker to cover their shift.Another plus is the low barrier to entry. According to Uber’s website, drivers must be 21, have a minimum of one year of driving experience --or three if under the age of 23-- and have car insurance and a social security number. Drivers get their documents together, submit to a quick background check and start working. No interview or resume needed.

Annie Belleville, senior Chinese studies major, also drives for Uber for these reasons.

“It’s really convenient to pick my own hours and still make a decent wage,” Belleville said.

Of course, the job does not come without its difficulties. Drivers’ horror stories range from hilarious to uncomfortable. Belleville remembers picking up a group of men from ask her for strip club recommendations.

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

“Finally, I dropped them off at the sketchiest strip joint I’d ever seen. The sign was unlit and it was literally a re-purposed motel with a body guard out front and an empty parking lot,” Belleville said.

Roberts gave several tales of woe. Once, four grown men crammed into Roberts’ small Ford Fiesta, and complained the whole time about how small it was, even joking that they should beat up her car. In situations like

these, Roberts carries around pepper spray.

Another time, Roberts picked up a couple who was in the midst of a breakup.

“I saw them walking to my car, yelling at each other. They both got in on opposite sides and didn’t say anything. They were just like, ‘Take us home.’ It was the most uncomfortable silence,” Roberts said.

Students experience Uber in many ways, but the general consensus is it's always a unique time.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 •

PULSE

MOVE, PRIDE and Chiara Pride This sophomore

wants others to pop the ‘Trinity Bubble’ DOMINIC WALSH

PULSE REPORTER The ‘Trinity Bubble’ refers to the isolation and lack of local involvement seen in some Trinity students. Sophomore Chiara Pride has broken through the bubble and hopes to help others join her.

In addition to being involved in a number of campus organizations, Pride is the activism chair of PRIDE at Trinity and is a member of Trinity Diversity Connection (TDC) and the Trinity Progressives.

Pride is an executive fellow with MOVE (mobilize, organize, vote, empower) San Antonio, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers young people to participate in politics.

As a fellow with MOVE, Pride focuses on issue advocacy at the municipal and state levels. In addition to drawing attention to unnoticed but important political developments, a core part of municipal-level issue advocacy is voter registration.

Voter registration is particularly important in San Antonio, which often experiences low voter registration and turnout in local and state elections. The portion of the Texan population that does turn

out to vote is often not a perfect reflection of the population as a whole.

“The civic health of Texas is really, really terrible, which means that people don’t turn out to vote or didn’t get registered to vote,” Pride said. “Our political representation at the state level isn’t actually representative of the communities they’re supposed to represent.”

Pride encourages fellow students to participate in local politics and to get civically engaged regardless of where they are from. Trinity students can have an important effect on local elections, according to Pride.

“You might not want to register here because you live in Houston or wherever else, but all the political action that you’re present for is taking place while you’re on campus.

“It’s hard for young people to make that connection,” Pride said, “but I think that once you do there’s so much out there that we can move the needle on. There’s so much out there that we can have an impact on. While it might not affect us personally for the entire duration of our lives, it’s definitely going to be very important while you’re here in San Antonio.”

With the help of MOVE, Pride hopes to encourage more Trinity students to participate in San Antonio politics. During most local, state and federal election cycles, MOVE sets up a voter registration table in Coates University Center.

In addition to involvement with PRIDE at Trinity and MOVE

San Antonio, Pride is a Texas civic ambassador with the Annette Strauss Institute of the University of Texas at Austin. As part of this program, Pride recently traveled to Austin to learn more about state-level civic engagement.

As activism chair of PRIDE at Trinity, Pride works to bring LGBTQ speakers from the San Antonio community to campus and to help promote Trinity Progressives and TDC events.

Through work with Trinity Progressives and TDC, Pride has gained an appreciation for the smaller scale civic engagement evident across the Trinity community.

“I want to take a second to really applaud the work of Trinity Diversity Connection and Trinity Progressives and a lot of the campus organizations that are making an effort to talk about these issues, because there’s more than one form of civic engagement,” Pride said. “Even though a lot of Trinity students might not be voting, every time you go to an event hosted by TDC or even by some of the other smaller cultural organizations, you’re participating in your community.

If you go do TUVAC stuff or you go do things with HOPE Hall, that’s you being civically engaged because you’re participating in the community structure and trying to make a difference.”

On top of her participation in multiple organizations on and off campus, Pride intends to double major in political science and

CHIARA PRIDE speaks at September SB4 Teach In. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

anthropology. Pride says that she is able to handle it all because she is doing what she enjoys.

“I’m not going to lie — it is difficult, but you find a balance. I think the reason I’m doing well is that I really love it. I love what I’m doing everyday and the people I’m interacting with. I’ve found a really great community of solid, happyto-be-here kind of people. While I might not have time to binge watch ‘Stranger Things,’ I’m still getting that sense of trying to do something meaningful,” Pride said.

For more information on upcoming PRIDE, Trinity Progressives and TDC events, like and follow the organizations on Facebook. MOVE San Antonio will have its next voter registration table set up in Coates University Center on Thursday, Nov. 2 from 9 a.m.–2 p.m., and they will have information available on the upcoming constitutional amendment election.

For more information on voter registration, contact Chiara Pride at cpride@trinity.edu.

Wake up and smell the copy!

Join us in Coates to grab the latest paper!

Come to offer story suggestions for future issues, feedback on how we’re doing, or just come and hang out!

Every Friday morning, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

PULSE • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

illustration by MADELYN GAHARAN

Sunshine Cottage shines with new music program MAT students organize event for hearing impaired students VICTORIA ABAD

PULSE INTERN Junior music education major Ana White is organizing what she calls an “instrument petting zoo” for kids with hearing loss on Friday, Nov. 10.

The event will take place at Sunshine Cottage School for Deaf Children, right across from Elizabeth Huth Coates Library on Hildebrand Avenue.

As the president of Trinity’s Collegiate Texas Music Education (CTME) student organization, White came up with this initiative as a way to to get music education majors to have real practice working with kids.

“So far the stuff we’ve done is have panels with graduates of the MAT program -- the master’s program in music ed.- who come back and talk. It is helpful, but since it’s music education and we’re gonna be working with kids, I wanted to try and find some stuff we could do out in the schools,” White said.

White is also part of the Trinity Handbell Ensemble, which plays a concert for the children at Sunshine Cottage every year. After performing last semester, she contacted the principal of the school, and has been planning the instrument petting zoo since then.

“Sunshine Cottage is a school for mostly hearing impaired children, but they use cochlear implants so they can all hear ... the principal said they really like music, but because the school is for the deaf and the hearing impaired they don’t get a lot of interaction with it. Trinity and the music

department have been pretty good about trying to invite them to stuff,” White said.

This is supposed to be an event with a wide range of instruments, so any instrumentalists on campus who are interested in getting involved can do so. At first White just contacted the people she knew would be interested in participating, but she got a lot more responses than she expected.

“There were a few instruments we were missing. So I emailed the orchestra director and [he] emailed everything out to all of the orchestra, and I got a lot of responses,” White said.

Up to this date, there are about 20 people who are taking their instruments to Sunshine Cottage on Nov. 10.

Almost all the logistics are planned out and ready for the event. The school has about 200 children in total, but the instrument petting zoo will be happening from 2–3:45 p.m., when only the elementary school-aged children have a break.

The idea is to have tables or stations based on instrument groupings, where the kids can walk through and listen how the instruments sound.

Instruments include band instruments, a guitar, a ukulele, a steel drum and others.

White is very excited about the event, and is hoping to keep it happening on a semester or yearly basis.

“If I can talk to the principal and kind of set the groundwork with him, maybe it will be easier for whatever music ed. kids, or just music kids in general, are interested in doing it. Then they’ll just have to email him and schedule it to keep it going,” White said.

Any other instrumentalists or musicians who want to join the event, or are interested in more information, can email Ana White at awhite5@trinity.edu to get involved.

13

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 •

Chiara Pride

PULSE

You asked. Wellness Services answered.

Brought to you by Katherine Hewitt.

Q: How can you identify if you’ve ever had sex? What counts?

A: The short answer is that sex can mean many different things to many different people.

There’s not one universal definition of sex but a variety of perspectives. Sex has a history of being defined somewhat narrowly, centering on traditional cultural and religious norms and heterosexual practices. Some may initially learn to define sex strictly as vaginal and penile intercourse. A more inclusive definition could describe lots of different activities performed by people with a diversity of gender identities and sexual orientations, with any number of partners. Under this definition, any act involving contact with the vulva, clitoris, vagina, anus, penis or testicles between one or more consenting people for the purpose of sexual pleasure could constitute sex. Genitalto-genital, mouth-to-genital, mouth-to-anal, hand-to-genital, anal-to-genital, toy-to-genita, etc. This definition can also encompass phone sex, masturbation, and genital contact through clothes. There are lots of ways to have sex and the most necessary characteristic of sex is the presence of consent. Consent means “knowing, voluntary, and clear permission by word or action to engage in mutually agreed upon sexual activity or contact.” Consent is a necessary component for all sexual activities!

More info can be found on the dean of students sexual assault webpage.

Q: What health resources exist for folks with ambiguous genitalia?

A: Someone with ambiguous genitalia aka intersex, bi-gender, etc. could have external genitalia that are inexact or their genitalia might be different from their genetic sex. They could have female genitalia on the outside but be genetically male, they may have both testes and ovaries, or they may have some other combination where the lines between male and female organs are blurred. Accord Alliance and

Campus Pride are online resources including research and events, plus there is the Intersex Society of North America Facebook group. On campus, Richard Reams is a mental health counselor who is supportive and knowledgeable in this area. In addition, Trinity PRIDE is an inclusive student organization and great group to connect to. Lastly, goaskalice.columbia.edu has a helpful article for how and when to tell a partner.

Q: How much sex can I have?

A: A magic number doesn’t answer the question, “How much sex is too much?”, nor does a national average. Generally speaking, each individual will need to talk with their partner about frequency of sex. Unless your sexual behavior is interfering with your daily routine (work, friends, sleep), it is likely that you and your partner have high sex drives and enjoy having sex together during this time period. If it does interfere with your daily routine, then you may want to speak to a counselor about sexual compulsion, which may include frequency of sex, a wide number of partners, or even excessive masturbation, which could be self-destructive.

On the other end of the spectrum, while it may seem that many college students are having sex, the research shows that many are not. The 2013 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment II survey reported that many 30 percent of undergraduates didn’t have any sexual partners during the previous year, and over half of those who are having sex didn’t have oral or vaginal sex in the last 30 days. Also, among undergraduates having sex, most only had one sexual partner in the past year.

A special thanks to goaskalice.columbi and campus resources for assistance in answering questions.

For any questions contact Katherine Hewitt at khewitt@trinity.edu.

Student jobs on the road continued from PAGE 11

What became of the passed out passenger in Roberts’ car? Roberts didn’t feel right simply dropping him off in front of his house, so she walked him all the way up to the door.

“I didn’t want to take him inside his house, so I just set him on the porch, and I knocked on the door,” Roberts said.

Both interviewed drivers say they avoid late-night driving in order to stay away from unsavory situations, such as riders passing out or vomiting in the car. However, not all drunks are created equal. While some intoxicated riders create stress, others are comedic spectacles.

“Really drunk people who think they’re funny are really entertaining. They’ll be like, ‘Hey, hey, I got a joke.’ And then they’ll laugh at themselves without ever telling the joke,” Roberts said.

Roberts was so interested in the culture she was experiencing that she decided to do her ethnography project for anthropology professor Alfred Montoya’s Intro to Anthropology class on Uber drivers and passengers. She is currently both observing

riders in her car and having conversations with fellow Uber drivers for the project.

Roberts says that observing passengers has forced her to consider how other people see themselves.

“You know, sometimes when you get in a good zone with a job, you just kind of go to work, do your job and go home. But I’ve had to pay attention. I’ve had to stop for a minute after a couple of rides, take some notes and think about who these people were so I don’t forget,” Roberts said.

As a result of this project, Roberts finds herself wondering why the man going to the gay bar feels compelled to insist throughout the ride that he is meeting his girlfriend there.

She wonders why the passed out people got so drunk, and what it means when the two strangers in her back seat keep insisting, “We’re best friends now!” She will continue to take notes, working toward the topic sentence of her paper.

In Belleville’s view, travelers are travelers.

She says that she has never felt unsafe while driving, and even drunk people rarely do weird things; however, with every ride is a new adventure.

JEFFREY WASSERSTROM speaks in Chapman last Thursday, October 26. photo by AMANI CANADA

California professor visits FYE Renowned scholar Jeffrey Wasserstrom visited campus Thursday, Oct. 26 VICTORIA ABAD

PULSE INTERN Young student protesters have occupied the business district of Hong Kong various times in the last couple of years in a battle for democracy. Given this situation, Gina Tam, assistant professor of history, brought an expert in the historical legacy of China’s youth protests to speak at Trinity.

Jeffrey Wasserstrom, chancellor’s professor of history at the University of California at Irvine, came to Trinity on Thursday, Oct. 26, to give a lecture on Asian youth political movements titled “Taking it to the Streets: Protests in Shanghai’s Past and Hong Kong’s Present.”

“Professor Wasserstrom has really made his mark on the scholarly world by making China accessible to a non-scholarly audience,” Tam said.

Because of the timeliness of this topic, understanding Asia and its political culture is extremely important and relevant to Trinity students.

“Asia is a big part of the world,” Tam said.

“Of the seven billion people in the world, 4.4 billion of them live in Asia, and we think it’s important to give students an introduction to that and we do that by making it relevant to their own lives. If we tie it around youth and look at that thematically, it allows students to look at their own experiences and discuss cultural and historical differences.”

The lecture also ties in with the First-Year Experience course, Being Young in Asia.

In the course, students have been studying China, Japan and South Korea and the misconceptions Westerners have about these countries.

“I expect to be enlightened in that I will gain a better sense of political life historically and in the present,” said Peyton Tvrdy, a first-year in the course. “I hope to understand better the thought process of those students who participate politically, what their goals are and how they plan to change China. I feel [Wasserstrom] would be a wonderful teacher for this purpose.”

Wasserstrom centered the lecture on the recent protests against the mainland regime in Hong Kong, his experiences when he travelled to see the protests and the concept of imperfect analogies, which are comparisons between different events in history and parts of the world.

“The important part is going in knowing that the analogy is not perfect … [but] it might allow you to see interesting things,” Wasserstrom said.

He discussed his thoughts when visiting Shanghai in 1986 and Hong Kong in 2014 and 2016 during protests. He explained how social movements give the sense that history repeats itself.

“In many ways, to have a political flashback in Hong Kong in the 21st century to China in the 20th century, and even the earlier parts

of the 20th century, was a very disorienting and strange experience, and suggests some curious things about change over time,” Wasserstrom said.

Wasserstrom read a few passages from his publications about deja vu, doppelgängers and twined experiences that occurred to him in various of his visits to Asia.

“There were different ways in which different protesters borrow selectively from things going around the world. That is another thing that gave me Shanghai flashbacks,” Wasserstrom said.

He accompanied the lecture with various photographic examples of the pacifist occupation of the business district in order to clarify misconceptions about the political state of Hong Kong. The protesters in China, are young, intellectual people who know they have the obligation to get involved in politics. He described the students’ efforts to keep up with schoolwork while trying to get involved in politics; they moved desks to the city center and created silent areas to study and show that protesting was a part of everyday life.

“Students were seen in Hong Kong the way they were seen in Shanghai decades before: As the flower of the nation, the flower of the community, the people who should have say in how a place was govern,” Wasserstrom said, “Unlike in America, where we tend to say, ‘What are students doing here involved in politics?,’ in China they tend to say students are young intellectuals [who] are to be protected for the future of the nation,” In fact, Wasserstrom ended his presentation with the latest news about Joshua Wong’s release on bail on Oct. 24 — two days before Wasserstrom’s lecture. Wong is a 21-year-old pro-democracy activist and the face of the Umbrella Movement, a sit-in street protest that occurred in 2014, who got arrested in August of 2017.

Following the lecture, Wasserstrom addressed questions from the audience. In response to a student’s question about the influence of politics in Chinese culture, Wasserstrom talked about the space that political struggles take up in everyday life in Asian countries.

“The blind spot could be that we assume that the events of a moment define it,” Wasserstrom said. “With authoritarian states it’s important to figure out a way to keep reminding yourself that it’s not just a political story.”

Wasserstrom quoted The New Yorker’s China correspondent in 2000, Peter Hessler, who stated he was dissatisfied with the way United Stated was portraying China in their media. “ ‘[The media] was so focused on economic issues, so focused on politics. People didn’t realize just how much laughter you hear in China, so I decided I had to write funnier stuff’,” Wasserstrom repeated from one of Hessler’s lectures.

Trinity students who attended this lecture received a first-hand description of Chinese culture and the current political struggles that have been occurring in Hong Kong.

Wasserstrom presented insightful information not only for history students but also for those simply interested in Asian culture today.

Sequel to “What We Do in the Shadows” confirmed for release

Kevin Spacey accused of several instances of sexual harrasment

Taika Waititi’s follow-up to the vampire mockumentary will be titled “We’re Wolves.”

I’ll leave the subject up to your imagination.

Screen and stage actor Anthony Rapp, as well as several unnamed individuals, have accused Kevin Spacey of severe sexual misconduct.

AE &

Mabuhay celebrates Trinity’s Filipino culture FSA event features food and dance to honor Filipino-American history month at Trinity GEORGIE RIGGS A&E CONTRIBUTOR

Trinity’s Filipino Student Association (FSA) hosted the 12th annual Mabuhay festival last Friday in celebration of FilipinoAmerican History Month. The event honored both traditional and contemporary elements of Filipino-American heritage through dance and food.

“I think it’s important to have these cultural performances in order to bring to light the different backgrounds and traditions that people grew up with,” wrote senior neuroscience major and FSA president Erika Salarda in an email interview. “This show gives people from different backgrounds the opportunity to participate and learn these very cool dances that they may have never been exposed to, and to try foods from a different place that they may not have known existed!”

“For non-Filipino students, Mabuhay gets them engaged with the culture to see how diverse Asia is,” said sophomore psychology major and FSA cultures chair Arielle Matic. “Food is one fun and entertaining way to expose students to Filipino culture while becoming more informed at the same time.”

Served immediately after the dance performances finished, the Filipino dishes caused almost the entire audience to line up, wrapping around Laurie Auditorium’s circular hallway and doubling back into the auditorium.

The dance portion of the event consisted of nine student-choreographed performances

Trinity’s Mabuhay festival showcases not only the riches of Filipino culture, but the diversity of Asia. By showcasing food, traditional dance and modern music, the event aimed to introduce Filipino culture to anybody looking to learn more. photo by STEPHEN SUMRALL-ORSAK

inspired by the wide array of FilipinoAmerican cultures. Some performances even incorporated non-Filipino-American elements, like the dance celebrating Korean pop music. From the traditional “Sayaw Sa Bangko” to Loon-E Crew’s Bruno Mars crowd-pleaser, the dances covered the culture’s roots from precolonization to its present-day, multicultural identity.

“Sayaw Sa Bangko,” or “Bench Dance,” consisted of pairs of dancers on narrow wooden tables gracefully balancing the partner dance with hopping from table to floor. The stakes became higher, literally, as the tables are stacked on top of each other and the dancers performed in a pyramid formation.

“This was the first time in about three years that this performance was shown at Trinity,” Salarda wrote. “We decided to include it in order to balance out the traditional and modern performances.”

For the most part, that balance was apparent throughout the night by the mixture of performances that honored either a traditional element of Filipino culture or modern, multicultural FilipinoAmerican culture. One dance achieved a balance between both the traditional and contemporary identity simultaneously by combining traditional Filipino and modern American music. “Tinikling” usually consists of dancing between long sticks on the floor, which are moved similar to jump ropes.

“I helped choreograph this year’s ‘Tinikling,’ ” Matic said. “In the dance, we’re supposed to symbolize birds dancing between sticks.”

The dance was both enchanting and exciting, its quick pace was complimented with the rhythm of the moving dancers and sticks. However, halfway through this year’s rendition of “Tinikling,” the Filipino folk

music switched to Beyoncé’s “Partition.”

The stick movement became faster and harsher to align with the beats of the song and the crowd, transfixed by the rhythm of the first half, erupted at the sudden switch.

“We wanted to show the audience traditional Filipino culture but give it a modern twist,” said junior neuroscience major and FSA secretary Christina Guo. “It was a hard dance to learn and there were a lot of bruised ankles involved, but we had a great time performing it.”

“Filipino culture, itself, is a mixture of Spanish and indigenous Filipino traditions. Add in Western tradition and cultures from the U.S., and you have a unique culture that is distinctly Filipino-American,” Salarda wrote.

“It both overlaps and is separate from traditional Filipino culture and a purely American culture.”

Khalid, Afrojack and more and perform at Mala Luna HAILEY WILSON GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

What do Future, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and Migos all have in common? All acts headlined the second-annual Mala Luna Music Festival.

From Oct. 27 through 29, some of the hottest names in hip-hop, R&B and EDM took the stage at the Nelson Wolff Municipal Stadium in San Antonio.

I have never been to a music festival, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I wasn’t sure what to wear, what to bring or when to arrive.

Do people wear bandanas over their faces for fashion purposes? How do all of my friends have CamelBaks prepared and ready to go?

After reading several Buzzfeed articles and checking out a few Pinterest boards, I put on my festival best and headed to the stadium.

I expected there to be a ton of traffic, but it was surprisingly easy to get in and out of the venue. After a short wait in the line, I entered the festival grounds.

This year’s festival was substantially bigger than last year’s. After crowds of 30,000 flocked

to see G-Eazy and Travis Scott in 2016, Mala Luna’s organizers decided to expand the venue this year by having two separate stages. Shows alternated back-and-forth on each stage, allowing fans to pick and choose which acts they wanted to see and which acts they wanted to stake out for. Over 20 food vendors were serving delicious San Antonio

favorites while local artists sold festival goods and merchandise.

Saturday performances began with smaller independent artists like Isabella Rodriguez, Kurt Rockmore, Intre and Bamsworth Belli.

Performances continued to heat up with appearances from J.I.D. and Ugly God. The crowd grew substantially for Ugly God, a rapper from

House artist AFROJACK performs alongside a visual display. As one of San Antonio’s original music festivals, Mala Luna drew in many talented performers this year. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

Houston. Loyal fans ‘threw up the H’ and chanted lyrics to his debut mixtape “The Booty Tape.”

As the sun began to set, fans flocked festival grounds to hear DJ Carnage, a rapper and EDM artist. Carnage hypnotized the crowd with huge bass drops, mesmerizing strobe lights and confetti cannons. Wiz Khalifa then brought me back to middle school with performances of “Young, Wild, & Free,” “Black & Yellow” and “Work Hard, Play Hard.”

Although he was late, Lil Wayne capped off the night with some of his biggest hits, rounding out a fantastic first day.

Sunday’s lineup was similar to Saturday’s, in that artists grew in popularity set by set. Artists such as Rayne, Xavier Omar, Trae Tha Truth and Maxo Kream, another Houston native, warmed up fans during the afternoon. EDM artist Afrojack and Khalid collected huge crowds, and in my opinion, put on the best sets of the entire festival. Afrojack lit up the stage with stellar graphics, while Khalid delivered a remarkable performance of some of his biggest hits. The crowds grew to capacity for the final two performances of the night — Migos and Future. I’ll admit, hearing “Bad and Boujee” live was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I haven’t been that hyped up in years. continued on PAGE 16

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Trinity soloists compete for Vocal Excellence Award The competition in is two rounds, the first of which occurred on Oct. 25.

Five finalists were selected from eight ABIGAIL WHARTON competitors by music faculty for the final A&E CONTRIBUTOR performance round.

“Every judge has a different set of criteria in mind when they judge, but for the most part we are looking for the total This year marks the 10th anniversary package,” said assistant professor of music of the Rosalind Franklin Vocal Excellence Jacquelyn Matava. “The singers should Award Competition. Juniors and seniors sing with good vocal technique — good studying applied vocal instruction at breath management, pretty tone, dynamic Trinity are eligible to sing for scholarship contrast and also [they] should present their pieces well, … communicate the text money and a performance opportunity.

Professor Emerita Rosalind Phillips and help us understand the translation joined Trinity’s faculty in 1961 and if it’s in a foreign language and use poured out almost three decades of facial expression to show the emotions. passionate voice teaching into Trinity Additionally, we want to see contrast music programming until her retirement between the three pieces.”

However, the finalists will see some in 1989. The award was established in her unfamiliar faces in the second round, as honor. The first-place singer is awarded an entirely new panel of judges will be an $800 scholarship and the opportunity formed using figures outside of Trinity’s to perform with the Trinity Symphony music community.

Orchestra in the spring. The first runner“This competition has been in place for up receives a $300 scholarship. a while, so it runs smoothly, but probably Phillips passed away in 2009 but the hardest part of it is the judging,” she left behind a legacy of enthusiasm Matava said.

“Everyone has a unique voice that reaches beyond vocal technique. and different strengths and weaknesses, so Phillips helped young singers become it is always hard to rank the competitors. well-rounded people in the pursuit of That is why we always have guest judges perfecting their craft. Her standards of for the finals, judges who don’t know any excellence and hard work are reflected in of the singers and are therefore judging the audition requirements. completely objectively.”

For the competition singers prepare Vocal finalists this year include Shane three pieces: an aria, an art song and a Bono, Emma Lucero, Hannah Susman, song of personal choice. An aria is a long Kendall Walshak and Hui Ting Wu. song typically in opera or oratorio style.

They will compete in the final round on Art songs are built for recitals and often Nov. 5 for the scholarship, as well as the act as a sort of musical setting for poems or opportunity to perform additional solo text. At least one piece must be in English piece for the judges.

and another must be in a foreign language.

Tenor soloist SHANE BONO, accompanied by pianist SETH NELSON, competing in the Rosalind Phillips Vocal Excellence competition. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

The San Antonio 2017 Mala Luna Music Festival continued from PAGE 15

After doing some research about the planning of the festival, I learned that a portion of the Mala Luna ticket sales are given back to the San Antonio community via the Network for Young Artists (NYA).

NYA is a local non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing affordable lessons for voice, percussion, guitar and more for

San Antonio’s youth. I have never heard of a music festival doing something like this, and Mala Luna’s effort at giving back to the community is something that should be recognized and applauded.

Mark your calendars for October 2018.

Mala Luna spokesperson Trey Hicks has already confirmed that the festival will be back once again, and I’m sure the headliners will continue to be bigger and better each year.

KHALID takes the stage during Mala Luna Music Festival. For a relatively new festival event, Mala Luna has been incredibly successful, and will return in 2018. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Distinguished organist performs on Campus Musician Jean-Baptiste Robin plays a concert for the Trinity’s Parker Chapel Recital series AUSTIN DAVIDSON A&E CONTRIBUTOR

It was a cool 65 degrees fahrenheit as I entered the Parker Chapel. The aisles next to me were sparsely filled with people of all ages, and a couple of younger kids squirmed in their seats as their parents settled in for the performance. I truly had no idea what to expect from the most recent guest of the Parker Chapel Recital Series, Jean-Baptiste Robin, a highly distinguished French organist.

Robin’s accomplishments include a 2010 appointment as organist at the Royal Chapel at the Palace of Versailles, appointment as professor of organ at the Conservatory of Versailles, an artist-in-residence at Yale University. He is renowned worldwide for his playing and composition, with 40 solo compositions to his name.

After reading this information in the program given to me as I entered, I anxiously waited to hear this world-renowned musician. After a brief introduction, Robin took his seat at the organ. He paused, adjusting the knobs and levers on the massive piano-esque device, and then began to play.

This was the first time I had ever attended an organ concert and was the first time to my knowledge I had ever heard an organ, so the initial few notes were quite shocking.

The sound of the instrument engulfed the entire room, as if a massive gale had erupted from the center of the church. Each note rang in my ears and seemed to inhabit and pass right through. It was undoubtedly the

Your opinion is worth more than 140 characters.

Organist JEAN-BAPTISTE ROBIN performs at Trinity. A notably strong solo-instrument, the organ concert was a unique experience to be had on campus. photos by CHLOE SONNIER

most powerful mixture of sounds I have ever heard.

Robin’s first three pieces were from more well-known composers. After his beginning set he then played another three pieces and explained to us afterward that they were reconstituted piano pieces from the wellknown composer Frédéric Chopin. They each contributed to a massive change in tone from his first pieces, less dominating in their volume and softer, much more like a piano. The music seemed to flow through the aisles, slowly drifting to each of the viewers. These were my favorite parts of the recital, which lasted rather longer than expected at an hour and 50 minutes.

These rewritten pieces came and went and then Robin moved on to play the audience a tune from a very well-known movie, Disney’s animated classic “Beauty and the Beast.” He talked at length about the piece’s heavy influence on the classic film and then that soundtrack’s heavy influence on Disney films for years to come.

While I remember the original “Beauty and the Beast” piece being a tad softer and not as powerful as his rendition, the likeness was noticeable.

While the night was enjoyable, one aspect that was disheartening was the lack of Trinity students present at the recital. Now, while organ music isn’t as easy to enjoy as maybe jazz or choir, it is no less important. Robin is a worldfamous organist, on the same level with Yo-Yo Ma and Maynard Ferguson in terms of achievement and progression in their respective crafts. And while Trinity students do lead busy lives and do need their time to relax, I can imagine no better place to do so than in the beautiful aisles of the Parker Chapel, listening to a world-class musician display his mastery of a very complex instrument. An appreciation of the arts and performances shouldn’t go without regard, and it could lead to a better appreciation for what this school has to offer.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 •

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Trinity Review hosts Halloween-themed Open Mic BOBBY WATSON NEWS INTERN

On this past Monday, in the Tigers’ Den, the Trinity Review held its annual Open Mic, an all-in-one scary story contest and a costume contest — both of which were voted on by the audience. The event was made to celebrate horror and gothic literature on Trinity’s campus, and to contribute to the Halloween spirit.

The Trinity Review is Trinity’s literary magazine dedicated to collecting and celebrating literature, poetry and all other forms of literature on campus. At the event, different speakers presented their original horror stories, dressed as characters such as Jack the Ripper and provocative bunnies.

“The purpose of [the Open Mic] is to get people excited and for them to have an outlet for creative prospects. This is one of our bigger open mics, we’re really excited, and we’ve been preparing for a while for this,” said Alex Motter, sophomore and coeditor of the Trinity Review. “This year we changed the structure for events, so instead of having the whole staff work together on every event, so we have event teams that work on each event.”

This year’s annual Open Mic was run by sophomores Kerry Madden, Abby Torres and Rachel Lawson and first-year Aiden Windorf. The team provided an array of Halloween-themed treats and ominous lighting centered around a corner against the wall being used as a stage.

“This year’s [Open Mic] was a matter of how we were going to keep tradition alive, but also make sure that it’s improving and updating for this year in particular,” Madden said.

The night started off with the costume contest. Participants included a puppeteer and puppet, Jack the Ripper and a classic black-hatted witch. Shane Bono, senior, and Holly Gabelmann, junior, teamed up

Sophomore ALEX MOTTER performs during the Trinity Review’s Halloween Open Mic night. The event’s spooky decor were matched by macabre poems and stories. photo provided by ALEX MOTTER

to dress as a puppeteer and their puppet; were considered the most horrifying and won a $10 Starbucks gift card.

After the costume contest, the horror story contest began. Junior Carl Teegerstrom, started off with a story

within a story, in which the narrator discovers a scratched up diary recounting the experience of a child who upon being kidnapped with her mother, sees her mother transform into a werewolf to kill their attackers.

Following Teegerstrom was Motter, who wrote an original piece detailing the experience of a deranged woman who believed the appointment reminders she was receiving from her dentist were actually warnings from a satanic cult that she would be their next victim.

“I don’t even know where I came up with it. I wrote the whole story in my programming class, like during class, so it was very bizarre, and it kept getting more bizarre as I wrote it. I kinda sat back, and I was like, ‘This is really good,’ ” Motter said.

The third storyteller of the night was Noelle Barrera, a first-year who participated in the event. (Barrera is a Trinitonian intern enrolled in the COMM 1110 course.)

“I just wrote it an hour ago. I asked my roommate for a prompt, and she said like, ‘What if a room was filled with bears?’ So that’s what I wrote about,” Barrera said.

Barrera’s story did not disappoint; it told of a confused narrator who forgot she signed up to be on reality TV with bears.

“I feel like there are a lot of interesting things about [Halloween], like how it has changed over the centuries,” Barrera said.

The last contestee for the night was sophomore Nihil Patel. Patel took a different approach and wrote a historical fiction about a German soldier fighting in the Battle of Stalingrad.

“I figured, you know, what better thing to write about for a scary story than one of the bloodiest battles in human history?”

Patel said.

Despite the horror and creativity of the other stories, Alex Motter’s terrifying story of the impending dentist’s appointment, and the harm it can do to one’s mental health, left the audience shaking with both fear and laughter. Motter received a $25 Starbucks gift card.

Barrera was runner-up, and in third place was Teegerstrom.

All participants in the Halloweenthemed Open Mic brought the spooky spirit to life whether it was with their outfits or their words, making for quite a horrifying night.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Jennifer Ling Datchuk opens Neidorff Art Gallery show ABIGAIL WHARTON A&E CONTRIBUTOR

Jennifer Ling Datchuk is an artist at the top of her game. Specializing in ceramics, she also utilizes photography and mixed media installations. As a child of a Chinese immigrant and the grandchild of Russian and Irish immigrants, Datchuk consistently speaks on themes of gender, womanhood and biracial identity.

Datchuk has been named a 2017 American Craft Council Emerging Artist as well as a Blue Star Contemporary Berlin Resident and a Black Cube Nomadic Museum Artist Fellow. She is also the mind and hands behind the Porcelain Power Factory, a ceramic initiative that reclaims racist and sexist imagery and raises money for Planned Parenthood.

On Oct. 26, Datchuk opened an exhibition in Trinity’s Neidorff Art Gallery called “Girl You Can.” Ceramic sculpture, video installation, neon lights, blue synthetic hair, photography and textile all share the same space. Datchuk reaches deep into her own experiences and feelings of being a half-Asian woman to start conversation, finding strength through vulnerability.

“I think that ‘vulnerability’ is such a beautiful word because I think it suggests that you are open already, open enough to allow your feelings to be shown on the surface level,” Datchuk said. “I think we live in a world that has us judging everyone on face value. That also, to me, feels important to show.”

In the search for authenticity, it seems we have to meet the world half way and to let our feelings and ideas be easily accessed.

The body of work produced by Datchuk primarily seeks an experience with the viewer, where people can relate to her and allow her to relate back to them.

Datchuk, who is biracial herself, emphasizes a feeling of otherness and of being an imposter to both sides of her identity. Conversations about identity with the people around us can elicit anything from genuine curiosity to vicious argumentation, or even intense levels of understanding in regards to how other people live and feel.

“I have to speak the truths in which I live,” Datchuk said.

Datchuk’s work deals with themes of empowerment and acceptance of the Asian female identity. Through her work, she hopes to diversify not only the artistic community, but the various mediums in which art pieces are presented. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

Datchuk received a classical craft education, focusing primarily in clay work and eventually porcelain, feeling an intimate connection between the material and her Chinese heritage. In the 10 years of art making that have come to pass since graduation, she has incorporated technology and textiles into her work.

“I started thinking about ways information was disseminated. Photography for me was something I started looking into, and of how women were depicted in media,” Datchuk said.

In “Girl You Can,” Datchuk photographs hands wearing ceramic knuckle plates emblazoned with dollar signs and the phrase ‘basic bitch.’ She also films herself painting her face while broken ceramic pieces are simultaneously being washed and manipulated in opaque water. This does not

remove ceramics from the work entirely, but creates an additional narrative by showing us an image with ceramics in it.

“I’m once-removing itself from its original state. Which I feel like, as someone who is ‘half,’ I’m always once removed from being acceptable in a culture or ethnicity,” Datchuk said.

She also attributes this diversification of media in her work with building a solid community around herself populated with other artists from which she learns, works with and talks to.

“There’s this stereotype of an artist working alone in their studio. I don’t know where that comes from, I think movies have not done a great job of it, and writing, the way a starving artist is depicted. So much of my work is about working with other people and listening to their stories.”

JENNIFER LING DATCHUK discussing her artwork with the attendees of her show. Datchuk’s artworks made use of video, photography and more in order to capture the emphasis on identity and community. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

An active community that encourages exchange is a powerhouse for both communication and education. Datchuk found this to be especially true when confronted with an exhausting election cycle that seemed to leave women and minorities high and dry. Some advice from a close family friend reminded her of that power.

“He said, ‘I feel like you’re trying to make art change the whole world, but take a step back and ask how are you changing your community?’ And that like blew my mind,” Datchuk said. “I really realized I could make an impact by teaching here and also showing here and working with artists here.”

In addition to producing her own work, Datchuk is a professor at the Southwest School of Art. Issues of race and gender weave themselves into this part of her career as well.

“I came to teaching because I didn’t see many schools where professors looked like me. And I think what drove me to teach was being able to provide a voice for students,” Datchuk said.

Going into the arts with a minority identity, according to Datchuk, can be extremely difficult. Many people will have expectations about what work should look like and what it should represent.

“I want to work with students like that, to find their personal voice and to hone their narrative. To work from something that seems very private and to make it public and to find out what things from those experiences become universal. And I think that’s truly the power of art,” Datchuk said.

Datchuk encourages all of her students to work hard and to dig into their communities so that they don’t shy away from what they really want to be saying with their art.

These hopes for young artists are also applied to the viewers of Datchuk’s work, particularly for viewers of “Girl You Can.” “I hope people start asking questions and thinking about how they curate their sense of identity,” Datchuk said.

The exhibition will be on view at Trinity’s Neidorff Art Gallery through Dec. 9, 1-5 p.m. each day.

Sports

LET THE GAMES BEGIN: • Volleyball @ SCAC Championships in Kerrville, Nov. 3 • Football vs. Austin College, Nov. 4, 6 p.m.

• Swimming and Diving vs. University of Texas-Permian Basin, Nov. 4, 6 p.m.

Astros win first World Series

Trinity students react to the Houston team’s unprecedented success and what it means to the city ELISE HESTER

SPORTS REPORTER A city once in ruin, submerged in the floodwaters of a hurricane, emerged to earn a historic World Series championship. Rewind to Aug. 31, 2017, when at noon, 34-year-old Justin Verlander signed with the Houston Astros. At 12:01 p.m. of the same day, 37 people were confirmed dead in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

Tragedy often seems to motivate athletes. The Saints won the Super Bowl following Katrina, and the Red Sox won the World Series following the Boston Marathon Bombing. The Astros certainly rushed forth with the fierceness of floodwaters following Harvey. With Verlander in their pen, the team finally had defensive prowess to go along with their No. 1 offense. The Astros advanced to the World Series after a hardfought battle against the New York Yankees. Houston bats struggled in the Bronx, while the Astros bullpen struggled everywhere.

“If we’re not throwing Keuchel or Verlander or — you know, Charlie Morton had a good game — but if we’re not throwing those guys and we have to go to our bullpen or we have to go to our bullpen a second time, it’s usually pretty bad,” said junior Matthew Colliflower, a longtime Astros fan.

Going into the World Series, Houstonians — including many Trinity students — hoped to, as the marketing slogan says, “Earn History.”

“We just don’t want a repeat of 2005,” said sophomore Houstonian Will Insull, referencing Houston’s only other World Series appearance, in which the Astros were swept by the Chicago White Sox. “[The Dodgers] can take advantage of their bullpen ‘cause they kind of struggle there on the backend,” said Johnny Kasis, a senior and Los Angeles native.

In Game 1, Astro hitters faced Dodger Ace Clayton Kershaw, who presented a formidable challenge. “[Kershaw] is the best pitcher out there,” said sophomore Houstonian Miles Fuqua, “It’s a little scary.”

In Game 1, the Dodgers’ southpaw took the 3-1 win, giving up only three hits.

A Bregman RBI started Game 2 with a 1-0 Astros lead. T-Mobile pledged to give $30,000 to hurricane recovery for every home run scored in this World Series. Game 2, which started with a Bregman RBI, saw homers from the Dodgers’ Joc Pederson and shortstop Corey Seager, and the Astros’ Marwin Gonzalez’s homer drove the 3-3 game into extra innings. The 10th inning saw homers from José Altuve and Carlos Correa.

Houston lead 5-3; LA right fielder Yasiel Puig homered. LA’s Enrique Hernández sent the game into the 11th inning. A two-run homer from centerfielder George Springer gave

TOP: From left to right, COLTON HAWKINS, OLIVE PERTUIT, HARRY BELLOW, and WILLIAM BUTLER celebrate.

BOTTOM: Sophomore AMANDA GERLACH holds the hands of her friends in hopes of Houston’s success. photos by AMANI CANADA

Houston a 7-5 lead, after which LA’s Charlie Culberson scored the last home run of the night before the Astros won their first World Series game in franchise history.

In Game 3, the Astros put up a four-run second inning beginning with first baseman Yuri Gurriel’s homer. The score rose to 5-1 in the fifth with Evan Gattis’s RBI single.

Down by 4, the Dodgers managed to make the sixth inning crooked with two runs, but with a score of 5-3, the Astros went into Game 4 with a 2-1 advantage. In Game 4, the Astros got on the board in the bottom of

the sixth inning thanks to a Springer dinger. The Dodgers answered in the top of the seventh inning as Logan Forsythe singled on a sharp line drive scoring first baseman Cody Bellinger.

With a tied game in the ninth inning, the Dodgers gained five runs from catcher Austin Barnes, Pederson, and Bellinger — the last of which was a three-run homer. Despite Bregman following up with a one-run homer, the Dodgers evened the series with a 6-2 game.

In the fourth inning, with a score of 4-0, the Astros were left in the dust.

In the bottom of the fourth, however,

a Correa double and a three-run homer from Gurriel tied the game 4-4. In the next inning, LA first baseman Cody Bellinger scored his own three-run homer; LA lead 7-4. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Altuve scored yet another three-run homer, tying the game at 7-7. Bellinger tripled, and the Dodgers gained a 7-8 lead. In the seventh inning, a onerun homer from Springer tied the game. A double from Altuve broke the tie. Correa homered, giving the Astros an 8-11 lead, and the Astros led 9-12 going into the ninth inning.

A home run from the Dodgers’ Yasiel

Puig shrunk the Astros’ lead to 1.

With an 11-12 score, a Chris Taylor RBI single brought the game to 1212, the fourth tie of the night, which remained at the bottom of the 10th inning. After Alex Bregman hit a walk-off single, the Astros won the five-hour long Game 5 with a score of 12-13. The seven-homer game gave Houston a 3-2 series lead heading into Game 6.

“It was the best baseball game I’ve ever watched,” said sophomore Astros fan Amanda Gerlach.

The series moved to LA for Game 6. Despite scoring in the top of the third with a one-run homer from Springer, the Astros failed to score again. Bottom of the sixth saw Taylor and Seager allow Barnes and Chase Utley runs, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 lead sending the series into Game 7.

“It’s gonna be better than a sweep,” Insull said, “At least a six or seven game series.”

The Astros started Game 7 strong in the first inning with Springer scoring off an error. Bregman scored off an Altuve RBI groundout and the score was brought to 2-0. In the second inning, an RBI from McCullers — the first World Series RBI from an American League pitcher since 2009 — furthered the Astros lead 3-0.

With Springer homering in his fourth straight game, the eventual MVP increased the lead to 5-0. In the sixth inning, Ethier got the Dodgers on the board, trailing the Astros 5-1.

Closer Charlie Morton took the win, which gave Houston their first ever World Series.

Throughout playoffs, the team wore “Houston Strong” patches on their uniforms. In their clubhouse hangs a photograph of a car submerged underwater. Houston is still healing from one of the worst hurricanes in history.

On Aug. 31, when Houston had lost everything, baseball was the last thing on anybody’s mind, but it was that day, on Aug. 31, that the Astros gained Verlander and in many ways the tides turned for the team on that day.

The Astros’ lineup of talented hitters now had an ace to drive them to the highest level of competition.

One month later, the acquisition of Verlander paid off and on Nov. 1, the team won their first World Series in franchise history.

“I don’t even know what to say,” said junior Houstonian Alison Farb, on the phone with her mother after the Astros’ victory. “My mom’s about to cry.”

The Houston Astros, once lovable losers, are now crowned the greatest in the league.

The city of Houston, after months of destruction and pain, stands strong as champions.

“We conquered the hurricane and we conquered the Dodgers,” Farb said.

SPORTS • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Tigers gear up for conference championships

Cross-country men and women take the win; volleyball and soccer to compete this weekend HAILEY WILSON

on Nov. 3. Stay tuned next week for our recap of the volleyball SCAC Championship.

SPORTS REPORTER As fall sports seasons start to come to a close, Trinity’s teams are gearing up for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) championships. This year, Trinity University will not be hosting any of the conference championships. Each team will travel to a different school in the SCAC to compete for a title. Check out a recap of each team as they prepare for their tournaments in the upcoming weeks.

Soccer

Cross-Country

The Tiger cross-country teams swept the competition in Seguin this past weekend, winning both the men’s and women’s SCAC championships. This was the women’s first SCAC championship since 2013. Four women finished in the top five at the meet, with a total of 21 points. Laura Taylor, a sophomore biology major, won the women’s race with a time of 21:22.13.

Taylor set the new SCAC record time.

The men snagged their second title in the last three years. Michael Erickson, a senior engineering major, finished in second place with a time of 25:19.45.

“Michael has really been able to pull it together this season, and it’s so perfect with it being his senior year,” said head cross-country coach Emily Daum.

This is the first time in Daum’s career that she was able to capture victories on both the men’s and women’s sides.

“It was definitely a team effort and I couldn’t be more proud of both teams,” Daum said.

The Tigers will continue their post-season races next weekend in their regionals race in Newport News, Virginia.

Junior AUSTIN MICHAELIS pushes forward against Austin College. photo by ALLISON WOLFF

Volleyball With an 11-3 record in conference, the women’s volleyball team is heading into the SCAC championship as the No. 2 seed. This year, the tournament will be held in Kerrville.

In 2016, the Tigers took home the SCAC championship with a victory over Southwestern University. The Tigers have a first round bye, so they will automatically advance to play the winner of Southwestern and Centenary at 6 p.m.

Sidewalk Symposium How would you describe the World Series in a few words?

“Exciting, evenly matched, long.”

— Victoria Brown, sophomore

“F—k the Dodgers.”

— Tucker Norris, sophomore

“Never before seen.”

— Ivan Silverio, senior

The men’s soccer team is headed to the University of Dallas on Nov. 3 for their SCAC championship. With a 12-1 record in conference, the Tigers have clinched the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Tigers are looking to capture their 16th consecutive SCAC championship and NCAA playoff appearance.

Although the bracket for the championships has not been released yet, the team is looking forward to the tournament.

“We have been doing everything we can to prepare for the tournament,” said sophomore goalkeeper Blake Lieberman. “Soccer is a very unforgiving game and one moment can decide the outcome of the tournament.”

The women’s soccer team will be competing for the SCAC championship in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Tigers have taken the No. 1 seed in the tournament after posting a dominant 11-0 record in conference. The brackets have not been released, but the Tigers are coming into the tournament hot off a 14-game winning streak.

“Our mentality going into the SCAC tournament is the same as it’s been, just with more on the line,” said senior midfielder Julia Kelly. “To us, losing is unacceptable, and now if we lose our season is done. We are just going to take it game by game.”

Their first matchup will be on Friday, Nov. 3.

For now, the Tigers are working on consistently taking advantage of scoring opportunities.

“We have become very good at creating chances to score, and now we must finish each chance and execute on each play,” Kelly said.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 •

ADVERTISEMENTS

HOPE Hall members are colleccng donaaons to the Trinity University United Way campaign.

United Way has become synonymous with caring and helping children, families, and individuals.

Your gii ensures that help is there when it’s needed the most. You can donate cash or Tiger Bucks at the HOPE Hall tables in Coates University Center on Nov. 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and on Nov. 7 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

President Anderson will match all student donaaons, dollar for dollar!

SPORTS • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM DISCRIMINATION AGAINST

Asian-Americans

“Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders frequently underreport hate incidents because they feel intimidated by law enforcement or are afraid of being seen as overly sensitive.”

NPR: “First-Ever Tracker Of Hate Crimes Against Asian-Americans Launched”

Statistics

230*

reported hate crimes against Asian-Americans in 2015

*3.2% of reported hate crimes Source: FBI 2015 Hate Crime Statistics

Solutions Stand Against Hatred launched in 2017 by

Asian Americans Advancing Justice “This website is made available by [AAJC] to document hate and to educate about the environment of hate around the country.”

Source: Stand Against Hatred standagainsthatred.org graphic by TYLER HERRON

Trinity students respond to Yuri Gurriel’s racist gesture Astros player was not suspended for the World Series ELISE HESTER

SPORTS REPORTER On the mound is Yu Darvish, the 31-yearold son of an Iranian father and Japanese mother who came to the Los Angeles Dodgers by way of his native Japan after a stint with the Texas Rangers. At bat is Houston Astros first baseman Yuri Gurriel, a 33-year-old signed with Houston after defecting from Cuba in 2016. On the fourth pitch, with a 2-1 count, Gurriel swings at Darvish’s 94.5 mph two-seam fastball and starts what would become a fourrun crooked inning with a single-run homer.

It was Game 3 of the 2017 World Series in Houston. The score was 0-10, but these details are not important.

“It was very childish on Gurriel’s part to do such a classless act.”

FRANK MINAMINO JUNIOR PITCHER

This is not about the home run. It’s about what happened after.

Back in the dugout, the hitter mocked the Japanese pitcher, making a slanty eye gesture and saying “chinito,” a Spanish slur that translates to “little Chinese.”

A video captured on an international MLB feed soon went viral, followed by the usual apologies and discussion.

“I was not surprised by Yuri Gurriel’s gesture. People have done it to me in the past year,” said sophomore business administration and technology major Alex Motter. “The word accompanying is problematic, considering the history between Japan and China.”

Frank Minamino, junior business administration major and pitcher for Trinity’s baseball team, holds a slightly different perspective. As second-generation Japanese-American, Minamino says he has experienced similar actions.

“I’ve had many instances like this and I personally think it’s hilarious. I know it’s nothing too serious in the first place so I see it as a joke, unless it’s someone I don’t have respect for,” Minamino said.

While Minamino sees the gesture as humorous in certain circumstances, the Trinity University pitcher still disapproved of Gurriel’s actions.

“It was very childish on Gurriel’s part to do such a classless act. I don’t think there was any need for the gesture considering Yu Darvish made no negative comments or gestures towards the Astros,” Minamino said. “I lost respect for

Gurriel because it didn’t really make sense, there are better situations to make such a gesture but it was too childish and unnecessary for me.”

Motter, president-elect of Trinity’s Vietnamese Student Association, explains the odd state of Asian-American discrimination.

“One of the most bizarre things about discrimination against Asian-Americans is how blatant it is,” Motter said. “Someone in Dallas screamed ‘f—ing chink’ at me in a gas station.

Even at Trinity, someone told me ‘Asian people’s eyes are so slanty that they can use dental floss as sunglasses,’ and expected me to laugh.”

While Minamino may laugh off the gesture when made by friends, the Virginia native sees race-based humor as weak.

“If there is nothing else they can say about me but racial gestures, I find it weak on their part,” Minamino said. “I think we can all agree that we would like to hear or see something funnier than that.”

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred handed down a six-game suspension to the Gurriel.

The suspension, which will take place during the 2018 regular season, did not affect the World Series, which was seen by some as too lenient.

“It’s better than nothing. In an ideal world, having more serious punishments for actions such as these would be much more suitable.

However, we are currently not there,” Motter said. “There have been many cases where people have done this and not faced repercussions, so some punishment is at least a step in recognizing a problem is happening.”

In a tweet, Darvish forgave Gurriel and urged fans to “stay positive and move forward instead of focusing on anger.”

“I agree. Being angry accomplishes nothing, but working towards improvement can make measurable change. If we want to make things better, we need to look to the future and figure out what needs to be done to make what we want to see in the world possible,” Motter said.

The talented Gurriel will likely remain in professional baseball for sometime, during which he will have the opportunity to grow and mature.

“I’ve lost a lot of respect for [Gurriel], but if I stopped speaking with everyone who is racist or offensive, I would be cutting a lot of people out of my life,” Motter said. “As a biracial person, I’ve had to face racism from within my own family, so if I can find it in me to forgive them, I can do it if effort is put in to authentically atone for the racist gesture and phrasing.”

The infielder, who has already spoken with the commissioner, must undergo mandated sensitivity training in addition to his suspension.

“Hopefully he learns his lesson and lives up to being a mature baseball player,” Minamino said.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • NOVEMBER 03, 2017 •

SPORTS

Men’s basketball begins practice for winter season The team is shooting for a SCAC championship this year; first home game will be Nov. 15 HAILEY WILSON

SPORTS REPORTER The men’s basketball team is back in action. They recently started practicing again on Sunday, Oct. 15 in preparation for the 2017-2018 season.

The Tigers will open up their season on Monday, Nov. 13 with an exhibition game at the University of the Incarnate Word.

Last year, the Tigers completed the season with a 12-14 record overall and a 7-7 record in conference. They finished fifth in the regular season Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) standings.

The Tigers’ season came to an end in the SCAC quarterfinals with a 71-65 loss to Southwestern University.

Despite not taking home the SCAC championship, the Tigers had an exhilarating season. They defeated the University of Dallas in double overtime with a buzzer-beating three-pointer from sophomore Brooks Mays, received a National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Academic Excellence Award; three players earned all-SCAC accolades.

The Tigers have 12 returning members who are looking forward to getting back out on the court. Sophomore Danny Rivara led the Tigers in scoring last year, averaging 13.5 points per game.

Senior guard Matt Jones followed, averaging 11.7 points per game. Rivara also led the Tigers in rebounds, averaging 7.4 rebounds per game.

The team has been working hard all semester long to prepare for the season.

“Everyone on this team has really taken full advantage of this previous off-season,” said junior guard Taylor Kim.

Senior BRIAN BLUM reaches for the basket makes a layup at practice. photo by ALLISON WOLFF

“I believe everyone has come back stronger and fine-tuned their game.”

This season, the Tigers are focusing on strengthening a few key points of their game, but one of the team’s top priorities is getting in good shape.

“As a whole, we’ve really focused on our conditioning to become a team that can wear down the opposing team on offense and

defense,” said Matthew Colliflower, a junior forward on the team.

“Getting in good shape will allow us to be more ready for the season and will allow us to pay better as a unit,” said Kevin Owens, a junior center.

The Tigers are adding several new firstyear players this season. The first-years are providing more competition for the team

during practice, but one of their greatest strengths is their ability to shoot the ball.

“The first-year class poses a great threat from the three point line,” Colliflower said.

Adding players that can shoot from along the perimeter will give the Tigers a competitive edge they haven’t had in the past.

“We will really be able to stretch the floor and put some more points on the board,” Kim said.

On a more personal level, Kim used the offseason to work on shooting and ball handling.

Although conference play does not begin for a while, the Tigers are using preconference games to develop the team as much as possible. Once conference games roll around, the team will be ready to take down their SCAC opponents.

“I’m most looking forward to competing for a SCAC championship,” Colliflower said.

Although the date is undecided, the Tigers typically kick off their season with ‘Midnight Madness.’ Players from both the men’s and women’s teams have a three-point shootout, followed by a dunk competition for the men’s team.

The Tigers will open up their season at home on Nov. 15 with a 7 p.m. matchup against the University of Texas at Dallas.

Conference play does not begin until Jan. 5, with a Friday night home matchup against the University of Dallas. Come out and support your Tigers after the New Year!

“I’m looking forward to getting out on that court and making this school, especially Danny Anderson, proud,” Kim said. “I believe we will come back much better than last year, and really bust some necks in conference.”

Give where it matters to you!

We know there are parts of your Trinity experience that you hold close to your heart.

Join the Trinity community in the 24 Hour Challenge, a day of giving. From 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. CST, come together with other Tigers to lift up the areas of Trinity that you’re passionate about. If Tigers make 1,500 gifts in this 24-hour period, the University will also receive $85,000 from anonymous donors for scholarships and financial aid.

If students make 200 gifts by 3:33 p.m., Coach Jerheme Urban, Coach Paul McGinlay, and Professor Jacob Tingle will perform an epic lip sync show during Super Nacho Hour on Wednesday, Nov. 8.

Accept the Challenge at 24hr.trinity.edu