01.19.2018

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Trinitonian Serving Trinity University Since 1902

Volume 115 Issue 15

page 11 JANUARY 19, 2018

TU celebrates MLK Remembering Robert Annual event series features lecture, march

Campus, family grieve loss of Trinity student

Trinity students, faculty and staff joined thousands in the San Antonio MLK March, the largest in the nation. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

Friends described ROBERT FOYE as friendly, bubbly and competitive. Services for Foye will be held Jan. 18, 19 and 20. photo provided by HEATHER MONTOYA

KENDRA DERRIG | NEWS REPORTER kderrig@trinity.edu Trinity University’s annual week of events commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. kicked off with a lecture from Kathleen Cleaver, activist, former Black Panther and professor of law at Emory University, and continued throughout the weekend, culminating in over 100 students, faculty and staff joining the San Antonio community for the MLK March on the East Side.

Cleaver’s lecture on Jan. 11 focused on the importance of continuing the activism that her generation pioneered through the Civil Rights Movement. She encouraged students to use their youth and energy to take over the fight for freedom.

In an interview with the Trinitonian, Cleaver spoke of how important universities are in making change.

“Universities allow people to have opportunity

— without necessarily being absorbed by family and work and other kind of practical responsibilities — to think and to learn and to formulate what it is they want to be,” Cleaver said. “They’re also a site where people can break up ideas that are controversial, where people can talk about what it is that they want to do and what they can change.”

Cleaver also expressed doubts about the current political moment.

“This is a post-Obama time. People in my generation didn’t expect to see a black man being elected president, certainly not one with an African name. The fact that a black family was in the White House was extraordinary, and hopefully that signals that there is a cultural shift, that America is becoming more intelligent. But this is America, so who knows. There’s a lot of backwards ideas circulating in this country,” Cleaver said. continued on PAGE 3

PAX shows off SA talent Trinity students and San Antonio studios promote at game expo DANIEL CONRAD | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF dconrad@trinity.edu Thousands of gaming enthusiasts descended upon the Henry B. González Convention Center last weekend to attend PAX South 2018, the festival’s fourth consecutive year in San Antonio. Among the hundreds of exhibitors displaying video games, card games, board games and more were Trinity students and one studio of San Antonian game designers.

A sign reading “Modern Knights” hung above a small table on the show floor all weekend.

Behind the table stood James Lovett, junior and CEO of the company, alongside his brother Brock Lovett and junior Marshall Tickner.

The trio showed off their forthcoming game, “Crusade of Two Suns.”

Some booths blasted loud music or showcased video games on huge TVs, but James and his crew showed off painted miniature figures and a game board. But Modern Knights’ relatively modest booth still attracted fans of miniature wargaming, a genre of turnbased strategy games played with figurines and complex sets of rules. continued on PAGE 24

KATHLEEN CREEDON | NEWS EDITOR kcreedon@trinity.edu Last weekend, sophomore Robert Foye was found dead in his off-campus apartment. The cause of death hasn’t been determined, and an autopsy is scheduled to take place in the future. The 19-year-old was studying business administration and political science.

Foye grew up traveling around the world.

When he was two months old, Foye’s family moved to Hong Kong. At three, he moved with his family to London. Then Jakarta, Indonesia. Most recently, Shanghai. Robert Foye Sr., Foye’s father, calculates that Foye had close friends in nearly 46 countries.

“I think in 19 years of life, he probably lived the equivalent of two lives,” Foye Sr. said.

“If you look at his experiences and the people he met, the things he was able to do, most people take two lives to do. He was a joy and the kind of person where you’d always want another minute of his time.”

Parker Voit, a senior neuroscience major, met Foye at a party in one of Foye’s first weeks as a Trinity student. Voit and Foye kept in touch since that first meeting and often played video games with one another.

“He might’ve been a rowdy type of person, but he was never a mean person. He was so kind,” Voit said. “He just wanted to make everyone around him so happy.”

Foye often spoke of his travels with friends, something that bonded him with Paranj Kalyani, a fifth-year finance major and international student.

“It’s something we talked about a lot, going from place to place, changing the location of your life,” Kalyani said. “You pick up something everywhere you go, from different cultures you meet, and you could see that in Robbie. You could see he was well-traveled.”

Foye Sr. explained that his son was incredibly interested in different cultures, often delving into research about whatever country his family was to visit next.

“He was very curious, so whenever we would travel somewhere, he would study and learn a lot about the history,” Foye Sr. said.

“I think he was a global citizen and a global friend. He was totally and utterly comfortable in any culture.”

Foye’s friends also note his positive spirit as one of his defining features.

“He was not afraid to speak his mind. He was really fun to be around, really hyper, really bubbly,” Kalyani said. “I never saw him in a down state and never low-energy.”

Voit agreed.

“Beyond having one of the nicest hearts of anyone I’ve ever met, he’d always be laughing and making jokes,” Voit said.

Voit, Kalyani and Foye’s father all mentioned Foye’s competitiveness and playfulness as a key part of his personality. They said Foye always wanted to play games, no matter the game and regardless of his skill level. Foye’s father described these characteristics in a Facebook post.

“After his high school basketball career in Shanghai, he maintained his competitive mentality in grueling pickup games with [me], friends and members of the Trinity community,” Foye Sr. wrote in the post. “He had great defensive skills, could drive to the basket and had a good three-point shot.”

Foye had a deep connection to Trinity.

In response, the Foye family has started a scholarship in their son’s name and has asked that anyone who would like to send flowers or condolences donate to the Robert Lawrence Foye Scholarship Foundation instead. continued on PAGE 2

Do not leave students in the dark about grades

My Little Pony: A student’s life-saving obsession

Campus looks forward to finished Bell Center

Updating TLearn often is not hand-holding; rather, it helps students gauge their success.

“Friendship is Magic” and fan fiction helped one Trinity junior cope with depression.

Delayed renovations, incomplete construction leave students frustrated.

PAGE 8 OPINION

PAGE 17 PULSE

PAGE 25 SPORTS

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • JANUARY 19, 2018 •

Foye’s life celebrated continued from FRONT “The foundation is going to be used for scholarships for Trinity students who get financial aid, but maybe not enough, who want an education and want to improve their lives,” Foye Sr. said.

The Foye family planned a campus reception for Thursday, Jan. 18 at 5 p.m. in the Skyline Room. The service offered Trinity community members the opportunity to share condolences and reflect on Foye’s life.

“It’s a chance for people to share stories and their memories of Robert,” said David Tuttle, dean of students. “The more official family services will be held in Houston.”

Tuttle explained that the service will be helpful for both Foye’s friends and family, as it connects both sides of his life. The wake will be held at 5 p.m. on Jan. 19, and a memorial service at noon on Jan. 20. For

more information regarding these services, refer to the email sent by David Tuttle earlier this week.

“When a student comes here, part of their identity is that they’re a Trinity student,” Tuttle said. “They get connected with the community, they get connected with their professors and their friends and the staff.”

Foye Sr. explained that for Foye, the Trinity community became synonymous with family.

“Robert liked Trinity a lot. He really liked the learning environment, the community, the small campus that seemed like a family,” Foye Sr. said. “He got a lot of support there; he got extra attention from the dean, from his professors, and we just felt like Trinity was part of the family.”

The university encourages students and faculty working to process Foye’s death to take advantage of counseling services and Stephen Nickle, university chaplain.

In the coming issues, news reporter Cathy Terrace will discuss disabilities and accessibility on Trinity’s campus.

For more information, check out PAGE 8 of our opinion section. The first article of the series will be published in our JAN. 26 Issue.

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TUPD BRIEFS MARIJUANA On Friday, Jan. 12, at 11:06 p.m., TUPD found students with alcohol and a “usable” amount of marijuana in the Witt-Winn Residence Hall. Offenders were charged under chapter 481 of the Health and Safety Code of the Texas Controlled Substance Act and with consumption of alcohol by a minor under the Alcohol and Beverage Code. The report has been initiated; officer Tony Lummus filed the report.

MISSING CHAIRS On Saturday, Jan. 13, at 7:02 p.m., chairs were reported missing from the William H. Bell Center. The incident was reported as a theft, an offense against property under the Penal Code. A report was initiated; officer Matthew McKenzie filed the report.

The chairs were found in a closet in the Bell Center the next day.

BROKEN GLASS On Saturday, Jan. 13, at 11:38 p.m., TUPD were called about students breaking glass bottles at the Myrtle McFarlin Residence Hall. When officers arrived, they found underage students drinking and in possession of alcohol. The students were charged under the Alcohol and Beverage Code for both consumption and possession of alcohol by a minor, as well as under the Penal Code as an offense against public order and decency for disorderly conduct. A report has been initiated; officer David Estrada filed the report.

LOST PHONE On Sunday, Jan. 14, at 5:27 p.m., a student reported their iPhone as missing in the William H. Bell Center. The incident was filed as theft, an offense against property under the Penal Code. A report has been initiated; officer Matthew McKenzie filed the report.

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

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NEWS • JANUARY 19, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Winter weather shuts down Trinity’s campus Classes canceled, offices closed as SA experiences cold front JORDAN BRUCE | WEBMASTER jbruce2@trinity.edu

After days of warmer-than-seasonal weather, temperatures plummeted in the early hours of Tuesday and have remained low all week.

Trinity’s faculty, staff and students buckled down as a blast of cold air, freezing rain and snow closed campus and caused emergency protocols to be enacted.

The university prioritizes safety when deciding to close campus, and in this instance, the crisis management team began the discussion of doing so Sunday afternoon.

“The crisis management team is made up of a cross-section of staff and faculty from the university who get together throughout the year to plan for crisis situations that would interrupt the normal operations of the University,” said Sharon Jones Schweitzer, assistant vice president for university communications.

However, Schweitzer explained that because there are many residential students, the university decided to ask Mabee workers to come to campus.

Charles Robles, food service director of Aramark, explained that staff members were given a choice on whether to come to work or not.

“Ultimately, we leave it up to the staff member to determine whether they can safely come to work or not. We ask for a group of volunteers who can come early, and make accommodations to ensure our staff stays safe.”

In this incident, Mabee workers came in at 4 a.m in order to be off the road before the worst of the precipitation began. Previously, employees have slept in Mabee overnight in order to open on time the following morning.

TUPD was also operating to keep students safe. Emergency management coordinator Ivan Pendergast said only essential personnel were working, but that students were kept safe. TUPD was staffed at normal levels, but shift hours were changed.

“We never stop patrolling, even when the campus is closed. We actually put more focus on safety conditions on lower campus than we previously had. We adjusted shift hours to ensure that there was always somebody on campus, and nobody had to commute in unsafe conditions,” Pendergast said.

“Ultimately, we err on the side of caution, because I would prefer to be chastised for being too safe than criticized for being responsible for someone getting hurt.”

One thing that many students might not think about is how the weather affects faculty and staff who commute from other sides of the city.

“I think that some of my colleagues without children might not realize that professors with kids encounter challenges during closing scenarios as well,” said Kelly Grey Carlisle, professor of English. “I sympathize with them in regards to their commute.”

Carlisle lives within 30 minutes of the university, but recognizes that others might have longer commutes. Carlisle also recognizes the situation that some of her non-tenured colleagues might be put in if the university does not cancel classes, but they are unable to come to work.

“I think that we should emphasize to non-tenured professors that this doesn’t factor into their ability to get tenure,” Carlisle said.

Temperatures plummeted earlier this week, leaving parts of campus frozen, including Murchison Fountain. photo by ANDREA NEBHUT, staff illustrator

Ultimately, she was relieved to hear that the University had decided to cancel classes in the interest of safety for all.

TUPD is encouraging all students to sign

up for TrinAlert, the emergency notification system for the campus community. Detailed instructions for receiving those alerts can be found on the ITS website.

Community celebrates MLK with lecture, march continued from FRONT “There’s a backlash when something truly transformative happens, so we are kind of going back and forth,” Cleaver said. “A friend of mine used to say, ‘America, you might be upset, but you’ll never be bored.’ ” However, when asked if she was optimistic for the future, Cleaver responded positively.

“Absolutely,” Cleaver said. “Only because there are lots of young people in America, and young people tend to repudiate old people’s ideas. That’s the hope.”

Yvette Peña, senior psychology major, introduced Cleaver at the lecture.

“I wanted to introduce her because I wrote a paper last semester on a speech she gave in 1968 about why black people were beginning to wear their hair in natural styles,” Peña said. “When I found out she was coming to speak, I really wanted to meet her because it was an opportunity to bring to life what I had learned through my paper. I got the opportunity to connect the historical context that I had learned with her personal account.”

Throughout her lecture, Cleaver expressed amazement at the fact that the San Antonio MLK March is the largest in the country. Trinity students prepared to walk in Monday’s march as they joined for a screening of the film “I Am Not Your Negro,” and to make posters.

Tripp Wright, senior history major and member of the student planning committee for MLK Week, was present at the march.

“I’m marching today because it is important to support what MLK stood for,” Wright said.

Wright marched among students from countless other Trinity organizations, as well as members of the faculty, staff and Trinity community. Amulya Deva, president of

the Student Government Association, also participated in the march.

“The walking, the chanting, and the atmosphere forced me to reflect on the purpose of the march, to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a nonviolent advocate for change. We still have many racial issues in this country, but he facilitated a big step in the right direction,” Deva wrote in an email interview.

“This march is an important Trinity tradition and I felt compelled to march to get involved

with the university, march to get connected with more of my classmates, and march for a man who so well reflects the values of my organization,” Deva said.

Deva also mentioned how important it is for students to participate in events that are off campus.

“We often talk about the ‘Trinity bubble,’ the idea that Trinity University is somewhat isolated and separated from the rest of San Antonio, and that’s true to some extent,”

Deva wrote. “During the march we are given the opportunity to surround ourselves with San Antonio residents who are expressing their voices and concerns. We not only get to march as a university for everything Dr. King stood for but also expose ourselves to other issues that are of concern in the San Antonio community. It is truly a bonding moment.”

KATHLEEN CLEAVER, activist, former Black Panther and professor of law at Emory University, encouraged students to continue being active citizens. Cleaver was the commemorative lecturer of MLK Week this year. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

D IEVP EER DE

Want to read more about this topic?

Check out these pages!

Learn about the Student Activism Fair on PAGE 5.

Read about why one student decided not to walk in the march on PAGE 10.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • JANUARY 19, 2018 •

NEWS

Trinity mourns loss of Darryl Waldron Faculty, students celebrate life of longtime professor KAYLIE KING | NEWS REPORTER kking1@trinity.edu Darryl Waldron, professor of business administration, passed away on Dec. 19, 2017, following an illness. In his 37 years on Trinity faculty, Waldron served the community in many ways; he acted as a professor, researcher, mentor and member of many faculty committees.

Many of those who were close to Waldron expressed their sadness at this great loss. Nina Ekstein, professor of modern languages and literatures, worked closely with Waldron on a number of committees during his time at Trinity.

“One of the things I personally loved about him is that he had standards,” Ekstein said. “He wasn’t going to cater to make people happy.

He was going to be a really good teacher and a demanding one. He was great to work with.

I’m very fond of him and I’m devastated that he’s gone. It’s a terrific loss for Trinity.”

Kim Robertson, associate professor of business administration, also worked closely with Waldron for over 30 years. Robertson remembers Waldron as being very honest and direct with students, but also as a valuable ally to those who did well in his flagship course, Business Policy.

“I just remember him coming into my office several times, bragging about some of my advisees who did so well in his class,” Robertson said. “In alumni surveys and when I talk with alumni, what I often hear is that his course is probably the best business course

DARRYL WALDRON, right, worked as a professor of business administration at Trinity for 37 years. He is pictured above with his wife, AYON WEN-WALDRON, left. photo provided by J. CHARLENE DAVIS

they took in order to prepare them for the real world after Trinity. It was a very unexpected, very sudden and very tragic loss for the Trinity community. Our office suite just seems so very empty without him.”

Richard Burr, retired professor of international studies, knew Waldron since 1980 and was on the faculty committee that hired Waldron.

Burr reminisced about his connection with Waldron, in addition to their relationship as educators, and noted Waldron’s commitment to fitness and health.

“He lived not far from us, and back in the 1980s, he had a white Triumph convertible, and my wife had a red Triumph convertible,” Burr said. “We were the only ones who knew

the sound of that automobile. Dr. Waldron was one of the most athletic people I’ve ever seen, and we would always know as we heard his car going along behind our house that it was Dr. Waldron going to exercise. It was always at 2:30; you could time him exactly at that point.”

Burr and Waldron had offices across the hall from one another and would often pop into to talk to one another about politics or sports, despite their differing stances. Both had daughters named Ashley, and Burr recalled that when his daughter passed away in a car accident in 1991, Waldron was always very supportive.

“He was always so supportive and caring for us, and that’s something I can never forget,” Burr said. “He was a very supporting, caring man. He’s dearly missed. Everybody that I know has a lot of respect for Dr. Waldron.”

Waldron was a scholarship athlete at his alma mater, University of Memphis, and was a fan of the musical group, the Righteous Brothers.

Burr mentioned that Waldron’s students often found him intimidating, but often warmed up to him by the end of their course.

Trinity alumnus Donovan Allen, class of 2017, had this experience when he took Waldron’s Business Policy class during his senior year at Trinity.

“He was hard to warm up to, but once you did, his character was the brightest part of my day,” Allen wrote in an email interview.

“Every morning it would make me smile when I would walk into his 9:55 a.m. class, and he would be playing some old jammy tune on a YouTube video. Dr. Waldron’s Business Policy class gave me the analytical skills that allowed me to know how to read annual reports effectively. Thank you, Dr. Waldron.

You impacted lives.” continued on PAGE 6

NEWS • JANUARY 19, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Activism fair encourages student involvement New event added to MLK Week schedule

KENDRA DERRIG | NEWS REPORTER kderrig@trinity.edu Students organized Trinity’s first Activism Fair as a part of Trinity’s MLK Week celebration. Approximately a dozen activist organizations from across San Antonio visited campus, including MOVE San Antonio, RAICES and Haven for Hope, all intending to encourage students to volunteer off campus.

Simone Washington, sophomore SGA senator, was one of the event organizers and referenced the white supremacist protests that occurred in Charlottesville last August as a source of inspiration for encouraging activism.

Washington came together with junior Samsara Reyes and senior Faith Deckard to organize the event.

“The activism fair got its start last year. It was formulated as a response to the events in Charlottesville. Lots of students were coming up to me asking what they could do to counter these developments,” Washington said. “We brainstormed and started meeting with faculty and having discussions about what we wanted to see at Trinity that could allow us to engage with issues that affected us, that were happening on a national stage and also here in San Antonio.”

Reyes noted that bringing organizations like these to campus will allow students access to the activism they desire. “[As we were brainstorming,] one of the things that kept coming up was how passionate Trinity students are about social justice issues, but often this passion is extinguished when students don’t know where to direct these feelings to put them into action,” Reyes said.

“In my personal experience, I didn’t come to find out about many of the nonprofits doing social justice work until I became more active in student involvement affairs.”

Trinity students, faculty and staff joined thousands in the San Antonio MLK March, the largest in the nation. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

Washington points out how that participating organizations will benefit by being put in direct contact with Trinity students.

“There’s local organizations that are always in search of volunteers, particularly reliable volunteers. We are hoping that we can get a large base of students that are willing and able to help these organizations outside of Trinity,” Washington said.

Washington highlighted the importance of the timing of the fair. As a new addition to Trinity’s longstanding MLK Week activities, the Activism Fair was also accepted as an official DreamWeek event. DreamWeek is a series of MLK Week events orchestrated across the city including over 200 organizations to connect the San Antonio community with the teachings

of Martin Luther King Jr. and his message of tolerance and equality.

“Aside from the logistical purposes of having greater promotion because of MLK Week, it’s to honor the legacy and commemorate Dr. King. He was an activist and I am personally inspired by him, and so we thought it would be an appropriate fit to have it during this week,” Washington said.

Reyes hoped students would gain valuable connections through attending the fair.

“Apart from all of the hard work that has gone in planning, organizing and executing this great and hopefully annual event, I encourage students to attend because too often I hear enraged students not satisfied with the direction that this country is going and many

of them feel powerless,” Reyes said. “I hope this event gives students an outlet to direct their pent up frustration or pursue their dream for a better tomorrow by working for it.”

Jamie Thompson, director of Student Involvement and staff coordinator for the MLK student planning committee, helped the team get their ideas off the ground and put into action.

“One of Trinity’s values is community and this event seems to align with that core value,” Thompson wrote in an email interview. “Trinity students want to get engaged and give back — understanding community needs and ways in which they can connect with and contribute those needs is a great step forward.”

Attendance check: Trinity marked Presence New software hoping to enhance access to student groups CATHY TERRACE | NEWS REPORTER cterrace@trinity.edu Student organizations now have access to register potential and current members on a new software system known as Presence, a program intended to help students manage their organizations more easily and engage with a broader audience. After opening the program in December, presidents were required to complete registration by Jan. 2.

“Presence is a platform that allows you to track attendance at events and to swipe people in in an easy and efficient way. It’s also a way for organizations to create a page or create events to increase the level of promotion for the things they do on or off campus,” said Jeremy Allen, assistant director for fraternity and sorority life. “We hope it’s a really effective way of bringing students and organizations together ... Hopefully it can become a one-stop shop for students looking to get involved.”

After going through a trial period, all registered student organizations (RSOs) are now mandated to use the software.

“We did a phase one roll-out with just university-sponsored organizations [USOs] in the fall and allowed students to swipe into some of their events. We use it for Milk and Cookies sometimes,” said Shannon Edmond, coordinator for student programs. “Then, October [through] December, we were really getting it ready for all student organizations on campus.”

After completing the registration, all active organizations may be found on the Presence website, allowing for easy access to club meeting times and contact information for officers.

“Students can break up [events] by category, by food, by lecture — the possibilities are endless,” Edmond said. “The number one goal is to get students engaged in a way that we haven’t before on campus.”

One of the ways Presence may make this easier is by adding the option for students to swipe into events and meetings using their Tiger Cards, eliminating the need for sign-in sheets. Once swiped, student information goes directly to an online roster.

“It allows presidents to have assessment and data points,” Edmond said. “Organizations can swipe students into their events or programs and get some demographic information off of that, so they’re able to see how many sophomores are coming, compared to juniors and seniors.”

Many organization leaders and coordinators already see potential for the software, including Allen.

“For standards, X percentage of the group has to be there to get credit, so this would be a really easy way to track it,” Allen said. “Greek Council is going to start the trial period for adding events and checking people into them.

For example, when we have a speaker in the spring, we might try to use Presence to see who’s coming.”

However, several organization leaders have concerns with the new system and its accessibility, such as Evan Johnson, sophomore environmental science major, who went through the training for his social fraternity, Iota Chi Rho.

Presence is a program that is intended to help student organizations become more involved with their audiences on campus. photo by KATHLEEN CREEDON, news editor

“It’s alright in my opinion. I’m not sure how useful it is overall. I know it’s new, and I think the only reason I knew about it is because I had to go to the session . . . I tried to do it on the mobile app, but it was totally offline; I couldn’t get to the place I needed to go on it,” Johnson said. “I’d like to see it be used effectively.”

Other organization heads echoed these concerns. First-year political science major and president of Trinity University Forensics Society Claire Carlson found some of the aspects of the program unclear.

“There were little things I didn’t know needed to be done, like having 10 people on the roster; I thought that you could have less than that but that’s just something you should aim for,” Carlson said. “I think it’s sufficient to do what it needs to, but I find it kind of confusing.”

For those with additional concerns about the system, Edmond offers an online training to explain how to use the system in order for presidents to get more comfortable with the software. More information about the program can be found at trinity.presence.io

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • JANUARY 19, 2018 •

NEWS

Trinity’s JSA-Hillel holds Shabbat service

Educational service welcomed all of campus KAYLIE KING | NEWS REPORTER kking1@trinity.edu The Jewish Students AssociationHillel (JSA-Hillel) has organized a Shabbat service open to all of campus to educate non-Jewish students, as well as encourage unity on campus.

Shabbat is the observation of the Sabbath, which starts every Friday at sundown and ends on Saturday at sundown. There is no strict way of celebrating Shabbat; it is the day of the week meant for rest and reflection. JSA-Hillel will hold this celebration of Shabbat on Jan. 19 in Parker Chapel, with a dinner following the service in the Fiesta Room from 6–9 p.m.

Ashley Lachterman, a junior business administration major and the co-president of JSAHillel, explained the importance of having a service open to the whole campus.

“We want to welcome everyone who’s curious,” Lachterman wrote in an email interview. “We didn’t want to make going to services seem intimidating. I think it’s important to have a Jewish religious service on campus because I walk around and hear about all the amazing opportunities for these other religious and cultural organizations who are hosting their events, but the Jewish community wants to be represented, too.”

Lachterman was responsible for making sure the logistics of the service would work on campus, along with the other co-president of Trinity’s JSA-Hillel, Grace Cline.

“This has never been done before, so we essentially started from scratch,” Lachterman wrote.

The Jewish Student Association is Trinity’s branch of Hillel, an international organization that develops Jewish student groups on college campuses. FILE PHOTOS

“From coordinating the dinner, organizing the prayer books to be handed out for the service and

planning on actually leading the service, there’s been a lot of behindthe-scenes we’ve done. It’s difficult

because Hillel San Antonio is a cross-campus organization, so most of our events are hosted off

campus. We wanted to utilize Trinity’s resources for this Shabbat in particular as a part of our ‘welcome week’ for school starting back up.”

Cline, a sophomore psychology and religion double major, spent some of her time preparing for the event writing the English explanations for prayers.

“This service, much like most Shabbat services, will feature a lot of music in both English and Hebrew,” Cline wrote in an email interview. “My hope is that people will see Shabbat as beautiful, relaxing and uplifting. We have been wanting to do a Shabbat on campus for a while now. This is just the first time we’re having it at Trinity, to invite Jews and non-Jews alike to come together in community and learn from each other.”

Ruth Lavenda, a senior psychology major, was also helped to organize the logistics of the event with Lachterman and Cline. Lavenda has planned a d’var, a talk on topics related to the weekly Torah portion, for the celebration of Shabbat.

Lavenda also commented on the anti-Semitic Patriot Front flyers that were distributed throughout campus late last semester, explaining that the Shabbat is not necessarily a reaction to that.

“We, as an organization, disapprove and are disappointed that flyers supporting white supremacy were put up at the end of last semester,” Lavenda wrote. “We have been wanting to host a Shabbat on campus for a long time regardless, so this is not a reaction to that.”

Lachterman, Cline and Lavenda all expressed their hope that the Shabbat service will be educational and welcoming for all who are interested. For more information about JSA-Hillel or to get involved, contact Natalie Steiner at natalie@hillelsa.org.

TU celebrates life of Waldron continued from PAGE 4 J. Charlene Davis, professor and chair of business administration, referred to Waldron as being a staple of her professional life throughout her time at Trinity.

Davis highlighted some of the many things that Waldron brought to the business department.

“He was a very good mentor,” Davis said. “Not in any kind of official capacity, but he had a good ability to look out for early career faculty and help them make decisions that were in their professional best interest as well as that of the university. He was also a consistent and very strong researcher, and that’s important in our department.”

Burr mentioned that Waldron’s research often took him abroad, where he would give a presentation and spend the rest of his time exploring whichever city he was in.

Waldron first came to San Antonio for a presentation, and in the same trip, interviewed for his position with Trinity.

This semester, Waldron was scheduled to teach three sections of Business Policy, so a visiting professor was hired to teach these classes. The professor, Mark Williams, has taught at Trinity in the past.

“We may renew his contract for next year,” Davis said. “He is agreeable to that, and we would certainly like to keep him for that time frame, but ultimately either this year or next we will have a search for a tenure track position, someone coming in with a Ph.D. We feel very fortunate because Mr. Williams is someone who has taught for us, and he did so successfully. I feel extremely comfortable and confident that we didn’t just fill the space, but we filled it with the right person.”

Davis also explained that due to a request from Waldron’s family, there will be no official campus-wide memorial service.

“But what we are planning to do, with the approval of his wife, is the school of business is going to hold an informal event so that faculty and staff who care about [Waldron] can come together and

celebrate his life and remember him for his accomplishments,” Davis said.

“Another informal gathering, just some friends from around campus, will be held as well. We also are looking at a possible scholarship or award made in his name for students.”

Davis expressed her sorrow at this loss, but has experienced support from the Trinity community.

“Darryl was my dear friend. He was witty, smart, charming, kind and loving. Darryl checked in on his friends and knew when to console and when to say move on,” Davis said “There’s no one like him. As a department chair, I really appreciate all of the people across campus who have said, ‘Can I help? What can we do?’ Frequently, we talk about the ‘Trinity bubble’ in a pejorative way, but this reminded me that bubbles can protect you, as well as be a barrier to the outside world.

The Trinity community has been really wonderful.” with reporting by Kathleen Creedon, news editor

Opinion

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Braving death in the new year For the second and third times this year, the Trinity community has confronted death. On Jan. 3, we were informed of the death of business administration professor Darryl Waldron. Less than two weeks later, on Jan. 14, we were informed of sophomore Robert Foye’s passing. This morbid news follows the death of Cayley Mandadi, also a sophomore, last October.

Cayley’s death was felt deeply in the newsroom. We addressed that pain in the week’s editorial: “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. ... Talk to the people you love and be there when words fail. Please, take the time to remind your loved ones of how much they mean to you.”

We stand by those words, but many of us now find ourselves in the strange position of not directly knowing any of these three members of the Trinity community who have died this year.

When Sharon Schweitzer sent the email on Sunday that informed us of Robert’s death, the news staff was in the middle of our weekly story idea meeting, in which we share ideas for what we can report on in the coming week. There was a minute of tense silence as everyone took out their phones and read the

email. Two members of the staff who knew Robert left the room quietly. Then, after a long moment, we continued our meeting; the fact of a student’s passing lingered a strange emotional distance from those on staff who did not know him.

What we should do, then, is try to learn what the deceased gave to the Trinity community.

This was an uncomfortable place to be in, but it is likely a place many who are not immediately connected to any or all of those who have died have found themselves in.

Beyond reaching out to those who did know the deceased and need support, there seems to be little that can be done. It might feel coldhearted to go to class, do homework, socialize and relax without feeling any acute sense of the heartbreak that our friends are feeling.

On some level, this is unsurprising. It is the way we work as humans. Those of us who, due to our distance from the dead, are not deeply affected by grief should not feel an obligation to sadden ourselves our

Tempered expectations JORDAN BRUCE WEBMASTER jbruce2@trinity.edu

At the start of the new year, many people around the world — including many Trinity students — make resolutions to improve their lives in some way. Many of these resolutions are to improve physical health. To get in shape. To work out. And when students arrived back on campus for the beginning of the spring semester, they were expecting to find a freshly renovated Bell Center, filled to the brim with shiny equipment, abundant floor space and arguably excessive Trinity branding. But alas, the doors on this $14.2 million renovation had yet to open.

When looking at physical resolutions, another comes into mind — losing weight.

Frequently, people assume that a failure to lose weight for one week is the end of the resolution. Yet, one week of decline does not a failure make. One must remember that there are 52 weeks in a year, and that a resolution is not an evaluation of a singular week, but an evaluation of change from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. When setting goals, the presence of failure cannot be underestimated; if a downturn is not anticipated, unreasonable goals will be crafted and a feeling of defeat will settle in.

A similar moral can be found in the world of finance. Since the end of the Great Recession in 2009, the value of the

stock market has continued to grow. And just this month, the Dow Jones Industrial Average crossed $25,000 for the first time in its history.

But good times are not eternal. The economy is controlled by an invisible hand, and at some point the market will fall, and millions of dollars will be lost. In order to remain safe, investors must assume that some portion of their wealth will simply disappear.

The same principle applies to personal finance. Individual accounts must be managed with a healthy dose of cautiousness, because a crash could come at any time and without the assumption of failure, all could be lost.

And at the start of the year comes the beginning of a new semester. Students across the country settle into a new routine, with new classes and new professors. Perhaps the ratings for a highly anticipated class didn’t accurately depict the enjoyment of said class. Or maybe the workload for a class is higher than expected. This all comes back to neglecting to set appropriate and reasonable goals that factor in failure.

So how does all of this fit together? We should stay in that class, or continue the trudge to the gym, or continue to invest wisely.

Without reasonable and achievable goals, one cannot progress. Tempered expectations are critical, because with expectations that are too high comes a crushing feeling when those expectations are not met.

Jordan Bruce is a first-year political science major.

reduce our ability to succeed in the tasks of student life — or work and professorship, in the faculty’s case.What we should do, then, is try to learn what the deceased gave to the Trinity community.

At the start of this school year, Waldron had reached out to us, unprompted, to offer a generous $100 donation to the Trinitonian.

When asked what motivated his gift, Waldron replied, “It’s pretty straightforward — I simply believe in what you do.”

Though we did not know him personally, his donation registered as an uncommon sign of kindness and solidarity. We now remember his gesture as an example of the connections that the Trinity community can foster, and of the gap that now remains.

Likewise, we should learn about the good that the deceased have played in the lives of those that they knew: The happiness and joy that Cayley and Robert brought to their friends; the knowledge and wisdom that Waldron passed on to the students who studied under him.

In this way, even those of us who don’t know the deceased can make ourselves aware of the holes that they leave in the campus community and be aware of what we can do to fill those holes.

We’ll do our part by attempting to collect the stories of how they’ve enriched this small corner of the world, by sharing those memories and sustaining — in our own way — the living memory of the dearly departed.

TRINICATS All Hail King Felix

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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 Soleil Gaffner at lgaffner@trinity.edu. She or the editor-in-chief will get back to you.

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

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

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8

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • JANUARY 19, 2018 •

OPINION

Republicans rally Where did my grades go?

MANFRED WENDT COLUMNIST mwendt@ trinity.edu The past year was interesting to say the least. Protests, legislative failures and successes, elections, scandals, increased corruption of the objectivity of the news media and political institutions and an increase in constitutional illiteracy.

2017 was a year of successes and failures for both political parties in the United States. In terms of legislation, the majority Republican party succeeded, after it finally got out of its own way.

2017 began with the swearing in of the 115th Congress on Jan. 3.

Republicans held a majority of the seats in both the House and the Senate. The Republicans started the year with a 52-48 majority in the Senate and a 241-194 majority in the House.

Even though the thin majority in the Senate would come back to haunt the GOP more than a number of times in 2017, the House majority was large enough to not let down the crimson faithful. In total, the House, Senate and president turned 97 bills into law. This was a great success for a political party that many pundits thought was going to cease to exist in 2017.

On Jan. 20, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. This event set off a number of riots that had been planned since the election results became known in the early morning of Nov. 9, 2016. I myself was enjoying copious amounts of kiddie champagne. Donald Trump’s inauguration marked the first time a Republican had been president since the early days of 2009.

Shortly after the inauguration began one of the most taxing cabinet confirmation sessions in the history of the United States. In order to protect unions and deal

a defeat to the president early in his administration, the Senate’s Democrats went all in on defeating Betsy DeVos, the administration’s pick for education secretary.

The vote ended in a 50-50 tie, until Mike Pence, vice president of the United States, broke the tie in favor of confirming DeVos. The 2016 election also held a special prize for the victor. Early in 2016, Antonin Scalia, one of the most respected Supreme Court justices to ever sit on the bench, died.

In terms of legislation, the majority Republican party succeeded, after it finally got out of its own way.

Under normal circumstances, the position would have been filled as quickly as possible. Due to the peculiar political situation, an election year in which the Senate and the president were of opposite parties, the position has not yet been filled.

To make the situation even more peculiar, Scalia was a pillar of modern day conservatism. If former President Obama had been able to appoint a Supreme Court justice to replace Scalia, he would have changed the make-up of the court for decades, delaying the conservative crusade.

In 2017, the GOP reaped the reward for this gamble. The Senate was able to amend its rules to allow for a simple majority vote to confirm a Supreme Court justice instead of the traditional 60 percent vote. continued on PAGE 8

BENJAMIN GONZALEZ COLUMNIST bgonzale@ trinity.edu Although many professors like to remind students that grades are not everything, they remain important to most of us as a benchmark for our success in and comprehension of a course.

Also, maintaining an acceptable GPA is crucial to keeping financial aid and being able to participate in many activities.

Despite these factors, many professors at Trinity fail to provide enough information to students to track their own progress in a course.

Through confusing grading policies and lack of communication, students often resort to guesswork to determine their own grade.

In doing research for this article, some opinions I found argue that professors shouldn’t have to “babysit” their students by constantly reporting grades. Others may cite this problem as another example of university students wanting to be “coddled.”

Besides, every syllabus we receive contains a breakdown of how the different class grades are weighted — therefore, we should be able to calculate the total grade ourselves.

However, this system falls apart when significant chunks of the grade are left a mystery.

For example, one of the most unexpectedly daunting requirements for some classes is the “participation” grade, which I have seen comprise up to 20 percent of my total grade for a course. The tricky thing about participation is that it is almost never reported to you like a test or essay grade is. This makes calculating my own grade in a course almost impossible.

Other times, grades for standard assignments like tests remain shrouded in mystery when professors don’t communicate exactly how much of a curve they

will be applying. Without such information, a test score of 36/50 means nothing to students trying to understand how well they are grasping important course topics.

Of course, there is always the final resort of attending office hours to ask about your grade in a class.

However, in my and many of my peers’ experience, professors are not fond of being used as a human report card.

They hold their office hours for discussion of difficult class topics, not simply to report averages. Expecting students to use office hours for grade inquiries is disrespectful to the time of both the professor and the students, especially around finals season when some professors’ offices have lines of people waiting to ask questions. So why are many students forced to resort to this?

Perhaps it is simply the layout of T-Learn. Many professors are not fond of the way T-Learn operates, and therefore may be unwilling to use it to post grades.

Last fall, Academic Technology sent out a survey to see if T-Learn was meeting student needs, which may indicate that the university is looking at other options for learning management systems, such as Blackboard, which is used by about a third of all universities in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia.

But in the meantime, professors do not have to abandon the reporting of grades altogether just because they are not fond of T-Learn.

A friend of mine told me of a professor that had communicated midterm total grade updates through email. This approach would be relatively convenient for professors to adopt, since midterm season is when they must notify those who are at risk of failing the course. Sending a single grade update to all their students, or posting it on T-Learn, would inform students of how they are doing in a class, while maintaining an effective use of time.

While the reporting of grades makes it easier for students to

understand their success, it also benefits professors when it comes to accountability.

After receiving a final grade that was much lower than expected, a friend of mine emailed their professor asking how it had dropped so low. After taking a look at it, it turned out the professor had switched their final exam grade with someone else’s, significantly altering the course grade. Luckily, this friend had kept track of their grades as best as they could, and the difference between their expected and actual grade was so great that they were able to notice it.

But what if it had only been a difference of half a letter grade?

The mistake might have never been found, and a significant difference in GPA might never have been corrected. When professors regularly report major grades, it allows both the student and the professor to keep one another accountable.

At Trinity, we’re lucky to have a very comprehensive grade appeal process in the event of a dispute over a final grade. But a student might find it very difficult to back up an appeal if they have scant evidence to support their estimated grade. A few simple grade notifications can go a long way to ensure that both the professor and student accurately judge how well the student has mastered a course.

Asking for more communication when it comes to grades is not asking for a babysitter. Grades are a crucial part of understanding our success as students while trying to master our respective majors and minors.

Without any updates, students are left wondering how they are doing until the final grade is reported. Professors should want their students to strive for improvement wherever possible, and the best way to do so is through clear communication of how well students are meeting expectations.

Benjamin Gonzalez is a sophomore anthropology major.

News series on accessibilities CATHY TERRACE NEWS REPORTER cterrace@ trinity.edu Disabilities affect many people on this campus, both chronically and temporarily. Students with disabilities have to navigate the campus in ways that many others simply don’t think about. But while inaccessibility is persistent, it’s not discussed here as much as other campus issues. As such, the Trinitonian hopes to give voice to students’ experiences with a series on disabilities. We invite individuals who would like to speak on these issues to contact cterrace@trinity. edu in order to get a more accurate understanding of what student life is like for those living with disabilities.

I’ll admit it: Trinity does a better job with providing accommodations than most universities. Its relatively

small size often means distances between classes are short. Every syllabus day I’ve been to has included a PSA about the services, testing center and extensions available through Student Accessibility Services (SAS). With the construction of the elevator in the Murchison building several years ago, there is now an easier way for those with physical disabilities to move from upper to lower campus.

Yet, as someone who has experienced living on this campus with a disability for three years now, I have noticed that the university has some very visible obstacles to accessibility.

Even with distances being so small, navigating the campus can be physically demanding. Ramps and elevators are out of the way and difficult to locate.

Even with recent renovations, South Hall still lacks an elevator.

Students never receive notification when an elevator breaks. For students using the Murchison elevator, this requires them to either go out of

their way to find a new path to class, or simply to abandon the effort.

Some accommodations are also far more regulated. For those with a mental illness, negotiating extensions usually requires preexisting registration through SAS, mandating that students go through the process of “official” diagnosis before learning accommodations will be granted. Even after registration, flexibility may be hard to come by, considering the rigor of Trinity’s coursework.

Every student’s experience with disability matters, and all are different. This series aims to shed a light on the accommodations Trinity provides. In publicizing narratives of disability, we hope to gain a better understanding of both the current landscape of accommodations and how the university could improve accommodations for all students in the future.

Cathy Terrace is a junior anthropology major.

OPINION • JANUARY 19, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

9

Christian apologists, New Atheists and me GABRIEL LEVINE COLUMNIST glevine@trinity.edu

This time last year, I wrote an article in which, among other things, I described my infatuation with New Atheists like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris. In that article, I said, “From the (admittedly few) conversations I have had with people of faith, I’ve found that they have frequently failed to seek out arguments against their faith and, if they have, they offer defenses of dubious scientific value or invoke the emotional reassurance of faith as an ostensibly legitimate trump card.”

Now, a year later, I still think my assessment is generally true, and that this is precisely why the New Atheists were so popular in the first place. They argued against religion as it is commonly practiced and believed: as a matter of habit and custom, without deep knowledge or thought — an easy target. That the target was so vulnerable is more an indictment of how places of worship teach, or fail to teach, religion and theology to their constituents than anything else.

However, in accepting the arguments of the New Atheists at face value, I was guilty of the same criticism I leveled at religious people in my quoted writing above. A very rapid Google search reveals abundant critiques of the New Atheists’ arguments from theologians and

believing scientists. Many of those critiques have a distinct air of frustration that the New Atheists and their adherents seem to think they are the first to ever come up with such arguments against religion.

To my surprise, I discovered that there are literal millennia of religious thought on the subjects of such difficult questions as the problem of evil, free will and the extent to which holy books are literal. It’s embarrassing to admit such ignorance of the long intellectual tradition of theological thought across almost all faiths, particularly Judaism, in which I was raised. Again, part of the blame lies with the education systems, both religious and secular.

Part of it, though, lies with me for not imagining that the intelligent believers of history would have thought to answer such questions.

I was even more surprised to see the extent to which scientists were people of faith. In one issue of the Trinitonian, I noticed a half-page ad affirming the divinity of Christ with a long list of faculty signatures, among them nearly half of my native chemistry department.

As another example, Ian Hutchinson, a professor of nuclear science and engineering at MIT, is a devout Christian and has written and spoken extensively criticizing what he calls “scientism,” the notion that a scientific paradigm of thought offers answers to all questions we may have about the world.

A scientist who rejects the universality of science? It was inconceivable at first, but again, scientism was just an unquestioned assumption underlying my beliefs, and an epistemology class I took last semester was sufficient to challenge.

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

Searching for a higher level of discourse about the apparent clash between science and theology, I found a debate between Sean Carroll, a theoretical physicist and cosmologist at the California Institute of Technology, and William Lane Craig, one of the foremost Christian apologists. (Christian apologetics is a branch of theology that seeks to provide rational arguments in favor of Christianity). In this debate, which can be found on YouTube, the two debate Boltzmann Brain problems, the arrow of time and entropy, how scientific theories are assessed and articulated in modern cosmology, cosmological theories of the multiverse and the origin of our universe, and the catastrophic imprecision of common definitions and conceptions of God, to name just a few examples.

This may sound imposing, and it is, but there’s no way around engaging in that kind of a higher level if one wants to be at all justified in holding any kind of metaphysical conviction.

Based on that debate and two of Carroll’s lectures, “The Big Picture” and “God is not a Good Theory,” I still reject religion as extremely unlikely to be true, but I now feel that my reasons for holding that view could better hold up to the scrutiny of theologians and cosmologists alike (they are, of course, informed by Carroll’s cosmology).

I could still be wrong, but if I am it’s not for a reason I’d be embarrassed to admit, which is a good standard.

Gabriel Levine is a senior chemistry major.

Haiti: a country of wealth, beauty and love because I know that they fill rivers in Haiti; when it rains, they flow to the lowest point and stay there — forever.

What we have done in the past is finally facing us now; occupations, coups and who knows what else. Do we keep up our walls of exclusivity and mindsets of ignorance about the realities of those who we are, in part, responsible for? Why are we afraid of outsiders? Weariness of any stranger is fair, but outright banning, blocking and dropkicking out of our country (and theirs) seems extreme.

MICAELA HOFFMAN COLUMNIST mhoffman@trinity.edu

January 12 is not a typical day for Haitians. At least not since 2010. Eight years later, and they are still recovering from the devastating earthquake that took place on January 12. The morning this year was different, though, as Haiti and the world awoke to the unpleasant, albeit unsurprising, news about careless words spoken by our President.

I’ve been to the so-called “shithole” country of Haiti, and I can tell you that it is anything but. Yes, there are problems.

Serious problems. But a closer look at Haiti — and many other countries like it — reveals a deep and twisted history with the U.S., and a global structure that creates these problems in the first place.

Christopher Columbus first landed on the island of Hispaniola, the name he gave it, in 1492. Its actual name, Quisqueya, was given by the native islanders who lived there, who were almost entirely wiped out after the French colonization in the west and Spanish in the east.

Slavery was the backbone and foundation of the “Pearl of the Caribbean” for centuries.

The famous uprising led by Toussaint L’Ouverture in the late 18th century culminated in the freedom for Haitians.

For years, Haiti owed France money due to the revolt. Forced to borrow from foreign banks — banks largely based in the U.S. — yet being obstructed from trading with the U.S. market took its toll. U.S. politicians refused to trade with Haiti on principle.

Until then, Haiti had provided the world with some of the richest resources.

In 1915, Woodrow Wilson led a 19-year occupation of Haiti for reasons of “war readiness.” This occupation consisted of openly white supremacist leaders and racist

Children having fun in their neighborhood playground in Haiti. photo provided by MICAELA HOFFMAN

laws that dug the country further into its problems.

The U.S. also supported dictatorships, and it is unclear how much the meddling by the U.S. affected the destabilization of the political system there. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the first democratically elected president took office.

After the earthquake in 2010, less than 1 percent of funding from around the globe actually made it to the government of Haiti.

After reputable studies, an un-checked group of UN volunteers introduced Cholera to Haiti, where it had never before existed.

Global warming, pollution and globalization continue to feast upon the livelihood of the island and its people.

There is no doubt that wealth exists in Haiti. But beyond what people have materially, Haitians are full of other

wonderful things that I have not found in the U.S.. Gratitude, friendship and family.

Culture that makes it feel like a whole new world. Respect for each other, with music, dance and language all their own.

Globalization made it easy for the U.S. to purchase cheap goods from anywhere in the world. However, it dumped a lot of waste into developing countries everywhere — including Haiti. The first time I went, I was stunned by the number of high school t-shirts and ballet jackets worn by the people in the capital city of Port-Au-Prince.

These “donated” items essentially killed any chance of textile sector success, and seriously destabilized much of the economy.

Along with globalization came plastics, imports and pollution in amounts that are sometimes overwhelming. I cannot look at a Styrofoam to-go box in the same way,

Instead of noticing its potential, the energy of the youth, the spirit of respect, we notice the lack of our commodities and comforts we take for granted here.

And why is it that the American perspective is the only one that matters? Why are our values so elite? Who said we had all the right fixes and solutions to problems? It is with this lens that we fail to see the beauty of a country like Haiti. Instead of noticing its potential, the energy of the youth, the spirit of respect, we notice the lack of our commodities and comforts we take for granted here. Most of the world will never know the wealth you and I live in, but neither will we ever know theirs. Richness in different forms, I say, not simply shiny here and shitty there.

Micaela Hoffman is a senior business analytics and technology and urban studies double major.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • JANUARY 19, 2018 •

OPINION

Why I didn’t march on MLK Jr. Day ISAIAH MITCHELL GUEST COLUMNIST imitchel@trinity.edu

There were a few people — friends, professors, Yolanda the Supreme Mabee Guard — who asked me if I was going to march on MLK Jr. Day. I would tell them no, that I had homework and so forth, that I was going to do some writing instead, that I think I may visit my family but who knows? But I don’t have the time — sorry. These stammerings worked well until certain friends pressed me further, sensing a deeper objection.

Racism for those marchers was not a mere word. Racism was not a malleable term to be debated, nor a cheap insult to toss around lightly.

On MLK Jr. Day, I walked past the long line of buses in front of Bell Center and saw the throng of wide-eyed, cheery students. I thought it strange revelry. Many pictures of

the Selma marchers show clenched jaws and iron gazes, but some smiles too — yet those were the smiles of men and women marching themselves into, in some cases, dogs and fire hoses and visceral rage. Some of those smiles were smashed in with billy clubs.

The violence that the marchers of the 1960s faced lurks deep in our cultural conscience.

Racism for those marchers was not a mere word. Racism was not a malleable term to be debated, nor a cheap insult to toss around lightly. It was tangible and painful and real.

This word has since waxed into something fuller — perhaps too full and broad — and it leaves me wondering what my colleagues are marching against today.

Racism, yes, but what does that word mean for them now? Less-than-sensitive rhetoric?

Resistance to multiculturalism? Sorority girls wearing sombreros?

Surely many students have more realistic reasons for marching. There are indeed economic and social disparities that are impossible to ignore between blacks and whites in America today, but who is to blame? Who is the enemy against which we march?

For most of my colleagues, it is a foe that they do not care to either face or acknowledge. We already have a perfect enemy: white, preferably evangelical, preferably Southern and most preferably conservative (i.e. me).

From my perspective, the real enemy is not dominant whiteness but the federal government, most notably the Democratic party.

Racism is no longer a social problem, and in a sense it never was. Racism is an economic problem. Disparities are not evidence of

dominance or racism. White Americans are not even the top earners in the country — in America, the top three ethnic groups in terms of household income are Indians, Filipinos and Taiwanese. Likewise, Iranian-, Nigerian- and Ghanaian-Americans earn more than the average white American.

Does this mean that the American economic system privileges Iranians over whites? Is there Filipino privilege?

Racism is no longer a social problem, and in a sense it never was.

Racism is an economic problem. Disparities are not evidence of dominance or racism.

Furthermore, the black community suffered statistical harm under Democratic entitlement policies. In 1960, around a century after the 13th amendment, just 22 percent of black children grew up in homes without both parents. By 1990, after the government implemented the War on Poverty and a host of other entitlement programs designed to help (read: target) the black community, that number had tripled.

Only a fraction of black students are getting into private high schools today compared to the percentage of black students that were receiving private high school

education decades ago. In general, the black community is worse off now than it was when the Selma marchers were marching, despite the undeniable fact that U.S. society has grown less and less racist.

The discussion of how Democratic programs have wrought this force on the black community is worth a paper in and of itself, but it suffices to assume that my colleagues are marching against none of these things.

My colleagues march against an effigy. I am sure they acknowledge these problems, but instead of earnestly seeking practical solutions for them, progressives tend to use these economic problems as a backdrop to emphasize and inflate social problems that are diminishing quickly into nothingness.

For their own self-assurance, they make a carnival out of a struggle and I see no principle in it.

In their push for progress, they have refused to acknowledge that the foe they claim to fight against has progressed as well and is no longer the slaveowners and the KKK and the Nazis all rolled into one.

As an outsider looking in, I see a place in which I am not welcome. I see a movement that claims to fight against racism but only on the easiest and falsest terms. I see a movement that lumps in things which I love, namely justice and peace, with political issues with which I cannot agree.

I will strive to love my fellow men and women, but I will not delude myself into walking easy streets among friends to the sounds of praise and call it fighting for justice.

Isaiah Mitchell is an undeclared sophomore.

Republicans rally cont. continued from PAGE 8

This was a political move that would have been initiated by whichever party next controlled the Presidency and the Senate at the same time.

In review, there were two key legislative moments in Congress in 2017; one was a success for Republicans, and the other a survival for Democrats.

The Republicans failed to repeal and replace Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act, by one vote in the Senate. However, the Republicans did succeed in passing an overhaul of the American tax code. The tax code had not been overhauled since the Reagan administration.

Overall, this past year was a success for Republicans. They managed to pass a number of key legislative pieces of their agenda that they had been previously blocked from passing.

For a party that was not supposed to exist in 2017, it was a very good year. The party had been wanting to reform the tax code for years and was finally able to do so, while the failure to reform healthcare will be a sore spot for years to come.

Manfred Wendt is a junior political science major.

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BEST FOR

TRINITY BEST ICE CREAM

BEST BAKED GOODS

WINNER: Amy’s Ice Cream

WINNER: Bird Bakery

Finalists: Lick, Menchie’s

Finalists: Bakery Lorraine, Nothing Bundt Cakes

As an Austin native, stopping by Amy’s Ice Cream is a welcome piece of home. There was a short, quick-moving line, and the employees were cheerful, friendly and wearing some fantastic hats that fit in with the bright color scheme and pop music playing in the background. While there aren’t a wide variety of flavors offered, they have all the staples such as strawberry and vanilla, as well as an ever-changing cast of specialty flavors with names like “Mozart” and “Rainbow Rock.” The ice cream was delicious and the waffle cone is a must-try. — Andrea Nebhut, Illustrator

The cupcakes are delicious. The tables are twee. And the sugary lattes are more dessert than coffee. But where the hell is Armie Hammer? I saw peach and blueberry cobblers, gluten-free brownies, even tomato pies, but no Armie, the husband of Bird Bakery founder Elizabeth Chambers. Known for his roles in “The Social Network” and “Call Me By Your Name,” Armie’s presence was sorely missed in the Alamo Heights bakery. You may come for the Elvis-themed cupcake, but you most certainly won’t stay for the company if this continues. — Georgie Riggs, A&E Contributor

BEST BARBERSHOP

BEST NAIL SALON

WINNER: Olmos Park Barbershop WINNER: Ann’s Nails and Spa Finalists: Medusa. The Salon, Toxic Salon

Finalists: Quarry Nails, Holly’s

Olmos Park Barbershop is the place to go if you’re looking for a fine haircut in an old-fashioned setting. The vintage parlor offers you the full experience as stylists Adrian and Andrew work away at crafting you a new hairdo. Their customer service is top-notch; they offer you a free beer while you wait. They specialize in men’s haircuts, so ladies, I would recommend Medusa. The Salon, our runner-up, for your haircut needs. — Julia Weis, Managing Editor

The sound of quiet laughter, instrumental covers of Ed Sheeran and a bubbling fountain fill the room at Ann’s Nails and Spa. A trip to the nail salon is nice way to end a long week, and students say Ann’s Nails and Spa to be the best one around. The stylists of Ann’s Nails are very nice, and a manicure is fairly cheap. The atmosphere is relaxing; perfect for a weekend out with friends, or some quality ‘me time.’ — Andja Bjeletich, Pulse Reporter

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BEST LIVE BEST LIVE ENTERTAINMENT VENUE WINNER: Paper Tiger

BEST FOR TRINITY

BEST MOVIE THEATER

WINNER: Regal Alamo Quarry

Finalists: Aztec Theater, Hardbodies

Finalists: Alamo Drafthouse, Santikos Northwest

When it comes to music clubs and concert halls, San Antonio has more than its fair share of entertainment destinations. Paper Tiger stands as the ideal for the modern Trinity student; it is not only a short walk from campus, but also located tantalizingly close to the delicious Tacos El Regio truck. The shows themselves are generally a delightful mix of touring rock bands and eclectic local flavor, and tickets are priced so that you can afford to explore bands from more obscure origins without breaking the bank.

— Nick Smetzer, A&E Editor

The Regal Alamo Quarry theater has two atmospheres: the chill vibes that you might feel at a small town theater with only two screens, and the exciting suspense of sitting in a theater with over 50 people all waiting for the same highly anticipated feature film.

While it may not offer the wide array of classy food options that the Alamo Drafthouse features, the Regal Quarry still rises to the top with its solid popcorn, varied candy options and wine and beer on tap. — Soleil Gaffner, Opinion Editor

BEST OFF-CAMPUS HANGOUT SPOT WINNER: The Pearl

WINNER: Boysville

Finalists: Candlelight Coffeehouse, Japanese Tea Gardens, The Quarry

Finalists: Buffalo Exchange, Goodwill

WINNER: Starbucks

WINNER: The Pearl

For Trinity’s Best Resale Shop, I traveled to Boysville, a resale shop The winner of Best Hangout Spot was the Pearl District, where my founded in the 1950s which supports a local children’s shelter for boys and girls. I put together a nice ensemble for the price of $26. friend Ben Gonzalez and I went to hang out for an evening. There I ended up nixing the $4.99 necklace and the $6.99 shoes, but are myriad snacking and dining options in the Pearl District, of which my friend and I visited two: Tenko Ramen for dinner and Lick did buy the $5.99 dress and $7.99 jacket, which I wore later that day because I looked good, okay? They have shoes, clothes for all ice cream for dessert. Overall, the intricate lights, bustling crowds and fantastic dining made for a wonderful locale to relax and enjoy ages and books and chairs. It’s a great shop that supports a great cause. — Elise Hester, Sports Reporter time with a friend. — Nathaniel Pigott, Copy Editor

Finalists: Local Coffee, Summermoon Coffee Bar The proximity of the Starbucks on Broadway to the Trinity campus is a primary draw for the hardworking student hoping to escape the monotony of the library or their dorm. Studying outside is an option, if you enjoy the ambient street noise of Broadway. It’s also a great place to network with our UIW neighbors or Alamo Heights PTA moms. The lack of outlets puts a natural limit on your screen time in case you’re worried about straining your eyes — once your laptop dies, you’ll have to put it away and go home. And if you are sensitive to the taste of coffee, the familiar Starbucks blend will never surprise your taste buds, unlike those minimalist hipster spots with their rotating list of single-origin roasts. — Kendra Derrig, News Reporter

Finalists: Japanese Tea Gardens, Cappy’s Restaurant The already vibrant nature of the Pearl district was made even more lively by my date for the evening, Nathaniel. The easily accessible parking was great and only around 100 feet from the main area. Dates can spend time exploring the elegant main square of the Pearl Brewery, surrounded by trees decorated with Christmas lights, forming an area perfectly suited for admiration while holding hands with your significant other. We ordered similar ramen bowls from Tenko Ramen, where we slurped tasty noodles in the food court style dining room. Afterwards, we walked past a crowd of children playing in a fountain to enjoy some dessert at Lick. — Benjamin Gonzalez, Opinion Columnist

BEST FOR TRINITY • JANUARY 19, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

BEST PLACE TO SHOP FOR GIFTS WINNER: Target Finalists: The Quarry, The Pearl From clothing to school supplies, from candy to flat screen TVs, the Target on Austin Highway has everything a gift buyer could want or need. While Target may not be what you’d think of as a conventional gift shop, the chain retailer offers a wide variety of items at low prices. It’s no wonder Trinity students voted for Target as the best place to buy a gift — nothing makes a college student happier than low prices. — Saul Malek, Sports Reporter

BEST SHOP

PLACE TO FOR DEALS

WINNER: Goodwill Finalists: Boysville, Buffalo Exchange According to Trinity students, Goodwill is the best place to shop for deals. With a Goodwill located less than ten minutes from Trinity, it’s easily accessible to students. Everything sold at Goodwill is used, which makes the prices low and affordable for students on a budget. At Goodwill, Trinity students can shop for anything from vintage clothes to affordable holiday decorations. Shoppers can also feel good about the money they’re spending. At Goodwill, you can round up a purchase to the next whole dollar. Students can also donate their old clothes to Goodwill to make room for their new purchases. — Gabby Garriga, Pulse Reporter

BEST BEST STORE STORE WITH WITH EVRYTHING EVRYTHING WHEN WHEN YOU YOU NEED NEED IT IT RIGHT RIGHT AWAY AWAY WINNER: Target Finalists: HEB, Walmart The Target on Austin Highway is a wonderland of every conceivable product. Wandering the aisles is an adventure through each department, and there’s always something new on display. The dollar section at the very front is great for small gifts, especially for those who left Christmas shopping until January. It has a full grocery for hungry shoppers, and contains supplies and inspirations for every project. I always go there whenever I need crafting supplies, both for the variety of products offered and the fact that it’s open until 10 p.m. for those, like me, shopping at the very last minute. — Cristina Kodadek, Copy Editor

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BEST FOR TRINITY

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WINNER: Pizza Classics

WINNER: Green Vegetarian Cuisine

Finalists: Main Street Pizza, Barbaro

Finalists: Señor Veggie, Bok Choy

Pizza Classics is one of the most interesting places I have discovered in San Antonio. Their pizza is top-notch, both in quality and in the variety of specialty pizzas offered. Customers can treat themselves to a macaroni and cheese pizza or an alfredo chicken pizza, or can stick to the basics and build their own pizza with only the toppings they like most. The restaurant also serves salads, pasta and wings for those wanting to branch out. But the best part about Pizza Classics? BOGO pizzas, all day, every day, as long as you pick your food up. — Cristina Kodadek, Copy Editor

Green Vegetarian Cuisine in the Pearl is a clear choice for best vegetarian restaurant for Trinity. The food at Green is 100 percent vegetarian and 100 percent kosher. Though the restaurant is somewhat more expensive than other vegan and vegetarian restaurants in San Antonio, Green Vegetarian has a great variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner foods and vegan desserts. Because of its proximity to campus, its many food options and its approval from vegans, vegetarians, omnivores and those with other dietary restrictions, Green Vegetarian Cuisine is a convenient and satisfying dining option. — Kaylie King, News Reporter

WINNER: Tycoon Flats

WINNER: El Milagrito

Finalists: Big Bob’s Burgers, The Cove

Finalists: Tomatillo’s, Tacos El Regio

When it comes to burgers, one place rules the day for Trinity students — Tycoon Flats. A quick 10 minute walk from campus, Tycoon Flats serves a delicious combination of burgers, fries and dessert options. From the traditional Flatsburger to a Chicago-style hot dog, everyone can find something that hits the spot. With its affordable and tasty menu, comfortable seating and its acceptance of TigerBucks, it’s easy to see why Trinity students continue to flock to this renovated gas station.

— Jordan Bruce, Webmaster

Family-run El Milagrito Cafe is walking distance from campus and serves cheap, authentic Mexican food. This is a prime choice for broke college students, as it’s fairly easy to feed two people here for less than ten dollars. The vibe is cozy and relaxed: sit either outside to people-watch or inside, where the walls are adorned with colorful flags and pictures. Grab a breakfast taco or a big pile of meat for a great price, but be aware that vegetarian options are few and far between at this cafe. — Kara Killinger, Pulse Editor

WINNER: Smoke Shack

WINNER: Tacos El Regio

Finalists: Rudy’s Country Store and BBQ, Augie’s Barbed Wire Smoke House While $8 turkey sandwiches make Smoke Shack a bit too luxurious for weeknight barbeque runs, the inclusion of brisket in their grilled cheese and frito pie saves the Shack from Bill Millerdom. The brisket grilled cheese makes up for much of the Shack’s overpriced hipster vibe, combining the tender smoked beef with vinegar-y barbeque sauce and American cheese. For the sake of both your wallet and your health, I would recommend the Smoke Shack in very limited — but artery-fulfilling — doses.

— Georgie Riggs, A&E Contributor

Known to most Trinity students as “the taco truck,” Tacos El Regio is a staple of San Antonio nightlife. Unfortunately, the truck doesn’t open shop until 11 p.m., but while you’re waiting, you can spend some time on the Strip. And though there is often a long line snaking through the lot, it moves quickly, and soon enough, you have a warm plate of tacos in your hands. The food truck sits in the parking lot of Hardbodies and across the street from Limelight, and its seemingly aglow exterior is a beacon to many on a Saturday night. If you’re hungry but don’t know what you want, they have it. From veggie quesadillas to tacos pastor, the menu offers anything you could want at midnight, especially arroz con leche and elote. — Kathleen Creedon, News Editor

BEST FOR TRINITY • JANUARY 19, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

WINNER: Local Coffee Finalists: Rosella Coffee, Candlelight Coffeehouse, CommonWealth Coffeehouse

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WINNER: Tomatillo’s Finalists: Panchito’s, Bombay Bicycle Club, Chisme

Local Coffee at the Pearl is conveniently located so you can grab a cup to go and explore the rest of the Pearl. With a simple menu of classic coffee drinks and a variety of pastries available, it’s the perfect place to stop for a caffeine boost before a stroll along the river or checking out the Saturday market. There’s also plenty of outdoor seating if you want to sip your latte outside on one of San Antonio’s cooler days. While it might not the best place if you’re looking for a study location, Local at the Pearl is a must-try for the Trinity student looking to enjoy more of what San Antonio has to offer. — Kendra Derrig, News Reporter

Though the happy hour at Tomatillo’s was nothing to write home about, it’s easy to understand the appeal: $4 margaritas and a never-ending supply of tortilla chips. The limited happy hour menu includes both boring and kinda-boring nachos, taquitos and a variety of queso. The nachos were average and the queso was below average — it solidified into a congealed mess after five minutes — even for happy hour prices. Overall, just basking in the festive decorations and being surrounded by fellow Trinikids while tipsy on a no-longer-frozen margarita had a certain appeal, but it did not convince me that Trinity’s students voted to the best of their abilities. — Evan Chambless, Copy Chief

WINNER: La Gloria

WINNER: Uber

Finalists: Tomatillo’s, Panchito’s

Finalists: Walking, Lyft

Looking to try out the best margaritas in town? Go no further than the local San Antonio establishment La Gloria, which offers a family-friendly environment with a lively bar outside. The staff is more than happy to give recommendations, and after trying their sangria margarita, I am too! After going during happy hour, I can easily agree with Trinity students that La Gloria margaritas are the most delicious way to start dinner off right.

— Cathy Terrace, News Reporter

The word “Uber” has become shorthand for getting home from parties or concerts, and it’s not hard to see why. It seems like everybody drives for Uber as a side gig, which means that a ride is only ever five or 10 minutes away. A word of advice: If you’re not prepared to listen to your driver rant about murderous pets, conspiracy theories or any other topic for the entirety of your travels, then you might be better off walking.

— Nick Smetzer, A&E Editor

WINNER: Bombay Bicycle Club

WINNER: Don’s and Ben’s

Finalists: Faust, Paramour, Brass Monkey

Finalists: WB Liquors, Spec’s

Bombay Bicycle Club offers a warm, cozy environment with wooden booths and wood paneling, as well as an old-style drugstore aesthetic and decoration. The drinks and food were satisfying. Dos Equis served in glass mugs with lime and a large bowl of potato crisps made for an excellent, relaxed evening with friends. A runner-up, Faust, offers a more alternative environment with lots of outdoor seating and a pleasantly dark indoor area with a good selection of drinks.

— Gabriel Levine, Opinion Columnist

The Don’s and Ben’s on McCullough is a quick three-minute drive from campus, but convenience isn’t its only strong suit: Not only do they offer a 10 percent discount on liquor purchases to students, the folks behind the counter are always promoting taste tests of new booze. Greg, who works afternoons and evenings most days, attributes the store’s success to the quality of their service. “Trinity students are regulars,” he told me, for better or worse. Drink responsibly, Tigers.

— Daniel Conrad, Editor-in-Chief

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BEST FOR TRINITY

BEST BEST OFF-CAMPUS OFF-CAMPUS HOUSING HOUSING WINNER: Rosemont Finalists: Tobin Lofts, The Beverly Rosemont apartments offer a secure, gated community of apartments with a public swimming pool and nicely shaded balconies. Apartments vary in size depending upon needs but are generally spacious, featuring carpeted floors and large living spaces, bedrooms notwithstanding. The kitchens are fully equipped and facilities services are attentive. Tobin Lofts, a runner-up, is also serviceable; it resembles a dorm, but is perfectly fine. The Beverly, another runner-up, is generally comfortable and relatively close to campus, albeit farther than Rosemont. — Gabriel Levine, Opinion Columnist

BEST OFF-CAMPUS GYM

January 24, 2018

7:30PM Tobin Center for the Performing Arts

tobincenter.org | 210.223.8624

WINNER: D.R. Semmes Family YMCA at TriPoint Finalists: Gold’s Gym, Life Time Fitness D.R. Semmes Family YMCA dominated the competition for this year’s Best Off-Campus Gym category. Located on the corner of North St. Mary’s and Stadium Drive, this gym is a quick 10-minute walk from campus, making it easily accessible to students with and without cars. This YMCA was opened in 2009, so it contains state-of-the-art cardio and weight equipment, a rock wall and several group exercise studios. For the last two years, Trinity and the YMCA have partnered to offer special group rates to Trinity students. To access this discount, show your Tiger Card upon registration. — Hailey Wilson, Sports Reporter

BEST HIKING/CAMPING SPOT WINNER: Enchanted Rock Finalists: Big Bend National Park, Brackenridge Park This weekend, I ventured out to Fredricksburg to climb the famous Enchanted Rock. As a Pacific Northwesterner and a Trip Leader for Trinity’s Outdoor Recreation, I’m pretty into hiking. I had a lot of expectations for the giant pink rock that my fellow Texans had hyped up so much. While it’s no Big Bend, the short 30–45 minute hike gives you great views of the Texas Hill Country. A great hike for those of you wanting to get out of the San Antonio bubble. Just make sure you explore the caves too.

— Julia Weis, Managing Editor

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.

Pulse

Student club brings TED talks to Trinity Students learn study tips and more from each other in TEDxTU club GABBY GARRIGA | PULSE REPORTER ggarriga@trinity.edu Fifteen years ago, Rohan Walawalkar sat in a car with his mom eating a candy bar — his ideal day. Stuck in traffic, Walawalkar savored every bite of his Cadbury treat, unconcerned with the local homeless woman his mother was talking to. The next thing Walawalkar knew, his perfect day came crashing down.

The homeless woman had stolen his beloved Cadbury bar. At the time, Walawalkar was angry and loathed the homeless woman for stealing his treat.

However, after some soulsearching and research on homelessness, Walawalkar gave a TED talk regarding this day. Through this TED talk, the sophomore anthropology major demonstrated his change in view of homelessness, just as he hopes to change the stigma in society about homelessness.

"Society's view is that [homeless] people are despicable, are lazy, are poor, and don't care.

In my research, I've found they're so much more. People experiencing homelessness are people who, in inhuman conditions, have to make inhuman decisions. And sometimes they have to steal candy from a child," Walawalkar said in his TED talk.

Walawalkar believes that the way to change the accepted view of homelessness in society is through narrative.

Because of this, Walawalkar started TEDxTU, a club he hopes will influence what people think and believe. This semester,

ANDREA CRUZ gives a study hack talk. photo by STEPHEN SUMRALL-ORSAK, staff photographer

Walawalkar kicked off his club with series of lectures about effective studying.

Walawalkar hopes that TEDxTU can not only help students with their study habits but also provide a platform for students to share their ideas and opinions. Walawalkar’s own passion to fight homelessness led him to found TEDxTU. He hopes that by using this platform, he can change the stigma against homelessness and develop his narrative skills.

“They’re something that everyone has seen, but not many people think about them.

TED itself is a global nonprofit that provides this platform for development, provides this platform for people to come together and share ideas that are likely to change the world,” Walawalkar said.

On Jan. 11, Walawalkar and Andrea Cruz, first-year intended business major and speaker coordinator for TEDxTU, gave the club’s first TED talk. This lecture was the first in a fourpart Study Hacks Lecture Series based on the blog of Cal Newport, author and professor at Georgetown University. Walawalkar spoke to about 30 students on how to improve their study habits and the importance of time management. His lecture included interactive questions, tips on how to lead a balanced academic life and memes to keep his audience engaged.

Cruz’s portion of the lecture focused on the specific ways students could integrate time management tips into their routine. At the end of the lecture, Cruz used her own

schedule as an example on how to plan for the week ahead.

“A lot of our students are smart. And they were the students in high school who were used to not doing a lot of work and getting those As and getting that 4.0. Especially with a lecture series like this, it’ll help students learn how to study and learn how to do it efficiently and make use of their time wisely,” Cruz said.

Stacy Davidson, director for academic support, particularly enjoyed the lecture.

Davidson believes that TEDxTU’s lecture series will be helpful to the student body and hopes to collaborate with TEDxTU in the future. She thinks that peer-to-peer shared academic tips and experiences are especially powerful because students trust the advice given to them by their peers.

“Having students talk about their experiences is invaluable,” Davidson said.

Davidson aims to coordinate lectures with the Student Success Center and TEDxTU to further assist and motivate the student body members in their pursuit of academic success.

Walawalkar hopes to grow the club this semester.

In February, the club plans to hold a showing of pre-recorded TED talks to the student body, and in August, TEDxTU hopes to have its first live speaker event. Walawalkar intends to invite alumni, faculty and students to the lecture.

“I’m going to draw from the global community of ideas and curate a set of talks that can really change opinions starting in my community — change opinions that I think need changing,” Walawalkar said.

The next session of the lecture series, focusing on note-taking skills, will take place on Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. in CSI 448.

Cartoons, fan fiction and overcoming self-doubt My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and writing helped one Trinity junior cope with depression KARA KILLINGER | PULSE EDITOR kkilling@trinity.edu Junior English major Collin McGrath won’t soon forget the day back in high school when he and his younger sister were reclining on the couch, recovering from a particularly gruesome episode of the anime series "Attack on Titan."

McGrath said they should put on something happy. His sister’s response would change his life: “How about 'My Little Pony'?”

McGrath shrugged and let her put it on. He wasn’t particularly interested in the show, but he had his Nintendo DS nearby and planned to play instead of really watching.

As the episode went on, however, he kept looking up from his game. He noticed that the pony named Fluttershy was a little like a character named Hinata in another series he loved, "Naruto." He pointed this out to his sister, and she agreed.

Soon enough, the "Naruto" comparisons became reason enough to pay attention.

Comparing ponies to "Naruto" characters was an addicting game, and with each episode, McGrath became more engrossed in the "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" world. In his free time, he started to look up fan reviews and watch YouTube videos about the show “At one point I was like, ‘Hey, do you want to watch some more of this?’ I handed my sister

the remote and she just had this smug little grin like, ‘You are a Brony now,’” McGrath said.

McGrath had struggled with self-esteem for a long time. Since middle school, he’d been relentlessly pursuing his dream of becoming an actor, but he never quite got his time in the spotlight. Actors with less experience were cast in lead roles. Even in college, where McGrath thought he would take on theatre as a major, he was told he looked unnatural while acting.

“When it felt like I was giving it my all onstage, they said it looked wrong,” McGrath said.

As the theater dream slipped through his fingers, McGrath began to devote more time to writing.

He was particularly fascinated by one "My Little Pony" character who wasn’t a pony at all, but a dragon named Spike, who Twilight Sparkle hatched from an egg as part of her magical entrance exam.

Where were Spike’s parents? How did Twilight Sparkle and Spike interact as a family?

What would happen if the dragon were to grow too big for the library where he lived? There were so many unanswered questions about Spike, McGrath wanted to fill in the blanks himself.

“He just seemed like a character of infinite potential, and I guess I kind of related to him.

I always felt like an underdog in my own life,” McGrath said.

Unlike theater directors, and even some kids at school among whom McGrath never seemed to fit, fan fiction patrons adored McGrath.

“I ended up getting a lot of followers and people who were actually commenting. The nicest thing somebody once said to me was like, ‘I just wanted to say I was reading a lot

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

of stories online, and I realized that a lot of the really good ones were written by you,’” McGrath said.

Because Spike rarely makes an appearance on the show, McGrath rarely watches "My Little Pony" anymore, but does he write every day. McGrath has produced more than 343,000 total words of fan fiction. For reference, that’s about thirty percent more words than James Joyce’s 700-page novel, "Ulysses."

“Writing helped me through my depression, and helped me realize I have self-worth. I am not useless,” McGrath said.

Some may accuse fan fiction of not being real writing, due to its focus on alreadycreated characters and worlds. Fiction writing professor Andrew Porter disagrees.

“I think that any type of writing is great. Any time you’re engaging that part of your brain I think it’s wonderful,” Porter said.

Students who have written fan fiction tend to arrive in Porter’s classes practiced, talented and well-prepared to compose quality original work. Still, many are embarrassed to admit that their writing background primarily involves publishing fics online.

“They kind of always are a little bit embarrassed about it,” said Porter, “but they shouldn’t be. By the time I read their first short stories, I can see the influence of that experience on the work that they’re doing. Collin is a great example of that.

He’s a really talented fiction writer, and I think he got his early experience from writing fan fiction.”

McGrath’s passion for "My Little Pony" even landed him onstage on Dec. 12 of last year, when he told the entire story of his obsession live at the Texas Public Radio event, Worth Repeating.

The audience responded by laughing, whooping and cheering. Burgin Streetman, marketing manager of Trinity University Press and one of the event’s organizers, was impressed

by McGrath’s storytelling.

“There’s a whole world of people who just do onstage monologues and one-man shows,” Streetman said. “He’s talented enough as a writer and as a storyteller; he could just be writing his own stuff. He doesn’t need to wait for someone to catch him in something.”

So, what does McGrath have to say about those who call "My Little Pony" too feminine a show?

“If a show can actually save lives like this and change people and help them through hard times, it doesn’t really matter if it’s weird for some guy to like it,” McGrath said.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • JANUARY 19, 2018 •

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Breaking outside the United States border International students share their unique winter break experiences ANDJA BJELETICH | PULSE REPORTER abjeleti@trinity.edu Twinkling lights, the sweet smell of hot cocoa and the heat from a yule log are typical American traditions during Christmas time.

International students, however, often have different holiday traditions.

Sophi Gonzales and Silvia Rojas share their cultures’ traditions and the difficulties of being an international student during times of political turmoil.

Rojas, a first-year marketing and political science major, is from San Pedro Sula in Honduras. “[Honduras is] really different from San Antonio because of the infrastructure.

San Pedro Sula is a valley, which means it’s plain. In contrast, San Antonio has a lot of highways and bridges, which we don’t have,” Rojas said.

Honduras’ presidential election took place last November. The election was between

Juan Orlando Hernandez and Salvador Nasralla. Three weeks after the election took place, Hernandez was announced as the new president. However, according to Ray Suarez in the NPR interview transcript “In Honduras, Protests Erupt In Wake of Presidential Election Results,” it’s difficult to say who really won the presidential elections.

“Organization of American States monitors say there were deliberate human intrusions into the computer system as well as several other irregularities,” Suarez said.

These irregularities led to many violent protests throughout Honduras.

“Protests have toned down and everything is going back to normal. Thankfully, everything’s okay with my family,” Rojas said.

Despite political turmoil, Rojas had a wonderful time back home for the break. For Christmas, Rojas traveled to Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, to reunite with her extended family.

“It was awesome. I really missed my family and friends, so being able to see them again was great,” Rojas said.

Rojas also enjoyed celebrating the new year.

“My favorite memory was New Year’s Eve. I was with my family until 1 a.m., and

then I went to a party with my friends. I particularly enjoyed this because I was able to spend time with those most important to me,” Rojas said.

To Gonzales, a first-year anthropology and communications double major, winter break meant coming home to her extended family in Monterrey, Mexico. According to Gonzales, Mexico is somewhat similar to Texas.

“It’s become very Americanized. We have the same stores. We have HEB, Walmart, all that. We don’t have Target, which is sad,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales enjoyed visiting with her family, especially her second cousin, who is two years younger. “[In Mexico,] people are closer to their extended family, so I met up with my greatgrandmother, who had a huge celebration,” Gonzales said.

Mexico celebrates Christmas, New Year’s, Dia de los Reyes Magos (King’s Day), and Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe (Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe). Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe happens on Dec. 12, followed

by Dia de los Reyes Magos on Jan. 6. On Dia de los Reyes Magos, people put their

shoes out to be filled with candy. La Rosca de Reyes, also known as King’s Cake, is baked with a plastic baby Jesus and eaten.

Whoever gets the baby Jesus in their slice has to throw a tamale party on Feb. 2. For Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe, people take flowers to the virgin and traditionally attired sword-dancers, called matachines, perform ritual dances.

While Gonzales did not experience much culture shock coming back from her break, she did struggle with the switch in languages.

“At home, we speak Spanish, my friends speak Spanish,” Gonzales said. “So [it] was weird coming back because I got used to speaking Spanish all the time. It was just like weird with [the change in] language. I mean, I grew up going to an American school so I grew up speaking English and Spanish, but it was just weird because my instinct was to respond in Spanish but I had to be like, ‘Oh wait no, I can’t do that.’”

For both Gonzales and Rojas, winter break was a time that they were able to spend with family and friends.

To find out more information about international students, email International Student and Scholar Services at isss@trinity.edu.

Marrs McLean welcomes fuzzy new family Students and professors in science building adjust to new life among skunks GABBY GARRIGA | PULSE REPORTER ggarriga@trinity.edu

Lawrence Kim, an associate professor of classical studies, walked into his first class of the year excited and blissfully unaware. Kim had been tasked with teaching an intro-level classics course, Classical Mythology. The class attracts all sorts of students, from first-years intent on a major to seniors looking for credits.

When Kim arrived, he took out his materials, set up his laptop and perhaps even wrote his name on the board. Kim glanced out his window, watching the busy afternoon unfold: students speed walking to class, professors searching for their new rooms and squirrels scurrying up the trees. Satisfied with his room and excited to teach his next group of classics scholars, Kim sat down and surveyed MMS 177, looking forward to a fresh start to the semester.

However, when Kim’s wife, Sira Schulz, a part-time faculty member in the classical studies department, entered the building on her way to MMS 177, she was immediately hit

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT, staff illustrator

with a wave of a noxious stench. As students passed through the building, they noticed the odor too, rushing to get outside to the fresh air.

Schulz walked through the scrambling students and into Kim’s room. Schulz then asked a content Kim about the awful skunk smell, getting a confused look in return.

“I didn’t notice anything and didn’t know what she was talking about. Skunk smell?

Anyway, this happens to us all the time, because I have a really bad sense of smell, while she has Daredevil-like heightened senses of all

kinds, but especially smell,” Kim wrote in an email interview.

Kim is one of the lucky ones. Students who have class in Marrs McLean have been complaining of an odor since they returned from the winter break. Recently, it was discovered that there is a family of skunks living under Marrs McLean, causing the building to smell.

Some students noticed the stench when they returned from the break, but believe that it has since subsided. Dillon Akins, sophomore and intended history major, has class in

Marrs McLean this semester and noticed the smell immediately.

“I smelled it when I walked through here going to and from class. It was awful,” Akins said.

Katherine Jones, sophomore geoscience major, also detected the stench when she came to the building for class. She believes either the smell faded or she has stopped noticing it.

“Time heals everything,” Jones said.

Although the smell is an inconvenience, students believe that the skunks should not be harmed in the process of ridding Marrs McLean of the stench.

“Whatever they do just don’t kill the skunks,” Jones said.

Because skunks use their spray as a last resort defense mechanism, students believe the Trinity community could learn to live in harmony with the skunks. Students even suggested naming the skunks to help them feel more at home.

“We could name the skunks, they could be mascots. Do a name submission contest — Skunky McSkunsky,” Akins said.

Since the initial smelliness, students and professors have wondered if facilities services intends to take action against the skunks.

The Trinitonian reached out to facilities services, but they did not respond by press time.

Sidewalk Symposium What’s your New Year’s resolution?

“Apply to ecology study abroad in China and generally try to be healthier.”

— Isabella Rizzo, first-year biology major

“Start being more outgoing and nicer to people.”

— Chris Matta, first-year business major

“Be healthier and work out more and eat less crap.”

— Jack Draper, junior marketing major

“Appreciate my senior friends and go out for a last hurrah” — Abe Wang, senior biology major

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • JANUARY 19, 2018 •

PULSE

Art dept. welcomes new gallery manager Mark Martinez discusses shows and exhibition plans, from big to Mini MAGGIE LUPO | PULSE REPORTER mlupo@trinity.edu

The bright, airy Michael and Noemi Neidorff Gallery inside Trinity’s DickeSmith building stands empty right now.

Soon, though, the gallery will display its first show of the semester, under the direction of newly-hired gallery manager Mark Martinez.

Martinez, who was hired at the end of 2017 and who officially started his position at the beginning of the semester, said he is excited about being back on a university campus.

“I haven’t been on a university campus since grad school, so being back in the school setting is really fun,” Martinez said.

Of course, there has to be an adjustment period.

“When you start at the beginning of the year as an employee or even a student, you get that orientation about how things work, like, ‘This is TigerPAWS,’ and, ‘This is T-mail,’ so since I’m starting in the middle of the year, everyone’s just bringing me up to speed,” Martinez said.

Perhaps even more daunting — though he doesn’t seem fazed — Martinez isn’t

filling anyone’s shoes, as his position is an entirely new one for Trinity. He will have to make his own way with the job, though with his previous work as a visual arts director at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, he has plenty of experience and seems more than up to the task.

Unfortunately for Martinez, he doesn’t have much time to catch his breath and settle into his new position before the first show, The Mini, opens on Jan. 25.

The Mini is a competitive, studentjuried exhibition for Trinity’s Art and Art History majors and minors, even undeclared ones. A faculty panel chooses the strongest proposals to display.

Martinez was quick to note a substantial change in this year’s iteration of the Mini.

“I guess in the past, [Trinity] has done one or two artists’ proposals in the space.

Well this time, we have nine,” Martinez said.

“They all kind of talk to each other conceptually,” Martinez said. “There’s a lot of landscape, body conversation happening within the exhibition, so we’ll see that in sculpture, photography and watercolor.”

The students of the art department are just as excited about the upcoming exhibition and Martinez’s hiring. Alex Motter, a sophomore business analytics major and Chinese and English minor, expressed his enthusiasm for the new

gallery director and his approach to managing the future show.

“[Trinity is] so self-sufficient that, in a way, it doesn’t need the rest of the city to create its own programming, so that’s a gift and a curse.”

MARK MARTINEZ GALLERY MANAGER

“Mark is incredibly kind. I like the fact that he treats us the students with respect and as a peer. He respected that we have worked hard on creating our pieces for the exhibit and took notes to make sure the final layout reflects our artistic vision as best as possible,” Motter wrote in an email interview.

Another student, junior art and psychology double major Abigail Wharton, finds Martinez’s hiring encouraging for the future of the department.

“I was very excited to hear that we had actually hired a gallery director. I think it’s a strong commitment by our department to showing art on a consistent basis and showing artists that their work is important to us and we’re going to show it as beautifully and professionally as we possibly can,” Wharton wrote in an email interview.

One of Martinez’s self-professed goals for the gallery is the attraction of a wider audience to exhibitions.

“I know a lot of folks in the local community, I know a lot of folks in other arts admin positions across the city, you know, so folks at Blue Star [Contemporary], Artpace, Linda Pace [Foundation]. One of the problems that Trinity has kind of faced is [that] it can be a little insular — it’s so self-sufficient that, in a way, it doesn’t need the rest of the city to create its own programming, so that’s a gift and a curse. Bringing in an outside eye, but at the same time a local eye, to our exhibitions here and showing the importance of our campus ... I think will be really important,” Martinez said.

Liz Day, a junior art and art history double major, is enthusiastic about Martinez’s goal.

“I would love to have a wider audience for the gallery. With at least two student exhibits, The Mini and the Senior Show, having a bigger audience may help student artists network and grow,” Day wrote in an email interview.

Motter, Wharton and Day each expressed their anticipation of the upcoming Mini exhibition and their dedication to their respective pieces.

Motter added that he hopes there will be a large turnout to the exhibition’s opening night.

The Mini exhibition’s opening reception is Jan. 25 from 5–7 p.m. in the Neidorff Gallery. Stop by to see Trinity artists show off their work.

New Tommy Wiseau movie to be released in two parts

Aziz Ansari accused of sexual assault by anonymous woman

Fresh off the heels of the success of “The Disaster Artist,” Wiseau has announced his next project: “Best F(r)iends.” Oh boy.

The scandal surrounding the comedian has been hotly debated, with some considering his behavior more awkward than criminal.

AE &

San Antonio celebrates third century in style illustrations by ANDREA NEBHUT

The city’s Tricentennial Commission planned a full year of festivities and events to mark the special occassion GEORGIE RIGGS A&E CONTRIBUTOR griggs@trinity.edu

The great white hope of Ireland, affectionately known as the “devil’s apples,” first reached New England’s shores 300 years ago. The settlers called them potatoes. That same year, on the first of May, a small mission was formed in South Texas, which would later become known as the Alamo — a decidedly less enticing name than “devil’s apples.”

However, unlike the arrival of potatoes, the tricentennial celebration for the city of San Antonio will kick off with art exhibits, historical education opportunities, volunteer initiatives and even a fitness challenge.

For those seeking public art exhibits, the tricentennial will bring a large variety of free events around the city. Downtown, there will be a large exhibition from six different art institutions in the first half of 2018.

Kicking off with Artpace San Antonio on Jan. 18, this exhibition, called “Common Currents,” will showcase work by more than 300 local artists. Blue Star Contemporary and the Southwestern School of Art will both

follow Artpace by opening their showcases in February. Likewise, in February, the San Antonio Museum of Art will be opening its “San Antonio 1718: Art from Viceregal Mexico,” which will explore the first century of life in San Antonio. The art pieces will vary from landscapes and portraits to sculptures and decorative objects.

For a more immersive experience, “St. Anthony’s Lost & Found: A Poetry Exchange” will be presented at the Culture Commons Gallery at Plaza de Armas. Led

by Trinity’s own Jennifer Browne, poetry professor and Poet Laureate of the state of Texas, the Poetry Exchange will highlight the ability of poetry to function as a practice of self-expression, collaborative cultural exchange and community building. The exhibit will open with a reception on the

night of Jan. 25 and will remain open throughout April.

On the historical and educational aspects of the tricentennial, there will be museum exhibits dedicated to the rich history of the city. At the Witte, “Confluence and Culture: 300 Years of San Antonio History” will explore and educate visitors on the history of the city through an immersive exhibit beginning in March.

Accompanying this exhibit, the Witte will also present the “Gathering at the Waters: 12,000 years of People,” which will detail indigenous peoples’ history within San Antonio, along with a two-day speakers’ series on March 23 and 24. The speakers will cover a variety of topics, including indigenous communities, food in San Antonio and civil rights.

The Tricentennial Commission is also sponsoring four community service days throughout the year that will focus on four different categories. The first project will center around infrastructure improvement and will be on Feb. 17. Additional opportunities are listed on the commission’s website.

For personal growth, the commission is cudddrrently hosting a challenge, which began in October 2017, to have residents walk, run or bike 300 miles by the annual Siclovia event in May. While the arts and historical event focuses on mixing the past with the presentday city, this fitness challenge looks toward the future.

“These fitness activities will leave a legacy of happier, healthier lives for years to come,” said Edward Benavides, CEO of the Tricentennial Commission, in a press release.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Living composers discuss creations, host panel

Music-makers compare motivation, inspiration and styles in forum led

by Trinity professor BOBBY WATSON A&E CONTRIBUTOR rwatson@trinity.edu

Unique and creative minds met on Trinity’s campus, discussing their passions and inspirations both in their music as well as their lives. As part of Trinity’s Celebration of Living Composers Series, the Trinity Music Department held a panel with its three guest composers Carter Pann, Forrest Pierce and Dan Forrest on both Saturday, Jan. 13 and Sunday, Jan. 14.

The panel was moderated by Brian Bondari, associate professor of music, who asked the composers a series of questions that opened up dialogue between them about life as a modern composer. The conversation began with the lessons that have stuck with the composers in their pursuit of music.

Forrest described three one-liners he had received from three different influential teachers in his life. The simplicity of these phrases, such as, “Give everybody a beautiful line,” was striking. Forrest said these sayings made him think about the larger picture and not focus solely on his piano; rather, the things he felt most connected to were ideas that forced creative yet intuitive thought.

Pann had a similar one-liner phrase from his own teachers; however, his advice for aspiring composers was to be more centered around enjoying of the moment. The phrase that most stuck with him was, “If you don’t love this, then you need to rethink what you’re doing.”

LEFT to RIGHT: BRIAN BONDARI, DAN FORREST, CARTER PANN and FORREST PIERCE discuss the various aspects that have influenced their creative processes. A common theme between the composers’ inspirations was the importance of simple phrases used to guide their music. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

Both Forrest and Pann were influenced most by teachers they really loved — Pierce, on the other hand, claimed that he learned the most from teachers he hated. Pierce described certain practical and specific rules he learned from teachers he either found abusive or disliked. But Pierce’s last comment I found to be the most powerful and insightful into his own experience.

“It is possible to be kind, and support your students, and 100 percent be in their corner,” Pierce said when describing what the teacher he most loved taught him. His comments showed the intensity of the professional music world, and how support can truly make a difference on those you influence.

The composers went on to discuss drastic changes in their styles, which actually prompted them to describe their very distinct approaches to composition. Pierce described how emotionally attached he is to his music, but there came a time in his life where he was unable to compose anything. It took the desire of his students to hear his work for him to find his inspiration again — however, everything he

wrote after that day is completely different in style from his previous work.

“That was definitely a watershed moment for me. I couldn’t describe why it happened or what happened, but I know there was a big demarcation in my output,” Pierce said about his break in composing.

Pann said he has never had a major change in style. He did, however, state that the current political climate was poisoning his ability to write. Pann admitted to feeling so disgusted and upset by politics as of late that it distracts and prevents him from getting into his creative flow.

Forrest, upon describing how he similarly has not had a change in style, told of how he is generally emotionally detached from his work.

Forrest stated that for the most part he has never composed anything that he felt reflected his emotional state. Composing to him is a job; a task that must be completed. The only major incident that prompted Forrest to use composition as an outlet was the loss of his brother’s adopted child. He wrote a piece that was therapeutic for himself, his brother and his

sister-in-law. Forrest seemed to approach music in a very calculated manner, much more so than the other two composers.

One of the last, and seemingly most simple, questions summarized what I got out of the panel in its entirety. Bondari asked the composers if they needed to be in front of a piano to compose, to which all three answered literally, but then went on to describe the atmosphere they preferred to be in and the mindset they needed to get into. This brought up a discourse of how music is particular to an individual.

“We all approach this differently. I don’t want to sound like you, and vice versa,” Forrest said.

Music is a self reflection, and is unique to each individual. This idea, I felt, was the most explored and visible in the composers’ lives.

Each of them put themselves into their work and exemplify the openness of music.

I certainly found it interesting to hear how music is lived out in these professionals’ lives, and hope Trinity continues to bring this kind of dialogue to campus.

Composers’ creations performed for campus GEORGIE RIGGS A&E CONTRIBUTOR griggs@trinity.edu

“I’m not really sure there are music notes, or where they exist in time and space,” said Forrest Pierce during his hour-long presentation at the Celebration of Living Composers held in Ruth Taylor Recital Hall on the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 13. “But here we are.”

As a fan of music without much technical knowledge, this sums up my experience listening to three composers discuss their approaches to writing music. That afternoon, Dan Forrest, Forrest Pierce and Carter Pann each gave individual talks in which they played selections from their bodies of work and explained their approaches to arranging each composition.

Later that night, they showcased their work in a combined concert featuring all three composers.

Much of Pierce’s talk concerned the challenge of finding purpose in his career, while all three discussed their individual inspirations. Pierce’s talk was structured around divinity and existentialism, which was apparent in his “philosophical and eloquent compositions,” to borrow from Dan Forrest’s characterization of Pierce’s work.

On Saturday night, four of Pierce’s pieces structured around Rumi’s poetry were performed by pianist Carolyn True and vocalist Jacquelyn Matava, both members of the music department faculty. The piece highlighted how Pierce’s instrumentals accompany vocals, with Matava’s voice sounding almost like the skeleton that True’s piano then fleshed out.

DAN FORREST delivers a lecture on his personal journey to become a composer. Forrest himself creates his music by keeping personal voice, financial need and the desires of the audience in mind. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

Next, the Trinity Chamber Singers performed “Short is Time,” based on a poem whose haunting words were serviced by the choral arrangement.

I was impressed by the way in which Pierce produced similar emotions with arrangements designed for very different vocals and from poetry from very different time periods.

Each composer took a different approach to their talks. Pann started off the afternoon with a casual presentation of his varied works.

As Pann played each composition, he allowed the audience to read along with the sheet music.

This came in handy as Pann himself discussed that his compositions may be too clever; he said that the complexity of the pieces can obscure the music.

This cleverness is apparent in pieces like “Capital Punishment,” performed by a saxophone quartet, which Pann confessed that he thought was too fast an arrangement. While I agreed with Pann’s assessment of the speed and complexity work, there was a consistent line of joviality in the cleverness of his arrangements that justified the complicated structures.

Carolyn True, who had taught a teenaged Pann to play the piano years ago, performed two of Pann’s arrangements: “An Irish Tune” and “Soirée Macabre.” “An Irish Tune” displayed Pann’s affinity for ragtime, while “Soirée Macabre” evoked a vampiric sound. Both were infected with the same fast-paced energy that seems to define Pann’s work.

Forrest introduced an extremely helpful concept for anyone hoping to pursue artistic professions, even outside of composition. He discussed a three-part Venn diagram where one one circle represented personal voice, another circle indicated financial need or commissions, and the final circle stood for outside interest or audience.

The diagram proved to be helpful in envisioning how composers living today make their work, having to balance the financial needs and outside interest with artistic contributions. Forrest discussed often having to find a balance between his voice and his commissions, or his voice and external audiences, but never between financial and marketing without his voice.

The Chamber Singers performed two of Forrest’s pieces, “Good Night, Dear Heart” and “Abide.” Forrest played piano for the latter piece. Like Pierce’s work, both of Forrest’s compositions are arranged around poetry. While there are traces of the divine in both poems, Forrest’s pieces seemed to focus much more on the beautiful and humane aspects of life, which fitted his earlier discussion of life as a composer.

Hearing the composers discuss their personal experiences and how they affect their work gave more meaning to listening to their pieces and added a universality to their very specific music discussion. While only about 20 people attended the afternoon talks, an audience of around 100 came out to see the evening concert.

By that point, there was an accumulated sense of the benefit of celebrating living composers.

You still weren’t sure, like Pierce, if music notes actually exist in time and space, but you could feel the presence of the composers’ individual philosophies in each of their performances.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • JANUARY 19, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Q&A with Diane Persellin: State of the symphony AUSTIN DAVIDSON A&E CONTRIBUTOR adavids1@trinity.edu The future of the San Antonio Symphony has been in muddy waters for the past couple of weeks after it lost funding from its major donors: HEB, the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation and the Tobin Endowment.

The board had to scramble to amass support and funding for the symphony.

To learn more about this, the Trinitonian interviewed Trinity’s Diane Persellin, Trinity professor of music education and member of the symphony’s board of directors, after the orchestra’s performance on Saturday, Jan. 13.

You helped to spearhead gathering Trinity students to this event, correct?

Well, I actually just invited a couple of students to put their heads together and see if we couldn’t get a bunch of students together at the concert to show our support from Trinity, and they just took the ball and rolled with it.

How many students do you think came to the concert?

I think about 65 that I know of, but there could be more, like maybe 85-90.

What do you think of the orchestra’s current lack of funds?

Well, we are very optimistic! We just got some new donors who have emerged in the past week, and we are gaining more city support and Trinity support. Additionally, we are meeting with other donors to see if we can get some more funds. I am on the board, so it’s been kind of a rollercoaster the past

couple of weeks. We initially didn’t have enough money to cover payroll, but then more donors came forward so we are much more optimistic now so we can move forward. We also ratified a new contract, so it’s been all good news the past couple of days.

“We didn’t exactly

lose funding, we just didn’t have a lot to begin with” Do you have any specific plans to help continue to get funds right now?

I want to encourage Trinity students and faculty to come to these concerts and encourage San Antonio to come in general to these concerts. They are fabulous and we have a world-class orchestra here.

Just this winter, the Trinity handbell [ensemble] played with them and it was a wonderful experience all around, and we want to share that kind of music making with everyone here.

So could you tell me how the symphony lost some of its funding?

Well, we didn’t exactly lose funding, we just didn’t have a lot to begin with.

illustration by YESSENIA LOPEZ

Antonio hasn’t really backed the symphony as much as it could and since San Antonio doesn’t have a lot of big corporations that would support the symphony like other major cities with symphonies.

Has this been an ongoing problem for the symphony?

Yeah, it’s been a problem for years and years. It’s an ongoing situation since San

But even through all of that, you are feeling more optimistic about the future of the San Antonio Symphony?

I am. Remember that there were three big corporations that backed the symphony September through December: HEB,

set the tone for the rest of the concert. After their exit, the lights in the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts dimmed. A sole spotlight illuminated the front center stage. Veronica Williams, mezzo-soprano, strutted into the light. The audience was perfectly still, charged with anticipation.

Williams sang with a beautiful vibrato that rose and fell as she began her solo ballad. She sang with a blend of opera and soulful blues, her voice dripping with the emotion. When she finished, the audience erupted in a standing ovation.

As she took her leave, the symphony came out to replace Williams — a mixture of brass, woodwind, string and percussion players.

The next piece started out with a burst of jazz. It had an upbeat pace that made you

want to move your entire body; I may have been obnoxiously bouncing the whole time.

The brass players traveled through their notes with such ease and vigor, it was truly a pleasure to experience.

Soloists John Carroll on trumpet and Steve Peterson on trombone awed the crowd with their improvisation. The piece encompassed the electricity of jazz and celebrated the culture around it.

Williams joined the symphony for the next piece. The piece was noble — the strings travelled up and down their scales, and the brass played strong chords that made me feel as if I were in my own action film. All the while, there were epic bursts of percussion accentuating the downbeats.

Kronkosky and Tobin. So they were writing the checks, but then they became concerned about the pension fund so they stopped backing it on Dec. 21, in a very sudden fashion. All three backed away, which left us in shock and without funding, so we then had to step up and figure things out and make some tough decisions at a tough time.

But luckily, more donors came through and stepped up and so we are more optimistic about the future of the San Antonio symphony orchestra.

SA Symphony’s MLK performance resonates BOBBY WATSON A&E CONTRIBUTOR rwatson@trinity.edu

Despite financial woes, the San Antonio Symphony carried on their concert season with a performance on Saturday, Jan. 13, and it was spectacular. The orchestra’s performance, dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr., was a powerful showcase of the talent of the musicians.

Before the concert began, several symphony board members addressed the crowd, stating that the organization supports moving forward in race relations; their condemnation of oppression

A group of Trinity music students and alumni gather after attending the San Antonio Symphony’s MLK Day performance. Students ANA WHITE and CIARA MCDANIEL (bottom row left-most and second left, respectively) were largely responsible for organizing transport and ticket purchases for many Trinity community members to attend the event. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

The song transitioned rapidly through phases of intensity and moments of calm. In those still moments, Williams read Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Each time she read, the music grew more and more passionate to match her tone. She spoke of the oppression of the black community and the pain they experienced. It was a very powerful piece in our current political climate.

After an intermission, the symphony switched from contemporary jazz pieces to traditional Beethoven, and it rocked. The musicians were visibly excited as they played these fast-paced songs. I was truly blown away by the ability and talent of the performers. I think this second half of the concert was intended to show off the skill of the symphony, especially in light of the organization’s recent financial struggles.

“The musicians seemed very energetic during the piece and attacked the faster and more difficult parts with fierceness and ferocity,” said Ethan Jones, first-year music education major, when asked his thoughts on the performance.

The Symphony awed the crowd, proving not merely its relevance, but its vital importance to the San Antonio community. The show was a powerful testament on MLK Day, demonstrating San Antonio’s pride in its diversity. The San Antonio Symphony is an important and special part of San Antonio, and it would be a terrible loss to the city if it were unable to continue performances.

“It’s really important for me to be able to see professional musicians in action and just a fun way to spend a Saturday night. I think the San Antonio Symphony plays a huge role in the city’s culture,” said Ciara McDaniel, a sophomore music education major.

McDaniel was among almost 80 Trinity students in the music department who came to show their support for the symphony. I am glad I was able to see them, and I implore the city and the community to continue to support the San Antonio Symphony.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Trinity students attend and feature in PAX Fans and creators gather at Penny Arcade Expo to share love for gaming and view new developments DANIEL CONRAD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF dconrad@trinity.edu

cont. from FRONT

“We’re trying to penetrate the field with a new style of gaming that’s more affordable and has new mechanics,” Tickner said. “It is niche, but the consumers are incredibly loyal. They really love this kind of gaming.”

The chosen industry may be obscure, but Modern Knights still faces stiff competition. The world of miniature wargaming is largely dominated by Games

Workshop, the company behind the popular Warhammer franchise.

“They make up most of the market, but they run very expensive game models,” Tickner said. “It’s very ‘pay-to-play,’ which we’re running exactly contrary to. So we’re really hitting a lot of the people that were disenfranchised by that gaming branch.”

According to Lovett, the young developers collected 74 email addresses of newly interested customers and passed out hundreds of brochures detailing their product during the convention.

“We’re very happy with the progress we’ve gotten,” James said. “One of the biggest things we were worried about was, ‘Are people actually going to like this?’ They love it, especially the market we’re marketing to.”

With the number of contacts they made. nobody seemed to mind their youth.

“We have only received surprise — and a lot of praise for being at this point while still doing school,” Lovett said.

Modern Knights reached the finals of Trinity’s own Stumberg Venture Competition last October, though the company didn’t win the $20,000 grand prize. But Lovett had a backup plan: Launch

a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, which opened Jan. 17, and promote the game at PAX South. They intend to roll out the game in December 2018.

One of the biggest things we were worried about was, ‘Are people actually going to like this?’ They love it, especially the market we’re marketing to.”

Trinity students weren’t the only Alamo City exhibitors at PAX. Yanaguana Games, which designs and develops card and

tabletop games, was formed after founding members Marshall Britt and Alex Clifford attended the inaugural PAX South in 2015.

“We came here and saw all these people doing this and we were like, that is really cool,” Britt said. “The next year, at PAX South 2016, we had developed ‘Stir Fry Eighteen’ shortly before and brought it to sell about 100 copies. We didn’t know what we were doing; we’d never sold a game before. … We sold out in the first weekend ever.”

Clifford left the company after moving to the U.K., but Britt continues to make games with longtime friend Andrew Toth, an automotive technician who serves as the company’s game development director. Britt and Toth showed off their lightning-fast card game, “Stir Fry Eighteen” and a forthcoming guitar-themed board game, “Rechord.”

“Giving people a mechanism to have fun is important,” Britt said. “I’m not a doctor, I’m not a paramedic. But we help people have fun, which is a necessary part of life.”

“Stir Fry Eighteen” can be purchased online or at Dragon’s Lair, a gaming store in San Antonio. Rechord’s Kickstarter succeeded in seven hours last Tuesday, Jan. 9, and will soon be available online.

(LEFT) People mingle among each other and between booths at PAX. The Henry B. González Convention Center hosted PAX South for its fourth year in San Antonio. (RIGHT) BROCK LOVETT (left), JAMES LOVETT (center) and MARSHALL TICKNER (right) inform curious gamers about their independent miniature wargame, “Crusade of Two Suns.” Their company, Modern Knights, reached the final round of Trinity’s Stumberg Venture Competition in 2017, and has recently launched a Kickstarter campaign. photos by AMANI CANADA, photo editor

SIDEWALK SYMPOSIUM What are you enjoying most about PAX this year?

“I like seeing people who made the games. The creators are there, sitting and wanting to show you it.

It’s cool to see their passion for it.”

“Seeing all the cosplayers, since a lot more of the gaming cosplay is here compared to anime cosplays at other conventions.”

“I got to bring in three friends from out of town. One of them hasn’t ever been, before, and one of them has come with me two times.”

— Alex Hicks, sophomore computer science major

— Chrissy Nielsen, senior engineering major

— Benjamin Nunez, senior mathematics major

LET THE GAMES BEGIN • Women’s Basketball vs. Centenary College, Friday, Jan. 19, 5:30 p.m.

• Swimming vs. Southwestern University, Saturday, Jan. 20, 12 p.m.

• Men’s Club Lacrosse vs. UT-San Antonio, Sunday, Jan. 21, 1:30 p.m.

Sports

Campus looks forward to finished Bell Center Renovations remain in the works, but students grow frustrated with delayed completion time SAUL MALEK | SPORTS REPORTER smalek@trinity.edu Renovations on the Bell Center began in 2016, but the construction continues into January 2018. The project was initially expected to be completed in the fall of 2017, but was pushed out to the spring of 2018 when renovations took longer than anticipated. Now students are eagerly awaiting the project’s finish.

The athletics department have put over 10 years of planning into these renovations. Bob King, director of athletics, mentioned the main motivation was an increase in demand for a larger athletic space.

“Trends toward a more health- andwellness-conscious culture, especially among our students, has increased demands on Trinity’s facilities,” King said when the project was initially announced in 2016.

Most notably, the new and improved Bell Center features a two-story fitness center, complete with a weight training and cardio area. The renovations are still not entirely completed as equipment must be moved in to the new building. “[The renovations] have been a really huge success so far,” said Cameron Hill, women’s head basketball coach.

of high school that the Bell Center would be completed by the start of my freshman year,” said sophomore Toby Craven.

However, he also believes the construction project will not face further delays. “It looks like it’s starting to get finished,” Craven said.

At the very least, students can take solace in the fact that Bell Center construction is no longer compromising the ability for students to find parking. Last semester, construction efforts impeded students’ ability to park in the lot by Mabee Dining Hall, which inevitably led to students’ frustration.

Now, with the furnishing the interior of the new building being the only task remaining in the process, it appears that the wait for the new and improved Bell Center will be over in the very near future. Students hope the renovations will be worth all the time spent waiting and the cost of the construction, as the new facility will make it easier for anybody to work out at their own convenience, rather than having to wait in a crowded weight room.

Renovations to the Bell Center are nearly complete. photo by ALLISON WOLFF, staff photographer

Students who frequent the Bell Center are less impressed with the progress, or lack thereof.

“I heard rumors it would be open before now, by the spring semester,” said Austin

Bratton, sophomore marketing major.

They had hoped the renovations would be done by the time previously anticipated.

“I was told on a campus tour my senior year

The Trinitonian reached out to athletic director Bob King and Seth Asbury, associate director of athletics for facilities and event management, about a more specific time when the Bell Center will be finished, but received no response.

Across the pond for Sport in London program Studying abroad taught me more than I could have imagined — about myself and my love of sports HAILEY WILSON | SPORTS REPORTER hwilson@trinity.edu Over winter break, I had the opportunity to join 15 other Tigers and two faculty members on a two-week study abroad program to London, England. Leading up to the trip, I really didn’t know what to expect. I had never been to Europe, had never experienced truly cold weather and did not know much about England — except that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are adorable. I had so many questions I wanted answered.

Over the span of two weeks, I walked 113.81 miles, took over 600 photos, visited over 15 stadiums and attractions and rode the Tube over 30 times. The trip was filled with hundreds of new experiences, and yet I feel as if I can sum the entire experience up in two words: Bloody brilliant.

The Sport in London program provided me with the opportunity to take a look into the business of international sport. Seeing through the eyes of a Londoner completely transformed the way I understand sport and has allowed me to appreciate it on a much bigger scale than I had before. Between touring different venues, traveling to different cities, eating new foods and attempting to keep up with the typical London vocabulary, I learned more about myself and the world than I would have ever expected.

The program was built and planned

by Jacob Tingle, the director of Experiential Learning, and Paul McGinlay, the head men’s soccer coach. Tingle and McGinlay crafted the class to take us all around London. The group was instructed to land in London on Dec. 27.

Shortly after landing, we convened at the hostel, unpacked our bags and went through orientation at our host school, Arcadia University.

The Sport in London program consisted of 16 Trinity students who travelled for two weeks. photo provided by HAILEY WILSON, sports reporter

Our trip started off with tours of Twickenham Rugby Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the O2 arena and Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal football club. Shortly after, our group had the opportunity to have lunch with a group of British college students, which was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Discussing the differences between American sports and English sports was fascinating.

Delving into the differences between cultures proved to be a learning experience that I would not have been able to access anywhere else. Tours of Wimbledon, Wembley

Stadium, Loftus Road Stadium, Westminster Abbey, Stonehenge, the Roman Baths and Lord’s Cricket Ground followed. Although the trip has ended, our London experience hasn’t come to a close quite yet — every Wednesday, the class will continue to meet and debrief about our experiences.

Going on the Sport in London trip has allowed me to see places and meet people that I otherwise would have never come across. I now have 15 lifelong friends, friends with whom I have hundreds of lifelong memories.

As we were having our closing discussion, one of my classmates, Shelby Devore,

mentioned that “every moment matters.”

As I reflect on our trip, I find this statement to be more and more true. Whether it was sprinting to try to catch the Tube on time, staying up until 4 a.m. playing card games or singing karaoke at the top of our lungs, I cherished every moment abroad.

I can honestly say I came back with a better, more thorough understanding of international sport.

I wouldn’t trade my experiences for anything, and spending two weeks across the pond was one of the best things I have done since coming to Trinity.

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SPORTS

Talking to the Tigers behind the whistle A sneak peek into officiating the intramural sports and what goes on behind the scenes at IM games HAILEY WILSON | SPORTS REPORTER hwilson@trinity.edu

Intramurals (IM) are known as a great way to exercise, socialize with friends and compete against fellow Tigers on campus. Whether it be basketball, soccer, flag football or volleyball, a ton of planning goes into the facilitation of all of the leagues. Different sports require different equipment and different setups, but one thing remains constant: Each sport requires a referee.

Referees are crucial to intramurals — they’re needed to enforce the rules of the game, track the score and keep players safe. Without referees, intramural sports wouldn’t exist.

But how do these referees come about?

Anyone can apply to be an IM referee.

Throughout the semester, the intramural department offers several referee training dates, in which students can come out and learn how to be a referee for specific IM sports.

During these training sessions, supervisors and program assistants teach students how to officiate certain sports.

If students enjoy officiating, they can apply to be an intramural supervisor. The form to apply can be found on the intramurals page of the Trinity website.

Maggi Linker, a sophomore psychology major, started IM reffing last semester.

“I had a bunch of friends who recommended it to me. I love sports, so the opportunity to be around them more was very exciting,” Linker said.

Linker plays on the volleyball team, so she’s an expert when it comes to volleyball rules. In addition, training has allowed her to oficiate other sports, such as dodgeball.

Intramural referees get up close and personal when referreeing for basketball. FILE PHOTO

Alex Cotner, a junior business administration major, has been reffing for a full year. Cotner has moved up the ladder and is now an intramural supervisor.

“My favorite part of reffing is that it doesn’t even feel like a job. It’s fun to watch

so many different groups and teams come together to play different games,” Cotner said.

Linker agrees.

“My favorite part is getting to know everyone who plays the games. They are

always super excited about their game and are really fun people to get to know,” Linker said.

Many of the students that ref also participate in other IM sports. Cotner plays indoor volleyball, sand volleyball and dodgeball.

Kristen Harrison, the Associate Athletic Director for Recreation and Sports Camp, is in charge of the entire intramurals department.

From training the referees to planning the schedules, Harrison keeps track of everything IM. Trinity students think very highly of Harrison.

“I love how much our boss loves her job.

She makes IM sports fun and keeps things modern. She keeps up with everything and is organized, which really shows when we are reffing,” Cotner said.

Claire Munro, a junior communication and Spanish double major, is going into her second year of being a referee. Munro has reffed most of the sports but considers sand volleyball her favorite.

“Sand volleyball was the first sport I reffed and it’s still my favorite,” Munro said.

With each game they officiate, the referees acquire favorite moments and memories.

Linker recalls a dodgeball game that took place during midterms last semester. One team came back and won after being down 0-2.

“The team celebrated like they just won the Super Bowl and I think we all needed a bit of that excitement around that time of the semester,” Linker said.

If you’re interested in learning more about officiating or the intramural department, email Kristen Harrison at kharris3@trinity.edu.

Leagues for basketball, soccer, flag football and sand volleyball are still open for registration.

Hey, sport boys: You’re reading the Bible wrong

Hester’s new and upcoming series that sets the “sport boys” straight on various issues across sports ELISE HESTER | SPORTS REPORTER ehester@trinity.edu Buckle up boys and girls because your favorite ace reporter is here with a new recurring — or never again to be seen, depending on how well this goes over — segment dedicated to setting sport boys straight. You may be asking, “what about sport girls?” However there is no such thing as a sports girl. That would just be a female athlete.

I’m here to set the sport boys straight on some common sayings that they often misuse. At first this article was my usual comedic piece featuring my signature baseball roasting. [Insert joke about dip.] While I truly value the deep, deep relationships I hold with my favorite natty champ douchebags — relationships which mainly consist of yelling things from a distance and roasting a whole team in articles which none of them read — I’ve decided to switch my tone.

“Philippians 4:13 isn’t saying that Jesus will come in clutch and help you score every touchdown.”

The other day I saw a tour of high school students and noticed one girl’s letter jacket read Philippians 4:13 on the back. I have no idea what her rationale is for choosing that verse, which reads “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”

It is a great verse, but frequently misunderstood and misused, especially —

but not only — by sport boys. For some context, Philippians 4:12-13 says “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

“Context in scripture is like watching the full source clip of a popular gif.”

Paul, apostle, author and possible asexual — I have theories — wrote this from prison and he wasn’t talking about being able to do great things, but about being able to persevere in all things.

Philippians 4:13 isn’t saying that Jesus will come in clutch and help you score every touchdown. If that was the case, Tim Tebow wouldn’t have peaked in college.

The passage is saying that when you tear your ACL or get cut from the team or have a disappointing NFL career, God will give you the strength to be content in that circumstance.

Context in scripture is like watching the full source clip of a popular gif. It can change the meaning, often drastically, and provide a more complex, accurate and beautiful understanding.

I hope you enjoyed Setting Sport Boys Straight. Join me next time when I’ll be taking aim at sport boys who carry around giant gallon sized water bottles. What’s up with that?

When sport boys have on baseball caps, Hester can’t tell the difference between them. FILE PHOTO

SPORTS • JANUARY 19, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Hester’s predictions for a new year of sports The sports reporter looks forward to success from track, tennis, softball and baseball teams ELISE HESTER | SPORTS REPORTER ehester@trinity.edu The beauty of sports is that anything can happen. The endless possibilities of the games allows sports writers and fans many opportunities to make predictions. For the upcoming spring season here at Trinity, I, your favorite sports reporter, have some predictions of my own.

Get ready for track, the sport with the skinniest athletes since cross country, ‘cause ladies and sport boys, track is back. This season will see one incredible moment when, against all odds, all members of the team will be healthy, uninjured and cleared to compete. The moment will end after 25 seconds when a first-year thrower trips over his own discus.

Trinity tennis will return to its roots and go completely Division I once again. The women’s team makes it all the way to nationals where they must face the University of Georgia. In an act of desperation, Gretchen Rush, women’s tennis head coach, will take the court disguised as a student. The men’s team loses every match. Later, a 30 for 30 will be made.

Get ready for softball, the sport with the most SPURS sorority members since women’s soccer (Don’t @ me SPURS, y’all are cool.)

This upcoming season of softball will see all the players balance not only their time on the field with their studies and extracurricular endeavors, but also with their modeling careers, as all team members sign a contract with Nike. However, as NCAA athletes, none of these athletes gain any revenue from the deal. They do, however, look fly as hell.

And finally, get ready for baseball, a team with more pitchers than there are bass singers in the Trinity choirs. Overwhelmed by the abundance of young, willing and talented pitchers, coaches organize a Hunger Games for the players. These Hunger Games will be broadcast on TigerTV each Wednesday at 5 p.m. on channel 14.1.

Track and field as well as women’s tennis are just two of the many spring sports who have recently begun their competitive seasons. FILE PHOTOS

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • JANUARY 19, 2018 •

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