Volume 116 Issue 02
Trinitonian Serving Trinity University Since 1902
7 The trade-off: Coed frats OPINION would eliminate safe spaces
New hires join multiple Trinity departments
9
PULSE
Stacy Davidson leaves TU after three years of service
14 Cross country looks for another SPORTS successful run at the SCAC title
SGA continues progress from spring Menstrual products, textbook affordability committees plan for the fall semester as senators wait for funding requests from RSOs
ResLife welcomes new director; first in-house general counsel arrives
KAYLIE KING | NEWS REPORTER kking1@trinity.edu
JOLIE FRANCIS | NEWS REPORTER jfranci1@trinity.edu Along with a record 695 first-years, Trinity University welcomed many new staff members this fall, including the first ever in-house general counsel, a new executive director of institutional research, new staff throughout the Tiger Learning Commons (TLC) and the long awaited director of residential life, Deb Tyson. Tyson joins Trinity from Dartmouth College, where she had held a similar role. “I don’t think [Trinity] will be too different from [Dartmouth],” Tyson said. “Trinity has world class faculty and smart students who are committed to academics.” Tyson believes that the role of the resident hall is to support academics. “There are three goals of ResLife,” Tyson said. “First is facilities. I will work with custodial and really look at how summer impacts facilities prep. We have the South reno[vation] next summer, and the McLean reno[vation] down the line. Students want to come home to buildings and facilities that work, so facilities are very important.” Tyson will also continue the educational programming run by residential life, as well as support the training and experience of resident assistants. While she hails from the north, Tyson has enjoyed her time in San Antonio thus far. “I love the San Antonio vibe, and the humanity, and how people treat each other in a polite manner, you know, so I’ll have to adjust. I’m from Philadelphia, and I’m direct, but not as direct as Tuttle,” Tyson said. Rachel Rolf, who previously worked at the University of Kansas, joins Trinity to serve as the university’s first in-house general counsel. “I was drawn to Trinity’s commitment to excellence and the value that Trinity places on each member of its community,” Rolf said. “Right now, I am focused on building relationships, learning the culture at Trinity and understanding the history and scope of Trinity’s utilization of outside counsel.” Oversight of legal services at Trinity was previously handled wholly by outside counsel. Rolf will be a partner to faculty and administrators to assist in legal strategy and resources. “Once these building blocks are in place, I will be in a better position to evaluate and implement changes in a way that will ensure continuity of operations and the effective provision of legal services to the university,” Rolf said. Kara Larkan-Skinner has been designated Trinity’s executive director for institutional research and effectiveness. In this new role, she deciphers data to understand how programs and issues need to be handled to continue Trinity’s improvement and maintain Trinity’s status. continued on PAGE 6
AUGUST 24, 2018
Junior senators SIMONE WASHINGTON, BEN GONZALEZ and JUAN LUEVANOS are sworn in last fall by DANNY ANDERSON, president of the university. This year, SGA will continue to work towards making menstrual products and textbooks accessible, along with other projects. FILE PHOTO
This fall semester, Student Government Association (SGA) will continue to strive toward the goals they set in the spring semester, including moving forward with many different projects and initiatives. “The fall semester serves as an opportunity for all student organizations — inclusive of SGA — to really tie up their term nicely with a bow,” said Jamie Thompson, co-advisor for SGA and director of student involvement. “SGA had several goals that they set out with for the calendar year of 2018 — one of which was transparency — so they’ll continue to communicate with the student body via their emails, via their newsletter.” Senior Amulya Deva, SGA president, laid out what she wants each of the SGA committees to accomplish on a monthly basis so that they can reach their goals. continued on PAGE 6
Suspended Triniteer fraternity to return
Board of alumni will lead recruitment for new pledge class KAYLIE KING | NEWS REPORTER kking1@trinity.edu
The Triniteer fraternity will return to campus this semester for the first time since 2015. The Triniteers, one of the oldest fraternities on Trinity’s campus, were put on probation in fall 2015 after failing to follow the requirements for re-chartering set in 2013. The Triniteers have a long history of probation — they were suspended for nearly a decade in 1991 following the death of a new active, and again in 2006, only to be reinstated in 2013. The most recent probation was meant to encourage the Triniteers to focus on its traditions and values. “We feel the time is right now for the organization to relaunch in the tradition that
they have on campus that is really storied,” said Jeremy Allen, assistant director for fraternity and sorority life. “They’ve been around for a long time so this is their opportunity to recharter in a really positive and meaningful way. I hope that they’re an organization that comes back that their alumni can be proud of.” This fall, recruitment for the Triniteers will be led by a committee of 11 Triniteer alumni, including Jeremy Boyce, class of 2003 and associate director of admissions, who was a Triniteer during his time at Trinity. “We’re working together to initially put together the criteria,” Boyce said. “We really understand that this is kind of the last chance for us to be able to make this happen for the Triniteers and we want to do it the best way possible. We have to set up a strong foundation of strong men who are strong students with a great reputation on campus, a clean background that can represent us well, and they’re very involved in the campus community.” One requirement of the current re-chartering of the Triniteers was to wait until everyone
associated with the Triniteers was no longer at Trinity. “There are no people who are [Triniteers] or are associated with [Triniteers],” Boyce said. “There was no underground element, there was nothing like that.” However, Ryan Smith, a fifth-year senior, came to Trinity as a first-year in the fall of 2013, became a Triniteer in spring 2014. “I am excited for the opportunity to return to campus as an active fraternity,” Smith wrote in an email. “Upon returning, I hope to foster the longevity of the Triniteers while better representing Trinity and the core values held by our fraternity. The Triniteers were intentionally suspended until after the initially expected graduation dates of our active members. However, as a fifth-year senior, my enrollment at Trinity has exceeded the duration of our suspension.” According to Boyce, anyone who claims to be part of the organization since 2015, when any “underground” activity could have occurred, is not officially recognized as a Triniteer. continued on PAGE 6
Members of the Triniteer fraternity pose for a picture for the 2006 edition of the Mirage yearbook. The club would be suspended later that year, reinstated in 2013 and suspended again in 2015. The club is currently in the process of re-chartering and will begin recruitment this fall with the rest of Trinity’s Greek organizations. With no active members on campus, Triniteer alumni will head recruitment. photo provided by the MIRAGE YEARBOOK