08.31.2018

Trinitonian Serving Trinity University Since 1902

Volume 116 Issue 03

5

OPINION

Guest column: Catholicism in a time of controversy

Alum donation to provide food for frat parties

7

PULSE

Whataburger man tells all: Behind the notorious dorm

9 Welcome Week Concert: KYLE’s A&E energy worth the mosquito bites

Jeremy Allen to leave Trinity this fall Asst. director for fraternity and sorority life steps down after three years

SPIn recommendation previously went ignored KAYLIE KING | NEWS REPORTER kking1@trinity.edu Jeff Ramsey, a Trinity University alumnus, made a donation to the university this July that will be used to provide food at off-campus parties. Ramsey worked with David Tuttle, dean of students, to decide how the donation would be used.

“He had mentioned that, if he were to donate, for various reasons he thought the alcohol education area would be a worthwhile investment,” Tuttle said. “For me, I think the last thing we need is another speaker. We’re in a pretty good place with our harm reduction model and with the responsible friend policy and the Safer Party Initiative (SPIn) and the Optimal Buzz and B’Low Optimal.”

SPIn requires host organizations to follow certain recommended protocols — such as having a reasonable amount of sober monitors and listing the ingredients in drinks — in order to increase safety at parties and reduce the risk of alcohol-related issues. Tuttle found that one part of the SPIn that students did not seem to be addressing was serving food at parties.

“The issue about food is a little vexing because students would say, ‘We’re not going to serve food at a party because we want to spend our money on the alcohol,’ ” Tuttle said. “I had tried to get some of the fraternity students to go through student government and see if they would set up a food fund, and it just kind of fell on deaf ears.”

Jeremy Allen, assistant director for fraternity and sorority life, explained that food at parties is an important part of promoting responsible drinking. continued on PAGE 4

AUGUST 31, 2018

JEREMY ALLEN will step down from his position of assistant director for fraternity and sorority life this fall to move to Austin and practice law. Allen graduated from Trinity in 2007. FILE PHOTO

KAYLIE KING | NEWS REPORTER kking1@trinity.edu Jeremy Allen, assistant director for fraternity and sorority life, will be stepping down from his position this fall after working at Trinity for just over three years. Allen plans to move to Austin later this semester to practice law full time.

“When I graduated, I went to law school, I practiced for three years, and so this will allow me to pursue that again,” Allen said.

“I’m excited to do that. My wife’s company is based out of Austin, we’ve got some family

that live in Austin, so it was the right time for us to make the move.”

After graduating from Trinity in 2007, Allen returned as a staff member because of his love for Trinity.

“Being a student here really early on for me felt like home,” Allen said. “You can sense that community and that support that you have from faculty and staff and peers, so I wanted to come back and help create an experience for students, especially in Greek life. I wanted to help make sure that was a positive opportunity and community for this generation of students as well.”

Allen mentioned working with Trinity staff and students as his favorite part about working at Trinity.

“I really enjoy working in that close capacity with students and being able to get to know especially Greek Council and organization presidents, working with them on long-term goals and development that they have,” Allen said. “That’s really the highlight as I look at my tenure here, seeing the growth of students, meeting fantastic driven staff, it’s been a cool thing to see that community come to life in a different way as a professional. It exists as a student, but it’s a different manifestation of that.”

Moving forward, Allen hopes that Greek life will continue to grow and focus on the positive aspects that they bring to campus.

Allen also expressed that it will be difficult to leave a great team at Student Involvement.

“The importance of Student Involvement is tremendous, and the staff that we have in those roles really care about students, and they want to see students succeed and be happy,” Allen said. “I know they will continue to do fantastic things on campus, and it’s really a great support system within the team. I’m hopeful that the new assistant director will be able to come in and hit the ground running and be a crucial part of a great team that’s already in place.”

Jamie Thompson, director of Student Involvement, worked with Allen throughout his time on staff at Trinity. Thompson highlighted Allen’s ability to build and sustain trusting relationships with students in the fraternity and sorority community.

“That’s been hugely significant in some of his successes with the community,” Thompson said.

“The development of the [Safer Parties Initiative (SPIn)] policy would not have happened if the students weren’t able to engage authentically and realistically about what the off-campus party scene is.” continued on PAGE 4

Bell Center updates continue with pool upgrade New facilities scheduled to be completed by Oct. 1

EVAN BROWN | SPORTS REPORTER ebrown4@trinity.edu For years, swimmers in the William H. Bell Athletic Center pool have scraped their backs against the bottom of the pool since its maximum depth is only four feet and nine inches. To the delight of the swimming and diving teams, the pool will receive multiple upgrades, including an increase in depth of one foot all around.

In the budget for the renovation of the Bell Center, Trinity allotted money to upgrade the pools.

“It has been in the capital improvement plan for a couple of years now,” said Scott Trompeter, Trinity’s head swimming coach.

“The construction team, along with the group in charge of the Bell Center — Bob King, Jim Baker, Seth Asbury and Ernesto Gonzales, to name a few — were prudent and were able to complete the renovation with the amount of money left to help us complete this job for the indoor pool.”

The old indoor pool had multiple problems that wreaked havoc on swimmers.

“When we would flip, we would actually skin our backs on the floor because you have to get under the wake in order to be efficient [at turning],” said Jacob Hurrell-Zitelman, junior co-captain of the swimming team and who specializes in long-distance freestyle events. “Even on the deep end, it only got up to maybe five feet maximum, so you would hit your head when you were going down off the [starting] blocks.”

(Hurrell-Zitelman is an account executive for the Trinitonian.)

The condition of the starting blocks had begun to deteriorate as well.

“We had cracked holes in [them] from pushing off too hard,” Hurrell-Zitelman said. “[Getting] new blocks is a necessity as we kinda progress in our development as a team. We are getting a lot better, and we are racing a lot better teams, so it is a need for us to have a better facility.”

Due in part to Trompeter, who is going into his second year as head coach, the pool will receive an upgrade that should make the pool faster.

“I think with Scott Trompeter becoming the new head coach, he took it upon himself to create more of a focus on the facilities,” Hurrell-Zitelman said. “He has a vision for the team that requires better facilities, and with

Construction on the indoor pool in the Bell Center began over the summer with the goal of completing the upgrades by the 2018-2019 season. The pool will be deepened by one foot in order help the swim and dive team improve times for NCAA competition. photo by ELIZABETH NELSON

that, we need to be able to train at maximum capacity and also race at maximum capacity.”

To make the pool faster, Trinity will change the design of the gutters.

“The gutters that the water drains into will now be ‘rim flow gutters.’ This is the term used when the water level is even with the deck,” Trompeter said. “The increased depth and

flow of water over the side gutters will help to decrease water turbulence which allows for faster swimming. The contrast to that is when water crashes into the wall and bounces back at you when you are swimming, it will slow you down by a pretty sizable margin.” continued on PAGE 11

Previously, on SGA: Guess who’s back?

This covers the meeting on Aug. 29.

CAMPUS CLIMATE CHECK Senior senator Sam Afshari announced that the physician search committee has selected Dr. Youngdahl as the new physician in Health Services.

Junior senator Ty Tinker, chair of the textbook affordability committee, was contacted by a man at Akademos, an online bookstore service.

Advisor Jamie Thompson suggested that Tinker connect with Tess Coody-Anders and Michelle Bartonico in the department of strategic communication and marketing before moving forward with Akademos.

Sophomore senator Mia Quintanilla gave positive feedback on the Welcome Week Concert, expressing her gratefulness that SGA approved the Student Programming Board budget request in May.

Senior senator Julia Shults pointed out that students may not know what it means to be a part of the coalition or that they are not sure what impact they will have by participating in the meetings.

Daniel pointed out that Trinity students are already too involved.

Shults suggested Dean Tuttle talks to specific groups, such as Greek life, so that students see the coalition as a part of something they are already involved in, instead of another extracurricular.

Junior senator Simone Washington suggested the coalition rebrand and increase advertising, as well as attend the Global Health Initiative health fair.

Tuttle concluded that he wants SGA to show support for the coalition and that he will meet with two more groups before deciding what to do moving forward.

OFFICER REPORTS President and senior Amulya Deva asked COALITION FOR RESPECT senators to talk to seniors about becoming Advisor David Tuttle requested feedback from SGA as to why students do not attend a Class of 2019 senator. SGA received no Coalition for Respect meetings, despite responses to their email to the Class of 2019 about the position. expressing interest in the cause.

Meetings are held weekly on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Waxahachie Room.

Coverage by KENDRA DERRIG. Find full coverage online at trinitonian.com.

STAFF

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TUPD BRIEFS BLAME IT ON THE ALCOHOL On Saturday, Aug. 25, at 1:40 a.m., a student was found intoxicated in front of the Witt Reception Center. The student, a minor, was taken to the detoxification unit at the Center for Health Care Services.

A VICIOUS CYCLE On Sunday, Aug. 26, at 7:05 p.m., camera footage captured a non-student stealing a bike from outside of Susanna residence hall. The man is a repeat offender.

His description was sent to campus members via email.

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DINNER’S READY On Monday, Aug. 27, at 3:32 p.m., the fire alarm in Mabee Dining Hall was accidentally set off by construction workers as they were working on building renovations.

GOT CONES? On Saturday, Aug. 25, at 3:07 a.m., officers on patrol noticed that cones and barricading equipment from the Welcome Week Concert in the T1 parking lot was missing. Officers discovered via CCTV that the equipment had been stolen by students.

JULIA WEIS editor-in-chief JORDAN BRUCE executive digital editor KATHLEEN CREEDON executive print editor JONAH NANCE business manager REBECCA DERBY ad director KENDRA DERRIG news editor THERESA HO pulse editor GEORGIE RIGGS a&e editor AUSTIN DAVIDSON sports editor SOLEIL GAFFNER opinion editor CATHY TERRACE special sections editor HENRY PRATT visual editor PABLO TRAVERSARI web editor SHUBHANKAR SINGH webmaster DOMINIC ANTHONY digital content creator KATHARINE MARTIN adviser CONTACT INFORMATION EDITORIAL email: trinitonian@trinity.edu ADVERTISING email: trinitonian-adv@trinity.edu ad office: (210) 999-8555 fax: (210) 999-7034

REPORTERS Noelle Barrera, Rafaela Brenner, Evan Brown, Jolie Francis, Gabby Garriga, Calliope Izquierdo, Kaylie King, Mathilde Le Tacon COLUMNISTS Evan Chambless, Maddie D’Iorio, Benjamin Gonzalez, Thomas Harvell-DeGolier, Kara Killinger, Kayla Padilla, Natalia Salas COPY EDITORS Christopher Fanick, Sofia Gonzalez Gonzalez, Corrin McCullough ILLUSTRATORS Kaitlyn Curry, Andrea Nebhut, Julia Poage GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alexandra Parris PHOTOGRAPHERS Matthew Claybrook, Elizabeth Nelson, Genevieve Humpreys BUSINESS STAFF Victor Stummvoll, Elizabeth Popov ADVERTISING STAFF Jordan Askew, Isaac Bartolomei, Jacob Hurrell-Zitelman, Regis Noubiap

Corrections •

In the Aug. 24 issue on page 9, Stacey Davidson is incorrectly listed as the faculty advisor for the Black Student Union in “Saying Farewell.” She was actually the volunteer advisor.

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

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NEWS

Professors can assign their own textbooks, but the Faculty Senate wants to change that This potential policy will no longer allow self-authored books to be required as course material GABBY GARRIGA | NEWS REPORTER ggarriga@trinity.edu The Faculty Senate plans to unveil a new policy this year that will prevent faculty from assigning their own books as required textbooks for their classes.

The Faculty Senate — a group of faculty representatives that addresses concerns brought to their attention by the Trinity faculty — is currently in the beginning stages of the policy change. They will work to clarify the conflict of interest policy from the faculty handbook so that the verbiage will apply more directly to assigned textbooks.

The process to complete this policy is lengthy. First, the senate will hold fora to solicit feedback from faculty members regarding their proposal. After they collect feedback, they will revise the proposal and bring it back to a forum until faculty members are satisfied.

Corinne Pache, Faculty Senate member and professor of classical studies, described the long process and need for feedback.

“Anytime that the senate considers a proposal for anything, we organize these fora so that faculty can get the information and discussion.

We get a lot of feedback, and depending on the reaction, we might do different things. If it runs through the whole process and the faculty assembly approved it, then it would become part of the handbook. It would start in the following year probably,” Pache said.

Michael Hughes, instruction librarian and former Faculty Senate member, brought this issue to the faculty senate’s attention. After seeing news stories about other universities firing professors for requiring students to buy their textbooks, Hughes realized Trinity

needed to address the issues before a similar incident arose.

Without this policy, Hughes emphasized that there would never be clarity as to the quality of the book and intent of the professor.

“We want to protect students from any possibility that this could happen. Even if it’s an honest appeal from the professor, it doesn’t look good. There’s always going to be questions. If I’m a student in that class, I’m always going to be wondering, ‘Does it have to be this book, and how much money did you make off of it?’ ” Hughes said.

Although this is a concern, Brian Miceli — Faculty Senate member and professor of mathematics — emphasized that professors will normally not make much money off of the textbook purchases.

“Moreover, faculty see astonishingly small financial gains from textbook sales, and indeed, if a student purchases a new $150 textbook from the bookstore, it’s likely that the author of that textbook sees about $10 from that; if a student purchases a used textbook from Amazon.com, then the faculty member gets $0 from that sale,” Miceli said.

Pache agrees that the appearance can raise concerns, and the Faculty Senate wants to protect the faculty as well.

“It’s just good policy that people should not be put in a position where there’s no appearance of their motivation being selfinterest, and there is a policy for research where you have to declare any profit that you make from research, and you cannot make money out of it. So the idea is to do the same thing for teaching,” Pache said.

When creating the policy, the Faculty Senate will look at current policies on campus

This semester, the Faculty Senate will begin to makes changes to the faculty handbook to apply the conflict of interest section to faculty requiring students to use books written by the faculty. Faculty at other universities have been fired over similar conflicts. photo by ELIZABETH NELSON

that describe conflict of interests. They will also consider other universities’ conflict of interest policies.

“One of the basic things that we do when we’re drafting the policy is we look for predecessors and models in which to base language or to give people a sense of the options they might have in choosing a policy that would be appropriate for this institution,” Hughes said.

Additionally, the senate hopes to include a clause that would allow professor to use their textbooks only after going through a process to prove their textbook is the best for the class.

“I don’t know what the policy will look like. It could take different forms, but the goal would be to make it possible for professors to assign their books,” Pache said.

Tigers for Liberty joins Young Conservatives of Texas Trinity’s only conservative group becomes chapter of statewide organization JOLIE FRANCIS | NEWS REPORTER jfranci1@trinity.edu Tigers for Liberty (TFL), Trinity’s only conservative student organization, relinquished their independence this summer to become a chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT).

Since their founding in Feb. 2016, TFL has been active on campus, organizing a 9/11 memorial and bringing major speakers to campus. As a condition of joining YCT, TFL will change their name to YCT once it is approved by Student Involvement.

YCT is a statewide organization with chapters across universities that work to shape Texas politics through educating students and the public about conservative policies and campaigning for political candidates.

“There are more than a few college groups that claim to fight for freedom out there, but we joined YCT because they most maturely and effectively uphold their goal of promoting conservative values in Texas politics,” said junior Isaiah Mitchell, the chairman of TFL. “Other groups aren’t as focused on values or just don’t promote their values as effectively in politics.”

TFL has always been an independent organization, but it’s been loosely affiliated with many national conservative campus organizations. This lead to many legal issues since all of these national organizations thought TFL was an official chapter of their individual organizations.

“After three years of complications from being loosely affiliated with multiple organizations, we were ready to settle down and be an official

Members of TFL, now YCT and Trinity’s only conservative group, gather for the first meeting of the year on Tuesday. photo by GENEVIEVE HUMPHREYS

chapter of one organization,” said sophomore Julia Westwick, TFL’s secretary. “After much deliberation, we decided to choose the [YCT] because they best fit our needs and serve as a strong foundation for the future.”

According to Westwick, the other national organizations focused on campus activism, and she believes that YCT is the best organization to draw TFL out of solely campus activism and into the city to make political change.

“Campus activism is not one of our main goals since our campus is small and we want to have a direct effect on public policy,” said Westwick. “YCT provides ample opportunities to get our club members involved in campaigns to help local conservatives get elected. We like how YCT is Texas-specific; this allows us to get involved more in policy issues that directly affect us.”

Members of TFL have already begun to volunteer on the campaign for Chip

NEWS • AUGUST 31, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

Roy, a conservative candidate for the 21st Congressional District of Texas.

“Joining YCT won’t change the welcoming atmosphere that we’ve always fostered in TFL or our on-campus events, but it will boost our activism efforts in Bexar County,” Mitchell said. “We’re looking forward to a lot of phone banking, block walking and involvement in real politics outside the campus.”

TFL will continue to have Socratic discussions about public policies and social issues every week at their meetings as well as monthly social mixers organized by Westwick and Emma McMahan, sophomore and TFL’s social chair.

“Per usual, conservatives and libertarians are the minority on university campuses, and our mission is to provide these students with a welcoming environment where they can openly state their ideas without feeling shameful or aloof,” McMahan said.

According to members of the club, TFL is a place for people who feel displaced in a majority liberal university and city.

“TFL acts as a close-knit haven for rightminded students and promotes the values of the American Revolution on Trinity’s campus and in the Bexar County Area,” Mitchell said.

This past Tuesday, TFL had their first meeting of the 2018–2019 school year.

Consisting of over 40 people, it was their biggest meeting to date. Conservatives, libertarians, liberals and people everywhere in between were contributing to the topic of the week.

“Our club is still a home for libertarians, moderates, centrists and anyone who wants honest discussion,” Westwick said. “We welcome and love having those who are not conservatives attend because they challenge our ideas, make for great in-club debates and we find common ground.”

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Allen will leave Trinity to practice law in Austin continued from FRONT

Thompson also described Allen as someone who cares deeply about Trinity in a number of ways.

“Because he’s an alumnus, because he’s a member of one of our local fraternities, this place is really important to him,” Thompson said.

“Every interaction, every job responsibility, he approaches it through the lens of being a part of this community. Trinity isn’t just his employer and this isn’t just where he comes to work. He’s here to better this place and the people here, and you can see that in all he does.”

Thompson expressed her wishes for Allen as he steps down from his role on the Student Involvement staff and goes on to continue practicing law.

“I hope that he gets to find work where he can make a difference and an impact,” Thompson said. “I see the way that he interacts with students and that he loves this place, so I hope he finds something different but a place that gets him excited. I hope he finds a team as awesome as Student Involvement. We have surely enjoyed and appreciated him being on our team. He’s brought an element that has been incredibly helpful and fun and creative and just been a good

friend to all of us. We’ll miss him a lot, but I hope he finds something that is equally as rewarding as this role has been for him.”

Greek Council shared the following statement about Allen’s departure: “Since getting elected to Greek Council in November, we have all spent countless hours under the guidance of Jeremy Allen.

He has taught us valuable leadership skills, and we all consider him to be a great mentor.

In addition to the impact Jeremy has had on us personally, he has also been a wonderful advocate for Greek life at Trinity, most notably through the creation of SPIn, encouragement

promoting,” Allen said. “We’ll have meetings with those organizations prior to their event, prior to when they’re planning to use the funding so we can say, ‘Where are you going to go? How much are you looking to buy?’ and Greek Council can communicate the expectations for the tracking aspect of that.”

The program will be run through Student Involvement and Greek Council.

“I think it’s definitely an interesting idea,” said Sarah Hantak, senior and risk management/ judicial chair on Greek Council. “I wouldn’t have expected it to happen, but I do think that it aligns with Trinity’s more progressive thinking around drinking and party culture in college. If we have groups having pizza or something like that at their parties, that’s going to slow down alcohol consumption because you’re eating instead of drinking, it’s going to help absorb the alcohol, so there are multiple benefits I see.”

Those interested in using some of the available funds can get in contact with representatives from Greek Council and apply for the funds.

graphic by ALEXANDRA PARRIS

of Greek leadership round-tables and overall management and support of Greek life at Trinity. Jeremy genuinely cares about the students on campus and wants to see success in all areas of their lives. Although we are all sad to see him go, we look forward to seeing where this next step in his life takes him.”

A search committee is currently looking for a new assistant director in Student Involvement with a goal of finding a new hire by the end of the semester. Allen will be returning to campus next semester to teach in the political science department as an adjunct professor.

Fund established for food at off-campus parties continued from FRONT Although Greek organizations will be a natural beneficiary of this donation, other students who have off-campus parties can get reimbursed for food.

“People could take advantage of it,” Tuttle said. “But that’s something that we’ll have to do in the assessment of it. That’s not a good reason to not try it. And if we have a group of students living in an apartment off-campus and every week they’re coming with receipts and there’s just four of them eating off this donor’s nickel, that’s something we can address. I generally think people will get what we’re trying to do and won’t take advantage of it because it’s a program that could have a long-standing impact, and I think the donor is open to that as well.”

Allen explained that the proper use of these funds will be enforced by requiring groups to submit an itemized receipt proving what was purchased and when.

“It should be pretty easy to monitor that the funds are being used in the way that we’re

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NEWS

...

Opinion

COMMENTARY Have an opinion? Want others to hear it? For a chance to be featured as a guest columnist, please submit your article to trinitonian@trinity.edu

by Sunday night to be in Friday’s issue of the paper.

SUBMISSION

FROM THE EDITORS’ DESK

Take your time, find your passion If you’ve been here for a while, you know it’s not uncommon to hear that Trinity students are overcommitted and involved in every organization on campus.

We’ve found it to be mostly true.

Trinity encourages you to make the most out of your college experience by joining anything and everything that interests you. While it’s exciting to pursue your various interests no matter what year you’re in, we want to encourage you to narrow your focus and find that special something you are passionate about. As your classes start getting busier, and you get into the routine of the school year, it will comfort you to have something on the side that inspires you when the semester gets rough.

A Gallup poll studying the connection between students’ well-being and higher education found that the most significant ways to receive satisfaction from your college experience were “establishing a deep connection with a mentor, taking on

a sustained academic project and playing a significant part in a campus organization.”

Note that it doesn’t say “join every club at the Student Involvement Fair.”

Trinity offers endless opportunities to pick up a hobby, but that doesn’t mean that you should pick them all up.

These examples indicate pushing yourself past the drudge of busy work and day-to-day classes and instead diving deeper into a subject you love or looking for enjoyment from an extracurricular.

Trinity offers endless opportunities to pick up a hobby, but that doesn’t mean

that you should pick them all up. We can name several that are mentioned just in this week’s issue: Sports, arts, religion, music, travel. Whatever you choose, find it soon and stick with it. You may feel silly if you try something out and hate it, but know that it wasn’t a waste of time because it put you on the right path towards finding what you are truly passionate about.

Or you’ll find yourself walking across the Laurie Auditorium stage in May wondering why you spent so much time doing homework.

Take advantage of this exciting time of year, whether you’re a first-year or not, to explore what Trinity has to offer you. Classes aren’t in the full swing of things, so you actually have time to go to cool campus events, concerts, art exhibits and more. And who knows, you might end up finding your best friends in an organization you would never have thought to join in high school.

Reflecting on faith amidst controversy LUKE AYERS GUEST COLUMNIST layers@trinity.edu

I formally joined the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil Mass in 2014, but my belief had been Catholic for months before that.

Since that time, I have remained certain that becoming Catholic was the single best decision I’ve ever made or will ever make. Closeness to Christ through the sacraments, especially the Eucharist (communion) is something I could never again live without. Unity of belief with the successor of St. Peter, the Pope and all the Saints and repentant sinners of the last 2,000 years is beautiful.

In the roughly four and half years since I joined the church, I never, not once, thought about leaving. I was baffled when former Catholics among my friends and family talked about their decisions to stop practicing, especially because many of their reasons were not doctrinal. I couldn’t understand how you could give it all up, especially if you still believed everything.

A few weeks ago, when the news of the abuses committed by then-Cardinal McCarrick came out, I thought about leaving the Catholic Church for the first time. I thought about leaving again when the grand jury report came out of Pennsylvania. I thought about leaving a third time recently when Archbishop Vigano, former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States (essentially the Vatican’s U.S. Ambassador) wrote

a letter alleging that not only did Pope Francis know about McCarrick’s abuses, but actually withdrew ecclesial sanctions against him.

I don’t know if Pope Francis is guilty of what Archbishop Vigano is saying, and I’m grateful that I’m not the one tasked with making that determination. I pray for wisdom for whomever has that monumental task.

In the Nicene Creed, the summary of our Catholic faith that we pray at every Mass, we profess belief in a church which is “one, holy, Catholic and apostolic.” McCarrick, hundreds of priests in Pennsylvania and around the country over the years and maybe even my pope are not holy. So what am I professing belief in?

I’ve thought about leaving the Catholic Church three times in the last weeks when it never crossed my mind before. But despite the frequency with which I’ve entertained the thought and the wickedness of the actions around me that prompted those thoughts, leaving the Catholic Church was never really an option.

The Gospel reading at Mass on Aug. 26 was from John chapter 6. Jesus had just told the crowds that “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” The people listening were understandably shocked and protested, saying,“This saying is hard; who can accept it?”, but Jesus didn’t change what he was saying, and as a result, a lot of those who had followed him left.

But Peter, the leader of the Apostles, when asked by Jesus if he would also leave, had a profound response: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

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These words have been on my tongue for the last several weeks. As ugly, sinful, dirty and evil as members and leaders of the church can be, there’s nowhere else for me to call home.

I’ve thought about leaving the Catholic Church three times in the last weeks, when it never crossed my mind before.

As much pain as it has caused me — which pales in comparison to the pain felt by those who were victimized by those who should be beyond reproach (cf. Titus 1:7) or even the mere appearance of evil (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:22) — I could never give up the sacraments or communion with the successor of the Vicar of Christ, Prince of the Apostles and Bishop of Rome: The pope.

I will pray for a church that is holier than ever, and I’ll do what I can to contribute to that holiness. The church is my home, and I can’t give up on her.

Luke Ayers is a senior economics major.

He is also the president of the Catholic Student Group.

trinitonian.com/opinion KARA KILLINGER

on a consumerist society

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on mental health & religion AUGUST 31, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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The end of John McCain’s “Straight Talk Express” THOMAS HARVELL-DEGOLIER OPINION COLUMNIST tharvell@trinity.edu One of my first political memories occurred during the 2008 election night when I thought John McCain, the former senator of Arizona, was winning because of all the red states on the map.

Like most 11-year-old children, I didn’t really understand the electoral college. Time went on, and my political allegiances shifted, but I never lost a grudging respect — and occasional admiration — for John Sidney McCain III. While this is a departure from my column’s general theme, I feel it is important to acknowledge McCain’s passing.

John McCain was born to a military family and went on to serve in the U.S. Navy, where he was deployed to Vietnam in 1966. In Vietnam, McCain was a pilot and eventually was shot down and captured by the North Vietnamese. McCain was tortured as a prisoner of war for five years in Hanoi, Vietnam. He refused to be released early despite the offer made because his father, John Sidney McCain II, was a high-ranking admiral.

By refusing release, McCain followed the protocol that stated captives should be released in the order they are captured. When he finally was returned to the United States, he was unable to fully raise his arms. Since then, McCain had needed someone else to brush his hair. Eventually, McCain moved

to Arizona and ran for Congress. After serving two terms in the House, he was elected to the Senate where he served until his death on Aug. 25 of this year.

In the Senate, McCain leaves a complicated legacy. After becoming embroiled in the Keating five scandal, he went on to champion campaign finance reform. Though he promoted the war in Iraq, McCain vehemently opposed torture. While McCain was for the most part a fairly orthodox Republican, throughout his tenure he worked across partisan lines.

For example, during his time on the Indian Affairs committee, McCain worked together with Mo Udall (D-AZ) and Daniel Inouye (D-HI) on laws strengthening the tribal gambling industry, and in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, he supported indigenous claims to sacred land; later in his career he would try to sell Oak Flat, a ground held sacred by the Apache. McCain also went on to work with John Kerry, former senator and Secretary of State, to help normalize diplomatic relations with Vietnam in the ‘90s despite the treatment he had endured in Hanoi as a prisoner of war.

McCain’s presidential campaigns catapulted him into public consciousness. His 2000 campaign garnered him a reputation as a straight talker who would stay extended hours at rallies to answer all questions posed by voters and the press.

Despite his portrayed ideals of giving his honest opinions on the issues, McCain equivocated his opinions in South Carolina, where he proved evasive on the topic of whether he believed the

FAM: An option beyond the pill MADDIE D’IORIO OPINION COLUMNIST mdiorio@trinity.edu When I mentioned to my general practitioner this past summer that I had been experiencing practically debilitating period symptoms, she said the words I was dreading hearing.

“Oh, well I can get you a prescription for birth control to help with that.”

I politely declined her offer, and began to do research on ways of alleviating these issues other than taking hormonal birth control. Avoiding taking the pill was a decision I had made not because of religious reasons (I am a practicing Catholic) but for scientific and health reasons.

I would like to clarify that although my church does condemn usage of birth control for avoiding conception, it is permissible as a treatment for other symptoms like those I was experiencing.

The reason that I have personally decided against using birth control is because I believe that women deserve better options than taking medication which purposefully works against the natural inner-workings of their bodies. All other medications one would take for whatever reason are for the objective of helping one’s body work as it is supposed to. However, birth control works against a woman’s natural body to make it not work as it was originally designed to, which begs the question if it can be considered medication at all.

Veronica Arnold Smither, a Fertility-based Awareness Method (FAM) instructor from Houston, believes there are other ways to help women with health issues than giving them hormonal birth control. She explained to me that while birth control does work for some women, it opens you up to a whole host of potential issues — such as weight gain, headaches, nausea or even future infertility.

This is why she believes that instead of just prescribing the pill for any woman who comes into the doctor’s office complaining about premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or other diagnoses, doctors should instead try to actually get to the root of the real issue. “I think women deserve to know whatever knowledge is available,” Arnold Smither said. “Why not tell women that this is how your fertility works? Let’s take care of women and men inside and out.”

6

When I asked her how exactly FAM can help with women who experience issues such as endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), she explained to me that a doctor will first start out by telling a woman to begin charting her cycle. Options for charting are wide, and include keeping track of cycle days, recording basal body temperature, observing cervical mucus or measuring urinary metabolites.

“NaPro [Natural Procreative Technology] technicians use this data to take it a step further,” Arnold Smither explained. “They focus the treatment at the point in the cycle when it would be the most effective, whereas a standard OB-GYN does not collect the data where a woman is in her cycle … because standard practice is not focused on treatment.”

The difficulty with explaining FAM methods to people is that they have a very heavy Catholic and pro-life connotation.

Therefore, many outside of Catholic or pro-life circles ignore the evidence on why birth control can be harmful, and why there are better solutions out there. “[FAM] should be for everyone,” said Arnold Smither. She believes that the Green Movement should also care about the issues with birth control. “Why aren’t we going green when it comes to our own health care? … Even though there is a conservative Catholic connotation, the science shows that this is successful.”

If you are a woman who is interested in learning more about alternative methods of birth control and managing your gynecological health, please do your own research and keep an open mind. Factsaboutfertility.org is a great resource, and San Antonio has multiple listings for NaPro Technology OB-GYNs or FAM instructors that can help you learn more about your body and how to take control of your cycle without taking pills.

Although hormonal birth control might be the right choice for some, I believe that all women should have a full understanding of how their bodies work and the choice to manage their symptoms in a natural way that respects the body’s innate inner-workings. We deserve better than simply getting prescribed pills which may create even more problems than they fix, as true empowerment begins with understanding oneself and one’s body.

Maddie D’Iorio is a sophomore economics major.

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

confederate flag should be removed from South Carolina’s capital grounds. After conceding to George W. Bush, then the governor of Texas, McCain returned to South Carolina, where he apologized for his previous prevarications and stated he believed that the confederate flag should be removed from South Carolina’s statehouse.

In 2008, McCain ran for president again and received the Republican presidential nomination.

He then he faced off against Barack Obama, then a first-term senator from Illinois. When Obama was nominated for president, McCain cut an ad congratulating his democratic opponent on the achievement of being the first African American nominee for president of a major political party.

During the campaign, McCain tried to assuage his

supporters’ fears of Obama’s potential election and vouched for Obama’s character. After conceding to Obama, McCain graciously recognized the historic significance of Obama’s election. Even as McCain displayed congeniality, McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate represented the brand of anti-intellectualism, racial resentment and anger that has characterized much of American politics since the ‘08 campaign.

I could continue to talk about McCain’s actions, but his proud defense of advocacy for an America engaged with rather than withdrawn from the world — alongside the negatives and positives such engagement brings — will be McCain’s lasting contribution. While the positives and negatives of McCain’s historical legacy will take time to parse and may result in his remembrance as both a hero and a villain, it is undeniable that America lost one of its few political giants last Saturday.

McCain viewed himself as being in service to something greater than himself; while I disagreed with him more often than not, I have never doubted that his actions came from a true belief in America’s ideals, however imperfectly he lived up to them. McCain had often said that he wanted to be remembered as someone who served his country honorably. While we will have to wait to get history’s verdict, I am inclined to believe that, though imperfect, McCain accomplished his goal.

Thomas Harvell-DeGolier is a senior history major.

THE HATE U GIVE BOOK GIVEAWAY

Trinity Diversity Connection (TDC) is giving away a copy of this contemporary YA classic by Angie Thomas Each attendance at a TDC event counts as an entry The winner will be randomly selected and notified in early October

Related film screening and diversity dialogue COMING SOON! WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • AUGUST 31, 2018 •

OPINION

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

Oh, what a Whataburger life This RA caught the eye of local fast food chain with his obsession NOELLE BARRERA | PULSE REPORTER nbarrera@trinity.edu Enrique Alcoreza — junior, business analytics major and current residential assistant (RA) of Verna McLean residence hall — became mildly famous in San Antonio news outlets this summer when a certain orange-striped fast food behemoth decorated his dorm room. His dorm space looks like a miniature restaurant with its brightly colored pillows reading “Ketchup” and “No Onion,” glossy rectangular photographs of burgers and chicken sandwiches above his bed, a mouse pad that looks like a ketchup packet and a plethora of comfortable orange furniture. “[Life] was normal as of last semester,” Alcoreza said. “As of now, I get reminded three to 10 times a day, ‘Hey, you’re the Whataburger guy,’ and ‘Hey, how’d you get that room?’

The average day so far has just been a lot of explaining about Whataburger and being labeled as the official Whataburger guy. I love it, though.”

Alcoreza's favorite aspects of his room are the custom-made art pieces in the style of Andy Warhol, the hamburger piñata that his hall is going to name soon.

“It’s going to be Patty, short for Patty Melt,” Alcoreza said.

Alcoreza’s room also dons a ketchup packetthemed dart board.

“I’ve been practicing, and I’m getting slightly ... not worse,” Alcoreza said.

Junior ENRIQUE ALCOREZA poses with his Whataburger-themed decor while he explains how he became known around campus as the "Whataburger Guy with a Whataburger dorm." Alcoreza's choice to decorate his hall's doors with whataburger-themed signs led him to this opportunity of a lifetime. His decor includes pillows, a piñata, pictures of burgers, a mouse pad and glasses. photo by ELIZABETH NELSON

It all started during last year’s first-year move-in day. Every RA’s hall has its own theme for door labels, and Alcoreza decided to put up Whataburger-themed door tags. David Tuttle, dean of students, took a picture and sent it to his wife, Donna Tuttle, who works as director of brand content and communications at Whataburger. Soon, Alcoreza was pleasantly surprised by a care package from Whataburger, but the real surprise arrived a couple of months later.

“I just got an email from the marketing department of Whataburger saying, ‘Hey, we wanna deck out someone's dorm. You're in college, do you want that to be you?’ ” Alcoreza said.

After the story about his Whataburger room broke, Alcoreza reported that he got a newfound popularity.

“I’ll just get random knocks throughout the day and night, and I know it’s either going to be a resident or people who want to see the dorm.

During the Tiger Move-In Day this year, it was crazy because the story released the night before,” Alcoreza said. “Parents from out of state were like, ‘Hey, you’re the Whataburger guy!’ My 15 minutes of fame were very bright and very big, but I think it's starting to die down now.”

Are all of the first-years in his hall Whatafans as well?

“I do have a couple students who are international students, so they haven't tried Whataburger. I do have a couple people who have [allegiance] to In-And-Out,” Alcoreza said. “We're gonna have to have some stern talks down the road.”

First-year Tristan Smith is a longtime Whataburger aficionado and lives in Alcoreza’s hall.

“Whataburger is one of the best places to get a hamburger in Texas,” Smith said. “They have quality stuff, it’s not terribly unhealthy, and I know I’ve been going there since I was a little kid, so it’s my favorite place to go eat.”

Fellow first-year Joseph Wright is ambivalent about the chain. “[Whataburger’s] alright. It’s kind of overrated,” Wright said.

Whatahall first-year Matthew Barton shared his love for Whataburger, as well as his favorite menu staple.

“I’m from Texas, so I love the honey barbecue chicken strip sandwich. That’s the only thing I've ever ordered there; it’s amazing. Sometimes I'll get a shake,” Barton said.

Alcoreza’s own favorite item is a bit more obscure but packed with local flavor.

“I’m from El Paso, Texas, and we have a burger called the Green Chile Double, which is only served regionally because we use New Mexico hot chiles, so it’s really, really good.

Every time I come here, I ask for it and they’re just very confused,” Alcoreza said.

Alcoreza says that the situation has taught him a valuable lesson: “All roads go through Tuttle.”

Living and learning on campus

A look into the special residence halls at Trinity

MATHILDE LE TACON | PULSE REPORTER mletacon@trinity.edu Most students know the names of the basic residence halls; Trinity University is host to James Calvert Hall, South Hall, etc. It has halls on campus, such as the substance-free halls, HOPE Hall, the 360 Well-Being Hall, Entrepreneurial Hall and HUMA Hall. These are considered to be Trinity's “special halls.”

But while students may have heard of these special halls, they may not exactly know what they entail — or even why they're different from the rest.

Living and learning halls are floors or areas residence halls that are set aside for a group of students with a common interest. The hope is that by bringing students (especially first-years) together with similar goals, those students will have a group of people they feel comfortable around from the get-go.

For example, substance-free halls are ideal for students looking for a community of peers that have the same outlooks on drinking and drugs. These include the Swashbucklers (well known for their pirate theme) in Susanna Hall and another substance-free hall that’s located on McLean third. continued on PAGE 8 AUGUST 31, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

illustration by KAITLYN CURRY

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Living and learning halls on campus continued from PAGE 7 Enrique Alcoreza, junior and the RA for the substance free hall on the third floor of McLean, recognized that party culture is a part of college life for many but also that he has a personal duty to respect the wishes of those who don’t partake.

“Substance-free housing is a great environment for those students who don’t want to be subjected to certain societal pressures that can be found on a college campus,” Alcoreza said. “The ability to willingly enter the sub-free hall grants its residents a certain type of freedom to grow and comfortably transition into college.

Everyone in my hall chose to be here, and I aim to do their decision justice by providing them with the resources and support necessary to navigate campus in a sub-free manner.”

Equally likely to bring students closer together is the 360 Well-Being Hall. This hall is new this year and aims to help students prosper in their college careers. The 360 WellBeing Hall is situated in on the second floor of Calvert.

Sophomore Chen Wang, RA for the 360 Well-Being Hall, explained that health

“Figure out ways to let yourself be surprised by your own capacity for things. Not just in the setting, but also in your response to it.”

BENJAMIN STEVENS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF CLASSICAL STUDIES

encompasses both physical and mental states. One cannot thrive without the other, according to Wang. “[360 Well-Being Hall] is how to stay fit, no freshman fifteen — and then how to mentally be okay with school. I think we are going to do stuff with TUfit, it’s a lot of meditation and yoga,” Wang said.

Another hall focusing on student interests is HOPE Hall, which gives those with a love for volunteering the opportunity to participate in service events and give back to their community regularly.

There are two HOPE Hall RAs this year.

Junior Breanna Brietske is the RA for the sophomore and upper divisions and senior Khaniya Russel is the RA for first-years.

When asked about her vision for HOPE Hall, Russel shared what she hopes her residents take away from the experience.

Hope Hall is located in McLean.

“I hope each member of my hall will do their part to uphold each of the core values of Trinity through volunteering their time with members of our greater San Antonio community experiencing homelessness,” said Russel. “By applying, they’ve demonstrated they care about helping people who are less fortunate.”

These three aren’t the only special halls — also in the mix are the HUMA and Entrepreneurial Hall, located on the third floor of Alfred Herff-Beze Hall and the second floor of McLean, respectively.

HUMA Hall is geared toward students in the HUMA First-Year Experience course.

Since these students will study the same books and face the same assignments, living in close quarters allows them to easily form study groups. The hall is overseen by RA and sophomore Maggie Lupo, who enrolled in HUMA her first year and enjoyed the course so much that she went on to become a peer tutor.

“The residents are all experiencing the intense, fascinating, enriching adventure that is HUMA at the same time and in close proximity,” Lupo said. “This allows them to ask each other for help, share the ideas brought up in their separate sections and — of course — commiserate about the workload.”

Finally, the Entrepreneurial Hall (E-Hall) aims to unite students with interests in entrepreneurship, startups and even in creating their own businesses. The hall is overseen by residential assistant and

sophomore Gavin Buchanan. Buchanan explained that entrepreneurs are some of the most prevalent names in our society today, ranging from Jeff Bezos to Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.

“Trinity has the eighth best entrepreneurship department as ranked by Forbes and historically has had alumni who went on to found companies like Rackspace (which launched Youtube), Kind and Central Market so justifiably Trinity is both proud of its programs and wants to continue its legacy,” Buchanan said.

“My goal for E-Hall is to encourage each of my residents to discover their passions, talents and goals and how those may be used to create a positive impact in the world. Each resident is united through a one-hour course that teaches the basics of Entrepreneurship led by local San Antonio entrepreneurs allowing for a unique community of students to form around innovation and ingenuity,” Buchanan said.

For students who have an interest that that one of the special halls specialize in, they might be able to find a place where they can feel like they really fit in at Trinity University.

“Persistence is key, so even if things get a little bit frustrating in classes, just keep trying. We want to know you.”

KIRA MCENTIRE ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY

OFFICE HOURS: First-Year Advice

“[First-years] should know that they will be visiting the library a lot. Reading is important here.”

CARLOS ARDAVIN PROFESSOR OF MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES

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“Brace yourself for a fantastic ride!”

ROSA ALOISI ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SICENCE

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • AUGUST 31, 2018 •

PULSE

“Sharp Objects” ends its run; nation stands still as they count down the days until Gillian Flynn’s next work (79 until “Widows”)

Louis C.K. joins the #MeToo movement of men who think they can have a career after serial sexual misconduct

AE &

KYLE brings his A-Game to Welcome Week This year’s show, hosted

by SPB, improves from last year, impressing students RAFAELA BRENNER A&E REPORTER rbrenner@trinity.edu

This past Saturday, Trinity University’s Student Programming Board (SPB) brought artists KYLE and A-Game to campus for the 2018 Welcome Week Concert. Here’s a recap of this year’s Welcome Week Concert, so that even if you couldn’t make it to the show last Saturday you can still, as Kyle in his song “Doubt It” puts it, “read all about it.”

This was my first Welcome Week concert, and while I was not very familiar with KYLE and A-Game when they were announced as this year’s artists, they quickly won me over by the energy they brought to their performances. The artists knew how to liven up the audience during the concert’s scheduled time of the early evening, and I left with the impression that Trinity’s students were granted a welcomed opportunity for some fun amidst their first week of classes.

Opening for KYLE was A-Game, who was easily able to vitalize the crowd alongside MC Tres and DJ Kimmy Nu. At first I wasn’t sure what to expect from A-Game, but his dynamic performance and friendly call-andresponse requests of the audience really got us on our feet.

Welcome Week Concert headliner KYLE performs on stage on Prassel Lawn last Saturday night.

He was preceded by openers A-Game, Kimmy Nu and MC Tres. photo by GENEVIEVE HUMPHREYS

“It was really high energy. It was really great,” said Addie Coldiron, sophomore. “Especially the beginning when A-Game, Kimmy Nu and MC Tres were really hyping up the crowd and even though they’re not really very well known names, they were able to get everybody dancing and yelling and screaming together, which was really great preparation for KYLE.” KYLE seemed to really be enjoying himself during his set, as he often

addressed the audience and pulsechecked to make sure they were having the best time possible. KYLE had a quick, carefree delivery of his song lyrics, adding some spark to his performance, especially during his song “Nothing 2 Lose.”

Aspects of the show’s design, which featured cartoon aliens as a backdrop during KYLE’s song “Really? Yeah!” as well as other

space-themed elements, and at one point a backdrop featuring the video game Fortnite, added to the easygoing and fun atmosphere of the concert. KYLE’s requests for the audience to sing along in a cappella style to his song “Playinwitme” encouraged the crowd get to pumped up for his hit closing song “iSpy.” While the Welcome Week Concert was successful in bringing Trinity’s students together for an entertaining evening at the start of a new year, the venue on Prassel Lawn did become somewhat overwhelmed by concert-goers during the higher-energy moments of the show.

“I am a good fan of [KYLE] ... not too sure about the crowd itself,” said Briahn Hawkins, junior. “I think being in the front was a bad idea for me, because there were a lot of people that were jumping. People were jumping in front of me and jumping [out] from behind me … I was good with the performance but not the crowd itself.”

Despite this inconvenience it was clear that the Welcome Week Concert was a refreshing experience for students this year.

The SPB made a wise decision in bringing artists like KYLE and A-Game to campus, allowing concert-goers to experience an energetic show and for TUPD to effectively ensure the crowd’s safety while doing so.

“This was my first concert, so this was really exciting ... I was really feeling it and I was especially more comfortable because I had friends with me,” said Ben Falcon, first-year. “I’m curious and excited to see who Trinity brings next year, and I’ll definitely be there … I just don’t want my tuition to go up to pay for it.”

Mitski saves indie rock in a glowing pink cowboy hat In her new album, the artist confronts loneliness of being a musician, a woman CALLIOPE IZQUIERDO A&E REPORTER jizquie1@trinity.edu

In the two weeks since it was released, Mitski’s fifth album “Be the Cowboy” has received enormous acclaim from fans and critics alike. Its serious approach to confronting personal and intimate issues cements it as a momentous album.

The album opens with the song “Geyser,” a title that both describes its sound — a thumping that erupts from tense, bubbling placidity — and encapsulates the themes of the record as a whole. The song introduces a searing synth backdrop that settles into a sonorous accompaniment for Mitski’s strong, sweeping vocals before the energy picks up along with the piano, guitars and drums. This change in energy is in line with the rest of the album’s tone, as it shifts from slow ballads to highly rhythmic pop songs.

“Geyser” also introduces listeners to the desperation and melancholy found in many of Mitski’s lyrics, a familiar feeling to anyone who has listened to Mitski’s previous two albums, “Bury Me at Makeout Creek” and “Puberty 2.” However, just as the instrumentation changed from the grungy bass of “Bury Me at Makeout Creek” to

the fusion of synths and piano in “Be the Cowboy,” Mitski’s lyrical themes indicate an affected maturation that coincides with her growth as a musician.

“Usually my songs have a narrative of some sort,” Mitski told Bob Boilen of National Public Radio while discussing “Geyser.” “But this song is all feeling. … I wrote it about music or just maybe a music career or an ability to make music. I think as a musician you keep sacrificing other things in your life, sacrificing relationships, sacrificing other opportunities, maybe even your physical or mental health in order to do with because it’s not an easy thing to do, and it’s not a job that people need you to do.”

Mitski has made it clear in an interview with Patrick McDermott that “Be the Cowboy” comes from a perspective not necessarily reflective of her own but of an “exaggerated form” of herself. While “Geyser” explores the sacrifices that a musician makes to create her art, the rest of the album tackles the themes of loneliness and incongruity in ways that mirror the musician’s life that Mitski described.

“There’s the loneliness of being a symbol and a projection, but I think that loneliness [says a lot about] being a woman, or being an other — some kind of identity that has a lot of symbols attached to it,” Mitski told McDermott.

In “Be the Cowboy,” this loneliness manifests most prominently through exploring relationship dynamics that are affected by mutual insecurity, such as in “Washing Machine Heart” where Mitski sings, “Baby, though I’ve closed my eyes / I

AUGUST 31, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

illustration by JULIA POAGE

know who you pretend I am / I know who you pretend I am.” The theme of confronting another’s projected notions of you arises with varying levels of self-assuredness in the perspective of the singer; consider, for instance, “Lonesome Love” where the singer combats her own notions of misplaced courage as she realizes how devastating one “Hello” can be.

Confrontation in general seems to underlie the intended attitude of this album as a whole, especially given the title, “Be the Cowboy.” To be a cowboy is to attempt almost childishly at making oneself stoic and unaffected. In reality, things cannot be avoided that simply. Addressing multiple

different angles of adult relationships is something Mitski focuses on within this album.

“I can’t keep [singing about being infatuated with someone and having your first love] and still being truthful, because the reality is I’m an adult now, and I’m getting older, and you get older you see a lot of sides of love …” Mitski told Rob Hakimiam of the 405. “I think so much of music is so youth-oriented, when there are so many more stories to tell. A pop song doesn’t just have to be about that young love, because there’s so many more experiences that are worth singing about.”

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Behind our favorite displays in Club Lib A closer look at the book exhibits in the lobby of the library CALLIOPE IZQUIERDO A&E REPORTER jizquie1@trinity.edu Upon entering Coates Library, one encounters a small shelf labeled “Discover,” standing resolutely by a pillar and displaying books arranged around a specific theme. Ever wonder how those displays come to be?

“I did the NSO (New Student Association) display, all the books in the front, I did [the book arrangement at the bottom of the first floor staircase], so we do some creative things sometimes,” said Erica James, reference assistant and arbitrator of the “discover” shelf and other displays.

“Someone will just come and turn in a bunch of books on, say, volcanoes, and we’ll say, ‘Hey, this’ll make a good display — let’s put them up.’ Also just listening to people talk and seeing what collections they had.”

The discover shelf draws inspiration from a variety of sources, from students’ individual interests to campus speakers.

“Last year, we had a collection of all the bottles that had been found on campus,” James said. “So [ideas] comes from all different places, and people suggest things, and then some of them are just based on the library calendar…

We did kind of have a tie-in where we did a snake display on the side, because they were having [Harry Greene] come and talk. So yeah, speakers are another good reason we have a display.”

The art of crafting a good display isn’t always easy; different themes see varying and sometimes surprising levels of success.

“The friendship [display] was really popular,” James said. “I can never predict what’s gonna be popular; it’s kind of funny. Displays I think are gonna be popular aren’t, and other displays that I just threw up there sometimes, students will check out a bunch of books. Like the friendship

10

one, people have been really into and have come to me and said, ‘Oh, I’m so glad you picked that topic,’ where it was almost kind of random on my end. I’m just thinking about all the first-years and how they’re kinda making new friends, and I kinda got into that, and everybody likes that.”

Previous discover themes have also resonated with students and faculty, like the display connected to the NBC show “The Good Place.”

“We had one with a bunch of philosophy books that students really — and professors too — just checked out a whole bunch,” James said. “And this really surprised me; I would’ve never done that, and that was a suggestion by someone who was in Special Collections who said, ‘Hey, why don’t you do philosophy books, like in “The Good Place”?’ That was really popular.”

Various levels of planning goes into the discover display: Some ideas are more definite, while others rely upon James’ fluidity and flexibility.

“We’re going to do a banned book display, concentrating on LGBTQ books because those are some of the most banned in the US right now,” James said. “And then kinda just what comes up. … Sometimes we start weeks ahead, and other times I just see a bunch of books, and I’m like, ‘It’s time to change it now.’ ” Creative displays aren’t just limited to the third floor. Special Collections staff works equally hard on putting together exhibits. The current special collections displays are held in its second floor area — one in the lobby and one in the reading area — and have objects related to Trinity history, according to Colleen Hoelscher, Special Collections librarian.

“Right now we are planning an exhibit in the cases by the staircase on the third floor to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I,” Hoelscher wrote in an e-mail. “That will be installed sometime in October and will feature vintage postcards and materials related to Trinity students and alumni who fought in the war.

Next year is the 150th anniversary of Trinity’s founding, so I’m sure we will have more exhibits coming in the spring.”

To All the Rom-Coms

I’ve Loved Before

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

The genre is back thanks to Netflix, but is it what we wanted?

GEORGIE RIGGS A&E EDITOR griggs@trinity.edu

I’ve watched enough rom-coms to say that I’ve seen at least one every four months I’ve been alive. In simpler terms, that’s 67 romantic comedies.

It’s not enough to make me an expert, but it’s enough for it to be my favorite genre. Unfortunately, all of the best, in my opinion, were released before 2001 — the year of Bridget Jones. Do the releases of three prominent rom-coms this summer mean that we have finally reached the end of our cinematic love drought?

“Set it Up,” if you somehow avoided seeing anything about it on your timelines, is a paint-by-the-numbers rom-com, released on June 15 through Netflix, about two over-worked assistants setting up their bosses to get some time off. While the plot was fairly predictable, the response to it was so popular, that many articles claimed that Netflix was single-handedly bringing back the rom-com.

Only two months later, on Aug. 17, Netflix struck again with “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” which features an Asian-American high school girl navigating a fake relationship with an old crush. “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” marks a welcome increase in quality compared to the other teen movie released this summer, “The

Kissing Booth.” (Sorry, but I refuse to talk about “The Kissing Booth” as a rom-com!)

That same weekend, “Crazy Rich Asians” was released in theaters, featuring — if you somehow didn’t hear — the first all Asian cast in a Hollywood film in 25 years. The film would have completed a full Netflix takeover of the genre — but when approached by Netflix with a huge distribution deal, the film’s creator’s chose to decline.

“We needed this to be an oldfashioned cinematic experience, not for fans to sit in front of a TV and just press a button,” said Kevin Kwan, the writer of the novel “Crazy Rich Asians.”

I agree completely with the decision. Part of this stems back to how, in the interim between the proper rom-coms of the ‘90s and early ‘00s and the 2018 “revival,” we’ve already seen romantic comedy go to our television screens. In the article “Netflix didn’t save the romantic comedy: TV Networks and Women did,” a writer at Business Insider argues that “New Girl,” “The Mindy Project,” “Jane The Virgin” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” are all womenlead shows that revived the rom-com.

With the help of these four terrific and popular shows, rom-coms have never truly died out, but we deserve a proper cinematic return.

If the huge social media reaction toward this summer’s rom-coms is proof of anything, it’s that there is a widespread hunger for mid-budget, feel-good movies. To paraphrase a tweet from entertainment writer Alanna Bennet, we’re all so starved for good feelings that we spent the weekend of Aug. 17 watching “To All the Boys I Loved Before” on repeat.

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The problem with “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” and with “Set it Up” to a lesser extent, is that it fails to bring those good feelings to the scale of a film worthy of theatrical release. The sets, shots and scripts bring nothing new to the genre and would not hold up if you were paying to see it — they hold the same weight as a series you might binge in a weekend and forget about the next.

“Crazy Rich Asians,” however, understood how deep the hunger is, not just for rom-coms, but for the good feelings produced by them, more importantly applying them to groups very rarely portrayed, and if so, not positively, by Hollywood. It was filled with tropes, sure, but it was a refreshing take on the genre with the production value to match.

Part of why I love romantic comedies is that they have to create magic to be good. A good rom-com can extend to all the movies in the genre, even the bad ones. “When Harry Met Sally” sprinted so that “You’ve Got Mail” could run, “The Proposal” could walk and “Leap Year” could crawl.

But I also love them because they are so often the best providers of cinematic good feelings. We deserve a full revival of unabashedly feel-good rom-coms, written by, directed by and for women and people of color, projected onto screens as big as the feelings in the story they’re telling.

While I’m disappointed in how Netflix’s dominated this summer’s rom-com revival, the energy of “Crazy Rich Asians” is enough to keep me excited for future releases. Let’s hope it’s enough for Hollywood, too.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THE GAMES ARE ACTUALLY STARTING

• Volleyball vs. Cabrini University, Friday, Aug. 31, 3 p.m.

• Women’s Soccer vs. Pacific Lutheran University, Friday, Aug. 31, 4 p.m.

• Men’s Soccer vs. Rutgers-Newark University, Friday, Aug. 31, 8 p.m.

Sports

Tigers fall to St. Mary’s in exhibition game, 2–1 Men’s soccer loses in second half to the Rattlers, a taxing test for the season to come EVAN BROWN| SPORTS REPORTER ebrown4@trinity.edu

In its second exhibition game in two days, the Trinity men’s soccer team could not match the St. Mary’s Rattlers in the game’s second half and lost by a single goal.

Trinity scheduled the exhibition game against St. Mary’s University, a Division II institution, one day after Trinity’s annual intersquad scrimmage that pits returning players against newcomers. The absence of fresh legs proved to be the Tigers’ Achilles’ heel, as they lost the lead in the second half.

“I think we dominated the first half, but that’s where the fitness came into play,” said Josh Davis, junior midfielder. “I think the level of speed dropped in the second half, and I guess they came in more physically prepared for the game, and they took it away from us.”

The first half started slowly. Trinity began the offensive attack in the 13th minute when sophomore forward Wesley Mitchell initiated a give-and-go with senior forward Austin Michaelis. Mitchell’s shot dribbled just right off the goal post.

St. Mary’s team responded with an attack of its own in the 17th minute when Rattler first-year Marlon Flores Flores evaded Trinity sophomore right back Rodrigo Castillo. Flores crossed the ball to the middle, but no other Rattlers were there to capitalize on the advance.

Trinty Senior center back Liam Looney easily cleared the ball back to midfield.

In the 23rd minute, Trinity junior midfielder Brady Johnston ended the deadlock tie with a left-footed shot from about 10 yards out to put Trinity on the board. After getting the ball on the left side, Mitchell crossed the ball towards Johnston, who put it in the back of the net.

“I remember having great movement from my teammates to open up space in the middle,” Johnston said. “The ball is played to Wesley Mitchell’s feet on the edge of the box who laid the ball off to me. The only thing in my mind [was] to drill the ball into the corner. Thankfully, the ball rose into the roof of the net.”

St. Mary’s had a solid chance to tie the game in the 38th minute when Trinity senior goalie McCaleb Taylor attempted to clear the ball but instead kicked it right to Rattler Luis Aranda. Since Taylor had vacated the goal to clear the ball, Aranda had a wide open goal to shoot at. Instead, Aranda took one too many dribbles and the Tiger defense knocked the ball away from him and cleared the ball away from the danger zone.

In a play that seemed to shift the momentum over to St. Mary’s favor, Rattler Ollie Wright kept the Tigers on their heels for a good minute as he single-handedly evaded multiple defenders before passing to Aranda inside the box. Aranda unleashed a strong shot towards the bottom left corner of the goal, but Taylor made the save. continued on PAGE 12

Sophomore Midfielder JACOB HELLENBERGER, left, focuses on finding the next guy to blow past and where to pass the ball as he skips past the opposing midfielder. photo by MATTHEW CLAYBROOK

A deep dive into the renovations of Hixon Natatorium

continued from FRONT

The faster pool will allow for Trinity to match NCAA qualifying times earlier in the season.

“To qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships, there is a time requirement and a place in the nation,” Hurrell-Zitelman said.

“Every race and every meet is an opportunity to make that cut for the NCAA Division III Championships, and if we have a faster pool, we could have even more opportunities, as opposed to waiting until [conference] championship season in order to qualify.”

Trinity plans to upgrade the diving pool with the addition of a few new diving boards.

“Previously we had two one-meter boards and one three-meter board,” said Bella Peters, a sophomore diver. “We are getting a second threemeter board and a two-meter board. With the additional three-meter board, we can practice synchronized diving, not just at one-meter but also at three-meter.”

Only a few facilities in the country have a two-meter diving board, considering collegiate programs only compete at the one-meter and three-meter height.

“Having a two-meter board will allow us to prepare for harder dives by having a middling height. Sometimes three-meter is intimidating, so you need a shorter board for the dive,” Peters said. “Some dives that you learn for one-meter would be easier to learn at a greater height, but would be dangerous on a three-meter board.

I’m excited for the two-meter and hoping maybe I can figure out how to fix a couple of my form problems.”

The construction crew estimates that the pool renovations will conclude by Oct. 1.

While the daily reports look promising for the pool to finish on time, some members of the swimming team are uncertain.

The pool in Hixon Natatorium is as dry as can be, the renovations hoping to fix numerous isses that have plagued the aquanauts. photo by ELIZABETH NELSON

“I have seen a lot of pool projects, and they generally don’t finish on time,” HurrellZitelman said. “People don’t work on pools often, and renovation has all sort of issues that don’t arise until you get down in there.”

Since the swimming pools are out of commission until at least Oct. 1, the swimmers have had to hold their practice in the outdoor pool.

The outdoor pool is 50 meters long instead of the 25 yards long pool inside Hixon Natatorium.

“In collegiate swimming, you do only short course yards, so swimming long course meters actually provides us the opportunity to get more in shape. We also get to tan,” Hurrell-Zitelman said.

AUGUST 31, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

The outdoor pool may help increase the swimmers’ stamina, but it may throw a swimmer off his training pace.

“What you do in a training performance is really what you can do at a race,” HurrellZitelman said. “When you’re not training at your max capacity, and you get to the meet and you think, ‘I can only hold this pace for this race. That’s all I can do, because that’s all I have been doing in training.’ But if you are in a faster facility, and you are training faster, [you think] ‘Oh, I can definitely do that,’ and it gives you more confidence going into championship season.”

The diving team doesn’t normally hold practices in the diving pool until a few weeks before the season starts. They mostly lift weights,

practice their form entries in the outdoor pool, and perform other conditioning exercises. If the pool renovation doesn’t finish on time, some of the divers may not have the confidence they would like before the first meet of the season.

“I am a little concerned that if the pool isn’t done by Oct. 1, that a couple of my dives on three-meter will be iffy, but I’m sure the month of conditioning will help,” Peters said. “If worst comes to worst, there are other pools in the area and I’m sure our coach could figure out a way to get us on a diving board before our first meet.”

The swimming team will begin their season at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin Invitational, while the diving team will travel to Ohio to participate in the Ohio Diving Meet on Oct. 19.

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Soccer stumbles against St. Mary’s Hallympics An observation about the undervalued event

continued from PAGE 11 After halftime, both teams seemed fatigued, as if they just awoke from a snooze.

Neither team threatened to score until after the 64th minute.

After the referee called a foul against Trinity, St. Mary’s had a free kick from about 30 yards. St. Mary’s player Carlos Blasco passed the ball towards the middle where his teammate Aiden Henry headed it past the reach of Trinity junior goalkeeper Blake Lieberman, who had entered the game following halftime.

Neither team had a chance to break the 1–1 tie until the 80th minute when Johnston led an attack on the Rattlers defense. Rattlers goalkeeper Gerard Roebuck deflected a wellplaced shot towards one of his teammates, leading to a counterattack. The Rattlers raced down the field and Pato Botello Faz put the ball into the net.

Trinity tried to respond in the 83rd minute. Sophomore midfielder Ethan Moore took the corner from the left side and crossed it into the box. After a few competitive headers, the Rattlers cleared the ball and thwarted the Tiger’s attempt to tie the game.

Overall, Trinity seemed to struggle adjusting to counterattacks, which may be

AUSTIN DAVIDSON | SPORTS EDITOR adavids1@trinity.edu

Senior Forward AUSTIN MICHAELIS, center, kicks off the game against St. Mary’s. Kickoff rules recently changed to allow the game to start with a kick back. photo by MATTHEW CLAYBROOK due to the team’s new 4–2–2–2 formation.

“We are also rocking a new formation, so we are learning a lot still, “ Davis said.

“Depending on the game, last year’s formation was a 4–5–1. We have a few things

to figure out in terms of positioning, but I think we have got a good group of guys.”

Trinity will play its first game of the regular season in a home match against RutgersNewark University at 8 p.m. on Aug. 31.

BLACK STUDENT UNION

ICE CREAM SOCIAL

Thursday, September 6th Tehuacana, Upstairs Coates 7:30pm

“WHO’S THE G.O.A.T?: BATTLE OF THE ICONS” Thursday, September 20th Tehuacana, Upstairs Coates 7:30pm

facebook.com/TrinityUBSU trinitybsu1@gmail.com

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FALL EVENTS

WATCH THE FOOTBALL GAME W/ BSU Saturday, Septemeber 8th TU Stadium 6:00pm

LIP SYNC BATTLE October

THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION OFFICE GRILL & CHILL

Friday, September 14th Coates Esplanade/Fiesta Room 3:00pm

THANKSGIVING FOOD BANK SERVICE TRIP November

MEETINGS EVERY FIRST & THIRD THURSDAY Waxahachie, Upstairs Coates 7:30PM

This weekend, I participated in Hallympics for my first time as a Trinity student. I couldn’t be more disappointed in myself for that fact because — contrary to what I thought before even showing up this year — I had a great time.

I got to not only hang out with new sophomores — who, for the most part, I had never met — but also witness the true purpose of why these arbitrary games where instituted: The creation of a community.

While I was coaching the Sophomore College (SoCol) to a respectable second place finish in the volleyball tournament, I became part of a community that was created purely by the shared year of the players. People from Bruce Thomas Hall, Dick and Peggy Prassel Hall, the Swashbucklers and Murchison Hall banded together in the shared goal of crushing all opposition in their path.

What spawned from the unifying drive was a group of people who had mostly never met becoming teammates and supporting one another. Even if it was for only one weekend, the sense of belonging and membership that came out of this newly minted team was a gratifying experience, not only for the players but also for me.

I’ve never been prouder than when I watched as my team leapt for joy after they won a point off of the overpowered Upper Division team.

I personally had an incredibly tough time adjusting to college life — being away from home, not seeing friends or family and trying to find my place in a new environment all took their toll on me. If I had gone to Hallympics and been a part of a team, my dismal first month would have been worlds better.

At its core, that’s what Hallympics really does for Trinity students. It creates an environment within which, for a weekend, you and your fellow classmates join together and work towards a goal. That creation of a team — a place where someone can belong — is more important than winning a shirt or a trophy.

The camaraderie of teammates can stick with someone for longer than many can understand. When one of my friends first invited me to watch a game with him during my early months at Trinity, it meant the world to me. I had no friends at Trinity; I spent most of my days rewatching Friends, avoiding Mabee and calling my parents. So when he extended that hand and helped me find my place in the jungle we call college, it turned my whole year around.

While I don’t exactly know if Hallympics made anyone feel like that, I do know that I felt like I was on a team. I watched as teams from Verna McLean Hall’s first floor, Robert R. Witt-Carleton R. Winn Hall’s second floor and all of the other halls on campus banded together, wore matching colors and supported one another as they played kickball on the hottest field I’ve ever been on.

I felt like I was melting every second I stayed on that field, but it didn’t matter because I was there with SoCol, and it felt great to be part of a team again.

College is a difficult for everyone for different reasons. For my dad, it was a bad break up, for my mom, it was figuring out her major ,and for me, it was feeling like I didn’t belong.

Sometimes, all it takes is for you to get out of your comfort zone and go to that event you didn’t care about; that very event could be where you meet the friend group that turns your year around. It could also be the event where you learn that you aren’t as good at trivia as you thought. You’ll just have to find out for yourself.

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SPORTS