4.12.19 by Trinitonian

OPINION

APRIL 12, 2019

Serving Trinity University Since 1902

VOLUME 116 ISSUE 24

Guest columns: Responding to YCT president Isaiah Mitchell

16 Last mainstage show of the year ARTS features slew of literary heroines

15 TU Gaming competes in first SPORTS SCAC esports tournament

TDC offers campus Faculty assembly to vote new major and minor a Taste of Diversity on Major in global Latinx studies, minor in architectural studies wait for approval

JOLIE FRANCIS | NEWS REPORTER jfranci1@trinity.edu A proposed modern language major and art history minor are waiting faculty assembly approval on April 12 in order to become official courses of study. Both the major and minor have already gone through levels of approval, but the last step is to be approved at the faculty assembly meeting. “Big changes — changes to Pathways requirements or something as big as a new major or minor — go on what we call the ‘discussion agenda.’ That means that they will be brought as a motion to the floor of the next faculty assembly. Both the new architectural studies minor and the global Latinx studies major will be on the agenda for the next faculty LEFT: Sophomore SANDRA NGUYEN and junior ALEX MOTTER passed out cha gio, or vietnamese eggrolls, on Friday at the table for the Vietnamese Student Association. RIGHT: Juniors MANVEENA SINGH and KEZIA NYARKO were part of the team that organized the event. photos provided by SANDRA NGUYEN

Event showcases cuisines of campus cultural organizations MARIA ZAHARATOS | PULSE REPORTER mzaharat@trinity.edu Students sat listening to the performances of their musically-inclined peers, stood around the Coates Esplanade chatting and even tried foods which may have been foreign to them, such as Vietnamese egg rolls or snacks from an Ethiopian food truck. The Trinity community had many opportunities to explore a taste of diverse cultures at Trinity Diversity Connection’s (TDC) annual event, Taste of Diversity. The event was held last Friday, April 5, from 2 to 5 p.m. on the Coates Esplanade. Students and other community members enjoyed a variety of culturally diverse foods, live music, a photo booth and other free items such as mugs to decorate and tie-dye shirts advertising the event. “It’s about showing off one’s culture through food, and I wanted to extend it to include music and art,” said Kezia Nyarko, junior and president of TDC. TDC reached out to six student artists to perform at the event. Junior Leah Woehr was one of the performers. She sang original songs including “June” and “All That and More,” as well as a few others from singersongwriter artists like Sara Bareilles. “I think diversity can represent diversity of experiences, which can come from food but also from people, how they want to express themselves and the experiences that they’ve had. So there’s diversity in that,” Woehr said. “Ultimately the goal of this event is to bring people together so that they can learn from other cultures. Food and

music do that well, so them being together makes a super fun event.” A few rows of chairs were set up in front of the stage where the artists performed, while the tables offering a variety of culturally and ethnically diverse foods were set up along the back of the Esplanade. Alex Motter, junior and president of the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA), expressed his excitement in participating in the event. VSA and TDC often work closely together and were happy to do so again as they’ve done many years past. “We helped serve food and decided to showcase Vietnamese egg rolls as our dish because they’re really tasty and you can combine them with all kinds of sauces,” Motter said. Over 200 students attended the event, as well as many parents and prospective students from Tiger Friday. Event shirts ran out within the first hour. Nyarko even recalled one prospective student telling her that she definitely wanted to come to Trinity based on seeing this event. Nyarko added that TDC is considering working with admissions to build up this event. “We’ve been trying to [create] more interactive ways of learning about diversity. I think Trinity lacks in having naturally diverse spaces,” Nyarko said, “Almost everyone was around each other and interacted, but it’s still very natural and you aren’t thinking about the diversity within it. It feels comfortable enough to see different cultures.” TDC, a University Sponsored Organization (USO), pulled from their funding to put up the event. This year, they used the whole of their annual budget on this event and more, focusing on making their signature events and programs bigger and better than ever. continued on PAGE 15

assembly meeting,” said Glenn Kroeger, chair of the University Curriculum Council (UCC). For a major, a group of faculty has to have an assessment plan ready and go through an accreditation process with Institutional Research and Effectiveness, the library and ITS in order to ensure that the university has the resources to support the major. Then, the major can be brought to the UCC. “Lots of things have to be checked off before the major can be brought to the UCC. It’s mainly just making sure all the ducks are in a row before the UCC looks at the proposal. Our job mostly is to look at the academic aspect of it, how it fits in with the mission of the university and the benefits that it will bring to students,” Kroeger said. continued on PAGE 5

Guest column: The humble beginning of the Trinitonian University historian dives into the past of campus journalism DOUGLAS BRACKENRIDGE GUEST COLUMNIST dbracken@trinity.edu

Our 150th anniversary celebration creates incentives to reflect on significant events in our history. One such event is the birth of the Trinitonian, now in its 119th year of operation. Apart from annual university catalogues, it is our longest lasting campus publication. While it has undergone format, content and frequency of publication changes over the years, it has remained the source of firsthand information about campus life and an outlet for student concerns and interests. The Trinitonian made its debut in December of 1900 when Trinity was located on the Tehuacana campus. Previous student newspapers had been short-lived but the Trinitonian staff hoped theirs would be long-lasting. The first issue of the Trinitonian was a 40-page magazine style monthly periodical measuring six and one half by 10 inches. It featured student submitted essays on topics such as “The Model Man,” “Our Mental Possibilities,” “The Educative Value of the Latin Language” and “Music: Its Place in Education.” The remaining pages were devoted to an editorial, campus news items and excerpts from peer student publications from throughout the country. Subscription prices were $1 a year or 10 cents for a single issue. Over time, June

The editorial board of the first issues of the Trinitonian published monthly, 40 page editions in a magazine style. The content was focused on sports and curricular innovation. FILE PHOTO

commencement issues served as forerunners of the annual yearbook, the Mirage, which appeared in 1919. The June issues included photographs of faculty, staff, graduates, student organizations and athletic teams and a narrative of the year’s events. continued on PAGE 6

TRINITONIAN.COM • APRIL 12, 2019 •

STAFF JULIA WEIS editor-in-chief JORDAN BRUCE exec. digital editor KATHLEEN CREEDON exec. print editor JONAH NANCE business manager ISLA STEWART ad director KENDRA DERRIG news editor SOLEIL GAFFNER opinion editor KARA KILLINGER pulse editor GEORGIE RIGGS arts editor AUSTIN DAVIDSON sports editor HENRY PRATT visual editor PABLO TRAVERSARI web editor GABRIELLA GARRIGA special sections editor KATHARINE MARTIN adviser REPORTERS Noelle Barrera, Jackson Beach, Megan Flores, Jolie Francis, Kaylie King, Amelia Mundell, Breton Smith, Maria Zaharatos COLUMNISTS Thomas Harvell-DeGolier, Ben Gonzalez, Kayla Padilla, Natasha Sahu, Natalia Salas, Victoria Stringer COPY EDITORS Sofia Gonzalez Gonzalez, Corrin McCullough, Dana Nichols VISUAL CONTRIBUTORS Matthew Claybrook, Genevieve Humphreys, Jace Akagi-Okuma, Andrea Nebhut, Alexandra Parris DIGITAL CONTENT CREATORS Arianna Siddiqui BUSINESS STAFF Elizabeth Popov, Victor Stummvoll ADVERTISING STAFF Jordan Askew, Nathaniel Bronson, Jessie De Arman, Veronica Lukanga, Alexandra Parris

NEWS

Previously, on SGA: Chick-fil-NAY The following covers the meeting on April 10. CLIMATE CHECK Junior senator Juana Suarez recounted a discussion that she had with Sharon Curry, sustainability coordinator, about the addition of solar panels on CSI. Curry said that this was not feasible, but informed Suarez that solar panels had been proposed as part of the Chapman-Halsell Complex renovations. Suarez explained her plan to write a memo that people could cosign and that they could send to the appropriate admisinstrators in support of incorporating solar panels into the renovations. Suarez also proposed that they look into researching food insecurity on campus and open a food pantry if there is need. USO BUDGET REQUESTS Representatives for Greek Council requested $31,875 from the Student Activity Fund for their 2019-2020 budget, an amount equal to what they received last year. The majority of the budget would go to sending all 10 members to a national conference in San Diego and organizing the GreekU retreat. The Council also plans to restart Greek Week, a week of events for all Greek life organizations. Junior senator Adelle Green asked about the $500 line item for professional apparel, which representatives explained is for 10 custom embroidered shirts for Council members to wear at the conference. Representatives for Recreational Sports requested $199,550 to fund intramural and club sports, Outdoor Recreation and Bell Center operations. The amount is $7,114.14 more than they received last year. Representatives explained that all areas of Recreational Sports have seen increased participation. Initiatives for the next year include

expanding programming for those with physical disabilities and introducing new intramural sports that are popular in other countries to encourage international student participation, such as badminton. Representatives for the Student Ambassadors requested $24,775, which is $2,847 less than they were granted last year. The Ambassadors will no longer be participating in an annual conference and will not be purchasing new polos or ties. Additions to the budget included $900 for campus outreach and programming, $750 for future alumni week, $750 for the ring ceremony and $600 for countdown to commencement. CHICK-FIL-A Junior Ty Tinker, SGA president, posed the question of whether or not Trinity should continue to host Chick-fil-A in Revolve given the recent controversy surrounding the restaurant’s donations to anti-LGBTQ+ organizations. Adviser David Tuttle encouraged senators to attend the forum hosted by the Dean of Student’s Office and the Trinionian next Wednesday, April 17, at 8 p.m. in the Waxahachie Room. Tuttle plans that this forum will allow his office to make a recommendation to the university about whether Chick-fil-A’s vendor contract should be renewed next year. Sophomore senator Claire Carlson argued that Chick-fil-A is easily substitutable and that if the university wants to be able to say that they support diversity and inclusion, they should not continue to support the restaurant. Suarez expressed that she feels unsafe and unsupported with Chick-fil-A on campus. First-year senator Noor Rahman said that there is a large difference between some students going to Chick-fil-A on their own and the university hosting the restaurant. Tuttle encouraged senators to research Chick-fil-A and make sure they have the correct facts before participating in next Wednesday’s forum.

Meetings are held every Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Waxahachie Room. Full coverage of SGA meetings can be found online at trinitonian.com. coverage by KENDRA DERRIG

FINISHED WITH THIS WEEK’S PUZZLE?

CROSSWORD created by KATHLEEN CREEDON

EDITORIAL

edited by GEORGIE RIGGS

email: trinitonian@trinity.edu phone: 210-999-8557

ADVERTISING

email: trinitonian-adv@trinity.edu phone: 210-999-8555 fax: 210-999-7034

DISTRIBUTION PRINT April 5: 1,442 March 29: 1,420 March 22: 1,736 (of 2,200 copies printed and distributed)

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ANSWERS WILL BE POSTED SATURDAY, APRIL 13, @ 10 A.M.

CORRECTIONS In the March 29 issue, in the “Clothesline Project” article on page 12, we incorrectly state that one T-shirt listed every Greek life organization. A majority, but not all, organizations were listed on the T-shirt. In the April 5 issue, on page 1, Cristina Treviño was misspelled in the cutline of the lower photo.

CLASSIFIEDS TUPD BRIEFS WANT TO TAKE OUT AN AD? Classified ads are free for Trinity students. For non-students, each ad is $25 for 25 words. Send your ads to trinitonian-adv@trinity.edu

The Trinitonian [USPS 640460] [issn 1067-7291] is published weekly during the academic year, except holidays and final exams, by Trinity University, One Trinity Place, San Antonio, TX 78212-7200. Subscription price is $35 per year. Periodicals Postage Paid at San Antonio, TX. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Trinitonian, One Trinity Place, #62, San Antonio, TX 78212-7200. Student publications under the supervision of the Board of Campus Publications shall explicitly state in each issue that the opinions expressed therein are not necessarily those of Trinity University. The first copy of the Trinitonian is free; additional copies are three dollars each. ©2019. All rights reserved.

ASSAULT On Friday, April 5, at 6:32 p.m., in Witt-Winn residence hall, two female Resident Assistants were involved in a physical altercation. One of the students had pushed the other as they argued. Both were RAs for Witt-Winn. A witness broke up the fight, and the one who had pushed the other left the scene. The one who had been pushed left to get her TigerCard before TUPD arrived. The RAs have been temporarily relieved of their duties, and a no-contact order is being processed by the Office of the Dean of Students.

ACROSS 1. Increase in size 5. To’s partner 8. Quarrel 11. Bit of a URL 12. Green of suburbia 14. “Livin’ ___ Prayer” 15. Colored eggs filled with 35-Down 17. Swing 18. Plucked instrument, in Padua 19. Responses to a cute puppy 20. Tickled 23. Situated in the back 24. Oolong or Rooibos, for two 26. Shortstop in Houston, probably 27. Shape of a snake 28. Sales slip, abbr. 29. Something that may strengthen spirits? 30. Monetary substitute at Fiesta 33. Dove’s call 34. Adds on to an email 37. Sound of laughter, when doubled 38. Before, to a poet 39. Divided nation, briefly 40. Backwards poet? 41. Stars in Paris 43. White and wintry 45. It follows 11-Across 46. Half of a high-energy French dance 49. Not before 50. Greek temple 52. Tribe of Arizona 53. Removal of a burden 55. Those who will graduate in May, for short

56. Shortcut made popular by Rachael Ray 57. Pro ___ (for the time being) 58. Fiesta-favorite savory snacks 61. Screeners at SAT 62. Hook’s helper in Peter Pan 63. Nocturnal affliction 64. Tel Aviv locale, abbr. 65. Recipe instruction 66. Bone, prefix 1. 2. 3. 4.

DOWN Stern looks Refreshing frozen treat at Fiesta Award for Peele and Colman Groggy one’s inquiry

5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 13. 16. 21. 22. 25. 30. 31.

Floral accessory for Fiesta Search thoroughly The O in IOU Strong in constitution How one might eat chicken at Fiesta ABBA hit you might hear while on the Tube? Frighten Snowden’s former org. Narc Common people, with “the” Great sadness Designed with iron Contraction often misspelled “Am ___ risk?”

32. Number of sides on a triangolo 34. Chavez, for one 35. Colorful filling of 15-Across 36. Impeccable 42. What someone who just blushed might say? 44. German republic of 1919-1933 46. Witch cliques 47. Orbit extreme 48. One of many nevening events during Fiesta 51. Dallas to New Orleans dir. 52. Aids 54. Vid. calls 59. Thurman of “Pulp Fiction” 60. Ming of the NBA

NEWS • APRIL 12, 2019 • TRINITONIAN.COM

Admissions tool quantifies adversity The Environmental Context Dashboard adds another stat to admissions decisions JOLIE FRANCIS | NEWS REPORTER jfranci1@trinity.edu Due to recent spikes in applications in the last few years, the Office of Admissions has implemented more ways of gathering information on prospective students. They are finishing up their third year of using the Environmental Context Dashboard (ECD). The ECD collects data to attempt to quantify the adversity a prospective student might have faced in their educational and neighborhood environment. Trinity was one of the five schools who chose to pilot the ECD, which was created by the College Board. Other schools in the pilot program included Yale University and University of Texas at Austin. “We all piloted it for different reasons. [Trinity] piloted it because of our growing selectivity, and we felt like we needed more inputs for our staff,” said Eric Maloof, vice president for Enrollment Management. “My job as the vice president is to provide as many valuable inputs as possible for the admissions staff and our dean of Admissions to make educated decisions based on who they think is going to be most successful here at Trinity and craft a class that looks and behaves like the world our students are going out into after graduation. From my standpoint, the more inputs the better.”

ERIC MALOOF, vice president for Enrollment Management, explains the incorporation of the ECD into admissions decisions. Trinity was one of five schools that piloted the tool. photo by GENEVIEVE HUMPHREYS

To quantify adversity, the ECD collects data related to access to advanced coursework and socioeconomic diversity in a student’s high school as well as housing values, crime risk and other information relating to school or home. “One topic that has emerged over the last few years that has been really important for our staff is the need for additional contextual information about students’ environments, particularly for those students who come from areas or attend high schools where the admissions office doesn’t have direct personal experience,”

Maloof said. “This new environmental context dashboard offers objective, independent evidence to weigh alongside test scores, grades, co-curricular activities, their essay [and] letters of recommendation.” Justin Doty, dean of Admissions, explains that students in more wealthy areas generally have greater access to educational resources like test prep and college counseling as well as the ability to take the SAT and ACT multiple times. Students in lower income areas might not have access to these.

“When it comes to college admissions, I feel like context is everything. When we know the playing field is not level for students across the country, this data provides us a better tool for analyzing applications,” Doty said. “If students are coming from affluent backgrounds or neighborhoods or high schools, they’re going to have typically more opportunity in terms of testing. As a result, you’re seeing typically higher test scores coming from those environments versus more disadvantaged backgrounds and neighborhoods.” The dashboard is used most commonly when an application is sent to review within the admission committee. “There’s clear admitted students on one end of the spectrum. There’s clear [inadmissible] students on the other end of the spectrum. And in the middle, that’s where we see a whole swath of students. That’s where we spend a lot of time in committee, where we do the full intensive review and looking at all aspects, and that’s where the dashboard has been helpful because we’ll see a significant amount of students with very similar testing, similar GPAs, and you’re trying to find ways of what distinguishes this applicant from these other 100,” Doty said. Along with helping to distinguish prospective students from one another, Admissions hopes to use the dashboard as a tool for increasing diversity. “Diversity means different things to different people. This is potentially providing opportunities and framing discussion so that we have an opportunity to attract and enroll students from low socioeconomic backgrounds,” Doty said. “Race and ethnicity certainly factors into it, but the other aspect has been rural students.” continued on PAGE 5

USOs submit annual SGA funding requests

Organizations ask for a total of $551,819.24 from the student activity fund for 2019–2020 budgets JOLIE FRANCIS | NEWS REPORTER jfranci1@trinity.edu Student Government Association (SGA) has received funding requests from all six university sponsored organizations (USOs), totalling $551,819.24. SGA will vote on how much money each organization will be awarded on April 24. The money that SGA uses to fund USOs comes from the student activity fund (SAF), which all Trinity students pay into each year. Because the size of next year’s SAF will be unknown until all students are registered, SGA will work with a preliminary estimate to determine their funding allocations. “We try to estimate as best we can, the last couple of years the budget has been growing a lot,” said junior Kenneth Clouston, vice president of SGA. “The target freshman class is always 640 people. It’s been larger than that for the last couple of years, but we’re just assuming 640 people coming in as freshmen for sure. We’re assuming most people are going to stay that are sophomores, juniors, seniors. I’m assuming around $660,000 with the SAF. I’m hoping to get a better estimate in the weeks that follow.” Before voting takes place at the weekly senate meeting on April 24, Clouston and other SGA members will meet with the USOs to help decide how much money will be allocated to each organization. “We’ll have a personal meeting to talk about this, get some obvious questions out of the way, getting as much information going into the senate proposal as we can,” Clouston said. “From there, [the USOs] will give a presentation and the senators will ask more questions to get a better picture of what’s needed and what’s not as needed. Then we’ll vote on which items we think need to be fully funded, which items might need a little bit more funding and which items could be dialed back a little bit.”

Clouston explained that the budget requests he has received are fairly similar to what is expected from each USO every year. This year the Student Programming Board (SPB) is requesting a total of $173,942.92, which is approximately $20,000 less than the amount requested last year. “Last year we requested additional funding in order to upgrade our events for the 150th Celebration,” wrote senior Magdalena Blancas, SPB’s accountant, in an email interview. “In regards to our ordinary events, we mainly readjusted our individual event and line item budgets. Last year we restructured our board and added new positions along with new events. As a result, this was our trial year and the changes made are due to reflect what we noticed we needed to change to improve our restructuring. We increased some line-items and decreased others to balance it out. Some events we increased our request for 2019–2020 include fall inspired programs, collaborations, partnerships with athletics and the Welcome Week Concert.” The Trinity University Volunteer Action Committee (TUVAC) requested $22,250, which is a $400 increase from last year. “This semester, we’ve started adding more events and, we’ve already gone over budget on transportation,” said Diego Carrisalez, logistics coordinator for TUVAC. “So next semester if we’re going to have the same number of events or increase the number of events, we’re going to need that for transportation. We’re also planning to increase the number of on-campus events we have and provide food for those events. Right now we have a pretty small budget for food, and we’re hoping to hopefully facilitate more events like that.” continued on PAGE 5

Trinitonian 9.7%

Mirage Greek Council Student Ambassadors 5.5% 7.2% 4.2%

SPB 29.8%

Rec Sports 34.2% TDC TUVAC 5.6% 3.8%

graphic by JORDAN BRUCE

TRINITONIAN.COM • APRIL 12, 2019 •

NEWS

New dining options find success on campus

Staff and students reflect on Starbucks and the new meal swipe exchange policy KAYLIE KING | NEWS REPORTER kking1@trinity.edu With the addition of several new dining options on campus last semester, some dining services staff were unsure of how these new options would affect business at dining options that have been open for years. Looking back on the last school year, however, all of the dining options on campus have done very well. “We’re pleased to see that with the increased options, all locations have benefited,” said Paul Wright, director of business operations for Tiger Card. “We were curious about the presence of particularly Chick-fil-A and Panda Express, what impact that would have on Einstein’s, Taco Taco and Freshii. It’s pleasing to see that their sales went up a little bit, as did the number of transactions. Intuitively, that just indicates to us that the changes that were implemented have hopefully worked well because of more options. That was the intent going in.” This school year, students also had the new option of using the board exchange, which allows them to use meal swipes at all dining locations. “The board exchange was implemented to give students an option for their meal plan,” Wright said. “It’s worked out really well. The intention was to give students more options to use their meal plan than they had before. We wanted to give students more options for dining plus more options to use their resources. You don’t want to see a lot left on the table, so that was the intent, to give you more options and the ability to use it differently than they had in the past.” Wright has noticed that Mabee Dining Hall has been less busy at lunch time since the

addition of options such as Chick-fil-A and Panda Express. “Mabee is not as busy as it was before, and I think a lot of that has to do with the board exchange,” Wright said. “For lunch — since most students are up on upper campus — they found it was a little challenging to get to Mabee and back, so with the expanded options at Revolve and also the board exchange have made a huge difference for upper campus dining during lunch.” New dining options within Mabee — Batch 101, the Daily Grind and the Root vegetarian station — have also been doing well. “I have spoken with quite a few students that are all really surprised how much better everything has been compared to when they first came to Trinity, and it has a lot to do with the better concepts, changes in food procurement and our amazing team,” wrote Charles Robles, food service director, in an email interview. “Batch 101 is easily our most popular option; its changing concepts have been well received and utilized the most. It’s been a very exciting year and stressful with construction and trying new concepts here at Trinity. We are constantly learning on how to make the program better, and we are already thinking of new ideas for next year.” Some students have found that the new dining options are especially convenient because of their location. “I’ve mostly just been going to Starbucks and Revolve,” said Jocelyn Suarez, junior. “I usually drink tea, so before Starbucks I just had my own stuff. When it comes to what the new stuff has brought, for me it’s been really helpful because

Students wait in line outside of the Starbucks in Coates Library. Starbucks opened last October, replacing EcoGrounds and providing students with another place to spend Bonus Bucks. With new lunch options at Revolve and the meal swipe exchange option, Mabee Dining Hall has seen less traffic at lunchtime, but the overall traffic in the dining hall has not been significantly affected. photo by GENEVIEVE HUMPHREYS

I’m constantly on upper campus and it’s really hard to go down to lower campus to get food. Having anything up here has been really helpful when it comes to food.” Other students prefer dining options that have been on campus for a lot longer.

“I use the Commons a lot, Freshii and Taco Taco,” said Sydney Johnson, first-year. “I eat at Revolve occasionally, but not usually because it doesn’t really match up with my schedule. I use the board exchange every day, I have to get my one swipe in.”

InterVarsity discusses ethnicity and God

“Is God colorblind?” event draws 35 students to talk about the intersection of race and religion JOLIE FRANCIS | NEWS REPORTER jfranci1@trinity.edu

TOP: Junior JUAN KAMEL spoke about learning to bring together his cultural and religious backgrounds. BOTTOM: Around 35 students attended InterVarsity’s “Is God Colorblind?” discussion on April 4 in the Waxahachie Room in Coates Student Center, to talk about the connection between race and religion. photos by MATTHEW CLAYBROOK

Usually, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship meetings consist of worship, games and a speaker. On April 4, InterVarsity members explored the connection between race, ethnicity and religion with an event called “Is God Colorblind?” held in the Coates Student Center’s Waxahachie Room. About 35 students attended. “As an African American and also as a Christian, I hear a lot of Christians say, ‘We should just be colorblind’ or ‘race doesn’t matter’ or that that’s just something to ignore. But as someone who has a cultural background, as we all do, I found that a little offensive. So that made me want to explore things like, was Jesus colorblind? Did he say that we just need to ignore race? What’s his opinion on this?” said Lee Davenport, junior and president of InterVarsity. Students, along with one InterVarsity campus staff minister, told personal stories about triumphs, tribulations and discovery all in the vein of their race or ethnicity and the realization that God celebrates differences. “For a long time, I rejected kind of all cultural association [in religion],” said junior Juan Kamel, vice president of the Catholic Student Group and the first speaker of the night. “I thought that having two different backgrounds meant that I didn’t belong to either one. Recently I’ve been able to realize that God uses these situations, at least for me anyway, to help me realize that this was a good way for me to try to bring both of them together.” After hearing some of the stories, everyone broke into small groups to discuss personal experiences and reflect on the ideas the speakers’ stories brought up. This included the journey to their ethnic identity, racial

discrimination and ways that their cultural identity has helped them help others. They were cautioned against using generalizing and offensive language. “Avoid using the colorblind mentality. If you think it might be an offensive or insensitive term, don’t use it,” Davenport said. “As always, seek to have a posture of learning.” Senior Savannah Schatte has been involved with InterVarsity for four years. She explained that her involvement with the group has consistently exposed her to different cultures and backgrounds. “Up until getting involved with InterVarsity, I hadn’t had these conversations. I grew up pretty safely in my majority culture, but I think it’s been such a blessing to come to a place like Trinity, get involved with something like InterVarsity and get to be surrounded by people who come from all different backgrounds and are so confident in that,” Schatte said. “People not only get to be strong and embrace their culture, ethnicity and their race but get to love God and love other people through that.” Davenport was the last speaker at the meeting. Similarly to Schatte, he states that although InterVarsity isn’t always structuring its meetings like this, there is constant discussion and sharing about people’s backgrounds and experiences. “[InterVarsity’s] mission is to be very inclusive and to want to explore each other’s different cultural backgrounds, racial backgrounds and even academic backgrounds. Diversity isn’t just the color of your skin, it’s the totality of who you are. At InterVarsity, we want to be able to explore that as much as we can because we believe that Jesus created us with those specific things for a reason and for good,” Davenport said.

NEWS • APRIL 12, 2019 • TRINITONIAN.COM

USOs request SAF funding continued from PAGE 3 Greek Council requested $31,875, which is what they were funded for 2018–2019. Their budget goes primarily to sending the 10 members of the council and one staff adviser to an annual conference in San Diego and to organizing GreekU, a retreat for leaders in Greek life organizations. Student Ambassadors requested $24,775, which is a $5,647 decrease from last year’s request. According to junior Sophie Wikstrom, associate director of finance, the cut in the request is because the ambassadors will not be attending a conference that they usually attend, having decided that they have learned all that they need from the conference.

Trinity Diversity Connection requested $32,609.32, which is a $2,439.60 decrease from last year. While Campus Publications and Recreational sports are not USOs, they will be requesting their annual budgets at this time. They are guaranteed a funding amount equal to their 5-year average. Recreational sports requested $199,800, about $5,000 less than last year. The budget goes towards facilitating club and intramural sports, Outdoor Recreation and Bell Center operations. This decrease is due to reduced Bell Center worker wages. The Trinitonian requested $56,650, a $10,000 increase from last year, and the Mirage requested $42,042, which is a $4,158 decrease from last year.

Admissions uses tool to contextualize adversity continued from PAGE 3

Diana Young, assistant professor of business analytics and technology, agreed that the dashboard can potentially be used to increase diversity if used correctly. “Anytime you’re using data analysis for an output, it can be used for good or for bad and applied correctly or incorrectly. In this case, I think that it has the ability to help level the playing fields for students by taking those qualitative factors to some degree into account,” Young said. “I think it has the potential to add new insights and allow us to see thing in different ways.” Although the dashboard does provide multiple data points, any personal information provided by the student will supersede any information the dashboard has provided. “It’s important to understand that the data in the dashboard, while systematically and constantly measured, does not necessarily represent the student’s personal experience, but rather suggests the environment to which they were likely exposed” Maloof said.

“Consequently, it does not substitute for firsthand knowledge of the applicant or specific information that is conveyed by the applicant’s written narrative. It does, however, provide an additional lens to view the student’s application and might help us highlight or further explain the detail found in the application.” Doty also emphasizes that students from low adversity levels will not be at a disadvantage in the admissions process just because they didn’t overcome adversity like other prospective students might have. “We’re not counting anything against a student for not facing adversity like someone else did. It’s more about the students who have high adversity, framing that and giving more opportunities potentially for those students,” Doty said. “If we see low adversity we may note that, but it’s more about potentially helping to get a student in versus keeping a student out.” According to Doty, the next step for the Office of Admissions is to start analyzing data on how well students who come from a range of adversity backgrounds are performing at Trinity.

New major and minor await faculty approval

continued from FRONT

The Mexico, the Americas and Spain (MAS) executive committee and professors have created a new major called global Latinx studies. The new major will reside in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and will eventually replace the MAS concentration within the international studies major. “We started gathering ideas on how to transform the concentration that we have under international studies. There are transformations happening around the international studies curriculum, and we felt that we had the resources, the faculty and the motivation to move out of international studies and do our own major,” said Dania Abreu-Torres, associate professor of modern languages and literatures. The new major has adopted many of the same classes that currently reside in the MAS concentration in the international studies major, in addition to some more introductory classes and a capstone course. “We wanted to move the major forward without too many obstacles. We felt [the concentration] was getting to limited, so that is why we decided to move out from international studies, but at the same time, international studies was moving as well, from regional studies to more thematic studies considering international topics and concerns,” Abreu-Torres said. A minor in architectural studies from the Department of Art and Art History is

up for approval as well. Minors go directly to the UCC because they do not need to be assessed first. “The hurdles for a major are far greater than the hurdles for a minor. Minors, because they do not lead to a degree, don’t have to be assessed. The minor doesn’t have to have anywhere near as much documentation prepared,” Kroeger said. Kathryn O’Rourke, associate professor of art and art history, and other faculty members of the department conceived of the new architectural studies minor. “The minor is intended for students who are interested in architecture, architectural history and historic preservation,” O’Rourke wrote in an email interview. “Our department has already been successful in sending Trinity graduates to prestigious programs in architecture, historic preservation and urban design. The minor is a way of formalizing what we have been doing for years.” The original idea was to create a major in architecture, but Trinity administration did not approve the necessary funding. “We saw opportunity to create one of the most exciting, prestigious, interdisciplinary undergraduate programs in architecture in the U.S. with a major. The administration did not share that vision, but with this minor hopefully we can at least begin to reach students who have interests in architecture and related fields,” O’Rourke wrote. If passed at the faculty assembly meeting, the major and minor will be added to the Courses of Study bulletin in the fall of 2019.

Now on the field: #1, Sports Editor [Your Name Here] Seriously, we need someone to run our sports section for the 2019-2020 school year. We pay you and you get another thing on your resume. Did we convince you? Hopefully so, because we have arrived at the application link. 2019.trinitonian.com. Apply today! Instead of hauling everything home, store it all at Key Storage. We’ll make sure everything is safe and secure and waiting for you in the fall. Your first month’s rent is just a buck. So make your trip home a little easier, make the smart move with Key Storage.

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OPINION

TRINITONIAN.COM • APRIL 12, 2019

FROM THE EDITORS’ DESK

Welcome to the Fiesta, folks! For nearly 130 years, San Antonio has observed Fiesta, a city-wide celebration that started in honor of the soldiers who fought in the Battle of San Jacinto and the Battle of the Alamo. Since then, Fiesta’s grown a life of its own beyond its problematic history and into a celebration of the city itself. Fiesta’s origin is kind of shady, and even locals may feel conflicted about celebrating it. It started as a celebration of the Anglo victory at San Jacinto and honored the fallen heroes of that battle. But to understand Fiesta, you can’t ignore this problematic past. San Antonians have reclaimed the celebration for themselves. Over the course of the celebration, you’ll notice large hats decorated with flowers and colorful objects, sashes with clanging medals and a smile on nearly every San Antonian’s face. You’ll eat more funnel cake, turkey legs and elote than thought humanly possible. There are multiple events happening every day, so you won’t get bored. Can’t do midday events? Go to the Flambeau Parade or NIOSA. Don’t like night outings? The Battle of the Flowers Parade

and King William Fair are probably right up your alley. If you don’t like big crowds, there aren’t many events you’ll enjoy, but the festive atmosphere radiates throughout the city during Fiesta. No matter where you are, you’ll feel the Fiesta spirit.

As Trinity students, we’re all keenly aware of this bubble we’ve created, but in the next few weeks, think about leaving it. Fiesta is a time unlike any other. It’s so unique that most people — most Texans, even — don’t know what it is before coming to the Alamo City, and even then, they may not understand it as a concept. The 10-day celebration is filled with colors and lights and sounds, more parade food than you could ever eat and

margaritas galore. And Trinity is just miles from the action. As Trinity students, we’re all keenly aware of this bubble we’ve created, but in the next few weeks, think about leaving it. You have 10 days to take advantage of the festivities. There will be parades and parties and carnivals. The streets will be littered with confetti and cascarón shells. Everyone will be drunk. It’ll be great. Immerse yourself in San Antonio culture, even if for a day. Don’t know where to start? We have all you need to prepare for it: a list of tips from a local, a guide to avoiding cultural appropriation and look into the traditional medals you’ll start seeing everywhere. Still unsure? Look to the stars to figure out which Fiesta event is best suited to you. Join San Antonio in celebrating its past and its present. As we get closer to April 18, the city will become brighter, more colorful and more alive; make sure you’re ready for it. Fiesta is in the air, and we are incredibly excited. Hopefully, you are, too.

The Trinitonian’s origin story continued from FRONT

The first editor-in-chief was W. B. Beard, a ministerial student who became a missionary teacher in the Philippine Islands. Associate editors were members of the male and female literary societies and the business manager was a young faculty member. The literary societies were the heartbeat of student social life on a campus devoid of athletics and fraternities or sororities. They maintained their own meeting rooms and met frequently for discussions, debates and social conversations. Each society had its own colors, mottos and college cheers and competed for prizes at public events during the school year.

The rhetoric of its first editors may appear antiquated to modern readers, but their journalistic goals retain contemporary relevance. The editors gave special attention to two campus news items; one on athletics and the other on curricular innovation. They proudly announced the opening of an exercise room for men (no women) that they deemed “essential to develop a strong, symmetrical physical body along with the intellectual and moral development” and the construction of two tennis courts that were “well occupied during recreation periods.” Although Trinity lost its first intercollegiate football game to Baylor University by a score of 17–0, the editors

expressed confidence the team would have a have a winning season next year. The second item dealt with the trend to incorporate elective courses into college curriculums, a controversial academic issue at the time. Traditionally, students faced four years of prescriptive courses set by the faculty. Trinity had recently permitted seniors to designate two electives to be decided by class vote, not individual preferences. Trinitonian editors affirmed that “a prescribed course of study that brings into play the various activities of mind is far better for the student and college. The prosecution of an elective system so early as the sophomore year may be good for a genius, but not for ordinary young men and women.” The rhetoric of its first editors may appear antiquated to modern readers, but their journalistic goals retain contemporary relevance and remind us of the importance of maintaining foundational values during constant change. Here are a few excerpts from the first editorial page: “It is our supreme desire to make the Trinitonian a truly representative college magazine … we promise, that in every number, the subject matter of the journal will be the product of our highest endeavor and maturest thought.” “It is our ambition to make it a mighty lever in prizing events of school and church into being … and it is also to make it a mirror in which we may observe ourselves and each other, and thereby correct mistakes, remedy faults and make the greatest progress possible. With these noble purposes in view, the Trinitonian awaits the verdict of our people.” “Let every student feel it is a duty to contribute articles to our magazine. It is an instrument by the school for the school … Take plenty of time in preparing articles, so its correctness and appropriateness cannot be called into question.” “The editors being human, shall make many blunders, for which they expect to be criticized. But we beg that your criticism be of that helpful

The first Trinitonian was published in December 1900 by a team of students and managed by a faculty member. The first issue was 40 pages. FILE PHOTO

sort which encourages to stronger and nobler effort; and not of the kind which steals all hope and pride and enthusiasm to make our work a success.” Beyond the elevated language of the editorial page, associate editor Alice Whitley summed up her feelings about the new publication in four words: “Hurrah for the Trinitonian!” Douglas Brackenridge is the university historian.

OPINION •

APRIL 12, 2019 • TRINITONIAN.COM

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

Exploring allyship, identity Resistance in masturbation BEN GONZALEZ OPINION COLUMNIST bgonzale@trinity.edu “What are you?” It’s a question I’ve been asked more than once. They weren’t asking about my major or my class year. They were asking about my race and in a weirdly blunt way if you ask me. I suppose, in a way, they were trying to be considerate. They wanted to know what kinds of experiences had formed my way of viewing the world. They were trying to be sensitive to my background to inform my place in society. But I often defy categories, not because I’m trying to (in fact I much prefer to remain unnoticed), but because my mother is white and my father is Latino of Mexican descent. I am mixed, but I’ve always thought of myself as Latinx. Besides, that’s how most people I knew treated me while growing up. Not to say people treated me poorly or even very differently, but my difference was often pointed out to me: “Hey, you’re the only one in this math class who’s not white,” I’d be told. My middle school English teacher gushed about how “diverse” of a class she had, shooting glances at me and the other students of color in the room. The people around me reinforced my status as a non-white person, not in a negative way, but in a way that set me apart as an exception, a minority. Of course, the reality is I am just as white as I am non-white. In the first TU Latino Association (TULA) meeting I ever attended during my first semester at Trinity, I realized that my difference stuck with me. I didn’t look very much like most other members in the room. I couldn’t speak Spanish like they did as they switched between languages with apparent ease. They didn’t treat me differently, of course, but I felt like an imposter, like the clean-cut identity of color that people had enforced on me was a sham. Despite my calling myself Latinx, I learned that in the grand scheme of things, I carry a lot of privilege with me. I’ll never know what it’s like to have someone extremely close to me deported because my family has lived in this country for several generations now. I never had to deal with the difficulty of learning English at a later age. I also can’t ignore the fact that I am a straight man and will never know what it’s like to be discriminated against for my gender or sexual orientation. That privilege does not come without its difficulties, of course. A classmate in high school once told me I was “pretty smart for a Mexican.”

BEN GONZALEZ navigates the balance of addressing personal privilege alongside the need for allyship. photo by HENRY PRATT

My white friends would sometimes jokingly call me a “beaner” as a strange sort of term of endearment. It’s a funny thing, to be both the oppressed and the oppressor. But without recognizing both parts of myself, it is inaccurate and unjust to claim I am solely one or the other. The truth is that I simply don’t share many experiences that other Latinx people do, and as a result, I should not pretend that I am without my own set of privileges. Not all who have privilege are white, but all who are white, including myself, have privilege. I must recognize where I can improve as an ally and work to understand the experiences of those who are different from me even if we have similar-sounding last names. We cannot excuse ourselves from the discussion of privilege even if we don’t fit cleanly into the straight white male archetype. We should evaluate our positions in our world and try to understand how we can help others. You might think your privilege is non-existent, even if you are white, because you came from extreme poverty and worked hard for everything you have. But the fact of the matter is that society doesn’t see people in such cut-and-dry terms. The way you are perceived by some is not the same as by others. That does not mean your difficulties aren’t valid, but they demand recognition that certain parts of your identity made your life a little easier than it might have been otherwise. Ben Gonzalez is a junior anthropology major.

KAYLA PADILLA OPINION COLUMNIST kpadill1@trinity.edu During my early teen years, I was a Christian who tried to follow the Bible closely. At church, I was told that masturbation was a sin, and a few people even joked that Jesus would watch anyone who masturbated while they masturbated. I realize now this was just another way of dictating our bodies through the intimidation of some grand male gaze. Growing up in an ethnic household that repressed my sexuality only heightened my stigmas about masturbation. I had been instilled with the idea that I couldn’t pleasure myself; in fact, I couldn’t be pleasured at all until I got married to a “good Christian man” and had that amazingly boring sex for the rest of my life. For a people who claimed to be so connected to the divine, these men often didn’t consider the various ways a woman could be pleasured. I was never even attracted to men, and yet getting married seemed to be the only foreseeable way I was allowed access into this sexual world. It wasn’t until I was surfing through Planned Parenthood’s website a few years later that I came across an article written on masturbation and its health benefits. I felt conflicted. I definitely adored Planned Parenthood, but I was confused as to why I had been taught that masturbation was evil if this article was so nonchalantly explaining why it was good for me. I felt empowered and began to question why pleasure for women was so “sinful.” Texas senator Ted Cruz, an avid follower of Christ, has used his actual life minutes to condemn masturbation. In 2007, he supported a ban on sex toys in the state of Texas, saying, “There is no substantive due-process right to

stimulate one’s genitals for nonmedical purposes unrelated to procreation or outside of an interpersonal relationship.” To absolutely no one’s surprise, however, Cruz’s Princeton roommate said in a 2016 tweet that Cruz’s condemning of masturbation “would be a new belief of his.” In 2017, senator Cruz liked a pornographic video on Twitter that he later claimed was an “honest mistake” by one of his staff members. Male legislators don’t want us to have sex, and they also don’t want us to masturbate. They know we’re going to have sex anyway, but they don’t want us to have access to sexual education. They try to strip us of our right to an abortion while restricting preventative or alternative measures. Misogynists have even tried to maintain this masturbation taboo by creating lies about its effects. They have incorrectly claimed that it can cause a woman to become infertile or make them a terrible sex partner. Once we realize that the patriarchy thrives off of our repressed sexuality, we’ll see that the opposite is true. Masturbation has many health benefits for women. First, it can help us figure out what we like in a sexual experience. It allows us to explore where we prefer to be touched and in what manner. It has also been proven to release endorphins, which can therefore help us relieve stress and sleep better. It overall makes us more in tune with our bodies and more appreciative of our needs. Masturbation can even relieve pain from menstrual cramps and cut our periods shorter. Our vaginas are ours, and it’s time we stopped talking about female masturbation with hushed voices or blushing cheeks. They can threaten to take away our toys, but they can never take away our hands. Kayla Padilla is a sophomore English and anthropology major.

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TRINITONIAN.COM • APRIL 12, 2019 •

OPINION

Fighting for the pedestrianization of San Antonio AARON FELEKE GUEST COLUMNIST afeleke@trinity.edu Downtown San Antonio is popular for tourists and locals alike with a variety of destinations. From visiting the Alamo to enjoying the Riverwalk, there are lots of interesting things to do. Pedestrianizing streets, which is the act of prohibiting cars in a certain area, will make downtown more attractive, feel safer and increase business in the area. Let’s establish why you should care. Downtown San Antonio is about three miles from Trinity University;

it is not a world away. If you are a bicycle-lover like I am, it is a 20-minute bike ride using the North Saint Mary’s St. bike route. If you have a car, it is a seven-minute drive using U.S. Route 281 assuming there is no traffic. Or finally, if it is a nice day and you or your friends have the time, just walk to downtown from the start of the Riverwalk on the south side of the golf course at Brackenridge Park. Pedestrianized areas are all around you. Believe it or not, the Riverwalk is not just in Downtown. It starts from Brackenridge Park, continues past the Pearl, edges the Alamo and morphs into the Mission Trail. The Riverwalk is enjoyed because it provides a long, continuous path of tranquility, scattered local businesses on the side and beautiful sights. It is one of the longest pedestrianized

illustration by GENEVIEVE HUMPHREYS

Learning simulation lessons NATALIA SALAS OPINION COLUMNIST nsalas@trinity.edu

“Tense,” “frustrated” and “angry” were all words that participants of the learning simulation shouted out when they were asked how they felt after the activities. This simulation was put on by Trinity Diversity Connection, in collaboration with TEACH, The Winston School and Trinity University’s Departments of Education and Psychology in order to raise awareness about the learning disabilities that our peers have, but that often go unnoticed. After participating in this event, I can confirm that the activities were, in fact, tense and frustrating. The simulation was composed of five different “tests” that were designed to mimic some of the obstacles that students with learning disabilities are hindered by in their classrooms in traditional schooling. It’s important to note, however, that this was what they called “worse case scenario.” This means that some of the obstacles were taken to an extreme in order to gain sympathy from the participants. We were first given a spelling test in which we had to write down a set of words that were, to me, incomprehensible, three different times from an audio recording. Then, we were randomly called on to read a short passage with all the letters mixed up and very blurry. When students couldn’t read the passage, the “teachers” became visibly disappointed and publicly shamed the students who couldn’t read it perfectly. We were then separated into groups and did a rotation of rooms where there was a different test in each. The point here was to give us near-impossible tasks to complete while the people playing “bad teachers” yelled in our faces to do better. Many students were clearly frustrated with the tests and with the way they were being treated by the teachers. This simulation did meet its goal — to raise awareness about the struggles that kids with learning disabilities face in their everyday school life. The tests were extremely anxiety inducing, even with the stakes so low. It made me think of how hard finding motivation for schoolwork was sometimes, even without a learning disability. I thought if I were a child and this is what I went through every day of my life for years and no one

made the effort to help, I would’ve lost motivation for school a long time ago. However, there were some flaws, and arguably, controversies surrounding the simulation. First and foremost, that it’s just that — a simulation. It is impossible to claim that you know what something is like just because you went through it for 15 minutes at a time over two hours on a single day of your young adult life. Growing up and having to figure out how to navigate a learning disability without necessarily having a way to express what you’re feeling is a much different experience. It’s also important to note that disabilities of any kind are not the same for everyone and that each person who experiences something like that will have a completely different story to tell. Every kid with a learning disability will also have varying levels of support at school and at home. Because of that, I think it’s crucial to point out that accessibility to accommodations and ways of coping with learning disabilities in general are not at all equal across the board. Heather Haynes-Smith, assistant professor of education, explained that Texas has a history of denying kids access to special education. In fact, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) will deliberately fail to provide Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to Texas students until 2020. While some parents will have the resources to provide their kids with the accommodations they need, this won’t be the case for the majority of students with learning differences who have no choice but to attend public schools. San Antonio, for example, has a private school exclusively meant for kids with learning differences called The Winston School. While I think it’s great that the students with disabilities are given the attention they need and deserve in order to have the opportunity to excel in school, we still need to ask ourselves who it is that gets these opportunities. According to Haynes-Smith, it’s extremely important not only to be aware of these differences, but to be willing to ask ourselves what implicit biases we have toward people with learning differences. We should all be aware that just because some disabilities aren’t physically visible doesn’t mean that they are any less worthy of our understanding and support as a community, especially in learning environments. Natalia Salas is a sophomore communication major.

zones in the city. There are not annoying pedestrian crossings across busy streets which force you to wait two minutes for the chance to cross. Even at the university, pedestrianization had made the university more enjoyable. At Trinity University, North Campus — the side of the university which contains academic facilities — is a pedestrianized area. Notice how a car can’t cross from South Campus, the side of the university which contains sports facilities and student dormitories, to North campus without going off campus. Also, look at the luscious green space between the Murchison Bell Tower and Coates Student Center. Students often study in the area, have picnics and even read books. That would not be possible if there was a street with cars in that area. Let’s talk about the current conditions of downtown San Antonio. Crossing the street to get from the Tower of the Americas to the Alamo is a mess at East Commerce and South Alamo. There are two consecutive traffic lights, a confusing traffic light cycle and a small street which acts as a car waiting area instead of facilitating car movement. Tourists are squeezed against buildings as the sidewalk is not wide enough. Electric scooters are being ridden on an already-small sidewalk as the riders don’t feel safe enough to ride them on the street. Frankly, this is the story for a lot of Downtown San Antonio. Imagine bringing the tranquility of the Riverwalk and the calmness of the university’s green lawn to

Downtown San Antonio. Small changes make a big difference. Pedestrianizing certain areas of Downtown can increase business as the capacity of the streets will increase which means there are more people closer to businesses. For example, South Alamo Street, which connects the Alamo to the Tower of the Americas, should be pedestrianized permanently. The half-mile segment has a higher concentration of pedestrians than cars at almost all times of the day, so it makes sense to allocate more area to pedestrians than cars. There is a solution to handle streets with high car levels and high pedestrian levels at different parts of the day. It is possible to have the best of both worlds. Retractable bollards, which may be manually or automatically put in place or taken down, are the solution. Bollards are traffic devices which prevent cars from entering a certain area. City vehicles or delivery trucks for businesses would be able to pass with a key or sensor while the cars of the public would be blocked. Other times of the day, all vehicles would be allowed to use the streets. The City of San Antonio has the historic downtown, the gem of San Antonio. The public should push the City Council of San Antonio to allocate the funds to start the pedestrianizing of certain areas of downtown to make the already great area, even better.

Aaron Feleke is a sophomore computer science major.

OPINION •

APRIL 12, 2019 • TRINITONIAN.COM

In response to YCT pres. Isaiah Mitchell THERESA HO GUEST COLUMNIST tho@trinity.edu

While it is certainly true that personal attacks are unjust and spitting on another human being is disgusting, Isaiah Mitchell’s most recent column defending Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) is both hypocritical and rather dismissive towards substantiated criticism aimed at the student organization. In his article, Mitchell complains that more “vitriol” from “fearless activists of Trinity” has been directed towards other YCT members rather than towards Mitchell himself as the current YCT president. Though this is a sarcastic complaint designed to poke fun at students that criticized some of the events and activities that YCT has held, Mitchell brings up a good point. Students in YCT leadership positions, like leaders of any organization, should be held responsible for the things they say in relation to the organization they lead. Mitchell writes, “YCT spices things up around here — so what? We’re not hurting anybody … You certainly can’t stop us either, so there’s no point in trying. Trinity has a long history of apathy; whatever happened to that?” Supposing Trinity did have a “history of apathy” — which Mitchell offers no evidence for — broadly criticizing students who are becoming more politically active and passionate about improving their country is self-contradictory. After all, Mitchell is the president of a student organization political in nature. He is quoted in two other Trinitonian articles saying that YCT — then known as Tigers For Liberty (TFL) — encourages civic engagement through voting, education and discussion. Mitchell, along with several other YCT members, also recently organized a social event at a local Chick-fil-A in order to show support for the business after it was removed from the concessions contract for the San Antonio Airport. Therefore, is Mitchell saying that YCT members are the only students who are allowed to be civically engaged and the only ones who can voice criticism towards events and beliefs that they disagree with? Wouldn’t it have been better to encourage conversation and empathy? He mentions diplomatic liberals, but Mitchell is not being very diplomatic himself. Instead, Mitchell deepens the divide between students who are politically left and politically right by telling readers that no one can stop YCT and suggesting YCT should be left alone. Instead, Mitchell wants students who disagree with some of YCT’s events and speakers to “be cool.” I don’t want to be apathetic. Though I firmly believe that students of all political affiliations should have organizations

on campus and that YCT is one such important organization for conservative students, I have some concerns. Mitchell and other YCT members have, in the past, stated that YCT “is not a religious group,” but the organization does “stand for religious freedom.” But I think that it is important to point out that while YCT may advocate religious freedom, many of YCT’s events have dealt with Christian beliefs more than any other religion. Bob Fu talked about what it was like being a Christian in communist China and Chick-fil-A has well known Christian affiliations. TFL also sponsored guest lecturers from an advocacy group called Abortion Hurts, God Heals — a group that is obviously Christian from name and website alone — in January of 2018. I am not trying to say that Christian religious freedom is stupid or that Christian beliefs are completely dated. I am Catholic myself, and I love my religion dearly. But why is there so much focus on Christian religious freedom and so little attention on other religious groups that are being persecuted not only in the United States but also in the rest of the world? Islamophobia and antisemitism are violent, frightening and important issues that are going on right now.

STEVEN DRAKE GUEST COLUMNIST smurff@trinity.edu

Last week, in the article titled “Students react to Chick-fil-A’s presence in Revolve,” the president of the Young Conservatives of Texas, Isaiah Mitchell, quoted the age-old phrase used by many Christians to rationalize the existence of the LGBTQIA+ community by saying “you’re supposed to love the sinner and hate the sin.” As a gay man, there is no other sentence in the English language that I loathe more. I used to be indifferent to the saying; I used to be complicit with other people’s homophobia, but as I have come into my sexuality more and have spent time around incredible queer people, I have developed a greater intolerance to ‘rationale’ such as this. I’m very grateful and privileged to have avoided violent acts of homophobia and harsh rejection from my family and friends since I came out. However, I have been seen as weak and too feminine to really be a man, and I have even had the very phrase I’m writing about said to my face on multiple occasions.

illustration by GENEVIEVE HUMPHREYS

Where are YCT’s sponsored guest lecturers and tabled events for discrimination towards people who practice Islam, Judaism, Buddhism or Hinduism? And where is the attention on people of color? Theresa Ho is a junior English major.

Like I said, I was accustomed with this type of rationale. I thought that as long as people accepted me for who I was, everything was fine by me. Now, I realized that my own logic was faulty because I ignored my well being in a desperate search for acceptance.

You see, you cannot simply “love the sinner, hate the sin.” The phrase is a Band-Aid trying to cover a gaping wound of internalized homophobia. This issue is much akin to when people in the United States told the LGBTQIA+ community, “You have marriage equality, what more do you want?” As if marriage was the pinnacle of societal equality and by that logic, homophobia vanquished. The issue with “love the sinner, hate the sin” is that it’s a saying that allows people to voice what they’re thinking without being outright cruel which is, “I see you and love you ... but not as a whole person.” We in the LGBTQIA+ community cannot separate our “sin” from ourselves more so than a person of color can separate their skin color from their body. It’s impossible because we were born like this; it’s been a part of our entire person since birth. To say that our personhood should be split because we have a “sinful” part of us that tells us who we love is unimaginable to me. And it’s not so much that I have a problem with the phrase itself, but rather who it usually addresses. I understand that many religions — specifically Christianity — view different ideas as sinful, the most obvious being the seven deadly sins, but we can separate those sins from the person like a malady that afflicts the soul. My sexuality isn’t a sickness that necessitates purging it from my person, try as conversion ‘therapists’ might if they had the chance. My sexuality is who I am, and I love that it’s a part of me. I feel like my journey through this life would be rather dull without that “flair,” as some might call it. I am a loving and caring person, and I know that is a tenet of many religions as well — including Christianity. So I think we need to start focusing more on loving people for who they are instead of saying “I love you ... but not completely.” People who use this phrase need to stop its use because it invites us in the LGBTQIA+ community to believe that you love and care for us when — in reality, if given the chance — you would throw out that which makes us whole. You cannot pit a cherry then plant it expecting that fruit to grow into a beautiful tree with beautiful blossoms — so do not try to remove that which is central to our being, pretending to care for us and then chuckle and become indifferent when we cannot grow and blossom. In other words, stop using this phrase to pretend you care. If you insist on continuing to use the phrase, do us all a favor in the queer community and come out as homophobic or — at the very least — intolerant. Many of us have had enough deception in our lives to want to live in a truthful world. We might get hurt, but at least we will know who cares for us and who couldn’t care less. Steven Drake is a first-year Spanish major.

APRIL 12, 2019 • TRINITONIAN.COM •

FIESTA

cover and illustrations by ANDREA NEBHUT

Triniscopes: Which Fiesta event should you attend?

Where will you have the best time this Fiesta season? The stars know. Check below: CANCER – King William Fair, April 27 GEORGIE RIGGS | ARTS EDITOR griggs@trinity.edu ARIES – Chili Queens Cookoff, April 28 I know that you crave drama, competition and hot things, fire sign. This unconventional Fiesta event celebrating all things tacky will satisfy your hunger in more ways than one. TAURUS – River Parade, April 22 If anything would get you out of the house, Taurus, it would be the River Parade. Trinity will have its own float, but stick around for the whole night. You love working hard, but playing even harder, so give yourself the night off.

Sweet and caring Cancers will never miss a chance to walk around a neighborhood filled with historical homes and art booths. King William Fair combines all the good fair foods of Fiesta with the quirky — read: wealthy — vibe of Southtown. LEO – Battle of the Flowers Parade, April 26 Fire sign? More like flower sign. The Battle of the Flowers is the event that started it all, commemorating the women who threw flowers at the Alamo. The quintessential daytime parade is a perfect match for cheerful and passionate Leos. VIRGO – Oyster Bake, April 13

GEMINI – Fiesta at Hemisfair, April 18 Festivals have always been kind of your thing, air sign, haven’t they? Sure, you’d rather do without the screaming children and crowded spaces, but you’d do anything for a photo op and a funnel cake.

A mainstay of Fiesta, the Oyster Bake will probably feel like home to you, earth sign. We know you love having a good time, as long as everything’s planned out — just grab a chicken on a stick, maybe an Austin Eastciders (we’ll forgive you for the sacrilege) and listen to some truly mediocre music.

LIBRA – Cornyation, April 23-25 Fair-minded and fun-loving Libra, this theatrical parody of Fiesta serves up the right amount of comedy, politics and costume design to keep you satisfied.

SCORPIO – Flambeau Night Parade, April 27 Coming alive in the night time is kind of your M.O., right, water sign? Your power is always at its greatest when the moon is high and the drinks are nigh, so this nighttime parade throughout the heart of the city is a must-go. SAGITTARIUS – Night in Old San Antonio, April 23 – 26 Don’t you love being the life of the party, Sagittarius? This four-night rager in La Villita is the perfect place for you to eat tons of food, see tons of friends and, most importantly, drink tons of margs.

CAPRICORN – Various Fiesta runs across San Antonio Oh, sensible earth sign. While the rest of us are full o’ funnel cake (and margs, let’s be honest), you’re already up and at’em trying for a different type of bread. The multitude of runs around the city give you the perfect chance to have fun this Fiesta while still feeling just a tad bit morally superior. AQUARIUS – Taste of New Orleans, April 13 Always one to be different, Aquarius. Isn’t the point of Fiesta to celebrate San Antonio? I guess, in a way, beignets are a type of funnel cake anyways. Enjoy your crawfish, but remember the Alamo City. PISCES – Fiesta Pooch Parade, April 27 Dogs? In colorful costumes? Riding in ridiculous lil’ floats? Taking over the streets of Alamo Heights? You’ve always liked the idea of dogs in human clothes, Pisces, so now it’s time to see your canine king in person.

FIESTA • TRINITONIAN.COM

• APRIL 12, 2019

Trinity brings home the (Fiesta) medals

Explore the diversity, history, tradition and more behind the infamous accessories MARIA ZAHARATOS | PULSE REPORTER mzaharat@trinity.edu Cats, condoms, Jesus dressed in Spurs memorabilia — what do all of these have in common, you may ask? Well, they’re just a few of the designs that have been engraved on Fiesta medals for the San Antonio celebration. Heather Haynes Smith, associate professor of education, began collecting Fiesta medals when her son was born. “The Viva bus medal is a favorite because there is a commercial with my son in it about the Viva culture bus. He loves it, and they gave it to him as a special gift,” Haynes Smith said. Fiesta is a 10-day celebration — this year from April 18 to April 28 — where San Antonio residents, Texans and even some out-of-state tourists come to the city to engage in over 100 events and festivities. It is a celebration of San Antonio’s culture and history, namely in memory of the Battle of San Jacinto and the Battle of the Alamo. Funds raised from these events go to the city and to charitable causes. Medals only started to become a popular part of Fiesta after the 1960s and used to just be coins with the Fiesta King’s face on them. Today, there are thousands of medals to chose from as individuals, companies, organizations and even city departments produce their own medals for the celebration; these medals are bought, sold and traded at Alamo Plaza when the events kick off.

“In my Fiesta heyday, 2013 – 2014, I probably had around 100 to 120 medals from all different parts of town,” said alumna Jeanna Goodrich Balreira, director for creative and editorial services with the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing. “I would go nuts with the medal trading.” But not all alumni remember the prevalence of medals in San Antonio during Fiesta. Haynes Smith doesn’t remember hearing about the decorative medals when she was at Trinity. However, when she returned to San Antonio, she saw medal-collecting as a way to feel part of the community. “You go to the stores you like to go to, and they have a medal, so you think, ‘Well, I want to support them, and it’s also for charity,’” Haynes Smith said. Haynes Smith added that the most special medals are often the ones that you can’t find easily. “This is how we celebrate. We share them. We exchange them. It’s fun to get ones that you can’t buy. That’s kind of the thing, to find ones that only you can have because you were given one,” Haynes Smith said. Since 2002, Trinity has also partook in the creation of its own medals and releases one each year designed by university publications designer Vee Dubose. These medals typically feature significant symbols of the university, from Leeroy to Murchison Tower, and this

Fiesta for dummies

First time at Fiesta? Here’s a local’s take KATHLEEN CREEDON | EXEC. PRINT DIRECTOR kcreedon@trinity.edu As a San Antonio native, I’m appalled every year when I hear Trinity students say they don’t know what Fiesta is. I get first-years — though when I was a first-year, I didn’t even fully register that Fiesta was San Antonio-specific. But every year, I hear students in their second, third, fourth and fifth years joke about how they don’t understand what Fiesta is. The Trinity Bubble is a thing, I get it. But how can you live in a city for more than a year and not take part in or even try to understand its biggest annual celebration? Fiesta is problematic in a lot of ways, but it’s a big part of San Antonio culture, and when done right, it’s a lot of fun. So stop blaming the Bubble; get out there. Here are some tips: BE PREPARED Bring sunscreen. Bring a hat. Bring a fan. Bring a water bottle. Most events are

graphic by ALEXANDRA PARRIS

outdoors, and Texan Aprils are secretly brutal (Remember, Fiesta is April 18–28 this year, which means it’s really just May). There are water fountains along the Riverwalk for you to refill, but don’t let yourself be found defenseless under the Texan sun. BE MONEY CONSCIOUS Some Fiesta events are expensive, but the experience doesn’t have to be. Don’t eat all your meals at a parade (but save yourself some room for a funnel cake or a turkey leg). Pregame NIOSA. Look for free events or walk along a parade instead of buying a seat. Walk or take a VIA bus. BE A PART OF THE TRADITIONS Crack some cascarones. Wear bright colors. Collect as many medals as possible. Put yourself in the middle of a big, hot, sweaty crowd of drunk people having the times of their lives. Fiesta only happens once a year (unfortunately), so take advantage while you’re this close to the action.

year’s Fiesta medal represents Trinity’s 150th anniversary. “The only one I’m missing is from 2002, which depicts the seal,” Goodrich Balreira said about her extensive collection of Trinity Fiesta medals, “Dr. Brazil commissioned it for Trinity’s business associates, so there were only 50 ever made.” Student groups such as the Cat Alliance have also been designing and releasing their own feline-inspired medals for over 10 years. Trinity and its professors are involved with many institutions off campus. For example, Trinity’s Department of Education has worked with The Winston School for over 25 years. “[Collecting their medals is] a great way to honor the partnerships we have,” Haynes Smith said. To build a collection, all you have to do is go out, explore and serve the community; you’ll quickly find that many of your favorite businesses offer them. People can also buy their medals from the Fiesta Store, where you can find and purchase Fiestabrand medals and other unique ones. The Fiesta Store can be found on Main St., at their North Star location, at the original location on Broadway or online. The Fiesta Store even advertises a medal of Jesus wearing

a Spurs baseball cap and shirt while sporting some dope shades, combining various aspects of San Antonio’s vibrant culture. In addition to supporting public institutions and local businesses, a big part of Fiesta is charity, notably for HIV/AIDS prevention. Cornyation, a theatrical satire of the Coronation debutante pageant, takes its roots from the city’s LGBTQ+ community; in the spirit of HIV/AIDS prevention, there are even condom-themed medals to illus support the cause. trat ion b

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APRIL 12, 2019 • TRINITONIAN.COM • FIESTA

Cultural appropriation vs. cultural celebration

Celebrating Fiesta without celebrating its problematic past NOELLE BARRERA | PULSE REPORTER nbarrera@trinity.edu

One of San Antonio’s most famous traditions, Fiesta, is coming up soon with its annual festive floats, street vendors and crowded celebrations — and with it can come questions about cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation (I think the phrase cultural exploitation is more specific and apt, sometimes) is when a group of people with power misuses another’s cultural symbols and iconography while the original group is still mistreated and exploited because of it. With an event like Fiesta, I think we need to look beyond surface disagreements about cultural (mis)appropriation and look at the celebration’s history. On one hand, Fiesta is a citywide celebration that everyone is allowed to participate in (entry and event fees notwithstanding), and the money raised from the celebration goes to a diverse array of nonprofits. However, the iconography of Fiesta does have a lot of Mexican-American components — even going to the Fiesta San Antonio official website will bring up pictures of flower crowns, mariachi, Folklorico dancers and cascarones. Personally (although people can disagree), I think that tourists and non-Latinx people can participate in Fiesta celebrations, wear flower crowns, etc. because of the touristy nature of the event as long as they’re not being blatantly disrespectful (this means that taking tacky pictures with your friends in sombreros is off-limits). I think when we look at the history of what Fiesta represents, however, there’s something bigger at work than just cultural appropriation — a term that, while useful, I

think is overused and tends to elide questions of structural racism. Fiesta was created in 1891 by a group of San Antonio women (soldiers’ wives) to honor the soldiers who fought in the battles of the Alamo and San Jacinto. Similar to how Texas education about the Civil War often forgets that the war was fought over slavery, the Battle of the Alamo and the Revolution of Texas were also in part fought over slavery. The white Texas colonists wanted to keep slaves after Mexico had abolished slavery in 1829, and Stephen F. Austin (often called the “Father of Texas”) advocated for slavery as well as outright arguing for the “extermination” of many indigenous tribes such as the Karankawa. When the first Fiesta celebrations appeared, they were a way to glorify this violent settlercolonial history by the white women who benefited from this sanitization of the Alamo. As Laura Elizabeth Ehrisman argues in her book, “Inventing the Fiesta City: Heritage and Performance in San Antonio’s Public Culture,” Fiesta was created as an exercise in cultural appropriation by Anglo and German Texan women, many who were part of the still-extant San Antonio Conservation Society (SACS): “Through the language of cultural conservation, the SACS, unlike previous voluntary associations, articulated a local form of the Spanish heritage fantasy. Restoring the mission buildings, hosting tamale dinners and dressing in elaborate Mexican dresses, these women exemplified the modern search for authenticity through the elevation of ‘the primitive.’” The practice of Fiesta royalty was also intertwined with classism: where elite, wealthy San Antonians — some of whom were white though others were Mexican or Latinx — separated themselves from the working-class, black and brown “subjects.” One of the fascinating paradoxes that Ehrisman goes over in her book is that, through the decades, the Mexican/Latinx community and LGBTQ+ community has gained power in Fiesta, for example

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

with parodic rituals such as El Rey Feo and Cornyation. However, Fiesta still remains a consumerist event in many ways, and its history hasn’t been reckoned with publicly despite protests from Chicanx activists in the 90s and 2000s (and documentaries such as “Puro Party: Celebrating a Genocide,” made in 1992). Overall, I agree with the sentiments expressed in Kayla Padilla’s wonderful article last year about cultural appropriation: “When we stop getting told to go back to Mexico, when a Mexican child or person never has to worry about hate crimes or getting killed, then — and only then — can you can wear our traditional, beautiful and culturally significant Mexican dresses.”

I don’t think that we need to stop celebrating Fiesta necessarily, but I do think that we need to critically analyze what it represents. Particularly in this instance, if you want to participate in — and this message goes to everyone, including me, who benefits from the settler-colonialist history of Fiesta — you should raise awareness for the struggles that Native people and particularly indigenous Mexicans have faced in San Antonio and in Texas for centuries. You can do this by educating yourself about indigenous peoples (San Antonio was originally occupied by the Tonkawa tribe, who were driven to Oklahoma by the U.S. government during the Trail of Tears) and artists, reading books like “Inventing the Fiesta City” that expand more on Fiesta’s nuanced history and by recognizing the historic atrocities that Fiesta was originally meant to celebrate.

Trinity to be in two Fiesta parades University pays for two floats, taking part in SA Fiesta festivities KAYLIE KING | NEWS REPORTER kking1@trinity.edu This year, Trinity will be officially involved in Fiesta as part of both the Texas Cavaliers River Parade and the Battle of Flowers Parade. Both events will take place in Downtown San Antonio and will be televised to members of the San Antonio community. The Texas Cavaliers River Parade will take place on April 22, and the theme of this year’s parade is “It’s Showtime in San Antonio.” “Our float is assigned a theme and the theme for Trinity’s float is Top Gun, like the movie,” said Joy McGaugh, associate director of Alumni Relations. “It will be super fun. We have a couple of staffers and students who will be riding the float along with the Trinity jazz band. We’ve asked them to learn music from the soundtrack.” The Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing has also found a way to tie in Trinity’s 150th anniversary to the float for the river parade. “Our tagline is that Trinity has the ‘need to exceed.’ Top Gun is the ‘need for speed,’ so we’re tying it into being a top-ranked university and tying that into the theme of Top Gun,” McGaugh said. McGaugh explained how they plan to keep to the theme. “We are borrowing some costumes from the Theatre Department. They did a play set during

the Gulf War, so they have some military style costumes that we’re going to use. LeeRoy will have a giant maroon bomber jacket and some big oversized aviator glasses. We’re very excited about it.” McGaugh said. In conjunction with the river parade, Trinity will also be hosting a party for alumni in The Grotto at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. “It’s a $50 ticket, and it includes food, an open bar and the experience and the fun and transportation and a Fiesta medal,” McGaugh said. “We have enough room to accommodate 176 seated tickets, and we have 24 standing-room-only tickets, and those are only available to graduates of the last decade. It’s $25 and includes everything except the physical seat to sit down. We have cocktail tables and all kinds of things, so you still have a place to put your food and all of that. It’s a great way to get our younger alumni involved in that event, too.” The Trinity University Alumni Association pays $1,500 for Trinity’s float entry fee in the river parade. Tickets sold to alumni help cover some of the cost of the party, the rest of which is also paid for by the Alumni Association. Trinity will also have a float in the Battle of Flowers Parade, which will take place on April 26. The float for this parade costs $6,000 and is paid for by the Office of Alumni Relations. “The parade theme is ‘For the Love of Texas,’ and the title of Trinity’s banner and balloon is ‘Celebrating 150 Years with Trinity University,’ ” said Elizabeth Ford, alumni volunteer coordinator for the Office of Alumni Relations. “Trinity has been participating in this parade for many, many years. The balloon has always been mainly carried by our alumni, and we have

36 confirmed alumni. In the past, we’ve also included staff and students, but unfortunately, students have class that day and so it’s a missed opportunity for them to share in the excitement of Fiesta.” Trinity’s float in the Battle of Flowers Parade will also have an emphasis on the 150th anniversary. “We’ll have a special banner that has a rendition of all four campuses that we’ve journeyed through,” Ford said. “We will also highlight the 150th with the balloon itself. I’ve been talking with the parade organizers on either having banners coming from the balloon and/ or music with our entry, and then one of the parade organizers suggested that we have a medal actually on the balloon that shows our 150th logo. The day parade will be televised, so there’s a lot of excitement around that.” Melissa Harken, class of 1993, has been one of the alumni volunteers involved in the Battle of Flowers Parade for over 10 years. As an alumna, S NEVIEVE HUMPHREY

illustration by GE

Harken attended Fiesta and noticed Trinity’s presence in the parade. “Some friends and I went to the Battle of Flowers Parade one year and we were watching it, and I was like, ‘Wow, Trinity actually has people in it, that sounds like fun,’ ” Harken said. “So we looked into that, and Elizabeth [Ford] had a call for volunteers, so ever since then just the same group of friends have been doing it every year.” Harken explained that there are several reasons she enjoys participating in the parade with Trinity. “It’s a good way to have Trinity’s presence in the city, and people are cheering and giving high-fives,” Harken said. “It’s just a fun, festive way to be involved in the parade and the city. When I go to Battle of Flowers, I’d much rather see the parade from in it than along it. You get to see everything and the different floats. It’s a great way to stay connected with your friends and just see a wide variety of alumni.” Alumni interested in attending this year’s river parade party can find out more information on Trinity’s website.

FIESTA • TRINITONIAN.COM

• APRIL 12, 2019

Fiesta: Perspectives from Latinx students and prof

Hear from Latinx community members, from SA and not, about how they feel about Fiesta GABRIELLA GARRIGA | SPECIAL SECTION EDITOR ggarriga@trinity.edu

Fiesta is a unique San Antonio tradition filled with parades, floats and parties. Recently, however, its history and manner of celebration have been called into question. Fiesta began as a tribute to the soldiers at the Alamo during the Battle of San Jacinto in which the Mexican army was defeated by the Texas army during the Texas Revolution. Although many attend the event, some are conflicted about the celebration because of its origins and how it is celebrated today. We asked Latinx people — both those that grew up with Fiesta and those that didn’t know about it until they attended Trinity — how they feel about Fiesta. Kayla Padilla, sophomore and Trinitonian opinion columnist, grew up in the Rio Grande Valley in a Mexican-majority community. Padilla believes that celebrating the history of the Alamo and the victory of Texans in the battle over Mexican-owned territory (today considered Texas) is ironic. “The narrative is inherently racist, and I think it’s kind of hypocritical to celebrate the victory of the Alamo with Mexican culture. It doesn’t make sense to me,” Padilla said. Even as a celebration of San Antonio culture, Padilla believes the celebration is problematic. “Something that people have kind of clarified for me is that it’s more about San Antonio culture than Mexican culture. But it’s still very much exploiting Mexican culture,” Padilla said.

Dania Abreu-Torres, associate professor of modern languages and literature, has lived in San Antonio since 2010 but is originally from Puerto Rico. After living in San Antonio for a few years, Abreu-Torres found that many elements of Fiesta could be considered cultural appropriation. Abreu-Torres pointed out the contrasting characteristics of King Antonio, Rey Feo and the prevalence of Mexican-inspired attire during Fiesta. “Usually what I notice is that King Antonio, which is a very Spanish name, is a very wealthy white man from town. But then King Feo, which is ‘Ugly King’, was a very respected, of course, as well as a Latino man. It always made me think, ‘That is not a nice representation,’ ” Abreu-Torres said. Furthermore, the events that the kings go to differ in status. “King Antonio has all of these amazing events: going around schools, making presentations, promoting Fiesta while King Feo is more regulated to other events, not so public,” Abreu-Torres said. Abreu-Torres also questioned how accessible Fiesta is to everyone in San Antonio, not just for tourists and those in wealthier parts of town. “When you go, some are free and open to the public, but a lot of them require a lot of money. I’m not sure how integrative the events are in Fiesta for all of the community, not only for the surrounding areas where the events are,” Abreu-Torres said. Sophomore Diana Long has grown up and lived in San Antonio for 19 years. Her family is from Coahuila, Mexico. Long intends to do

DANIA ABREU-TORRES has attended Fiesta since she came to Trinity. She believes there are aspects of Fiesta that are problematic and limiting to the SA community. photo by MATTHEW CLAYBROOK

more research on the history of Fiesta but her experience with Fiesta has been as a celebration of the San Antonio culture. “The foundation of Fiesta — the whole history — hasn’t been a positive one with

colonialism, and I know that’s a lot of Latinx perspectives recently. I don’t think that’s how I see it. I see it more as [bringing] the whole city together. I see it as like an appreciation to some extent for the culture,” Long said.

PULSE

TRINITONIAN.COM • APRIL 12, 2019

From Russia to Trinity, with love

Trinity’s only Russian professors, Bruce and Masha Holl, discuss Stalinism, Tolstoy, teaching NOELLE BARRERA | PULSE REPORTER nbarrera@trinity.edu The Holls met at Middlebury College in Vermont in 1987: Bruce Holl was working toward a master’s degree in Russian literature and Masha Gedilaghnine was an exchange student from the University of Paris, taking classes for the summer in literature and linguistics and interning at the Russian language radio station at Middlebury. Now, Bruce and Masha Holl have been married for 31 years and they are Trinity’s only two professors of Russian. Both professors teach not only what they learned in graduate school but also what real life has taught them about Russian culture and history. While Bruce Holl is from Wisconsin, Masha Holl’s parents emigrated from Russia to Western Europe during World War II as political refugees from the Soviet Union. “My mother always told me she was born in 1925; part of her story is that her original records were all destroyed during the Red Terror and the purges following the [Bolshevik] revolution, so she never had a record of her birth or baptism,” Masha Holl said. “When she was a child, her family was dispossessed and put into internment camps by the Soviets, and my grandfather had been executed in 1937. ... They were definitely not friends of the Soviet government.” When World War II came, Masha’s aunt had been slated to go to Germany to work on a farm as slave labor, but because her aunt was more helpful at home and Masha’s mother — Alexandra Ivanovna — knew more German, they switched identities and Alexandra went to work on the farm. “[My mother said] she was fortunate because she was treated more as a foster child or any kind of young laborer rather than according to older Nazi rules [regarding Soviets],” Masha Holl said. After World War II ended, the rule was that anyone who had left the Soviet Union

Professors of Russian MASHA HOLL and BRUCE HOLL met at Middlebury College in Vermont in 1987 and have been married for 31 years. While Masha Holl’s family is from Russia, Bruce did not discover his passion for Russian language and culture until he was an undergraduate. photo by MATTHEW CLAYBROOK

during the war had to return. However, the connections that Alexandra (who was barely 17) had made with other Russian refugees or “displaced persons” who also wanted to leave the Soviet Union allowed her to bypass the rules. “Russian émigrés supported each other and found ways to bypass the screening of displaced persons. If you had already been an émigré before WWII, you were not subject to repatriation, so ‘new’ émigrés (refugees) were coached in how to argue their ‘old émigré’ origin. Very few displaced persons had papers left after the war, so it was mostly a matter of personal narratives,” Holl wrote in a follow-up email. After staying in a camp for displaced persons and traveling across Europe in search of jobs, Alexandra settled in France, where Masha was born.

Masha has always been close to her Russian heritage, although she has never been able to visit. However, the Holls are planning a trip to Russia next year. “Russian is my first language. I did not speak French until I went to school, so until I was six. I continued to speak Russian at home, in my community church and with my friends,” Masha Holl said. Bruce Holl — current chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures — teaches a variety of subjects, but his specialty is Russian literature. “My original specialty is Russian literature, and that was the subject of my dissertation and the articles that I’ve written. I’m also very interested in art and science of language teaching, so I’ve done a lot of research on the best teaching methods,” Bruce Holl said. “My favorite work of Russian literature is ‘Anna

they’re necessary. I don’t think they’re necessarily helping students either because the proposed benefit is that you have somewhat of a middleman between students and the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD),” Lampton said. While having this sort of buffer can be helpful, she also believes that it may not always be fair. “If something were to happen on campus that could tarnish Trinity’s reputation, what is keeping them from sweeping it under the rug with our own police department?” Lampton said. “Regardless of whether this is happening on campus or not, students feel that by reporting to an innerpolice department … it comes off as a little shady for the university.” Lampton noted that there is a growing national distrust of

police and the justice system itself, which does exist for some students at Trinity. She also argued that because of the small scale of the most frequent issues being handled by TUPD (such as alcohol or drug violation and stolen items), she feels there is not much reason to have armed officers. Lampton added that like on some other campuses that simply have security rather than a police force, having batons or Tasers could do the job. “For whatever reason, I do have a distrust of police officers and having them around and [being able to] see their guns, just walking around campus. It does bother me.” In junior Austin Dolan’s opinion, TUPD may not be perfect, but they are ultimately more helpful than hurtful. “I think that police have too large a role in society,” Dolan wrote in an email interview. “That being said, on a private campus you need some sort of group to address miscellaneous issues ... I also think it is important that there be some sort of authority that engages in the protection of women on our campus, especially in response to cases of sexual assault or rape (however, I question if police are the best first responders for cases such as these).” In terms of justice of processing crimes such as sexual assault internally, Kaufman argued that outsourcing to SAPD and the problematic justice system would not be a solution.

Karenina’ by Tolstoy, which I’ve taught dozens of times since I first came to Trinity in 1991.” Bruce Holl discovered his passion for Russian literature and culture as an undergraduate. “I didn’t know any Russian when I got to college,” Holl said. “In fact, I quit college for a while, came back, and I had enjoyed learning Russian literature in English, so I decided to learn Russian.” In recent years, Masha Holl has taught Russian Cinema, where she brings her unique knowledge of Russian culture and history to the subject of film. “I focus both on the cultural background of films and the actual situation in which the films were made, [such as] the constraints put on the directors by the Soviet system that produced the films that we watch,” Masha Holl said. The Holls serve as advisers to the Russian Club, a recent student organization made up of Russian students and students who want to learn more about Russian culture and traditions. “We’ve had Russian Clubs at Trinity before we even got here, and I used to be co-advisers with the senior Russian professor, Sarah Burke. At that time, the club was very active, and we went to movies, took field trips ... But since then we got to a point where there were no students of the language, and certainly no majors,” Bruce Holl said. “Since 2014 and 2016 there’s certainly been more political events surrounding Russia, so there’s been more interest in Russia.” Andja Bjetlich, a sophomore and Russian Club member who is double majoring in Russian and English, has taken multiple classes with the Holls. “They are fantastic people. Both of them are really delightful and hands-on in how they teach their classes, and they’re always willing to answer my weird questions,” Bjetlich said. “I asked Dr. [Bruce] Holl about how to talk about the mafia in Russian, and he actually helped with that, and Masha is always willing to go on interesting tangents about Russian culture and language with me.”

Reflecting TUPD’s presence, purpose

WaPo article that suggests college campuses do not need private police garners mixed reactions MARIA ZAHARATOS | PULSE REPORTER mzaharat@trinity.edu A recent Washington Post article covered the changing legislation in Baltimore that would allow universities such as John Hopkins to shift from their current security force to a private police force — which is the model we have at Trinity. Many families and students in Baltimore opposed the legislation, arguing that it could worsen tensions towards minority groups and is undemocratic. Sarah Kaufman, professor of sociology and anthropology, discussed the issues raised by the article in the context of Trinity. “We’re quite different than a university in the middle of Baltimore. San Antonio’s crime rates are nothing like theirs and the immediate neighborhoods that we border on are are among the wealthiest and among the lowest crime rates in the city,” Kaufman said. Junior Monica Lampton shared her perspective on the question of campus police departments. “I don’t think that there should be a police force on campus, and I don’t think

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

“There is no one who suggests that the criminal justice system is very good at dealing with sexual assault either, so I would challenge the idea that we should become more like that in order to benefit survivors of sexual assault,” Kaufman said. Paul Chapa, chief of police of TUPD, also responded to the Washington Post article and the concerns shared by the outspoken students. He has worked over 28 years in university police both state and private and described his perspective on the national tensions with police. “What I’ve seen in regards to the national climate, not just for university policing but for municipal and county as well, is that different situations have evolved across our nation that highlight the some of the issues that the police have with the community and that the community have with the police that are ignited by a number of different things.” Chapa added that while police are not perfect and have issues like every other industry, they are a committed force in institutions of higher education. “It’s a department division there for the service of the community, for students, faculty and staff.” He also described the difference of the training and types of services police officers can provide as opposed to security guards. continued on PAGE 15

PULSE • APRIL 12, 2019 • TRINITONIAN.COM

Leadership spotlight: Johnneisha White White talks TUWIC, RA life and her fish, Symón NOELLE BARRERA | PULSE REPORTER nbarrera@trinity.edu Sophomore Johnneisha White is president of Trinity University Women in Computing (TUWIC), resident assistant (RA) in C.W. Miller Hall, McNair Scholar and owner of a beta fish named Symón — and she’s also an Emerging Student Leader. The Emerging Student Leader award, given every year at the Student Leadership and Service Awards to recognize students making an impact on campus during their first years at Trinity, reflects White’s passion for the various student organizations and activities she participates in. White was drawn to TUWIC during her first semester at Trinity when she found herself lacking a place where she could feel supported as a woman majoring in computer science. “I was looking for a community that would really be a safe space because a lot of times as a woman in computing it can be very intimidating to walk into a room of males, and I was just having a very hard time with it,” White said. Morgan King, junior and former TUWIC president, feels that White’s presence has strengthened the group’s connections with one another. “Johnneisha is very social, and she’s got all of these ideas of how to get people talking to each other, how to stay in contact with other members of TUWIC, how to recruit people and things like that,” King said. “During her first days as president, she made a big group chat with all of [TUWIC] where we would share memes and talk, and she would send out reminders for events on campus. Generally, I think our club has gotten a little more tight-knit [with White’s leadership].” White is now at the end of her first year as TUWIC president, and one of her biggest

Sophomore JOHNNEISHA WHITE received the Emerging Student Leader award for her many contributions to Trinity’s community, including involvement in TUWIC, Residential Life and the McNair Scholars Program. photo by GENEVIEVE HUMPHREYS

accomplishments to date has been helping to lead the annual Trinity Encouraging Computing for Her (TECH) camp — funded by the National Center for Women and Information Technology — which allows girls from San Antonio middle schools to come to Trinity on Saturdays for three weeks and learn about computing from TUWIC members. “I really love doing this camp because I get to inspire other young girls and create the same safe space that women in computing helped me find,” White said. This will be the fifth year that TUWIC has provided this experience but the first year that White has overseen the program’s organization. “[White] is very organized and a really good teacher to the middle school girls,” said Delaney Johns, sophomore and treasurer of TUWIC. White has also been able to cultivate meaningful relationships with residents

younger than her, as an RA in Miller Hall in the first-year area. Over the year, White has enjoyed seeing her residents gradually adapt to Trinity life. “When they first got here, [my residents] were like, ‘What’s Mabee? What is the Witt Center? What’s Tiger Bucks?’ and now they’re like, ‘Oh, I was just studying in the library for like five hours. I just planned my housing for next year.’ ... It’s really amazing seeing them grow, and I’m excited [that] I’m going to be in the first-year area again next year, so I [can] get to see that growth.” Drake Eggerss, a first-year who lives in Miller Hall where White is an RA, said that White is frequently someone that he and other residents go to for advice. “I think that what makes [White] a good RA is that she really tries to get connected with your personal life — not in an overbearing way, but

she asks how you’re doing and checks up on you,” Eggerss said. “I’m from San Antonio, but a lot of people come from out of state or even outside [of ] the country, and I know homesickness is a big deal, and [White] really helps make you feel welcome on campus.” The hall has an unofficial mascot: Symón the beta fish. Symón is White’s pet, but a number of Miller residents have also bonded with him. “I think my residents have seen the way that I interact with my fish, and now three of them have fishes, and now we make little babysitting arrangements where we feed each other’s fish when someone is busy,” White said. White is still deciding on what her future career in computing will look like, but she hopes that her summer internship in Atlanta as a software engineer with General Electric Power will help her decide. “Computer science is such a broad field. I’m not really sure if I want to do data analytics or cybersecurity and stuff like that, but I’m hoping to narrow it down through internships,” White said. Being a McNair Scholar has also enhanced White’s academic experience, as she currently aspires to get a PhD in computer science. “I feel like it’s another essential community that I needed to have. All my life, I feel like I’ve been really focused on my education, so it’s just nice to have other people that share that same value,” White said. White’s favorite aspect of her time at Trinity so far has been the different communities that she has found in the McNair program, TUWIC and the hall where she serves as an RA. “I can find [communities] that [match] different aspects of my personality, like my love for education, my love for computing and gaming and techie things and my love for socializing and connecting with people,” White said.

A Taste of Diversity The purpose of TUPD

continued from FRONT

continued from PAGE 14

“This event was part of the original structure of TDC, based on international diversity and where people would bring food from their culture specifically to share with other people. Two years ago, we started doing Diversity Week with Taste of Diversity being the highlight event,” Nyarko said. Some of these events during this year’s Diversity Week included more educational aspects such as the learning simulation to talk about learning with disabilities, in which students without learning disabilities got to experience a simulation of how these affect learning, and a diversity in business programming event, which discussed approaches to diversity in the business world. On the day of the Taste of Diversity event, TDC also released the result of their project for this semester, known as the TDC Journal. The idea started as a way to develop TDC’s purpose, which has changed with the creation of the Diversity and Inclusion Office. The main goals of the journal were to serve as creative platform of expression and as a way for TDC and the Diversity and Inclusion Office to have a tangible expression of the needs and concerns of the Trinity community in terms of diversity. The journal, compiled by sophomore and print director Gabriella Garriga, unites written entries from a number of students with diverse creative interests, backgrounds, sexual orientations and more. (Garriga is the special sections editor for the Trinitonian.) Some students provided short blurbs about themselves and their creative talents, while others wrote articles addressing issues of religion, sexual justice and even allyship. Motter was one of the students to write a piece

“When you start dividing those services between security and police, you’re looking at training and education for certified state police officers, who may go through six to 12 months of police academy being exposed to a diverse number of situations, while security may be more of a two-week course that they take,” Chapa said. “The caliber of the individual you’re going to have as a part of that force is night and day.” On the issue of punishment and justice in regard to Trinity students committing crimes, he focused on Trinity and their police departments more restorative approach. “Our philosophy here at Trinity is to not be punitive in our actions but to create teaching moments. For example, if you have a student in possession of a small amount of marijuana — laws in Texas still identify that as being illegal — but we may resort to having that case refer to the internal judicial process,” Chapa said. TUPD is certified by Best Practices, credited by the Texas Police Association of Police Chiefs and the International Association of Campus Law Administrators, which have identified this department as meeting all the qualifications. Kaufman elaborated on how in the restorative justice model, which Trinity implements with its alcohol and other policies, sanctions at the university are generally not meant to be criminally punitive. “Restorative justice treats offenders as part of the community, and that it is their job and the job of the community to acknowledge what has happened and treat it as a harm to the community,” Kaufman said. “It shifts the thinking about criminality from a perspective

Junior GAGE BROWN and first-year VICTORIA BELL pass out materials and mugs to paint at TDC’s Taste of Diversity event on the Esplanade. photo provided by SANDRA NGUYEN

for the journal, entitling his article “Why I like white guys, analyzing white standards of beauty and its effects.” In it, he discusses the effects of racism and discrimination toward Asian men, even within the gay community. “My piece centers on the intersection between my experiences being Asian and my experiences being queer, and how racism has played into my life as a queer person,” Motter said. Not only is the journal a forum and opportunity for students to share their experiences, it also showcases some of Trinity’s artistic projects. “It also kind of serves to highlight certain groups and certain people who are doing things but aren’t being really recognized,” Nyarko said. Copies of the journal can be found and read in the Diversity and Inclusion Office.

that their are criminals that are not ‘us’ to thinking about it as something that is present in every community and that all of us are capable of.” Kaufman believes this model and its focus on reparation and restoration can be very efficient in a small community like Trinity. In terms of TUPD carrying guns, Chapa argued that without them, an officer may not have the ability to address situations involving violent individuals who may have knives or guns, endangering not only to the officer but the community members. Data on active shooters has also noted that shootings happen in fewer than 10 minutes. “So for us to be present and be unable to address the threat we may be experiencing, we may have to wait eight minutes for the first responding officer in the city of San Antonio,” Chapa said. “The clock is ticking. Having the resources available on campus to address that immediate threat is paramount to the security and sanctity that we enjoy here at Trinity.” Chapa commented that TUPD’s inside knowledge of the locations and happenings on campus also makes them more effective and prepared to respond to such incidents. He added that TUPD’s priority is the safety and security of students, from potential but critical situations to the more mundane tasks of responding to fire alarms, student requests, unlocking buildings or reporting stolen items. “In our resident community, where students are living day-in and day-out, eating, sleeping, going to library at all times of the night, we need to make sure that we are creating an environment that is service oriented to all their needs. That’s our focus, and I want to make sure our student body understands that.”

ARTS

TRINITONIAN.COM • APRIL 12, 2019

Dumping Darcy & Haunting Heathcliff Mainstage show “You on the Moors Now” opens, redefines portrayal of literary heroines AIDAN CARR | ARTS INTERN acarr2@trinity.edu The production of “You on the Moors Now” sets to bring the Brotean and Austenian heroines readers love to the stage this weekend. The play follows the protagonists from “Little Women,” “Jane Eyre,” “Wuthering Heights” and “Pride and Prejudice.” In the alternate, absurdist reality of “You on the Moors Now,” the woman reject their marriage proposals, causing an ultimate battle of the sexes. The play opens April 11. “It’s this play that’s examining really serious issues of the agency of woman and the perceived gender roles that are in 19th century novels, but it’s very silly, over the top and kind of ridiculous,” said Nathan Stith, director of the play and professor. Although the characters are from 19th century novels, those who are unfamiliar with the books can still enjoy the play. “Those are classic novels, but if you’ve never read any of those novels, there’s still a lot of fun things happening in this play that you can grasp onto,” Stith said. The play stitches together pieces of the past and present, creating an absurdist reimagining of the stories born in the 19th century. “In this show, it is about the agency of woman and gender dynamics, but it is also silly. So we’ve decided that these women are going to be in period costumes dressed like they were in the 19th century, but they’re also going to wear sneakers,” Stith said. You on the Moors Now pushes the themes of female independence from the novels a step

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Preview friday • 4/12 ¡Viva Art Party! SAMA 6 p.m.

You on the Moors Now Stieren Theatre 7:30 p.m.

saturday • 4/13 Bidi Bidi Birthday The Aztec 7 p.m.

Fiesta @ Hemisfair Starts @ 3 p.m.

sunday • 4/14

Nur Night Laurie Auditorium 7:30 p.m.

Indigo Girls Tobin Center 7 p.m.

tuesday • 4/16

thursday • 4/18

Fiesta Hemisfair 3 - 9 p.m.

The cast of “You on the Moors Now” rehearses on Wednesday. The costumes were finished the day before their Thursday opening. photo by MONA MIRPOUR

forward. The woman reject their proposals and decide to go it on their own. “Although all of these women are wrapped up in marriage plots in their novels, they’re all also defined by a kind of fierce independence. The writers of these novels perhaps couldn’t imagine woman making their way not married, and if there’s a problem, maybe that’s it. That their independence has to ultimately be contextualized within the

context of a marriage,” said Betsy Tontiplaphol, professor in the Department of English. “I think that in a lot of ways it is a criticism of the book, but it’s also wholly its own thing,” said Alex Oliver, who plays Elizabeth Bennet. “We use that as a jumping off point, but at this point, they’re their own characters.” The play has been in the works for more than a year now.

“We made the choice to do this play last March, and I’ve been working on it all summer long just reading it and reading it, working with the costume designer and the set designer, coming up with a concept of what we wanted it to look like,” Stith said. continued on PAGE 17

MSA rebrands Henna Night as Nur Night

Next week the cultural event will bring dance, music, food to Laurie AMELIA MUNDELL | ARTS REPORTER amundell@trinity.edu Food, henna, music, dance and an opportunity to learn are some of the things you’ll find if you come to Nur Night on Tuesday, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. The Muslim Student Association (MSA) will host the event as an opportunity to support and listen to minority students on campus. The event has evolved since Hemani and Virani first came to Trinity when it was called Henna Night and only included henna and food. The name change from Henna Night to Nur Night was especially important to the MSA organizers. “We changed the name from Henna Night to Nur Night because it’s more encompassing of Muslim Culture,” said Sarosha Hemani, senior and choreographer for the event. “Our shirts and our design were made by Dinda Lehrmann. It’s so beautiful. Seeing that transition has been really good.” Henna Night was started as a remedy for the lack of celebration for Muslim culture on campus. “[Past MSA president] Adam Syed realized that there wasn’t really anything for just Muslims. I think he wanted to create sort of a showcase for our culture,” Hemani said. “A lot of it comes from creating our space in the Trinity community.” Nabeeha Virani, senior and an organizer of the event, emphasized the goal for people to learn at the event. “We want to show the diversity of Muslim culture, I guess, in a way that’s kind of accessible and entertaining but also educational and knowledgeable,” Virani said.

Junior NATASHA MUPPALA and senior VICTORIA ABAD dance in last year’s Henna Night. FILE PHOTO

Because the Muslim student population at Trinity is small, some participants in the show are not Muslim themselves. One such individual is Victoria Abad, a senior who is choreographing the belly dance. “When I started at Trinity in 2015, I was just coming back from two and a half years of practicing oriental dances back home [in Ecuador],” Abad said. “I had actually gone up the levels of my belly dance and oriental dance courses really quickly, so when I came here I just wanted to continue. I used to go really early to the dance studio and practice.” Abad appreciates how being involved in belly dancing has given her the opportunity to learn more about Muslim culture. “If anyone knows belly dancing and would like to continue doing what I have been doing, please throw yourself into these things because it’s a good way to actually learn,” Abad said. Beyond celebrating Muslim culture, the show provides an opportunity to address questions about identity. “Everyone comes for free food and free henna, but the message behind it is what does it mean to be Muslim in America, to

be Muslim at Trinity? I think this is a really good showcase that sort of encompasses all of those questions and those answers,” Hemani said. Virani hopes that people will keep an open mind while attending the showcase. “A lot of people go in with preconceived notions that it’s going to be political and all that. Which it kind of is because everything is, but be able to learn something and appreciate the diversity of what you’re about to see,” Virani said. Hemani encourage people to bring their friends that may not usually attend cultural events. “These cultural shows always seem to get the same sort of audience, and if we’re trying to make people aware of Muslim culture, it’s nice to have someone from outside of the scope come in. Bring a friend!” Hemani said. Both Hemani and Virani are grateful to the officers of MSA — Arisha Ali, Juhi Choudhury, Dana Hatab, Bushra Sardar and Noor Rahman — for the organization of the event. Nur Night will take place in Laurie Auditorium on Tuesday, April 16.

ARTS

• APRIL 12, 2019 • TRINITONIAN.COM

Clear notes, full house, can’t lose

Column: Orchestra has improved and evolved in past 4 yrs AMELIA MUNDELL ARTS REPORTER amundell@trinity.edu

On March 30, the Trinity Symphony Orchestra played a concert so full that we had to turn people away at the door due to the building fire code. I’m here to tell you that this matters a lot. When I first came to Trinity three years ago, it wasn’t because of the music program. I was lured to Texas from Washington by scholarship money, a vague positive feeling about the school and pretty much nothing else. After I committed, I started to do some snooping and discovered that it was the orchestra director Joseph Kneer’s first year, too.

For our first concert that year, I didn’t play a single piece that I hadn’t played before, which was something of a letdown. We were never a bad orchestra, but we hadn’t had a director stay for more than a year or two in a while. Kneer changed this. Every concert after this, we ramped up the difficulty. Looking to the success of Gary Seighman with the chamber singers and the guidance of James Worman with the symphonic wind ensemble, Dr. Kneer started pushing us forward for bigger and better things. There was (and still is) plenty of trial and error with things like playing evaluations and sectionals as Kneer tries to find the most effective model for the Trinity student musician, but there has never been hesitation. On March 30, we had a guest soloist: the incredibly talented Jinjoo Cho, playing Dvorak’s Violin Concerto. In the past, we have worked with guest artists in partnership with the choir, but this was the first time that it was just the orchestra. We had to have extra rehearsals all week to make it

happen, and come concert night, we were all exhausted by the end of the first half. It was worth it, though, to see Jinjoo Cho receive an instant standing ovation.

The standard explanation for a full house might have been the renown of the featured soloist, but that wasn’t the only bit. The rest of the night was even more meaningful. Our second piece, Mussourgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, is a massive symphonic piece which features the winds, brass, and percussion

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

especially prominently. Almost every instrument had some sort of exposed solo line where it was up to the single person to carry the tune and energy of the piece. These people were tasked with following a professional soloist, and they were absolutely up to the job. When Kneer had the student soloists stand for individual appreciation at the end, the entire orchestra cheered and applauded for them because we had seen the effort that went into this concert firsthand. We weren’t the only ones to be excited. The standard explanation for a full house might have been the renown of the featured soloist, but that wasn’t the only bit. A large number of those people who were turned away at the door for the first half ended up waiting in the lobby to see if they could grab a seat from any early leavers to catch the second half — the part that was just us students! We also had a special guest for the piece by Mussourgsky. Professor Christine Drennon’s father had his 90th birthday on the exact day of the concert, and by complete coincidence, Pictures at an Exhibition is his favorite orchestral piece of all time. She flew him in for the concert, and before we began, Kneer gave him a special shout-out. At the end of the piece, he was the first one standing for the ovation. We never could have pulled off this concert when I started at Trinity. Our current classes of first-years and sophomores are phenomenally dedicated and talented thanks to the heavy recruiting done by Dr.

Staying tuned in with TigerTV

Behind the camera into the production of the student-run TV network MAI VO | ARTS INTERN mvo@trinity.edu TigerTV, Trinity’s 24/7 campus television station, serves as a realm for students to explore professional media training, express creativity and acquire skills that will make them more marketable in today’s changing media landscape. Senior Danielle Trevino, station manager of TigerTV, leads the team of station executives and oversees broadcasts. “I joined TigerTV in my sophomore year and have been working on the show ever since. But students may get involved even from their first semester at Trinity,” Trevino said. “Unlike other colleges, which only allow students to work on the campus television broadcasts during their senior year as part of capstone projects, Trinity lets you do it when you want to.” Whether it be writing, directing, camera work, technical work or on-camera talent, TigerTV allows students to access a broad range of experiential opportunities. “This is a great intellectual space to prepare people for professional journalism and broadcasting careers, but there are also people from other majors like mathematics, religion, physics. We have a very unique group of people,” Trevino said. TigerTV is completely funded by the Department of Communication without any alumni involvement. In her role as station manager, Trevino has to make sure that the shows do not

go over budget and go through all the paperwork over the summer period to ensure a year of successful broadcasts. “I actually did the budget in the summer for the entire year. The Communication Department has its own money dedicated to TigerTV and assigns it to us at the beginning of the semester,” Trevino said. Several adjustments have been made this year to the shows. Last year, the station had another show called “EndZone” running. Due to the expense that piled up and lack of traffic and availability of students, the show was cut from the official list of programs. Senior Ben Klinkenberg is the executive producer of “The Not So Late Show,” and believes that quality is more important than quantity when doing broadcasts. “I always direct my members so that things are up to standards and level of real television broadcasts,” Klinkenberg said. “We are more concerned about the learning experience of students and what kind of experience they get. But the next step for us would be entering competitions, which we have not done before.” The Communication Department and TigerTV executive team have also revised their goals and plan for the school year while still maintaining the structure of each show. One of the changes included the addition of a new segment on Studio 21. “Studio 21 did not have a music segment before. But now we do, and the segment runs for 10 minutes, which takes the workload off when

Kneer and the effort put in by the older players to make our orchestra one worth joining. We’re a young orchestra, so this means that the best is yet to come. If the four first-year cellists I get to play with every rehearsal are this amazing now, imagine how they’ll sound by the time they’re seniors. As if their internal motivations and goals aren’t enough, I know they’ll be pushed, as I have been, by the classes of new musicians to come. Improvement isn’t without its difficulties, even beyond the struggles of fitting practice room hours around studying. It can certainly be hard to realize that the orchestra you’ve seen from the beginning is growing beyond you. But, on the other hand, I have had the immense privilege of feeling the orchestra grow and being buoyed up by it. I don’t think this concert meant as much to the first-years as it did to me and my fellow juniors and seniors, because they don’t have the context. Someday they will, and I hope it’s just as warm and fuzzy for them to experience the orchestra’s first tour or performance at a major concert hall as it was for me to have a full house and a Stieren guest artist. These moments, like at our last concert, show how incredible it is that we get to do this together. The orchestra is only going to keep on growing, so these meaningful moments aren’t going to stop happening. I hope that our audience at Trinity won’t miss them.

You on the Moors Now continued from PAGE 16

Junior KRISTINA REINIS and sophomore DANIELLA JAHN on “The Not So-Late Show.” photo by GENEVIEVE HUMPHREYS

planning and scripting for the show,” Klinkenberg said. “It truly is a learning curve.” The show features local artists and is also a way for budding Trinity musicians to get their name out. First-year Runyu Li, currently works for “Newswave” as part of the one-credit Comm 1131 Apprenticeship course and has enjoyed the experience handling cameras and field reporting for the show. “TigerTV is one of the reasons that I came to Trinity. Everyone is helpful and willing to help you with your work,” Li said. Although faculty adviser James Bynum is well-known as the “go-to person in times of crisis,” the student staff makes all decisions about programming, scripting, producing, directing, editing and distributing media independently.

However, one problem that TigerTV has been facing is the reliance on the number of volunteers who show up on set. “Sometimes there [are] not enough people on set, and we would have to stretch our resources greatly,” Trevino said. “This is something that we cannot control, and I hope more and more people join TigerTV. It is an active learning environment and will definitely be helpful for everyone in different ways.” Tune in to TigerTV every week on Time Warner channel 98 in the San Antonio area. “Studio 21” is live on Tuesdays at 5 p.m., “Newswave” is live on Fridays at 3 p.m., and “The Not So Late Show” is live on Thursdays at 5 p.m. All broadcasted episodes can also be found on TigerTV’s Vimeo.

The detailed preparation wasn’t just for the director and designers. After auditions were through, Stith enlisted the actors with their own fair share of research in order to fully understand the themes and subject matter of the production. “The first thing that we had to do was when we got cast, Nathan — our director — immediately asked us to read novels,” Oliver said. “There was also a group of us that would re-watch a lot of the movie adaptations, too.” The proposal denial causes a battle between the men and women. “We have a pretty large cast, so there’s some big group scenes between the men and the woman that we all had to choreograph,” Stith said. “It took a long time to really figure out how you have 18 actors on stage fighting each other at the same time.” “The battle scene has truly become one of my favorite things,” Oliver said. “It gets really ridiculous and kind of childish, and then we have a moment where we all come together and realize that what we’re doing is wrong.” The play opened Thursday April 11. It will play in the Steiren Theatre from Friday and Saturday 8 p.m., Sunday 2:30 p.m. and Tuesday through Thursday 7 p.m.

SPORTS

TRINITONIAN.COM • APRIL 12, 2019

Trinity Gaming Club competes at Pop Con Tigers play in their first video game tournament against other teams at Schreiner University BRETON SMITH | SPORTS REPORTER bsmith9@trinity.edu From Friday, April 5, to Sunday, April 7, the Trinity University Gaming Club (TUG) competed in the first ever Southern Collegiate Athletic Association (SCAC) Esports Showdown. This esports tournament is part of a larger event called Pop Con, a pop culture event that is put on every year by Schreiner University in Kerrville. Pop Con originally started in May 2017 as a one-day pop culture convention for the Schreiner University campus community. As of 2019, the event has grown into something much larger and now is a highly anticipated three-day event where people of all ages can come and experience everything pop culture. This includes watching screenings of films, reading and distributing comic books, learning how to swing a lightsaber or even participating in an Avenger’s-themed escape room. One of the new attractions at Pop Con this year was the SCAC Showdown. The SCAC Showdown is a new esports tournament where schools in the SCAC compete against one another in a variety of different games. For this tournament, TUG divided members into separate teams depending on what game they were strongest at. “Our strongest games by far were Smash and League of Legends. For the Smash Bros. tournament of 10 competitors, me and Jonathan ‘False Sense’ Motes ended up playing in the Winners Finals match and then again in the Grand Finals match, so I think we definitely

BASEBALL The No. 4 Tigers lost on Tuesday against Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) 14–3. No runs were scored until the fourth inning, when OLLU profited off of an error from the Tigers. Their overall record is 23–8. WOMEN’S TENNIS The Tigers headed to Abilene on Saturday, April 6, for matches against No. 12 University of Texas-Dallas (UTD) and Hardin-Simmons University (HSU). They won both matches, taking down UTD 7–2 overall and then dispatching HSU 9–0. They improved to 9–5 on the season. MEN’S TENNIS The men’s team headed to Claremont, California on Saturday, April 6, for matches against No. 20 Gustavus Adolphus College (GAC) and then No. 11 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (PPC). They lost against GAC 6–3 but then bounced back to defeat PPC 5–4. They improved to a 12–9 overall record.

proved we were the best college in that area,” said Chad Conway, first-year and co-captain of the Super Smash Bros. While TUG was divided into different teams depending on the individual games that were being played at this esports tournament, every representative from each team contributed to how Trinity was ranked in the tournament as a whole. “This esports competition is unique in the sense that although there are different games and different representatives from each school for each game, you are still competing as a school team, meaning your placements in the Smash section of the competition will net a certain amount of points. The same goes for other games, until a grand point total determines which school wins overall. You will still have your individual winners in each game, but that also goes towards your school’s

ranking as a whole compared to the others we are competing against,” Conway said. At the tournament, Trinity competed against Austin College, Colorado College, Johnson and Wales University, Schreiner University and Southwestern University. Ultimately, Trinity finished fifth in Overwatch, fifth in Fortnight, third in League of Legends and first in Super Smash Bros. As a team overall, Trinity finished in fourth place. “I think our team did pretty well against Southwestern, but we did a lot worse against Austin College due to communication issues. This was the first tournament for us this year. In fact, this is the first time the SCAC has ever done something like this, so it’s a new thing for all the teams,” said Henry Lin, first-year and Super Smash Bros. co-captain. In the past, Trinity has only hosted video game tournaments on campus where members

of TUG competed against one another. This has allowed the members of TUG to vastly improve at the games that are played at the professional level. While Trinity has hosted some esports tournaments here on campus, this was the first time that Trinity has competed against other schools. “The event was a little crazy in terms of last minute decisions on rules and format, but the experience itself of sending our teams to compete against other schools with some stakes was pretty cool,” said William Ballengee, junior and TUG president. While Trinity faced some tough competition at this tournament, members of TUG felt like they were up to the task. “I think that our teams strongest quality is the passion we all share for the game and our drive to get better. When the tournaments first started here on campus, we were all fairly separate and focused mostly on ourselves. Now, a lot of us are friends and we train together in each other’s dorms, helping each other get better,” Conway said. After this tournament, Trinity plans on competing in another Super Smash Bros. tournament that will be hosted by the University of Incarnate Word (UIW) later in April. “I intend to plan a 5v5 Smash Crew Battle against the University of Incarnate Word in the near future, as well as compete again as a team at a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Texas Invitational later in April, which will be put on by UIW and will be for colleges to enter and potentially win big prizes,” Conway said.

Opinion: Pro athletes should spend wealth on productive things

are valued in the world. But being part of the system, they can make up for what I believe is the depressing reality that professional athletes make much more than teachers, doctors, civil servants, librarians, park service people, firefighters, engineers, police officers, people in the armed forces and veterans. Sometimes an athlete will make more money in a single day than a teacher will see in a lifetime. Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic has made $111 million from prize money over his whole career. This isn’t counting sponsorship deals. It’s a reality that isn’t what I would call fair, but the people with bulging pockets who have mastered a certain set of skills can put their money in the hands of people who can work to help change this reality or maybe morph it. To put some things into perspective, the average player in the National Basketball Association makes roughly $6.2 million a year. The average working American makes roughly $62,175; when comparing this to the other countries’ average incomes (according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis), the U.S. is very high on the spectrum. It’s nearly 1.5 times more than England, five times the average house income in China, about 40 times the average in India. It is only rivaled by Germany’s average income and dwarfed by certain sectors of the Middle East and Monaco. Why I put all of those numbers there is to enunciate the point that American workers — in comparison to the vast majority of the world — are well paid, yet the average American or even the above-average American can always use a boost of cash. That is where these handsomely paid athletes come in. They have the ability, with the massive amount of funds they make, to give their well-earned cash towards local businesses, city governments, nonprofit charity organizations, animals shelters, food banks, national parks, homeless shelters, the adoption

system, public education, wild life funds, grass roots organizations, scholarship funds, paying off students loans or paying off someone’s mortgage. The possibilities with the money they have are endless, and in some cases, athletes are doing this with their money. Recently, basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar auctioned off his NBA championship rings and other famous memorabilia, all in the name of charity. He raised nearly $2.8 million for his SkyHook foundation, which helps underprivileged kids get access to the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. When asked why he put his rings up for auction in an interview with Sports Illustrated, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, “Looking back on what I have done with my life, instead of gazing at the sparkle of jewels or gold plating celebrating something I did a long time ago, I’d rather look into the delighted face of a child holding their first caterpillar and think about what I might be doing for their future ... That’s a history that has no price.” He is a shining example of a man who worked hard, won it all, and has since spent his twilight years giving it all to the betterment of others. So what I would propose to the athletes who are making more money in a month than what some people will see in a lifetime is that they give 10% of their salary to charity or start one of your own or pay off someone’s house or start a scholarship or help fund climate change reform. Put money into the hands of those that can change the world or take matters into your own hands and create organizations that will do that. While I love sports and generally like the people who play them, they can do so much more than just hit a green ball or punch someone really hard. They can help change the world and heals the many wounds it has. All it takes is a little money in the right place, a kind heart and they can change someone’s life.

illustration by GENEVIEVE HUMPHREYS

A million ways to spend a million dollars

AUSTIN DAVIDSON SPORTS EDITOR adavids1@trinity.edu

One of my favorite songs growing up was the Barenaked Ladies song, “If I Had a Million Dollars.” In the song, the duo sings about what they would buy for each other and their significant others if they had a million dollars. It’s catchy, light and fun; as a child, I would sing that song everyday as my mom drove me to school. But now, I run that question through my mind daily: what would I do if I had a million dollars? Part of me thinks I would just buy a ton of useless garbage, pay off my loans or finish my parents mortgage. Maybe I’d pay for my sister’s college tuition, pay my own or buy my friends cool shit. Maybe I’d just give it all to charity. The possibilities are endless — but then I remind myself it’s insane to think that in my life I would ever have a spare million dollars to do with as I pleased. Chances are I won’t ever see that kind of money; while that reality doesn’t really bother me, it leads me to something else that does. There are thousands of people in the world that do have that kind of money and much, much more of it. While I could apply this to every category of millionaire/billionaire, I’ll tighten my focus to just people directly involved in sports because I am a sports editor and, yah know, go sports. My goal isn’t to say these people don’t deserve this money; they realistically don’t have control of the current state of society and how much sports

SPORTS • APRIL 12, 2019 • TRINITONIAN.COM

Track and Field set new records at relays

A strong performance from the Tigers prepares them for their SCAC Conference tournament MEGAN FLORES | SPORTS REPORTER mflores8@trinity.edu During the first weekend of April, the Trinity University track and field team competed in the David Noble Relays in San Angelo where the Tigers earned top marks in several events. On the first day of competition, junior Androniki Defteraiou competed in her first heptathlon, in which she tied for first in her heat of the event. “The heptathlon was something I’ve been waiting for since last year. While preparing, I made sure that I was aware of what the schedule would be and that I knew the technique of each event well. Since not all of my coaches would be at the meet, I also worked on knowing exactly what I needed to improve in each event so that I could correct myself,” Defteraiou said. Defteraiou completed the seven events with a score of 3,967. She won the longjump competition with a mark of 5.07 meters and finished fourth in the javelin throw and high-jump events. She also placed second in the 100-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line in a personal-best time of 15.48 seconds, placing her third in Trinity history in the event. “Focusing on each event separately is very important in the heptathlon. Before each event, I tried to concentrate on the things I should and should not do while competing without worrying about the rest of the day. This helped me get ready mentally because physically I’ve already been prepared through practices,” Defteraiou said. Defteraiou recorded a third-place finish in the 200 meters at 26.88 seconds. She finished just 0.03 meters off her personal best in the shot put, reaching a mark of 7.61 meters. In the final event of the competition, she ran the 800 meters

in a personal-record time of 2:42 to secure a first-place finish. “The 800 is the hardest for me, but I had the mindset to finish strong in the last event, which kept me going throughout the race. I was extremely happy to finish first in my group. It was not originally my goal as I hoped to just have a good personal performance with as many points as I could get, but the result made me even happier,” Defteraiou said. In regards to the success she has attained this season, Defteraiou gives credit to many of her supporters. “I’m always thankful for every single one of my coaches and their work and help as I would definitely not be where I am without them. But this week I especially want to give thanks to coach Dimitri, who took the time to travel with me and help me during my first heptathlon. I want to give a shoutout to my mama all the way back in Greece for motivating me even from thousands of miles away and to Tyler for being the most supportive boyfriend I could ever ask for,” Defteraiou said. On the final day of competition, several Tiger sprinters also recorded strong showings. Sophomore Seve Rodriguez ran a personal-best time of 55.89 seconds in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, which was just one second away from qualifying for the finals. “This was my second hurdle race ever, so my only goal was to go out there and do better than I did in the previous week. I knew that I was going to be racing against some strong competition, so I told myself before the race began that if I were to stay in close contact with them for the first 300 meters, I should be able to catch them by the end,” Rodriguez said. Senior Abigail Bannon-Schneebeck set a new personal record in the women’s 400 meters at

Track meets are a massive mixture of events, ranging all the way from javelins to sprints to hurdles. photo by MATTHEW CLAYBROOK

59.58 seconds, earning her a spot on Trinity’s all-time top 10 list in the event. This strong showing came just a week after she broke the all-time record for the 100-meter hurdles. “I don’t typically run the open 400, so I’m not really used to the race, which in some regards probably helps my performance because there is not much pressure on it. I also think that running the 400 hurdles has conditioned me very well for 400’s. For the 400 hurdles, I am trying to qualify for nationals. It’s been a goal since my freshman year,” Bannon-Schneebeck said. Next week, the Tiger team will split to travel to meets at the University of the Incarnate Word and at the University of California at San Diego. Defteraiou, Bannon-Schneebeck and Rodriguez will all be attending the California meet. “In regards to California this weekend, I am excited to see and cheer on our team as we compete against DI schools. I also live in California, so I am excited for my parents and friends to come and see me race,” Rodriguez said.

For Bannon-Schneebeck, who is competing in her final season of collegiate track eligibility, this year’s conference tournament will be her last as a Tiger. “Track is what has grounded me in my academic and personal life for the past four years, and I am incredibly grateful for all of the experiences I have had because of it. It has exposed me to an amazing group of people, many of whom have become my very best friends.” Bannon-Schneebeck said. The Tigers will compete in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships at home, beginning on Friday, April 26. BannonSchneebeck explained that the team has also set a clear goal for the tournament. “Our goal is to win. Our whole team is incredibly focused on winning both the men and women’s sides, and we’re starting to gear up and prepare to do whatever we need to do to get there. I think it will be a very exciting meet,” Bannon-Schneebeck said.

TRINITONIAN.COM • APRIL 12, 2019 •

The Spirit of Founders’ Day On April 20, we commemorate Founders’ Day, a day that honors the pioneering spirit of a group of Cumberland Presbyterian ministers who sought to establish “a University of the highest order.” On April 20, 1869, they selected Tehuacana, Texas, as the site of a school that would train students in body, mind, and spirit: Trinity University. Now, 150 years later, Founders’ Day is persevered. Educators, inventors, engineers, entrepreneurs, artists, activists, architects, developers— founders equipped with a Trinity education have demonstrated an unwavering resilience and drive toward transforming the world around them. Explore more about our founders at gotu.us/FoundersDay.