08.18.2017

Volume 115 Issue 1

August 18,,2017

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SCHOOL SURVIVAL GUIDE

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AUGUST 18, 2017

• NEWS

INDEX

editor-in-chief: Daniel Conrad managing editor: Alexandra Uri director of digital presence: Grace Frye business manager: Shivali Kansagra ad directors: Rebecca Derby news editor: Kathleen Creedon campus pulse editor: Emily Elliott arts & entertainment editor: Nicholas Smetzer sports editor: Julia Weis opinion editor: Julia Poage photo editor: Amani Canada graphic editor: Tyler Herron circulation director: Maddie Kennedy reporters: Kendra Derrig, Meredith Goshell, Elise Hester, Jess Jennings, Kaylie

King, Isaiah Mitchell, Claire Nakayama, Cathy Terrace, Hailey Wilson columnists: Austin Davidson, Soleil Gaffner, Sarah Haley, Mikki Hoffman, Gabriel Levine, Ariana Razavi, Manfred Wendt, Abigail Wharton copy editors: Evan Chambless, Joshua Gain, Cristina Kodadek Illustrators: Yessenia Lopez and Andrea Nebhut photographers: Quinn Bender, Chloe Sonnier, Allison Wolff business staff: Sarah McIntyre and Tam Nguyen advertising staff: Melissa Chura, Jenna Flexner, Yusuf Khan, Benjamin Milliet, Jonah Nance, Regis Noubiab, Isla Stewart adviser: Katharine Martin

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NEWS • AUGUST 18, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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University snuffs out smoking with new ban New policy prohibits use of tobacco products, e-cigarettes, vaporizers on campus KENDRA DERRIG

NEWS REPORTER

As of Aug. 1, Trinity University enacted a new “Tobacco-Free” policy. Use of tobacco products, including cigarettes, chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes, are no longer allowed on any part of campus. The policy applies not only to students, but to faculty and staff, as well as visitors to the campus.

The policy was put into place to discourage students from smoking, to provide a supportive environment for those trying to quit smoking and to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke.

Katherine Hewitt, coordinator of Wellness Services, has worked towards securing this tobacco ban for the past four years.

“It really picked up momentum about two years ago when Wellness Services was a new program for students. We needed more support staff to help with education of students with regards to the policy, and digging a little bit deeper into how to implement the policy,” Hewitt said.

The university realizes that banning tobacco is not enough to rid Trinity from smoking altogether. So, in addition to creating a tobacco-free environment that will discourage smokers, the university will also continue to provide resources for those who want to quit.

“If they are not ready to quit, but need to be more comfortable during the day, we have nicotine replacement therapy available in Health Services. They would have to consult with a doctor or nurse to gain access to that, but it’s accessible,” Hewitt said.

The policy will be enforced primarily by a trained task force, rather than by Trinity University Police Department.

Wellness Services tries to promote a healthier lifestyle that rejects the harmful habit of smoking. photo by KATHLEEN CREEDON

“We are treating it as if people just don’t know about it. We have trained people on a task force that are trained to approach someone who is violating the policy.

Really calm, cool, collected way to talk to someone about the policy. We are still treating this as educational,” Hewitt said.

Although the task force will take an educational approach to offenders, this does not exclude any potential consequences for those who ignore the new policy.

“If someone has been in violation several times, we will maybe make a referral to [the Student Conduct Panel],” Hewitt said.

One major source of confusion for Trinity students is the policy’s stance on e-cigarettes and vaping. The policy bans vaping of all forms, including non-nicotine products. Dominic Walsh, a sophomore at Trinity, argued for the merits of vaping as opposed to tobacco products like cigarettes.

“The gas that comes out of your mouth after you vape has been proven to be not harmful at all secondhand,” Walsh said. “A more appropriate response to the safety issue concerning

tobacco would be to only allow vapes.”

Regardless of the argument that vapes are not a tobacco product, Hewitt defends the inclusion of them in the ban.

“For the policy to have less loopholes, and to be as clear as possible, we included e-cigs and vaping in the policy. Just learning from what other campuses were doing, it seemed to be more of a streamlined and a smoother process if they included more versus less,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt also explained that the research surrounding vapes, especially as a smoking cessation tool, has not provided enough evidence for or against vaping.

“They are just so new, whereas there are 50 years of research about how unhealthy tobacco is, and we just thought it would be safer to go with a more comprehensive policy,” said Hewitt.

Hewitt offers many merits to Trinity transitioning into a tobacco-free campus.

“There are opportunities that present themselves when you have a really strong policy, so for example, you can qualify for grant funding. You can shed light on your programs at conferences,” Hewitt said.

While money is a motivation, Hewitt spoke much more on the effects of a tobacco ban on the health of the Trinity community.

“When people use tobacco products, it negatively affects their health, and in turn they could be missing work because of health problems, or they are not as productive because they take frequent breaks due to their addiction,” Hewitt said.

Secondhand smoke has also been a large issue on campus. Sophomore Lamonte Brooks says he suffered an asthma attack last fall due to secondhand smoke.

“I was walking to the library, while others were smoking in the area next to the library.

The smoke triggered my asthma and my breaths became short. I was unable to breathe as a result, and had an asthma attack, causing me to miss [First-Year Experience] to go take a nebulizer treatment,” said Brooks.

Despite this, Brooks agrees that the new policy may to be too strict.

“Certain aspects of it could be deemed a bit extreme. Smoking is a tricky thing to tackle, as you want to come up with something that benefits all students, including those who do smoke,” Brooks said.

A major obstacle faced by Hewitt was student outreach concerning the policy.

“Over time, to get the word out and to make it not look like we just flipped the switch, we’ve had a decent amount of outreach programs. We participated in the [1 Day Stand Against Tobacco] program. We had ads on campus television, we do a lot of trainings with the [residential advisors].

We really try to communicate with every group we can get in front of,” Hewitt said.

However, there are some students who still feel that they were not given enough of a voice on this massive policy change.

“There was only one town hall meeting,” Walsh said.

“Generally, for a policy that affects this many students, it would be better to have more town hall meetings.

And I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea for them to have another one this year to clarify some of their policies.”

First-years are biggest offenders of Honor Code Honor Council acts to encourage incoming classes to learn policies

KAYLIE KING

NEWS REPORTER

The Academic Honor Code is an important part of the Trinity community. Because of this, the university will now invite families to watch first-year students sign it at the convocation in Laurie Auditorium during New Student Orientation. Administrators decided that the presence of students’

Sophomore Ryan Eskridge searches for her signature from last year’s signing. photo by ALLISON WOLFF

families may influence first-years to be more attentive to the code, as incoming students tend to be its biggest offenders.

“We determined that we could save many families from taking off an extra work day by shifting move-in [day] to Friday and using Saturday for some more orientation sessions,” wrote David Tuttle, dean of students, in an email interview. “This allowed us to look anew at the schedule for students and we saw an opportunity to try to add a new wrinkle to the convocation. It is meant to be the real kickoff of the academic experience and for families, it is intended as a bookend to graduation in four years.”

Most cases that the Academic Honor Council deals with come from first-year students. Jordan Koeller, junior and internal chair of the Honor Council, explained why he thinks this is the case in an email interview.

“It is true that most of our cases come from first-year students,” wrote Koeller.

“It’s not because they’re a bad bunch; [they] just many come from places with different standards and so make mistakes.”

Although many first-years are sent to the council, it’s often on account of professors and the different policies that they enforce. The Honor Council does not seek out violations of the code.

“In the 2015–2016 academic year, 34.3% of the students found responsible for breaking the academic honor code were first-years,” wrote Kristen Rundstein, external chair of the Honor Council, in an email interview. “One thing I would like to make clear is that the vast majority of students are sent to the Honor Council by professors, and that the Honor Council itself isn’t searching for rule-breakers because we are not an investigative body.”

Many students who are found responsible of breaking the academic honor code do not even know that they are in violation of the code, so students should make sure they know what the policies are. Co-chairs Koeller and Rundstein offered advice to incoming first-years who want to avoid getting into trouble with the council.

“Start your assignments early,” Koeller said.

“The vast majority of Honor Council cases come from somebody procrastinating on a paper and trying to cut corners on citations.

If you start early, you can give the assignment the time it demands, and most importantly you can ask your professor to double-check that you have completed the assignment correctly. Your professor’s standards are what decide if there is plagiarism or some other violation of the honor code. So show them your work and make sure it meets their expectations before you turn it in.”

Rundstein has similar advice about avoiding problems with professors when it comes to the honor code.

“I recommend that all first-year students bring their first essay down to the Writing Center before turning it in to see if they have any citation or paraphrasing errors,” Rundstein said. The Writing Center is located in the Tiger Learning Commons on the main floor of Elizabeth Huth Coates Library. “Otherwise, we always recommend that you talk to your professor if you have any hesitations about the honor code, what they are looking for in citations, and what authorized collaboration is to them.”

Honor violations can be avoided with a better understanding of the honor code.

The code itself, and more information about it and the Honor Council, can be found on the university website.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • AUGUST 18, 2017 •

NEWS

Trinity welcomes most competitive class yet Members of the class of 2021 were chosen from one of Trinity’s largest pools of applicants CATHY TERRACE

NEWS REPORTER

As fall semester rolls around, Trinity gets ready to welcome a new class of firstyears — and the class of 2021 already stands out, both in size and academics.

“This was the largest applicant pool in university history, and that is sitting at about 7,663 applications, and we admitted 38 percent,” said Eric Maloof, vice president for enrollment management. “It is the lowest acceptance rate on record, and is the most selective, largest and most competitive. As of today, we have 647 first-years starting, and also 25 transfers.”

This low acceptance rate has made the class of 2021 one of the most academically competitive classes to date, with an average GPA of 3.6 and average ACT score of 29.6, both higher than Trinity’s past classes have been. First-year Dylan Stansbury said he is eager to capitalize on his experience.

“I’m just really excited for the opportunities this school provides us with. … It’s a welcoming new environment, so I know I’ll be making a lot of friends”, Stansbury said in an email. “All the professors are dedicated to their students in a way that can drastically change how we view our studies.”

Academics is not the only thing that attracts new students. Trinity’s diversity is another feature that particularly draws in first-years.

In this incoming class alone, 54 percent of students are female, and 39 percent of the entire class are from underrepresented groups.

Twenty-four countries and 41 states are represented, with an increase in the number of out-of-state first-year students from 24 percent last year to 30.4 percent this year.

“It’s a strong class academically, and an incredibly diverse class … not just racially and ethnically but also geographically and socioeconomically,” Maloof said.

The university encourages incoming students to embrace social aspects of student involvement as well as maintaining academic excellence. As diversity signals a vibrant student life, Trinity eagerly welcomes this incoming class, said David Tuttle, dean of students, in an email interview.

“We are always excited when a new class comes to campus,” Tuttle said. “ They have been admitted because they are qualified and deserve to be at Trinity. We chose them, and they chose us, probably because they saw themselves in the students already here. This is how a student culture sustains itself. The new students likely met other bright, clever, inquisitive, involved and fun students and felt like they belonged here. They do.”

Trinity University Class of 2021

In order to recruit such a strong class, the admissions team has undergone several strategic changes to better promote diversity. One new recruitment tool is a more active social media presence, ranging from advertisements on platforms such as Facebook, to increasing direct mail sent to prospective students.

“I think that there’s a much greater demand for the university right now, and a lot of that has to do with the partnership with the division of enrollment management and the division of marketing,” Maloof said. “We’ve been more aggressive in promoting the Trinity brand digitally, electronically, through mail and through how we travel.”

However, the admissions department does

3.6

average GPA

not foresee an increase in the number of students who will be admitted. Trinity’s website boasts a nine to one student-faculty ratio, something that Maloof argues the university will continue to maintain even as it makes large purchases similar to the City Vista property.

“We are not trying to grow the university; the goal will continue to be 640 students. What we would like to do is have more choice. We would like to have an applicant pool that allows us to make difficult choices,” said Maloof. “Those who are most successful are students who care about their own learning. They care a great deal about others, being community members, and are involved and they’re excited about being here.”

38

percent 29.6

average ACT

of applicants admitted (from 7,663 applicants)

30.4% out of state (up from 24% in 2016)

41 states represented

24 countries represented

24

36

percent

percent

are student athletes

from underrepresented groups graphic by TYLER HERRON

Changes due for the Accommodated Testing Center Alterations allow for better use of resources for students with disabilities CATHY TERRACE

NEWS REPORTER

Trinity University provides many resources for students with disabilities. One of these is the Student Accessibility Services (SAS) office, which aims to improve the effort to support disadvantaged students. One such improvement involves significant changes to the Accommodated Testing Center (ATC).

According to their website and mission statement, SAS wants to make sure that all students, including students with disabilities, have equal access to all courses, programs and other facilities. This is done by offering special services, like counseling, consultation and training.

The purpose of having a resource like SAS is to support disadvantaged students who may not be as strongly supported otherwise. Depending on the disability, the department has the power to assist students in a variety of ways, including altering meal plans and accelerating class registration.

“SAS works to level the playing field,” said Catherine Morell-Nickle, assistant director of SAS. At its core, the ATC helps students alter their testing schedule on a class-by-class basis if they have a disability that impedes their capability to test in a classroom setting. After registering through SAS and talking with

The Halsell Center houses many student resources, such as Wellness and Counseling Services. photo by ALLISON WOLFF

their professor, students may register to have access to fewer distractions, extended time, etc.

More students are taking advantage of this resource now than ever before. MorellNickle remarked that, in the fall semester of 2016, 250 exams were taken in the ATC, but, during the spring semester of 2017, that number more than doubled to 600 exams.

“Before this semester, [SAS] made do with what we had,” Morell-Nickle said.

Now, both the ATC and SAS will have a designated space on the third floor of the Elizabeth Huth Coates Library. Morell-

Nickle added that transition to a much larger area allows SAS to create an intentional space that is more private for students.

Prior to this change, students would have had to change locations with every test they took; everything was done on a case-by-case basis.

Morell-Nickle believes establishing a new location means that testing will now be more predictable.

So far, students have had positive reactions.

“It provides a private, quiet environment that fosters focus and productivity,” wrote Caroline Clarkson, sophomore, in an email interview. “The testing center has allowed me

to do my best because it eliminates the extra distractions and stress. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone with focus issues, test anxiety and extra time accommodations.”

These are some of many changes that have occurred within the ATC. In the past, faculty handled most matters related to testing accommodations. After moving to the Halsell Center, the ATC had the opportunity to establish a better center for accessible learning, which indicates success for these upcoming modifications.

In addition to changes for the ATC, SAS is also aiming to introduce online scheduling. The process has historically included an appointment, documentation and an interview with MorellNickle. Now, the department is hoping to make it more electronic, though Morell-Nickle warns that, as they move, the transition will be slow.

Morell-Nickle reminds students that all are welcome, especially incoming first-years that may not realize the full potential of resources on campus, and she invites any questions students might have.

For students who do not qualify for SAS, Counseling Services may also provide assistance for those experiencing trouble with any academic or social problems at Trinity. Counseling Services is currently located in the Halsell Center, suite 201. Appointments are required for long meetings, however, walk-in sessions lasting approximately 20 minutes may be accepted weekdays from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., depending on the availability of counselors. Before counseling, all students complete paperwork to both assess their needs and ensure their privacy. All six services are free, and range from consultation or assessment to medication management.

NEWS • AUGUST 18, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

The Bridge and Plunge programs spark initiative The annual programs give select Trinity students the advantage of moving in early KENDRA DERRIG

NEWS REPORTER

Each year, Trinity first-years who participate in the Bridge or Plunge programs move in before New Student Orientation (NSO), providing them the opportunity to acclimate to campus and San Antonio before the arrival of the rest of the first-year class. They are able to bond with other students in the program, returning student mentors and faculty before the beginning of the academic year.

The Summer Bridge Program is for firstgeneration, underrepresented students (FGUS) and students who are Pell Granteligible. The students arrive almost two weeks before the start of NSO to get a head start on their First-Year Experience (FYE) course, A Successful Life, which is designed specifically for FGUS students.

The program was started at Trinity by Sheryl Tynes, vice president for student life, and in 2015, Stacy Davidson, director of the Student Success Center, took over the four-year-old program. “[The program helps students with] getting connected with their faculty early and getting that resource and support as they navigate through the school year. That class is the only thing they have to focus on,” Davidson said.

Davidson explained that research by Tynes suggests that Bridge programs for FGUS students provide the help that they need to succeed next to peers from families with college graduates.

“These students do as well as, if not better than, students who aren’t first [generation] in the areas of retention, graduation and GPA,” Davidson said.

In 2016, Davidson added a component to the program that she refers to as “Welcome to the Academy,” which gives the students the skills they need to be successful in their FYE as well as future classes. “‘What does college look like? How can I be a successful student? What’s different about college? What skills will I need to reach my potential?’ We frontload [the program] for them so that they have the skills that they need,” Davidson said.

Another important resource that is provided for the participating students is their peer tutors, who act more as mentors,

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especially during the first two weeks.

“The peer tutors move in early with them as well, and we ask them to sort of serve as like the [residential advisor] until the [residential advisors are] trained,” Davidson said. “There will also be a panel of former FGUS students so they can ask questions and get advice.”

Tori Marshall is a sophomore peer tutor who went through the program last year.

“I decided to participate this year because I felt that I benefited so much from my experience last year that I’d love to help other first-years have such a great experience,” Marshall said. “The benefit of moving in early is it allows students to familiarize themselves with the campus and all its resources before classes start, to make connections with other students and to transition from high-school level classes to college classes.”

Sophomore Cindy Chiev participated in the Summer Bridge Program in 2016.

“I’m from out of state, so I thought this opportunity would be beneficial so I could get used to the campus before everyone else moved in,” Chiev said. “I gained a lot of friends that had the same experience as me.

Even if the course itself wasn’t that great, the friends you make are definitely worth while.”

The Plunge program also allows firstyear students to move in early; however, the program is open to all incoming firstyears for a $100 fee. University chaplain Stephen Nickle started the Plunge program in 2001 as a way to connect incoming students who value faith and service.

The program is not based in Trinity’s academics, but rather its community. Like the Bridge, the Plunge connects first-year students with those who have similar interests and backgrounds — in this case, their relationship with God and passion for service.

Incoming Plunge participants and veteran mentors move in the Sunday before NSO begins and engage in a five-day, off-campus mission event, where they combine service projects with worship, fellowship and exploring San Antonio. While the participants are allowed early access to their dorm room, they stay off campus for the week of Plunge.

“I wanted to understand how faith informed and motivated their yearning to be of service, and to see how serving — volunteering, in particular — nuanced their faith, and how they make meaning of the lives they were living,” Nickle said.

Nickle speaks highly of the veterans that return to the program as a mentor, such as junior Christiana Ellard.

“Ever since I attended the Plunge as a [first-year] I have become very attached to the program because of the amazing

foundational relationships I fostered, which continue to grow and challenge me to this day,” Ellard said. “I continue to lead the Plunge every year because my goal is to have the first-years have as great of an experience as I did. I felt an incredible sense of comfort and made friends quickly because everyone is so welcoming. It was also easier for me to integrate myself into campus life because I had role models to look up to.”

The program benefits not only the incoming first-years, but the veteran students as well.

“As a veteran I have benefitted from the Plunge because it continues to grow me as an individual because I am able to mentor younger students. I end up learning more about myself through the advice I give and the things I am able to teach,” Ellard said.

One first-year participant this year is Sara Kate Phelps, who saw the Plunge as an opportunity to make friends before the first day of NSO while also serving the community.

“I’ve gained a better understanding of service, of my relationship with God and a deeper appreciation for what I have,” Phelps said.

The Plunge program provides an introduction to the Trinity community that allows first-years to feel comfortable before the stress of the semester begins.

“I was expecting to feel the same anxiety and worry about my appearance and actions that I had in middle school and high school, but I haven’t,” Phelps said. “Everyone that I’ve met so far has surpassed all expectations I had of people and I’m so glad I’m surrounded with such a great group of people.”

TOP: Students participating in the Bridge program engage in conversation with one another.

BOTTOM: Plunge participants volunteer together the week before NSO. photos by CHLOE SONNIER

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • AUGUST 18, 2017 •

NEWS

A decade of running together The Dean’s Half Marathon Challenge will have its 10th anniversary this year

run, where we do some hills over by the zoo just to get us used to them,” Tuttle said.

Tuttle sees the challenge as more than just a physical experience. Within running distance from Trinity, participants pass both wealthy neighborhoods and poorer neighborhoods.

This drastic difference sparked the idea to include a food drive with the race. The food drive was started in honor of Kayla Mire, class of 2010, a former Trinity student who supported the homeless and passed away in 2010.

“Within running distance of campus, there’s just this wide disparity of socioeconomic conditions out there… it’s so close that you can run and see a mansion and see a shelter and see the difference. Hopefully that inspires people to participate in the food drive. I ask the runners to each, if they’re able, to donate 13 food items or 13 Tiger Bucks because it’s a 13-mile run,” Tuttle said.

KATHLEEN CREEDON

NEWS EDITOR

David Tuttle, dean of students, initiated a challenge 10 years ago to unite students, faculty, staff and alumni, as well as to promote health, strength and community.

The challenge occurs annually and the number of participants increases each year.

Tuttle began the challenge after another program he had started, Run with the Dean, started to lose participants.

Just like the newer half-marathon program, Run with the Dean also promoted unity amongst all parts of the Trinity community.

“It was just another way to engage with students. I’m always trying to find different ways to connect with different people based on their interests and mine,” Tuttle said.

Around 120 to 150 people sign up to run the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio HalfMarathon with the dean every year, but ultimately, only around 80 people from that original group actually run.

Participants can choose to train with Tuttle or on their own, depending on what best fits their schedule.

“I was hesitant about it, but he convinced me that I was able to do it. He can be pretty compelling” PETER KELLY ZION PROFESSOR OF ENGINEERING

“There are some people who will train regularly with us, and then other people I’ll never see until marathon week. They might train on their own, but they still follow along because I send out weekly notes and things like that, and we have a Facebook page and a schedule that we follow,” Tuttle said.

The training schedule is most intense on weekends and gradually increases in mileage as race day nears. Starting with three to four miles for the first week, the group ultimately reaches 11 miles the week before the race.

“People will always say they want to train during the week, but schedules are

DAVID TUTTLE answers questions about the challenge during an interview with KATHLEEN CREEDON. photo by QUINN BENDER

so different that once we get into the semester, we’ll do one or two runs during the week, and I’ll always mix it up,” Tuttle said. “Usually it’s in the evenings and usually it’s different days, so if someone always has a Tuesday class they don’t always miss the Tuesday run, so we’ll run on a Wednesday, and those are shorter.”

Although the challenge may seem intimidating for those who aren’t experienced runners, Tuttle suggests that the training schedule allows enough time for improvement; all that is needed is the drive to reach the goal.

“If you can run a little, you can run a lot; you just have to do it more. That’s what I try to tell people. You start building up the mileage. The weekend runs are really to get time spent on your feet,” Tuttle said.

“Unless you’re an elite runner, and you’re really practicing and trying to improve pace and things like that you just have to get used to being out there. By doing it in increments, anybody can do it.”

Enrique Garcia, a junior that joined the challenge during his first year at Trinity, initially had hesitations.

“Before college, I always liked running; however, I could never get myself past that four-mile barrier. I wanted to come up with a way to meet other people who experience that same problem and to get past it,” Garcia said.

Garcia isn’t alone with his doubts.

Luckily, the program provides an atmosphere of encouragement and cooperation for those who feel incapable of reaching their individual running goals.

“I’ve tried to recommend it to friends in the past that I think would be great, but they usually put themselves down because they have the same doubts that I had,” Garcia said. “The dean takes in runners from many different spectrums: fast, slow, experienced, inexperienced.

He’s patient with all of us to make sure we’re together. He gets you through it.”

The challenge welcomes all participants, regardless of experience or age. Many people join to cross the challenge off of their bucket list, as well as to gain more experience running. This year, the group welcomes their 500th runner.

“We have had people who have never run more than one or two miles before complete it, and we’ve had people who’ve done it because they want to change their lifestyle and exercise more, maybe lose a little weight, people that just do it for the challenge. I’ve seen all kinds of people do it,” Tuttle said.

Along with reassuring students of their capability to complete the challenge, Tuttle also tries to make the training process more enjoyable by creating themed runs.

“We’ll try to do fun things to make it interesting and to keep people having fun with it. We’ve done things like the iPod shuffle run, where we traded our music with other people. The last long run we do, we do at Woodlawn lake, and we all drive up there, and we do a taco breakfast after that. We have someone who comes in from Fleet Feet who talks to the students about shoes and running gear and things like that. We have our Halloween hill hell

“If you can run a little, you can run a lot; you just have to do it more.”

DAVID TUTTLE DEAN OF STUDENTS

Although a majority of the participants are students, many members of faculty and staff, as well as alumni, join Tuttle’s challenge.

“One day, he asked me if I’d be interested in training for a half-marathon, and I thought he was crazy. It was uplifting to know that I could do it. I had never thought about doing it. I was hesitant about it, but he convinced me that I was able to do it. He can be pretty compelling,” said Peter Kelly-Zion, professor of engineering science and one of the faculty members that has joined Tuttle.

Kelly-Zion has participated in every half-marathon since the conception of the challenge, and although he didn’t start as an experienced runner, the training helped him gain confidence.

“The difficulty changes. It was kind of physical and emotional, mental, but [after] I did it once, the mental training was easier,” Kelly-Zion said.

Students and faculty interested in participating in the Dean’s Half Marathon Challenge can find more information about joining the running group on Trinity’s website, or by emailing David Tuttle at dtuttle@trinity.edu.

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COMMENTARY Have an opinion? Want others to hear it? For a chance to be featured as a guest columnist, please submit your article to trinitonian@trinity.edu by Monday night to be in Thursday’s issue of the paper.

Opinion

From the editor's desk: Care about your campus Community is a two-way street.

You belong to the community and it serves you, but relationships are meant to be reciprocal.

First-years, allow us to welcome you to Trinity University. You’re now a part of the family. No matter where you find your niche in the Skyline Campus, we sincerely hope that you develop a robust sense of community belonging here. We also hope that, in time, you come to appreciate what this community needs from all of us.

If you haven’t already, you’ll soon grow tired of the New Student Orientation routine: the advice, the greetings, the warnings — interspersed with those dreaded icebreakers to boot. We hope you find a way to cut through the noise and find what you need to get in the swing of university living. And we hope that our work in this first issue of the Trinitonian helps you do just that.

As you settle into this latest chapter of your life, you should strive to find yourself and discover where you best fit, where you excel. Over the next several weeks, you are going to be asked to juggle so many responsibilities: classes,

extracurriculars, faith, Netflix, social life, sports, work and more things to worry about. It’s easy to get wrapped up in these hectic, day-to-day concerns, but there’s a bigger picture to keep in mind.

An engaged student body is the surest defense against an enraged student body.

Joining the Trinity community means more than just finding where you belong. It also means that you need to keep a look out for your fellow Tigers, and part of that requires you to plug into campus events. That’s where the Trinitonian comes in.

It shouldn’t surprise you to find that we student journalists are pretty passionate about this school and its well-being. Our most senior

employees have dedicated years to covering the news, facilitating campus conversations, capturing each moment and telling Trinity’s story as best we can. We strive to serve you, our readers, and balance our duty to report the news with our duty as Trinity’s premier public forum. What better way to serve the community than to keep it informed and alight with lively debate?

It’s hard to overstate how important it is to pay attention to what’s going on at Trinity. This campus is a microcosm of society writ large. We are each citizens of Trinity University and we are governed by administrators, student and staff alike, whose decisions affect us all. If you’re not tuned in, you’ll be tuned out.

Ask the campus smokers, who were incensed last year when they discovered that the university was implementing its Tobacco Free Trinity policy, enacted this month, which prohibits use of tobacco and vapes on campus. Unfortunately, Health Services had been working on the initiative since 2013. To raise concerns in November’s town hall discussion was too little, too late.

Or, ask the Greeks, who

discovered in April that the Student Government Association (SGA) senate, at the time composed of 15 student representatives, had voted to deny Greek Council’s $36,000 operating budget. It was an unprecedented move.

The decision was eventually repealed, but not before a group of senators temporarily held hostage the budgets of all University Sponsored Organizations (USOs) — including such innocuous groups as the charitable Trinity University Volunteer Action Committee and Trinity Diversity Connection. In the meantime, two senators resigned and a petition was signed by more than 200 students calling for the dismissal of more. SGA leadership has spent the summer developing a number of amendments to its constitution in an effort to improve transparency and protect USOs’ funding — the real news, of course, is that the constitution was so broken to begin with.

Better yet, consider the Campus Master Plan, which is hailed as a monument to campus architect O’Neil Ford’s memory by campus administrators. An open

letter signed by more than 80 students, including a number of urban studies majors, decries the long-term development plan for running directly counter to Ford’s architectural ideals. We love to see lively debate about decisions that affect the university in the long term. But we have to wonder whether these students were offering their feedback during the focus groups and community forums on the Master Plan held in 2015 and 2016.

These are just a few of last year’s controversies that took students by surprise. We’ll do our best to keep you informed; we only ask that you do your best to stay connected. An engaged student body is the surest defense against an enraged student body.

But there’s plenty of time to get caught up on the issues. Attend to your class schedules and roommate hangups in this comfortable lull before classes, midterms and the other ravages of student life. And try to make some friends in the meantime.

Just don’t forget to make some time for the Trinitonian each week so you don’t get left in the dust.

Casting your political net while at Trinity MANFRED WENDT OPINION COLUMNIST At colleges across America, students are eagerly arriving with heads held high and an unwritten bucket list of things to do while in college. That bucket list might include having a beer at a frat party, taking a class on something you have never heard of or impressing a professor in a career path that you are interested in. For a certain species of college first-year, they decide that being involved in politics is somewhere on their bucket list. One of the ‘true’ remaining liberal arts schools in the country, Trinity puts education over political dogma, which means that students will hear different opinions in the classroom and have the opportunity for open dialogue, which unfortunately is becoming rare on college campuses around the country.

One of the benefits of participating in the political process at Trinity (through tabling, on-campus events or dialogues, just to name a few) is that the small size of the school

allows students to advance very quickly through the ranks of their chosen organizations. Trinity will constantly remind students that, since it is a small school, if students want something done on campus, they are free to go out and do it. It is very likely that during your time at Trinity, students will be asked to start a club by one of their friends.

When I showed up as a firstyear there was not an organized conservative group on campus.

The group was underground and essentially a Facebook group chat that few knew about. I applied myself, and when the leader graduated, I became the leader due in large part to my previous campaign experience and the energy that I had put in. I took my group out of the underground and began the process to become a recognized club. Sure, Student Involvement told me to join the Trinity Progressives at first, but one conversation later it was understood that extremely different political ideologies do not need to be sharing a club. continued on page 10

cartoon by JULIA POAGE

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OPINION

The true Trinity Painless class bucket list, for all scheduling with a of your years here Trinity senior Starting college can be a daunting experience.

With so many opportunities to take advantage of at Trinity and in San Antonio, it can feel like an insurmountable task to fit everything into four years. A bucket list is an easy way to keep track of everything. While this is by no means a complete list of everything that can be done in and around San Antonio during your time at Trinity, hopefully this list will help you experience so many of the wonderful opportunities Trinity has to offer.

• Make at least five jokes about PlayFair • Pretend to know the songs at Cashmere Cat’s Welcome Week concert • Learn how to beat the textbook system • Get on at least six club email lists without actually going to one of their meetings • Convince a professor to have class outside • Realize having class outside isn’t as fun as you thought it would be • Spend a night in the library • Use LeeRoy emails to figure out how late it is • Find the ghosts in the Holt Center • Learn how to identify the Greek organizations by something other than jersey color • Attend a political lecture on campus, whether you agree with them or not • Run out of Bonus Bucks before the end of the semester • Really learn how to procrastinate • Find something you’re passionate enough about to major in • Get up the courage to participate in the Dean’s Half-Marathon Challenge • Experience your first (legal) ThursBays • Walk across the stage at graduation without tripping • Experience graduation night at Pat O’Brien’s

GABRIEL LEVINE OPINION COLUMNIST

Registration for classes as a first-year can be overwhelming. It’s like sitting down at a restaurant, being handed a 100-page menu, and being told you have 10 minutes to choose a dish with an aftertaste that will stick in your mouth for four years.

Trinity has dozens of departments, each of which has dozens of classes, many of which have prerequisites or corequisites and are themselves prerequisites for other classes. This is to say nothing at all about the Pathways curriculum — which, as a senior in the last class to be on the old Common Curriculum, I do not understand. Furthermore, in a testament to the complexity of Pathways, no student currently on it has been able to explain to me. Nonetheless, there is hope amidst the daunting complexity of a liberal arts university course catalogue and, based on my experience from four years of registration, I’ve compiled some tips for making a good schedule.

First, crowdsource course recommendations.

It’s impossible to tell from the course catalogue descriptions alone which classes are worthwhile or useful. One resource is faculty. Ask professors in several different departments which classes they recommend. A broad spread across departments is necessary because individual faculty may know a lot about their own departments but comparatively little about others. Another resource is older students. We’ve actually spent a few years taking classes in different departments and will be happy to help you avoid our own, often haphazard experience and to let you know which courses really opened our minds (my personal recommendation is Art History II: Renaissance to Modern Art, which I took with Michael Schreyach, associate professor of art and art history). If you don’t know any older students, post in the Facebook group Overheard at Trinity or just stop anyone walking on campus that looks like they actually know their way around.

Your resident assistants are also excellent resources.

Even if they don’t know much about classes outside of their major, they’ll have friends who do.

Second, find advanced classes that you’re interested in and use Trinity’s online course catalogue to determine the prerequisites for that

Be Heard.

Join the COMM 1110 Journalism Internship class to gain real world journalism experience with the Mirage and the Trinitonian. Let your voice be heard.

class. Liberal arts courses tend to be less stringent than science courses in this regard, but when in doubt, consult the course catalogue and contact the instructor. Instructors will sometimes be willing to waive certain prerequisites or age recommendations if they can tell that you’re competent and serious about a course.

Third, track how often classes (and their prerequisites) that you’re interested in are offered.

Some classes are offered every semester, some only in the fall or spring semesters and some only once every two years. There’s nothing more disappointing than getting to your senior year and realizing that a class you really wanted to take won’t be offered again until after your graduation.

Fourth, try to project how your degree path, or possible degree paths in case you’re undecided, might conflict with elective courses that you’re interested in. For example, I spent two years looking forward to taking a course in the classical studies department called Theorizing Myth only to find in my junior year that it conflicted with a lab that was necessary for my chemistry major.

Theorizing Myth won’t be offered again until after I’ve graduated. With better planning and checking what times and days of the week that class and lab occurred, I might have been able to adjust my schedule in such a way that I could have taken both classes.

Fifth, strike a balance between over- and underburdening yourself. You’ve come to Trinity to take classes and obtain a truly interdisciplinary education. That’s not possible if you only take 12-hour semesters with only the easiest Pathways courses. From personal experience, as a first-year, I only took 14 hours in the spring, and instead of using all that time to really dive into my courses, I played 200 hours of “Fallout: New Vegas.” and did most of my readings after 1:00 a.m. Of course, don’t overburden yourself either. There’s no point cramming in 18 hours if you’re unable to adequately devote yourself to each course and if those hours come at the expense of the social and communal aspect of your first year. Somehow, though, the athletes manage to find the time for everything, so talk to them.

These tips should make the course scheduling process less overwhelming and, maybe, fun and manageably chaotic.

Gabriel Levine is a senior chemistry major.

Feel free to find him on Facebook or email him at glevine@trinity.edu.

Like what you see?

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Check us out at the Student Involvement Fair, Tuesday Aug. 22, at 6 p.m. on the Coates Esplanade.

OPINION• August 18, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Say What if I want to study everything? what?

A guide to Trinity lingo and sayings

Club Lib: sardonic name for library when you’re in it studying instead of being out with your friends LeeRoy: 1) name of the tiger that serves as Trinity’s mascot 2) campus newsletter emailed at midnight every day Upper and Lower campus: labels for levels of Trinity’s campus, north of Cardiac Hill known as upper campus, south known as lower campus Thursbays: most popular night for Trinity students to go to Bombay Bicycle Club (“Bays”) Cat Alliance: students who are very enthusiastic about stray campus cats Felix: the most popular campus cat Nacho Hour: each Wednesday, beginning at 3:33 p.m., free nachos are available in the lobby of Coates University Center TLEARN: site where professors can upload homework assignments, syllabi and readings; has lists of all courses TigerPAWS: site where class registration takes place, grades are posted, transcripts can be viewed and degree audits can be run @trinity.snaps: social media account run by mysterious admins; sparks unnecessary controversy Tuttlemania: semiannual holiday where Facebook users create thousands of dean of students-themed memes Magic Stones: statues in front of the library said to provide good luck for students that study by them or touch them on the way to an exam Reading Days: days before finals when students catch up on the readings they should have been doing all semester, actually intended to prepare for finals breakfast tacos: one of the main food groups of Trinity students Overheard at Trinity: Facebook group where students can vent about their problems more often than actually posting things they have overheard on campus.

This list is adapted from the “Say What?” column on p. 11 of the August 20, 2015 issue of the Trinitonian.

MICAELA HOFFMAN OPINION COLUMNIST

“What’s your major? What are you majoring in? What are you studying?”

If you haven’t already gotten tired of these questions in their many forms, you will. Who is actually pretending to know the answer? Many of us know what it’s like to scramble for a response to these questions. Do we bluff and recite the well-rehearsed monologue on how exactly our major is going to apply to our future? Or, do we admit that we are lost in the search for our focus? The latter can be especially hard to do when you are talking to someone who has planned their graduate school, career path and retirement party.

Trinity endorses exploration, something I didn’t fully appreciate as a first-year. The freedom to sample a variety of disciplines is a luxury.

During my time here, I have studied the history of cities in an urban studies class, calculated optics equations in a physics class and crafted a ring in a metalworking studio class. This is part of the core curriculum at Trinity — diversity and discovery. It is something we can be proud of, instead of hiding in fear of judgement and comparison.

No cat ever did die from curiosity.

For my readers interested in taking a bajillion classes, as I was, consider auditing a class or taking one pass/fail.

You can select one class a semester that is not related to your major or minor and that will not count towards your common core to take purely for credit — just ask about it at the registrar’s office. Yes, technically it is more credit hours, but it can’t hurt your GPA — and you only need a 70 or higher to get a “P” for passing. I wish I had known this as a first-year, as surely I would have felt a lot less pressure taking a heavier courseload.

It’s also never too early to reach out to our Career Services for some simple personality tests, career interest quizzes and more. I know I was knocking down the door to the office of Katie Ramirez, the assistant director of Career Services, during the first semester of college so she could give me the StrengthsFinder assessment,

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

which they recommend to hold off on until your second semester. But, if you are like me and dying to know more about where you might fit, a little persistence can go a long way.

Finally, as we all would like to graduate in four years, seriously evaluate the added value of attaining a triple major and quadruple minor. Is it worth it if you can’t dabble in exciting classes? Ask around with alumni, advisors and mentors to discover the

importance of your major; many of them will tell you that it is largely irrelevant (apart from certain, highly technical vocations). Instead, consider an interdisciplinary second major.

That’s the fancy name for “create a major,” where Trinity students can cherry pick a course load for approval as a legitimate path of study.

To conclude, a philosophical note: we don’t have to have it all figured out.

With the right outlook, uncertainty

can be exhilarating. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable about the future and plan just as far as you can see. As said by Hector Barbossa, “For certain you have to be lost to find something that cannot be found.” Let’s get lost in the search to find ourselves.

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

Just think... your business could have reached over 3,000 pairs of eyeballs.

Contact trinitonian-adv@trinity.edu to purchase your ad space today.

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OPINION

Casting your political net while at Trinity continued from page 7

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

Participating in college-level politics can be very beneficial to student life, regardless of the side one decides to pick. College is about gaining new experiences and learning.

Participating in college politics allows for many such opportunities. I never thought that I would find myself flying all across the country to participate in different conferences and meeting people who had been on the front pages of news sites nationwide. I was at the Trump Hotel with the Young America’s Foundation the weekend after President Donald Trump’s election and walked through one of the first #notmypresident #resist protests.

I have been able to see history in the making because of what I have done. In my college politics career, I have been blessed. I never thought that I would work for Ben Carson, meet Alex Walker (the son of Scott Walker, the man who turned the entire Wisconsin branch of my family Republican) and grow my network for later in life.

At Trinity there are two political clubs who direct the campus dialogue. Tigers for Liberty is for conservatives and libertarians, while Trinity Progressives is for the progressives and liberals.

In my opinion, the litmus test for which club you should be a part of is whether or not you believe in the free market. Both clubs essentially serve as a catch-all for issues on their sides of the political spectrum. If you believe that the campus needs a club to advocate for a specific position on an issue, feel free to create that organization.

These are much harder to keep going because, due to our small enrollment, there will be very few students who are motivated to be a part of it. However, if you are passionate about a specific issue, then you should try and make that happen on our campus.

The political climate on campus for the

most part is one of tolerance, but some people will be overtly irked by any overtly political presence they do not agree with. However, as the banner-carrying conservative, I have had a mostly pleasant experience. Teachers are almost always respectful and willing to have open dialogues in class. At most college campuses, if you make a good point, the professor may attempt to shut down the conversation entirely. At Trinity, the most a professor will do is attempt to restart the dialogue in a different direction. The administration puts permanent pride in the institution above the temporary feelings of students, as it should. While our campus is “progressive,” the administration understands that, as students coming for a liberal arts education, they should receive one as such.

The beautiful thing about Trinity is that, with its small size, often the needs of every student are met. If a student feels that the political environment needs a unique voice on a certain topic, it is likely that they can find a small group of students who are willing to be a part of it. I would recommend talking to the leaders of Tigers for Liberty or Trinity Progressives before doing so to see if they can accommodate new plans, as there isn’t a large enough pool of politically active students to draw from to sustain single-issue clubs for very long.

That is not to say politics at Trinity are all roses.

One of the drawbacks of small enrollment at a very affluent school is that there simply is a lack of politically-interested students and a lack of incentives for people to be politically active as there simply is not an incentive for them to be, so as long as the country doesn’t go full-blown Venezuela. Not everyone will react positively to your activism. Some people on campus will not share the same views as you and as a result may act negatively towards you as a result. At the end of the day politics at Trinity is what you make it. Trinity is your oyster.

Meet the Press Find out what the editors of the Trinitonian have to say about anything and everything.

live e r uld ar, o c ou irst ye ou y f I y rf you would tly? t n wha iffere d do

“Go to more office hours.”

“Bring less stuff.”

CRISTINA KODADEK COPY EDITOR

KATHLEEN CREEDON EDITOR

“Not date someone because they speak the same obscure language that I do.”

“Get more involved. I took 13 hours, but all I did with my free time was lay in bed all day.”

JULIA WEIS SPORTS EDITOR

Have a burning question for the editors? Tweet it to us @Trinitonian

JULIA POAGE OPINION EDITOR

HAVE A STORY THAT NEEDS TO BE TOLD? Know a professor or student who embodies what it means to be a Tiger?

Email us at trinitonian@trinity.edu to let us know about the people and events that should be covered in an upcoming issue of the Trinitonian.

Pulse

WILLA RUBIN, right, shows some spirit during Bid Day alongside SIDNEY HOPKINS, left; after transferring to Trinity in 2015, Rubin became an active member of Alpha Chi Lambda social sorority in 2016. photo by DANIEL CONRAD

HANNAH COOK celebrates a successful tennis game with LeeRoy and her mom.

ANNIE AGEE brought her athletic skills to Trinity by joining the cross-country team.

photo provided by HANNAH COOK

photo by CLAUDIA GARCIA

Students who transferred from other colleges find their home in San Antonio Three women who left their previous universities for Trinity discuss the benefits of their new school.

CLAIRE NAKAYAMA PULSE REPORTER While the first-years settle in and learn more about Trinity, transfer students are beginning their own first year at Trinity. Students transfer to Trinity every semester, looking for a community that will act as a second home for them. Students transfer for numerous reasons, including academics, school size and social life.

“I transferred from Grinnell College in Iowa. I was looking for a

school with a good science program along with undergraduate research opportunities,” wrote Hannah Cook, a senior biology major, in an email interview.

Hannah also played for Trinity’s tennis team until spring of last year.

Annie Agee, a junior chemistry major, transferred from Virginia Tech after two years due to class size.

“I felt like I wasn’t able to take anything away from lectures and that professors didn’t always care about my progression as an individual in their class. I knew that I wanted to be somewhere smaller, preferably where the temperature doesn’t drop to below zero in the winter,” Agee wrote in an email interview.

Willa Rubin, a senior political science and environmental studies double major, transferred from the University of Washington at Seattle .

“My transfer was initiated by a series of different life events, but once I visited Trinity, I knew a small school closer to home was what I was looking for,” wrote Rubin in an email interview.

Having a small campus community in the big city of San Antonio has seemed to create a perfect balance for students like Cook.

“Both schools I have attended are small liberal arts schools so they are very similar in that regard. Grinnell is in a very small city surrounded by cornfields while Trinity is in a big city with cool places to go like the River Walk and the Pearl. In San Antonio, there is always something to do if you want to go off campus.

The weather in Texas is also a lot warmer than Iowa. Being a native Texan I wasn’t very used to the cold.”

Cook wrote.

For Agee, a small campus size ended up being just what she was looking for, as college turned from stressful to enjoyable for her once she transferred to Trinity.

“I think that there are definitely people who are better suited for larger schools and some people who can learn and thrive better in a smaller, more student-oriented environment. For me, the small classes, faculty accessibility and tight-knit community have completely changed my opinion of college,” Agee wrote.

Rubin also loved the smaller student population Trinity had to offer, but doesn’t regret going to the University of Washington.

“Recognizing most faces I see and having professors remember me was a welcome surprise after my transfer.

UW is a beautiful school with

amazing opportunities, but I love the closeness Trinity offers. Overall, I am glad to have had unique opportunities and experiences at both universities,” Rubin wrote.

Although transferring to an entirely different school sounds like a challenge, students have found the process goes relatively smoothly.

“The transition has been great!

Everyone was very welcoming and, at this point, most people don’t even remember that I had transferred,” Cook wrote.

“I can gladly say I am completely and happily immersed in the Trinity Community! That being said, coming into a school with incredibly tight-knit friendships is difficult. I’m glad to have found my groove with the help of warm friends, supportive professors and wholesome campus involvement,” Rubin wrote.

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PULSE

FYI for your FYE: a breakdown of the First Year Experience course The 6-hour classes feature a writing component and a seminar component to help first-years transition to the standards for college classes MEREDITH GOSHELL PULSE REPORTER

As registration for first-years begins, there is one course that they will all be taking — the First-Year Experience (FYE). These courses cover a wide variety of topics, ranging from fine arts to food to science fiction. The FYE is a requirement for the Pathways curriculum, and all first-years are expected to enroll in a six-credit FYE that includes a seminar and writing workshop that are taught by two different professors.

Though first-years may be nervous about what to expect from the credit-heavy course, some of those who have already taken their FYE know that there is nothing to fear.

Sophomore art history major Natalie Curran will be a peer tutor in the fall for the Creative Genius FYE. “I reallly loved the way that my class brought so many seemingly different historical figures and movements together in order to explore the many forms of the ‘creative genius,’” Curran said.

While all of the FYEs challenge students to think outside of the box, some are rumored to be more difficult than others. Luke Ayers, a junior economics major, fondly remembers his FYE, called HUMA: Great Books of the Ancient World, despite the challenging coursework. Ayers will return to HUMA by serving as a peer tutor for the English department’s Jennifer Bartlett’s HUMA

2017 First-Year Experience Courses HUMA Arts and Ideas Being Young in Asia Climate Changed Creative Genius Food Matters

Great Books of the Ancient World Inventing Mexico Science Fiction Social Justice A Successful Life What We Know Just Ain’t So graphic by TYLER HERRON

writing workshop course.

“Dr. Pache, my seminar professor, quoted Aeschylus, saying ‘learning through suffering’ was an apt description of the course. I wouldn’t go quite so far, but I think that the difficulty of the FYE class is important because it helps prepare first-years for their time at Trinity, not coddle them. My writing took a leap forward in HUMA that I didn’t really think was possible,” Ayers said.

The FYE faculty have been preparing and are excited for students to come and develop the skills they need for successful academic careers at Trinity.

“The class gives students a strong base for them to be successful in any field that they will be pursuing. We want the students to be able to write a paper, which is very important

because we want them to be able to think critically and creatively. I want the students to become entrepreneurs in the way that they see their four years at Trinity, in order to see what skills they can refine to be successful after Trinity, whether they go into graduate school or into their profession,” said Roberto Prestigiacomo, professor of theater, who will also be teaching Creative Genius.

All of the FYE courses demand a significant amount of writing, meant to help introduce students to the standard that will be expected of them throughout their college career.

“I remember thinking I was a pretty good writer coming out of high school, but after HUMA, five-page papers didn’t seem daunting at all, 40 pages of reading a night was a piece of cake, and when I had to start writing longer

and longer papers for all of my other classes, I knew exactly where to start, all thanks to HUMA,” Ayers said.

When they’re not writing, the students will be discussing ideas with one another and exchanging ideas about the materials introduced to them in their course through the readings and seminars.

“The writings and people we discussed were all so multi-faceted, and our professors Dr. David Heller and Dr. Jacob Tingle were excellent in asking probing questions to drive the discussions even more,” Curran said.

Peer tutors such as Ayers and Curran will be in each class to assist the professor and the students in the course. They will also be available outside of class during office hours or by appointments to help the students with their papers and answer any other questions they might have regarding the material and expectations of the course.

“If you’re struggling, I would definitely recommend talking with your professors or peer tutors — we are here to help! The FYE shouldn’t kill you, it should be a helpful stepping stone to practicing and perfecting both your writing skills and study habits,” Curran said.

Peer tutors are also eager to help the firstyears succeed in their FYE, and hope to see them reach out during office hours or scheduled appointments.

“When I was a peer tutor for an economics class, I loved it when people asked for my help.

We all love the texts we’re working with, and we really just want to help you love them too,” Ayers said.

“I would tell future students to just come without worries and enjoy the experience, because we did not have this course three years ago,” Prestigiacomo said. “Just enjoy, have fun, and understand that it is going to be challenging.”

Trinity’s approach to safe partying promotes avoiding pour decisions

“Get enough hydration.”

NG

“Always have a sober person with you.”

GA

In the fall of 2016, Trinity University formed a student-led committee to rewrite the alcohol policy for off-campus events that would prioritize student safety. This policy, the Safer Party Initiative, or SPIN, is a list of recommendations that help foster student safety, well-being and responsibility at offcampus events involving alcohol.

“SPIN was our attempt to pull in students and really see what was working and what wasn’t at off-campus events and parties,” said Jeremy Allen, assistant director of fraternity and sorority life and Student Involvement. “We went in and asked them, ‘if we were building an alcohol policy from the ground up, what isn’t working and what new ideas do you have for a more effective risk management strategy?

And then we built this policy from the student’s feedback.”

This student group was comprised of Greek Council representatives, other members of Greek organizations that weren’t members of Greek Council and student athletes in order to create a policy that was applicable to all students. These students met over the course of the semester and discussed the most prevalent issues associated with drinking on campuses and how to minimize the associated dangers.

PARTY HARDY BUT SAFELY

LL ON

MEREDITH GOSHELL PULSE REPORTER

As identified by students, the four issues that students who reside in off-campus residences should focus on are: overconsumption of alcohol, which results in hospitalization or oversight at the San Antonio Sobering Unit; drinking and driving; unwelcome behavior and disturbances that affect neighbors.

“I know that Trinity just implemented the SPIN policy last semester, so, to be honest, I have not seen a change in the drinking culture thus far,” said Stacey Debner, risk management chair of Alpha Chi Lambda sorority. “However, I really appreciate that the policy is by students, for students and while I don’t know how it’s going to play out, I think that the administration looking to students to create these policies is definitely a step in the right direction.”

The previous policy was believed to be outdated and unrealistic for current students.

It emphasized drink tickets for exclusively students over 21, while the new policy instead chooses to emphasize safety.

Larry Cox, community awareness resource officer of the Trinity University Police Department, provided a few tips on drinking responsibly off-campus.

“Especially if you’re off-campus, always go with a friend. It’s so important to look out for each other and be consciously aware of how much you’re drinking and who you’re drinking with,” Cox said.

Some students have also come up with tips that have worked for them.

“Always make sure you’re getting enough hydration because even though you’re drinking a lot of liquid, you’re extremely dehydrated,” Debner said.

GA

In its second year of existence, the policy seeks improvements and suggestions to continue prioritizing student wellness

“Always go with a friend.”

graphic by TYLER HERRON

ADVERTISEMENT • AUGUST 18, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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PULSE

Trinity isn’t just for humans: Meet your purr-fect feline neighbors

Members of the Cat Alliance prioritize the health and wellness of the various cats that reside on-campus alongside the students CLAIRE NAKAYAMA PULSE REPORTER

The Trinity University Cat Alliance cares for all 22 stray and feral cats on Trinity’s campus by providing them with food and basic veterinary services, such as vaccinations and neutering. The group comprises of volunteers from the Trinity community, including faculty, students and neighbors.

The Cat Alliance follows the Trap-NeuterReturn (TNR) program for cats at Trinity.

While other animal organizations try to find homes for stray cats, the Cat Alliance is different in that they focus on leaving these stray and feral cats in their natural habitats.

“Prior to the Cat Alliance, the only method of keeping the population stable was capturing them and euthanizing them,” said Mindy Morales, computer-aided design technician and founder of the Cat Alliance. “Now, we can neuter them and provide them with a base that stabilizes the population while allowing them to coexist with us on campus.”

The TNR program was based on a study performed at Texas A&M University where they found that neutering is a sustainable way to maintain the feral cat population without resorting to euthanization. The program is founded on the fact that cats are territorial animals and will reject new cats, allowing the population to remain stable and constant.

At Trinity, they have successfully kept the number of cats between 22 and 24 since the inception of the Cat Alliance in 2005.

One of the Trinicats, SABRINA, pauses from while taking a cold drink of water in the middle of a summer day. photo provided by AMANI CANADA

PISTOL takes a cat nap after feasting on one of the hearty meals provided by a member of the Cat Alliance. photo by AMANI CANADA

Many of these animals have been strays their entire lives and would not be suited to living with a human family. The Cat Alliance provides them with a reliable food source and neutering services in order to keep the stray population low.

The only exceptions to this rule are young kittens and extremely tame strays. In these special cases, the Cat Alliance will look for homes for these adoptable animals. One of those homes is with Hannah Larson, a junior accounting major, who volunteers with the Cat Alliance.

“My family adopted an ‘almost’ Trinity cat at the end of my freshman year,” Larson said, “And we love him!”

Some of Larson’s duties with the Cat Alliance include feeding her assigned cats once a week and selling the alliance’s Fiesta medals and t-shirts in Coates University Center.

It’s not just members of the Cat Alliance that interact with these animals, though. The feeding stations serve as bases for the cats and help the Cat Alliance keep track of their activity. These bases are mostly outside of the dormitories so students can see certain cats quite often.

Ben Klinkenberg, a senior theatre major enjoys the cats’ presence for many reasons.

“I love having the cats on campus because I see people who know the cats by name and location and treat them as if they’re their own pets, and I really think it’s special that Trinity offers care for these animals that’s also beneficial for both the cats and the students,” Klinkenberg said.

“I think the cats have had a profound effect on the culture of Trinity’s campus. I’ve had a couple of students email me saying they were really depressed and hated Trinity at first and the only thing that got them through was dealing with the cats,” Morales said.

The Evil has Landed

Disney announces plans to launch its own streaming service

The smooth-talking, hard-rocking outfit Queens of the Stone Age have dropped their new track “The Evil has Landed,” and it’s sounding like their next album will be well worth the four year wait.

The corporate overlords of Disney have chosen to abandon Netflix, and instead wring the streaming audience for more sweet cash. Enjoy your animated classics while you can; they leave Netflix’s library in 2019.

THE PLAYHOUSE

AE &

- discounted tickets, ~$20

JAZZ TX

- free 5:30 shows, Tues.-Sun.

BLUE STAR MARKET - Fri. 6-9pm art markets

MCNAY WORKSHOPS

- register for workshops online

graphic by Tyler Herron

Explore San Antonio’s art beyond the gallery When it comes to culture, Trinity’s midtown location provides access to much more than just museums ABIGAIL WHARTON A&E CONTRIBUTOR

With free general admission to the San Antonio Museum of Art and the McNay Museum, any Trinity student has access to a slice of the local art community.

However, it is extremely easy to get stuck experiencing art in a gallery format: observe the painting on the wall and move on to the next work in the white-walled room. The San Antonio community consistently offers diverse and fresh ways to interact with art and creators. Here are five ways you can break your gallery rut this fall without breaking the bank.

1. Catch a Show at Jazz TX Tucked in the historic Pearl’s Bottling House, Jazz TX offers the full package.

Tuesday through Saturday you can catch one of two jazz shows. Entry is free of charge for the 5:30 performance but a cover is placed on the 8:30 show.

Reserve a table or walk in, order some dinner and take advantage of the dance floor. The club hosts local and traveling musicians of diverse genres and styles, from Dixie and New Orleans themed nights to Salsa and Latin Jazz nights.

2. Walk the First Friday Art Market at Blue Star On the first Friday of each month from 6 to 9 in the evening, galleries and artists spill out into the many corners of the Blue Star Art Market in

Southtown. Browse tables and racks of art, photographs, jewelry and thrifted fashion. Makers display everything from oddities to handmade goods to astrology readings. Small galleries show and sell paintings, drawings and sculptures.

Multiple restaurants and bars are open as well as one of San Antonio’s favorite gelato companies, South Alamode, which promotes a loyalty program where you can earn free coffee and food. This is a great place to meet the hands and brains behind the art while trying local flavors and loading up on gifts for yourself or family.

“It is extremely easy to get stuck experiencing art in a gallery format: observe the painting on the wall and move on to the next work in the whitewalled room.”

3. Sign Up for a Workshop at the McNay Just a short drive up Broadway is the beautiful McNay museum. Though home to extensive traditional galleries, the McNay hosts various speakers and workshops where visitors can get hands on with art and artists. Materials are usually provided and the workshop is included with museum

admission. This October you can register for a spot in a one day Stop-Motion Animation class, just in time for “The Nightmare Before Christmas” season. All technology, sets and models are provided but be sure to reserve a place through the website. Screenings of the day’s productions follow the workshop along with refreshments.

4. Check Out Annual Art Festivals Watch community calendars and local Facebook event invites for art festivals that have become yearly traditions in San Antonio. In October ArtPace hosts the Chalk It Up! festival where Houston Street is covered in chalk murals by children, families and top community artists. Stop by to see work by some of Trinity’s own student groups. In November the city comes together for Luminaria. Artists create stage performances, light installations and pop up galleries for visitors to enjoy while trying food from local chefs and restaurants. Come December you can get all your Christmas shopping done at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s Hecho a Mano festival. Artists display and sell traditional and contemporary handmade goods for three days. These events are all usually free to enter. Get to know the city and all its many creative types in one fantastic event.

5. Spend an Evening at The Playhouse San Antonio San Antonio is home to an active theater community. The Playhouse is located just off San Pedro Avenue.

Visitors can watch local actors take on everything from big productions of the “Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Mamma Mia” to more contemporary and intimate pieces

like “Constellations.”

The new season begins this September and runs through next August. Students get discounted tickets that run around $20 per show.

“The San Antonio community consistently offers diverse and fresh ways to interact with art and creators. ” 6. Sign Up for Email Alerts My San Antonio is a digital supplement of San Antonio ExpressNews that focuses primarily on community happenings, entertainment, and pop culture.

They can be followed on nearly every social media platform but their email newsletter has the benefit of topic personalization. Subscribe for regular information and updates on things in San Antonio you care about. Selections include arts and entertainment news, weekend guides for exploring the city, the best food and restaurants to try out and even news on Fiesta.

Do210 is a website with a similar purpose, and it provides an upto-date list on events occuring throughout San Antonio.

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17

Live in luxury with these key room furnishings ARIANA RAZAVI A&E CONTRIBUTOR

Moving into a dorm can be an intimidating process. Ir’s hard to make a small, shared space feel like your home away from home. Here are five items to help any student feel like the king or queen of his or her dorm.

Five residence hall room essentials for every basic bitch:

1. Tapestry Tapestries are IN and posters are OUT. They are the perfect wall décor, and can complement fake curtains you can use to hide the jaded blinds or walls. Find tapestries in stores or online at places like Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie.

2. Stringed lights Stringed lights are useful and are my favorite room décor because I can turn them on to relax before I go to bed or to get in the mood (if you know what I’m saying). Not only are they aesthetically

pleasing, but they also come in several varieties. If you do not want to be a conformist by getting the basic Christmas string lights, Amazon sells a window curtain string light, which can also be used as a tapestry if you get creative.

3. A fluffy pillow Fluffy pillows are not only comfortable, but they can also add texture to your bed set or can be a cute statement pillow for your desk chair. Also, if you close your eyes and stroke it, you can pretend it’s a dog. These pillows, along with a variety of others, can be found at super stores like Target.

4. Succulents Since you can’t have a pet animal on campus, why not buy a pet plant? Just like any other pet, they need attention, care, love and water. However, the biggest advantage is that they do not bark or pee on the floor! San Antonio is filled with plant nurseries, such as Evergreen Garden Center, which have an amazing selection of succulents and other house plants 5. Netflix Why binge drink when you can binge on Netflix? It’s a good and somewhat healthier way to relax after a long day of classes. Also, it can help you chill.

Five residence hall room essentials for every basic bro: 1. FIFA (Most recent edition)

Playing video games is a great way to relieve stress and to distract your mind. I still do not understand the hype around FIFA because I am personally more of a “Call of Duty”/“Halo” person. But, like most video games, FIFA can be as addicting as drugs, which you shouldn’t do. So game responsibly.

2. A YETI cooler YETI products are a bit pricey, but quality can be more important than quantity! YETI creates products like coolers and stainless drinkware that are durable and maintain your beverage’s

temperature for hours. So either save up or start a GoFundMe because it would be hard to crack a cold one without it!

3. Condoms The POD sells them, which is convenient — so there are no excuses for not having any! So wrap it before you tap it, because you do not want to end up on MTV’s “Teen Mom” as the baby daddy! Also, I have three letters for you: S-T-D. 4. Fidget Spinner It’s the perfect way to keep yourself focused and calm while you are pulling an all nighter at Elizabeth Huth Coates Library. You can learn how to do cool tricks with it, too! And who knows maybe if you try really hard those tricks can help you swoon a girl or boy or whatever you are into. It’s 2017.

5. Protein (Brotein) When you are in a hurry and have to skip a meal, a protein bar or smoothie will come in handy. In addition, it will help you maintain those muscles — or gains, as fraternity boys like to say.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • AUGUST 18, 2017 •

ADVERTISEMENTS

TIGER BYTES Exploration Encouraged!

Information Technology Services (ITS) supports student creative and academic endeavors more than ever in 2017. Academic Technology, a division within ITS, maintains a popular technology lab on the first floor of the Coates Library. We encourage all students to visit the Academic Technology Commons and take advantage of the computer lab’s creative software, private study rooms, emerging tech (including 3D printers and scanners), and, yes, vending machines.

Lynda.com, owned by LinkedIn, offers a huge library of online courses to help anyone “learn business, technology and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals.” Trinity students can register for a free Lynda account by visiting lynda.trinity.edu.

TigerTech Highlights

1

ITS Service Catalog We created an easily searchable website for details on all of the technology available at Trinity. https://technology.trinity.edu

2

TU Life Download Trinity’s free TU Life app from the iOS or Android app stores and log in with your TU Network credentials to discover what it can do!

3

More TV Options Trinity students can sign up for Philo IPTV at trinity.philo.com to gain free access to HBO Go and to watch and record TV using mobile devices.

4

Campus Wifi Upgrades Over the summer we upgraded the wifi network, so wifi coverage and speeds will be impressive this fall!

Students Helping Students ITS offers a walk-in tech service center that is conventiently located in Witt-Winn 042. The Student Computer Service Center (SCSC) is staffed by student workers who are happy to help you configure your computer, troubleshoot issues, install software [see http://bit.ly/2uItJWC for free and discounted software], remove viruses, and more between 2-7pm when classes are in session.

Did you know that Academic Technology also offers equipment loans for students and student organizations? Bring your TigerCard to check out a Chromebook, Surface Pro, iPad, audio recorders, Student wifi sessions will run from AuDSLR cameras, GoPro video cameras, gust 17 - 20 from 12-5pm in the SCSC. and so much more!

Regular hours resume on August 21.



TrinityITS



TrinityU_ITS



academic_technology

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • AUGUST 18, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

19

Laugh it up, chucklenuts: Finding humor in the halls NICK SMETZER A&E EDITOR

The first leg of the college journey can be harrowing, even for those who couldn’t wait to get away from their old homes before. Some students plan to come to Trinity with their friends, carefully ensuring that they’ll have a support network set up for themselves upon arrival.

Others throw such preparations to the wind, and find themselves alone at school with the task of reinventing themselves and making brand-new friends. Regardless of what kind you are, it’s almost certain that the beginning of this time will be dead serious — even parties and events, things meant to help people relax and enjoy themselves, can become painful exercises in winning over complete strangers. In these moments, it’s crucial to find time to laugh, lest you lose yourself and your personality to your class schedule.

One of my earliest memories at Trinity was attending an open mic night in the Skyline cafe that was hosted by the Trinity Review. It was a cozy space, filled with students of all years — in fact, it was probably the first event I went to that wasn’t focused on acclimation and icebreakers for first-years. What was even more bizarre than being surrounded by so many upperclassmen was that, for some Godforsaken reason, I had decided to sign up to perform. I didn’t have any material prepared, just the misguided notion that I would think of something clever in time.

I didn’t. I was flying blind. They called me up to the mic, after announcing that my bit would be the last of the night — no pressure.

I stood up, mind clear of anything even remotely funny, and with a waver in my voice, I did the one thing I did best: complain about my hometown and high-school football.

I got a few solid laughs, I’d say. I obviously wasn’t the most hilarious person to ever grace Trinity’s halls

— hell, I wasn’t even the funniest person of the night — but seeing people smile and laugh at my dumb jokes made me feel for a moment like I was the funniest man alive.

And, maybe more interestingly, it taught me something about Trinity that I wasn’t expecting.

Believe it or not, Trinity is a pretty funny place, and not just because of our obsession with a herd of feral cats roaming around campus or our ability to internally justify being late to any class for any reason. Campus is full of passionately funny people, and with a little digging, it’s possible to find several opportunities — and even a group or two — in which to be funny, learn to be funny or even just enjoy the comic stylings of your fellow students.

For the aspiring stand-up comedians, San Antonio is dotted with places where you can hone your humor against a crowd. Close to campus, both Olmos Pharmacy and The Cove host regular open mic nights, which are perfect for those looking to crack some jokes outside of the Trinity bubble. For those looking for a more critical crowd, the nearby Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club hosts open mic nights weekly.

The crowd may be tougher to please, but know that you’ll have earned every laugh you get.

Of course, no comic is an island.

For those who are looking for a communal comedy setting, I humbly recommend Trinity’s improv scene.

There have been several troupes that have hosted events in my brief year at Trinity: the First Time Offenders come to mind, as does the group Fiscally Responsible. Regardless of their names, the campus improv groups are consistently some of the most entertaining and welcoming people on campus.

It’s easy to get caught up in the seriousness of college life and the general transition into adulthood.

On the decent chance that you find yourself ragged from the daily grind, remember that you’re not alone, and it’s never hard to find someone who will crack jokes about life’s hurdles with you.

Laugh, and Trinity’s students will laugh with you. Stay funny, everybody.

Telling your jokes in front of a crowd is thrilling, and hearing a roar of laughter is one of the most satisfying experiences life holds.

photo by QUINN BENDER

Hey, Mail Services Center.

Thanks so much for putting up with all of our campus mail the past couple of weeks.

And thanks for sending out all of the newspapers, week-in and week-out.

You’re the best! Love, the paper.

OFFER VALID UNTIL APRIL 30, 2018

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Online streaming, campus events beat boredom Chandler as Coach Taylor, this show is easy to be sucked into and hard not to adore.

AUSTIN DAVIDSON A&E CONTRIBUTOR

5: “House of Cards”: Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright’s chemistry and raw acting ability make this show a must for bingeing this fall.

As Trinity’s newest batch of students begin their first year, they will be bombarded with countless new opportunities and experiences that will fill them with happiness and joy.

They will also be faced with the unfortunate reality that they, at one time or another, will have a couple hours of unfilled leisure time on their hands, or a day where everyone is busy and they have nothing to do or they just have no drive whatsoever to remove their body from their bed. In these instances, they can then take advantage of the countless entertainment options that the 21st century and Trinity offer them.

Trinity has blessed its students with free HBO, which is quite possibly the greatest source of excellent TV and movies ever made. This is made possible by the subscription that all students have to Philo.

HBO is like Netflix Mach 11 but with more blood, F-bombs and dragons. The sign-up process is very simple and takes less than two minutes, from which students can choose from “Game of Thrones,”“True Detective,” “The Newsroom,” “John Oliver,” “Westworld” and “The Wire.” Each of these shows are timeless, fascinating and well worth the many hours of content they have to offer. HBO also has tons of movies that cycle each month. While some are garbage and not even worth watching, others are Oscar winners and eternal classics. Here is a top-five list of some of the best movies HBO has to offer right now:

Additionally, Benjamin Stevens, visiting assistant professor of classical studies, hosts a movie night for his course, Afterlives of Antiquity, on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Richardson Communications Center room 311.

He provides expert insight into amazing movies and sometimes brings free snacks. It’s a great way to meet fellow movie buffs and get that group movie experience without having to spend eight thousand dollars on movie tickets.

Trinity provides plenty of opportunities to stream excellent shows and movies photo by Quinn Bender

1: “The Dark Knight”: The second installment in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” trilogy. Lead by Heath Ledger’s stunning performance and featuring a haunting soundtrack, it’s a movie well worth its two hour plus run time.

2: “The Big Lebowski”: A Coen brothers masterpiece about The Dude and his adventures. Creative, quirky and funny, it’s a great comedy and a well-made film.

3: “The English Patient”: A large and sweeping epic, its cinematography and stellar performances place the film in the highest levels of regard.

4: “9”: A CGI adventure about life, death and survival. An oldie, but a goldie nonetheless.

5: “The Brothers Bloom”: A lesser-known film, but one with a fantastic cast and a gripping ending. A suspenseful drama that grips the viewer from beginning to end.

“HBO is like

If HBO isn’t floating the boat, then Netflix, if you have it, also holds a treasure trove of shows and movies. Here is a top five of some great shows to either rewatch or discover: 1: “Parks and Recreation”: A funny and light comedy drama with Amy Poehler as the forever peppy and lovable Leslie Knope, director of parks and recreation of Pawnee, Indiana. She and her team of miscellaneous misfits can eat up hours and hours of time.

2: “Friends”: A classic, 10-season-long comedy about six friends who live in New York City and the fun and crazy lives they live.

3: “Stranger Things”: If you haven’t seen this, don’t go to class until you have. It’s worth it.

4: “Friday Night Lights”: With the permanently handsome and manly Kyle

Netflix Mach 11 but with more blood, F-bombs and dragons ” There are also concerts by multiple musical groups across campus, art shows spaced throughout the year and guest speakers every two weeks or so. The university really does provide many options for everyone to take a break from the constant deluge of homework and, for a couple hours, enjoy art, music or film.

College can be stressful and exhausting and everyone needs some time to relax.

With HBO, Netflix and Benjamin Stevens’ Thursday movie nights, quality entertainment is right at everyone’s fingertips.

Meet the Press

Find out what the editors of the Trinitonian have to say about pop culture trends and current affairs.

our y s wa the t a Wh ng of ? so er m sum

Jeff Rosenstock’s entire “WORRY.” album — I got mad about class, and I got into ska punk.

DANIEL CONRAD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“Gummy” by BROCKHAMPTON — Because “cash don’t last, my will friends ride with me.”

“Africa” by Toto — It’s timeless. This will never not be THE song of the summer.

TYLER HERRON GRAPHICS EDITOR

GRACE FRYE DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL PRESENCE

William Hung’s rendition of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” — I use that song to kick people out at closing.

“Tech Noir,” by GUNSHIP — Driving to this song is about the coolest thing I’ve ever done.

ALEXANDRA URI MANAGING EDITOR

NICK SMETZER A&E EDITOR

Have a burning question for the editors? Tweet it to us @Trinitonian

Hey Tigers!

This is where we’ll feature athlete spotlights.

Email sports editor Julia Weis at jweis@trinity.edu if you know any athletes who should be featured here!

Sports

Tiger football practices for their upcoming game next week, Aug. 25 at 6 pm. The team has been back on campus and training hard since Aug. 10, often for several hours each day. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

Friday Night Lights: The final dress rehearsal Tiger football looks forward to fresh season, starting with scrimmage against Texas Lutheran University JESS JENNINGS

SPORTS REPORTER The Trinity Tigers football team is kicking off the semester with a Friday Night Lights scrimmage against their old rivals, the Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs on Aug. 25 at 6 p.m.

The team expects an intense game and is excited to see what the outcome poses for the coming season.

The Bulldogs, headed by coach Carl Gustafson, have been mutual rivals of the Tigers during their time in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). As such, both teams are expected to bring in lively crowds and players are excited for the match-up.

“Beating TLU would be a hell of a win,” said Starjjil Shelvin, junior defensive lineman.

“They’ve shown a lot of hard work, offensively and defensively, getting into the playbooks” JAYDEN HOLDEN SENIOR WIDE RECEIVER

The Tigers will be facing all new competitors this fall. Shelvin hopes that a win on Friday will prepare the team for a strong entrance into regular season.

“Winning would propel us in a good spot,” Shelvin said.

Football head coach Jerheme Urban spoke on the hard work that the team has been putting in over the past couple weeks.

“This is the final dress rehearsal,” Urban said.

Urban and senior wide receiver Jayden Holden mentioned the time put in by the incoming first-years.

“They’ve shown a lot of hard work, offensively and defensively, getting into the playbooks. Defensively, a couple freshman have started to stand out … the wide receivers are running good routes and catching all the balls they can,” Holden said.

Beyond the incoming players’ abilities and group motivation, Urban has expressed his appreciation for their dedication and team spirit. A quick look around the campus can confirm the fellowship and sense of community between these players.

“They are committed to doing things right … committed to one another,” Urban said.

The scrimmage will give the first-years their first chance to hit the field as a team in front of a live crowd, and their only chance to face off against the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs.

Coaches, upperclassmen and first-years alike have expressed the feeling of family and brotherhood among the players and how their time at camp has yielded that camaraderie.

“Even before I got here everyone was so accepting. I wanted to be a part of the family,” said Joshua Izi, first-year running back.

For the past couple of weeks, the players have been on campus putting in several hours every day practicing and bonding as a team. When they’re not on the field, you can catch some of that hard work in motion during players’ solo performances at Mabee Dining Hall, where first-years stand on chairs and deliver fan favorites like “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes and “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.

The team is confident in the progress they’ve made over these last few days of summer. They’ve been on the field practicing for two hours every day since arriving on campus on Aug. 10.

“We’re excited about showing everybody what we can do.

We’ve been putting a lot of work in this camp,” Izi said.

The Tigers won’t see another home game until Sept. 23, when they face the Chapman University Panthers.

Urban recommends first-year students attend the scrimmage to get a feel for the stadium and show off their #TigerPride by supporting their classmates.

“Even before I got here, everyone was so accepting. I wanted to be a part of the family” JOSHUA IZI FIRST-YEAR RUNNING BACK

“Come on out and have a good time. We might be doing something after the game as well,” Urban said.

WAKE UP & SMELL THE COPY. Visit us in the Coates University Center lobby every Friday morning for fresh coffee and warm newspapers.

Offer story tips!

Offer feedback!

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Getting active outside of varsity sports If you don’t think you’re Division III level, look for these other opportunities JULIA WEIS

SPORTS EDITOR It may seem hard to get involved at Trinity if you’re not in a sport. The good news is that there’s plenty of ways to start or maintain an active lifestyle in college without being in a varsity sport. The other good news is that now is the perfect time to sign up.

Club Sports Say you played a sport competitively in high school, but maybe now that you’re in college, you have other interests or just don’t want to play at the Division III level. Consider joining a club sport. These organizations are just one level below varsity sports, meaning the clubs compete against other teams. There are club teams that are the same sports as varsity, such as volleyball, tennis and soccer, but also others that are non-traditional, like trap and skeet, ultimate frisbee, lacrosse and fencing. Plans are in the works for adding even more this year, like a club swimming team.

Intramurals Intramural sports are the next level down from club sports, and they are even less competitive. Anyone can participate and have fun in intramural games, and no athletic skills in particular are required.

The intramural sports that begin in September are volleyball and flag football, while softball, soccer and dodgeball will start in November. All intramural sports have men’s teams, women’s teams and corecreational teams, with the exception of softball, which is only co-recreational.

Registration has already begun and will continue until the end of August, so sign up while you can.

Outdoor Recreation The Outdoor Recreation team, also known as O-Rec, is a group that plans outdoor trips into Texas wilderness.

Their trips include activities like hiking, backpacking, swimming, canoing and more. O-Rec hopes students will join them on trips to relieve stress, have a small getaway from the otherwise hectic campus life and experience the outdoors.

Their trips are aimed at all levels, so no previous outdoor experience is necessary.

Past trips have been to locations like Enchanted Rock, the Guadalupe River and Big Bend National Park, as well as many more.

If you would rather do your own outdoor excursion, rent outdoor equipment from O-Rec for very low prices.

Whether you want an escape into nature or just a cool Instagram picture, check out O-Rec at the Student Involvement Fair on Tuesday Aug. 23 at 6 p.m., or reach out via an email sent to orec@trinity.edu.

Getting Active in San Antonio If you’re looking for a way to stay active outside of campus and within the heart of San Antonio itself, you should consider checking out one of these options.

The District offers rockclimbing and bouldering, 24 hours a day. Check them out with a day pass for only $12.

If you want to go for a walk or run, the San Antonio River Walk has miles and miles of walkways that are perfect for running. There are also trails that connect the San Antonio Missions that Trinity students have been known to explore via bike or foot.

Even closer to home is the Japanese Tea Garden, which is the perfect place to take a tranquil break from the noise.

If you look around, there are plenty of ways to go out and stay active this year. We hope you take advantage of these opportunities, Tigers!

v

SPORTS

Sidewalk Symposium What is some advice you would give to a first-year athlete?

“I would say that the number one thing is to be organized; don’t procrastinate. It doesn’t hurt to start assignments early so you’re not trying to finish the night before.

I would also say to be proactive and let your professors know that you’re on a sport team and when you’re traveling.”

— Rachel Chavez, junior women’s basketball player

“You should definitely go and try to talk to your professors and get them to help you understand the material better. If you get an assignment on Monday and it’s due Friday, don’t wait till Thursday night to start it.

Start doing it Monday night or Tuesday.”

— Austin Brown, senior cross-country and track runner

TOP: O-REC members explore the outdoors, especially when on summer vacation.

BOTTOM: Join O-Rec on outdoor trips throughout the semester to various spectacular locations.

Photo provided by Maddy Walshak

“All athletes should make a Google calendar with their schedule for classes, sports, homework time and free time. It may feel repetitive, but it will keep you from getting behind.”

— Brady Blanton, junior football player

SPORTS • AUGUST 18, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

23

UPCOMING EVENTS Aug. 18 - Aug. 25

Fri. 08/18

Sat. 08/20 Women’s Soccer Scrimmage 1:30pm, 4:00pm Men’s Soccer Scrimmage 7:30pm

Sun. 08/21 Men’s Soccer Scrimmage 5:30pm

Mon. 08/22

Tues.

08/23

Wed. 08/24

Thurs.

08/25

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • AUGUST 18, 2017 •

SPORTS

History of Trinity sports: Where we came from Commentary: When you need something to brag about to all your friends at Division I schools ELISE HESTER

SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

The newly renovated Bell Center houses the national championship trophies.

Photos by Allison Wolff

Trinity sports have a history of success. Just consider the facts from the past 23 years.

The Learfield Director’s Cup named Trinity’s athletic program as one of the top 10 Division III programs out of over 400 institutions five times. Though it’s not particularly known for its athletics, Trinity excels on the field, court and pitch due to our institution’s dedication to excellence in all areas.

While not specifically known much for athletics now, back in the 1960s all the way into the 1990s, Trinity was known for its remarkable Division I tennis program. Until 1991, Trinity teams were consistently either Division II or Division I. The men’s tennis team was a powerhouse even within this higher division, competing in the NCAA championship in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1977, and 1979, winning in 1972.

Until I began looking for colleges, my father, who lived in the jock dorms at Texas A&M University, only knew of Trinity University through his friends on the tennis team, who were routinely defeated by the Tigers. Their courts held world-class tennis players, including 1963 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Champion Chuck McKinley and current women’s coach Gretchen Rush (neé Magers), who won the 1983 NCAA Doubles Championship with Louise Allen. Butch Newman was in charge of the Trinity tennis program, and as a coach at Trinity he led the men’s tennis team in both the Division I and Division III era, from 1986 to 2009. He coached the women from 1991 to 2008 and was the coach of both the 2000 NCAA national champions.

Trinity football is famous for the Mississippi Miracle, a play which occurred in 2007. If you haven’t seen the play, which was voted the top sports moment of the year by Time Magazine, you should definitely look it up. Football is coached by former NFL player Jerheme Urban, who played for Trinity in college and to this day can out-run, out-lift, and out-jump many of his own players.

Some of the strongest athletic programs at Trinity University right now are the men’s and women’s soccer teams, which consistently make it to the playoffs based on a combination of athletic players and great leadership. Both the men and women’s soccer teams are staffed by coaches, who — for the most part — all played for Trinity, and both teams consistently rank high and make it to the playoffs almost every year. Men’s soccer coach Paul McGinlay is in his 27th year coaching the Tigers during which time his boys won the national championship in the fall of 2003.

That same year, women’s basketball also claimed the title. In the spring of 2003, the Tigers were victorious in Division III women’s basketball. Today the team is still strong and was ranked first in the nation last year before falling in the playoffs.

More recently, the Trinity baseball team beat Keystone College last May to win the Men’s Division III College World Series and subsequently released a line of fashionable t-shirts to commemorate the occasion.

Trinity is also home to the Tiger Network, started in the fall of 2015. Arguably the greatest broadcast of any Division III athletics program, the Tiger Network uses multiple cameras and commentators to broadcast home events in football, volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball, softball and tennis on the internet for fans at home.

In addition to athletic events, the Tiger Network also broadcasted events such as the annual Christmas Concert, the San Antonio Mayoral Debate and the Trinity Distinguished Lecture Series. This is all part of an effort to pursue excellence in every area, be it academic or athletic.

So to all you new students, welcome to Trinity! I hope you are proud to be a Tiger, because we sure are proud to have you.

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Parker Chapel

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5:00pm

Trinity University

Reformed University Fellow-

Sunday Worship at Parker Chapel

Intervarsity Christian Fellowship

Catholic Student Group

United Methodist Student Movement

Young Life

LCM Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Lutheran Campus Ministry

Rev. Stephen Nickle Chaplain of Trinity

Parker Chapel Sunday, August 20th 5:00pm Parker Chapel Protestant Service (Meditation Chapel) CSG Mass (Sanctuary)

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • AUGUST 18, 2017 •

SPORTS

First-year spotlight: New year, new Tigers Here are a few of the first-year athletes who will be dominating the fields, tracks and courts this year HAILEY WILSON

SPORTS REPORTER Each year, Trinity’s incoming class includes hundreds of athletes from all over the country. These athletes are incredibly unique — they all come from different states, backgrounds and high schools.

They play different sports during different seasons and will wear different jersey numbers. Despite all of their differences, one thing remains the same: these athletes are some of the best athletes from around the country and they all will have the opportunity to compete for national championships at one of the best Division III institutions around.

Here is a look at a few of the athletes in the class of 2021: Jackson Braley is an incoming men’s soccer player who was born in San Antonio, Texas. Braley bounced between living in San Antonio and Frisco, Texas throughout his entire life. When deciding on where to attend college, Braley was looking for a school that provided a small, intimate classroom setting.

“I am most definitely looking forward for the opportunity to study abroad during my time at Trinity,” Braley said.

The Trinity University men’s soccer team will host University of Mary Hardin-Baylor on Sept. 1 for their home opener.

Avery Tuggle is an incoming volleyball player from Cedar Creek, Texas. Tuggle is an outside hitter who is really looking forward to meeting new people and making Trinity home.

Like most students, Tuggle was attracted to Trinity because of its academic reputation.

“Trinity is highly respected not only athletically, but academically, and that is something that got my attention,” Tuggle said.

Another huge factor in her decision was the players on the volleyball team.

“One thing that really sealed the deal was meeting the team — they’re such a great group of girls and they immediately made me feel welcome,” Tuggle said.

Avery also has a twin brother, Devin Tuggle, who is playing on the football team at Trinity this season. Both Tuggles will be in action this fall on the court and out on the football field. Check out the volleyball team during the Trinity National Invitational tournament on Sept. 1 and 2.

David Buss is an incoming cross country and track runner from Frisco, Texas.

Buss attended high school with his twin brother, where he also ran cross country and track and field. Buss is looking forward to competing in multiple sports at the collegiate level.

“Trinity offers the small school feel and various study abroad research opportunities,” Buss said.

This year, Buss hopes to major in political science and build new relationships with his fellow classmates and teammates. Both Trinity men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete in the Alamo City Opener on Sept. 1.

Stay tuned for future first-year spotlights throughout the year.

David Buss, incoming cross country runner. Photo provided by David Buss

Jackson Braley, incoming soccer player.

Photo by Allison Wolff

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Avery Tuggle, incoming volleyball player.

Photo provided by Avery Tuggle

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Welcome back Tigers!

Tweet us some photos of you at upcoming games @trinitonian

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Contact

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • AUGUST 18, 2017 •

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