10.27.2017

Volume 115 Issue 10

Trinitonian Serving Trinity University Since 1902

October 27, 2017

THE TRINITONIAN PRESENTS...

THE HALLOWEEN ISSUE

Holocaust survivor gives lecture at Laurie Anna Rado spoke about her time in Auschwitz and life in San Antonio after KAYLIE KING

NEWS REPORTER Anna Rado, a Holocaust survivor and San Antonio resident, gave a lecture in Laurie Auditorium on Monday at 7 p.m. The event was open to the public.

After Rado spoke about her time in Auschwitz and her experience of losing most of her family members, she spoke about her gratitude and desire to spread a positive message.

“After all the things I went through, I am still very blessed that I can stand in front of you and tell you I have children, I have grandchildren,” Rado said. “I always tell the children when I talk to them to never give up, and don’t hate. I’m really feeling very thankful that there are still some people who are interested in the Holocaust and the memory of it.”

ANNA RADO spoke about her experiences in Nazi Germany and how her belief in God helped her through the experience. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

Rado’s lecture was organized by Trinity’s Jewish Students Association-Hillel (JSA-Hillel) organization. Roughly 150 people attended.

Ashley Lachterman, junior business administration major and the co-president of JSA-Hillel, helped with promoting the lecture and spoke about Rado’s lecture in an interview prior to the event.

“This is not the first Holocaust survivor I’ve heard speak, but every single one I’ve heard speak has been in a different kind of setting. I’ve had encounters with people that are more one-on-one, I’ve gone to panels, I’ve gone to meet-and-greet style at the Holocaust Museum in D.C., but this is definitely a different experience,” Lachterman said. “I think because everyone’s story is so

different, [Rado’s] story is going to be different from somebody else’s, especially because she was a child when she went through it.”

Lachterman was also excited to see the feedback from the Trinity community following the lecture.

“Since I’ve been at Trinity, we haven’t really had anything Holocaust-related that’s been open to the whole university and the public as well. I think it’s really important to talk about. The whole purpose of having Holocaust survivors speak and share their stories and their experiences is that we don’t forget what happened,” Lachterman said.

“That’s the whole Holocaust Remembrance Day message. We shouldn’t forget the stories, we shouldn’t forget what happened. That’s why we have museums and everything.”

Lachterman explained that it’s especially important for her to remember the Holocaust because she is Jewish.

“It holds a lot more weight for me,” Lachterman said. “To meet anybody who’s gone through it is a gift. I really appreciate anything that they do. Having to speak about it and almost relive it just by speaking on it takes a lot of strength.” continued on PAGE 6

Lapsed club returns PRIDE hosts activists Students seek return of the International Club DOMINIC WALSH

PULSE REPORTER The International Club was a core part of the Trinity experience for many international students since it was formed in 2007, but it went inactive last academic year due to a lack of available officers. Questions regarding the need for the club have arisen; several students have expressed dissatisfaction with the club’s absence, especially after one of its staple events, the annual spring international student banquet, was not put on last year.

The international student population has grown from 50 to 160 students in the past 10 years. Despite this growth, the lack of available officers precluded the continued existence of the club. Qui Jiang, international student advisor, observed that one possible reason for the lack of officers willing to devote a lot of time to International Club is the formation of smaller, more culturally specific groups as the number of students from specific regions have grown to club-size numbers.

“The population became bigger and smaller groups formed as the group got bigger. They

all have their own cultures: Chinese culture, Filipino culture, African cultures — people kind of have more attachment to their cultural groups now,” Jiang said.

Even two years ago, during the final year of the International Club’s existence, the officers were too busy to adequately prepare some of the club’s larger events.

“The last International Club officers were kind of struggling to keep the organization running, especially for the big events. There are not many, but one of the of the big events is the spring international banquet, and they had a hard time finding the people to help with logistics,” Jiang said.

Robert Seese, the assistant director of international student and scholar services, noted a similar trend when he first arrived at Trinity in 2014.

“Our observation is that there are very few people — even though they had the officers in place — who were actually carrying the load.

Their major activity was the annual spring banquet, which is sort of like a goodbye to the senior international students, and it was a nice event. But frankly, I noticed when I first got here that it wasn’t as well attended as I expected, although I didn’t know exactly what to expect,” Seese said. continued on PAGE 13

HALLOWEEN Something is brewing in the entrepreneurship department

DIA DE

LOS MUERTOS

Sophomore Jacob Hurrell-Zitelman is running a cold-brew coffee company out of his dorm room.

October PAGE 31 11 PULSE Celebreates All Hallow’s Eve in the Pagan and

November 2 Remembrance of All Souls Day, a Catholic holiday set

Speakers visit campus to promote LGBTQ involvement, unity

KENDRA DERRIG

NEWS REPORTER Two local political activists were on campus Oct. 10–11 to speak as part of Trinity University PRIDE’s speaker series, “Taking PRIDE: Community Activists and Outreach.”

Megan Smith, an entrepreneur, political consultant and Trinity alumna, gave the first lecture. She spoke about her experiences being openly gay in the workplace, as well as how she has used her management skills in collaboration with local progressive political campaigns and nonprofits.

Emmett Shelling, president of the San Antonio Gender Association and regional director of the Transgender Education Network of Texas, focused his talk on unity within the LGBTQ community, specifically concerning those who identify as nonbinary or genderqueer.

He also discussed the current political situation in Texas concerning the results of the most recent legislative session, during which laws were passed that restrict the rights of LGBTQ people to use public bathrooms and adopt children.

The talks were attended chiefly by members of PRIDE, a group on campus that provides community and education for LGBTQ students and their allies. Each lecture had approximately 25 students present.

Andy Acevedo, president of PRIDE, wrote in an email interview about the importance of hosting these speakers. continued on PAGE 5

EMMETT SHELLING, the president of the San Antonio Gender Association, spoke to students about the importance of unity within the LGBTQ community. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

The traditions of Dia de los Muertos and Halloween

Women’s basketball team aims for great season

Abigail Wharton looks into the two holidays celebrated widely on campus and in San Antonio.

The team begins quest to repeat their success in the SCAC championship last year.

PAGE 18 A&E

PAGE 21 SPORTS

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 27, 2017 •

NEWS

Previously, on SGA: Rejected Resolutions This issue covers two SGA meetings: Oct. 16 and Oct. 23.

•

RESOLUTION

At the Oct. 16 meeting, senator Manfred Wendt presented a resolution for opioid abuse. If approved, the proposition would express the senate’s support of Students for Opioid Solutions. The resolution would give the university access to overdose preventing medicines and would offer training to resident assistants. The resolution was not approved.

At the Oct. 23 meeting, senator John Croxton presented a declaration of dissent that condemns the adminstration’s choice not to include SGA in some of the decisions it has made, such as the hard liquor and tobacco ban. The resolution was not approved.

•

• •

CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW

changes were approved.

Article 8 Section 4 subsection C and D clarify the importance of impeachment hearings and their placement in the agenda. The subsection states that officers who are pending impeachment may not vote in any other impeachments that occur that day; the subsections were approved.

Article 8 Section 3 explains the removal procedures and was approved. Article 8 Section 4 subsection A dictates that a senator may be impeached if they betray the confidence of their electors; the subsection was approved.

Article 8 Section 4 subsection F states that the Judicial Chair will preside over impeachment proceedings; the subsection was approved.

Article 9 Section 3 subsection C states that newly elected senators cannot vote until the meeting following their election; the subsection was approved.

• Article 2 Section 3 introduces an accountability contract that

officeholders must sign upon taking office; the section was BYLAW REVIEW • The introduction to Article 1 was approved. approved.

• Article 2 Section 7 clarifies that five senators should represent • Article 1 sections 1–4 were approved. each class; the article was approved.

• The wording of the introduction to Article 8 was clarified; the SGA will vote on more changes to the bylaws at the next meeting.

Tune in each week for Kathleen Creedon’s SGA summaries . SGA meets at 6 p.m. on Mondays in the Waxahachie Room in Coates University Center.

Staff

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editor-in-chief: Daniel Conrad managing editor: Alexandra Uri director of digital presence: Grace Frye business manager: Shivali Kansagra ad director: Rebecca Derby news editor: Kathleen Creedon pulse editor: Madelyn Gaharan arts & entertainment editor: Nicholas Smetzer sports editor: Julia Weis opinion editor: Julia Poage photo editor: Amani Canada graphics editor: Tyler Herron circulation director: Nicholas Smetzer reporters: Kendra Derrig, Meredith Goshell, Elise Hester, Kaylie King, Saul Malek, Cathy Terrace, Dominic Walsh, Hailey Wilson contributors: Austin Davidson, Georgie Riggs, Abigail Wharton

columnists: Soleil Gaffner, Benjamin Gomez, Theresa Ho, Micaela Hoffman, Gabriel Levine, Manfred Wendt copy editors: Evan Chambless, Cristina Kodadek, Nathaniel Pigott illustrators: Yessenia Lopez, Andrea Nebhut photographers: Chloe Sonnier, Allison Wolff, Stephen Sumrall-Orsak business staff: Sarah McIntyre, Tam Nguyen advertising staff: Jenna Flexner, Benjamin Milliet, Jonah Nance, Regis Noubiab, Isla Stewart adviser: Katharine Martin

Oct. 16–22: 1,414 Oct. 9–15: 2,239 Oct. 2–8: 3,382

2,180 copies are delivered to campus each week.

Unique visitors to the website.

THEFT

SUBSTANCES

Oct. 14, 2017 2:30 a.m.

Off Campus: Shook Avenue

Oct. 20, 2017 10:59 p.m.

Prassel Hall

Oct. 18, 2017 3:10 p.m.

City Vista

Oct. 21, 2017 11:36 p.m.

Thomas/Lightner Hall

Oct. 07, 2017 5:27 a.m.

Parking Lot U

Oct. 15, 2017 3:27 a.m.

Prassel Hall

Compiled by KATHLEEN CREEDON

Corrections

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•

In the Oct. 13 issue, the photo on Page 11 for the “Theatre for Social Change” article was taken by Chloe Sonnier.

• In the Sept. 29 issue, the “City Vista struggles with trash pickup” described City Vista’s intention to monitor surveillance footage as a contradiction of previous statements that Stephanie Ackerman and Melissa Flowers gave to the Trinitonian in early September. These references have been removed; the staff ’s policy is to review camera footage when prompted by safety concerns.

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NEWS • OCTOBER 27, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

Poisonous caterpillars make SA squirm Visiting professor warns of asp outbreak GABBY GARRIGA

NEWS INTERN There has been a recent outbreak of puss caterpillars, or asps, throughout San Antonio.

Rebecca Hazen, visiting assistant professor of biology, gained firsthand knowledge of their spread on Friday while eating at a local restaurant on Saint Mary’s Street.

“These were crawling all over the patio of this restaurant, and it’s a busy restaurant,” Hazen said, pointing to the small colony she’s collected in her office. “All over the tables, chairs and ceiling and everywhere; these were on everything.”

Hazen gathered some of the painfully venomous caterpillars to prevent them from stinging other people on the patio. Hazen intends to return with some of her students who have volunteered to help with the collection.

“I’ve been working on caterpillars for a long time; it’s been part of my research for a long time, particularly caterpillar diversity, so I’ve worked

with these a lot in terms of rearing them out like this,” Hazen said.

Because of the threat these caterpillars pose to the public, Hazen will have to euthanize the caterpillars she removed from the restaurant.

“The ecologist inside of me is like, just because they hurt us doesn’t mean they shouldn’t live, but because they are a public health issue ... I’m probably going to euthanize them in the freezer,” Hazen said.

Hazen worries that the caterpillars’ harmless appearance will deceive others without her background knowledge.

“A lot of times in nature, things will have something called ‘aposematic coloration,’ where it’s like it’s advertising the fact that it’s dangerous.

But these [caterpillars] are frustrating because they just look like little fluffy things that you would see anywhere. It doesn’t look like it would really hurt you,” Hazen said.

The caterpillars’ fuzzy exteriors hide the venomous barbs found underneath. When rubbed against skin, they produce reactions that range from a rash and severe burning sensations to shock and convulsions.

Before coming to Trinity University, Hazen lived in New Orleans and had dealt with another

poisonous caterpillar that metamorphoses into buck moths.

“In New Orleans, people are really familiar with the idea of caterpillars being a scourge,” Hazen said.

Hazen wants to make sure that Trinity students are as just as familiar with the dangers that the local puss caterpillars pose. She encourages students to inform themselves on what to look for in order to prevent a painful sting.

“If you know what to look for, you can usually avoid it, and you can help other people avoid them,” Hazen said.

Because this is the end of the puss caterpillars’ season, there is an influx in caterpillar sightings.

Hazen speculates that this sudden increase could be from the recent increase in rainfall.

“They’re ramping up for this last little time before it gets cold. It’s like their last hurrah,” Hazen said.

If you are stung by a puss caterpillar, there are steps you can take to treat yourself at home and speed up your recovery. First, use tape to remove the spines from the affected skin. Then thoroughly clean the area with soap and water.

You can find more information on treatment at poison.org.

3

The caterpillars’ stings have caused reactions from rashes to anaphylactic shock. photo by AMANI CANADA

SGA prepares for upcoming elections Trinity’s Student Government Association (SGA) elections are nearing; campaigning took place from Monday to Friday this past week and voting begins Oct. 30.

Nick Santulli, SGA president and senior political science major, explained the positions that are going to be elected and what they do.

“We have five senators from each class available,” Santulli said. “Senators vote on different issues, they can raise motions. We’ll also be electing a vice president and a president. The vice president handles the funding allocation, and the president kind of vaguely manages everything, but really focuses on all of SGA’s initiatives and organizing our forums.”

Santulli also emphasized that SGA decisions matter, and that these decisions will affect the student body.

“We serve as the voice for the student body on campus and we represent the student body to administrators,” Santulli said. “We want to impact what that voice says or what that voice does, and running for SGA or participating in elections is the best way to do so. This year is especially important because we’ll also be voting on all of the constitutional amendments.”

David Tuttle, dean of students, is hoping for a diverse group of senators following this upcoming election.

“We saw last year the importance of representation across areas,” Tuttle wrote in an email interview. “How student money gets spent matters. How students face national and

campus issues is critical. This isn’t some add-on activity. Whether through their voice or funding, SGA has impact on issues related to social justice, campus climate, Greek life, dining and intramurals, to name only some.”

Simone Washington, sophomore international studies major and current senator, is running for re-election as a sophomore senator.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in SGA, as it is a medium by which one can accomplish change,” Washington wrote in an email interview. “For example, I am passionate about advocating on behalf of minority students, and SGA offered me the opportunity to do so. I have been able to plan events like the Human Library, meet with President Anderson in a conversation centered around race and social justice, and plan an Activism Fair for January.”

Washington also highlighted the importance of participating in the upcoming election.

“SGA has a considerable amount of influence on campus as we are the body charged with allocating funds to all of the organizations on campus and introducing initiatives we feel are worthwhile to the student body,” Washington wrote. “The input of an individual senator can directly impact the awarded amount to a given organization or the initiatives brought to the table. Given this, it is important to vote for members of your student body that you feel will best appropriate funds for organizational activity on campus and advocate for student interests.

Furthermore, if there are initiatives students on campus feel strongly about, they have the capability to reach out to the senators they elected to see it through.”

Online voting will begin on this coming Monday, Oct. 30. In-person voting will take place in Coates University Center on Nov. 1–2. Any questions can be directed to sga@trinity.edu.

Presidential candidate

Vice-presidental candidate

Voting will run Oct. 30 through Nov. 3 KAYLIE KING

NEWS REPORTER

First-years

Sophomores

MASON DUNN

MAX TRIBBLE

LUCILLE MEEKS

RACHIEL DANIEL Junior

SIMONE WASHINGTON BENJAMIN GONZALES

NOELLE BARRERA MIA QUINTANILLA

TY TINKER

Juniors

JUAN LUEVANOS

SAM AFSHARI JOHANNA KULLENBERG GUTIERREZ

REESE CARLOS

MADDIE D’LORIO

NICK PEREDA AMULYA DEVA Junior

ANGEL RAMIREZ

ISABELLE SCHAG

JULIA SCHUTS

SAROSHA HEMANI

BLAISE FORT

DANIELA MONTUFAR SORIA

4

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 27, 2017 •

NEWS

Music critic warns of art criticism’s bleak future Scott Cantrell speaks about his career path and the importance of music journalism KENDRA DERRIG

NEWS REPORTER

SCOTT CANTRELL speaks to the importance of arts criticism. He ended his lecture by encouraging the audience to support local journalism. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

Music critic Scott Cantrell visited the Ruth Taylor Recital Hall earlier this month to deliver his lecture, “The State of Arts Criticism in America,” to an audience of about 50. In the Oct. 10 event, Cantrell spoke of how his career took off and how similar opportunities are not available to prospective critics today.

Cantrell wrote criticism of local symphonies and operas for the Dallas Morning News for 16 years before turning to freelance writing in 2016. During his career, Cantrell accompanied the Dallas Symphony on three European tours and chronicled the ups and downs of the Dallas-Fort Worth classical music scene.

“About 25 years ago, I counted about 60 full-time music critics at American newspapers. I think the figure now may be 10, and of those, they also may write about theater or art,” Cantrell said.

At the lecture, Cantrell spoke of his career as an art critic and the struggle he faced in the underappreciated genre.

“I believe there will always be needs for art journalism and criticism. Although right now, we haven’t figured out the economic models to make it pliable except as a hobby,” Cantrell said.

Cantrell also spoke of the value of a liberal arts education.

“I think the more perspective you have on the arts and how they relate is helpful, and I find sometimes that literary comparisons or visual arts comparisons will come up as I write, so I was very grateful to have had that experience at a liberal arts undergrad,” Cantrell said.

Students in the music department’s course Nights at the Symphony, taught by Carl Leafstedt, professor of music history, were able to talk to Cantrell during their class. Leafstedt spoke of the motivation for bringing Cantrell to campus.

“Cantrell’s visit to campus reminded me how crucial good arts reporting can be, and how much it is missed once it’s gone. There are few of his type in existence anymore at large city papers in North America. Without them, a record of the city’s artistic life will always be incomplete,” Leafstedt said. “It’s hard to imagine life without serious, thoughtful criticism in the large daily metropolitan newspapers. I’m old enough to remember what it used to be like. Now that world is largely gone. It’s sad.”

“I found that, being an English major, it was interesting to hear his take on the industry of journalism and how it is dying and extremely competitive,” said Kacie Pollard, a sophomore student in the course. “I found Cantrell to be a bit dry, but his take on the journalism industry and talking about his relationships with who he was criticizing was really interesting.”

Ethan Jones, a music major in Leafstedt’s class, also attended Cantrell’s lecture.

“I found this lecture to be extremely informative and relevant to my future, as I hope to have a career in arts business sometime in the near future. This lecture helped me gain information on the music world and the importance of music criticism in this world,” Jones wrote in an email interview.

“After listening to Scott Cantrell speak about the importance of music criticism, I realized that even though critics write things that are sometimes hard to hear, they are ultimately trying to benefit the performers by giving them constructive criticism and tips to make future performances even more exciting to listen to.”

Jones also wrote about what he enjoyed most about the lectures. continued on PAGE 7

Prof. organizes “Iran in the World” lecture series Loss of JCPOA certification prompts a discussion role of international relations CATHY TERRACE

NEWS REPORTER In response to Trump’s refusal to re-certify the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear weapon deal between the United States and Iran. Trinity hosted a conference over the role Iran plays in the world. This event was primarily coordinated

by Sussan Siavoshi, associate professor of political science.

“I started thinking about this last year because of the passing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which is a nuclear deal between Iran on the one hand, and ... the United States, Russia, China, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and EU as a whole,” Siavoshi said. “The deal was really reached after a really arduous journey of diplomacy. ... On the one hand, it was considered the greatest diplomatic achievement of President Obama, but on the other hand Mr. Trump considered it as the worst deal, a disastrous deal and an embarrassment.”

The conference had been planned far in advance of these recent actions, as news of Trump’s actions broke less than a week before the event, which happened Oct. 20–21.

Siavoshi had been planning this for over a year with fellow colleague Farideh Farhi, affiliate graduate faculty of political science at the University of Hawaii in Manoa.

“About a year ago, as the JCPOA had become a reality, we began talking about having a conference, but then we decided that was too soon, so therefore giving it more time to see what its implications are would be very important,” Farhi said. “We thought the process itself was significant because it was very different than what had happened since 9/11. ... We thought it was important to take a look at it in terms of the implications of it, not only for Iran’s role in the world, but in terms of what it means and where global dynamics are going.”

Since it has been enacted, the deal has been subject to a lot of controversy; people from both countries have individuals who support it, and those who oppose it. As such, those speaking at “Iran in the World” aimed to highlight those issues.

“Our conference wants to look and see how Iran’s relationship has been shaped after the deal, whether things have changed, whether it’s successful or not in promoting stability and peace, or whether it promotes instability,”

Siavoshi said. “We’ll have a few panels on Friday and Saturday, and we’d like to investigate Iran’s relationship with several countries — the United States of course, Russia, China, the EU, Saudi Arabia, Israel and a few more.”

Panels were organized into three parts. A presenter started out by presenting their paper on the relationship between Iran and another country, then a commentator responded to the presentation, followed by a 15-minute period where the audience could ask questions. The series of panels began with Ali Ansari, professor of modern history at St. Andrews University, who discussed the relationship between Iran and the United States.

“The Iran-U.S. relationship is extremely emotional, based in many ways on two foundations that the two countries take seriously,” Ansari said. “On the Iranian side, is the coup of 1953. ... On the American side is the hostage crisis of 1979, and that has been pivotal and central to the image of Iran within the American public and political consciousness.”

Ansari’s presentation was followed by a discussion from Trita Parsi, current president of the National Iranian American Council.

“This is a very interesting and important dimension, but there is a reality outside of these narratives that is a bit more important,” Parsi said. “I think the deal was undersold; any arguments trying to seek the admin’s broader context were very

heavily pushed back by the administration, and they didn’t talk about anything besides the nuclear agreement. ... They wanted to make sure the failure or success was only about the nuclear aspect.”

Both Ansari and Parsi mediated audience questions in the Q&A following the paper’s discussion. Trinity students, professors and additional visitors were all in attendance, as the conference was free and open to the public.

“Our goals were twofold: One, to actually allow the public to hear certain nuanced, passionate analysis of the Iran and U.S. relationship, as well as other countries, and also, we would like this to be a very scholarly conference so we can actually have a book out of it for the academic community,” Siavoshi said.

This was the first conference that Siavoshi had organized. Upon collecting the papers from presenters and discussants, she and Farhi will collaborate to put together a comprehensive book over Iranian relations.

Part of the reason these kinds of conferences are important is so people can engage in discussion about the impact and potential implications,” said Farhi. “Because there are disagreements about what the implications [of the JCPOA] are, this is an avenue for people to air their points of view.”

For those interested, a complete list of the participants of the conference may be found at conferences.trinity.edu.

NEWS • OCTOBER 27, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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San Antonio activists speak with PRIDE continued from FRONT

“Both [Smith] and [Shelling] are seasoned political activists. They brought their personal experiences with them and spoke to us about being successful activists and community gatherers,” Acevedo wrote. “The hope is that we can build upon their experiences to prepare ourselves to be better activists.”

Chiara Pride, sophomore anthropology and political science double major and PRIDE’s activism and outreach chair, spoke of how these speakers can be a source of inspiration and encouragement for students to become involved.

“Myself, and the rest of the leadership of PRIDE, hoped that these talks would educate students on how easy it is to become involved in a diverse range of activities that support the LGBTQIA+ community,” Pride said. “People love to talk about the ‘Trinity Bubble’ as a quirky aspect of private school culture, and while there are certainly benefits to our focused environment, for communities who are directly impacted by the actions of our civil and political state, community involvement is crucial to our health and happiness.”

Acevedo also wrote about the personal value she gained from listening to Smith and Shelling. “[Shelling] brought a lot of anti-LGBTQ bills to my attention and activist organizations I was not aware of, which is a valuable networkbuilding tool,” Acevedo wrote. “[Smith] spoke a lot about using data to engage with audiences and to better reach people to participate in your cause or organization. It was very interesting for me as an organization

leader, activist and a marketing-minded person because I am always trying to figure out ways to reach more people to participate in events and movements.”

Pride provided her view on the importance of both speakers’ messages. “[Smith] impressed upon PRIDE members the importance of taking every opportunity available and to leverage their privilege as Trinity students,” Pride said. “[Shelling] discussed a variety of current political and social concerns that LGBTQIA+ individuals face and how to discuss that honestly and comprehensively in local circles. PRIDE members learned the value of being socially and politically active around LGBTQIA+ rights and the dangers of ignoring the legal state of affairs.”

Will Farner, senior physics major and member of PRIDE, gave his perspective on the speakers as an LGBTQ ally.

“It was interesting to hear both of them talk about navigating the workplace as an out LGBT person. As an ally, I need to hear that perspective so that I can help create an accepting environment wherever I am,” Farner said.

Farner found the message of the lecture more meaningful because of Shelling’s emphasis on intersectionality. “[Shelling’s] message spoke more to me because he talked about the importance of intersectionality in activism,” Farner said. “As an ally, understanding how different kinds of privilege intersect in each person’s experience is something that I strive to be aware of, even as it is something that I struggle with, so his focus on it resonated with me.”

Farner also encouraged Trinity students outside of PRIDE to attend events hosted by the organization.

“I think it’s important for students to attend these events for two reasons. Firstly, high attendance shows support for the club and helps motivate speakers to come. Secondly, everyone has room to learn and grow, and hearing from a diverse range of perspectives is a great way to do that,” Farner said.

Acevedo also advocated for more Trinity students to attend these types of events.

“For Trinity students this should be relevant regardless of their affiliation with the LGBTQ community because we should try to be actively involved members of society who are aware of what our government is up

to and because there are bills constantly being introduced that affect the lives of everyone,” Acevedo wrote.

Pride also encouraged the Trinity community to look out for future PRIDE speaking events.

“I personally would love to see more events of this nature, but the interests of our members and allies come first, so if you are at all curious about making the world a more active and accepting place, please attend,” Pride said.

The “Taking PRIDE” lecture series will conclude on Wednesday, Nov. 1, with a panel of board members from the San Antonio chapter of PFLAG, a national LGBTQ and allied support group.

MEGAN SMITH, a Trinity alumna, spoke about her experiences as an openly gay woman in the workplace. photo by AMANI CANADA

Campus Sustainability Month comes to Trinity Students, faculty promote a more eco-friendly university GABBY GARRIGA

NEWS INTERN This October, Trinity celebrated national Campus Sustainability Month. The university, like others across the nation, worked to raise awareness of environmental issues throughout the month, specifically issues that affect campuses of higher education. Campus Sustainability Month encourages students to share how they are changing their campuses in order to promote more sustainable habits from their fellow students.

On Trinity’s campus, students and faculty alike have been working together to encourage students to be aware of the impact their actions have on the environment. Sharon Curry, sustainability coordinator for Campus Planning and Sustainability, organized events throughout this month. The office of Campus Planning and Sustainability strives to educate the Trinity community through the recycling program and tabling events. Curry spoke of her goals for this October.

“I think what we’re trying to do mostly during campus sustainability month is to share both things that we’re doing as a campus but also encourage the individuals to get involved and to act,” Curry said.

One way her department contributed to the discussion of sustainability on campus is through tabling during Nacho Hour.

Each week, the student sustainability assistants for Curry’s office hosted tables to discuss the importance of campus sustainability and how Trinity is responding to environmental problems.

“We’re making a table to inform students and faculty and staff and everyone on campus about Campus Sustainability Month. We’re

focusing on how we, as a university, do sustainability as opposed to just sustainability as a whole to give it a little more applicableness,” said Monica Lampton, sophomore anthropology and computer science double major and current assistant in the office of Campus Planning and Sustainability.

By engaging students in the tabling events, Curry hopes to both promote awareness of sustainability and educate students on the ways they can live more environmentally conscious lives.

Trinity also supported campus sustainability through its involvement as a host sponsor for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) Conference and Expo. This October, faculty and students participated in the conference to exchange ideas and strategies to increase sustainability on campuses.

“I am confident that this conference will provide participants with a platform to explore innovative solutions to advance sustainability in higher education and the surrounding community,” wrote AASHE executive Meghan Fay Zahniser in a press release.

This conference offered the opportunity for students and faculty to come together and to learn from each other’s experiences in educating their campuses on the importance of sustainability.

Curry also works closely with Eco Allies, a registered student organization dedicated to campus sustainability. Eco Allies wanted to educate students in sustainability this month to encourage a change in the way they approach being eco-friendly. Kristen Rundstein, president of Eco Allies, planned a plastic bottle display this month to visually demonstrate the importance of recycling and the impact an individual can have on their campus.

“It’s an individual effort but it takes all individuals to work together,” Rundstein said.

The efforts to support sustainability on campus will not stop after this month.

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

Trinity included in its 2017 Master Plan that campus sustainability is a top priority.

Through organizations like Eco Allies and its membership in AASHE, Trinity and the office of Campus Planning and Sustainability hope to provide students with the opportunity to become educated on pressing environmental issues and ways to protect the earth.

“Even if we implement the best programs institution-wide, if nobody participates we really haven’t moved the needle,” Curry said.

Throughout the year, Curry and her team will be hosting events to educate students on their ability to affect campus sustainability.

Next spring, the office will host Recyclemania and Earth Week to encourage students to become involved and be aware of their impact on the environment and the campus. Curry stresses that individuals have to take initiative for campus sustainability to improve.

For more information about how to support campus sustainability, contact Sharon Curry at scurry1@trinity.edu.

6

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 27, 2017 •

NEWS

Anna Rado speaks about Holocaust SGA holds

continued from FRONT

Chad Spigel, associate professor of religion and faculty advisor for the JSA-Hillel group on campus, reflected on the opportunity to have such a lecture take place.

“The Holocaust is one of the most tragic events of the 20th century and it is important that we learn about these horrible atrocities to honor those who were murdered, but also to make sure that we do everything possible to prevent similar events from taking place in the present and in the future,” Spigel wrote in an email interview. “As time passes — the Holocaust took place over 70 years ago — opportunities to hear from survivors who experienced the horrors of the Nazis become fewer and fewer.”

Spigel also explained how unique this opportunity was for the Trinity community.

“It is an opportunity that we may not have again in the future,” Spigel wrote. “References to the Holocaust are often followed by commands to ‘never forget.’ I think it is important for the Trinity community to attend and to listen to Anna Rado tell her story, and then to never forget.”

Ruth Lavenda, senior psychology major and programming intern at Hillel San Antonio, and Grace Cline, sophomore psychology and religion double major and co-president of the JSA-Hillel chapter at Trinity, both helped organize Rado’s lecture.

“The Trinity board of JSA-Hillel has been working hard to get the word out about the event, and I have been doing a lot of the behind-the-scenes work in order to make sure everything is set,” Lavenda wrote in an email interview. “Having a Holocaust survivor speak at Trinity is a unique and rare experience.”

Lavenda also highlighted the importance of educating the Trinity community about the Holocaust.

“What makes it so significant is that most people have not had the chance to hear the personal perspective from someone who experienced it firsthand,” Lavenda wrote. “I am also glad that we are able to provide the Trinity and San Antonio community with this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Cline believes that the lecture is important for several reasons.

“This is an opportunity that we won’t have within the next decade or so; we are really

the last generation that will get to speak to a Holocaust survivor directly and receive a firsthand account,” Cline wrote in an email interview.

Cline also believes that as Holocaust survivors begin to pass away, it will become easier to distance ourselves from the Holocaust as an event.

“In reality, the Holocaust is fairly modern and it’s important for people to understand that and receive a firsthand account. Being with a Holocaust survivor is humbling and different than simply learning about the Holocaust so I feel very lucky that we’re bringing that opportunity to our community.”

Molly Malkemus, a first-year student who attended the lecture, went because she thought it would be interesting to hear from someone who survived the Holocaust.

“It’s one of those things that you know happened, but you don’t really think about it,” Malkemus said. “To hear someone’s story who was actually there and went through it and lost everyone was really interesting.”

For more information about JSA-Hillel or to get involved, contact the San Antonio Hillel director at ayancelson@hillelsa.org.

GRACE CLINE, sophomore and co-president of the JSA-Hillel chapter at Trinity, introduces Holocaust survivor Anna Rado. Cline helped organize the lecture. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

forum for Master Plan The discussion allowed community feedback BOBBY WATSON

NEWS INTERN The Student Government Association (SGA) held a public forum to allow a panel to discuss the Campus Master Plan on Oct. 17. The panel was made up of Danny Anderson, president of the university, Sharon Schweitzer, assistant vice president for university communications, and Gordon Bohmfalk, architect and director of campus planning and sustainability. The three explained the Campus Master Plan and offered the Trinity community a chance to ask questions and offer input.

Anderson gave a detailed description of the current plan, including a history of Trinity’s construction and development.

“We are going off of past experiences to think about what this campus should look like,” Anderson said. “We have drawn some conceptual designs that will develop into projects that will try to stay true to Trinity’s history, while still staying modern.”

The forum was split into two sections.

First was a presentation of the plans for the campus. The main focus of the plan is promoting the green beauty of Trinity; this includes continuing the campus’s precedent of being an eco-friendly community, making food more easily accessible and promoting the growing sports programs here at Trinity “We’re trying to protect open spaces, historic places, and trying to preserve the theme and feeling within Trinity’s campus.

So becoming a historic district is something that really fits us,” Anderson said.

The Campus Master Plan includes ideas for turning the Mabee parking lot into a park with a roundabout road system running through campus. A student at the event raised the question of where the cars using this lot will go. Anderson and the panel replied that they are taking into consideration that cars may not be as popular in the future.

The second part of the forum was set in Q&A format, where students took the floor and asked questions that they felt were most pressing. There was a general concern about the food availability and development on campus, like closer access to Prassel and Lightner Halls, satellite dining and a shift of main dining options to upper campus.

“If main dining was moved to upper campus, what would happen to Mabee?” asked senior and president of SGA, Nick Santulli.

The panel gave some options, but gave no clear description of what would happen to the dining hall. Other students were more interested in direct involvement with the plan.

“Do you have plans to involve students [with the Campus Master Plan]?” asked sophomore SGA senator Benjamin Gonzales.

The panel made it clear that the university has plans to involve students through a variety of options that are still being solidified in the plan.

Anderson and the panel gave an in-depth view of what Trinity has in store for the future, and there was a large emphasis on the plan’s malleability. This public forum is an example of Trinity’s willingness to have direct student involvement, as long as there are students willing to be involved.

The plan discussed is still developing and will change. The input of the entire Trinity community is welcomed. The current plan can be found at strategicplan.trinity.edu.

NEWS • OCTOBER 27, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

7

TUPD presents on active shooter situations Officers aim to educate, prepare for potential, extreme scenarios BOBBY WATSON

NEWS INTERN Pete Perez Jr., assistant chief of Trinity University Police Department (TUPD), led a presentation on how to respond to active shooters. The presentation was for TUPD officers and took place on Oct. 18. It aimed to prepare the officers for an extreme situation.

In the presentation, the sound of gunfire taken from a recording of a first responder drill was used to demonstrate the consequences of gun violence. For the past few years TUPD has held similar presentations in hopes of making the Trinity campus a more well-informed and safer place.

“The whole point of this presentation is to create a survival mindset. There’s options, there’s choices you’re going to have to make, and the whole point is to stay alive. We’re not trying to scare you, not trying to make you paranoid, but we do want to give you that awareness of your surroundings,” Perez said. “The tools we are giving you are not only for when you are here at Trinity. You can be at HEB, the library, the movies, it can happen anywhere. So these little tips we are going to go through will really give you a lot of options of things to do during a — heaven forbid — an incident here on Trinity University campus.”

The shooting at Texas Tech University on Oct. 9 exemplifies the prevalence of active shooter incidents in the U.S and on college campuses. TUPD is taking many precautions in order to prevent and be prepared for an active shooter situation and to respond accordingly if one were to take place.

“We go over our training monthly. We attend national conferences over active shooters. There are just so many incidents over the country we have to be prepared,” Perez said. “We are doing the extra training, we are doing the extra layers. The hardest part is just getting the word out.”

In his presentation, Perez mentioned that current TUPD policy has developed over

the years and has been heavily influenced by the shooting at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. TUPD emphasizes that time is of the essence for both the first responders and the victims. TUPD relies on those on site of an incident to call (210) 999-7000 and help inform them of the situation. This helps TUPD act as effectively and quickly as possible.

“If you make a call on an incident, we need you to give us as much info as you possibly can, so that our officers can respond. ... We need something for an officer to respond to. We can’t get that until you call us, and let us know where to go,” said Perez. “We no longer wait for SWAT; we no longer wait for SAPD. Our own officers here will respond to the incident. Time is of the essence. Every second counts. We want to make sure we get to that killing and stop it.”

Perez, joined by John Santellan, sergeant investigator, and Larry Cox, corporal and community awareness liaison, detailed what individuals should expect in an active shooter situation and how to react.

Depending on the location and situation, TUPD asks that individuals stay calm and either escape, hide, or if absolutely necessary, take down the shooter. There are many variables in every situation that will determine what course of action is best for those involved.

“Y’all are here, and y’all are already training yourself to have that mindset for survival. This is critical info to take back to your coworkers, your students and anybody you know here on campus,” Cox said.

Active shooters are a threat that affects the national and local community. TUPD is focusing on getting the entire community to be aware of how to deal with such a situation.

Debra Chick, administrative assistant for the communications department, attended the seminar.

“I came last year and needed to brush up [on how to react to an active shooter], especially in view of what’s currently taken place in our world today. And I want to be able to disseminate the information to our faculty,” Chick said.

TUPD aims to maintain vigilance and inform the community to ensure preparedness for a potential active shooter situation. More information can be found on TUPD’s website.

TOP: TUPD wants to maintain vigilance and to inform the community of the procedures one should take in an active shooter situation. BOTTOM: JOHN SANTELLAN, lieutenant, demonstrates appropriate procedure with JOHN ROWSE, sergeant. photos by CHLOE SONNIER

Critic discusses importance of journalism

continued from PAGE 4

“I found most interesting his stories of when people come to him offended by his reviews. He explained that sometimes he will write a review that criticized the interpretation of a piece such as a symphony or concerto and a conductor will contact him and tell him that they did not appreciate his words. On the other hand, sometimes the opposite happens and a musician will call him and tell him how much his words were appreciated and that he was right on the interpretation of the performance,” Jones wrote.

Cantrell provided students advice if they are pursuing careers in writing.

“Don’t expect a career. The kind of career I’ve had won’t happen again. But, make your writing vivid, and believe in it,” Cantrell said. “And don’t be afraid to find a tough, truthful editor.”

Cantrell ended his lecture by encouraging the audience to participate and to support local journalism.

“This is my charge to you. Subscribe to the newspaper, or two or three. Consider it your investment in American democracy,” Cantrell said.

STEVE CANTRELL spoke to students in the Nights at the Symphony course about arts criticism and his experience at the Dallas Morning News. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

Opinion

LET’S HEAR YOUR VOICE.

...

Have an opinion? 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.

FROM TH E EDITOR’S DESK

Student Government Association, we salute you It’s too easy to skate through Trinity University without ever realizing the extent to which the Student Government Association (SGA) has a hand in improving the Trinity experience. With SGA elections on the horizon, we remind students to engage their representatives and voice their concerns in SGA meetings — and, of course, in the Trinitonian.

In one of the first editorials published this semester, the Trinitonian editors claimed that SGA functions primarily as a fundsapportioning body. That judgment was premature. We’ve attended every public SGA meeting held this semester and have seen the breadth of concerns that the senate addresses.

Every meeting begins with an opportunity for guests to present comments to SGA. Unfortunately, the public meetings, which occur in Coates’ Waxahachie Room every Monday evening at 6 p.m., are poorly attended.

Two students came to the Sept. 11 meeting, when David Tuttle, dean of students, defended his controversial decision to revoke residence hall access for students living off campus. A former senator attended the Sept. 29 meeting to offer feedback on proposed changes to the SGA constitution.

One student running for the senate came to

the meeting on Oct. 23 just to see what SGA meetings are like. (Of the other three students, one was a former SGA senator, and another has since joined the senate. Insular crowd.)

After opening the floor to guest comments, the meeting proceeds to the weekly ‘Campus Climate Check,’ in which senators offer updates on the student groups for whom they act as liaisons. Juan Luevanos, for instance, checks in with international students on a regular basis and shares their thoughts and concerns.

More students ought to reach out to their representatives. The senators are putting up a good effort of representing diverse interests on campus, but there’s only so much five people can do to keep tabs on classes each composed of over 600 students.

After these discussions, the senate hears funding proposals. Included in the cost of attending Trinity University is a $150 student activity fee; every student’s contribution is pooled together and SGA is tasked with doling it out to the students and organizations that submit requests and demonstrate responsible, valuable uses for the money.

This is an important service that makes possible most of campus’ most beloved events and services. If you’ve gone to an event on

campus, there’s a good chance it was funded in large part by SGA. After the funding requests have been heard, the senate attends to new business. Most of the meetings this semester have been occupied by extensive deliberations over revisions to the SGA constitution.

The senators have taken this project seriously; juniors Callie Struby and Amulya Deva have been poring over this dinosaur document since the summer. Some of these are common-sense updates; others were motivated by the controversies that followed the April decision to deny Greek Council its annual budget.

All of the proposed changes, we think, are good ideas. But they’ve not been set in place just yet. Students will be voting to approve these amendments during the upcoming SGA election period. This editorial board appreciates the edits proposed, but we have a procedural concern: How can the student body, as a whole, make an informed decision about constitutional changes if so few of us know what the constitution was like and how the new version will differ?

If we’ve not yet made it clear, we hold the value of civic engagement in high regard. SGA’s

efforts are rarely appreciated to the extent they ought to be; its senators and officers put in long hours and hard work to serve the campus community. Students owe it to themselves and one another to attend SGA meetings and offer their input on the issues the senate considers.

Students also ought to consider participating in SGA more, too. It’s too late to change this, but the people running for president and vice president are unopposed.

Each year the first-year, sophomore and junior classes each elect five of their own to serve as senators, but only the juniors will have a competition ahead of them. The five firstyears and the five sophomores on the ballot are shoe-ins by default.

You don’t have to be a free-market fundamentalist to see the value in having a competitive election. Disagreement is the heart of democracy; there’s no way to express your own interests and desires if you don’t get to choose between representatives.

Lucky for us all, the sort of student who runs for SGA is the sort of student with the interests of the student body at heart. Keep an eye on your inboxes this week for more information about voting online and in person in Coates University Center.

Alumnus: Unite against your common foe ADAM LEE GUEST COLUMNIST

This past weekend, I spent my 30th class reunion at Trinity sneaking off to Austin to see Jay-Z with my son, a Trinity first-year, reminiscing about the class of 1987 and reading the responses in the Trinitonian to Daniel Conrad’s column about how conservatives on campus are winning.

My class came into Trinity at a unique time. In the fall of 1983, our first semester on campus, a group of students formed what they then called the Trinity Gay Support Group.

The group submitted their constitution to the university and, having met all the requirements for a university-sanctioned group, they were approved. However, upon returning to campus after the holidays, the Trinity Gay Support Group learned that the university, at the direction of then-president Calgaard and the board of trustees, had rescinded this approval.

This led to several years of battles over the issue, including sit-ins at the president’s office, attempts to block Trustee’s cars when they were leaving campus, marches to President Calgaard’s home and the creation of “Calgaardville” — a student shanty town on campus.

We were a feisty bunch, we believed we were right — we were — and we pushed hard for our beliefs. And while the protests started with the university’s rejection of the Gay Support Group, they carried over to increases in tuition and to the acquisition of a Henry Moore statue, which we turned into the first hole of the newly created frisbee golf course.

At our class reunion, we remembered these heady times with pride. We looked at slides of our protests and remembered the positions that we took. Looking around the room, you probably

Trinity students form a “Calgaardville” in protest during the fall of 1983. photo provided by ADAM LEE

wouldn’t have guessed that those students on the screen were these same people sipping pinot noir in the Skyline Room. Now, we are older, grayer, larger and more comfortable. We’ve achieved success and that’s a good thing in so many ways.

But it left me wishing a bit for those days of 30 plus years ago and that spirit. I couldn’t help but wonder if we still have it in us.

I also spent time reading Daniel Conrad’s editorial in the Trinitonian, describing the political climate on campus, detailing the success of the more politically conservative groups on campus and the relative failure of more liberal groups. This led to several columns, including a debate about the relevance of the Trinitonian itself.

Daniel concluded his piece by addressing more progressive members of the campus community this way: “What we’re saying is, your opposition keeps on winning. So prove that

your opinions aren’t a matter of mere fashion, show them you’re not willfully ignorant, and awaken from that dogmatic liberal slumber.”

Now, as an alumnus, I have no real way of knowing if Daniel’s take on the temperature of campus politics is correct. But I do question his identification of the opposition.

During my time at Trinity we were fortunate that the opposition was very well defined. It was the administration. The particular stances of the national political parties didn’t play into our demonstrations on campus. Certainly, the Reagan-Mondale election was a big deal, but it was almost a separate discussion from the shared revolt against the actions of the president and the board of trustees.

Today seems very different. We are gripped by a remarkable political divisiveness in this country, so much so that we cannot see the common enemy. It is my belief that many of

the ingrained forces of leadership in the country have put their best interests ahead of the interests of the rest of us, and that we must work together to remove these chains from all of us.

There was an old comic strip, even predating me, called “Pogo.” The main character’s most famous line was, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” We cannot let this become true by focusing on the disagreements between progressives and conservatives.

All of this was in my mind, when I saw Jay-Z on Friday night. He rapped “The Story of O.J.,” one of the best songs on 4:44. Obviously he was inspired by the words of Malcolm X, who said, “If someone came to the house Negro and said, ‘Let’s go, let’s separate,’ naturally that Uncle Tom would say, ‘Go where? What could I do without boss? Where would I live? How would I dress?

Who would look out for me?’ That’s the house Negro. But if you went to the field Negro and said, ‘Let’s go, let’s separate,’ he wouldn’t even ask you where or how. He’d say, ‘Yes, let’s go.’

And that one ended right there.”

My class, the class of 1987, was once that group that wouldn’t even ask you where or how, we’d just say “Let’s go.” Perhaps now we’ve become too much of that group that wonders where we would live and how would we dress.

If true, that’s a shame. But we look forward ahead to you, the current group of Trinity students, to be that other group that pushes us forward and says “Let’s go, let’s separate.” Trinity needs those voices and that spirit, and we need it as a nation.

Please don’t get caught up in fighting each other, when there is a greater foe out there. We, most especially the class of 1987, are counting on you.

Adam Lee is a winemaker in Sonoma County.

He graduated from Trinity University in 1987 with a double major in English and history and a minor in political science.

OPINION • OCTOBER 27, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

9

NPR troubles, or: The reign of Lulu CAMILLE REYES FACULTY COLUMNIST

I am an avid listener of National Public Radio (NPR), broadcast locally on KSTX. NPR is a bastion of quality journalism, or so it was.

Lately, their journalistic standards are sliding faster than Trump’s toupee. And it is your fault. I am kidding, sort of. Millennials and even younger people (Gen Z — do not get me started on these generational absurdities) have been blamed for the death of everything from napkins to cereal. (Google the word ‘millennials’ right now and I bet ‘killing’ will come up in the search bar.) How could you possibly be killing public radio programming? Before I expand my theory, I want to explain the actual problem through three recent examples.

While listening to All Things Considered on NPR a few weeks ago, I heard a news story about the Catalonian separatists in Spain. (You might have read the Trinitonian’s own excellent reporting on this story by Kendra Derrig with photo by Soleil Gaffner.) The NPR story begins with a journalist in Spain — so far so good. While having a reporter on the ground and familiar with the scene seems basic for professional journalism, international news is expensive to produce and more outlets are either outsourcing such coverage or skipping it. However, the journalist soon begins to explain the thoughts of her family and friends in Spain to explore the issue. Remember, this was

supposed to be a news story, not an editorial. This is such a basic violation of journalistic standards, such a conflict of interest that I did not even need to explain to my Mass Media class what was wrong with this situation.

The second example of decline also aired on All Things Considered. The news story marked the death of Hugh Heffner, the celebrity publisher of the Playboy media empire. While certainly newsworthy, the story was a total celebration of someone with a controversial legacy. They did not even use the word pornography, much less misogyny to discuss his actions. In fact, the most critical comment they could muster came from an advertising executive. He said that the Playboy brand had come to be perceived as cheesy to young people today. I did not want a takedown of the man, despite my passionate feelings against him. What I expected from my previously most trusted source of news was a balanced story that took sober stock of this complicated influencer of our culture. Instead I heard a posthumous puff piece — something for which journalists have a much more ironic, raunchy phrase.

The third and final example pertains to Weekend Edition Sunday, a purposefully more relaxed newscast from NPR. More relaxed once meant more feature stories about books, music, and the like. The journalist formerly known as Lourdes Garcia-Navarro hosts the show, only now she is just “Lulu.” She joins the ranks of entertainers known by only their first names: Cher, Celine, Oprah. My teeth already on edge, Lulu wished happy birthday to her husband over the air several

months ago. I tried not to smash my radio. No offense, Lulita.

I am willing to admit that my outrage could be overwrought.

However, I do think that NPR should hold itself to higher standards, especially during a time when the President of the United States attacks the media on the daily. Why is this happening at NPR? I suspect they are chasing the ears of millennials. I think they assume that you all do not care about objective reportage that attempts to be free from conflicts of interest, as well as grounded in a shared professionalism. Maybe they ran a survey or two to capture your supposed attitudes and beliefs. Although my sample is not statistically significant, I can assure them that they are wrong about you. In my experience, you all care very much, and I hope you will do something about this when you assume positions of influence within your respective communities post-graduation.

The more astute among you might be wondering why NPR would be chasing any kind of audience considering they are part of the public, tax payersupported media in this country.

In other words, they should not be subjected to the pressures of commercial media structures where the target audience of the advertisers is all mighty. The fact is that the well-meaning producers and administrators of public media have little choice as the federal government perennially slashes government contributions, forcing public media to become more reliant on corporate underwriting and member donations.

The corporations are definitely chasing marketing demographics, and the members are aging out. Which

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

brings us back to you and your coveted attention. NPR is arguably forced to chase you by altering their programming in a way that is supposed to appeal to you.

The public media system was founded in this country in 1967 as an alternative to commercial media. Newton Minow, a former chairman of the FCC, once infamously described commercial television as a “vast wasteland” (borrowing from T.S. Eliot). This is not to say that public media are perfect, but even cranky 40-somethings like me recognize

the vital role they play in our system. I do not have a solution, only a conviction that we need more federal funding for public media (and less money for bombs) to help diversify media ownership in this country. Hopefully the leadership at NPR will stop chasing these imagined millennials and return to chasing the best quality journalism, but they will need the financial independence to do so.

Camille Reyes is an assistant professor in the communication department.

Take care of yourself before all else THERESA HO OPINION COLUMNIST

Trinity University wasn’t my first choice for college. I wanted to keep living in Denver, Colorado with my family, my dog and my endlessly patient boyfriend. So when I came to visit Trinity two years ago, I wanted so badly to hate this place and everyone around it.

But the people were irritatingly nice, the campus was beautiful and the opportunities designed to enrich a student’s education were unique. Also, the chocolate chip cookies were delicious. So I started attending Trinity.

Even after I started going to school here, I didn’t want to do much. Most of the time, I played video games all night and slept all day. Back in Colorado, I shared a room with my younger brother and sister. Looking back, I think that maybe one of the reasons why I was so determined

to stay up was because sleeping in a bed without two pairs of tiny feet kicking my sides while I slept felt strange. I definitely irritated the hell out of my poor roommate during the year that we lived together.

My boyfriend had to gently but firmly suggest that I stop playing video games, eat something other than chips and go talk to people. Begrudgingly, I did. Mostly because he was right — though he usually is right anyway — but also because I was worried that if I made him upset, he would stop sending me care packages with love letters, and more importantly, bags of chips.

Eventually, I did make friends. They have cutting humor, but they’re subtly caring, and they share the same manic high I have that comes from being a workaholic. And as a sophomore, I feel better emotionally adjusted. At the very least, I go to all my classes now.

And I love Trinity and appreciate the things I have learned as well as the things I will learn in the future here.

One of the things that I love about Trinity is that many students here aren’t afraid to voice their opinions, even when those opinions might not be popular. Especially in the last couple of months, it seems like many students are very concerned about our national and international politics. With every new political event, it makes sense that students take the time to either evaluate or re-affirm their beliefs. After all, college is about discovering who you are and deciding what you believe in.

But while politics are important, at this point in the fall semester, I think that there are just as important subjects to talk about that are smaller and more personal than politics.

Though, let’s be honest, politics can get personal very quickly.

I think that it’s around this time, the point in which most midterms are over but not quite, that many students are under a lot of stress. A lot of students, including me, want to do very well here at Trinity. Sometimes, we take it really badly when

grades don’t go the way we want them to.

On top of that, it can be difficult to communicate with friends, family and roommates when there are issues with them or when we ourselves need someone to talk to. Not to mention the difficulties in maintaining romantic relationships on top of everything else.

“Students here aren’t afraid to voice their opinions, even when their opinions might not be popular.”

Though many Trinity students show amazing courage to voice to their political beliefs, it seems

that we are all, in some way or another, shaky when it comes to emotional issues. Today, we live in a highly charged political climate, but while it’s important for students to be citizens that are active in the community and aware of global events, it is just as important for students to take care of themselves mentally and emotionally. If we can speak up and passionately argue about whether our president is a good one or not, it seems only fair that we should be able to get help from professors, to set boundaries with a needy friend, or to speak up when a roommate isn’t going to class.

We need to approach taking care of ourselves and being kind to others with the same fervor we put into expressing our political beliefs and doing our homework.

But most importantly, I wanted to remind you all that you can do well here, and you will. Also, the cookies in Mabee are amazing — especially if they’re fresh.

Theresa Ho is a sophomore English and neuroscience double major.

10

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 27, 2017 •

OPINION

Stress is relative, a frazzled senior realizes MICAELA HOFFMAN OPINION COLUMNIST

Illustration by YESSENIA LOPEZ

Just before the scariest holiday of the year, something truly terrifying happened to me. I failed a midterm. BOO! Happy Halloween, Mikki!

Even when the truth is right in front of me, I keep denying, justifying and looking around hoping I’m not the only one — but sometimes, we just have to admit that we suck at some things. And boy, was it rough.

I am being real with you right now. I thought I was kinda smart, but this midterm season has got me humbled. My confidence levels? Sunk.

Anxiety pains? Spiking.

Maybe I should be doing something else with my life. Maybe I should be somewhere else. Maybe I am just not good enough. But, as a senior, it’s a little too late now to reconfigure my eggs, since I have thrown them hastily into the same basket. It’s like that funny Youtuber HowToCast, where he always makes a crazy mess throwing eggs everywhere, except that’s just my life.

Or, maybe this is Trinity, and I am being a little hard on myself. I might need help, and I might not be the only one. Maybe I need to withdraw and give myself a second chance. But the clock to graduation is ticking, and I’m asking myself if the GPA is worth the extra money and time.

A wise man said, “Mikki, it stands for either ‘Forget Everything And Run,’ or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’ ” So, despite the instinct to drop out of life and quit my dreams because I have made some serious mistakes, I am trying to take this moment as a challenge.

I want to be as intelligent as Einstein, as giving as Mother Theresa, as brilliant as Elon Musk and as self-assured as Malcolm Gladwell.

But I’m just Mikki. I have these impossibly lofty dreams of saving the world, but the reality is that I am flawed, and I’m stumbling all the time. It is as though somehow what is happening now is indicative of my whole future. I’m afraid that I am going to be a squandering failure, potential never realized; someone who just could not get their life together.

When I put myself in a position of discomfort and learning, it’s hard to expect perfection all the time. Sometimes I eat dirt, and I don’t know how to bounce back when it’s entirely my fault. Couldn’t I have studied harder? Couldn’t I have gone to more office hours? I am aware that I am balancing school, work, health, family and friends. Suddenly, it seems, time is scarce.

I am one of many. I am just not allowed to make excuses when so many other people have a harder time.

I can’t imagine what it would be like to be a student struggling with DACA (the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program) right now, or someone trying to support themselves while also going to school. These distractions make my problems seem pithy and pathetic.

Time to pick myself up by my bootstraps — or my Converse shoelaces — and keep climbing.

I have to let perfectionism go, along with the fear of screw ups.

This Halloween, I don’t want to be scared of making mistakes, failing classes and writing bad opinion columns, I just want to be spooked by a ghost yelling “Trick or treat!”

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

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.

Meet the finalists of the

Pulse

Stumberg Competition

Relax and Do Designs (RADD) owners SARAH FORDIN and JAMIE PROCTER present their hammocks at Stumberg Venture to the judges. photo by STEPHEN SUMRALL-ORSAK

Entrepreneurship students face off for final $25,000 prize MEREDITH GOSHELL

PULSE REPORTER Every year, Trinity University hosts the Stumberg Venture Competition, an event for student startups styled after “Shark Tank."

In the spring of 2017, students entered their new ideas and companies for a chance to win $5,000. This year, RADD Hammocks walked away with a $20,000 prize. Through the Judges' Choice award, Coldeclara.com walked away with a $5,000 award. Meet the other finalists:

Relax and Do Designs (RADD)

Relax and Do Designs, or RADD, is a high-quality outdoor gear brand bringing innovative designs craftsmanship back into the market. They primarily make a product that is both a hammock and a tent. Jamie Procter, junior business administration major, entrepreneurship minor and cofounder of RAD, saw a need for a more streamlined process for campers and hikers.

When someone is backpacking, they need their products to be as light as possible. The hammock is extremely light and has a rain tarp that provides the hiker with an easy form of shelter. Procter works on RADD with Sarah Fordin, a junior studying biology and computer science.

The company formed in 2016 out of Proctor’s love of camping. He has been hiking

and camping since he was a kid, while Fordin’s experience is in startups and computer science. They also ran a successful Kickstarter campaign for their product and raised over $10,000. For the Stumberg Competition, they have been working on perfecting their product.

Coldeclara.com

Coldeclara is a company born from the problem of the confusing tax-filing system in Colombia. Emilio and Joaquin Vernaza, two brothers from Colombia, saw how difficult it is to file taxes there and created Coldeclara, a user-friendly online platform that helps young professionals file their taxes on their own. While these systems are pretty prevalent in America, it is a different story in Colombia.

“Filing taxes in my country is an extremely painful experience because the existing process is done in paper, making it confusing, expensive and taking forever,” said Emilio Vernaza, a senior majoring in accounting and finance. “When I first used TurboTax, I did everything online, it took me 30 minutes, and got my refund in two weeks. That’s when I realized this is exactly what Colombia needs.”

After winning the original $5,000 Stumberg prize, they used that investment to incorporate their business, validate their Minimum-Viable-Product and invest in a digital marketing campaign. Thus far, they have acquired more than 100 customers and are looking to scale their operations for the growth they have seen. Emilio feels so strongly about his company that he is graduating early in December and plans to work full-time to develop Coldeclara.

Modern Knights

Modern Knights makes physical strategy games with collectible miniatures built around a fantasy world. Their focus is on miniature war games, similar to classics like Risk. In order to get started, they have been working with a large group of artists from around the world creating art and sculpting their miniatures to create the initial product line.

Within the company, work is divided up and carried out by teams that perform a variety of functions for the company; they even have a team solely dedicated to fantasy writing.

Modern Knights is the largest team competing and is comprised of James Lovett, Yesenia Caballero, Nicholas Smetzer, Niall Kitching, Meredith Peckham, Marshall Tickner, Logan Loveday, Adam Syed and Brock Lovett.

Pok-It

Pok-It is a clothing company that makes self-adhesive pockets to put on to clothing.

While the pocket is their first product, they hope to expand their line with products and services that provoke reactions of selfexpression from the sender while evoking emotional engagement from the receiver. It is run by Diego Trevino, Evan Murphy and Sean Pan.

Dbuntu

Dbuntu is an app that empowers farmers in Uganda with the right information to optimize their food production & performance. They also provide a platform for the distribution of food produce to markets with the greatest shortages and food insecurity. Through their app, they aim to harness the power of data and

machine learning to help feed the world by improving the life and efficiency of farmers.

“I believed in harnessing the power of data and machine learning to make decisions,” said Alvin Mbabzi, a senior from Uganda majoring in finance and entrepreneurship, with a specialization in data science and quantitative analytics.

The name Dbuntu is derived from the African proverb ‘Ubuntu’ means the spirit of humanity. They aspire to create a culture of ‘ubuntu’ in business, and so part of their culture requirements when recruiting are being adventurous and making others successful. To prepare for the competition, they have been practicing their speeches with one another and building their collaboration and team spirit. Their team consists of Alvin Mbabazi, Tatenda Ndambakuwa and Brent Mandelkorn.

Baking Brittney

Baking Brittney makes customized cake pops and cake pop arrangements that are deliverable, in addition to providing cake pop arrangement classes that teach everyone how to make their own arrangements that they get to take home at the end. Brittney Bowman, a 2017 Trinity graduate with an Accounting and Entrepreneurship degree and founder of Baking Brittney, has been making cake pops since her junior year of high school. The company grew out of her passion for baking.

“To get the company where it is, I have created the website that not only shows some of the products and designs that I offer, but also allows customers to place their order online,” Bowman said.

Entrepreneurship students stay on the grind

Something has been brewing in Jacob Hurrell-Zitelman's dorm room, and it's fresh cold brew

VICTORIA ABAD

PULSE INTERN Before March of 2017, the only thing Jacob Hurrell-Zitelman knew about coffee was that it woke him up before swim practice. Now he runs Quick Sip Cold Brew, an artisan coffee company with goals of becoming “the Starbucks of today.”

The sophomore business analytics and technology and business marketing major stumbled into the coffee industry by accident, while pursuing his goal of owning a business on North St. Mary’s Street that operates as a coffee shop by day and a bar by night.

Hurrell-Zitelman has since learned a lot about the up-and-coming cold brew. Cold brew can be designed in many different ways, whether it be through the place, temperature, farmer, elevation, roast process, or the beans chosen for the brew.

In researching for the potential bar, however, the coffee half of the business began to fascinate Hurrell-Zitelman.

“I met a lot of people in coffee. Learning that coffee was an art, as opposed to something that we consume for caffeine every day, really intrigued me,” Hurrell-Zitelman said.

Before long, Hurrell-Zitelman was pouring himself into coffee research. He learned that

the way people get their coffee has changed drastically in recent years.

Hurrell-Zitelman decided he had to learn to make the best coffee in the best way. As a purist, he wanted to find coffee that appealed to traditional drinkers as well as those who prefer pumpkin spice “Basically, there are three ways to get coffee. There’s quick service, which comes in a big can, and in the fifties everyone loved that. Then, it became about the experience, which is when Starbucks took over. Now, we’re moving into caring about actual bean quality and artisanal value in coffee,” Hurrell-Zitelman said.

“You can’t take specialty coffee home unless you’re buying all sorts of equipment, and spending a lot of time grinding and brewing this coffee,” Hurrell-Zitelman said.

Quick Sip was born to solve this problem.

The company started humbly in a Trinity entrepreneurship classroom, and expanded into a serious, successful business.

Hurrell-Zitelman began to work with a business partner he met in his bar research days. The pair have been brewing since.

continued on PAGE 13

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 27, 2017 •

PULSE

Engineering meets art for this glassblowing junior

Jessica Rodriguez uses physics in art VICTORIA ABAD

PULSE INTERN Imagine for a moment that you are holding a six-foot-long metal pipe that has five to 10 pounds of molten glass on it, burning hot between 1500–2000 degrees Fahrenheit. There are other people walking around also holding pipes with molten glass, yelling at each other. The glass is cooling down and you only have seconds turn it into whatever what you want.

This is the kind of art form that junior engineering major Jessica Rodriguez likes to do.

“It’s a strange experience, because of the danger of it but also the artmaking part,” Rodriguez said.

Glassblowing caught her attention when she was 14 years old. She liked its uniqueness and the physics of the process.

Rodriguez says she was rejected from several places for having no prior experience and for being female, but she finally found a teacher who initiated her into the art of glassblowing.

She is currently a member and assistant at Caliente Hot Glass art collective, where she gets to work on her own pieces. This is a big deal, even after doing it for as many years as she has. It is an expensive activity; however, she still enjoys assisting and watching the professional glassblowers

make their pieces once every week or every other week for a couple of hours.

Although she has been working professionally for about three years, she still considers herself a “baby glassblower.” In this art form, it is common for people to take at least 10 years to become professionals.

For Rodriguez, glassblowing is not only an outlet from school work, but also a way to combine her interests for art and physics in a single creative activity.

“Being an engineering major makes it more interesting, because I can apply almost every single one my classes to what I’m doing,” Rodriguez said. “It’s one of those things that I try my best to make time for, just because I need to.”

She admits that making a piece is very stressful, but at the same time it takes her mind away from classes and homework.

“It’s therapeutic. You’re going into a different world. You don’t have to think about a single thing other than, ‘My priority right now is this inanimate object that can probably really hurt me, but I want to make it beautiful,’ ” Rodriguez said.

What makes glassblowing different to other art forms she has tried is that the concept of a “perfect piece” is not exactly getting the result she originally planned. She discussed how, as a glassblower, you can only manipulate the glass to a certain extent. It’s very unlike drawing, where you are in absolute control of how the piece will look.

JESSICA RODRIGUEZ works on her glass art at Caliente Hot Glass. photo provided by JESSICA RODRIGUEZ

In this case, there are many factors that influence how the final shape will look, such as temperature and color application.

“Therefore, by the end, the piece is never going to look the way you intended it to. But that is a very beautiful form of expression, I think,” Rodriguez said.

Even the people who have been doing it for over 20 years as a main profession will start off with an idea of the piece and end up with a completely different result. One piece can take anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour to make,

but it demands the glassblower to make short, quick decisions the entire time. Thus, there is an immense amount of skill required to make each piece look like you want it to. The creative part is more in the process than in the final product.

Blowing glass for a living is an extremely expensive, long and time consuming process. But Rodriguez enjoys it so much she wants to keep doing it regardless.

In fact, she and two other Trinity students have been working on an entrepreneurship project called

Modern Renaissance, which is helping artists afford to create art as a career.

Rodriguez, Adam Syed, senior music composition major, and James Lovett, junior psychology major, are starting this company to provide funding for artists to help them get into galleries, and make their professions affordable. If this project picks up, Rodriguez said she would prioritize glassblowing even more and might consider it as a profession. Until then, you can catch her at Caliente Hot Glass or in the engineering labs.

PULSE • October 27, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

13

What’s brewing at TU? New International Club continued from FRONT PAGE

continued from PAGE 11

“We spent months, me and my partner, trying the same coffee over and over again,” Hurrell-Zitelman said.

Finally, they found the right time, roaster and all those little details that come together in order to make a delicious, unique cup of coffee.

Quick Sip beans come from a single woman who farms in a high-elevation zone of Ethiopia, and are roasted by an award-winning, local roaster.

The coffee features bright, floral tones.

Hurrell-Zitelman designed two flavors, original and Texican, for two distinct tastes; the former is geared toward “coffee purists,” while the latter is for those who prefer sweeter, Starbucks-like drinks.

There are also reasons for choosing cold brew as opposed to hot coffee. HurrellZitelman claims that cold brew is less acidic in the way it affects the digestive system.

“With cold brew, since it steeps over time instead of over heat, a lot of the acid is dissipated,” Hurrell-Zitelman said.

This process is less harmful to the environment because no heat is required. In brewing the coffee, no electricity is used and no coal is burned.

Only a few Trinity students have purchased Hurrell-Zitelman’s product so far, but of those interviewed.

“I think Quick Sip is fantastic! I’ve had it a few times since Jacob started producing it last year and have always been very impressed with the quality and the pretty unique packaging for a coffee,” said senior Charles Clark.

Junior Ivy Claflin likes that the Texican coffee has a great flavor, is not very acidic and can be enjoyed with or without cream.

“Quick Sip is absolutely the best cold brew I have ever had. I just bought a tub of it for $15 because I am obsessed,” Claflin said.

Quick Sip is now sold in several quick service restaurants, including The Growler Exchange, Fratello’s Italian Market & Deli and both locations of Jugo Juicery. The cold brew coffee has also been featured on the local TV show, “SA Live.”

When asked what advice he would offer to aspiring entrepreneurs, Hurrell-Zitelman stressed the importance of tenacity.

“This game is very long and very lonely. But don’t give up, and don’t let other people tell you you can’t do this,” Hurrell-Zitelman said.

In the future, Hurrell-Zitelman hopes to get his product on the shelves of the both campus PODs. Until then, like Quick Sip on Facebook.

He is happy to deliver coffee directly to individual students’ dorms when they order it on his website at quicksipcoffee.com.

JACOB HURRELL-ZITELMAN prepares a cold brew. photo by STEPHEN SUMRALL-ORSAK

Regis Noubiap, a senior international student, hopes to address the issue of lack of leadership within the International Club and to facilitate the return of the club in time for the spring banquet. (Noubiap is also an advertising executive for the Trinitonian.)

He is currently holding focus groups to get feedback from other international students to assess the level of need for the club.

“Regis has a lot of passion for the International Club, and I think he’ll help bring it back,” said Sajoy Pottian, a junior and former member of the International Club.

International students face many hurdles to overcome when they arrive at Trinity. In Pottian’s experience, International Club helps students address feelings of homesickness.

“It’s really easy for international students to get homesick, especially when you come here alone. I used to have someone who came to my room when she was a freshman.

She was from Tanzania, and she used to come over at twelve or one in the morning just because she was homesick. I remember whenever I felt like that, I looked forward to International Club, because then I would get to meet with people who are feeling the same way,” Pottian said.

The international community at Trinity is large. Diversity binds the group together as the International club brings students together to find commonalities and help alleviate culture shock.

“I am from Quito, Ecuador and until the moment I haven’t felt homesick. In the class of 2021, they are three Ecuadorians. In my transition to college people from Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia had help smooth my transition because I can talk my native language and share a variety of values from the Latino community,” said Ivanna Rusinique, first year Biochemistry major.

Cross-cultural exchange is one of the defining aspects of the International Club, as it incorporates many cultures.

“I think that bringing the International Club back is important mainly because otherwise you don’t get to know all the international students. There will be more cultural exchange and mutual support. I know the Latin American students — I don’t know the Asian students,” said firstyear Nicolas Diaz, who came to Trinity from Ecuador. Diaz appreciates the existing support network for international students, but feels that the return of the club would strengthen the support network.

“I came to Trinity because there are a lot of international students, especially from my country. So, I kind of felt not so much in the USA, but at home. It’s a feeling of mutual Latin American culture,” Diaz said. “The return of the International Club would be more support for us.”

The return of the International Club is not yet assured.

“We’re not trying to support an organization just because it’s there — we want to make sure it’s important and substantive,” Seese said. “What we’re doing is asking, ‘Okay, what are the needs of the international students and how can the International Club help?’ ” To help answer that question, the Center for International Engagement is gathering information from students on how best to address their needs.

“We’re hoping to make a collective decision with students by next semester, because we feel by that time we’ll have the information and the feedback we need to make a proposal and see what students think. It involves surveys, focus groups and we’ll have a table during the International Engagement week, which is the third week of every November, and we’ll have a survey for students to take,” Seese said.

For more information, on the International Club’s revival, contact Regis Noubiap at rnoubiap@trinity.edu.

Drag Show ZETA CHI PRESENTS

HAVE THOUGHTS ON THE TRINITONIAN? We’re assembling a focus group for the newspaper!

We’re looking for: • Avid readers of the Trinitonian • Involved students looking for a volunteering opportunity • Tigers who want their voice to be heard in the campus paper If interested, please email us at trinitonian@trinity.edu

Friday, October 27th at 7:00 p.m. in the Fiesta Room All donations benefit the San Antonio Aids Foundation

INTERESTED IN PERFORMING? CONTACT Sarah Jacobs at sjacobs@trinity.edu

FROM THE CREATORS OF THE FOOD AND DRINK ISSUE and THE FASHION ISSUE

“WE ALL WRITE DOWN HERE...”

THE TRINITONIAN PRESENTS...

THE HALLOWEEN ISSUE THE TRINITONIAN PRESENTS A TRINITONIAN STUDIOS SPECIAL ISSUE FEATURE WITH ARTICLES ENTER IF YOU DARE BY ALEX URI AND THOUGHTS FROM ABROAD BY SOLEIL GAFNER AND STUDENTS REFLECT ON NOT CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN BY KAYLE KING AND POINT-COUNTERPOINT

BY CATHY TERRACE AND GABRIEL LEVINE AND LAST-MINUTE COSTUMES BY CRISTINA KODADEK AND THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW BY ABIGAIL WHARTON

HALLOWEEN • OCTOBER 27, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

SIDEWALK SPOOKPOSIUM “WHAT WAS YOUR BEST HALLOWEEN COSTUME?”

15

ENTER IF YOU DARE A letter from the (Managing) Editor On a dark and stormy night, the Trinitonian staff gathered to write about all things creepy and spooky on Trinity’s campus. Outside the newsroom walls, students turned into the walking dead from midterms and had their will to live drained by vampiric-papers. Unwashed students sulked around campus like the Wolf Man and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Chairs sat empty in classrooms as if the students had been abducted by aliens.

Inside the newsroom copy editors traded stories with news reporters, opinion columnists swapped tales with

illustrators and news reporters spun a yarn with the Director of Digital Presence. They told each other stories of orphans and widows wandering around on abandoned pages, stories of students stepping on the Trinity seal and never graduating and stories about the ghosts of past editors that still haunt the dungeon under Student Involvement.

From these scary stories, the Halloween special section came to be. They collected stories from Trinity students who choose to not participate in Halloween festivities, a preview of the theater department’s production of “The Rocky Horror Picture

Show,” a quick and easy guide for lastminute costume ideas and a reflection on what it is like studying abroad during the spookiest of holidays.

If you are brave enough, dear reader, you can use this special section as your guide as you dodge ghouls and goblins this October 31. If you’re looking for what to do for the holiday, read on. If you’re looking for what to wear to scare your friends, read on. However, I must warn you this special section is not for the faint of heart. So, enter if you dare.

Alexandra Uri, Managing Editor

AUSTIN PIERCE GRADUATE STUDENT “Austin Powers.”

THOUGHTS FROM ABROAD: CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN IN SPAIN SOLEIL GAFFNER

ANNA LUND FIRST-YEAR

“I’m really bad at Halloween.

My name is Anna, so this year I’m dressing as Princess Anna from ‘Frozen.’”

JANE COSTAUZA HEAD OF DISCOVERY SERVICES AT COATES LIBRARY

“A voodoo queen.”

Studying abroad is one of those once-in-alifetime opportunities that is hard to pass up.

But missing your favorite American holidays while abroad will always make you think twice.

Halloween is undoubtedly a very American tradition, but you won’t be completely stuck if you decide to study abroad next fall. There are plenty of ways you can still get in on the fun of fright nights and free candy, even over 1,000 miles away. Please keep in mind, my advice is based from one student in a European country.

Anyone going to the rest of the world is really on their own here.

The easiest form of celebrating Halloween from abroad is simply pretending you’re still in the United States! There are plenty of American food stores littered around European cities — usually I just find a lot of Poptarts and barbeque sauce, but you can be inventive. Make a quick trip to one of these shops and buy out their entire candy section. Once you throw out the receipt and share some candy with your new international friends, it’ll feel exactly like Halloween back home! If you’re brave enough, you can go dressed up in your costume of choice. Hopefully the person behind the counter knows what day it is.

After your quick stop-and-shop, you can cement your friendship by watching a terrifying movie together. Or, if that’s not the vibe you want to give off, just watch “Hocus Pocus” or “Twitches.” We all know the mysterious underground methods that one uses to watch their favorite movies that aren’t on Netflix, but in a public newspaper, I’m here to tell you to use Amazon Prime or something. Pay for your movies, kids.

The friends that you make abroad, whether international or fellow Americans, will definitely enjoy bonding over a spooky movie.

Movies are a wonderful bonding experience, especially in a group. By the end, you will have all shared this nostalgic experience of American Halloween, which can be just what you need if you’re feeling homesick.

Another option is to go to an activity that could be seen as vaguely American! I’m currently studying in Madrid, Spain, and one of the most popular cultural activities is going to a soccer game on a Sunday night. The two teams we have, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid, both host games on Sundays. They’re full of avid fans, awed tourists and plenty of sporty food. Hotdogs (perritos calientes), orange

Join the MAS program & Trinity University Latino Association for: Dia De Los Muertos Workshop & Altar Opening with speaker Veronica Castillo:

MAGGI LINKER

October 30th, 4 – 5:30 pm Coates Center

SOPHOMORE

“I dressed as an Olympic gymnast one year. My brother was an Olympic wrestler, and my parents were dressed as coaches.” photos by STEPHEN SUMRALL-ORSAK

Fanta (Fanta de naranja), any type of sandwich, potato chips and even some traditional gummy candies! After getting your comfort food, sitting in a stadium full of manic fans can really take you back home to the vibes you might get from watching a game with your friends.

If you’re less the do-it-yourself type and moreso the jump-in-headfirst type, consider just buying into the tourist traps that pop up in any big European city! The nightclubs and bars know exactly what day Halloween is, and they love cashing in on any popular holiday! There are thousands of American students in any European country, and nightclubs take special care to cater to our demographic. Feel free to take your best costume to a club and enjoy a Halloween special, complete with pumpkins, orange and black streamers and maybe even a spooky drink. You might be able to get a discount to get into these clubs just because you’re in costume — apparently that’s a thing.

Don’t think that your fall holidays are unattainable just because you plan on being in another country. Spooky vibes are universal, and you can always find ways to celebrate your freaky love in unconventional ways that still get the job done!

Lecture with Veronica Castillo: October 31st, 12:45 – 2:00 pm Northrup 218

16

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 27, 2017 •

HALLOWEEN

STUDENTS REFLECT ON NOT CELEBRATING HALLOWEEN KAYLIE KING

As Halloween approaches, many students are excited for the holiday and are making plans to celebrate. However, some students either choose not to celebrate or grew up not celebrating, and view Halloween differently than most Trinity students.

Morgan Jones, junior engineering science major, grew up celebrating Halloween, but hasn’t celebrated since his sophomore year of high school.

“The biggest reason of all is that I’m just too busy,” Jones said. “Engineering is hard, and a lot of obnoxious work. I probably won’t even realize when Halloween day will be until I see people in costumes. From my understanding, the bulk of most Halloween celebrations at college just involves partying with unusual outfits. I’m not a party person at all, so it doesn’t seem to be anything special in my opinion.”

Jones explained that not celebrating Halloween doesn’t seem to be a big deal at Trinity.

“It didn’t really matter to me whether I was one of the few or not,” Jones said. “You either went out to socialize or you were doing something else. Last year, my roommate wasn’t celebrating Halloween either, and it didn’t bother either of us.”

Danielle Couch, a junior business administration and technology major, didn’t really celebrate Halloween when she was growing up.

“My family considers it the ‘devil’s holiday,’” Couch said. “For this reason, we didn’t go trick-or-treating, decorate the house or watch

illustration by YESSENIA LOPEZ

Halloween movies. We did have a ‘fall festival’ at church where we were allowed to dress up in costumes and play games to win candy. I always joke that this was our Jewish Christmas since we partake in some traditions, but just so that we aren’t left out. Coming to Trinity was like a culture shock to see how much everyone

POINT

,

celebrates and gets prepared for the holiday. I even know people that get gifts for Halloween and go all out. It’s really fun to dress up now and watch Halloween movies and go out to different events.”

Because of the way she was raised, Couch did not realize how uncommon it was to

not celebrate Halloween until she started attending Trinity.

“I went to public school but I guess the topic never came up and I was always allowed to participate in wearing a costume to school,” Couch said. “Now I realize that there were some traditions that I missed out on but I don’t think that it ruined my childhood since my parents substituted Halloween activities with fall ones. For example, we decorated our house with a scarecrow family instead of any scary spiders or ghosts. I haven’t adopted the same negative feelings that my family has towards Halloween and I’m having fun catching up on all the movies I missed.”

Couch has found it easy to adapt to celebrating Halloween at Trinity, even though some people may be surprised that she didn’t celebrate before college.

“It is really funny to see people’s reactions when I tell them I never celebrated Halloween but I know that I come from a much more conservative background than most of the other students at Trinity,” Couch said. “I think Trinity is a perfect place for people of all backgrounds to come together and learn about why we do what we do and what makes us who we are and so I love learning all about how others grew up and Halloween is just something new to learn about and experience.

I especially love the costume part of it. Also, the church that I go to, The Park, does trick or treat at Mark Twain Middle School and I love to help out and dress up and hand out candy to the kids.”

COUNTERPOINT

Cathy Terrace and Gabriel Levine discuss whether to DIY or buy your Halloween costume GABRIEL LEVINE

CATHY TERRACE Running low on funds? Don’t want to use a boring store-bought costume? No worries, there’s a simple solution: this Halloween, make your own costume! DIY (do it yourself ) costumes sometimes get a bad rap. They’re too last minute, not as put-together as ones you could purchase in a store or online, etc. But before you go to Party City this year, consider these reasons why getting creative is the right move for your Halloween looks.

1. Store-bought costumes are almost always overpriced. Why spend almost $100 on a Little Mermaid costume when you could just as easily wear a green skirt, purple top, and a couple fake sea shells? People will still get your costume, but this way you can afford to buy candy instead.

2. It’s fun to make costumes with friends.

Whether you’re going to a party or passing out candy to trick-or-treaters, you might as well make a night out of it! Get a group of friends together and brainstorm some fun ideas, or troll Pinterest and find some of the wackiest costumes out there. Either way, you’ll have a fun time in the process, especially if you choose to tackle some intricate costumes.

3. Or, put in minimal work and money.

Part of the charm of DIY costumes is that it’s

however much effort you want to put in. Just want to wear regular clothes? Put on some jeans and a red bandana and you’ll instantly become Rosie the Riveter. Or, stick smarties on those same jeans — you’ll be the ‘smartie pants’ everyone is jealous of.

4. You’re rarely an outfit repeater when you make your own. You’ll see plenty of sexy cops, sexy witches, sexy nurses, etc., but if you wear all blue and put a shoe on your head you will most likely be the only ‘gum under a shoe’ at the party. But, on the off chance you do, it’s always a blast to compare costumes; if you run into another cat burglar this Halloween, you can see who did it better.

5. You can get creative! This is by far the most compelling reason to make your own costume.

Store bought outfits are all the same — they’ve either been ridiculously overdone, like cops, or they’re just characters from TV shows or movies. And both are likely to be objectifying; some nights, you really don’t want to have to put in the effort to be sexy Rick Grimes or a sexy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. So before you commit to spending way too much money, think about making a costume that is original and going to save you money.

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT

Halloween is approaching once again, and with it comes the spooky, terrifying dilemma: Should you buy a costume or make your own?

For creative types, especially those who own a wide variety of strange clothing already, making your own costume is probably a great, fun idea.

However, for everyone else, buying a costume works just fine.

Now, it’s almost certainly true that a selfmade costume will look better and have the added sheen of originality, as compared to a store-bought costume. However, a self-made costume requires several crucial components that most students don’t have.

First: time. It’s a not insubstantial effort to acquire and assemble various pieces of fabric or other more exotic materials into a functional costume. Fiddling around with scissors, thread, and glue can take hours and, in the middle of the semester, that can be a luxury. Halloween’s faux-spookiness is supposed to be fun, it makes no sense to make it actually terrifying by limiting the amount of time available to study for midterms.

Second: skills shortage. It’s fair to say that most students probably haven’t done much arts and crafts in recent years and most certainly don’t know how to sew. Given these deficiencies, attempting to make your own costume might become a time-consuming endeavor that won’t even work. The possibility of sinking hours into a costume that immediately starts falling apart due to a poorly sewn seam or the fragility of Elmer’s glue is a pretty worrying one.

Third: expense. Making one’s own costume can still cost money. Most students who’d want to make their own costume probably don’t already have everything they need in their wardrobe. To get those materials, then, it’ll still be necessary to drive to arts stores or Goodwills and spend money on the components of a costume.

Clearly, for most students, making your own costume is too time consuming, excessively difficult and still costs money.

Luckily, the alternative of buying a costume is easy.

I’ve actually been using the same storebought costume every Halloween since my first year at Trinity. It’s a fleece Batman onesie that I picked up for $20 at Target. It zips up in the front and is easy to get in and out of, has deep pockets and, best of all, it comes with a Velcro-attached cape.

As for popular reception, people love the Batman onesie, particularly the cape.

Also, it’s never any worse of a costume than anyone else’s. Indeed, the Target onesies were such a hit my first year that at least seven or eight people I knew also purchased them in Superman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle variants. The further benefit of buying that kind of Halloween costume is that it has good practical uses. A full-body zip-up fleece onesie is great fashion for winter days when you’re in a rush to get to class or as regular pajamas in a room where the air conditioner is too cold.

Other store-bought costumes can have secondary uses too. Once, for a theme party I picked up a $5 pirate set from Walmart that consisted of an eyepatch, plastic sword and fake hoop earring. The plastic sword now hangs on my wall like something out of “Arabian Nights.”

Most self-made Halloween costumes probably won’t have these sorts of secondary uses and can probably only be worn once a year, assuming they don’t fall apart. So, if you’ve got the creative instinct and the time to spare, by all means make your own costume for Halloween. If you don’t, a storebought costume will work just as well, and maybe better.

HALLOWEEN • OCTOBER 27, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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LAST- MINUTE COSTUMES CRISTINA KODADEK As Halloween approaches, many Trinity students are finding themselves without a spooky costume. We procrastinators have put off finding a costume for so long that now we find ourselves scrambling to throw something together at the last minute, and in my case I already know it won’t come together as well as I want it to. Even worse, many people will panic and lose their inspiration when they realize that Halloween is upon them and they no longer have time to put off finding a costume.

To help solve this problem, here are a few easy ideas for last-minute Halloween costumes that are quick and simple to put together and will hopefully be more satisfactory than the classic sheet ghost.

Wednesday Addams

This striking character is a timeless classic and her unsettling aura is perfectly suited to the Halloween vibe. All that ladies need to do is find a plain black dress and braid their hair in two pigtail braids. Add some black shoes and you’re good to go. If you’re feeling committed to the original character, add a white collared shirt that shows above the dress and some black hose to complete the look.

Error 404

The fastest idea on this list to put together is also one of the simplest. All you have to do is write “Error 404: Costume not found” on a piece of paper and tape it to whatever shirt you want to wear. Even though this might particularly appeal to those with an interest in computer science, anyone at all can quickly and easily make this ironic costume.

If nothing else, it’ll provide you with a good laugh all night, especially when your friends who went all-out with their costumes roll their eyes at you.

Tourist

For those who still want to go all-out on a costume in very little time, this is an option for you. Find the brightest, loudest tropical print shirt you can and pair it with a pair of khaki cargo shorts. Add a pair of high socks and some sneakers, strap on your fanny pack and slide on some sunglasses on your way out the door. If you can find a fisherman’s hat, I highly encourage you to wear it all night. With or without the hat, you can always use sunscreen to give yourself stripes under your eyes.

Rosie the Riveter

I know this is another female costume, but I think it’s another timeless classic that’s too good to pass up. All that’s needed for this outfit is a dark blue button-up shirt and a pair of jeans. To complete the image, tie a red bandana around your head and some bright red lipstick.

Hopefully, one of these ideas will provide some inspiration for you to go out in full costume this Halloween weekend. If not, keep an eye out for these and more last-minute costumes and know that the person wearing it may very well have put it together in 10 minutes before heading out to enjoy their spooky weekend.

If you throw together a last-minute costume this Halloween tag us in a photo on either Instagram or Twitter @Trinitonian for a chance to win a prize.

TOP: TAYLER WEATHERS, sophomore psychology and classical studies major, models her best Wednesday Addams look. BOTTOM: JAMES LOVETT, sophomore psychology major, gets ready to sightsee in his lastminute tourist costume. photos by STEPHEN SUMRALL-ORSAK

TRINITY TRADITION: THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW ABIGAIL WHARTON “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” has been thrilling audiences and continues to acquire an international cult following since its release in 1975.

Despite a robust musical score and a cast starring legends like Tim Curry and Susan Sarandon, the film bombed at the daytime box office. Midnight screenings became popular in the mid-1970s and “Rocky Horror” became an iconic Halloween fixture with the new time slot and the assistance of its growing fan base.

‘Shadow casts’ are made up of fans dressed in costume who mimic the actions on screen and lip-sync all the lines and lyrics. Every year Trinity’s theatre department takes part in this 40-year-old tradition.

“I was in the show last year as a part of the ensemble and I had so much fun with that,” said Erica Schoenberg, sophomore theatre major and co-director of the show. “I think the Trinity tradition of doing ‘Rocky Horror’ is really fun.”

“Last year I had never seen it before or anything, not even the full movie until part way through rehearsals, but I was glad I got to experience this well-established cultural tradition. I feel like movies and stuff that I watched when I was younger kind of showed ‘Rocky Horror’ as almost an adolescent rite of passage, so I think it’s awesome that Trinity does it every year and that I’ve gotten to be part of it two for two so far!” Schoenberg said.

Cast members agree that a single viewing of the production is enough to fall in love with musical-comedy-horror mashup.

“I wanted to be in the show this year as soon as I saw it performed last year! I love that we get to do this wacky show — it’s just so campy and you can make the characters act however you want,” said Anna Wallack, sophomore psychology major and this year’s Riff Raff shadow.

The plot of the show centers around a young, innocent couple driving home on a rainy night. After their car breaks down, they find themselves in a castle full of increasingly strange and bizarre characters, like Riff Raff.

“When I’m playing Riff Raff, I make my eyes bug out, turn myself into a hunchback, and splay my hands out like a salamander. I do a lot of hissing noises and kind of sound like an exaggerated Snape,” Wallack said.

But getting into character is harder for some than others.

“My most challenging aspect is probably getting into shape. I’m not a hunk so I’m going to be working on that,” said Kody Nace, junior theatre major and the cast member shadowing Rocky this year.

Nace is three for three when it comes to taking part in Rocky Horror.

“I first got involved my freshman year and I have loved doing it every year since then,” Nace says.

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show” has debuted everywhere from Broadway stages to silver screens around the world. In 2016, the film was controversially remade for TV with celebrities like Laverne Cox and Adam Lambert stepping into the well-beloved roles of Frank-n-Furter and Eddie. On Oct. 25–26, the Fiesta Room filled with costumes, games and showings of the iconic film. Co-director Erica Schoenberg assures there is something for everyone.

“If people haven’t seen it before, I hope they enjoy it, buy into the camp of the show, you know. If they have seen it, I hope it’s as fun as ever — the purpose of the show is really just to have a fun and sexy and chaotic time and buy into the ridiculousness of the movie and story for a few hours,” Schoenberg said. “And, I hope that a few people at least see it and think, ‘Wow that looks fun I wish I had auditioned’ and be part of it next year!”

The cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show go through a dress rehearsal. The show ran from Oct. 25–26 in the Fiesta Room. photos by ALLISON WOLFF

AE &

“Stranger Things” promises to get even stranger

New Orleans rhythm and blues musician Fats Domino dies at age 89

The long-awaited second season of the hit Netflix show promises to scratch our 80’s nostalgia itch yet again on Oct. 27.

Domino’s unique interpretation of blues and creole music was a precursor to rock’n’roll, and influenced many artists, including Elvis Preseley.

Dia de los Muertos and Halloween: A tale of two traditions

San Antonio’s rich culture provides many opportunities for people to experience both events

DIA DE

HALLOWEEN

LOS MUERTOS

October 31

November 2

ABIGAIL WHARTON A&E CONTRIBUTOR

Although they fall around the same time of year and seem to celebrate all things sugary and skeletal, Dia de los Muertos and Halloween are two distinct traditions that are not to be confused.

Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is celebrated on Nov. 2. This falls on All Souls’ Day, a Christian holiday set aside to honor the dead. Families in Mexico and the United States often take the opportunity to visit and clean the gravesites of friends and loved ones. Decorations are placed on the plot while families eat, sing and tell stories about those who have passed.

Ofrendas, or altars, are important tools for the tradition. They can be set up on the gravesite or in the family home. Photos of the deceased are paired with icons of favorite patron saints, sugar skulls, yellow marigolds and lit candles. Treats like mole, hot chocolate, dried fruit and pan de muerto make it to the altar as well with the favorite foods and drinks of the deceased.

Celebreates All Hallow’s Eve in the Pagan and Celtic traditions.

Primarily co-opted by commercial traditions such as trick-or-treating and costumes.

Some Christians, however, attend church in celebration.

Remembrance of All Souls’ Day, a Catholic holiday set aside to honor the dead.

Altars, known as ofrendas, are set up at gravesites and family homes to honor the dead.

The favorite foods and drinks of the deceased are served to welcome their spirits back.

graphic by TYLER HERRON

Ofrendas welcome the spirit of loved ones into the home.

Halloween, also known as All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Eve, is celebrated on Oct. 31. While this is still a day meant to remember the dead, it is a relatively

commercialized holiday that co-opts Celtic and pagan traditions. Some Christians celebrate All Saints’ Eve by attending church, but Halloween as we know it is angled more towards ghost stories, costumes and candy than spirituality.

The Trinity University Latino Association (TULA), in collaboration with Norma Cantu, Murchison professor of the humanities in the department of modern languages and literature, is bringing a taste of Dia de los Muertos traditions to Trinity’s campus. An ofrenda display will be in place in the Coates University Center from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3.

On Oct. 30, local ceramicist and gallery owner Veronica Castillo will host a workshop on campus to help construct the display. After the workshop, a reception will be held to allow for some light refreshments and conversation.

Castillo has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and has been named a National Heritage Fellow.

Her own artistic tradition is rooted in the indigenous communities of Puebla Mexico. Castillo will also speak to Cantu’s U.S. Latinx Experience class on Oct. 31.

The San Antonio community offers several rich ways to experience Dia de los Muertos as well. From Oct. 28–Nov. 9, Galeria Guadalupe is packed with ofrendas by featured artists, community groups and organizations. These displays are as artistic as they are personal and provide an intimate learning experience for viewers.

On Nov. 1–2, Pearl Park will host a celebration including ofrenda displays, music, processions and crafting. Regional artists, dancers and an all-female mariachi band are scheduled to perform.

Between campus and city programming there are many ways to learn and get involved in the tradition of Dia de los Muertos.

Virginia Grise’s 4-minute master cleanse Latina artist reads from her multi-genre manifesto, “Your Healing is Killing Me” GEORGIE RIGGS A&E CONTRIBUTOR

Trinity continued the Latinx Heritage Month celebrations with a reading by playwright, director and performer Virginia Grise on Oct. 12 in the Holt Center. Grise grew up in San Antonio and earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Austin. Connecting elements of Chicano and queer identity in her work, Grise creates art that both critiques systems of oppression and personalizes them.

Her latest work “Your Healing is Killing Me” combines parts of performance art, poetry, lecture and even therapy. Framed around the concept of Mao Zedong’s “4 Minute Workout,” Grise synthesizes scenes from her own life into a performance manifesto on healing and its connection to capitalism.

Grise is able to communicate such complex concepts due, in part, to her ability to multitask as a writer, director and performer.

Beginning as a question posed to students to list things that were killing them and formulated around literal scraps of poetry

from Grise, the work turns the specific and mundane into a relevant and political piece of theater.

Speaking to an intimate crowd, Grise made the reading feel more like a conversation, allowing the often personal and sometimes traumatic subject matter to feel more organic.

Speaking of her father, she tells of the day that Ronald Reagan died. Grise’s father bought a cake and lit the candles, repeating the words “Ronald Reagan was an awful man.” The anecdote shows in a small way how Grise’s writing often works tragicomically.

A full chapter of the manifesto detailed her adventure through New York City attempting to heal her eczema, including black market steroid cream dealers and master

cleanse missteps. But it would disregard the urgency of her work to describe any of these moments as purely comedic.

“What is making me sick is capitalism,” Grise said during a candid question and answer portion that covered everything between the logistics of producing “Your Healing is Killing Me” and the PTSD of Vietnam War veterans.

“Everywhere I go I am confronting a system,” Grise said, discussing her process of learning to take care of herself after moving to New York City. “Doctors operate in a system that ultimately doesn’t want us to be healthier.”

This philosophy presents itself in her writing process as well, with Grise aligning

her work as an act of liberation for herself.

Starting with a low-budget performance in Houston, “Your Healing is Killing Me” worked with an all-woman and trans crew in New York. Grise said this piece marked a transition in her relationship with writing because she changed the way she approached it.

Instead of “beating herself up” in the process, she focused on healthier writing habits. She found that while this meant the writing process was not as difficult as she had imagined it would be, the performance was more difficult than usual.

“These stories are inside of you. What was able to happen at these shows was that I was able to release them,” Grise said.

VIRGINIA GRISE discusses medecine, captialism and more in the latest TULA-sponsored lecture. With experience as a playwright, director and performer, Grise’s work is as complex as it is genre-defying. photo by STEPHEN SUMRALL-ORSAK

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • OCTOBER 27, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Fall Concert: A choral delight from Trinity’s singing groups Voix d’Esprit, Chamber Singers and more perform in Parker Chapel AUSTIN DAVIDSON A&E CONTRIBUTOR

I had a really wonderful time at the choir’s Fall Concert in Parker Chapel last Tuesday.

I am in no way qualified to give a legitimate review of the choir concert, but what I can say is that everyone should attend Trinity choral performances.

The chapel itself is beautiful and yet not too overpowering. It doesn’t distract from the performers, but it is quite a stunning building. I was surrounding by a surprisingly large crowd. Each pew in the church was filled with people, an honest blend of students, faculty and parents.

We all clapped for a very long time as the first group, the Trinity Choir, began to file into their places on the risers. They were all dressed smartly and the conductor, Gary Seighman, was dressed in slick white tux.

After a brief introduction, the concert began.

The first song they did was moving, the voices of the choir blending in a smooth and definite way, making for a great opening. What followed was an equally great piece, a religious hymn that gave me goosebumps.

But for me the best part of this set was a pretty incredible collaboration piece with Benjamin Stevens, visiting assistant professor of classical studies, and the Trinity Choir. It started with a solo from Stevens and was followed by a haunting collaboration from the full choir. It was moving. The mix of old and young and the positive message that the song carried of race and dreams made for a lucid experience.

The Trinity Choir then continued with their set and killed it. When they finished they were met with a resounding applause. They were followed by the Chamber Singers, who have been selected for the National Collegiate Choral Organization Annual Conference, held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We were given the pleasure of hearing the set they would be playing at this national competition.

While I can’t say I have the trained ear to really know how good these guys and girls are, I can say that I loved everything they did. They were accompanied by beautiful harp, piano, violin and bell players, and each song was better than the last. I knew some of their members and it was amazing to watch these incredible, multifaceted individuals show how truly talented they are and how hard they work at something they love.

After the Chamber Singers finished they were followed by the final act, Voix d’Esprit, or The Voice of Spirit. An all-women choir, each singer wore a different colored scarf and carried a folder of music and a small light.

Their performance was different from the others but in interesting and unique ways.

One of their pieces had a light component to it, where all the lights were turned off and the small lights they carried added to their changes in pitch and the pauses in the song.

Trinity’s Voix d’Esprit performing for the Fall Concert. The all-female vocal ensemble was one of many groups to participate in the 2017 Fall Concert, showcasing the unique power of the female voice. photo by CHLOE SONNIER

In another piece they were accompanied by an operatic singer, associate professor of music Jacquelyn Matava.

For the final number of the night, they sang an energetic and sweeping choral piece with Julia Westwick singing a solo. I would wager to say she stole the night. Her voice was strong and sweet, and it added a truly gospel element to it all.

It was heartening to see the amount of people out at the chapel supporting

these incredibly talented people doing something they love. An appreciation for the many different facets of artistic expression on our campus is something we should all strive for.

If you have a relatively open evening and want to relax and enjoy some lovely singing, look no further than the Trinity Choir. I left the church hall happy and moved, but disappointed that I couldn’t sit in the pew, rewind and listen to it all again.

Cirque du Soleil breaks the ice with “Crystal” The company’s first show to feature skating dazzles crowd NOELLE BARRERA A&E INTERN

Dancing, acrobatics, leaps through the air and more: “Crystal” is the latest production by renowned Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil, and it’s different from any circus performance you’ve seen before. “Crystal” is Cirque du Soleil’s 42nd original show since 1984, and the first of its kind to fuse ice skating and circus acts.

“The inspiration was actually ice as a component of speed, fluidity and reflexivity, and we wanted to blur skating skills with acrobatics,” said Cirque du Soleil’s publicist Julie Desmarais.

I went into the Oct. 19 performance with high expectations. I was not disappointed. The special effects were beautiful, and the ice skating added a graceful element to the performance that made it feel like a ballet. Additionally, the story of a young woman gaining power and independence in the world resonated with me on a personal level.

“Crystal” is an “exhilarating tale of selfdiscovery,” according to Cirque du Soleil’s official website.

The eponymous main character skates across a frozen lake, breaks through the ice — the show was humorously advertised as a “breakthrough ice experience” — and submerges into a dreamscape where she can observe and control every aspect of life. In

the underwater world, Crystal goes from schoolyards to business cubicles and follows her dream of writing. The first act shows Crystal transforming from an ordinary girl to a woman with increasing knowledge and power in the world. In the second act, Crystal adjusts to her newfound success and considers romance for the first time. “Who can I share my now with?” she asks. Jerôme Sordilton, the artist who plays Crystal’s love interest, soon flies in on red straps attached to a trapeze; he and Crystal engage in aerial ballet to the tune of Beyonce’s “Halo.”

In one of my favorite musical numbers, we see a room open on the staircase where a

version of Crystal is shown writing away on a desk, while on the stage another Crystal subdues gray-robed monsters — played by a group of acrobats — with balls of paper. While swirling words are projected on the staircase and adjoining platform, the audience hears Crystal’s voice over the music. The narrative felt reminiscent of “Alice in Wonderland,” as well as “Harry Potter” and any other story about exploring a new world and discovering who you are. The ice elements also reminded me of Disney’s “Frozen.” But beyond the references to other media, Crystal was relatable to me as a first-year Trinity student trying to find my place

Cirque du Soleil’s “Crystal” mid-performance. According to Barrera, the production’s themes of power, fluidity and grace were accentuated by the ice skating choreography and set pieces. photo

by CHLOE SONNIER

in the world. There are many performers who play the part of Crystal in different segments of the show, and this gives her character a universal quality.

I also enjoyed the swirling troupe of dancers who trailed Crystal as she embarks upon her adventure. They first appear as gray-robed wraiths who swarm and threaten her in a “Little Red Riding Hood”-like sequence when she first breaks through the ice, but later on she learns to control them through writing. Later the group reappeared as school children, and then as businessmen in the second act. The first act ended with Crystal swinging on a trapeze to the tune of Sia’s “Chandelier,” and this time the Greek chorus-like group wore yellow geometric hats and giant wigs that evoked Sia’s offbeat aesthetic.

Every element of the show felt very synchronized and planned, which is surprising because Cirque du Soleil is composed of 1,300 performing artists from 50 different countries.

More than 180 million spectators flock to see their shows in more than 450 cities on six continents, and 19 shows are presented simultaneously worldwide. With such a large and diverse group of artists, performances like “Crystal” are impressive.

Sordilton discussed the amount of teamwork and trust that went into “Crystal.”

“Especially in this show ... everything is about friends being on stage together and working together. … I would suggest, if Cirque du Soleil is your dream, just work, work… it is difficult, circus is difficult, sport is difficult, but I think if you want to achieve a goal, you just have to really believe,” Sordilton said.

“What I really like in ‘Crystal’ is the fact that you can find everything. You can have fun, you can have emotion, you can have, like, at some point you’re scared. ... There is acrobatics, there is theatre ... I think you can find a bit of everything in this show,” he continued.

“Crystal” is a personal narrative of selfdiscovery, but it’s also a lot of fun.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 27, 2017 •

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

“Cult” shows off Trinity writers, actors and directors ABIGAIL WHARTON A&E CONTRIBUTOR

It’s no easy task for students to write, produce, direct and act out a theatre production, but the folks behind “Cult” rose to the challenge and stuck the landing.

Written by Holly Gabelmann and directed

by Nico Champion, both junior theater majors, the play packed the Attic Theatre two nights in a now. When the seats filled up, audience members resorted to sitting on the floor and in the aisles to catch the very first showing of the one-act play on Oct. 13.

“Cult” follows two young anthropology students named Faith and Liz as they interact with a small gathering of individuals led and taught by a charismatic leader named Will.

Faith and Liz first come to study the group’s self-described “gatherings” for anthropological research, but eventually find themselves a part of it.

The gathering meditates on the idea of the world existing as a literal egg, laid by a Universe Bird, containing a Universe Chick within. The group believes that humanity, a parasite on the egg, will eventually be brought to an abrupt end by the Chick’s hatching. Eggs decorate the walls of the gathering space. The gathering abstains from the consumption of eggs, as they each contain other universes.

There are few members in the gathering, but each is fairly well-developed and relatable.

Chris is a young atheist who had a promising career in physics until his fiancee broke off their

engagement and his mother developed a severe illness. Because of these tragedies, he became disenchanted with the world of academia and joined the group.

Ingrid is a free-spirited art school dropout who nearly lost her life to anxiety and depression. The gathering saved her from suicide and encouraged her to paint again. Al and Yvonne are professional women who met and married thanks to the gathering. They are demonstrably affectionate people who speak of long years spent searching for human connection before meeting the other members of the group. Will is the warm and collected leader of the gathering.

Connection is a recurring theme within the gathering. It is emphasized that the Universe Bird is not a religion, but a school of thought.

The gathering is focused on fellowship and mutual support. Liz and Chris begin to date, but despite her feelings, Liz breaks the relationship off because of the sudden wild success of her research project. Faith gets swept up in her own strong familial feelings for the gathering and joins their ranks, compromising the research project and ending her friendship with Liz. Chris becomes a loose cannon after the breakup and the death of his mother. He commits suicide by bringing an explosive into a local post office in an attempt to forcibly hatch the Universe Chick, killing four innocent people in the process. Will panics and admits that he fabricated the Universe Bird as a personal social project. The group fights and ultimately disbands, with their friendships shattered and scattered to the winds.

The surrounding community is shellshocked and labels the gathering a fanatical and delusional religious cult full of nothing

but murderous rage for the outside world.

They only know the bomb, not the troubled person behind it or the group that was once a home to troubled people like him. The group members are now ostracized by their community and it’s keenly tragic, as they felt so displaced and disenfranchised beforehand.

Overall, the story is ambitious. The play attempted to tell a massive story in a short amount of time, making the narrative fast and relentless without time to explore some of the deeper emotional traumas mentioned, such as Chris and Liz’s breakup and Faith’s personal background; it’s tacked on at the very end that she’s ignored an ill father to spend time with the group.

The characters are fundamentally believable but the dialogue tended to favor light-heartedness over reality. Depression, mental illness and suicide are mentioned but tiptoed around in non-explicit terms in order to get to the next scene. A dedicated lesbian couple goes through a gut-wrenching breakup and abruptly end their marriage over Chris’s suicide, and another character immediately offers one of the women ice cream in lieu of comfort or verbal support.

“Cult” lacks nuance in its one hour crunch of a time frame, but ultimately tells a very engaging and detailed story about human connection, media sensationalism and religion. This is a passion project brought to life by students from start to finish and an impressive product by the Trinity theatre department.

The cast of “Cult” takes their bows after an incredibly well-recieved performance. On the production’s opening night, the audience filled the floors and walkways. photo by STEPHEN SUMRALL-ORSAK

Inktober: An artist’s challenge Medieval & Renaissance Studies Courses for Spring 2018 include: *ARTH 1314 Art & Architecture of Medieval Europe ARTH 1407 Art History I – Prehistoric to Medieval *ARTH 3344 Northern Renaissance Art in the 16th Century *ARTH 3447 Michelangelo: A Media-based Approach ENGL 2301 British Literature: Old English to 1800 *ENGL 4420 Studies in Early Modern British Literature: Early Modern British Poetry and the Subject of Gender *HIST 1332 Medieval Europe HIST 3431 The Anglo-Saxons *Counts towards The Medieval & Renaissance World Interdisciplinary Cluster

See the Spring 2018 Class Schedule for further listings For more information on Medieval & Renaissance Studies please contact Dr. Douglas Brine (dbrine@trinity.edu) or see the Program’s website.

NOELLE BARRERA A&E INTERN

Shadowy figures cackle in dark rooms, while their creation rises from the ashes. Twirling their instruments of mayhem maniacally, they celebrate the coming of October with a fearsome glee that may seem strange to outsiders; at last, everyone will see what they have done.

This isn’t a description of a witch brewing a magic potion, or a scene from “Frankenstein.”

It’s Inktober, a social media challenge that artists can participate in. The rules: Create something with ink and post it online with the hashtags #Inktober or #Inktober2017.

Artist Jake Parker began the challenge in 2009 to improve his own creative skills; since then it has expanded into something a multitude of artists take part in each year. The prompts in the original list are abstract concepts such as “swift” and “furious” that can be interpreted in many different ways. However, artists are free to create their own list of prompts or simply draw whatever inspires them. There are many Halloween lists going around that many artists enjoy, such as Mabs’ “Drawlloween,” which centers around monsters and spooky objects or characters.

The best part about challenges such as Inktober is seeing the different perspectives artists can have on the same prompts. Take ghosts — one artist may draw a silly cartoon of a ghost, while another may opt for a photorealistic drawing. Artists can draw original characters, or rework the prompts to center on your favorite fictional character.

Another good part of Inktober is that your art supplies don’t have to be fancy — even ballpoint pens count as ink. However, if artists are looking for better supplies, Inktober

partners with ArtSnacks, a company that provides subscription boxes of art supplies each month, to create an Inktober-themed box that contains inks and canvases. Inktober boxes are currently sold out, but next year they may be available again.

Inktober is most valuable for young artists because the act of drawing every day helps them improve. All artists know about the phenomenon of ‘artist’s block’ that makes inspiration difficult and writing or drawing hard. With a fun challenge format, Inktober can be a motivational tool to help artists draw.

In Parker’s own words, “It’s not about making the greatest drawings, it’s about developing positive drawing habits.”

Earlier in October, I decided to participate in this challenge. I had kept up with my drawings for a day or two last year, but this time I decided I wanted to participate in every day of the Inktober challenge. There are many Inktober daily prompts circulating online. The one that I chose is a list of witch familiars and flowers by Instagram user lanajay_art. Examples of prompts for various days include “Owl + Lavender,” “Fox + Marigolds,” and “Rabbit + Forget-Me-Not.” Drawing one new thing each day was more difficult than I had expected because of my rigorous class schedule. After several days of chastising myself for not wanting to draw something at the end of the day, I finally decided to forgo drawing one new thing every day in favor of simply having 31 drawings in general, which I will post sporadically as I complete them.

However, busy students like me who still want to participate in this challenge need not worry. As the official Inktober guide says, “You can do it daily, or go the half-marathon route and post every other day, or just do the 5K and post once a week. Whatever you decide, just be consistent with it. Inktober is about growing and improving and forming positive habits, so the more you’re consistent the better.”

LET THE GAMES BEGIN • Volleyball at the Trinity TEXAS Classic Tournament, Oct. 27–28 • Men’s Soccer vs. University of California-Santa Cruz, Friday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m.

• Football vs. Hendrix College, Saturday, Oct. 28, 1 p.m.

Sports

Tigers begin quest for next SCAC Championship

After last year’s success, the women’s basketball team hopes to keep their momentum going

The women’s basketball team has begun practicing for their winter season. Their first game is in Salem, Oregon. photo by ALLISON WOLFF

HAILEY WILSON

SPORTS REPORTER Basketball season is back. The Trinity University women’s basketball team has officially started practice for the upcoming season. The Tigers regrouped on Sunday, Oct. 15, with practice both in the morning and in the afternoon.

The Tigers did a stellar job last season and are hoping to continue to improve this year.

They took home their third Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championship under the leadership of coach Cameron Hill, and they advanced deep into the national tournament before falling to Whitman College in the NCAA Division III round of 16. With a 28-2 record, the Tigers were ranked No. 8

nationally and tied Trinity’s single-season record for victories. The Tigers will have a chance at redemption this season, as they face Whitman on Dec. 21 for a pre-conference matchup.

The team has been counting down the days until the season.

“I’m just looking forward to getting in a rhythm again. ... The team is just a fun group to be around. We always make a lot of great memories and I’m ready to make even more,” said senior forward Kate Irvin.

The Tigers will open up their season with a matchup against Willamette University in Salem, Oregon on Nov. 17. Their first home game will occur a few days later on Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. with a matchup against Hardin-Simmons University, followed by another non-conference

game against University of Texas at Tyler on the Nov. 26 at 2 p.m.

“I’m just looking forward to getting in a rhythm again.”

KATE IRVIN SENIOR FORWARD

“I am excited to match up with some of the ranked teams we played last year,” said junior point guard, Rachel Chavez. This year, the Tigers have a hearty first-year class.

The Tigers lost five crucial seniors going into this season, but all of the upperclassmen are excited to see how the younger players step up.

“I think our newcomers have done an excellent job of adapting quickly and efficiently. They’ve done an excellent job in playing their part in the offseason,” said senior guard Becca Gordon.

The team believes the first-years will add to the competitive atmosphere at practice, as well as provide more enthusiasm both on and off of the court.

“They all have a lot of energy and are excited to be out there. Just having that high level of energy does wonders for a basketball team.

Our season can sometimes last six months, so we will need that energy,” Irvin said.

To build off of their success from last season, each member of the team worked tirelessly in the offseason to improve their game. Leading up to their first practice, the Tigers were holding team conditioning workouts, playing pickup in the gym and doing various team bonding activities off of the court.

“The team has really been working on cohesion. It’s been a bit of a culture shock with seven new players and there have been some learning curves on both sides, but we have really continued to embrace our ‘Together Tigers’ motto which I think will contribute to our overall success,” Gordon said.

On a more personal level, Gordon hopes to be a more effective leader and communicator both on and off of the court this season.

Irvin believes that one component of their team separates them from their opponents: their ability to be competitive with one another, all while having fun together.

“We find that balance. We enjoy our sport, we enjoy each other, and this leads us to have really good chemistry on and off of the court which is nothing but a positive,” Irvin said.

Tuttle holds discussion on race, Colin Kaepernick

The dean and Black Student Union hosted the the event to encourage further dialogue SAUL MALEK

“How would the Trinity community react if a Trinity student athlete were to kneel during the anthem?” Tuttle asked.

SPORTS REPORTER Trinity students and faculty met in the Waxahachie Room on the evening of Oct. 17 for a discussion on the conversation of race within sports to talk about the controversy of athletes kneeling in protest during the national anthem.

The conversation came as a result of a discussion between David Tuttle, dean of students, and members of Trinity’s Black Student Union (BSU), who met with Tuttle for a dinner at his home in late September.

“When I had BSU over to the house and was talking about what kind of things they would like to see, they thought having more discussions on campus on important issues mattered,” Tuttle said. “They thought, and I’ve heard this from other student groups as well, that it really shouldn’t be all on the students to come with ideas for conversations or to put programs together and do the planning.”

Tuttle facilitated the conversation on Tuesday night by dividing the group of students into different categories based on their responses to questions about the role of the national anthem in sports and whether or not athletes should stick to sports, as opposed to using their influence to speak out politically.

Overwhelmingly, participants supported the right for professional athletes to kneel,

“I was hoping to get some more dialogue from people who had views that were different than me.”

KHANIYA RUSSELL BSU VICE PRESIDENT

STACY DAVIDSON, center-left, advisor of BSU, helped lead the talk. photo by JULIA WEIS

while responses as to whether or not major sports figures should use their influence politically were a bit more skewed.

Tahlar Rowe, president of BSU, felt that while the discussion didn’t necessarily change her opinion, it helped her see the perspective of other students on an issue they all cared about.

“One thing that I did hear was another student who was so passionate about athletes not having a voice and not using their platform. That was interesting for me to hear

because I’m the type of person who thinks that [there are situations where] they should and they shouldn’t, and to hear people who were so fervently behind them using their platforms was a different perspective,” Rowe said.

However, the results still remained largely one-sided, as attendees largely stood in support of athletes using their position to speak politically. In an effort to bring the focus on Trinity’s role in the situation, Tuttle posed a question about Trinity’s athletes and protest.

On this question, responses were mixed.

Some students believed that nothing would really become accomplished, with the entire issue more or less being swept under the rug.

More hopeful and optimistic students believed that kneeling from a Tiger would at least bring a start toward building a more intense discussion about race throughout the school. BSU members were largely disappointed by the fact that Tuesday’s discussion was fairly one-sided.

Khaniya Russell, sophomore history major and vice president of BSU, enjoyed her time at the event but lamented the lack of non-BSU attendance. continued on PAGE 22

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 27, 2017 •

SPORTS

Column: Why don’t people watch women’s sports?

Hester’s follow-up in a series on sexism in sports, exploring discrimination both at Trinity and nationally ELISE HESTER

SPORTS REPORTER Welcome back to Hester’s thoughts. This article is about watching women’s sports and why people do not do that thing. There’s a simple answer: People do not watch women’s sports because they do not want to watch women’s sports. Boom. Article over.

For example, our volleyball team is nationally ranked. They are high-key very good. Yet the games don’t really seem to draw much of a crowd unless they offer free shirts, in which case I will be there for five minutes.

Actually I was there for five minutes and I was 15 minutes too late and did not get a shirt and I’m not salty at all.

The main question I will thus explore is why people do not like women’s sports as much as they like men’s. Surprise! Patriarchy is the answer.

Your childhood relationship with sports usually informs sports preferences you carry into adulthood. While I now know there are subtle differences between things like tennis and baseball and softball and hardball and moneyball and José Altuve, since I didn’t grow up in sports I still do not have much preference based on childhood and am therefore, a pure and better sports fan than any of you brainwashed losers.

Just kidding, I suck. I’m not entirely immune either. As a kid, the one professional sports game I went to was a Houston Astros baseball game.

You watch what you watch because you watched it when you were young. This is why you love the Patriots or why you hate the Patriots — or, if you never watched sports, why you honestly do not care about the Patriots.

But if you are like the majority of the sports-watching population, you probably did not watch women’s sports growing up, except the occasional Olympic gymnastic or ice

Despite volleyball’s success, few fans come out to support them. photo by ALLISON WOLFF

skating event every four years. (Team Kerrigan all the way).

“Women’s sports aren’t interesting,” someone says in a hushed voice, as if they are almost ashamed of the statement. They then explain scientifically, “You know, ’cause girls aren’t as good at sports.”

Hey, I’m not mad at you, friend-pal who hypothetically said this. I am kind of annoyed by the logic that this statement assumes, but I will not blame this on you, you sweet, sweet douchebag.

If you look at sports and athleticism as being defined through terms of masculinity — as it has been since the year Forever B.C. — then yes, men are clearly more athletic

than women and yes, men’s sports are of a higher quality. You can prove this with mere numbers. It is not hard.

Strong is “having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks,” according to the Oxford English dictionary. Using this first definition of strong, most men are stronger than most women.

The second definition of strong, however, is “able to withstand great force or pressure; showing determination, self-control, and good judgment.” According to this definition, most women are stronger than most men. Herein lies the crux of my argument.

There is an idea that female sports are a lesser version of their male counterparts, based

on an assumption that females should be judged by male traits. If you judge a woman based on male traits, she will fall short, because that is like judging a baseball player based on his bowling game. José Altuve is probably an excellent bowler.

Trinity men and women’s soccer are both brilliant and successful. The men move and attack quicker, the women finish more.

Neither plays a better game. They play a different game. There is value in both, but for different reasons.

For many people who grew up watching men’s sports, they say that fast-paced games are more entertaining. Why is this? If we truly value sports that are quicker, then fastpitch softball should be more interesting to consumers than baseball. Try and name one professional softball player. OK, name one professional softball player besides Jenny Finch. Now name one professional baseball player. *cough cough* José... Lobatón. Didn’t see that coming, did you?

I have said the patriarchy is behind all of this. It is. Sports and the whole dang world were dominated by men since Forever B.C., and real talk, they still are. Every time a great woman steps up to change the game, she faces immense challenges in doing so.

There are still a lot of questions to be answered, and to be asked. Why does the US Women’s National Soccer Team make less money than the men’s, despite the fact that women are dope champions and the men low-key suck?

Sometimes the odds seem insurmountable, like nothing we do or say makes a difference. It is easy to think that women’s sports will never be equal to men’s and in my lifetime, and they probably won’t be.

You know what else makes a difference when nothing else can? José Altuve in Game 6 of the World Series.

Kaepernick discussion

Students discuss athletes’ use of sporting events for political purposes. photo by JULIA WEIS continued from PAGE 21

“I was hoping to get some more dialogue from people who had views that were different than me. Although I didn’t get that, I still felt like I came out of it more informed and a little more open-minded about having conversations of this nature in the future,” Russell said.

Despite this, Russell and others still believed that their time spent with Tuttle and other faculty was worthwhile. While this event was merely a first step for Tiger students in having a forum to voice their opinions on, it appears to be a step in the right direction.

Tuttle thought the forum revolved around a pertinent topic in the event that he continues a series of discussions such as these with student groups. Russell echoed Tuttle’s sentiments on the importance of such discussions.

“I hope that in the future, more people come out. They’re really engaging, I think Dean Tuttle does a great job of providing questions and just a space for people to come and become more informed about some controversial topics that are happening in our country,” Russell said. “Everyone who comes at the end of the day ... [can] just be a part of the conversation.”

Issues of race in sports are complex and dividing, but conversations such as these are useful in closing that gap, whatever size it may be.

Look to Tuttle to arrange for future discussions on controversial and relevant topics, as he encourages all interested students to attend. with supplementary reporting by Julia Weis

SPORTS • OCTOBER 27, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

23

Ball in the fall: A quick recap of Trinity’s fall teams Check in on the progress of current Trinity University sports teams as the end of their fall seasons nears ELISE HESTER

The men’s and women’s swim teams kicked off on Friday, Oct. 20, with wins from both teams over Centenary College.

“We had a lot of explosive swims, and we can carry this momentum into our future meets,” said senior David Doyal.

The next day, Saturday, Oct. 21, the swimming and diving teams went on to defeat the men and women from Colorado College and McMurry University. The swimming and diving teams look to continue their streak this Friday, as they take on the University of the Incarnate Word starting at 3:30 p.m.

SPORTS REPORTER Trinity sports have dominated all fall season.

Take a look at a recap of each team’s season so far and how they plan on staying hot for the remainder of the year.

Cross-Country

Both men’s and women’s cross-country have been competitive this season. In fact, the women’s cross-country team is now ranked No. 10 in the nation for the first time in several years, as well as No. 1 in the South/Southeast region rankings. The team is currently focused on their SCAC championship race this Saturday, with their regionals meet coming up soon after that. Two of the team’s biggest races have been the Chile Pepper Festival and the pre-nationals meet, which was held in Elsah, Illinois.

“The course was pretty difficult and hilly, but it was a real cross-country course, with altering elevations, plenty of twists and turns, and a final 100-meter downhill stretch to the finish line,” said Emma MacEachern, a senior from Temple.

The women’s team placed sixth and defeated their rival Emory University. The men finished 23rd behind a stellar performance from Michael Erickson, who earned SCAC Runner of the Week honors.

Football

Tiger football has concentrated on adjusting to their new conference this season, posting a 5-2 overall record in a 4-1 record in Southern Athletic Association (SAA) play. Huge overtime wins have become a regular part of the Tiger’s routine, with thrilling wins over Chapman University and Rhodes College becoming pivotal points of the season.

“I feel that we have played well, but we expect more. We have proven to some people outside of our circle that we are better than we thought,” said Brady Blanton, junior offensive lineman.

The Tigers have two more home games, including this Saturday at 1 p.m. against Hendrix College.

“We are focusing on one game at a time, plain and simple. Playoffs are not something we talk about,” Blanton said.

Golf

The women’s golf team has played in three tournaments this fall. The women’s team has been extremely successful, placing first, second

Women’s Soccer

Trinity’s swim team kicked off their first meet this past weekend. photo by ALLISON WOLFF

and third in each tournament. The women placed first in their last tournament, the Alamo City Classic. During the tournament, the team held a fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Harvey.

“We ended up raising $5,214. As a member of the team, I was incredibly proud of our dedication and eagerness,” said senior Shelby DeVore. The men’s team has also competed in three tournaments, most recently placing third at the Alamo City Classic.

The Tigers were led by sophomore Peyton Bartee, who tallied in with a two-day total of 151. Both teams will resume play in the spring, but as of now, they are training and practicing as a team during the offseason.

Men’s Soccer

The No. 2-ranked men’s soccer team has stunned opponents all season long, posting a record of 16-1 overall and 12-1 in conference play. The men have swept SCAC teams all

season long, and several Tigers have also received multiple SCAC player of the week honors. Christian Sakshaug and Kellen Reid are two of the latest award winners. First-year Jacob Hallenberger has also received two honors.

The Tigers have clinched a spot in the SCAC Championship, which will be held in Irving starting on Friday, Nov. 3.

“We are hoping to stay f socused and hungry for the remainder of the season. Complacency is really easy to slip into and that is something that we are all making sure does not happen,” Hallenberger said.

Swimming and Diving

The swimming and diving team officially kicked off their season on Saturday, Oct. 14, with a diving-only match in Granville, Ohio.

The divers posted strong performances, with first-year Anthony Liva taking first place for the men and senior Christine Peterson taking runner-up for the women.

The No. 11-ranked women’s soccer team has completely dominated the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), holding a 15-1 record overall and an 11-0 record in conference play. All season, the Tigers have posted up incredibly high scores, winning games 13-0 and 10-0, which proves their complete dominance.

“I feel as though we are taking care of business, and our record is definitely showing that,” said junior forward Halleanne Dure. The Tigers are going to enter the SCAC tournament as the No. 1 seed, and the tournament will be held in Shreveport, Louisiana, beginning on Friday, Nov. 3. Game times are to be announced.

“We are going to continue to take advantage of the opportunities we have because as we get to the NCAA playoffs those opportunities lessen,” Dure said.

Volleyball

No. 5-ranked Tiger volleyball capped off their SCAC play this week with two wins over Austin College and University of Texas at Dallas. The Tigers finished conference play at 11-3, securing their spot in the SCAC tournament. Notable performances by Maggi Linker, Kirby Smith, Sarah Mullens and Katrina Lieberman helped the team secure their last two conference wins.

The Tigers have faced top-ranked opponents all season long, as a few other SCAC teams are also nationally ranked.

Despite the tough competition, the Tigers have dominated with huge wins over Southwestern University, Cal Lutheran University and University of Wisconsin Whitewater. The Tigers will play their last home games of the regular season this Friday, Oct. 27, at 6 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 28, at 4 p.m.

Meet Mabel Fowler, the triple-threat athlete The cross-country, swimming, track and field runner and swimmer discusses how she balances it all JULIA WEIS

SPORTS EDITOR Mabel Fowler, a first-year involved in three varsity sports at Trinity, is determined to make her mark on this campus.

The ambitious athlete came to Trinity planning to run cross-country in the fall and track and field in the spring, while swimming competitively for Trinity’s swim team in the winter. Since winter sports overlap a great deal with fall and spring sports, Fowler will always be involved in multiple sports at once throughout the year.

Fowler has enjoyed competing on sports teams throughout her life, so the transition to college seemed natural.

“I’ve always swam. I’ve done swimming since I was three. No kidding, I’ve done it all my life. I started running in seventh grade. I also played golf throughout my four years of high school, so I did a lot of sports and always was busy,” Fowler said. “When I searched for colleges, it was hard. I was thinking ‘I want to swim, but it’s sad to let go of running.’ But then I found Trinity, and they said I could do both, so it was perfect.”

Each day, Fowler gets up for crosscountry at 6 a.m., practices for an hour and a half, goes about her day of classes and homework, and then has afternoon swim

practice from 4:30–6:30 p.m. She is thankful for how the cross-country and swim coaches collaborate together.

“The coaches work really well together.

They talk and figure it out. So my hard days for running are my hard days for swimming, so those days are like really, really hard. But my easy days for running are my easy days for swimming. So I only have to swim an hour on those days. I’m still training a lot with both,” Fowler said.

“Swimming next to her in practice challenges me and it pushes me to become a better swimmer.”

CAROLINE NORTH FIRST-YEAR SWIMMER

The swimming runner is also planning on double majoring in business and human communication. Fowler feels confident in how things are going now and thinks she can keep up the multitude of majors and sports.

Fowler’s teammates on both sports teams admire her perseverance.

“She’s obviously extremely talented, but she’s

also very hardworking. I can’t imagine how exhausted she must feel from the demanding practice schedules of both sports. However, despite how tiring her workouts seem, she always seems to be positive, uplifting and have a smile on her face,” said Caroline North, a firstyear on the swim team.

North said that her teammate’s competitive spirit encourages her to improve.

“We swim similar events, and she’s really fast.

Swimming next to her in practice challenges me and it pushes me to become a better swimmer,” North said.

Fowler’s teammates on cross-country say the same.

“Mabel is really supportive and she wants everyone to succeed. She’s never selfish,” said Olive Pertuit, first-year runner and Fowler’s roommate. “I think it’s really easy to be selfish in running, because your teammate’s demise could mean your advancement. But Mabel would never think like that; instead, she just wants everyone to improve and do the best they can.”

Fowler’s first semester hasn’t been entirely smooth, however. She’s faced a few recurring issues with her hamstrings, but said she’s just been pushing through it and is still able to run and swim.

Fowler credits her quick recovery to the help of Blair Wyatt, one of the athletic trainers,

and to the low impact of swimming.

“Running is very taxing on the body, so it happens that you get injured. I think it may be just the tiredness. Swimming does help a lot with running, I think, because it loosens you up. It’s not impactful at all. During those times when I was injured, I would only pull at practice — so no kicking, just arms — which made my arms really tired,” Fowler said.

Pertuit has watched how Fowler’s commitment to athletics affects her lifestyle.

I know it can be hard for Mabel to be in multiple sports. It definitely takes a toll on her body and she needs a lot of sleep to recover from it. But she also always manages to get her work done and she’s never up past 11 p.m. and I think that’s just a testament to her devotion to her sports,” Pertuit said.

Fowler believes she can keep up the multiple sports, because she has an end goal in mind: triathlons.

“I really love triathlons and I’ve done them my whole life. But they don’t really have them in collegiate sports right now. It’s not like a big thing. My goal is to train for that after college, so I’m going to keep doing both right now to stay in shape,” Fowler said.

Catch Fowler racing at the SCAC meet for cross-country on Saturday, Oct. 28 and swimming the weekend after that on Nov. 4.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • OCTOBER 27, 2017 •

SPORTS

Hester’s Laughletics: Coaches say the darndest things Trinity athletes share the oddest things their past and current coaches have said at practice and games ELISE HESTER

SPORTS REPORTER I was touring Trinity as a prospective student when a former coach of my father had just passed away. As we sat in Laurie Auditorium, my dad chuckled, then explained he was reading an email chain in which Texas A&M track alumni were sharing memories of their late coach.

“Come out of the blocks and let gravity pull you up,” my father read with a laugh.

Coaches, like all humans, say things. In fact, a big part of coaching is talking. And coaches, like all humans, say things that are funny. In making the men’s soccer roster video, I had each player hold up a favorite quote from head coach Paul McGinlay. Over his 27-year tenure at Trinity, McGinlay has gathered up quite an arsenal of quotes and catchphrases. This inspired me to look into funny things said by other coaches for this edition of my Laughletics series.

Men’s soccer was an obvious place to begin. In the opinion of senior Cooper Fyfe, the funniest statement uttered by the legendary P-Mac was a savage stinger regarding an opposing player.

“He turns like the Titanic.”

— Paul McGinlay, men’s soccer head coach Provided by Cooper Fyfe, senior midfielder Meanwhile, senior women’s soccer player Abby Tisdale shared a favorite saying from former head women’s coach Lance Key. “You’re either pregnant or you’re not pregnant.”

— Lance Key, former head women’s soccer coach and probably also Paul McGinlay, head men’s soccer coach Provided by Abby Tisdale, senior midfielder However, this quote, which is a metaphor for pressuring the offense, can actually be attributed to McGinlay.

illustration by YESSENIA LOPEZ

I assume the saying is something Key picked up in his time playing for McGinlay.

“I think what we are learning is that Paul McGinlay is the only person who says funny things,” said Alice von Ende-Becker, a midfielder for the women’s soccer team.

However, I remained sure I could find quotes from other coaches.

I found said quote in the form of John Tucker. Tucker’s girlfriend is my biggest fan and as such I can only assume she is peeing her pants with love reading his name.

“Man, I really like snacks.”

— J.C. Bunch, former assistant baseball coach Provided by John Tucker, junior baseball center fielder

Upon further investigation, this is not something that Bunch said repeatedly, but I can confirm that the man really does like snacks.

I then went from baseball to men’s tennis, just like I do on my rollerblading route.

“Saturdays are for the boys.”

— Russ McMindes, head men’s tennis coach Provided by Clark Rivers, senior tennis player I am a tad bit skeptical that Russ McMindes was the first person to ever designate the last day of the week as being for the boys, but I am not doubting that he said it. ‘Meanwhile McMindes’ assistant has cooked up his own catchphrase.

“This ain’t your barbecue, this my barbecue now.”

— George Rivers, assistant men’s tennis coach Provided by Matt Tyer, senior tennis player

I was already aware that head men’s basketball coach Pat Cunningham, who once stepped on my GoPro in what will go down as one of the greatest moments of my life that happened in Webster’s Gym, was pretty frank with his players, but these quotes sealed the deal.

“You’re so full of s—t your eyes are brown.”

“Judas Priest Almighty!”

— Pat Cunningham, head men’s basketball coach Provided by Isaiah Specks, junior forward on the men’s basketball team From the swim team I learned a frequent reference point is John Ryan’s time in service.

“Back in Vietnam…”

— John Ryan, former head swim coach Provided by Erin Crooks, junior swimmer Abby Tisdale also provided a quote from current women’s soccer coach, Dylan Harrison.

“Let’s go be slippery out there.”

— Dylan Harrison, head women’s soccer coach Provided by Abigail Tisdale, senior midfielder Women’s soccer’s own Sabrina Pescatore shared a quote neither from Harrison nor from Key, but from her own high school coach.

“You’re running around like a bunch of tampons.”

— Jenny Richardson, assistant girl’s soccer coach at Georgetown High School Provided by Sabrina Pescatore, sophomore forward While I did not ask Sabrina how a tampon runs, I appreciate the metaphor.

Whether you’re an athlete or not, if you have a funny quote or story relating to sports, email your girl ehester@trinity.edu and we can become best friends.

Photos of the week: Football and volleyball

The football team plays Hendrix College on Saturday, Oct. 28. photo by ALLISON WOLFF

The volleyball team has a home tournament this Friday, Oct. 27. photo by ALLISON WOLFF