03.02.2018

Volume 115 Issue 21

Trinitonian Serving Trinity University Since 1902

11 The two Nickles are a dime: PULSE Retirement after 18 years

17 Maverick Music Fest: A&E Gone or Forgotten?

18 Women’s basketball wins SPORTS third SCAC tournament

Bernie Sanders comes to Trinity

The 2016 presidential candidate, joined by Ohio senator Nina Turner, will swing through Texas

GRACE FRYE | DIR. OF DIGITAL PRESENCE gfrye@trinity.edu

CONTENT WARNING Candid descriptions of physical violence and sexual assault follow.

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT, staff illustrator

event really came together with the help of multiple people, including Our Revolution Texas, a non-profit organization formed

by Sanders.

“T-Prog actually got a Facebook message from someone who works for Our Revolution and wanted to have Bernie come speak in

San Antonio,” Bourgeois said. “Initially, Councilman John Courage, who is the District 9 Councilman, encouraged Our Revolution to reach out to Trinity Progressives.” continued on PAGE 3

Aramark beats out competitors for RFP

University chooses to enhance current food service options KATHLEEN CREEDON | NEWS EDITOR kcreedon@trinity.edu

Last fall, Trinity launched a request for proposals (RFP) to select a new dining service provider. The university signed a letter of intent to continue with Aramark instead of Sodexo or American Dining Creations, the two other services the committee reviewed.

Aramark has been the university’s dining services provider since 1984.

At a Student Government Association (SGA) meeting on Feb. 26, Juan Luevanos, a sophomore SGA senator and one of the students on the RFP committee, revealed the decision.

“Ultimately, the vendor came out to be Aramark, so what we want to stress — what the committee wants to stress — is that things are going to be changing and to have an optimistic feeling with regards to Aramark,” Luevanos said.

Luevanos recognized that often students have negative opinions of Aramark, but emphasized this as an opportunity to improve.

“Obviously students wanted something new, but what I want to stress … is that the point of the committee wasn’t necessarily to bring y’all a new vendor,” Luevanos said.

Mandadi case: After months, an arrest and some answers

Mark Howerton turns self in after his arrest ordered

JORDAN BRUCE KATHLEEN CREEDON WEBMASTER NEWS EDITOR jbruce2@trinity.edu kcreedon@trinity.edu The Trinity Progressives (T-Prog), in conjunction with Our Revolution Texas, are bringing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders to campus to speak with students on Friday, March 9th at 7:30 p.m. in Laurie Auditorium.

According to Emily Bourgeois, sophomore and co-president of T-Prog, the event will feature multiple speakers, including Ohio State Senator Nina Turner, who is also the president of the national chapter of Our Revolution.

“The main person who is coming to speak is Senator Bernie Sanders, who is a senator of Vermont, who’s really cool, and then we’re also having another senator come to speak with him, Nina Turner,” Bourgeois shared.

Maddie Kennedy, senior and co-president of T-Prog, confirmed Sanders and Turner’s visit, adding that the director of Our Revolution Texas, Jim Hightower, will also be attending.

“Senator Bernie Sanders has been a major player in Democratic and Progressive movements since 1990. His candidacy in the 2016 election changed the course of national dialogues on progressive issues and created an impetus for youth movements and vocalization,” Kennedy said. “Nina Turner and Jim Hightower’s work furthers grassroots efforts by working on local and national levels to promote progressive thought and change.”

Bourgeois also mentioned that the

MARCH 02, 2018

On Feb. 26, the university announced the decision of its request for proposals for dining services vendors.

After a four-month-long process, the committee chose to negotiate a new contract with Aramark, Trinity’s current food service provider, instead of Sodexo or American Dining Creations. FILE PHOTOS

“It was to bring y’all new experiences, higher-quality things that sort of were at issue and to improve upon that consistently. … That’s the end goal of this committee.”

According to David Tuttle, dean of students, the proposal consists of a five-year contract and many potential changes to the way dining services

works now. Tuttle emphasized the improvement that has been made since a new manager and new chef have been hired and explained that the next step is to improve the services. continued on PAGE 5

Four months after the death of sophomore Cayley Mandadi, 22-year-old Mark Howerton was charged with murder and aggravated sexual assault on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

Howerton, who was the subject of a TUPD criminal trespass warning issued on Nov. 1, 2017, is not a Trinity student. After the release of a warrant for his arrest on Feb. 26, Howerton turned himself in to the Bexar County Magistrate’s Office.

On Thursday, March 1, Howerton was released on a $225,000 bail.

Beth Smith, Hays County Justice of the Peace, handled the investigation to determine the manner and cause of death. Smith said she ruled Mandadi’s death a homicide caused by complications of blunt force trauma to the face and head.

Mandadi was delivered unconscious to a Luling hospital on Oct. 29 before being transported to a hospital in Kyle, where she was declared brain-dead on Oct. 30. She was removed from life support and died on Oct. 31.

Because Luling is in Caldwell County, and Kyle is within Hays County, the Texas Rangers were tasked with the criminal investigation of Mandadi’s death.

Mandadi’s mother, Alison Steele, thanked Smith and the Rangers in a statement emailed to members of the press on Wednesday evening.

“The family of Cayley Mandadi thanks the Texas Rangers for their diligent work in bringing appropriate criminal charges against Cayley’s alleged killer. We thank Her Honor Beth Smith of Hays County Texas for her integrity and support during this unbelievably difficult process. We remain utterly devastated by the loss of Cayley. We ask people of faith to pray for her family, friends, and for justice in this case,” Steele wrote.

ACCORDING TO THE AFFIDAVIT The state released an affidavit based on interviews with Trinity students, acquaintances of Howerton who do not attend Trinity and medical professionals. The document, which was released with the arrest warrant and is publicly available online, details the Rangers’ investigation.

The affidavit says that the authorities’ account of Mandadi’s injuries do not align with Howerton’s version of the events as told to law enforcement.

According to Howerton, the couple had known each other for approximately eight months before dating for about one month.

In the affidavit, Howerton states that he and Mandadi had spent Oct. 28 and 29 drinking and taking ecstasy while attending the Mala Luna Music Festival in San Antonio. continued on PAGE 6

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • MARCH 02, 2018 •

NEWS

Previously, on SGA: Call Me Mabee This issue covers the SGA meeting on Feb. 26.

$3,066.89, which covers the cost of seven outfits, no soda and three professional henna artists.

The Trinity University Latin Association requested $1,991.78 that would cover the costs of food and decorations for De Colores. SGA approved $210, which does not include the cost of food.

Recreational Sports requested $24,161 to pay for the increased number of student working in the Bell Center and requested $16,942.51 to pay for club sports. SGA only approved the amount for club sports: $16,942.51.

GUEST COMMENTS David Tuttle, dean of students; Bruce Bravo, senior director of conferences and auxiliary services; and Paul Wright, director of business operations in the Tiger Card office revealed the decision made by the request for proposals (RFP) committee. The committee chose to stay with Aramark, Trinity’s current dining services provider. Tuttle, Bravo and Wright explained the decision-making process, and Juan Luevanos, sophomore senator and part of the RFP committee, described the experience.

CLIMATE CHECK Benjamin Gonzalez, a sophomore senator, raised concern about the use FUNDING REQUESTS of BCycle. President Amulya Deva, junior, agreed and reminded senators to Claire Burrus, a senior and member of the Loon-E Crew dance team, and promote the resource. (Gonzalez is an opinion columnist for the Trinitonian.)

Frances Stone, a junior and member of the Prowlers dance team, presented on behalf of the Momentum dance show. $1,476.71 was requested to cover the OFFICER REPORTS costs of a videographer, photographer, marketing and t-shirts. The full amount President Deva reminded officers that bylaw revisions are coming soon, the was approved.

RFP town hall was upcoming and to promote BCycle.

The Trinity Muslim Student Association requested $3,800.33 for their Vice president Rachel Daniel, junior, gave an updated amount that remains second Henna Night. The proposed amount would cover the cost of 15 outfits, of the student activity fee, $13,904.38. Daniel told the senators that Gary food, soda and four professional henna artists. SGA approved the amount of Logan, vice president of finance, will be giving a presentation next week.

Tune in each week for Kathleen Creedon’s SGA summaries. SGA meets at 5:30 p.m. on Mondays in the Waxahachie Room in Coates University Center.

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TUPD BRIEFS BURGLARY OF VEHICLES On Friday, Feb. 23 at 7:08 a.m., two items were reported stolen from a delivery truck outside of Mabee dining hall. The back of the delivery truck was left open. The items were not returned.

CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL BY A MINOR On Saturday, Feb. 24 at 1:35 a.m., a student was found drunk in Lot V, Prassel Garage. The driver was not under the influence, but the passenger was. No alcohol was found on the scene. The intoxicated student was sent to the off-campus detoxication center.

THEFT On Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 11:48 p.m., a student reported a bicycle as missing from Witt-Winn residence hall. The bike has not yet been returned and was reported as a theft.

THEFT On Sunday, Feb. 25 at 11:36 a.m., a student reported a bicycle missing from Prassel residence hall.The student said the bike was locked, but no lock was found at the scene. The bike has not yet been returned and was reported as a theft.

Corrections • In the Feb. 23 issue, an illustration on page 16 of the housing section

was not credited. It was created by Erica Missey, ‘96.

• In the Feb, 23 issue, in the article “Trinity’s religious student

groups” on page 21, information about the Reformed University Fellowship was incorrect. The large group Bible study was incorrectly called Equip 101, which is the smaller group study.

• In the Feb. 16 issue, sophomore Jazmin Avellanda was incorrectly called a biochemistry major in the Sidewalk Symposium on page 16.

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NEWS • MARCH 02, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Econ prof: Min. wage hikes more trouble than worth

Members of faculty offer opinions on a highly politicized issue

graphic by LIZ DAY, graphics editor

GABBY GARRIGA | PULSE REPORTER ggarriga@trinity.edu As an undergraduate, David Macpherson was determined to become an engineer. In his first year, he took engineering courses.

Macpherson sat through calculus, physics, more calculus and more physics. Classes seemed to take forever, tests were excruciating and the projects exasperating. It wasn’t until Macpherson took his first economics class, and earned his first A, that he found his calling.

Now head of the economics department, Macpherson works as a labor economist. He studies wages, employment, discrimination and the minimum wage. “How Will a $15 Minimum Wage Affect Employment in California?” a paper that Macpherson recently wrote with a Miami University economist, is under review to possibly be published in the Industrial and Labor Relations Review.

The paper explores the effect of the continual increase of minimum wage in California across industry-county combinations. These industrycounty combinations describe different business fields — such as hospitality, food preparation and retail — within specific counties in California that are expected to experience job growth.

The economics professors analyzed government data from 1990–2016. Right now, California’s minimum wage is at $11 an hour and is set to increase to $15 an hour by 2022.

Through his research, Macpherson was able to gauge the impact that the increase to $15 an hour would have on employment.

His models showed that the raise would cost California 400,000 jobs due to layoffs and loss of expansion in these fields.

John Huston, another Trinity economics professor, believes Macpherson’s paper gives a

more holistic view of the effects of minimum wage than previous papers.

“One of the nice things about his paper is it doesn’t just do the good or bad thing, but it talks about in these specific industries — in these conditions you’ll get bad results and lots of people laid off,” Huston said. “In other industries, it won’t be so bad — layoffs will be much less significant. So it’s a more complete study than a lot of the ones that have been done.”

Macpherson argues that the blanket raise in minimum wage across the state would not account for the difference in average wage in the industry-county combination, leading to a loss of jobs.

Image from This original O’Neil Ford sketch of Coates University Center was the archives, found in the Nov. 17, 1972 of the Trinitonian. Turn to PAGE 4 to selected by learn more of the upcoming renovations to the building.

EVAN CHAMBLESS

Bernie comes to TU continued from FRONT The event is being held with the cooperation of the university. External promotion for the event will be handled by Our Revolution Texas, while strategic communications and T-Prog will handle promotion on campus.

According to Pouya Mohammadi, first-year and organizational relations chair for T-Prog, bringing Sanders to campus wasn’t as difficult as it seemed.

“Our Revolution Texas reached out, and we went though the university’s proper channels, and that’s how it happened,” Mohammadi said.

Though the event was announced less than a week before it is scheduled to happen, T-Prog expects a large turnout.

“Because he’s so well-known, we expect word to spread fairly quickly. My primary goal is to make sure that the event is spread through social media by encouraging organizations and individuals to share the event on all platforms,” said Carson Bolding, first-year and public relations officer of T-Prog. “Because it’s such a quick turnaround, digital advertising allows us to reach the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time.”

The event will be open to the public, but will require a free ticket. T-Prog has secured 700 student tickets but fully expects to sell out

Laurie Auditorium. According to Bourgeois, physical tickets will be available to pick up at the box office in Laurie.

Above all, T-Prog is trying to promote civic awareness on campus, especially in light of the upcoming primary elections.

“Trinity Progressives is working really hard to create a culture of civic engagement on campus, which is not effective unless voters are empowered to go out to the polls and vote. So it’s great that we’re registering people to vote, it’s great that we’re bringing these speakers,” Bourgeois said. “But if students are not willing to actually go out and vote in the primaries the next couple of weeks, we didn’t do our job effectively.”

Kennedy agreed with Bourgeois.

“We hope that this event will spur discussions and ignite passions for people to work to actualize the change that they hope for,” Kennedy said. “Sanders’ work centers around grassroots movements. The fastest way that we can get involved and help our local, state, and national communities is to engage in our own communities: By volunteering, by donating and by voting in 2018 to create a shift in power in our government.”

For more information about the event, how to get involved with T-Prog or local elections contact cbolding@trinity.edu.

“It’s a minimum wage that applies across the state,” Macpherson said. “Some areas of the state are lower-wage areas. Some industries are lower-wage industries. [With] retail in a rural area, you’d think minimum wage would affect employment more than finance in San Francisco, so fewer people are going to be affected in San Francisco in finance than they will in a more rural county.”

Macpherson’s paper shows that a rise in minimum wage would not have its intended effects of reducing the number of people below the poverty line. Instead of manipulating minimum wage, Macpherson proposes using earned income tax credit to relieve poverty levels in America.

“I’m not against helping the poor,” Macpherson said. “I just don’t think the minimum wage is a very effective way to do it, because a lot of people who earn minimum wage don’t, in fact, come from poor families.

The earned income tax credit is a lot more effective way to help the poor. The government supplements the salary with a tax credit so that if you have a family with kids, you get additional money. Instead of paying taxes, they give you money. The more you work, up to a cap, the more you get paid.”

Another facet to minimum wage is its political effect. Peter O’Brien, professor of political science, spoke on the politicized nature of minimum wage in debates about the government’s role in society.

“Negative freedom is ‘freedom-from,’ so the government’s main role is to make sure that the people’s freedom is not restricted — like the freedom to pay whatever you want to your employee, and the freedom to barter for whatever you want from your employer,” O’Brien said. “There’s another form of government called positive freedom, arguing a government’s role is to help people live a more fulfilling life. It says government should create the necessary conditions under which people can thrive.”

Dennis Ahlburg, distinguished professor of economics, says that publishing research on the minimum wage in the Industrial and Labor Relations Review journal is an impressive feat.

“To get another paper on the minimum wage published, given that there’ve been something like fifty years of these things, you have to have a paper that is more than above average. It has to be a very good paper offering something new,” Ahlburg said.

To learn more about Macpherson’s critique of minimum wage increases, visit his faculty webpage. On it, Macpherson has two recently published papers that discuss the impact of minimum wage for tipped workers and wage growth for minimum-wage workers.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • MARCH 02, 2018 •

NEWS

Plans for Coates renovations near completion Changes aim to make university center hub of student activity KATHLEEN CREEDON | NEWS EDITOR kcreedon@trinity.edu Trinity will soon begin renovating Coates University Center in a collaborative effort involving many different Trinity offices, including Student Involvement and Counseling Services.

The renovations start over spring break and will continue through the summer.

The bookstore will move to the lobby area near the Commons, while Counseling Services will move to where Student Involvement is located now.

Alli Roman, director of Diversity and Inclusion, is currently working from a single office inside Student Involvement. With the new renovation, and following her recent hiring of several student workers, Diversity and Inclusion will have its own office space.

Both departments will be found in what is currently the first floor of the campus bookstore.

The Center for Experiential Learning and Career Success (CELCS) will be located on the second floor of the building, above the current Student Involvement office.

Jamie Thompson, director of Student Involvement, emphasized that the main goals of the plan are connected to CELCS’s larger goals.

“The project is connected to several different things: one, the Trinity Tomorrow Strategic Plan.

The Trinity Tomorrow Strategic Plan calls for certain things that the Center for Experiential Learning and Career Success needs to do and accomplish,” Thompson said. “They need interview rooms for more employers, they need all of their staff in one place. Right now, their staff is displaced across the Coates University Center. So part of what the renovation is doing is fulfilling a piece of the Trinity Tomorrow Strategic Plan.”

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT, staff illustrator

The renovations will bring many student services and resources closer to the center of campus.

“The renovation also brings Counseling Services back to Coates,” Thompson said. “What we’re doing is creating a kind of student hub in Coates.”

Before Counseling Services was temporarily moved to Halsell in 2015 so that CELCS could expand, it had been located in Coates since 1987. David Tuttle, dean of students, advocated for the move back to Coates; he hopes it will make it easier for students to access those resources.

Gary Neal, the director of Counseling and Health Services, also says that this move to Coates will benefit students, especially in terms of convenience.

“We will be very centrally located, closer to other student development offices like CELCS, closer to dean Tuttle when we make referrals to him,” Neal said. “I think it’s going to be a great thing for students. ... We’ll have less storage space, but we’ll be gaining at least one individual office, which is good because we’ve gained an additional counseling staff member.”

Counseling Services will use the new space to create a room where students can go to relax.

“Part of our plan is what we’re calling an ‘oasis room,’ which will be a quiet, one-person space for students who just need a place to get away for a few minutes,” Neal said. “We may, depending on the budget, be able to get a massage chair.

We’ll try to make it as available as possible for students who want to drop in.”

Few current students were on campus when the mail room, currently located in the Tiger’s Den, was located where the Coates lobby now resides, outside the Commons. The bookstore is planned to move into that area, taking some space away from the public lobby but mostly fitting in a space partitioned away by the lobby’s back wall.

Susie Juvera, manager of the Trinity bookstore, wrote about the bookstore’s optimistic attitude towards the move in an email interview.

“We are incredibly excited to move the Trinity University bookstore to its new location on the first floor of the Coates University Center. We will now be located next door to the Commons, which will allow students to stop by the store before or after their meals, and as they make

their way through the Coates University Center each day,” Juvera wrote. “While our previous location saw great student engagement, we believe the convenience of our new location will bring even more students and faculty into our store to browse and shop for their course materials, school spirit wear and more.”

Students returning from spring break will discover that the first phase of the renovation project is underway. The lobby area near the Commons will be under maintenance to make the changes needed so that the bookstore can move to that area. The CUC office will also be under construction.

Chinyere Stallworth, Coates coordinator, spoke about the changes that will be made to the Coates office.

“The goal of the changes to the office is just to open it up more. This is the place where students and guests can come to find out information, so I think they’re going to open us up more so that we’re more front and center,” Stallworth said.

Students who have questions about the renovations can contact Jamie Thompson at jamie.thompson@trinity.edu.

Recyclemania returns to Trinity campus Annual competition promotes waste reduction on campus CATHY TERRACE | NEWS REPORTER cterrace@trinity.edu This February, Trinity University participated in Recyclemania, a national competition among college campuses to promote waste reduction held nationally.

Larger schools often see the event as a competition with their rivals, but according to Sharon Curry, sustainability coordinator for Campus Planning and Sustainability, Trinity’s involvement is on a much smaller scale.

“Recyclemania is a national collegiate competition that universities can use for benchmarking waste and recycling,” Curry said. “[For Trinity,] it’s an eight-week period where we measure and quantify all the waste and recycling on campus.”

The competition is already underway, but will continue until the end of March.

“Colleges are ranked week-by-week according to various factors, including recycling rate — a percentage calculated by dividing the weight of recycled materials by the weight of total waste — as well as waste minimization — pounds of waste percapita,” wrote Evan Johnson, sophomore student assistant for Campus Planning and Sustainability, in an email interview.

Monica Lampton, sophomore student assistant for Campus Planning and Sustainability, explained that to promote

illustration by JULIA POAGE, staff illustrator, and LIZ DAY, graphics editor

this event, the office tables every Wednesday during Nacho Hour during February and March in Coates University Center. These efforts are aimed at increasing the campus’s low recycling rates.

“We’re choosing to participate in it because we need to recycle more. Trinity’s annual recycle rate for the 2016 fiscal year was about 12.3 percent, which is really low,” Lampton said.

The university’s rates are considerably lower than Texas’ statewide recycling rate, which is in the low twenties, according to Curry. This low recycling pattern tends to continue even during campus awareness events.

“Last year, Trinity placed 155th out of 191 schools in the nationwide Recyclemania standings, with a recycling rate just under 20 percent,” Johnson wrote.

As a part of Recyclemania, Campus planning and Sustainability compares the amount of recycling coming out of each residence hall.

“We weigh all the waste that comes out of the residence halls — where we can’t weigh, we count,” Curry said. “We make an effort during these eight weeks to break it down and see where it’s coming from.” continued on PAGE 5

NEWS • MARCH 02, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Khan talks about harms of tropical diseases Global Health Initiative brings Baylor prof to talk justice issues connected to medicine

BOBBY WATSON | NEWS REPORTER rwatson@trinity.edu Trinity’s Global Health Initiative (GHI) welcomed Fareed Mahmood Khan, associate professor at the Baylor College of Medicine, to campus to discuss prominent tropical diseases that are classified as neglected by the United States.

Last Thursday, Feb. 22, Khan refuted the claim that the diseases are forgotten, but did concede that the U.S. is not doing enough to eradicate these diseases to a crowd of about 50 people in the Fiesta Room.

“Dr. Khan has accomplished a lot in his lifetime. He is not only a family medicine doctor at Baylor College of Medicine, but he is also in a three-year elected term as senator at large at the medical school,” said junior Emmanuella Oduguwa, president of GHI. “He also runs a non profit organization in Honduras. It is called Shoulder to Shoulder, and this organization has helped to construct a health clinic in rural Honduras. He has also received a certificate in tropical medicine.”

The diseases Khan focused on are those that are non-viral and that are treatable, but that either damage the host severely or can kill them.

These diseases are often very prominent in poor populations in Africa, South America and Asia.

The diseases, such as hookworm, dracunculus and Ebola, are very old and have existed within these civilizations for centuries. According to Khan, one seventh of the world’s population is affected by these diseases.

“The U.S. is undergoing a very introspective sort of view of the world — all the money that we were necessarily wanting to put towards diseases out there in the world. Now suddenly a lot of programs have been cut,” Khan said. “[The U.S.] is actually moving away and neglecting more, although I contend that these are not forgotten diseases or forgotten people.”

Khan goes on to argue that the medical world is not necessarily seeking to eradicate diseases, which may prevent the creation of

Global Health Initiative invited FAREED MAHMOOD KHAN, associate professor at the Baylor College of Medicine, to campus to talk about the social justice issues behind treating tropical diseases. photo by ALLISON WOLFF, staff photographer

vaccines. Rather, the goal is to minimize the morbidity of these diseases using solutions developed in areas local to the disease.

“Never a single approach and always local.

You think you can sit in Silicon Valley and think of a solution? You are wrong,” Khan said.

“The application [of a solution] has to be locally done, locally driven, and that’s where it counts.”

Khan discussed several measures, including preventative chemotherapy: A drug is

distributed to the targeted community, which either treats the disease or prevents its spread.

Additionally, teachers show civilians how to deal with an infection without medical assistance, like guinea-worm, which can be fought with cleanliness and rolling the worm out.

Khan’s lecture focused more on the social justice issues linked with his research rather than specific scientific data.

“From this lecture I learned how we can actually incorporate social change, longterm change,” said Josh Lee, sophomore.

“He’s emphasizing the fact that the states are neglecting these diseases because they’re not happening here, but we do realize that it’s a big issue out in other countries.”

Khan hoped that spreading awareness of these issues in the U.S. will prompt lifesaving solutions.

continued from PAGE 4

“Between week one and two on campus, we saw a 10 percent increase in recycling on campus, which is great. ... Increasing the awareness of waste will help us do a better job at reducing waste.”

As indicated by the early results of the intradorm competition, Recyclemania has already raised awareness for many on campus.

Johnson explained why this participation is crucial for the university.

“The great thing about waste management is that there is always room for improvement,” Johnson wrote. “Ideally, everyone on campus would recycle, but for whatever reason some people choose not to. Reaching out and convincing these people that recycling is not only worth it, but fairly easy to do here at Trinity, is vital to reducing waste on campus.”

TU chooses to extend Recyclemania returns contract with Aramark continued from FRONT “Some of the things that are in the plan that I would assume you’ll respond positively to is that, for starters anyways, it looks like [Mabee] will be open later hours — up until 10 o’clock at night during the week,” Tuttle said.

Tuttle explained that they’re also looking into allowing students to take out food if they are not on the unlimited meal plan and creating a system that would allow meal swipes to be used in the Commons.

Bruce Bravo, senior director of conferences and auxiliary services, was a key player in the RFP process. He explained to SGA that these potential changes are things that the university will negotiate with Aramark.

“The proposal was excellent,” Bravo said.

“The next phase is that we sit down with Aramark and negotiate the contract, which means we can’t be very specific or definitive now. The idea is that we have opportunities now; we’re no longer in an unlimited contract.”

Aramark executives explained their proposal in a forum held in Northrup 040 on Wednesday afternoon. Jerry Dean, the director of strategic development at Aramark,

announced plans to replacing Grille Works with Steak ‘n Shake, adding Starbucks to replace EcoGrounds in the library and offering a sandwich shop at the P.O.D. Express in the Center for Science and Innovation.

While the forum was put on to solicit feedback from the student body, fewer than five students and about as many faculty members were in attendance.

The RFP gave the university the opportunity to select a new dining services provider. Of the eight providers that initially expressed interest, only four submitted proposals. A committee of faculty, staff and students made the decision after a nearly six-month-long process.

Paul Wright, director of business operations in the Tiger Card office, also played a big role in the RFP process. Wright explained that the committee used a consultant that has been used by the university in the past.

“We relied on them a lot to help us get this process started because this has not been done at Trinity,” Wright said. “We’ve had Aramark for a long time.”

With reporting by Julia Weis, managing editor

In addition to the competition, the office is also changing the way in which Trinity does its recycling.

“In the past, we’ve done what is called source separation, where we’ve collected every stream separately, and that results in the best recycling,” Curry said. “However, we’ve not seen the results that we want to see, so we’re trying to make it easier by combining bottles and cans all into one stream.”

This transition will involve the combination of plastic, aluminum and glass into one receptacle, which makes it easier for the students to recycle.

“It’s not just trying to get those metrics as far as in what we recycle and how we recycle, but it’s also to increase awareness,” Curry said.

Break the news.

Tell the story.

Become our next news reporter!

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6

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • MARCH 02, 2018 •

NEWS

Arrest made in Mandadi case

continued on FRONT In his interview with investigators, Howerton said the couple pulled over middrive to engage in consensual but “rough” sex, which included hair pulling, light choking and scratching. However, the affidavit states that the injuries she sustained showed signs of “violent sexual assault.”

According to the affidavit, Howerton’s acquaintance Landon Suggs said Howerton told him he lied to the Rangers about several facts.

Howerton told the Rangers that he and Mandadi continued driving to Houston, and that at some point Mandadi stated she did not feel well and fell asleep in the front seat, still naked from the waist down.

At some point, Howerton noticed that she was no longer breathing, so he began performing CPR on an unconscious Mandadi before taking her to the Seton Edgar B. Davis Hospital in Luling.

While Howerton was in Luling, police officers took photos of his person. The

affidavit says his knuckles were “red in a manner consistent with someone punching someone else.”

Medical staff transferred Mandadi to Seton Medical Center Hays, a level-three trauma center in Kyle. In a phone interview on Wednesday, Feb. 28, Smith said it is not uncommon for patients from smaller hospitals to transfer to the more advanced trauma facility.

Mandadi was pronounced brain-dead on Oct. 30 and removed from life support on Oct. 31, two days after Howerton left her in Luling.

Mandadi was a member of the Chi Beta Epsilon social sorority. Some of her sorority sisters are among the witnesses included in the Rangers’ affidavit.

In their statements to the investigators, the women recounted past aggressive actions

by Howerton against Mandadi: smashing her head into his car window, waving a gun in Mandadi’s face and trashing her dorm last September.

2015 Smith County court records indicate that Howerton has previously been arrested on drug-related charges; his hometown of Tyler resides in Smith county. In the affidavit, multiple witnesses reference Howerton’s use and dealing of anabolic steroids.

Suggs told the Rangers that Howerton admitted to being under the influence of anabolic steroids when he vandalized Mandadi’s room in September.

Sharon Jones Schweitzer, assistant vice president for university communications, told the Trinitonian that, while the university was aware of Howerton’s previous actions, it was only after Mandadi died that Trinity realized the nature of Mandadi and Howerton’s relationship.

“We knew that he had been on campus because he had been an invited guest of hers in September. As a non-Trinity student, that’s when he first became known to us,” Schweitzer said. “After Cayley’s death, there were some increased TUPD patrols to make sure that there weren’t going to be any problems and to

make students feel a little safer, particularly the students who were closest to her.”

Howerton’s defense attorney, John T. Hunter, told the San Antonio Express-News that Howerton turned himself in to the magistrate.

“Mr. Howerton maintains his innocence, and we ask the public to honor the presumption of his innocence,” Hunter said to the Express-News. “He turned himself in because that’s what a responsible citizen does if there’s a warrant out for his arrest.”

MOVING FORWARD In the coming months, Howerton will face a variety of hearings. First, an arraignment.

According to attorney Barry Nance, who practices civil and criminal law, the accused will be brought before a judge and informed of the charges the state is bringing against him.

The next step will be a preliminary hearing.

“It’s the state’s job to prove that it’s more probable than not that a crime was committed, that this individual that we’ve charged with a crime [actually] committed it and that they should be bound over for trial,” Nance said.

“It’s a preliminary hearing to see if we should go on to trial. And all during this time you have the opportunity for plea agreements.”

During the preliminary hearing, a trial judge will be chosen to hear the case. It is possible for the judge who presides over the preliminary hearing to also handle the trial, but the case may be handed over to a different judge, according to Nance.

If the case does go to trial, the presiding judge will set dates for the proceedings.

Following the first media accounts of Howerton’s arrest vice president for student affairs Sheryl Tynes sent a campus-wide email informing the student body of Howerton’s arrest. Tynes detailed services provided by the university to help students in need of additional support.

Schweitzer expanded on Tynes’ statement, saying the university prefers to focus on Mandadi’s life at Trinity rather than the details of her death.

“She was an exuberant, curious and engaged classmate, friend and student — a communication major who deeply loved her Chi Beta Epsilon sorority and teammates on the Trinity cheer team,” Schweitzer said. “Our focus continues to be on helping Cayley’s friends, classmates and faculty heal from her loss.”

After news broke of Howerton’s arrest, outside media visited campus, seeking interviews with students. Tynes addressed this in her email to campus.

“We have an open, urban campus and media will come on campus seeking ways to cover this story,” Tynes said. “While we will ask the media to respect the privacy of our community, please know that you are under no obligation to talk with the media or provide an interview.”

A TRAGEDY, A TREND A 2017 Center for Disease Control report states that nearly half of female homicides are committed by a victim’s past or current romantic partner. In nearly a third of the cases studied, the killing was preceded by an argument, and 12 percent of those deaths were associated with jealousy.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline offers 24-hour support every day of the week for those who are, or believe they might be, in an abusive relationship. Calls to the hotline, 1-800-799-7233, are free and confidential, and live web chat services and other resources are also available online: thehotline.org

CAYLEY MANDADI, was a member of the sorority Chi Beta Epsilon, above, as well as a member of the cheer team, below. Mandadi was described as “an exuberant, curious and engaged classmate, friend and student.” Mandadi died on Oct. 31, 2017. On Feb. 26, Mark Howerton, Mandadi’s former boyfriend, was issued a warrant for arrest. Howerton turned himself in to the Bexar County Magistrate’s Office two days later. On Feb. 28, Howerton was charged with Mandadi’s murder, as well as with aggravated sexual assault. Howerton is currently booked at the Bexas County Jail; his bail is set at $225,000. FILE PHOTOS

with reporting by Daniel Conrad, editor-in-chief and Kathleen Creedon, news editor

LET’S HEAR YOUR VOICE.

...

Have an opinion? To be featured as a guest columnist, please submit your article to trinitonian@trinity.edu by Sunday at noon to be in Thursday’s issue of the paper.

Opinion SUBMISSION

FROM TH E EDITORS’ DESK

The Aramark contract renewal is an opportunity for change, if we seize it When we first heard that the Dining Services Request for Proposals (RFP) committee had opted to renew the university’s contract with Aramark, newsroom opinions were divided.

Were we really going to continue business with a company that made national headlines just last week for serving a racist “Black History Month” meal of corn bread, collard greens and Kool-Aid? We’re continuing our ties with a corporation that has paid more than $2 million in penalties concerning labor violations, employment discrimination and health concerns since 2000?

These and other local concerns may have been on folks’ minds at the University of Houston, which moved last March to terminate its Aramark contract and pursue an RFP of its own.Their relationship with Aramark only dated back to 2005; Trinity has been a client for 34 years.

We have to be fair: Any malpractice going on elsewhere does not reflect on Aramark’s on-campus track record, which seems steadily improving for students.

Aramark says it wants to keep Mabee open later, replace Grille Works with a Steak N Shake and put a Starbucks in EcoGrounds’ place. They intend to offer cooking classes, increase the number of dishes that cater to diverse dietary restrictions, and replace the CSI POD with a sandwich bar.

Students will be able to exchange a Mabee swipe for $6.50 in Bonus Bucks anywhere on campus. Speaking of Mabee, they want to rebrand it as “The Tower.”

We know all of this because Aramark’s director of strategic development presented these ideas at a Wednesday forum in Northrup — the one that about 10 members of the campus community attended.

Students can’t expect to see meaningful change in on-campus dining if their complaints are voiced only in private.

The university is in a unique position right now, one that comes only once every five years: Administration representatives are negotiating a new contract with Aramark, and Trinity wields great bargaining power in these conversations.

But your views won’t be heard by the right people if you’re only sharing it with friends, or even on the feedback cards distributed at campus dining locations.

Take it up with Bruce Bravo, senior director of conferences and auxiliary services, or Paul Wright, director of business operations in the Tiger Card office. Their email addresses are bbravo@trinity.edu and pwright1@trinity.edu, respectively.

The dean is another resource: dtuttle@trinity.edu. When he spoke to us, Bravo was clear that the details aren’t yet settled, so there’s still time to affect meaningful change.

Last week’s editorial pushed for a relaxed Mabee swipe-sharing policy, so we won’t waste ink on that here. We do wonder why Trinity University should host the third Starbucks in a mile’s radius; why not bring local brewing talent to the library?

Also, is “The Tower” apt for the campus’ squattiest brick of a building? We already know something as “The Tower” — the tower. C’mon.

A call to action: Here’s how to vote MADDIE KENNEDY GUEST COLUMNIST mkennedy@trinity.edu

As a Trinity Progressive officer, one of my main aspirations is to encourage Trinity’s community to engage with local politics ahead of the 2018 midterm election cycle. A key part of this involves the upcoming primary election — where you work to nominate your party’s candidate for specific positions.

Primary elections are special because you can only vote for one party — there is a Democratic ballot and a Republican ballot.

You decide which ballot you would like at the door, and begin making your selections.

There are plenty of good, important arguments for why American citizens, and college students in particular, should vote and stay civically engaged. Please look them up if you are in need of persuading.

Instead of trying to do that job, I am merely hoping to provide resources and information on how to help Trinity students, staff and faculty vote. Gearing up for our March 6 primaries, you should look to follow these steps:

Progressive’s table on election day to pick up a sample ballot or shorter voter guide.

You can bring your voter guides into the voting booth with you, provided as they are nonpartisan and are not any campaign publications. One guide can be found at sanantoniovoterguide.com • Get your valid Texas Driver’s License, U.S. passport, or other government-issued I.D. and come to the polling station on March 6th from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Make sure you are registered to vote.

Check here: https://trini.cc/voteregister • Find your polling location. Trinity students this is Olmos Park City Hall: 120 W. El Prado Dr., San Antonio TX 78212 • Learn more about your candidates! Visit the Coates Library circulation desk to pick up a full voter’s guide, or visit Trinity

If you need a ride, visit Coates University Center from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to get driven to Trinity’s polling location by Trinity Progressives officers.

world of real, adult politics. The conference, like many others, offered speakers, panels, networking opportunities and job fairs.

The conference had speakers ranging from expected to controversial. The names ranged from Ben Shapiro to Vice President Mike Pence to President Donald Trump to Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, Marine Le Pen’s niece.

Marion Maréchal-Le Pen’s inclusion was very controversial. She is a member of the Le Pen family in charge of the National Front party in France, which is known for occasionally denying the Holocaust, not exactly a stalwart conservative party in the international sense. It advocates for positions that are blatantly not fiscally conservative such as nationalized health care systems. I walked out and didn’t attend her lecture. To pretend that the National Front is a conservative party and worthy of inclusion at CPAC is to pretend that a dog is a cat.

Le Pen’s inclusion was a controversy when the conference started, and when the

conference ended that limelight was focused on Mona Charen. Mona Charen is a writer for the National Review, a magazine founded

by William F. Buckley and considered to be the conscience of the conservative movement since its founding. The controversy arose during a panel about #UsToo: Left Out by the Left. I was expecting the panel to be the typical conservative complaints pertaining to leftist’s hypocrisy on feminism where a woman is only a woman if she is a “lefty.” A debate on this matter normally revolves around a few core subjects. First to be discussed is the hypocrisy on the left when it pertains to women being attacked.

Oftentimes, the left will complain that legitimate criticism of a left leaning female politician boils down to sexism instead of a difference in policy positions and opinions.

For example, Elizabeth Warren and the “nevertheless she persisted” situation.

Maddie Kennedy is a junior political science major.

Addressing #MeToo at the CPAC MANFRED WENDT OPINION COLUMNIST mwendt@trinity.edu

“A conservative is someone who stands athwart history, yelling ‘Stop!’, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it.”

— William F. Buckley The above quote has served as boiler plate material for the conservative movement since one of its cornerstones, William F. Buckley, breathed it into being. This past weekend, I attended the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC), the premier conference for the conservative movement in the United States. Attending CPAC is considered to be a rite of passage and something you need to do before you graduate from college and enter the

continued on PAGE 10

GUIDELINES The Trinitonian is your public forum. Here’s how to start a dialogue and have your voice heard in print and online.

letters to the editor Share your quick reactions to Trinitonan coverage and opinion columns. Send 300 words or less to the head editors and Soleil Gaffner, the Opinion editor, at trinitonian@trinity.edu. She or Daniel Conrad, Trinitonian editor-in-chief, will be in touch as soon as they can.

guest columns Can’t keep it to a few hundred words? Pen a guest column and let your views be known.

Please keep it between 500 and 700 words, and give us time to prepare. If possible, submit

by Sunday at noon to be in the Friday edition of the paper.

Email it to Opinion editor Soleil Gaffner at LGaffner@trinity.edu.

please note!

The Opinion section editor and the Trinitonian copy editors will fact-check your work and edit for clarity, legal concerns, grammar and style, but we will not alter your argument. Also, please include your graduating year and major or your position at the university.

8

History and

empathy

GINA TAM FACULTY COLUMNIST gtam@trinity.edu “Why should I take a history class, Dr. Tam?” Indeed, this question is one that those of us in the humanities often are forced to address. In a world where our college graduates are increasingly wary of their job prospects in an uncertain economy, an education in history seems at best tangential to students’ broader career goals, and at worst a waste of time. Certainly, few conceptions could be further from the truth.

Study after study shows that history majors fare quite well on the job market. They find themselves in a wide array of jobs in the public and private sectors. Their skills in written communication, critical thinking and research acumen are highly sought after, from Wall Street and Silicon Valley to the global marketplace. Yet I do not want to make the case here for our discipline’s marketable, transferable skills. Rather, I would like to highlight something that history teaches us uniquely, one of the chief skills that an education in the historical method highlights in a way that few other disciplines can. That skill is empathy.

As historians, our job is to gather evidence from the past, and use that evidence to explain how or why things happen. Unlike our colleagues in the natural sciences, our evidence does not come from a laboratory where we can carefully control variables. Our evidence comes from material traces that people of the past left behind.

It is always, therefore, the product of human creation. These things are unreliable; sometimes they outright lie to us. Given this, historians approach our evidence with two considerations.

The first is that we have to be critical about the kinds of information we can actually trust from its content. The second is that we have to treat each of our source’s creators as complex, three-dimensional human beings with their own agendas, desires and beliefs. This means that when we read something by someone we agree with, we cannot take what they say at face value just because we agree. We have to offer thoughtful context about how the broader events of the past, and the author’s own experiences, might shape their beliefs.

Most importantly, we must examine the author’s words with the same critical eye we might something with which we disagree. When we read something that makes us uncomfortable — a common experience for those of us, like myself, who study past conceptualizations of race or gender — we still have to take what those authors say seriously.

We have to treat them as individuals who come from a particular cultural environment, and critically engage with their arguments rather than dismiss them out of hand. This does not mean we have to agree with them, nor that we do not have to double check obvious inconsistencies. It simply means that we have to treat them with the same empathy we would expect scholars of the future to treat us, regardless of how questionable the evidence we leave behind may be.

In a world that feels hopelessly polarized, such empathy helps us to better understand and communicate with one another. If I can articulate clearly the views of someone of the past whose views I don’t share, and try to understand how their personal experiences and broader historical context inform their choices, I have a better understanding of the context in which they are writing. I am better able to articulate how my own cultural context shapes my reactions to them.

This makes us better critical thinkers, but also, better citizens, able to see the flawed humanity in all of us, past and present.

And so, I expect to see every one of you in my fall class.

Gina Tam is an associate professor in the department of history.

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • MARCH 02, 2018 •

OPINION

Arguing about atheism and reason JOHN CROXTON GUEST COLUMNIST jcroxton@trinity.edu In last week’s Trinitonian, Alexander Jacobs asked nonbelievers to answer the question: What specific evidence would make you believe in God? He argued that the universe points to the existence of God because, “The beginning of the universe was the beginning of all space, time and matter, [so] its cause must transcend these.”

After some Googling, I found all kinds of pre-Big Bang theories currently under scientific consideration, from the idea of an older universe spawning our own, to chaotic inflation theory — the idea that universes can ‘inflate’ to full proportions from nothing. In quantum physics, particles can pop in and out of existence without any ‘cause’ at all.

So I’m not convinced by Alexander’s argument that we need a supernatural cause to explain the universe. Unfortunately, since we’re not physicists, we might not be able to settle this question to our satisfaction.

Alexander also requested that we read arguments from the best Christian theologians before doubting God’s existence. I’ve read (some of ) them, and I’d rather respond to the main points in his article than write about physics and metaphysics for the rest of mine.

What kind of evidence would it take for me to believe in God? It would take some evidence, any evidence at all, that most people would consider reliable when not discussing their own religion.

Although Alexander seems unsure on this point, I would certainly accept his example of a miracle: an amputated arm or leg growing back after a prayer. If he can provide it, I can believe it. But I suspect we’ll be waiting a while.

Failing a miracle, where is the evidence for a Christian God? I won’t accept stories of personal religious experiences, so I’m probably supposed to look to the Bible.

But the Bible is exceptionally poor evidence for God’s existence. At the time it was written, people believed that demons, evil spirits, magicians, oracles, ghosts and witches literally walked among them. The Bible itself is a superstitious book, full of passages that have, quite apart from being wrong, caused human suffering and death.

For example, Exodus 22:18: “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live,” and similar Biblical passages resulted in the executions of thousands of innocent women in medieval Europe.

A rational observer can’t accept the miracles in the Bible — turning water to wine, exorcising demons, raising the dead — without accepting the miracles from every other religion and superstition that then existed. This is reason enough to reject Christianity.

As much as I might want to, I find it almost impossible to believe in a loving God who stands idly by as disease, famine and war afflict his children.

A rational person should also reject Christians’ calling these parts of the Bible the “flawed, human” passages, and the more popular parts the “true, divinely-inspired” ones.

Unless you have already accepted Christianity, there is no reason to embrace the nicer verses as true and reject the superstitious or awful as false.

I hope this explains why I’m not Christian specifically. I’ll add the general issue that first made me question the existence of any loving God: the problem of evil. If God is all-powerful and all-good, why is there so much evil in the world?

Usually, Christians blame it on free will: God couldn’t give humanity freedom without allowing us to commit evil. But this answer falls pathetically short of the question’s scope.

Most of the ‘evil’ in the world, i.e. pain and suffering, is not caused by people at all.

Just look at the top causes of death worldwide: heart disease, stroke, respiratory conditions and diseases, cancer, diarrheal diseases and fungal infections. None of those can be blamed on human free will — but God permits them all.

How many children would you have to watch dying in horrible pain before you intervened? In 2016, 5.6 million children died, all under five years old. This, in the most advanced age the world has ever known.

For most of the time God watched, the world would’ve been a much crueler place.

Wild animals still live how early humans did: They die either of being eaten alive or starving to death. Presumably their suffering is also necessary for us to be free.

As much as I might want to, I find it almost impossible to believe in a loving God who stands idly by as disease, famine and war afflict his children. Yet if God exists, we know that he does; we know that even if he created one of the better possible worlds for us to live in, God still allows unfathomable amounts of suffering to occur before his eyes.

We know that every good father takes more responsibility for his children than God the Father does for us; no father would allow his child to die of a curable disease.

For that matter, no father would ever allow one of his children to kill another in the name of “free will.”

Any loving God thus seems impossible to rationally justify. As for Christianity, I see no reason to believe the Bible over the holy books in thousands of other religions.

So, now that I’ve responded to Alexander’s question, I’d like to ask him: What would it take for you to stop believing?

John Croxton is a senior computer science major.

In defense of atheism and other gods ALEX BRADLEY GUEST COLUMNIST abradle1@trinity.edu

Atheist here, responding to Alexander Jacobs’ question addressed to atheists: “What specific evidence would make you believe in God?” Allow me to begin by stating that these views are mine and mine alone, and I in no way represent the atheist community.

What if I told you the question was not whether a god or gods exist, but which?

Throughout the history of mankind, god hypotheses have been put forth. Your article suggests the miracle of spontaneous limb generation as possible evidence for God, but you never stop and ask, “Which god?”

To many people the answer may be entirely obvious, but interestingly, many of those people would disagree with each other. Some people might say that Dionysus regenerated that person’s arm so that they may continue to revel with wine. Others disagree, stating that it was Ra, because it is easier to worship the sun with two arms.

Ask 10 different people which god it was that caused this spontaneous regeneration, and you’ll get 10 different answers. The evidence that would convince me of your Gods’ existence may be the same evidence that would convince you of Thor’s existence, or Ra’s existence, or Zoroaster’s or Zeus’. So,

my response to your question is in the form of a question: What would convince you of the existence of any other deity?

Depending on your standard of evidence, eventually you may end up a pantheist who believes in all gods, or an atheist believing in no gods. Because so many people invest themselves in many different religions, and your evidence is only philosophical, how do you determine who is correct? Undoubtedly you can find philosophical evidence that shows how a higher power exhibits many similarities to the god you believe in, but you can also find many just as credible arguments against that.

I realize that my answer to your question may be unsatisfactory. You were looking for a specific action or series of actions that would deftly change my mind and I did not provide that because my standards of evidence would not allow my mind to be swayed by one report. I would need something well researched, documented and peer-reviewed by credible, unbiased people.

When I say that I’m open to the evidence for a god, I’m saying that I’m open to the idea that a god exists, but adequate evidence must be supplied and well vetted by a trusted epistemological source.

As for your question on open-mindedness, I do not immediately dismiss a god claim; instead I actively work to understand the world around us. During all of human civilization, stories have been made up to explain the inexplicable.

In your article, you also point out that we cannot currently explain why the universe exists, and you’re absolutely correct.

Currently we cannot adequately explain what, if anything, happened before the universe. In 1835, philosopher Auguste Comte predicted that science will never understand what stars might be made of, and at the time they had reason to believe he was correct.

Not too long after, we were analyzing stars spectroscopically and determining their structure and composition, and spectroscopy has since blossomed into an entire field of chemistry and physics. Now we do spectroscopy of all shapes and sizes to investigate things about the world around us.

Imagine if we had taken Comte at his word and decided not to pursue the composition of stars. We’d know significantly less about the universe.

As a scientist, I’m always looking for why I might be wrong about something instead of only looking for reasons why I am right. Why should I stop looking for new and interesting things around us just because someone says that nothing more can be learned? Countless times in history people have claimed that something wouldn’t work or could never be understood, and then we figured it out.

If you would like to continue this dialogue further, feel free to send me an email; this invitation is also extended to any reader who is looking for an honest and respectful dialogue.

Alex Bradley is a sophomore chemistry major.

OPINION • MARCH 02, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

9

Say yes to the press: Embracing media interviews DAVID TUTTLE GUEST COLUMNIST dtuttle@trinity.edu

Recently a colleague asked me for pointers on how to talk to the Trinitonian. It’s a great question and hints at the trepidation some have when faced with being the subject of an interview.

People want to show they are smart reasoned, and caring. That said, here are some tips for my colleagues when the spotlight turns toward them: SAY “YES” TO INVERVIEWS The best way to manage the flow of accurate information is to offer it. Avoiding interviews makes people think there is something to hide.

Even worse is saying “no comment.” It makes reporters more suspicious.

You can refer reporters to additional/different/ better sources if they are requesting you to comment on something out of your wheelhouse.

BE ACCESSIBLE The students are very busy, so they’ll appreciate it if you take calls outside of normal hours or send a quick email response to follow-up questions. It may behoove you in the long run.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO ANSWER EVERY QUESTION You need to be honest, but aren’t under oath and aren’t required to answer things that are off limits. I like to talk in generalities when this happens: “What a lot of campuses face is...”

THE PAPER IS A VALUABLE CONDUIT OF REAL NEWS Transparency, communication and the exchange of information are critical to the media and our paper is no different. Being in the hot seat can be difficult, but explaining one’s self and decisions is important.

IT’S ALL ABOUT STUDENT LEARNING The Trinitonian is not only a service, but an educational vehicle for students. Nearly everything we do here is about student learning. Reporters are sometimes nervous to talk to adults and can be guarded at best, blustery at worst. Believe me, it is tough when a reporter makes mistakes at the expense of your reputation and career. Get over it though.

KEEP PERSPECTIVE It is easy to think that what we do is soooo important. Sometimes it is. But we are a small campus in South Central Texas and mostly nobody else cares. Polar ice caps are melting, the rich are getting richer and world leaders with WMDs are assigning nicknames to one another. We are not “all-that.”

YOUR QUOTES ARE LESS INTERESTING THAN YOU THINK It took me a while to figure this out. I realized that usually people glance through stories, get the drift, and then check their iPhones.

The quote you obsess over is probably of very little consequence. Out of a twenty-minute interview you will probably have two or three quotes — tops. And reporters will just be using you to weave their narrative.

LET REPORTERS RECORD INTERVIEWS Everyone wins. My fear used to be that I would be misquoted. Now I fear I will be quoted accurately. “Did I really say that?”

TRY TO BE INTERESTING I try to drop in an outlandish nugget in every interview. Unfortunately, few get published, either out of the reporter’s respect for my reputation, or because they didn’t think I was as amusing as I did.

YOU CAN GO OFF THE RECORD All you have to do is say, “Can I go off the record?” Sometimes this is important when a reporter is sniffing around an angle that isn’t

We can’t ignore mass killings THERESA HO OPINION COLUMNIST tho@trinity.edu I remember when the only horrific shooting I knew about was the one in Columbine. But that happened when I was two years old.

Growing up, people rarely talked about it, so I didn’t think about it much. All I knew was that Columbine was a terrible tragedy that had changed the way the United States looked at school security and mental health. I didn’t even know Columbine High School was in Colorado until I went there with my high school tennis team to play against Columbine on their home courts.

It was also 15 minutes away from my house.

Still, my classmates and I rarely talked about mass shootings. After all, what were the chances of another mass shooting in Colorado? What did we know about guns and mental health? What could we do?

And then the Aurora theater shooting happened in 2012. The gunman shot 82 people and killed 12. Suddenly, mass shootings didn’t seem so far away, and everyone at school was talking about gun control and public safety. A friend of my mom’s friend was the mother of one of the victims. One of my childhood friends called me, shaking, to tell me that he had been planning on going to see the midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” at that theater but had changed his mind at the last second. Sandy Hook happened only months later.

All murder is horrific and unjust, but hearing about a gunman shooting six- and seven-year-old children made some of my classmates cry. One of my classmates knew the victim of the Arapahoe High School shooting the next year, and I watched

illustration by JULIA POAGE, staff illustrator

from a distance how gaunt and heartbroken she looked, how quiet she was.

Naively, I thought the worst mass shooting in America for decades to come would be the Aurora theater shooting. But then there was a shooting in Sandy Hook, the Pulse club, Sutherland Springs and Las Vegas.

On the news, it almost feels like every new mass shooting breaks some kind of record for deadliness and evil. At this point, it certainly feels like the U.S. is trying to get the record for the country with the most mass shootings in history.

It’s tempting to think that the shootings are far away from us when our loved ones aren’t the ones getting hurt. It’s also tempting to think that only politicians can bring change, and because there has been no change, then there is nothing we can do.

But if we don’t get involved in politics and hold our representatives accountable, if we don’t look at America’s gun culture and the state of American mental health, if we don’t realize that something is fundamentally wrong with our country, more innocents are going to die. And those victims could be people who die just 15 minutes away from our home. Those victims could be us, our friends or our children.

Emma Gonzalez, one of the Florida shooting survivors, calls for action to prevent school shootings from ever happening again. She says what I think many of us are feeling. And if we aren’t feeling it, then we should be.

The fact that students have to fight for their right to live when adults, especially the President of the United States, should already be ensuring that students are safe is wrong. Soon, we’ll be the adults. And if we don’t change, then one day, we’ll be the ones held accountable.

Theresa Ho is a sophomore neuroscience major.

accurate, and some stories are non-stories and you can derail them by being honest. It makes you feel really important to lean in, look sideto-side, and say, “Off the record...” (But that’s just between us.)

LET IT GO From time-to-time people will write back for clarification and occasionally without much grace. The more you keep a story going the more life it has. Don’t feed the fire.

YOU CAN’T PROOFREAD THE STORY! Journalists don’t want you to even ask.

[Editor’s note: It’s true!] You usually can’t talk them out of using your quotes once you have spilled the beans, but if you build rapport and later get nervous about what you said, a reporter might be open to reading back your quotes to you to give you peace of mind.

[Editor’s note: It’s true!]

FINALLY: UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF THE ADVISOR Katharine Martin regularly reviews students’ work after it is published but she doesn’t review content in advance unless the students are seeking her help. This is critical so the press is seen as independent from censorship. It creates an authentic and valuable learning experience, and one we can share by being competent and interesting interview subjects.

SOMEONE WILL ALWAYS DISAGREE WITH YOU The reporters are taught to cite multiple sources. Sometimes you are a primary source or a secondary source. There will always be a student quote that makes you seem like you know nothing. This is done in the name of balance. Get used to it.

This was originally posted on The Dean’s List, David Tuttle’s personal blog, on Feb. 5, 2018. To read the full column, visit trini.cc/thedeanslist David Tuttle is the dean of students and associate vice president for Student Life.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • MARCH 02, 2018 •

OPINION

Trinity applauds Charen Celebrating Trinity’s

continued from PAGE 8

She received the limelight when the debate turned from a generic feminism discussion to “feminist hypocrisy.” Instead of going for the low-hanging fruit and addressing the Democratic Party’s issues with sexual assault and predatory men, she chose to boldly address the issue of the Republican Party’s refusal to expose serial predators in its own tent. The biggest example of this was Roy Moore and the refusal of the Republican Party of Alabama to somehow replace him on the ballot.

When she began her monologue on the issue, the room split. Some people in the room began to boo, hissing that the accusations were unproven in the court of law and that the Roy Moore situation had been nothing more than Democrats stealing a Senate seat via subterfuge. On the other side was the Trinity delegation. We were the only people to stand up and applaud her for her boldness to stand athwart history yelling stop when few were inclined to listen. Of all the people in that convention hall, probably of over 1,000 people, Trinity students were the only ones willing to stand and be counted. I am not saying that other people weren’t applauding, there most certainly were many others who were not standing.

I stood up and applauded because I was glad to hear someone speak truth to power. Political history is filled with examples of people who are terrible human beings who achieve elected office in spite of everyone knowing they are terrible human beings simply because they are in positions of power and they are on your side.

Maybe, just maybe, the positive ramification of the #MeToo movement will be the willingness of the people and political parties to opt to lose elections — or maybe nominate non sexual predators — instead of selling your soul or denying clear factual evidence because

illustrated by JULIA POAGE, staff illustrator

150th anniversary NICK SANTULLI GUEST COLUMNIST nsantull@trinity.edu

the predator is on your side representing your party’s colors and animal. There are over 300 million people in the United States, there are plenty of people who are qualified for political office who have not committed sexual assault and aren’t sexual predators.

Mona Charen was brave enough to put her foot on the ground and stand for the truth, she was booed for it and had to be taken by security from the premise. My group and I were disappointed because we moved as quickly as socially allowable in a conference setting to the area where all the speakers would go to take photos afterwards to try and get a picture with her. I am glad she spoke and stood for the truth, I hope when I encounter a similar situation in life that I have her strength.

Also, don’t vote for sexual predators.

Manfred Wendt is a senior political science major.

Trinity will celebrate its 150th anniversary at the beginning of 2019, less than a year from now. In the mind of a college student, 11 months can seem like an eternity. Within that time span, your course load, extracurricular involvements and personal relationships can all change dramatically.

From the perspective of an institution that has endured almost one-and-a half centuries, however, a single year is more like a wrinkle.

That’s why now is the time to kick-start preparations for Trinity’s 150th anniversary, an occasion in which each of us has a distinct and important role to play.

I know what you’re probably thinking: That incessant Strategic Communications and Marketing office is at it again! #TigerPride!

While this sentiment is not entirely false, the 150th anniversary is about far more than the university’s self-promotion. The sesquicentennial provides a unique opportunity for us, as a community, to reflect on our past, relish in our present and prepare for our future.

We will highlight the milestones that have defined Trinity’s upward trajectory and celebrate the individuals who have enabled the university to thrive. However, in order to paint an accurate picture of our history, we will also look back at the challenges Trinity has overcome along the way.

Examined collectively through the lens of the university’s enduring values, these stories will compose a roadmap that will point us toward 150 more years of discovery, growth and excellence.

All of that sounds great, right? Well, here’s the thing: None of it will happen without the help of faculty, staff, alumni and especially students. It is up to us, as members of the Trinity community, to decide which stories are told and how the university commemorates this milestone. The sole purpose of Trinity’s 150th Anniversary Committee is to facilitate the celebration, not to micromanage it.

The student body, on the other hand, holds a much loftier task. Students will plan the year’s events through organizations like Student Programming Board, determine whether activities are successful through their level of

engagement, and document the celebration for future generations via official channels such as the Trinitonian and informal outlets like social media. It’s a big job and the 150th anniversary will only be worth commemorating if each of us does our part.

Luckily, there are numerous ways to get involved in the 150th anniversary celebration, and the university committee is here to provide you with any support you need.

First and foremost, all students are strongly encouraged to actively participate in next year’s activities, ensuring that the celebration is truly campus-wide.

For those of you involved in a student organization, your club can stake its claim to the anniversary by either (1) elevating — adding some sesquicentennial flair to a pre-existing event, or (2) creating — planning an entirely new event in honor of the occasion.

It is up to us ... to decide which stories are told and how the university commemorates this milestone.

Whichever route your organization pursues, you can get your event on the official calendar by submitting the short application available on the university committee website. If your organization would like to contribute to the celebration but needs suggestions or support, including planning and/or funding help, feel free to contact the 150th Anniversary Committee co-chair, Angela Breidenstein, at abreiden@trinity.edu.

She will forward your request to a committee member who will provide assistance as quickly as possible. We also invite you to come to Student Involvement’s Milk and Cookies on March 1 as a follow up to our Super Nacho Hour on Feb. 28.

Thanks to all of you who make the Trinity community worth celebrating — we look forward to helping facilitate a celebration that will propel the university towards 150 more years of progress.

Nick Santulli is a senior political science major.

illustration by JULIA POAGE, staff illustrator

HAVE A STORY THAT NEEDS TO BE TOLD? Know a professor or student who embodies what it means to be a Tiger? Email us at trinitonian@trinity.edu to let us know about the people and events that should be covered in an upcoming issue of the Trinitonian.

Pulse

Nickle and Morell-Nickle retire After 18 years serving Trinity community as chaplain and SAS worker, couple plans move to Washington

CATHERINE MORELL-NICKLE worked with Trinity students from 2013 to 2018. photo by AMANI CANADA, photo editor

STEPHEN NICKLE and CATHERINE MORELL-NICKLE lived in San Antonio since 2000 but are excited to move to Tacoma. photo provided by STEPHEN NICKLE

STEPHEN NICKLE worked as Trinity's chaplain for 18 years. photo by AMANI CANADA, photo editor

Since 2013, Morell-Nickle has worked at Trinity's Student Success Center, in Student Accessibility Services, which offers This summer, the waters of Tacoma, accommodations for students regarding Washington, situated on the banks of academics, housing or meal plans. Before she Puget Sound, will become a little bit richer joined the Trinity staff, Morell-Nickle received with the arrival of Stephen Nickle and her M.A. in school psychology from Trinity and worked with students in the Northside Catherine Morell-Nickle.

Stephen Nickle, Trinity chaplain, and Independent School District in San Antonio.

Nickle explained that he and MorellCatherine Morell-Nickle, assistant director for Student Accessibility Services, have been Nickle made the decision to move to faithful and passionate supporters of the Trinity Washington together.

“We have a pretty egalitarian marriage community since Nickle was hired in 2000.

Nickle has served as Trinity's chaplain for — not one where I come and say, ‘We’re 18 years. After this semester, Nickle will begin moving,’ ” Nickle said. “I guess I could, but a year-long pastoral residency at St. Joseph’s she’d probably say, ‘Well, the commute’s going Medical Center in Tacoma, working with to be long for you.’ ” Moving to Tacoma will be a big change for patients, families and staff.

Nickle discussed why he and Morell-Nickle the Nickles, but they are excited for the newness made the decision to retire from Trinity this year. and challenge it will bring. Though Nickle has “Some of it is my own sense that my work planned his pastoral residency, Morell-Nickle as a college chaplain — I’ve been doing this for has not yet decided what path she will take. She 31 years — is drawing to a close,” Nickle said. hopes to continue working with students.

“And then I’m excited for something around the “[I want to continue] some kind of work. corner. I’m kind of seeing out of my peripheral I'm not really sure what shape that will take yet. vision, don’t even have a real clear sense of what My focus has been, up until this point, pretty that next thing is. Although I’m sure [the new immediate,” Morell-Nickle said.

Nickle and Morell-Nickle have thought position at St. John's] will build on and draw from the kinds of capacities that being chaplain about retiring since last semester but decided to wait to decide until after winter break. here has nurtured in me.”

However, once they got back to campus, they decided retirement was the next move.

“I wanted to give the university some time to go through the process,” Nickle said. “I’ve been here 18 years. I hope I’ve disappointed people enough so that they’re thinking, ‘Okay, we’ve ought to think of some improvements,’ or ‘Here are some things that do work.’ ” The university will be conducting a review of the chaplaincy to develop a more accurate description and to think about what kind of characteristics would best fit the position.

“It's important to focus on the word ‘chaplaincy,’ not ‘chaplain.’ This is not a review of an individual,” President Danny Anderson wrote in an email interview. “It is an opportunity for an external, third party to listen to voices on our campus and report back to us what kinds of hopes we have for this role.”

The university plans to interview members of various faith organizations on campus.

Anderson will appoint a search committee after speaking to the key constituents and to John Williams, university chaplain of Austin College, who will be conducting the review of the chaplaincy.

According to Sheryl Tynes, vice president of student affairs, Nickle played an important role in Trinity’s community, especially concerning one-on-one work with students.

“He’s a healer. When we’ve had any type of campus tragedy, he’s a healer, and that’s what he’s really good at,” Tynes said. “There are lots of times where he will partner with counseling services where he will facilitate something for a group or just make himself available and students will seek him out.”

Morell-Nickle also worked one-on-one with students to help them overcome challenges through SAS. “Students come in with some kind of a label, and leave it there and we talk about what kind of barriers are created because of whatever that is. So when we start talking about those barriers, we create a plan to mitigate against those barriers,” Morell-Nickle said. “That, in essence, is what accessibility services is about.”

Nickle will look back on his and MorellNickle’s time at Trinity with fond memories of talking to students about their experiences and watching them grow.

“What I see in college students is there can be something cooking as people are moving through their senior year that’s very different than how they did life in their first year. It is a privilege to be able to accompany folks in that time of life,” Nickle said.

they wanted and they would receive feedback from each interviewer. Almost the whole CELCS office participated in order to expose students to as many types of interviewers as possible.

Running events like these is just one aspect of the Career Services staff's job. Members of this office provide guidance and coaching of every kind, from helping format resumes, to fostering alumni connections, to simply giving general advice. A day in the life of a member of Career Services can be diverse and hectic, but also rewarding.

LadyStacie Rimes-Boyd, the assistant director for programming and marketing, said she usually starts her day at around 8:30 a.m. by checking emails and getting updated about what she’s missed.

“There are going to be things like requests for appointments to meet, and those requests can range from appointments to do resume reviews and personal statements,” Rimes-Boyd said.

Those appointments represent the advising aspect of her job, but as she is also involved with marketing and programming, RimesBoyd also has to check to see if there are any requests for information sessions/tables from employers who want to come on campus and meet students.

“I make sure that there’s space for them, and set that up within the system, so that whatever date that they want to reserve, hopefully we can bring them on campus and have those [information sessions or tables],” Rimes-Boyd said.

Additionally, if there are any programs on the agenda for that day, Rimes-Boyd makes sure that all the details are set for the event. Rimes-Boyd imagined and facilitated the aforementioned Interview for Success program.

That morning, she prepared all the materials that the interviewers would need.

“I have folders for all my colleagues who are coming in, and those have been organized, and [I’ve been] thinking through what the event plan is for that particular event,” Rimes-Boyd said.

For other programs, Rimes-Boyd said that in the morning on the day of the particular program, she posts blurbs on social media, answers emails and makes sure that participants understand the event and their time commitment for it. “[The preparation] is really multifaceted,” Rimes-Boyd said.

Through these programs, and her individual meetings with her advisees, Rimes-Boyd is able to make a direct impact on student’s lives and see the happiness that such impacts cause. That’s what she loves about her job.

GABBY GARRIGA | PULSE REPORTER ggarriga@trinity.edu

Center for Experiential Learning and Career Success advises, plans, helps students MAGGIE LUPO | PULSE REPORTER mlupo@trinity.edu It was a bustle of noise on Friday afternoon in the Career Services office in the Center for Experiential Learning and Career Success (CELCS). A stream of people jangled the bell on the door as they entered. The excited voices of students and faculty intermingled as each person signed in at the front desk for the day's event.

That day, Feb. 25, CELCS was running a program called Interview for Success, which allowed students to practice professional interviews in a round-robin-style format. The students could attend as many interviews as

With additional reporting by Kathleen Creedon, news editor

continued on PAGE 14

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PULSE

How does Trinity conserve water?

Faculty clarifies sustainability efforts

NOELLE BARRERA | NEWS REPORTER nbarrera@trinity.edu Most people know a few actions they can personally take to help the environment, whether it’s avoiding disposable plastic bottles or taking short showers. But what efforts are the Trinity and San Antonio communities at large taking to save the planet? Trinity faculty explain San Antonio’s green initiatives and the role the university has played in helping conserve.

This January, the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) became the only water system in Texas to join the Leading Utilities of the World, a group of innovators in water utilities.

Twenty years ago, San Antonio’s only source of water was the Edwards Aquifer near San Marcos. Dependence on the aquifer led the city to be accused of violating the Endangered Species Act in the 1990s; since then, there has been an effort to diversify water sources.

Currently, most of the city’s water still comes from the Edwards Aquifer, but SAWS is investing in new sources like the Carrizo Aquifer and the Vista Ridge Pipeline — a proposed project that could mean 20 percent more water for the city.

Richard Reed, professor of sociology and anthropology who also teaches in the environmental studies department, spoke positively of San Antonio’s water quality. He also attributed the current water surplus to citizens’ actions.

“Currently, we have sufficient water to meet our needs. And the reason we do is that for the last 30 years, San Antonio citizens have really reduced their water use,” Reed said.

“Even as our city population has doubled, the amount of water we have used has remained quite constant, which means that over the last 30 years, the people of San Antonio are using about 50 percent per capita less water than they did.”

Reed identified building projects on the recharge zone, an area where Edwards Aquifer limestone outcrops at the surface, as a potential threat to the city’s water quality.

“They’re putting in gas stations and parking lots and laying asphalt down on roads and the houses with their septic systems — all of them threaten the water that’s flowing into the Edwards Aquifer and could really raise challenges for our water system because sewage spills in the recharge zone north of San Antonio go directly into the San Antonio city aquifer system,” Reed said.

Unsuitable crops are also a challenge.

“Most of the water coming out of our water supply is used to irrigate crops, and that’s a serious concern,” Reed said. “We’re growing crops like cotton in this area that aren’t really designed for the arid conditions of South Texas.”

Trinity University’s sustainability initiatives include using recycled, or reclaimed, water that has been cleaned by a sewage treatment plant to irrigate the lawns.

“Early on, we transferred over from using the city water supply to irrigate our lawns to using reused water that’s coming up from the

sewage treatment plant south of town,” Reed said. “So after the water’s been cleaned after going through the sewage treatment plant, you really can’t dump it back into the river because it carries other things like heavy metals that really shouldn’t be discharged into the San Antonio river. So it’s brought back up north into the city in purple pipes that you can see around campus.”

Trinity has also designed different facilities to be more environmentally responsible.

Dorm rooms have low-flush toilets and lowflow shower heads to reduce water usage, and most drinking fountains on campus accommodate water bottle refills, which can help reduce waste.

Sharon Curry, the university sustainability coordinator, spoke about the importance of individual conservation efforts.

“As a student living in a residence hall, you’re not seeing the direct impact of your water use. You’re not seeing a water bill, but it definitely has an impact on the university,” Curry said. “Water is a crucial element, and we should all care about our water.”

Curry said that according to studies done for the 2016–2017 school year, the average full-time student’s daily water use was estimated to be around 109 gallons. San Antonio’s water use per capita is 118 gallons per day.

Curry emphasized that while Trinity is slightly above average compared to other universities who report their results, comparison is difficult because Trinity counts recycled water use towards the total amount, while other institutions might not.

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT, staff illustrator

Shana McDermott, assistant professor of economics, has identified actions students can take to protect the environment.

“Pick up that piece of trash you see on the sidewalk; walk, ride, bike to school; bring your lunch to school so you don’t have to drive to pick up lunch; keep your vehicle and small engines properly tuned; conserve energy by turning your thermostat up or down a degree; buy locally produced food, etc.,” McDermott wrote in an email interview.

“You can also get involved in local groups that are fighting for a cause you support. For example, check out Mom’s Clean Air Force, the San Antonio chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby. I’m also a big supporter of Basura Bash, a one-day annual waterway cleanup event. Be the ripple that starts a wave.”

PULSE

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• MARCH 02, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

It’s not really a pirate’s life for Swashbucklers Students in this hall have substance-free fun MAGGIE LUPO | PULSE REPORTER mlupo@trinity.edu Very few people enter college thinking they’re going to be a pirate. Luckily, Trinity University, as a true liberal arts institution, provides its students with that possibility.

Pirates at Trinity are not sailors of the high seas, however. Instead, they are the Swashbucklers, the only substance-free living community on campus available for upperclassmen.

Swashbucklers was started in 2005 by Philip Gates and Elena Serna, who are now known as ‘grand admirals’ — they were the original ‘captains,’ the Swashbucklers’ student leaders.

The current captains, Sam Ivy, Sarah McIntyre and David Menchaca, who will be stepping down after spring break, will be known as admirals after they retire. (Menchaca is an A&E reporter for the Trinitonian.)

The organization’s pirate theme was inspired by the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, which were popular at the time of its founding: The series began with 2003’s “The Curse of the Black Pearl,” which was followed by the release of “Dead Man’s Chest” in 2006.

According to senior captain Sarah McIntyre, the grand admirals drew inspiration from a line spoken by protagonist Captain Jack Sparrow in the earlier film: “Why’s the rum gone?”

Swashbucklers pose in their costumes after wrapping up Haunted Hall 2017. This is one of the many traditions that the substance-free hall puts on “I think it’s a cute little joke, and the fact that it each year. They also dress up as pirates for Krispy Kreme’s Talk Like a Pirate Day to score some free donuts. photo provided by SARAH MCINTYRE stuck is good,” McIntyre said.

Obviously, the pirate theme does not extend “I’m sure [people breaking the rules has] community that I had heard so much about,” before the end of the year. It’s really intense, and it’s to pirate-like behavior. Drinking, smoking and happened in our history, but this past year no one said Erin Ford, another incoming captain for the a lot of fun, and we really pour a lot ourselves into drug use are all strictly prohibited for all the hall’s has. It’s been pretty good this year,” McIntyre said. 2018–2019 academic year. it,” Mohr said. residents, regardless of age.

McIntyre admitted that people tend to get the Mohr also loves the atmosphere of camaraderie Other Swashbuckler traditions include turning Students are allowed to go out and drink if wrong impression about Swashbucklers because of that is fostered by living on the Swashbuckler hall. the birthday fountain dunking into a kind of trial they wish, but there is the expectation of quiet and their rules.

“I like being able to come out of my room at and punishment scenario, and of course taking respectful behavior when they return. Blue Mohr, “There’s probably a misconception that like 10 and there’s people in the lounge, and I can full advantage of Krispy Kreme’s Talk Like a Pirate a junior and incoming captain, said this was an Swashbucklers is just like the people who are just sit on the couch and immediately be able to Day, where customers can get free doughnuts for important aspect for their decision to live on the uptight and don’t want to party, but we still do a lot talk to somebody, which is great,” Mohr said. talking like and dressing up as pirates, something Swashbuckler hall. of fun activities and I think it’s just an alternative to Among the Swashbucklers’ signature the Swashbucklers do very well.

“I don’t really want to deal with late-night drinking culture on campus,” McIntyre said. characteristics, besides the pirate theme, are the Overall, the Swashbucklers are a community yelling in the hallways,” Mohr said.

If you ask some of the Swashbucklers why they various fun traditions they have. The Haunted full of people who prefer the kind of fun found in The captains have a one-strike policy — after joined the community, most of them will say it’s Hall that they put on every year around playing Dungeons and Dragons over getting drunk one warning, students will be kicked out of the primarily because of the people, though many do Halloween is the most well-known of these or high. Though they don’t quite have Captain hall for another infraction — but McIntyre noted say that the lack of substances was an added bonus. traditions, and it’s also almost everyone’s favorite. Jack Sparrow’s affinity for rum, they love to spend that she and her co-captains haven’t needed to “To me, [the substance-free aspect] was a nice “It’s a lot of fun for the community to come time with each other as a crew, and what pirate address any issues at all this school year. perk, but I really enjoyed the people and the together to do as a whole. Like, we start planning it wouldn’t approve of that?

You asked. Wellness Services answered.

Brought to you by Katherine Hewitt: khewitt@trinity.edu HOW CAN I STAY SAFE IN COLLEGE HOOKUP CULTURE? According to sociologist Lisa Wade, “In colleges, ‘hookup culture’ refers to the idea that casual sexual encounters are the best or only way to engage sexually; and the concept also refers to rules of social interaction that facilitate casual sexual encounters and organizational arrangements that support these encounters.”

According to Wade’s research, about a quarter of students thrive in this culture, at least at first, about a third of students opt out altogether and the remaining students are ambivalent, dabbling in hookups with mixed results. The average graduating senior reports hooking up just eight times in four years, and a third do not have one hookup. You can read Gabriel Levine’s perspective in his Trinitonian article from the Feb. 9 issue.

Wade’s research also proposes that “hookup culture is a problem not because it promotes casual sex, but because it makes a destructive form of casual sexual engagement feel compulsory.” Meaning students who don’t hook up feel isolated, whereas students who do hook up are forced to operate by a dysfunctional set of rules — perhaps allowing carelessness, cruelty, sexual competitiveness, etc. — which create red flags for potential perpetrators or victims of sexual assault.

Now, if you fall in the category of the occasional hookup, there are some things to consider to stay healthy and safe: Set your boundaries before you’re in that situation. What are or aren’t you comfortable with?

Know what the hookup will mean for both you and your partner. If you both have different ideas about the significance of the hookup, it may be time to talk.

Make sure it’s consensual, meaning that both partners are willing. More information at gotu.us/knowmore.

Give a friend or roommate a heads up on where you will be and who you are with — you don’t need to share super specific details.

Have a way home. Plan a ride with a friend or grab a rideshare — make sure have a mobile phone charger with you.

Be considerate of your partner. Should you be telling your friends? Be sure to talk about this.

Get educated, visit askalice.columbia. edu, cdc.gov/gyt. There is a Health Services program coming soon.

Listen to your gut. If it doesn’t feel right, it’s not right. You can stop things at any time.

Remember, things can get complicated if alcohol is involved.

To modify hookup culture, cultural norms need to shift and change. Wade feels that

“promoting casual sexual encounters that involve an ethic of care, as well as diversifying the kind of sexual encounters that are seen as possible and good.”

She also agrees that “colleges need to change the institutional arrangements that give too much power to subsets of students who are most enthusiastic about hookup culture and who benefit from it at the expense of their peers.”

If you want to continue this conversation, consider attending Coalition for Respect meetings — the group discusses consent, campus climate, Title IX and more.

Contact them at @coalitionforrespecttu & coalitionforrespect@trinity.edu. You can also check out Lisa Wade’s Hookup Culture NPR podcast from Feb. 14.

Thanks to scholarsstrategynetwork.org and loveisrespect.org for assistance in answering this question.

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PULSE

Staff describes typical day in Career Services

LADYSTACIE RIMES-BOYD works at her desk. photo by AMANI CANADA, photo editor

continued from PAGE 11 “My favorite thing about the job is connecting students with opportunities and people,” Rimes-Boyd said. “I like having those moments where they’re like, ‘Oh that makes sense!’ or like ‘I get that, I can do that!’ ” As the pre-law adviser, Rimes-Boyd works with students who are applying to law school. One of her favorite things about the past few months is hearing back from students about their acceptance to law school.

“I’m just as excited about their acceptances and success as if it were my own,” RimesBoyce said.

Twyla Hough, director of Career Services, also names the expressions of gratitude from successful students as the highlight of her job. “[My favorite aspect is] when the students come back and update us about something that’s positive and that they were excited about and that they felt like our support helped them with that,” Hough said.

Hough described several situations of excited students coming to the center to celebrate with their advisers, or bring them small tokens of gratitude, like a bundt cake.

“Those types of things are really positive experiences,” Hough said.

During the brief moments of the staff’s days that aren’t consumed with helping students, they grab lunch, work on various administrative tasks 0and generally foster a loving and supportive environment for each other and for the students they work with.

Jordan Minarelli, a sophomore who has worked in CELCS since his first semester at Trinity, speaks highly of the office community.

“It’s a great group of people; it’s sort of like a big family,” Minarelli said.

The staff usually leave between 5–6 p.m. to go home and get ready to do it all again the next day.

This article marks the second in a series profiling “a day in the life” of Trinity staff and faculty members.

The Oscars are finally here; block out the entire weekend

“Firefly” still hasn’t been revived yet “The Big Bang Theory” still lives on

Make sure to clear your whole Sunday and catch up on all the films you planned to see but “were just too busy” for.

The cult classic western sci-fi lived a beautiful and sadly short life while “The Big Bang Theory” contines to shuffle like an unrelenting zombie.

AE &

Diversity and Inclusion, Trinity Diversity Connection, the Difficult Dialogue Committee, Student Programming Board and the Black Student Union co-sponsored a private screening of “Black Panther” at an Alamo Drafthouse last week. The nearly 200 students in attendance gathered at the bottom of the theater after the film for a group picture. photo by AMANI CANADA, photo editor

‘Black Panther’ screening proves to be a night to remember for Trinity students Several campus organizations jointly coordinated a highly enjoyable screening of Marvel’s latest smash hit AUSTIN DAVIDSON A&E EDITOR adavids1@trinity.edu I was hesitant when I first read a review of “Black Panther.” I knew people would like it, but I wanted this movie to be loved, I wanted the actors and directors involved to get it right and for the end product to be a wonderful, adored superhero film. Thankfully, writer and director Ryan Coogler and his all-star cast of actors assuaged all my fears and created exactly what I and many others wanted — a visually vibrant and rich superhero film that resonated with audiences across the globe.

Understandably, my love for the film was shared by one of the people who helped put the whole screening together, director of Diversity and Inclusion Alli Roman.

“I just loved the movie, it just had everything I wanted in it. In the past four or five years,

I’ve been a pretty big fan of Marvel and I was super excited to finally see ‘Black Panther’ and just see how much hype and publicity the film was getting even months before it came out!

It was also nice to see it live up to the hype that surrounded it,” Roman said. “Filled with humor and action but also with cultural references, they all added up to make the film have a deeper meaning and purpose.”

It’s hard to state how enjoyable the film is, from the vibrant visuals and spot-on acting to its homages to beautiful and unique cultures.

The film is one for all audiences. It’s also one of the few superhero films that have a deeper meaning.

“One of the most important parts of the movie is how it addresses ideas of representation,” Roman said. “Like how you don’t see a lot of African-American films in Hollywood — ones that show the culture or history or ideas of African-Americans, and I think ‘Black Panther’ did those wonderfully.”

Another aspect that Roman seemed to love was the excitement that the film created for kids.

“What I loved was just how excited people were watching ‘Black Panther’ and how much it means to people. Especially kids, who now have a superhero they can look up to and have one that looks like them. Like all the little black girls can say, ‘ I want to be like Shuri’, a smart and passionate girl and one who sets

a great example for girls interested in science and technology.”

This idea of the film creating multidimensional characters couldn’t be better shown than in Michael B. Jordan’s character Eric Killmonger, the villain of the film. His character is more than just the normal brand of villains the public is used to with Marvel or summer blockbusters. He has a true cause to fight for, and an understandable reason to be doing it.

The film’s ability to give us a villain we can understand makes it all the more compelling to watch him fight T’Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman. The film gives the audience multiple characters to root for, ones with interesting backstories, thus creating a rich and wellcrafted story that is very enjoyable to watch.

“That was the beauty of the film,” Roman said. “Its ability to portray the characters as more than just a king or a sister or an agent, but as multileveled and unique individuals who are each important in their own way.”

The screening put on by the Black Student Union (BSU) in conjunction with Roman was how so many Trinity students were able to share in the experience of seeing “Black Panther.” Of the 200 people who signed up for the event, only four didn’t attend, demonstrating just how excited people were to see the film. This shared moment was one of the highlights of the night, not only for me but also for Roman.

“I loved how many people from Trinity came to see the movie. We had to get a bigger theater just to fit everyone,” Roman said. “The movie seemed to unite everyone and seemed to give them this opportunity to share a film about unity and that’s something that is really important to creating a better community.

I think at its core the film is a conversation piece that opens the door for people to have these difficult conversations, to be able to talk to one another and learn about each other in a positive way.

Roman and BSU did a wonderful job of organizing an event that created such a hopeful and unifying atmosphere, and I am glad to hear that more events like this are in the works.

These events can be a catalyst for bringing up difficult issues, and they could aid in the creation of a community with the ability to constructively discuss issues and work towards fixing them.

Movies like “Black Panther” help in creating this type of community on a massive scale. I hope and pray Hollywood sees movies like this can be successes and gives directors like Ryan Coogler the tools to make “Black Panther” and “Wonder Woman”-esque movies.

Thank you to Diversity and Inclusion, Trinity Diversity Connection, Difficult Dialogue Committee, Student Programming Board and BSU for hosting what may be the event of the year — I hope there are more to come.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • MARCH 02, 2018 •

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Some new categories for the Academy to see The Oscars are taking over everyone’s silver screens this weekend

BEST EVERYTHING BY GRETA GERWIG Somewhat derisively referred to by some as the female “Boyhood,” “Lady Bird” reframes the coming-of-age film to a story about mothers and daughters scored to the sounds of 2002 popular music.

I love a film where you have to sit for a bit at the credits to wipe all the tears from your face, and after seeing this film three times in theaters, I have found that “Lady Bird” has the tremendous ability to deliver waterworks in different moments upon different viewings.

Saoirse Ronan’s performance is unsurprisingly stellar, but Laurie Metcalf deserves the best supporting actress trophy just for her ability to drive while crying.

GEORGIE RIGGS A&E CONTRIBUTOR griggs@trinity.edu

All but two of this year’s best picture nominees were set in the past, from the 1940s wartime Britain of “Darkest Hour” and “Dunkirk” to the 2003 wartime Sacramento of “Lady Bird.” I don’t know what that says exactly about our current times, but looking at my personal favorites of the nine films nominated, all are also set in the past. Heading into this weekend’s Oscars, everyone is talking about “The Shape of Water” battling it out with “Three Billboards” for best picture, but I think it’s worth looking at a few who also deserve those spots. Like I said in my article hypothetically arguing against the Oscars, I find it weird to pick one film to win, but for the sake of the system, I’ve decided to come up with some new categories that best fit my favorite best picture nominees from this year.

BEST USE OF TWO SUFJAN STEVENS SONGS A movie so powerful that certain parts of Armie Hammer’s anatomy had to be CGI-ed out in the final cut. This is “Call Me by Your Name,” a film about two guys just being dudes, sitting five feet apart in the natural waters of Italy because they are most definitely gay.

To be honest, I somehow managed to watch

graphic by EVAN CHAMBLESS

this film three times before seeing “Phantom Thread” or “The Shape of Water,” so I for a while was in the camp that the film should do a full sweep, with Luca Guadagnino getting best director, James Ivory getting best adapted screenplay and the film grabbing best picture.

Ivory, a god amongst 90s period-dramaclothed women, is likely to win his rightful best-adapted screenplay, but Guillermo Del Toro is more than certainly going to get the best director.

If I had the choice though, my revised best director pick would unquestionably be from my next pick...

BEST FOOD CINEMATOGRAPHY If best picture was based on photography

of breakfast food, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread” would be the top of my list. Coincidentally — or maybe not so much — it’s also at the top of my list for all the real categories, mainly best director, best actor and best score.

“Phantom Thread” sort of feels like everything the “mother!” marketing team made “mother!” out to be, but with the addition of beautiful 1950s dresses, zero baby eating and ridiculously named British breakfast foods on the sidelines.

While “Phantom Thread” might be the least likely to win the best picture award on Sunday, it deserves multiple awards solely for Daniel Day Lewis’s performance of eating a mushroom omelet.

BEST PICTURE TO TAKE PLACE IN THE 1960S THAT’S NOT “HAIRSPRAY” Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” is the most likely film to win against “Three Billboards” for best picture, and del Toro is more than promised best director.

Look, yes this film is largely about the amphibian romance between a fish man and Sally Hawkins, but it is breathtakingly human.

Sure, it’s filled with del Toro’s trademark homages to the tropes of various movie genres, so much so that the characterization can sometimes get lost in his referentiality.

However, “The Shape of Water” succeeds in its unabashed romance, with a portrayal of love that’s as immersive as the film’s underwater scenes.

Unfortunately, this weekend’s Academy Awards will probably include as many snubs as it will references to last year’s best picture mistake. But in the meantime, we can all imagine a better world, a world where we could break the Oscar statuette up into multiple pieces and give it to each of the kids

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • MARCH 02, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Catching up with a capella Jennifer Egan presents on A peek into Trinitones and AcaBellas’ arrangements new novel, writing process DAVID MENCHACA A&E REPORTER dmenchaca@trinity.edu

For years, some of the first faces prospective students see when visiting Trinity have been the all-female AcaBellas and the all-male Trinitones. Aside from traditions like weekly Happy Fridays in Coates and concerts amidst the panicked storm and stress of finals every semester, Trinity’s two a cappella groups also perform at numerous functions both around campus and around San Antonio.

According to senior AcaBella Camilla Manca and junior Trinitone Nico Champion, the AcaBellas were formed in 2007 by Lindsey Vande Hey and the Trinitones were founded by a handful of chamber singers on a tour bus in Germany in 2004.

Ever since then, the groups have been performing at events such as Trinity 360 tours for incoming first-years, Tower Scholars Day, the Trinity University Reception hosted by the Texas Music Educators’ Association and, most recently, the 75th Annual President’s Dinner.

The Trinitones have also performed at alumni Cullen Moore’s senior recital, weddings for Trinity alumni and donor events.

According to Manca, the groups’ busiest season is the winter holidays when they perform at on-campus events, such as the annual Christmas Concert, the Swing Bums’ Yule Ball, as well as off-campus excursions, including at the Forest Hills Library and the McNay Art Museum’s holiday party.

As one would expect for such a seemingly endless library of pop music knowledge, each short performance takes a large amount of preparation.

“We start by each suggesting a song that we think would translate well into a cappella music. Once we have a list of potential songs, an online survey is created and we each vote on our top two favorite songs, which usually results in a majority vote,” Manca said.

Manca revealed that most of their music creation is done in-house with no single specific bandleader.

“Once the winner song is selected, one of us will volunteer to arrange the song. The arranger assigns each AcaBella a voice part to sing and directs rehearsals for that week. We take pride in our passion for both performing and creating original arrangements. This year alone, we have performed songs arranged by eight different AcaBellas,” Manca said.

The group has improved preparations compared to previous years.

“In previous years, we rehearsed on just the week leading up to Happy Friday, but this year we have increased rehearsals to every week in order to maximize productivity and to have more time to prepare and perfect each song,” Manca said.

The Trinitones hold more frequent rehearsals to perfect their craft.

“We have one-hour rehearsals three times a week. We might do sectionals and split into basses and tenors, but most of the rehearsals consist of running the song or different sections of it and giving notes,” Champion said.

Similarly, the group takes a “doo-wop it yourself” approach to creating their music.

“For the most part, the arranger will pick our upcoming songs, though this is also a group decision — people will suggest songs and we’ll decide on one we’re all interested in doing, then our arranger will gracefully make the arrangement,” Champion said.

Given the greatly reduced members compared to a large choir, singing in an a cappella group is a completely different tune.

Champion thinks that the community that the group has built overrides the challenges of singing in such a unique setting.

“An a cappella group is much more collaborative of a process than a traditional choir from my experience — we don’t have a conductor, director or even a faculty adviser, so all of the instruction and learning comes straight from us. That can make a cappella a little more challenging at times, but the environment is so collaborative and supportive that the challenge is exciting and can be fun,” Champion said.

The Pulitzer Prize-winner spent over a decade working on latest release, “Manhattan Beach”

In front of a crowd of English nerds and lit fans, Pulitzer Prize - winning author Jennifer Egan gave a lecture on her process of creative writing and research. Egan discussed her latest and fifth novel, Manhattan Beach, going into how she was inspired to write it.

She ended the lecture by reading a segment of the first chapter of the book.

This event was put on by the English department and was a part of the Stieren Arts Enrichment Series, made possible by an endowment gift from the late Arthur Stieren.

While surrounded by people of all ages in the Ruth Taylor Recital Hall, I felt as if I was the only person unfamiliar with Egan’s work. I had never heard of “Manhattan Beach,” “Invisible Circus,” or even her award-winning novel, “A Visit from the Goon Squad.” Despite this, I came ready to be enlightened and inspired to add a few more books to my reading list.

I noticed that most people in the audience had their dog-eared copy of A Visit from the Goon Squad in their laps. It blew my mind to hear that she had written each of those chapters from a different perspective with a new character. I flipped through the book and saw powerpoint slides, for crying out loud.

It was also fascinating to see how much time she put into her latest work. Over ten years of research and writing went into “Manhattan Beach.”

Egan told the audience that she almost always starts a story by thinking of a time and place, and the characters usually come after that.

The time for “Manhattan Beach” was the second World War and the place was Brooklyn.

Egan showed us vintage war photos she had found in the early 2000s of the Brooklyn Navy Yard back in the day. She delved into the stories she discovered at the nearby archives, showing us how different the lives of New York women and men were at that time. Egan told us about the love letters she found, and how she fell in love with their personalities and stories.

She also showed us pictures from her own childhood and of her family, saying how her grandpa’s job as a police commander influenced her fascination with mystery and crime.

Egan continued the lecture by reading a chunk of her opening chapter in “Manhattan Beach”.

I’m not much of one for aural storytelling — I get easily distracted when I have to focus on something without a visual aspect. However, Egan had me hooked.

She was a great story teller and kept me engaged. I knew this must have been particularly impactful for the students and adults who love Egan and her work.

To hear your favorite author read a part of her collection that you’ve cherished for years, that’s not something that happens a lot.

Especially after you hear how much passion she has behind the research and background of her stories, you are bound to be entranced by her story telling.

Thank you to the English department for putting this on and giving so many Trinity students the chance to meet such an interesting, renowned author. Thank you to Jennifer Egan for treating us all to an entertaining and informative talk.

And most of all, thank you to Jane and Arthur Stieren for deciding way back when that the arts are worth investing in.

“In that spirit of inclusivity, we recommended a redesign of the music festival component of the commemoration to allow for multiple festivals and their organizers to thrive as Community Partners,” wrote Tricentennial CEO Edward Benavides in a news release sent June 14, 2017. “The Tricentennial welcomes all genres of music festivals so that we can best reflect the volume of musical expressions that bring our city to life.”

Even after the funding opportunity

fell through, Tucker emphasized that the 2018 festival would continue, disclosing that the Tobin Center’s Vice President of Programming and Marketing, Aaron Zimmerman, had joined the organizing team.

Nonetheless, Maverick’s social media accounts haven’t been updated since October 2017, and attempts to reach the management were unsuccessful by press time.

Considering Tucker’s 2016 statement to the Current, organizers may have chosen “the other” alternative for the 2018 festival.

JULIA WEIS MANAGING EDITOR jweis@trinity.edu

Is the Maverick Music Festival no more?

Maverick’s future is in strange waters as funding falls through and a direction for the festival seems yet to be decided GEORGIE RIGGS A&E REPORTER griggs@trinity.edu

Those waiting for news about this year’s Maverick Music Festival are wondering whether the show is still on. Though previous years’ lineups were announced by early February, there’s been no word from organizers, and inquiries into details about this year’s event have, so far, come up short.

After the 2016 festival, Maverick founder Blayne Tucker told the San Antonio Current that he saw the operation going in one of two directions: “[The festival] seems to be bustling to a point where we need to … expand,” Tucker said. “Alternatively, I think it should cease altogether. One or the other.”

That didn’t stop the show from continuing into its fifth year last April. The 2017 festival attracted over 18,000 attendees to San

Antonio’s La Villita Historic Arts Village; headliners included Young the Giant, De La Soul and Bastille, though the 40-plus lineup included local performers and other touring acts as well.

Last June, organizers sought a partnership with the city’s Tricentennial Commission. A proposed $1.2 million sponsorship would have included Maverick as an official event of the 2018 Tricentennial celebrations, but the commission said the funds just weren’t there.

San Antonians sit and listen to a band play during the 2016 Maverick Music Festival, which boasted a massive lineup and a stellar turnout last year.

But an event coordinator refused a Trinitonian request to interview about a potential 2018 show, which has yet to be announced. FILE PHOTO

Sports

LET THE GAMES BEGIN:

• Baseball vs. MIT, Friday, March 2, 6 p.m.

• Women’s Basketball @ UT-Dallas, Friday, March 2, 8 p.m.

• Track and Field @ Trinity Dual Meet, Saturday, March 3

Three-peat: Women take SCAC Championship No. 22 Tigers to move on to NCAA tournament after winning SCAC title for third straight year

KENDRA DERRIG | SPORTS EDITOR kderrig@trinity.edu The women’s basketball returned from Colorado one SCAC championship richer after this weekend’s victories over Colorado College and Southwestern University. The Tigers came into the weekend favored to win as the No. 1 seed. The championship secures Trinity’s spot in the NCAA tournament.

Saturday’s semifinal game against Colorado saw Trinity maintain their early lead for a 76-70 win. Senior guard Micah Weaver scored 19 points, while first-year Julia Ackerman came off the bench to lead in assists. Senior post Mollie Hughes scored 18 and blocked three shots.

The final match against Southwestern presented more of a challenge, but the Tigers fought back from a six point deficit going into the last quarter. They won 80-74.

“One challenging factor was Southwestern and the runs that they went on in the championship game. They came to play and they hit us with their best shot; we were even down going into the fourth. It was tough to play from behind when they had the momentum and still come out with the win. But we did it and came out victorious,” wrote Mallory Lancaster, firstyear forward, in an email interview.

Weaver again led in points at 25, and was active in the paint with nine rebounds.

Weaver, Hughes and sophomore forward Abby Holland were named to the all-tournament team, with Weaver earning top honors as the tournament MVP. “We matched up against some really good teams that put up a great fight last weekend.

Each team challenged us in different ways and we’re more ready than ever going into the NCAA tournament this weekend,” Weaver wrote in an email interview.

Cameron Hill, head coach, pointed out the challenges that come with being considered the best in the conference.

“The biggest challenge that we face every single season is being the team that everyone wants to beat. Every night, we have all the responsibility to be the best, and every other team gets to play loose and free because they have nothing to lose,” Hill wrote in an email interview.

Joseph Shotland, assistant coach, agreed with Hill.

“It’s hard going into every game knowing you’re favored to win. Our girls handled that pressure really well. They never panicked

TOP: The women took the SCAC Championship for the third consecutive year. They will go on to compete in the NCAA “March Madness” tournament.

BOTTOM LEFT: Senior MICAH WEAVER cuts down the net following the victory versus Schreiner. Weaver was named SCAC tournament MVP. BOTTOM RIGHT: Team members huddle during the final game against Schreiner. They went on to win 80-74. photos provided by MICAH WEAVER

when other teams made runs and stayed together. Ultimately that resulted in the win on Sunday,” Shotland wrote in an email interview.

Shotland credits the team’s success to their adaptability.

“The versatility on this team is pretty unique. We’ve been able to play a lot of different styles of basketball this year to win different types of matchups. It’s a really important quality to have and we’re really

fortunate to have players that are skilled at a lot of different things and able to play different styles,” Shotland wrote. continued on BACK

St. Thomas, Johnson & Wales to make move to SCAC Schools’ moves to Division III will bring new competition to conference over next two years HAILEY WILSON | SPORTS REPORTER hwilson@trinity.edu The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) announced the addition of St. Thomas University in Houston to the conference on the condition of the institution’s successful integration into the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division III athletics. The move, which follows last year’s announcement of addition of Johnson and Wales University (JWU) in Denver, is part of the plan to expand SCAC to over 10 schools.

St. Thomas is made up of 1,600 undergraduates and 2,000 graduate students and currently competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Red River Conference. They will become the tenth member of SCAC provided that the

school is successful in the upcoming years of exploratory and provisional membership.

For the 2018-19 academic year, St. Thomas will be considered an exploratory member of the NCAA Division III. If the university is able to complete their exploratory year, St. Thomas will gain provisional NCAA Division III membership and begin regular season competition within the SCAC. In accordance with standard NCAA protocol, the school will be considered for full membership after four years as a provisional member.

In order to qualify for SCAC membership, a school must have at least 12 varsity teams. St. Thomas, who currently supports nine teams, plans to add baseball and men’s and women’s tennis in order to meet the requirement.

JWU is in the process of completing their exploratory year and they will begin SCAC

play as a provisional member this fall. JWU is a private university located in Denver that was also affiliated with the NAIA. JWU currently has 12 varsity programs and is similar to Trinity in its makeup, with 1,400 undergraduate students and a liberal arts focus.

Dwayne Hanberry, SCAC commissioner, explained that the conference conducted a strategic planning session back in the summer of 2014. Coming out of that meeting, the SCAC knew they wanted to expand the conference to at least 10 members.

“The primary reason we were interested in growing the league was so that we could offer automatic qualification status to every championship sport we sponsor,” wrote Hanberry in an email interview.

Hanberry explained the process that the SCAC went through to decide schools to add.

“We put together a detailed report of 20–30 institutions that on some level made sense to at least consider for potential league membership.

We then had internal discussions to decide who we should consider reaching out to and who we should be more focused on,” Hanberry wrote.

Trinity’s athletic department is looking forward to the addition of new schools. Bob King, athletic director, believes the connections with the new cities will prove to be extremely beneficial for the athletes.

“The schools are in both Houston and Denver, which allows us to play in cities where we have alums and recruits. It’s really good to have events there and makes a lot of sense logistically and for what we’re trying to achieve,” King said. continued on PAGE 19

SPORTS • MARCH 02, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Men’s basketball season ends in SCAC semis

No. 4 seeded team falls to Schreiner in conference tournament

ANTONIO PEDRAZA | SPORTS REPORTER apedraza@trinity.edu The men’s basketball season concluded last weekend after being knocked out of the SCAC Championship in a semifinals match against Schreiner University at Colorado College.

The fourth-seeded Tigers kicked off the tournament with an easy 63-47 victory against Colorado College on Friday afternoon. The team was led by a combination of senior point guard Matt Jones and junior forward Danny Rivara.

Jones led the Tigers by grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out five assists. Rivara scored 14 points in the opening round; the Tigers shot an impressive 40 percent from the floor as they cruised to victory.

It was a different story when the Tigers were stacked up against Schreiner, who went on to win the championship. Though the Tigers lost 74-67, the teams were neck and neck throughout the game, with Trinity behind by just two at the half.

Again, Jones and Rivara led the Tigers. Jones made six rebounds and three assists; Rivara was the team’s high-scorer at 18 points.

Despite the loss, assistant coach Ross Burt was proud of his team.

“It is always a challenge to play back-to-back games, especially in the Colorado altitude, but I thought our guys did a great job at pushing through the fatigue and played well against the eventual champion, Schreiner. It was a terrific high-level game, but unfortunately we didn’t shoot the ball as well as we needed to beat a good team,” Burt said. “Overall, I thought we were playing our best basketball as a team at the end of the season.”

The men’s basketball team took advantage of local Colorado scenery when not playing at the SCAC tournament. photo provided by NYLAN YANCY

Junior Nylan Yancy commented on the results from the weekend.

“I don’t know if anything necessarily went wrong so much as were on the short end of the stick that game. Didn’t quite execute like we needed to down the stretch. However, getting that near 20 point win on Colorado, the host team, that was great. Definitely a highlight,” Yancy said.

The weekend marks the end of Jones’ Trinity basketball career.

“Our first game, our defense was locked in.

We stopped some of the best offensive players in the conference and made their offense look nearly inept. The next day we just sadly couldn’t make enough plays down the stretch to beat Schreiner,” Jones said.

Jones reflected on his final season.

“I hope they keep this momentum we have built up the last couple of years and keep moving forward in the right direction,”

Jones said. “I would say we had a good season overall. We beat several teams that are playing in the NCAA tournament and we improved both our overall and conference records this season from last season. What would I have done differently? Shoot more.”

Yancy also reflected on the season.

“If I had to right our season I’d say the loss to Austin was our biggest blow,” Yancy said, referring to the Tigers’ Jan. 28 game, when they fell 88-85. “The season has its ups and downs, but for a team that wants to contend for a conference title to lose to a team that low really toughened our position going into playoffs. We just learned you have to be ready to hoop every game or risk playing down to your competition and taking a loss you shouldn’t.”

Yancy expressed hope for the future.

“As someone who’s played three seasons for two different schools during his post-high

school career I can say I’m happy to be a Trinity Tiger with a little more potency,” Yancy said. “Although we fell short I’m not hanging my head. We’ve got a good group of guys who play hard and are hungry every game for a [win]. We didn’t achieve all we wanted, but I’m proud of our organization from top to bottom.”

Burt is also looking towards the future.

“Anytime you graduate a good senior class, your team’s leadership will shift to the next group,” Burt said. “I think these three seniors have done a great job at getting this team headed towards future success, and I’m optimistic that our returners will continue to improve and come together, like we did towards the end of this season, to have a successful 2018–19.” with additional reporting by Kendra Derrig, sports editor

Track and field off to a quick start New SCAC

Despite weather, Tigers succeed in first outdoor home meet of season HAILEY WILSON | SPORTS REPORTER hwilson@trinity.edu The men’s and women’s track and field teams hosted the Trinity Open on Feb. 24 to kick off their outdoor season. The Tigers dominated the competition, gathering six individual victories on the women’s side and five victories on the men’s side, while competing against over seven Division III Texas schools, as well as unattached athletes.

The men’s 3000-meter steeplechase was swept by the Tigers, with senior Jacob Hammond, first-year David Buss and senior Daniel Henkes securing first, second and third place finishes, respectively. In the steeplechase, runners jump over three beams and hurdle into a water pit on their way to the finish line.

Buss focused on running lots of mileage to prepare for the opening meet.

“Specifically, in preparation for the steeple, we had twice a week practices where we do drills over hurdles and practice water jumps,” Buss said.

Hammond, a senior, was ecstatic about the results of the first event.

“The weather wasn’t ideal and I was running solo for most of the race, but even with that, I ran the fastest steeple I’ve ever run,” Hammond said.

Although Hammond set his personal record with a time of 9:49.32, sixth fastest in school history, he still gave credit to his other teammates for starting off the season strong.

“Our other guys also ran really well, especially David [Buss], who ran his first-ever steeplechase on Saturday. Seeing our crew put in really solid work in practice and during the races makes me really excited for the rest of the season,” Hammond said.

schools continued from PAGE 18

STEPHEN FORD, first-year, competes in pole vault. photo by ALLISON WOLFF, staff photographer

Senior Michael Erickson won the men’s 1500-meter run with a time of 4:01.05, and sophomore Colton Hawkins won the men’s 800-meter dash with a time of 1:59.04.

The men’s relay team won the 4x100 relay with a time of 42.48 seconds, as well as the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:29.30.

The women’s team posted several stellar performances. First-year Jordan Juran snagged the top spot in the 1500-meter run, and senior Haley McFadden earned the top spot in the women’s 5000-meter run. Senior Elizabeth Peters finished first in the 200-meter dash with a top time of 26.06 seconds.

The Tigers also dominated the hurdles, with sophomore Andy Garza taking home the top spot in the 400-meter hurdle race. Junior Abigail Schneebeck finished second in the 100-meter hurdles.

Junior Mia Loseff finished second in the pole vault, reaching 3.25 meters. Loseff thinks the entire squad got off to a positive start and is already looking forward to the next meet.

“We really got out there this weekend and has a great first meet despite nasty conditions and a very slippery track. Our team was cheering on everyone until the very end, and it was an awesome start to the season,” Loseff said.

Maia Muramoto won the women’s javelin with a throw of 27.67 meters and Stella Affognon placed fourth in the shot put with a mark of 10.89 meters, the seventh best in Trinity’s history.

The Tigers are hosting the Trinity Dual Meet this Saturday, March 3. They will be competing against partial teams from Southwest University and Our Lady of the Lake University.

“The schools are in both Houston and Denver, which allows us to play in cities where we have alums and recruits. It’s really good to have events there and makes a lot of sense logistically and for what we’re trying to achieve,” King said.

Danny Anderson, president of Trinity University, also played a pivotal role in the voting process.

“Membership options go through the president’s council and he was very active on that level. We discussed the possible issues but President Anderson was very supportive,” King said.

Athletes are looking forward to facing new competition. Both schools will be bringing volleyball teams to the conference, but the Tigers are looking forward to having to adjust.

“I am looking forward to having new teams in the conference because I think it’ll be interesting to have to create a game plan for new teams. Each year, we face the same competition over and over, so it’ll be fun to have to study and prepare to face new competition,” said sophomore setter Katrina Lieberman.

Hanberry hopes the new additions to the conference will benefit both Trinity and other SCAC schools.

“Both [new] schools have some growing to do internally with their athletic programs, but both are committed to being good SCAC partners,” wrote Hanberry.

20

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • MARCH 02, 2018 •

Flora Cameron Lecture on Politics and Public Affairs FREE and open to the public.

No tickets required.

This event will be livestreamed on the Tiger Network at live.trinity.edu.

For more information, visit trinity.edu/events or call 210-999-8406.

ASH CARTER

SPORTS

Baseball on 6-0 streak Hitting, pitching numbers tell the story in dominant opening to the 2018 season

U.S. Secretary of Defense, 2015-17

Global Challenges Facing Our Nation in the 21st Century WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21

7:30 p.m.

Laurie Auditorium Junior right-handed pitcher JAKE WEST practices. photo by ALLISON WOLFF, staff photographer

SAUL MALEK | SPORTS REPORTER smalek@trinity.edu The 15th-ranked Tiger baseball team has opened the season on a dominant 6-0 streak.

This follows their 2017 campaign, where the team was eliminated from the SCAC tournament after a 28-16 regular season.

The Tigers’ win streak began in a 5-3 road victory against the University of HoustonVictoria on Feb. 9. Since their opening day win, the Tigers have posted five straight decisive road victories, scoring a cumulative 53 runs against the opponents’ total of 24.

At an average of 9.7 runs per game, The Tiger offense has been rolling at an average of 9.7 runs per game. A key contributor to the offensive success thus far is junior second baseman Logan Morrison, with seven hits over 18 at bats, in addition to reaching base five times via a walk and once from a hit by pitch, leaving Morrison’s batting average at .389 and an on base percentage .538.

“This year, we are more mature and experienced and have a collective group of guys bought into the same goals,” Morrison said. “I think we have a really special team with a lot of potential as we move further into our season.

Our hitting is solid, top to bottom and our pitching has been more consistent so far.”

Pitching has indeed been a strong suit thus far for the Tigers. At this point in the season, Tiger pitching has surrendered three earned runs per game, while their opponents are allowing them 7.3 earned runs per game.

Sophomore starting pitcher James Nittoli has been a key cog in the pitching success of the Tigers. In the Tigers’ 6-0 win on Feb. 10 at Houston-Victoria, Nittoli threw six scoreless frames, allowing four hits while striking out six and walking none.

Another arm posting big numbers is senior Kevin Flores, who has struck out 26 batters over a span of 16 innings pitched. In addition to his strikeout rate, Flores boasts an opponent batting average of only .194.

Trinity’s opponents have allowed the Tigers a batting average of .321 for the season.

While the season is just getting started, players are already enthusiastic and optimistic about how the rest of the season will play out.

“The season has been going very well thus far,” said Matthew Thomas, sophomore pitcher. “We are 6-0 and have played well in all facets of the game: hitting, pitching and defense. In comparison to last year, we are more confident and experienced. Last year, we were talented but young. Moving forward, we expect to continue playing as well as we can and the winning should follow.”

Junior infielder John Tucker echoed Thomas’ sentiments.

“This year, we are just playing a lot more loose and together. This team is very talented and if we keep working hard we’ll make a run,” Tucker said.

The Tigers look to preserve their undefeated record as they take on MIT in a home opening four-game series over the weekend.

Women’s basketball continued from PAGE 18

The Flora Cameron Lecture is made possible by an endowment gift from Mrs. Flora C. Crichton of San Antonio.

The team will enter NCAA tournament play this weekend. Their first matchup will be Friday evening against the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD).

“We really like our regional teams and think we match up well. There’s a lot of incentive and familiarity with Whitman, UTD and [East Texas Baptist University]. So we know what we have in front of us and are excited to go out and try to make a deep postseason run,” Shotland wrote. Whitman knocked the Tigers out of last year’s tournament in the third round, but the Tigers are looking forward to this year’s chance at the national championship.

“NCAA tournament expectations are always very simple: go play. Take each opportunity one game at a time, do your best and leave it all on the floor. Every game has the chance to be the best game of the season, and that’s exciting,” Hill wrote.

Hughes expressed her excitement for the upcoming competitions.

“I expect to play some really good competitive teams. However, I expect to play

our game and to keep growing as a team and to see even more new things come from us that have yet to be seen this season,” Hughes wrote in an email interview.

For seniors like Hughes and Weaver, every game could be their last. Lancaster cites this as her motivation for playing hard.

“Our motivation is the fact that we won’t be able to play with these seniors again. We’re not ready to let our time with them go yet.

So we’re playing every game so we can have one more game with them. We know the work they’ve put in and we’re working our hardest to get them a championship for their hard work and what they’ve done in building this program,” Lancaster wrote.

Weaver voiced her gratitude for her time as a Tiger.

“We want to make our season last as long as possible and I believe we will make a really great run,” Weaver wrote. “I’m just thankful for the opportunity to still be playing the game I love with my teammates who are all so special to me. I’m soaking up every bit of this.”

Friday’s tournament game against UTD can be streamed at utdcomets.com.