A Letter from the Dean

When preparing for the 2020 College year, I can very honestly say that in early January, I, like many others, did not foresee the significant challenges that we were about to encounter. It started as a year full of great promise. I was very excited to immerse myself into a second year here at Trinity, having had a truly wonderful introduction across 2019 as the Dean. ‘O’ week commenced with a record number of amazing Trinitarians. Each person selected from the very large number of applicants of young people vying for a much-prized place at Trinity.

Who would have thought that only 4 weeks into our semester, I would be standing on the Bulpadock sharing COVID-19 pandemic information with everyone and seeking to forecast how that might play out. At that time, we were optimistically imagining that the pandemic would

hopefully be addressed by mid-May. As we all now know, that hope was not realized, and we all needed to adjust to the challenges. There were tough decisions to be made; people chose to stay or go from College depending upon their own unique circumstances and family needs. Those of us left at College hunkered down and began the isolation journey.

The Trinity machine was recalibrated and clicked into gear with the focus that no student was left behind regardless of being a resident or nonresident. Every community member played a part in guaranteeing our College remained connected. The ResCol staff worked very closely with the ever thoughtful and resilient Senior Student Morgan Galea and his TCAC leadership team to continue to drive a fun and supportive experience for the entire College community.

RAs and SCs worked tirelessly to provide virtual opportunities to keep the relationships between their corridors strong. Creativity flowed around the campus with clubs and societies, committees and associations providing ongoing entertainment and support. Virtual movie nights, quizzes, talent shows, games and competitions, exercise sessions, mindfulness meditation sessions, art classes and even a knitting and crocheting collective are just a few of the myriad of activities that have been on offer.

I have been so proud and impressed with the resilience and courage shown by Trinity as the challenges of COVID-19 have unfolded. As Dean, I have been blessed to walk this journey with both Anthony and Chris who were so generous with their commitment to our community.

Leonie Jogenelis