AS Sp R ec i E a p a le c l S e ge tio cti s 6 n G on -7 u : id e
Sports 21
A&E 18
Campus Pulse 12
Serving Up Success
Mircobrew, Macro-awesome
Aaron Skinner becomes first Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles champion since 1997
Paul Cuclis visits a local homebrewery to learn the art of creating the perfect beer
Fall Philanthropy Preview: Drag Show, Chili Cook-off & 24-hour Soccer Match
theTrinitonian Volume 110, Issue 9
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www.trinitonian.com
Trinity fights Monte Vista suit After years of struggle, Trinity University and Monte Vista are rebuilding a neighborly relationship by Faith Ozer
NEWS REPORTER
Although relations with the Monte Vista Historical Association have improved, Trinity continues to face a suit from neighborhood residents regarding changes made to the houses, their alternative use as offices and their presence on Oakmont Court. The dispute began with the construction of the Center for Sciences and Innovation. According to Dennis Ahlburg, university president, Trinity decided to complete the construction on CSI in one large step rather than multiple parts, saving the university approximately 20 million dollars. Rather than purchasing trailers for $600,000 or renting office space on campus to accommodate the displaced faculty, Trinity decided to utilize
their properties on Oakmont Drive. However, this had some unintended consequences. “We are careful in the way we use the properties, and we are interested in their historic value. Our faculty moved in, and there were some people in the neighborhood who did not like that,” Ahlburg said. “I don’t think they understood that we, over the course of history, had used the homes flexibly and were always very sensitive to the neighborhood.” Permanent changes had been made to certain houses in order to accommodate disabled students and the elderly, as well as to replace corroded hardware, but this was illreceived by other residents of Monte Vista. “These are things that people can disagree with,” Ahlburg said. “But the nature of the beast is that when people disagree, they will go to the city, and they will sue you. They are suing to get us thrown out of our own properties, which I thought was a rather curious and un-neighborly thing to do.” The suit against the city to revoke the university’s certificates of occupancy for the
see MVHA Page 5
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Serving Trinity University Since 1902
OCTOBER 19, 2012
Equestrian Team Doesn’t Horse Around
photo by James Shultz Rachel Pauerstein, sophomore and captain of the equestrian team, competes in a flat class at the Tulane Hunt show in Louisiana. This competition was the first show of the equestrian team’s season and a solid start for the team. They compete through the fall and into the spring in various shows throughout Louisiana and Texas.Check back with the Trinitonian next week for an in-depth look by sports intern, Aynav Leibowitz. She will cover the equestrian team as well as other club sport like trap and skeet and women’s volleyball.
Congressman meets with students
Honor Council seeks class credit The Honor Council moves to embrace experiential learning by asking for academic credit
Gonzalez shares experience from Washington D.C. during student Q&A session
by Carlos Anchondo NEWS REPORTER
by Trinitonian Staff Democratic Congressman Charles A. Gonzalez of Texas’ 20th congressional district –which serves much of San Antonio–since 1999 spoke to Trinity Students on Oct. 17, in the Waxahachie Room after Dean of Students David Tuttle approached him at the local YMCA. “People always approach you as a public figure,” Gonzalez said. “In fact, it’s a bad thing when they don’t, because that means they don’t know who you are.” Gonzalez proceeded to tell students about a man who asked him about immigration at a urinal stall of the Embassy 14 movie theater saying that was “not the place to talk about immigration.”
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photo by Aidan Kirksey Congressman Charles Gonzalez addressed students Wednesday Oct. 17 during a program titled “Coffee with Congress: A Discussion with House Democrat Charles Gonzalez.” The event was co-sponsored by the dean’s office and Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society on campus.
Gonzalez, whose last day in office is January 2, 2013, previously announced his retirement from public office. As such, Gonzalez spoke to students about his experiences in office, his beliefs on what needs to change in Congress and the best and worst moments of his career. “It used to be that you had to have a meeting of the minds,” Gonzalez said. “Now, we have entrenched congressmen. We have people seeking to work in an office they don’t respect.” During a time of intense
polarization, in which the cloture vote is utilized more often than ever, Gonzalez spoke at length about the importance of negotiation and compromise in Congress, at one point using the words of fellow Congressman Barnett Frank, who said, “If you aren’t able to work closely with people you despise, you can’t work here.” During the question-andanswer session, Gonzalez told students he thinks it is necessary to bring compromise
see GONZALEZ Page 4
In the future, members of the Trinity University Academic Honor Council could receive academic credit for their work in the organization. This move to pragmatic learning comes alongside the impending changes to the curriculum at Trinity. Since his arrival on campus, Dennis Ahlburg, president of the university, has instituted a strategic planning process that will redefine liberal arts for the university. The curriculum would integrate professional and pre-professional programs while expanding upon excellence in faculty research. Co-faculty adviser for the Honor Council, C. Mackenzie Brown, the Jennie Farris Railey King professor of religion, commented on the proposal.
“The new curriculum includes such things as academic credit for internships and learning outside of the classroom. This is the sort of proposal that would appeal to that,” Brown said. Brown said that the proposal would most likely only affect first years. He estimates that it will take one to two years for the proposal to go into effect due to the feedback anticipated by the administration. Brown admited that administration approval is definite and must be obtained first. David Tuttle, dean of students and associate vice president of Student Affairs, is interested by the proposal and says that the Honor Council must be respected for what they do. “In terms of strategic planning,” Tuttle said, “it is a good time to do this. It’s never bad to ask the question, but you have to be careful about what merits academic credit.” The other faculty advisor for the Honor Council, Curtis A. Brown, professor of philosophy, ensures that if approved, the organization’s proposal would merit credit.
see COUNCIL Page 4