02.09.2018 by Trinitonian

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Serving Trinity University Since 1902

Volume 115 Issue 18

19 The dog Jurgens retires PULSE after five years of service

22 A&E

Poet Denice Frohman gives Alvarez Seminar

FEBRUARY 09, 2018

SPORTS

Coalition circulates sexual assault survey Group uses information to promote safety, responsibility on campus KATHLEEN CREEDON | NEWS EDITOR kcreedon@trinity.edu The Coalition for Respect is circulating its annual survey on sexual assault, which administrators hope will help improve the campus climate surrounding sexual assault. Last year’s report indicates that alcohol and drugs play a larger role in sexual assault involving Trinity students compared to those at peer institutions, though students at Trinity are also more likely to have talked to someone about the event. The Coalition for Respect is a partnership between students, faculty and staff on campus aimed at promoting awareness of issues dealing with sexual assault and misconduct. The organization conducted a similar survey for the 2016–2017 school year, in which 434 students participated — about 19 percent of the student population that year. “We created [the coalition] to give the community some responsibility for climate on campus and to give the community a voice in situations related to sexual assault,” said David Tuttle, dean of students and chair of the Coalition for Respect. “We want to bring more people to the table.” One of the benefits of offering a campus-wide survey like this one is how the information allows Trinity to compare itself to similar small schools. “The purpose is to ask the community what they think of the campus climate and to get a lot of information that we can use to

graphic by LIZ DAY, graphics editor

spotlighting

ACCESSIBILITY All parts of campus community aim to help students with addiction CATHY TERRACE | NEWS REPORTER cterrace@trinity.edu

inform our decisions moving forward,” Tuttle said. “Because it’s done with a consortium, it’s a chance to benchmark ourselves against other like institutions.” According to Megan Kruse, coordinator for student conduct panel, the 2016-17 survey helped the coalition angle its sexual assault education in a way best suited for Trinity students. Kruse says the survey helps the Coalition for Respect focus its attention on the core issues at Trinity.

“If you look at the data we have, … alcohol use is higher at Trinity. When it comes to someone who has disclosed that they’ve been sexually assaulted, they more often say that alcohol or drugs were involved than at other universities,” Kruse said. “We started doing more targeted conversations about alcohol at our Coalition Cafes or at any of our tabling in Coates.” continued on PAGE 3

How are departments funded? Academic Affairs divvy the budget according to department need

BOBBY WATSON | NEWS REPORTER rwatson@trinity.edu

Trinity spent a total of $62,510,000 in academic areas for the 2016-2017 school year. Of that total, instructional services and research received $48,776,000, and academic support services received $13,734,000, according to VP of finance Gary Logan. Funding departments takes a combination of tuition fees, outside grants and donations from alumni, though how that looks changes based on each department’s needs and abilities. Every year department heads meet with Academic Affairs to discuss the budgets for next year. Though the process is multilayered and requires several stamps of approval, it has remained relatively consistent at Trinity. “Financial Services sends out a request for an operating budget to all the academic and administrative chairs or directors of departments, and there we ask — based on their own departmental assessments — what are the resources that you need to accomplish that?” said Gary Logan, vice president for

Scoreboard or eyesore? Fixture causes frustration

graphic by LIZ DAY, graphics editor

finance and administration. “So they send those requests back to their vice presidents. ... The vice president’s department will review those, probably go back and forth with their directors. They will prioritize those, and then they meet with the president and the budget committee.” The university’s departmental budget usually is dependent on what resources are needed to keep a department relevant and functioning. This leads to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) departments

to have relatively larger budgets, mainly for equipment. “The biology department has really high operational expenses ‘cause we have expensive labs, and we have to maintain equipment, we have to travel a lot, we have research students and we want to take them to conferences, so some of that funding comes out of our grants,” said Kelly Lyons, associate professor of the biology department. continued on PAGE 3

Members of the social fraternity Kappa Kappa Delta have joined with Students for Opioid Solutions (SOS) to bring opioid awareness to campus. Kappa Kappa Delta have planned a fundraiser for SOS on Feb. 17. Senior Jonah Wendt co-founded SOS, a nonprofit organization. Although opioid addiction isn’t an obvious problem at Trinity, SOS aims to prevent such a problem from happening by enacting policies and making naloxone, an emergency drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, available to students. Naloxone is often referred to as Narcan, the brand name of the drug. “It’s important to educate students on contemporary issues that can possibly affect them post-graduation,” Wendt said. “If there’s an issue with an opioid overdose, we’d rather the student’s life be saved the first time.” Ben Sawyer, junior and philanthropy chair of Kappa Kappa Delta, spearheaded the organization’s decision to host the fundraiser. Money raised at the event will go towards SOS. “We have some people that agree that public health is a big deal, and we want to do something philanthropic like that,” Sawyer said. “Kappa hasn’t done this yet, but we want to be part of the philanthropy arm so to speak for Students for Opioid Solutions … we’re just trying to raise money for them.” SOS plans to bring Tim Ryan, a speaker and anti-heroin activist, to campus on Feb. 24 to discuss the prevalence of opioid use on college campuses. Sawyer believes that this is the first step in raising awareness at Trinity. “I want to talk to people about us as a community of students recognizing this; that’s how we pressure the administration, with everyone in disdain together about a problem,” Sawyer said. “We need Narcan on campus, even if you don’t know anyone who actually struggles with addiction.” For those who currently struggle with addiction, the campus can supply consultation and referrals elsewhere. Richard Reams, associate director for counseling services, explains what students might expect from consultation. “When I see a student who’s dealing with problems related to alcohol or other drugs, we screen for if they’re dealing with abuse, or if they’re dealing with addiction. Based on that talk with them, I’ll offer ways to move forward,” Reams said. “If a person is addicted to alcohol or other drugs, then that requires a much more intense treatment, and it also brings in a medical component because that person may very well need medical detoxification, which a person abusing substances may not need.” continued on PAGE 4

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 •

NEWS

Previously, on SGA: Business (Casual) as Usual This issue covers the SGA meeting on Feb. 5.

CONFIRMATION OF NON-VOTING MEMBERS The senate voted to officially confirm cabinet members, as well as the senator emeriti, spring-semester seniors appointed by the SGA president and vice-president to advise the senate. Secretary Taylor Volzer, treasurer CAMPUS CLIMATE CHECK • First-year senator Mia Quintanilla explained that there are Hannah Larson, judicial chair Zeina Zayat, communications chair Enrique seemingly malfunctioning thermostats and mold in McLean residence Garcia, legislative relations Chiara Pride, and senator emeriti Nicholas hall. Junior senator Reese Carlos said a similar issue has been occurring Santulli, Samy Abdallah and Shivani Parmar were confirmed. with the thermostats in Prassel residence hall. SGA adviser Stephanie CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE Ackerman advised students to reach out to facilities services. President Deva and vice president Daniel explained the need to clarify the • Sophomore senator Ty Tinker updated the senate on the progress role of the judicial chair and possible conflicts of interest in the constitution. within the open educational resources committee, which he chairs. • Junior senator Julia Shults explained that some students believe Sophomore senators Juan Luevanos and Benjamin Gonzalez volunteered to the recycling at City Vista is being taken out and being thrown away head the committee to change it. (Gonzalez is an opinion columnist for the with the trash. Adviser Ackerman clarified that the recycling and trash Trinitonian.) are just being taken out together, but are distributed to their respective BUSINESS CASUAL containers outside the building. President Deva presented on what counts as business casual attire. • President Amulya Deva reminded the senate and cabinet of TigerThon and asked that they think about participating as All members of SGA are expected to attend meetings in business casual dress. Deva explained that Greek jerseys and athletic gear do an organization. • Vice president Rachel Daniel asked if any senators wanted to join not count as business casual. SGA members should opt for a shirt and the search committee for a new First-Year Experience coordinator. First- tie, sweaters, polos, business dresses, dress shoes and slacks. Unlike last year senator Noelle Barrera and junior senators Shults and Carlos all semester, members are now allowed to wear dark wash denim that is not distressed or torn. opted to join. (Barrera is a news reporter for the Trinitonian.) 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.

TUPD BRIEFS

LAUNDERING On Saturday, Feb. 03, at 10:02 p.m., bedding was reported missing from the laundry room in Lightner residence hall. The missing items were returned within the next few days, and the report was filed as unfounded.

HARASSMENT On Wednesday, Jan. 31, a student reported another student for harassment. The student who filed the report did not opt to press charges.

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Chaplain Stephen Nickle invites the rinit_y communit_y tojoin in worship on

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Margarite

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A luncheon will follow.

NEWS • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

Coalition circulates sexual assault survey continued from FRONT The Coalition Cafes are another way the group has tried to gain more student input. The cafes are a pop-up event that allow oneon-one conversations between students and coalition members. “It’s hard to find students who are willing to have these conversations,” Kruse said. “But I’d say every Coalition Cafe, we’ll have four to five students who we’ll have a 20-minute conversation with, and we can talk about policy and how the policy applies to things and how drugs and alcohol can intersect with this.” Tuttle mentioned that at one point, there was an attempt by counseling services to create a support group for survivors of sexual assault but that it didn’t last due to lack of participation. According Tuttle, students often prefer individual counseling or talking to friends over attending a support group. “On a small campus like this, there’s issues of anonymity. There’s issues of staff resources that we have for those types of things, but also just getting students to participate, there’s just not the numbers that you would find at a bigger school,” Tuttle said. Kruse also mentioned that the survey results reveal more positive things about students’ reactions to sexual assault. “In the part of the survey where people will opt in to disclose whether they’ve been a victim of sexual misconduct or assault, every single person who disclosed that said that they told someone,” Kruse said. Along with the Coalition Cafes, the group has also organized larger events, like a panel on sexual assault last fall. The combination of intimate and larger events offers a variety of

settings for people to participate and become involved with the group. “It’s kind of a combination of not just concentrating on one particular thing, like only small groups, but to have representations of different types of things,” said Pamela Johnston, Trinity’s Title IX coordinator. “You really need to reach out to students in a number of ways to find out what resonates with them.” Johnston, who accepted her role as Title IX coordinator Aug. 2017, stressed that the survey is important to campus and student safety, and the information provided will help the coalition to create more relevant programs. “The purpose is to gather as much data as possible and to use that for constructive purposes in terms of education, training, safety,” Johnston said. According to Johnston, the coalition also researches what is done at other schools to promote awareness. “We look for things that other schools are doing, so it’s not just the coalition trying to think of ideas, but getting ideas from other schools and to see what types of programs they’re doing, what types of initiatives,” Johnston said. Kruse explained that student input is necessary to help improve the campus climate. She believes that students’ involvement with the coalition will help spur greater change on campus. “One of the reasons we wanted these smaller, student-on-student interactions is because the culture starts with the students. We need people to feel comfortable stepping up and being good bystanders,” Kruse said. “That conversation has to come from the students. That’s why we’re constantly mining for students to get involved.”

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Department funding continued from FRONT Dennis Ugolini, chair and professor of the physics and astronomy department, explained that most of his department’s funding goes toward equipment. “So it’s going to vary for each department how that money gets spent, but for us it’s largely chemical supplies, vacuum equipment, computer equipment for the cluster, things like that, so yeah, we’re more equipment heavy than others,” Ugolini said. According to Erwin Cook, Murchison Distinguished Professor of classical studies, non-STEM departments tend to focus their funds on conferences for faculty and students, as well as for honorarium speakers. “The university’s funding is generous, but we deplete the majority of that each year when we go to our national convention, because that tends to be expensive,” Cook said. Conferences like the Society for Classical Studies, which the classical studies department visits annually, are usually global events that allow professors to meet with international colleagues and to discover current research in their fields. This helps departments like classical studies stay relevant with their course material and research. However, departmental budgets hardly cover resources needed for functionality,

let alone special projects and programs that departments and individual professors pursue. In order to find funding, professors apply to various outside grants or fellowships. STEM departments find a lot of funding through national foundations and large government and private organizations. “The main places we get money would be the National Science Foundation and a private organization called Research Corporation. Some people might get it from the Department of Defense,” Ugolini said. Other organizations that have given grants to specific Trinity professors, like Lyons, are the National Institutes of Health, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Certain programs have also found support from donations from wealthy individuals. The Mexico, the Americas and Spain (MAS) program is funded largely by the Alvarez family, a wealthy family that has dealings with Dos Equis, while East Asian studies is supported by Oliver Lee, an alumnus and member of Trinity’s Board of Trustees. ”Alums are really important to support programs that support students who are here now,” Lyons said. “One of the things that’s undeveloped at Trinity is our annual fund. The annual giving that we would like to get from students who are alums. But that’s in development now.”

graphic by LIZ DAY, graphics editor

Of the 27 responses, 72 percent reported alcohol present during their assault.

Samples represent the percentage of students who didn’t tell anyone about their assault Aside from participation in the survey, the Coalition for Respect is also searching for more students to become involved with the group itself. “We’re looking for more student participation,” Kruse said. “[The coalition] was created to be a partnership between faculty,

staff and students, and it still is. We just maybe need more on the student side.” For those interested in becoming a part of the Coalition for Respect, email coalitionforrespect@trinity.edu or David Tuttle. The survey will close Feb. 22, and results will be released in the spring.

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 •

NEWS

spotlighting ACCESSIBILITY continued on FRONT As one of the primary resources for students experiencing addiction, David Tuttle, dean of students, reflected on why Trinity does not have as many alcohol and drug resources as other colleges. “It’s a matter of scale for us. … Here, we’re adding more roles to other people’s responsibilities, and maybe we don’t have the expertise in those types of areas, so it’s a little hard to launch something and sustain something,” Tuttle said. Tuttle and Reams are both starting points for students looking for help. One way students may be referred to these resources is through Student Conduct Board. “So you don’t know right away if someone is addicted to or abusing alcohol, or if it’s a run-of-the-mill-violation — you don’t know if there’s abuse until you get them talking,” said Megan Kruse, coordinator for student conduct and special projects. “One of the things that the conduct model does really well, is it’s meant to open up that conversation a lot more. It’s a discussion-based model, so that’s how we can get onto the questions of addiction.” As Tuttle mentioned, many positions at Trinity overlap and take on additional roles. Those who serve on Student Conduct Board are also trained in these issues. “We did have the conduct panel trained by Richard Reams,” Kruse said. “He explained what an alcohol use consultation looks like, and what a drug use consultation looks like, how he deals with clients who have substance abuse issues, so he’ll talk to out conduct panel on ways to talk to students without putting them on the defensive, and ways that you can suss out someone’s spectrum of alcohol use.”

In the fall of 2016, a student-led committee rewrote Trinity’s alcohol policy to prioritize student safety at off-campus parties. This is one of many intiatives the university has created to promote student safety with substances. FILE PHOTO

For students who visit Student Conduct Board repeatedly, the sanctions gradually escalate, as described by their webpage. The board takes into account their history and past violations. Some of these sanctions can include students leaving campus. “We don’t ask people to leave campus purely because we believe they’re addicted to something, but based on their behavior, we may ask them to leave,” Kruse said. “A lot of times, what we’ll do in lieu of removing people from campus, is have them do alcohol consultations with counselors.” Kruse explained that no policy states that the university should keep track of students who are asked to leave campus for behavioral reasons. “When it comes to checking up on people after they’ve been removed from campus, I mean I think that depends on the situation,” Kruse

said. “We don’t have a mechanism set in place, though we may have ResLife check up on them, or have someone email them.” Though ResLife doesn’t often check up on students who no longer live on campus, the office does train residential assistants (RAs). Ari Fletcher-Bai, a sophomore RA for the WittWinn residence hall, explained how the training that ResLife goes through is more focused on helping students than getting them in trouble. “Part of our response to addiction is how we respond to violations of drug and alcohol policy. We try to take a healing-centered perspective,” Fletcher-Bai said. “We try to make it so that people feel like we’re not targeting them, and for repeat problems, the level of consequences escalates, as well as the level of involvement from ResLife.”

Fletcher-Bai explained that first-time offenders talk with their RA. After multiple offenses, students may get referred to Tuttle or Reams. One resource for students who are struggling with substances are support groups. In the past, the university has offered a support group for those who have a history of abusing drugs and alcohol. However, without sufficient attendance, the group was unable to continue to meet. “Last year I started a support group, and we met maybe a half dozen times,” Tuttle said. “Very few students are interested in or are at a place where they feel like they’re ready for Alcoholics Anonymous, which requires a commitment to sobriety, and so what worked last year with the support group is that it wasn’t about sobriety only, but also for people who were struggling with use and abuse and wanted to meet with other people to talk about that.” Though the support group hasn’t met in about a year, Tuttle expressed interest in reforming it. “We had people who were still drinking and doing drugs, and talking to one another, and learning from one another ways that they could navigate their substance use,” Tuttle said. In the fall of 2016, a student-led committee rewrote Trinity’s alcohol policy, prioritizing student safety at off-campus parties. The policy is called the Safer party Initiative. For those seeking advice, one of the first places students can start is reaching out to their resident assistants and hall managers. Anyone interested in joining a support group, email dtuttle@trinity.edu. with additional reporting by Kathleen Creedon, news editor.

Got a quick question? We’ll find the answer. Ask away: trinitonian@trinity.edu Is there a weekly comic strip in the Trinitonian? We have a bi-weekly comic strip in our Opinion section, created by staff illustrator Andrea Nebhut. Can you deliver the Trinitonian to faculty inboxes? We’ll look into it. In the meantime, sign up for our newsletter! trinitonian.com/newsletter When did Trinity move to San Antonio? Trinity moved to San Antonio in 1942 to the Woodlawn Campus, located on the city’s near West side. In 1952, Trinity relocated to the Skyline campus.

Which Trinicat is the oldest? According to Mindy Morales, board member of the Cat Alliance, “The oldest cat on our campus is Keith, the grey cat with the stubby tail who lives in Coates. He is at least 16 years old.” How many cats total have lived at Trinity since the Cat Alliance began? According to Morales, “Grand total number of cats that appeared on campus and were processed by Cat Alliance, and either remained, disappeared, died or were adopted (i.e. total number we’ve handled) is 148.”

When will the Bell Center be open? The Bell Center opening is Feb. 8, 2018.

Who paid for the new scoreboard? According to Jerheme Urban, the head coach of the football team, “This project was privately funded, with How can I keep up with the Trinitonian during the week? those efforts being co-chaired by two Trinity alumni, We have a website and a newsletter! You can also follow as well as Michael Bacon and Allan Marshall in the us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and on Youtube. development office.” ANSWERS COLLECTED BY KATHLEEN CREEDON

NEWS • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

TU Gaming becomes Registered Student Org. Competitive esports student group granted RSO status after careful review of NCAA rules

Junior LAURA HARRIS, left, sophomore SARA HERIDIA, center, and senior BENJAMIN D’AURIZIO, right, speak with junior TREY FOSTER, far right, about Tuition Stop Day. The Student Ambassadors joined Alumni Relations in expressing the importance of all donations, including small ones. Only two-thirds of students’ education is covered by tuition; donations pay for the rest. Tuition Stop Day represents the day students’ tuition money is spent. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

Sophomores WILLIAM BALLENGEE, left, TIFFANY NGUYEN, left center, BENJAMIN GONZALEZ, right center, and RACHEL LOPEZ, far right, play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in the CSI Cube. The sophomores are the officers of the TU Gaming club, which recently became a Registered Student Organization after student involvement clarified potential NCAA rule violations. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

CATHY TERRACE | NEWS REPORTER cterrace@trinity.edu After some concern with how National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules would affect TU Gaming events, Student Involvement granted the competitive esports group registered student organization (RSO) status late last month. “Because we were planning on sponsoring teams, Student Involvement had to look into NCAA rules to see if they had any rules about esports,” said William Ballengee, sophomore and president of TU Gaming. “The issue with the NCAA rules was that we wanted to have the option to sponsor members of our club to go to a tournament in Texas or somewhere else.” Shannon Edmond, coordinator for student programs, said in an email interview there were no concerns, outside of NCAA rules, about the formation of the club. “We just wanted to make sure that all NCAA rules regarding gaming at a competitive level were addressed,” Edmond wrote. According to Edmond, NCAA rules only apply to clubs on the national level, so the competitions that TU Gaming plans on hosting don’t fall under these concerns. “Our plan is to host tournaments for every game you can think of, and then have more casual events for members,” Ballengee said. “One of the first big events we want to do is host a Mario Kart tournament because everyone plays Mario Kart. … A more regular meeting would be something more obscure. I know a couple guys who signed up play Halo, so we might want to do a small Halo tournament.” While the club has no events planned as of right now, it currently has around 40

members and plan on hosting meetings in the Cube in the Center for Sciences and Innovation (CSI). Another project the club anticipates is creating a Minecraft server for interested students at the university. Competitive gaming has been receiving more and more attention at the collegiate level in recent years. According to Dominic Morais, assistant professor of business administration, this is because many now consider the activity a sport and are investing in it as such.

“People are living together, practicing together for hours a day. The same type of investment you see in other sports, you see going on in esports.” DOMINIC MORAIS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

“It seems like there’s been a large increase in people just watching others play video games. You have things where people are sending in millions of dollars, and thousands of people

are filling up stadiums in order to watch people play games,” Morais said. “People are living together, practicing together for hours a day. The same type of investment you see in other sports, you see going on in esports.” Some schools, like Robert Morris University, even have an intercollegiate varsity gaming club. This is because competitive gaming has started to become more widely considered a sport. “I teach it in my Contemporary American Sport Class,” Morais said. “We just talked about what this phenomenon is, and how we can make sense of it within the sport industry as we know it. What I wanted to impart upon my students is that sport is entertainment, and if you’re into this kind of stuff, don’t cut yourself off from it.” Even though a gaming club has only just been established at Trinity, interest in esports is rising in the area, according to Kristen Harrison, associate athletic director for recreation and sports camp. “I recently sat in on a conference call with the SCAC [Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference] on Oct. 24 where Schreiner University’s dean of students, Charles Hueber, lead the conversation. They had currently hired a full time esports coach,” Harrison wrote in an email interview. “Schreiner is planning a competition event on their campus for the last weekend in April and hosting Colorado College and any other university that would like to have an esports discussion or participate. I think this would be a great opportunity to go and see how events are organized, or maybe to have the gaming club participate in the event.” Ballengee urged all students to participate, regardless of their experience in gaming. Morais echoed these sentiments.

“I think it’s a great thing. … It’s good people are looking for other ways to compete as a team, overcome adversity,” Morais said. “The same types of things you’ll see in sports you’ll see in gaming, and I think it’s nice to have an alternative for individuals to get those same characteristics without fitting a certain identity or mold.” Those interested in joining TU Gaming or learning more about events can visit their webpage on Presence.

D IEVP EER DE

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Opinion

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FROM TH E EDITORS’ DESK

Why is it so hard to talk about love? You’d think it’d be easier to talk about love than to talk about sex. Isn’t that what they say, that sex is a difficult, embarrassing topic? But when we sat down two weeks ago to plan this Love and Sex issue of the Trinitonian, nobody wanted to talk about love. Somehow, lube taste-testing became the meme of the evening. Turns out, it’s way easier to talk about sex than about love. But why? The past few years have seen a resurgence of sex-positivity in popular culture, perhaps as a reaction to the dangerous sexual climate of the 2000s and early 2010s that preceded the #MeToo movement. We’ve learned to talk

TRINICATS Potted cat

And it’s not like there’s no danger in sex — far from it. But it is difficult and important to grapple with romance, with our own feelings. You can’t love until you let down your guard. We’re not talking about the hackneyed clichés that you hear in radio-ready pop songs. It’s too easy to rely on superficial sayings in lieu of confronting our own, often difficult feelings. You can have sex and say, “It didn’t mean anything,” and that may well be true. But you can’t love someone and honestly say that it didn’t mean anything — even if you later wish it didn’t. A challenge: Get emotionally naked. But be careful about who you expose yourself to.

about sex — but we aren’t well-prepared to deal with the depths of our emotions. Conjecture aside, it’s undeniable that a certain vulnerability accompanies any attempt to confess how you really feel, how much you truly love someone or how much another’s action has hurt us. Apparently, most of us are more comfortable getting naked with our peers than we are with having these difficult conversations. Of course, it wasn’t easy to get over that first hump, of talking about sex. In this week’s special section, senior staff columnist Gabriel Levine discusses the difficulties involved in opening oneself up to healthy, casual hookups.

Last week, we had some truly flaming opinion write-ins regarding cultural appropriation — when a dominant cultural group takes the cultural expressions of a minority group and uses it to look exotic. It was a particularly triggering piece of artwork at the Mini, Trinity’s student art showcase, that sparked the controversy. Over the last year I have had the privilege of traveling to Haiti, where a lot of women wear braids. I really love them; especially when there is a swirly wire or a metal bead incorporated, I just think braids are beautiful. Casually, I thought that maybe I’ll have braids someday; it might make me feel like I could keep a little bit of Haiti with me. Facing the judgment of friends when I told them of this desire made me aware first hand of how complex cultural sensitivity can be. But I also have a complaint about the arguments surrounding cultural appropriation; fundamentally I think they divide and separate people who deep down see the world the same way. I believe that the same way that any African or Haitian or South American student can express themselves in any way they want, that I should also be able to. If I wear a Dashiki, it is not because I am taking advantage of a minority’s cultural expression in this country for personal gain. I really believe that when it comes to this stuff, as Anene Ejikeme, associate professor of history, said to me, we should always give someone the benefit of the doubt; maybe they don’t realize that what they said or what they are doing is personally offensive in some way. I have the privilege of never having experienced discrimination related to the hairstyle, so there is no

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cartoon by ANDREA NEBHUT, staff illustrator

Cultural appropriation conundrums MICAELA HOFFMAN OPINION COLUMNIST mhoffman@trinity.edu

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long-term impact of me choosing to wear my hair this way. Arguably, dreads have been around for centuries: the Celts, the Vikings, even Egyptians had dreadlocks. But in contemporary cultures, dreads have been synonymous with Rastafari movement and African American culture. When we start to examine history of culture, though, it brings up an interesting question of ownership; can we really say that anything we do is exclusively the right of one culture? As an Italian, I know that the pride and joy of what my country is known for — food — was the product of years of cultural exchanges and trade. Now, am I going to go to the nearest Olive Garden and get upset with them for how they butcher that food? And mispronounce bruschetta? And put meatballs on spaghetti? No. I think it is a form of flattery that Americans attempt to copy my culture. I know this is a little different, as Italians have for the most part been quite accepted in America, and we are usually white, but it is my personal experience with something approaching cultural appropriation. Cultural mixing will inevitably happen with time, and I am a person who really appreciates cultural differences. I celebrate them! I thought that by choosing to wear a hairstyle that is associated with African American culture, it’s like me saying, “This is cool. You are cool. I want to be like you!” Imitation is a form of flattery, right? I mean no harm, and in fact, I would consider myself an activist in regards to a variety of minority and racial issues. There are a lot of scenarios where people are criticized for all sorts of displays of culture that they don’t realize might offend someone. Avril Lavigne — though she has a huge following in Japan — was accused of cultural appropriation when she dressed as Hello Kitty in a music video. There are countless white rappers who are deemed ‘wangstas’ because they are acting like wannabe gangsters and appropriating hip-hop culture.

I see this conversation as a huge gray area. I understand and see both sides, truly. Why can’t it be seen as me showing my appreciation for something cool about your culture instead of me taking advantage of it? But I am also aware that I can’t really understand or appreciate the difficulties minorities experience every day. I think the key difference between appropriation and appreciation is respect, acknowledgement and understanding. If I choose to wear a color or a pattern that is from another culture, I should understand its meaning and be open to discussing how that culture is beautiful. By wearing it, I am choosing to promote, accept and model symbols from that culture. Religious symbols, in my book, are off limits; I am not about to put a bindi on my forehead. But, I think I would like to learn about Hinduism, understand Henna and wear it. Another rule, too, would be to use the symbol as it was originally intended to be worn — for example, don’t wear a full-length Dashiki during the day, as in Rwanda they are considered house clothing. I think this is really about a larger discussion of what some people call ‘politically correct’ language and I call respectful communication and behavior. Today, with so many gray lines about how to speak, act and dress without offending someone, I think the best way to navigate it is to give people a chance to explain themselves and be open to conversation. You might make a mistake, as I have before, but there is a way to talk about these things constructively. I don’t want to be just a white girl. I want to be a person, a human on the earth that likes all of the ways that other humans dress, speak and express. I want to take from my experiences and incorporate difference into my life. Micaela Hoffman is a senior business analytics and technology and urban studies double major.

Letters to the editor should be 300 words or less. They are due Sundays at noon. Email your thoughts to trinitonian@trinity.edu and opinion editor Soleil Gaffner at lgaffner@trinity.edu. She or the editor-in-chief will get back to you.

How long should guest columns be? When are they due? Where do I send them?

Guest columns should range between 500–700 words in length and are due Sundays at noon. Email your columns to the opinion editor, Soleil Gaffner, at lgaffner@trinity.edu. Students, please include your graduating year and declared or intended majors and minors. Faculty and staff members, please tell us your job title. Alumni, please describe your current occupation and include the year you graduated from Trinity as well as the majors and minors on your degree. If relevant, please attach photos related to your guest column. We also have staff illustrators who can create a graphic if you describe one.

Will you edit my guest columns? The opinion section editor and the copy editors review guest columns for clarity, libel and style, but will not alter your argument.

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 •

OPINION

Not all rap has to be art Videogames as visual art that XXXTentacion’s album was about his struggle with depression, which I suppose wasn’t deep enough when compared with J. Cole’s “Wet Dreamz.” Popular songs don’t have to be meaningful to be enjoyable, and they don’t have to be enjoyable to everyone to have the right to be popular. “I’m Blue,” nominated for a Grammy for best dance recording, is certainly comparable to “Gucci Gang” in its repetition and overall quality, but I’ve never heard anybody complain about the vapidness of the line “I’m blue da ba dee da ba daa.” They just sing along. Why? Because it’s fun. An argument I would agree with is that the actual behavior of some of these rappers towards women is absolutely repulsive, but it is certainly nothing new in the music industry. David Bowie had sex with 14-year-old groupies and appeared in interviews high on coke, but when men of a certain skin color do the same thing it’s suddenly a black mark — not just on their record, but on an entire genre. The rap group K.M.D.’s debut album “Mr. Hood,” released all the way back in 1991, encapsulates the difficulty in walking the line between entertaining and addressing issues important to themselves and their community. Their name, to be read as either Kausing Much Damage or a positive Kause in a Much Damaged community, shows the irony in the dueling perceptions of rap. It’s a music genre; it is never just black and white. The choice between angelic “art” by Chance and devil music by Lil Pump is a false dichotomy and attempts to reduce a vast form of expression into two neat little boxes.

MADELINE CHAPUT GUEST COLUMNIST mchaput@trinity.edu

Rap has been a platform for “symbols of change” from the very beginning — the author of “Lil Pump, Big Problem” just wasn’t listening. To say that the lyrics of Xanax rappers are a regression back to something bad is to erase the decades of activism and art that has come out of the black community through rap, the first hit example being Grandmaster Flash’s 1982 song “The Message.” It is ridiculously easy to pick rappers from any era, whether it’s N.W.A., Jay-Z or Tyler the Creator, and find songs that deal with all-too legitimate problems in America. I wager that it is just these topics — police violence, racism and institutionalized poverty — that lead suburban parents to focus on the alleged immorality in the rap scene rather than the message. “Good rap,” as judged by cultural outsiders, is always mysteriously free of these messy ideas. This desperation for universality of experience allows Kendrick’s To Pimp a Butterfly to be described as “the evolution of a man who is trapped by his fame and fears” rather than, as the Wikipedia page summarizes it, “African-American culture, racial inequality, depression, and institutional discrimination.” (Before I go any further, I do appreciate the irony in a white girl trying to school a white guy in race relations through rap.) Asserting that rappers like XXXTentacion and Lil Pump are a lyrical disease on the genre because their songs aren’t about serious topics is ridiculous — never mind the fact

Madeline Chaput is an undeclared sophomore.

2018 Darwin Day Lecture Monday, February 12

GABRIEL LEVINE OPINION COLUMNIST glevine@trinity.edu

Last week I wrote about the role of choice in videogames as a storytelling medium. This week I’m going to address videogames as a visual art. For the last two decades, a large focus for major games has been photorealism — making games look as indistinguishable from reality as possible. Game developers have had great success in this endeavor, particularly as technology has improved. Human models that once had six triangles for a head now sit comfortably outside of the uncanny valley. Foliage, guns and other static elements of environments have exquisite detailing and light reflects and diffuses around them beautifully. In many ways, the development of photorealism in games parallels the development of realism in art. Examining artworks from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance, one sees artists learning how to utilize perspective to create the illusion of three dimensions, how to draw the human face and figure realistically instead of as two-dimensional cutouts, and how to accurately render different materials under different light sources from different angles. Realism in art evolved and split into different branches over time. Some artists focused on nature, others on the lives of everyday people, others on religious imagery and so on. All these artworks look “real,” but they have different aesthetic qualities of “realness” deriving from the different techniques and intents of the artists. Similarly, modern videogames and studios specialize in different modes of photorealism. The Crysis series has excellent tropical foliage, convincing neon and LED lights and atmospheric lighting that feels like a faithful reproduction of a clear, sunny day. The Metro series, set in the postnuclear train tunnels and the radioactive surface of Moscow, has exceptional swampy, mutated vegetation, terrifying spiders and wolf-type creatures and lighting that feels harsh and wintry above ground and weakened and constrained by darkness below ground. Battlefield 1, a first-person shooter set in WWI, has exquisitely beautiful, detailed environments that become convincingly demolished by explosions and bullet impacts under a stark lighting that drives home the reality of the destruction wrought on the continent. There’s real appreciation to be had for the current era of photorealistic games, as there was for realist art. We can appreciate photorealism both as a goal in and of itself, a demonstration of human ability and craftsmanship and as a quality that increases the immersiveness of games and better enables the player to suspend disbelief.

In the earlier days of gaming, however, the technology just wasn’t there and even the bestlooking games were obviously far from reality. However, in striving towards photorealism, some games achieved a different kind of artistic success. A standout example is F.E.A.R., a survival-horror first-person shooter from 2005. F.E.A.R. was at the peak of graphical fidelity at the time, though its effects look dated today. However, its lighting and design aesthetic still hold up to create something special. F.E.A.R. is set almost exclusively in office buildings and industrial warehouses. Presumably to save resources, these game environments are generally bare, decorated with miscellaneous clutter only to the minimum extent necessary to establish a sense of place. By contrast, modern games pack environments with detail and clutter. F.E.A.R.’s lighting system uses stencil shadows, wherein light is modeled as rays extending outward from a light source. Once a ray hits an object, it stops. The result is stark, harsh shadows, with immediate, total darkness in the absence of a direct light source. F.E.A.R.’s lighting and environmental designs come together to create a game with a harsh contrast of light and dark reminiscent of film noir and straight, rigid shadows reminiscent of Edward Hopper’s “Office in a Small City” or “Rooms by the Sea,” all set in environments that mix the imposing feel of brutalist architecture with the oppressive sameness of office and industrial spaces. It’s a unique, remarkable aesthetic sensation that imbues the moments of horror, action and quiet in gameplay with a constant sense of tension and menace. An abandoned space as depicted in the 2005 video game, “F.E.A.R.” Despite these successes, there are compelling criticisms of photorealism as a goal of games. Just as realism faded as an ideal of art and Cubism, Dadaism and other styles of abstract art arose, so too have other styles of videogame aesthetics surged in popularity recently. Cel-shading, pixel art and hand-drawn animation are just a few examples. Many of these hark back to the early days of videogames before photorealism was possible. Others reach back to prior art periods. Firewatch, for example, resembles natural park posters printed by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s and 1940s. The aesthetics of videogames are shaped by the traditional forms of art that predated them, their own history, the capabilities of technology, the needs of stories and the creativity and resources of developers. Videogames should be taken seriously as visual art, and they reward the player who does. Credit to Michael Hughes, the Instruction/ Liaison Librarian for taking the time to sit and talk with me about videogames. Gabriel Levine is a senior chemistry major.

Dr. Harry Greene, Cornell University

Natural History and Aesthe2cs:

Why Do We Care About Nature?

7pm, Chapman Great Hall; 8pm, Recep4on and book signing Also join us for Biology Department seminar: Snakes and primates: A 75 million year deadly dialog? 4pm, Chapman Auditorium

Darwin Day 2018 is sponsored by the Departments of Accoun4ng, Art & Art History, Biology, Business Administra4on, Classical Studies, Communica4on, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering Science, English, Geosciences, Mathema4cs, Modern Languages & Literatures, Philosophy, Physics & Astronomy, Poli4cal Science, Psychology, and Sociology & Anthropology; the School of Business; the Programs in Compara4ve Literature, Environmental Studies, Health Professions, and Neuroscience; the Lectures and Visi4ng Scholars Program; and the Louis Herbert Stumberg Jr. Fund.

A screenshot from the 2006 expansion to “F.E.A.R.,” “F.E.A.R. Extraction Point,” showcasing the game’s stark shadows and dramatic lighting contrasts. The player is looking straight up towards light filtering through a swirling fan. The player’s weapon, in the bottom right, is shrouded in darkness.

OPINION • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

Finding a hate flyer on campus TU values

self-reliance

CASEY FULLER UNIVERSITY STAFF COLUMNIST cfuller@trinity.edu I didn’t think it was a hate flyer. I thought it was about sharing. To the extent it registered to me, it spawned half-thoughts of libraries, co-ops and Scandinavian democracies. It said: “Money does not rule you.” Then there was an outline of a man in a suit who, instead of a head, had a dollar sign. I passed it on the way to my office. But did it say something about Blood and Soil? I thought it did. Surely it said something against that loathsome phrase, which I knew was a Nazi rallying cry used recently by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia. In truth I walked past the flyer rather quickly. In many ways it resembled flyers posted all over Trinity; flyers I myself post on campus, flyers I ask my student workers to post. I was still thinking about it as I walked up the three flights of stairs in Northrup and turned on my computer and poured coffee from my thermos. Surely the flyer said something against the phrase Blood and Soil? Do I need to go back down to the first floor and look again? This was on Dec. 4, about 7:45 a.m. The entire campus was busy finishing the fall term. At 8 a.m. I was still thinking about it. As I began to look through my email, Claudia Stokes, whose office I sit next to, walked in and directly addressed what I was only considering: “I found racist flyers on campus this morning.” Then Stokes held up one of the flyers. This was not a subtle flyer. This was not a flyer about sharing, food co-ops or Denmark. There was no ambiguity about its imagery or language. This

MAX TOWERS OPINION COLUMNIST mtowers@trinity.edu

Flyers like these were found scattered around campus in December. photo provided by CASEY FULLER

was a hate flyer. On our Trinity campus. “I think I found one, too,” I said. I really like working at Trinity. There is this famous exchange President John Kennedy once had with a janitor when the President visited NASA headquarters. “What do you do here?” President Kennedy, visiting NASA for the first time, asked the janitor. “I’m helping send a man to the moon,” the janitor said. As a staff member at Trinity, every day I enter Northrup Hall I feel a similar purpose to the janitor. But instead of sending a man to the moon — or hey, how about a woman? — I help create a world-class liberal arts university. I feel my job is very important and everyday — however small — I have the opportunity to make an impact. And today I was going to help address these hate flyers.

So Stokes walked with me down to the hate flyer. I snapped a picture of it with my phone then took it down. We added it to the other flyers. TUPD visited the English department.Two vice presidents met with Stokes and collected the flyers. Then the San Antonio Police Department showed up. A student from the Trinitonian then appeared and had questions. At 10:00 a.m., Danny Anderson wrote a message to the campus about what happened. From the point of view of this staff member, the hate flyers were treated swiftly and seriously. What happened then? We continued. Casey Fuller is an academic assistant in the English department.

All the world is your classroom BLADIMIR RUIZ FACULTY COLUMNIST bruiz@trinity.edu

I am a first-generation college graduate. I grew up in a poor family in Venezuela, and was fortunate enough to have a grandmother who pushed me to continue in school. I went to college, I even went to graduate school, and now I am lucky to work in this wonderful, intellectually vibrant place called Trinity University. My only regret is that I wasn’t able to study abroad when I was a student. This is part of the reason I am so passionate about the programs that I direct here at Trinity: They are exactly the sort of study abroad experiences that I wish I could have afforded so many years ago. I hope that every Trinity student is able to seriously consider study abroad as part of their Trinity education. Why? For starters, there will never be a better time to do it: College is about exploring options and experiencing new things, while acquiring knowledge about the world and about yourself. Trinity now offers a wide array of high-quality, faculty-led programs to exciting locations around the globe, such as Japan, China, Germany, Cuba, the Netherlands and Spain. Furthermore, studying and living in another country and immersing yourself in an unfamiliar culture knocks you out of your ‘comfort zone,’ and encourages you to look at cultures — your own and others’ — with heightened understanding. The experience expands not only your knowledge about the world, but also your worldview. And ideally it gives you the opportunity to learn a different language, or to hone your fluency in a language already studied at Trinity or high school. For example, the Trinity in Spain program, a full fall semester in Madrid, does this and much more. For 15 weeks, a close-knit group of 10

BRENDA RAMOS smiles as she crosses the Metropol Parasol bridge in Sevilla, Spain during Trinity’s first semester-long study abroad program in Spain last fall. photo provided by KATSUO NISHIKAWA

Trinity students studied in Spain’s capital city, one of the most cosmopolitan and lively in Europe. There, they had an adventure that included classes in many different academic fields; awesome field trips to cultural and historical locations such as Granada, Sevilla, Córdoba, Málaga and Valencia; and they participated in the many exciting activities that only could take place in a country of such cultural complexity. As a faculty-led program with a cohort of Trinity students, this program maintains its own identity as an integral part of the “Trinity experience.” More than anything, in Spain we became a Trinity “family” who really enjoyed each other’s company, and at the same time, supported and shared our personal explorations and discoveries. This was, without a doubt, the most extraordinary experience that these ten students and I ever had at Trinity — and this “Trinity” was in Madrid! (How cool is that!?)

I’ve been teaching college students for over 20 years, and now, in a time of intense international engagement, I am even more convinced of the relevance and value of college study abroad. You, as a Trinity student, are fortunate to study at an institution with faculty who are fully committed to this special type of academic experience. I strongly encourage you to visit our study abroad office to learn more about this kind of opportunity. So, Trinity University gave me the chance to do much later what I wasn’t able to do while in college: to participate, now as a leader, in a study abroad program. I truly love being in a classroom with my Trinity students — but it’s certainly a more challenging and exciting experience when that classroom includes tortilla española! Bladimir Ruiz is a professor in the modern languages & literature department, and the director of the Trinity in Spain program.

A college degree assists in landing a great job, being an alumnus of Trinity University grants unmatched connections, but three years in a campus dormitory threatens confusion and uncertainty after graduation. If we learn nothing else from our time here at Trinity, being comfortable with living in the real world seems like a minimum expectation for our effort and money spent here. As the model stands now, Trinity students have the option to live off campus their senior year. That leaves two semesters for students to become comfortable with living by themselves — in most cases for the first time ever. Even then, it is more likely to still have roommates when you move off campus senior year due to the price of housing. Currently there are five buildings in which juniors can live on campus, six if you include the fourth floor of McLean. Trinity classifies the cost of housing under the category “living allowance” in their cost of attendance breakdown. The on-campus cost of living is credited at $13,136, while off campus supposedly costs $10,160. According to www. rentcafe.com however, the average rent in San Antonio is $916 a month overall, and between $900–$1,100 in the neighborhoods closest to Trinity. That means for a four and a half month semester the cost of an apartment then ranges from $4,050 to $4,950, still $5,000–$6,000 lower than Trinity’s off-campus estimate. Trinity outlines their beliefs for a three-year residency requirement on the school website, with straightforward and understandable reasoning: living where you learn gets students more involved. However, I believe it is the activities themselves that a student is involved in that keeps returning them to campus. Not once have I attributed my involvement on campus to the wonderful Beze dorm where I currently reside. Sure, accessibility to these organizations is convenient, but the motivation to continue participating comes from one’s personal interests and desires that made them join that specific club, organization or position in the first place. One of Trinity’s argument for on-campus housing is that “Trinity students learn outside of the classroom — to be independent, to develop healthy relationships, to experiment with who they are — all in a safe environment.” I challenge Trinity to take that statement one step further: to trust in their students. In turn, the model of independence that I believe can result from sooner availability to off-campus housing will return even more mature students to whom college applicants and universities alike will look to as stellar models of the Trinity experience. Living in off-campus housing forces certain responsibilities that one cannot experience in a controlled university environment. Rent expenses, grocery shopping and transportation are but a few logistical hindrances that eventually all of us will be dealing with on a daily basis. Juniors who live in single apartments in City Vista, as well as seniors living off campus, understand these workings of real life and how to incorporate them into daily responsibilities. As a first-year, I have no stake in this argument for two more years. Even then, I understand there is little progress that can actually be made in regards to changing the housing situation of an entire grade before I graduate. This should be proof enough that I uphold the idea of the greater independence offered by more freedom in housing options, and am not simply trying to obtain this boon for myself through campus publication. Independently living off campus simply aligns Trinity values with the real world, faster. Max Towers is an undeclared first-year.

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 •

OPINION

Political correctness creates a culture of empathy BENJAMIN GONZALEZ OPINION COLUMNIST bgonzale@trinity.edu

I recently read an article about the term “whitewashed” and the weaponization of the word against Latinxs who are seen as having forgotten their roots by their Latinx friends or family members. The article explained the author’s personal interactions with being called whitewashed, and the problematic nature of assuming someone was less connected to their real culture, implying they are “fake” Latinx. As someone of half Mexican descent, I could identify with the author’s experiences and I was glad to see someone pointing out the potentially harmful effects of a term commonly used by Latinxs against other Latinxs. However, as I scrolled down to the comments on the article, I was dismayed to see a number of people dismissing her argument as another example of “politically correct [PC] culture” run rampant.

[Politically correct] culture promotes the exploration of new ideas rather than stifling them. “Quit attempting to fit a fickle world ... into a nice pretty box for your ‘feel better’ PC convenience,” said one user. “Keep it real; ignore this ‘safe spaces’ mindset and grow thick skin,” said another. As I continued to read more comments reinforcing the same arguments, I was surprised at how easily the commenters had disregarded the author’s experiences and jumped to calling her an oversensitive crybaby.

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT, staff illustrator

This led me to investigate the many reasons why people feel the need to attack the idea of being “politically correct.” Many see political correctness as a method of censorship, essentially putting certain words on a blacklist that are forbidden from being spoken aloud. The other main argument is the one I witnessed in the comments: That PC culture is turning young people into thin-skinned, closed-minded infants. However, this approach to the concept of political correctness fails to account for the goal of the PC movement: A state of broader awareness of our words’ impact on other people. While it may seem that PC culture is a form a censorship, it is more than rules on what you

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can and cannot say. In reality, making an effort to be PC is a way to maintain consciousness of the real or interpreted consequences that certain phrases have. In fact, rather than closing our minds off to other points of view, political correctness forces us to put ourselves in the shoes of those receiving our message. By staying aware of the types of language we use when referencing certain people or topics, we promote empathy with those who offer life experiences that are different from our own. In this way, PC culture promotes the exploration of new ideas rather than stifling them. Alli Roman, director for diversity and inclusion, takes issue with the idea that those who speak out about their oppression or marginalization are weaker.

“To experience oppression in various forms and to still somehow make it through their daily lives takes an incredible amount of strength,” Roman said. “The expectation that people from marginalized communities should be silent about their treatment is just wrong. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect, dignity, and empathy.” However, Roman also believes that the term “politically correct” may not have the same place in society that it used to. “I think that word shouldn’t be used anymore. When marginalized communities speak out about their experiences and challenge the stereotypes and narratives created about them, they can get labeled as ‘too’ politically correct. The term political correctness aims to discredit and to demonize the very important work around social justice issues,” Roman said. By this reasoning, the connotations behind being “politically correct” might be undermining its very purpose, shifting the focus away from the experiences of those peoples who are oppressed. Being PC is not about censoring the opinions of your political opponents and trying to catch people using the wrong terms in order to discredit them. We are all sometimes unaware of the harmful effects of our words, and it is simply a matter of educating each other and maintaining awareness of those experiences with we have never encountered. “It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be able to speak freely about issues,” Roman said. “It does mean if someone says something offensive, hurtful, and is rooted in the oppression of others, we have the duty to call them out, call them in, and to hold them accountable.” Through this accountability, we can hope to promote a more empathetic society, one that evaluates our interpersonal impacts rather than demand that others toughen up and deal with them. Benjamin Gonzalez is a sophomore anthropology major.

Struggling to say “Me Too” ELISE HESTER VIDEO PRODUCER ehester@trinity.edu I am an open book. I like to talk about myself and I’ll tell you just about anything. There’s only one story I hesitate to share, and it is the story that most needs to be shared: The story of my sexual assault. As a child, I watched year after year as people received a certain honor, a honor very valued in my community. I dreamed of one day receiving this honor myself. When the day came when I did earn this honor, I stood surrounded on every side by a crowded pack of about 30 individuals who had received the honor before me, as they welcomed me into their ranks. It was a moment of true joy. It seemed nothing could dampen my spirits, not even three unwanted touches from an unknown hand. In the party following this ceremony, I casually mentioned to two people, both around my age and both holders of the same honor I had just received, that in the midst of the celebration someone had grabbed my butt. Both seemed surprised and confused but didn’t ask any questions. That night I did not realize I’d been violated. I knew something unpleasant had happened. I knew someone had touched me in a private part in a way that made me feel very uncomfortable, but I assumed it was wrong of me to feel uncomfortable. Like many women, I too had internalized the lie that to be a woman is to accept and overlook unwanted attacks on your body, to ignore your own discomfort so as not to disrupt or upset the status quo. I went on having a wonderful night of celebration. In the fall of 2017 came the rise of the Me Too movement. Taylor Swift won a symbolic $1

in a civil case against a DJ who had grabbed her butt in order to prove that people have a legal right to not be touched without consent. I began to realize that I had experienced sexual assault, whether or not I decided to let it bother me. Because, to be honest, I wasn’t all that bothered at first. In the moment, I was confused. After, I was mystified. I did not think about it much, but I did not forget the incident either. My sexual assault did not cause me pain until the day I chose to report it. I chose to report because as I realized it was sexual assault, I realized it was wrong. Unwanted touching should not happen to anyone. I also realized if I did not speak up it could happen again in this same scenario. I did want any person convicted — I do not know or want to know who my assaulter is — or any organization punished, but I did feel a strong need to demand change. I wanted to ensure protection for others in my place. It was several months after the realization of my victimization before I reported the assault to my supervisor. I soon discovered that to report sexual assault is to relive sexual assault. Except, the second time around, I see my sexual assault in full clarity. That night replayed in the light of truth, there was no denying reality. I was sexually assaulted on one of the happiest nights of my life. I was robbed of my autonomy and my legal right to not be touched without consent. I wrestled with an internal struggle that almost led me to believe it would be easier to let this go. I’ve had to convince myself of the truth. I struggled to say “Me Too,” but now I say “Me Too” and I realize the truth. That I wasn’t overreacting, I was not wrong to feel uncomfortable and I am not being dramatic. I am entitled to feel outrage, but I am also allowed to find healing. Elise Hester is a junior communication major and sport management minor.

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 •

LOVE AND SEX

Let’s get

kinky illustration by YESSENIA LOPEZ , staff illustrator

Learn from certified sex therapist Cay Crow about the basics of kinks in today’s society SAM ORTIZ | PULSE REPORTER sortiz2@trinity.edu Valentine’s Day is here and talk about love and sex is not in the air. People are whispering in dark corners, afraid to be vocal and casual with conversations of the sexual nature. Why is that? I set out to find someone who could answer my questions about the very common but very abstract term “kink.” I was led to Cay Crow, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) who is also with the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) as a Certified Sex Therapist and Supervisor. Along with this slew of credentials, she also teaches Human Sexuality at the University of the Incarnate Word. Her website is sextherapysa.com. Check it out! Now, onto the questions. We held a very productive email interview where she answered the basics everyone should know.

But who really gets to decide what is kinky and what is not? SAM ORTIZ: What is a kink? CAY CROW: Kink is a cultural term used to describe what someone is into sexually. But who really gets to decide what is kinky and what is not? American culture is rather Puritanical and often frowns on alternative forms of sexuality. But if there is no normal in sex, how can something be abnormal? As long as the behavior is safe, sane, consensual, and engaged in by two or more consenting adults, it is fine. When I first started teaching Human Sexuality about 17 years ago, the

textbook had a chapter entitled Sexual Behavior and another chapter entitled Atypical Sexual Behavior. That edition of the textbook included anal sex in the atypical chapter but when the new edition came out, anal sex was reclassified under Sexual Behavior! The book evolved either with the cultural awareness or people’s openness around what is considered acceptable sexual behavior. There are constant shifts like this taking place in our society. SO: Do you think kink culture in a regular society is different from kink culture in colleges? CC: I do not think that kink culture on campus is much different from kink culture in regular society. In my experience, college students use at least some of their time at college to explore what they are into sexually. Kink culture — I am thinking specifically of the BDSM (bondage, discipline/dominance, sadism, masochism) scene — welcomes neophytes but has rules around how old you can be to attend a party and how to safely find a partner to play with. Making your way into any kink culture requires a learning curve; there is a protocol and you may make mistakes. It is not a good idea to just jump in, especially if what you are into has any element of danger to it. Most people who have a sexual interest or kink have had it for quite a long time. College, especially if they are away from home, gives them the opportunity to explore it. SO: Why are people so insecure about revealing their kinks? CC: People are justifiably private about their kinks because we do not yet live in a society that readily accepts people’s erotic proclivities, whatever they might be. The public might think they understand BDSM because the Shades of Gray books and movies depicted erotic power play but those individuals in the BDSM scene were quick

to disavow the series as representative of who they are and what they do. The general public believes that having kinks makes someone perverted and likely to sexually abuse children. There is a lot of conflation between homosexuality, for example, and pedophilia when in reality the two have nothing to do with each other. The same thing happens with kinks; people assume that having a certain erotic interest means there is something sinister about that person. I think it is very important for a person to reveal their kinks to a potential partner. I have worked with couples to help them do this. SO: What are the top five kinks that you notice? CC: Based on what I see in my practice, one of the most common kinks is BDSM. I want to clarify that BDSM is power play, not necessarily involving pain or any type of flogging or spanking. Some people like to be restrained, others enjoy assuming a dominant or submissive role. I have a feminine dominant named Siren who comes to my class to speak each semester. She helps to dispel a lot of the misunderstandings people have about what BDSM is. I think of BDSM as sexual theatre; it is often quite a production with fetish wear and props. People in the scene put a tremendous amount of time, thought, and effort into creating scenes. Everything that happens is negotiated. Even though it looks as if someone is being hurt, it has all been discussed ahead of time. Another common kink is cuckolding; this is where a man gets turned on by the idea of his partner being with someone else. Sometimes, the one with the kink wants to be there, watch or even participate when the third partner is brought in. Other times, the one with the kink wants it to happen when he is away and have the partner tell him all about it for their

mutual arousal. Both voyeurism and exhibitionism are quite common but can show up in different ways. One partner might peek into the bedroom when their lover is changing. Some couples use webcams to talk to each other when they are apart or to engage with other people sexually. Some people enjoy walking around the house nude or going to places like swinger’s clubs or nude beaches where some level of nudity is acceptable.

We do not yet live in a society that readily accepts people’s erotic proclivities. I do want to make it clear that not all nudists are exhibitionists. An exhibitionist gets a thrill from being seen. A naturist just enjoys being nude wherever they go. Another common kink is typically men who are into women’s feet. There are actually touring foot fetish parties where scantily dressed women who wear towering heels will let you lick their feet, rub their feet, they will walk on you barefoot or with their heels. Some men like to paint their partner’s toenails or massage their feet with lotion or receive a footjob - just like a hand job but done with the feet. I highly encourage everyone to tune into Crow’s sexual health radio show titled Night Moves: Explorations of Contemporary Sexuality on KYSM 90.1. The show airs every Tuesday at 11 p.m. Mixcloud is a good resource for accessing those podcasts.

LOVE AND SEX • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

Falling in love in Hong Kong

History professor tells her story of romance abroad

GINA TAM | FACULTY CONTRIBUTOR gtam@trinity.edu On our first date, he bought me a mooncake. We strolled through the park behind New Town Plaza, a sprawling commercial metropolis only two train stops from my residence at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He invited me to sit on a quiet bench, where he cut the cake into four pieces. “We eat it for the mid-autumn festival, to celebrate the harvest moon,” he told me, presenting me a piece speared on a small plastic fork. I hated it. The gelatinous cake transformed to a saccharine paste that stuck to the roof of my mouth like peanut butter. But my distaste melted away when I saw his smile. I met my husband when I was 20 years old. It was the first day of Introduction to Chinese Culture. As an exchange student, I was there to learn more about the country I was to call home for the next nine months. As a medical student, he was there for the gened credit and an easy A. I sat at his table and asked to read his newspaper. “You can read Chinese?” he grinned. “Sure!” I said confidently. “Can you read that?” He pointed to a headline. My confidence faltered; I understood only bits and pieces. I shook my head. “What about that one?” I shook my head again, suddenly aware of how little Chinese a person can learn in three short semesters. Despite my inability to decipher a single headline, he found me charming. He asked for my phone number. A week later, we were eating mooncakes on a moonlit pathway, and the rest, as they say, was history. Our courtship was a familiar story. Boy meets girl in an embarrassing meet-cute. Boy finds adorkable girl charming and asks her on a date. Boy and girl fall in love. Yet 11 years later, I’ve come to realize that our extraordinary global romance makes explicit fundamental truths about falling in love — truths we so often feel but rarely express.

Because when we fall in love with someone, we also fall in love with the things that they are — those things that exist beyond them, but are a part of them. For me, that meant falling in love with the city of Hong Kong. When I first arrived, everything felt foreign. I didn’t speak Cantonese, and I was as close to reading the Apple Daily as I was to reading esoteric Buddhist texts. All the food made me queasy. The noise felt overwhelming for a girl who had grown up in the quieter suburbs of Denver. Yet somehow, I fell for the city through his eyes. The tastes of lai wong bao; the lights of the skyline reflected off the glassy harbor; the soothing melodies of Roman Tam’s Canto-pop hit “Below the Lion Rock.” The sights, smells, tastes and sounds now carry something personal, something that feels like home. The challenges of living in another country mirrored our romance, too. My struggles to learn Chinese — a 12-year lesson in humility — crystallized all the difficulties I had communicating with someone from a culture that always felt just outside of my grasp. None of these feelings are limited to cross-cultural relationships. Sometimes it takes a life-changing romance to make us discover an appreciation for ‘90s grunge rock, a knack for creative writing or a passion for snowboarding. In much the same way, understanding the people we love, and making ourselves understood, takes work and patience. It often involves awkward misinterpretations and painful mistakes. This is true whether we marry the boy next door or the boy on the other side of the world. The love we feel for the extensions of our partners and the uncomfortable truths we learn about ourselves often stay with us even if our partners leave us. For me, my deep, albeit complex, love for Hong Kong became something I filtered through a very personal romance. As it turns out, however, there are limits. I never did develop a taste for mooncakes.

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Katherine Hewitt, coordinator for Wellness Services, asked students to anonymously submit their questions about sex and sexual health during last October’s Sex Week. Have any questions or suggestions? Reach out to Katherine Hewitt at khewitt@trinity.edu. Can oral sex transmit STIs? Should I use condoms for oral sex? When the mouth and tongue are healthy and without cuts or sores, the chance of getting a sexually transmitted infection (STI) through oral sex is uncommon, though possible. Trauma in the mouth presents a ready passage-way for viruses or bacteria to enter the bloodstream. Unless you’re 100 percent sure that your partner’s sexual history is clear, it’s a good idea to use protection (condoms/dental dams) if any cuts, tears, sores or scrapes are present in the mouth (even tiny ones). Additionally, after you’ve had a root canal, or your wisdom teeth pulled, etc, it’s wise to stay away from unprotected oral sex. STIs, such as gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, and HIV, can be transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, including pre-ejaculatory fluid or ejaculate. Herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV) can also be passed on through oral sex. Although these cases are rare, transmission is possible! When can condoms break? How can I prevent it? Approximately two to five percent of condoms tear during use. The majority of these failures are caused by human error,

which can include not using enough lube and creating tiny tears with rings or long, sharp fingernails, among others. There are some key steps to using a condom correctly and avoiding any mishaps, such as breaking or slipping. Before: 1. Check the expiration date on the condom; be sure it has been stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. (I know, a challenge in South Texas!) 2. Check the air bubble; press on the package — does the air stay in the package? 3. Tear the condom package carefully — DO NOT use your teeth, scissors, or other sharp objects... 4. If the condom looks damaged, discolored, or brittle, toss it and get a new one. Consider adding a drop of lube inside the condom. During: 1. With one hand, pinch the tip of the condom to leave room for the ejaculate. 2. With the other hand, place the condom on the erect penis or object and roll it down to the base. 3. Continue to press any air bubbles out of the condom. 4. Add lube to the outside of the condom to avoid excess friction. After: 1. Hold the base of the condom as you or your partner pulls out to avoid slippage. 2. Remove the condom and throw away in the trash, not the toilet. Special thanks to goaskalice.columbia.edu for assistance in answering these questions.

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 •

LOVE AND SEX

"Abstinence is 100 percent effective" Catholic school girl tells sex education adventures

illustration by YESSENIA LOPEZ , staff illustrator

KATHLEEN CREEDON | NEWS EDITOR kcreedon@trinity.edu Abstinence. That’s the advice given in the two-week sex ed program offered at my private Catholic middle school. The program was called Worth the Wait, and it was only offered to fifth graders. Students had to get their parents to sign a waiver saying it was OK to participate in that segment of our health class. Those whose parents didn’t want their children to learn about sex sat in on a PE class that was scheduled at the same time. In class, we sat by gender; girls in a group at the front, boys at the back. Our teacher didn’t want us to look at one another as we spoke about penises and vaginas. If at any point we laughed or referred to genitals as anything but their scientific names, our teacher wrote us up. In the two-week segment, we didn’t talk about much sex. Mostly abstinence and the sinfulness of premarital intercourse. We were told not to use condoms because we shouldn’t be having sex at all. “Abstinence is always 100 percent effective.”

I went to a private, all-girls parochial high school, where I received no sex ed. We talked about periods, but before we started that brief segment, the teacher let the boys in the class know that if at any point they felt uncomfortable talking about menstruation, they could leave. The girls, however, needed to participate in this part. One of my friends, who has the weakest stomach in the world, felt queasy as we talked about blood and cramps. She asked to leave but was told she couldn’t. When she fainted, our teacher scolded her for being overly dramatic. We had to memorize all the parts of the penis. Just the penis. Do you know where the vas deferens is? Me neither. At the time, I could label all parts of the penis, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I don’t

think I learned circumcision was a thing until high school. I went to a private, all-girls parochial high school, where I received no sex ed. In a one-semester health class, we spoke only of the harms of drugs and alcohol.

If it wasn’t for Nora Ephron, Google and my mom, I don’t know where I’d be in terms of sex ed. The one instance of a sex-related section on the syllabi didn’t appear until my junior year. Along with the core classes we were required to take — math, science, history, English, foreign language — girls at my school were required to take a religion class. My junior year, that religion class was called Christian Justice and was centered on the ethics and morals of Christian faiths. The course touched on a bunch of things — the death penalty, cheap labor, euthanasia — all of which were taught over the course of a week. The sex-related segment of the course was a brief two-day discussion about abortion. The first class, we discussed how abstinence really is the only 100 percent effective birth control. The second class, we were shown ‘after’ pictures of the surgeries, including the fetuses involved. High school was the first time I went to a gynecologist, the first time I got on birth control, the first time I had sex. I didn’t know my options, and I didn’t know where to start. I rarely kept track of my period, and I didn’t know that lube is probably never a bad idea. I watched enough TV to know you should ask someone if they’re clean before sleeping with them, and I’d seen enough rom-coms to know I should consider going on the pill when I started having sex. If it wasn’t for Nora Ephron, Google and my mom, I don’t know where I’d be in terms of sex ed. Memorization of penis anatomy and photos of abortions aside, there is one thing I learned about sex in school: Abstinence is 100 percent effective in avoiding pregnancy.

LOVE AND SEX • FEBRUARY 09, 2017 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM Dear Friend, A year ago, I joked about not liking boys or girls and a friend — who is named after a container — responded by saying I might be asexual. He was right. I left lunch to Google “asexual” and text an old friend. (You don’t know her, but she’s named after a superhero.) That night I accepted the reality that I am asexual. I told a lot of people. Then I told you and another friend, who is named after a vegetable. It was that exchange over Froot Loops, that I count as when your feelings for me suddenly changed. Contrary to popular myth, we never dated, but deep down, you and I both know we were never just friends. I recall that we had publicly agreed that us making out was inevitable, but I always felt there was a silent understanding that even if — when — things got physical, neither of us was really clambering for anything too serious. I didn’t think my confession would change our plans, but that very morning, you said we would no longer make out, disappointing anyone who had money on us kissing. (I’d be shocked if our “will they or won’t they” vibe wasn’t the focus of at least one wager. In the months following my coming out, some have suggested that I am confused, even though, for the first time, I am not. Of course, there are still questions, which the clarity of coming out allows me to finally ask. The process of exploring my asexual identity over the past year helped me accept a certain reality: that I was very attracted to you, aesthetically, romantically and sensually. If I experienced sexual attraction, I would certainly have felt it for you. This confused me, because despite a lack of (sexual) feelings, I had all the feels for you. Thank you. You helped me realize that I am capable of feeling things I didn’t know I could. I felt feelings for you that I didn’t feel for other people, feelings that I have never felt for anyone else. You also helped me realize that romance will never come easy for me. Yours is the first in a long series of rejections I will face due to that which I cannot control, an unfortunate and unfair reality I must accept. For most of my life, love, romance, kissing and dating were things that happened to other people, not meant for me. I was never that girl. Then I learned a reality, one that I can never be open to romance without accepting. I experience romantic, aesthetic, and sensual attraction, but have an absence of sexual desire. I have no desire, lust, or attraction to sex, but I am also not opposed to sex. I want a happy and intimate marriage that works for both parties, so I plan to have a buttload of sex, no pun intended. Enjoying intimate experiences with someone I love will not change my sexuality. None of this has to do with you, but you helped me discover some of these things. Maybe you hurt me and maybe I hurt you, but maybe none of it could have been helped. Perhaps it’s a necessary byproduct of this complicated journey.

Dear Friend

Accepting my asexuality

ELISE HESTER | VIDEO PRODUCER ehester@trinity.edu

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT , staff illustrator

If losing you is the price I had to pay for finding myself, that is a reality I can accept. Admitting I didn’t want sex was only a small step. Confessing that I still want love is a leap, but I have to fly in order to accept that I truly deserve it. There will always be new realities to accept. Here’s one right now: I deserve love and I’ll get it, just not with you. Here’s another: You and I will never have the same relationship we once did. And sometimes you chose which reality you accept. Like now: You and I can either be strangers who once thought they’d kiss or we can be friends who share microwaved popcorn

while watching Trinity baseball games.Whatever emotion you are feeling, you’re allowed to feel it, but I really hope you realize how much you mean to me. Even if I let go of my attraction to you, which the process of writing this has really helped me in doing, I still love you. I loved you from our first meeting, from an unusual handwritten letter to a bizarre set of voicemails sent during Ford Truck Month. You deserve that love and the love of whomever you end up with, both different and powerful types of love. Romance can be fleeting, but the love I have for those I care about is enduring, even though

it is a love I don’t always acknowledge or express. Vulnerability is not my strong suit. It’s scary to tell people how much they mean to me, but even scarier is if they never know. I don’t need you to love me as much I love you, and even though I would be totally down if you wanted to kiss me, I don’t need that either. I just want my friend back. You’re not just someone I wanted to experiment with, you’re a person that I truly value. To not be your friend is one reality that I can’t accept. Respond how you will. Sincerely, Irrelevant Name Here

Wake up and smell the

cash and carry flowers 210-732-6233 • 2109 McCullough @ Ashby

Coates —Friday 9 a.m to 3 p.m.

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 •

LOVE AND SEX

Casual sex feels better with feelings We should acknowledge the emotional aspect of hookups

GABRIEL LEVINE | OPINION COLUMNIST glevine@trinity.edu Last year I had some casual sex. It was a good time, very college. Yet, after my not-so-significant other left, I felt a strange vacancy, a lack of feeling. I went through a mental checklist. Had sex? Yes. Sex was enjoyable? Yes. So what was the problem? Unable to come up with an answer, I blasted aggressive electronic music for 15 minutes and went about my day. Looking back, having had both better and worse sex since, I think that that moment of vacancy was emblematic of a larger issue with how we think and talk about casual sex, and that our failure to address that issue creates a great deal of unnecessary emotional turmoil. Before I go on, I should qualify the limitations of this piece. My thoughts here are informed by heterosexual experiences from a largely heterosexual and male perspective. This piece doesn’t address how mental illness or physical disability affect sex or the all-too-common problem of female pain during sex. These are important issues that should be talked about, but I don’t have the knowledge or experience to talk meaningfully about them. Talking about casual sex as it’s commonly talked about, though, a few things should be obvious. First, sex in a committed relationship will, in most cases, be more emotionally and physically satisfying than casual sex. Second, casual sex will likely improve with more sex with the same partner. Bearing that in mind, the question is: What are we trying to get out of casual sex? On one level, it’s taught programmatically. Listening to The Lonely Island’s “I Just Had Sex” and watching “Blue Mountain State” in high school primed me to pursue casual sex as a goal in and of itself in college. That these two pieces of popular culture

illustration by YESSENIA LOPEZ, staff illustrator

are still among my strongest associations with casual sex is an obvious problem. A better kind of sex positivity holds that casual sex is good because sexual urges are natural and satisfying them is better than suppressing them. Informed by the latter view, I had a strong conviction coming into college that my partner should get as much physical pleasure as I did. Looking back, I think that that reductionist view of casual sex as a purely physical act, like a mutual scratching of a very satisfying itch, was the culprit behind the strange sense

of vacancy that followed several of my sexual encounters. Funnily enough, I arrived at this conclusion after reading a column by David French, a conservative Christian writer for the National Review, in which he asserts that this emptiness is due to the failure of modern sexual ethics on college campuses to acknowledge sex as both spiritual and physical. French’s diagnosis is correct to the extent that it can be equally well expressed in secular terms. However, his solution, abstinence until marriage between a man

and a woman, is unimaginative and limited by the paradigms of his religious orthodoxy and concomitant homophobia — not that the two are always mutually inclusive, far from it. Taking good ideas where we find them, though, we can propose a better solution. Sex, even in a secular, casual context, is one of the most intimate acts possible with another person and we should expect strong emotions to accompany it, just as athletes have strong emotional reactions to extreme training. We’re often afraid of that, rejecting emotion out of a fear of developing feelings for someone for whom we have no interest in a serious relationship. Such worries are overblown. Larger interpersonal incompatibilities won’t be glossed over by a moment of intimate physical and emotional connection during sex. That may seem counterintuitive, but I think that’s only because our capacity for emotional range is typically stunted by the instinct to suppress emotions during sex. Sure, it does feel somewhat strange to oscillate from intense emotional connection during casual sex to comparative detachment with respect to a partner afterwards, but that’s no less natural than trying to ignore the emotional component altogether. With experience, it becomes comfortable and easy. More than that, the benefits of emotional openness are clear. From personal experience, I enjoyed both sex and its aftermath much more after embracing emotion with casual partners. Not only does it open up a dimension of human connectedness on top of the dimension of physical pleasure, emotional openness increases one’s sensitivity to the physical and emotional needs of a partner, enhancing the depth and connectedness of the experience. Casual sex still won’t be as good as sex in a relationship, but we shouldn’t demand that of it. It’s a different subset of human sexual experience, but it’s still a human experience. Humans have physical and emotional lives, and we shouldn’t be afraid to let both of those facets enter our casual sex lives.

Silver lining of long distance relationships

Being alone on Valentine’s Day

MAGGIE LUPO | PULSE REPORTER mlupo@trinity.edu For people in a long-distance relationship, Valentine’s Day can feel like a cruel joke. It seems like every other ad features a couple going on a date — or exchanging a gift, sharing a motivated kiss, or holding hands and looking longingly into each other’s eyes — in other words, activities that longdistance couples can only dream of. There’s not much of a worse feeling than not being with the person you love when literally the entire world is celebrating a holiday dedicated to exactly that. I would argue that it’s even worse than being single, because you actually do know what you’re missing out on. However, my mom always taught me to look for the silver lining in every dark cloud, so take heart, lonely taken hearts! Here are some silver linings to look for if you can’t be with your bae this Valentine’s Day. First of all, you don’t have to compete for dinner reservations with the million-and-ahalf other couples who want to go to dinner with their significant other on Valentine’s Day. You don’t know desperation until you’re calling restaurant number 12 and offering to sell your soul if they would please please please just give you a table because otherwise

illustration by JULIA POAGE, staff illustrator

somehow your Valentine’s Day isn’t valid.In that same vein, even though you may feel like you’re missing out on all the lovey-dovey posts on literally every social media outlet imaginable, you’re actually just separating yourself from the crowd. Plus, you get all the attention when you and your significant other do finally get around to celebrating Valentine’s Day whenever you see each other next. #BetterLateThanNever is the oldest trick in the social media book, but you have a very legitimate excuse, so own it.

The idea of better-late-than-never also applies to gifts, and you should really use this to your advantage. No idea what to get bae? No problem! Just get inspiration from the millions of posts, blogs and snaps that you’ll inevitably see showcasing gifts of every kind. Bonus silver-lining points if you get your inspiration from someone your significant other doesn’t follow so they think you’re really creative and original. Another awesome silver lining is that you get to spend Valentine’s Day with your

favorite single friends! Love is love is love, and that includes friend-love too. Make some time to catch up with your squad! Even if you’re all too busy to go out, sending your friends a nice text to remind them how much you care is a really sweet gesture that they’ll all appreciate. A slightly more sobering point — but a silver lining nonetheless — is that not having a big Valentine’s Day date leaves you open to comfort that friend who’s feeling down or help someone whose day didn’t quite go the way they wanted. As a person to whom weird things always happen on Valentine’s Day, I have always treasured the friends I knew I could go to when those weird things happened and I was sad about them. Be that friend for someone else! A final key silver lining to focus on is that you won’t have to feel guilty for not spending a ton of time with your significant other on Valentine’s Day because you’re busy, because it’s not like you’d be able to see each other anyway. A brief phone call or video chat is all you really need, though of course if by some miracle you actually have free time on a Wednesday, you can make that call as long as you want. But either way, the pressure is off, which can be a huge relief if you’re often drowning in work during the week like I am. And of course, on Feb. 15 you’ll get the best silver lining of all, one both good for your soul and for your wallet — heavily discounted Valentine’s Day chocolates.

ADVERTISEMENT • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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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.

Bid Day 2018

FIRST ROW: Emily Ritchie, Kaylie Dudeleson and Katie Sibley; Julia Palmer; Alvaro Marquez and Kiko Macias SECOND ROW: the 2018 new active class of Chi Beta Epsilon and the 2018 new active class of Kappa Kappa Delta; Nic Hover, Joel Holmes, KaDarius Lee and Adam Gryniewicz THIRD ROW: Daniel Dahlinger; Angela Campbell, Brooklyn Baker and Lydia Matteson; Michaela Zapata, Katie Peth and Sabrina Pescatore FOURTH ROW: Karl Menzel; active members of Gamma Chi Delta top left photo by AMANI CANADA, photo editor. second row far left photo provided by EMILEE STRAUSBURG. all other photos by JORDAN BRUCE, webmaster.

PULSE • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

Keesha Middlemass lectures on prison reform Political science professor promotes empathy for convicts

GABBY GARRIGA | PULSE REPORTER ggarriga@trinity.edu Janaye is a convicted felon, but this is not her sole identity. Janaye is also a single mother who has been searching for sufficient housing for herself and her children for 10 years. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development guidelines, Janaye was “rehabilitated.” Because it had been three years since Janaye had been convicted, she was eligible to live in public housing. However, local and public housing authorities continued to deny her application for public housing solely because she was a convict. “I mean, everyone denied me. But once when I asked [why], it was like they refused to give it to you straight, but I asked again, and they say, ‘Oh, it’s because you have this charge.’ Been going on nearly 10 years [since my conviction], I’ve been good, no trouble, and yet I get rejected. Ten years of rejection,” Janaye said. Keesha Middlemass, associate professor of political science, quoted previously incarcerated single mother Janaye, in her lecture on Jan. 24. Middlemass interviewed and studied individuals like Janaye, who struggled to re-enter society, find housing or employment and become more educated. In Middlemass’ book, "Convicted and Condemned: The Politics and Policies of Prisoner Reentry," she focuses on the problems she found while working with individuals at a nonprofit GED program in Newark, New Jersey.

“Janaye’s experience, I found out, was the norm. Despite what the law says about being rehabbed, and you can prove yourself being rehabbed, most people convicted of a felony that I interacted with in Newark are homeless. Most participants have no family to house and support them,” Middlemass said. When Middlemass began her research, she did so at another nonprofit program in Newark. This program was similar to the GED program she had worked with prior. While researching, Middlemass interviewed participants in the program and then researched the public policy on the issues she found were prevalent among released convicts. Middlemass shared this research and strategy with the students at her lecture, including first-year Madison D’iorio. “I really enjoyed her style of research. She really focused it on talking to the people and instead of just looking at numbers and spreadsheets and statistics — she was actually in the field talking to individuals. I thought that was really powerful and gave us perspective we don’t always get," D’iorio said. Middlemass concluded that there are two solutions that would help released convicts reintegrate into society. The first option is to provide educational opportunities to incarcerated individuals while they’re still in prison. The next is to stop asking individuals if they are a felon early on in the application process. She believes that if applicants were given a chance to get further in the interview process, they would be more likely to get a job. “It’s not fun being incarcerated. So the idea that you give them the opportunity — let's say two years before they’re released — an opportunity to get their GED is cheaper in the long term because then they’re more likely, and I’m not saying everybody, but

KEESHA MIDDLEMASS wants to make it easier for formerly incarcerated people to find jobs and sufficient housing. photo by STEPHEN SUMRALL-ORSAK, staff photographer

they’re more likely not to come back. My whole goal was to figure out what was going on, but then also be able to pinpoint changes that can be made,” Middlemass said. Students at the lecture were receptive to the discussion Middlemass started on campus about the difficulties convicted felons face after they are released. Kailey Deluca, sophomore, thinks it’s an important issue for people to think about. “I think educating people is the most important thing. You can’t do much about an issue if you don’t know it exists. I think trying to cultivate an atmosphere of empathy.

I think rather than judging people for what they’ve done in the past, we should try to focus on what they are doing” Deluca said. Tigers for Liberty organized the lecture. D’iorio, the group's event coordinator, believes the event was a good opportunity for Trinity’s campus to come together. “Criminal justice is something that everyone can behind because we all feel that the system is broken, so it’s something that both liberals and conservatives can come together on. We might have different solutions for the problem, but we all recognize that there is a problem,” D’iorio said.

Jurgens, beloved bomb-sniffing dog, retires

Yellow lab makes transition to pet life

MAGGIE LUPO | PULSE REPORTER mlupo@trinity.edu Trinity’s official mascot is LeeRoy the Tiger, but for a while in 2012 there was another furry face on campus that was almost as familiar: Jurgens the dog, an explosives detection trainee adopted jointly by Campus Publications and David Tuttle, dean of students. It all started when Katharine Martin, coordinator of Student Activities and Student Edited Publications, brought one of the puppies that students were posing with in yearbook photos to David Tuttle, dean of students, who suggested that they should try to foster a dog on campus. The puppies were being trained at Lackland Air Force Base to be explosives detection dogs, and when Martin signed Campus Publications up to foster one of these dogs for a year, no one knew what they were getting themselves into. Bomb-sniffing dogs are not like regular dogs. At the time, Martin and Tuttle fostered Jurgens, the dogs at Lackland were genetically engineered specifically for their bomb-sniffing futures. The dogs came with a very precise and demanding instruction manual that delineated how to raise, train and socialize them. Martin and her Campus Publications students, as well as Tuttle and his family, quickly became familiar with the process of training Jurgens to have a “toy drive”: they would play with her for a short amount of time every day using a very specific toy, but then take the toy away immediately after. This created an almost manic-level desire for the toy, which Lackland trainers would then coat with bomb residue during the one week of every month that Jurgens was at the base. In this way, they trained Jurgens to have the same level of desire to find explosives. For the three weeks out of the month that Jurgens stayed on campus, she was a handful. Martin remembers exercising Jurgens’

boundless energy on long walks every day. “I was so in shape that summer, because I would get to work a little later, but then at the end of the day I would walk her from like 7pm to 9pm, and then I would drop her off at Tuttle’s house,” Martin said. Jurgens’s characteristic stubbornness led to many funny moments while she was on campus. For example, Tuttle remembered fondly how Jurgens would refuse to respond to Martin’s attempts to get her into her crate, resulting in Martin having to literally drag her into it. He also explained that taking Jurgens on walks could sometimes be frustrating. “When she didn’t want to walk anymore she would just lay down and roll over,” Tuttle said. Despite these differences in personality, Jurgens and Tuttle did form a close bond. “I loved that dog. It was very hard to give her up,” Tuttle said. At the end of a year, Jurgens indeed had to leave in order to go through training with her handler, Robert “Kurt” Evans. Luckily, though, Tuttle and Evans get along well, so Tuttle has been able to see Jurgens since she’s moved on to her very special duty. Though she’s been away from campus for a while, Jurgens still has a place here. In Tuttle’s office, there is a “Jurgens wall” where students can see pictures of the loveable yellow lab. In addition, the wall holds pictures of family members of Jurgens’ namesake Paul Jurgens, a victim of the September 11 attacks. When Tuttle first learned of the origins of Jurgens’ name, he tracked down Paul Jurgens’ brother-in-law John Sheldon, with whom he immediately hit it off. Sheldon and his wife Alice (Paul Jurgens’ sister) came to campus to do a program on 9/11 and to meet Jurgens the dog. “The component of having the Sheldons as part of it was really a bonus we hadn’t anticipated and one of the coolest things I’ve been involved with,” Tuttle said.

JURGENS, the bomb-sniffing dog, smiles on campus. She came to Trinity in 2012 and stayed for a year before beginning her career at the Houston Hobby Airport. file photo

Jurgens has followed in the footsteps of her namesake — who was a first responder in the 9/11 attacks — in serving our country. For the past five years, she has worked at international airports, high profile sports games including Super Bowl 50, and even the Republican National Convention in 2016. Now the time has come, however, for Jurgens to retire. According to Evans, Jurgens was officially removed from service on Feb. 1, though her last day of work was Jan. 26. “I took it easy on her during her last days of work and we really had a lot of fun together,” Evans wrote in an email interview.

Evans, who is adopting Jurgens, has complex feelings about Jurgens retiring, though he is looking forward to this new stage of their relationship. “I’ve definitely had my share of emotions knowing she will not be riding with me in the truck anymore. We’ve spent so much time together and I’ve spent a great amount of time and energy on training her and now that’s officially over. She’s definitely a special dog and I’m excited to see our relationship change as she adapts to ‘pet life,’ ” Evans wrote in an email interview. And in case anyone was wondering, yes, Tuttle has already volunteered to dog-sit.

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM â€˘ FEBRUARY 09, 2018 â€˘

PULSE

Gorman betters dining Food expert shares contest aspirations

BRENT GORMAN cooks on the flat grill in Mabee. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

Trinityâ€™s Board of Campus Publications

is accepting applications for 2018-2019 executive positions with the Mirage and Trinitonian.

GABBY GARRIGA | PULSE REPORTER ggarriga@trinity.edu Brent Gorman, executive chef for Trinity dining, used the skills he got from his family to become one of the top chefs in the nation. Gorman grew up in Greece, where his parents owned a restaurant, his mother ran her own art studio and his uncle owned a bakery. In the summer, Gorman worked for his uncle baking and selling pastries. At the same time, his mother taught him how to sculpt and paint. One summer, Gorman worked in the kitchen of a cruise ship, watching chefs make ice and butter sculptures. This was when Gorman decided he wanted to become a chef, realizing he already had the skills to reach his goal. â€œI do sculptingÂ â€” different material but the skill set is already there .... Thatâ€™s what got me going. I knew I wanted to be a chef,â€? Gorman said. Gorman eventually moved back to America and began honing his culinary skills. He competed in several ice melon carving competitions, winning medals and trophies as he moved up in difficulty. The sculpting skills his mother taught him translated perfectly to his culinary competitions. Gormanâ€™s ambition to become a great chef eventually lead him to the ProChef program. In 2013, Gorman competed against other chefs for five days at the Culinary Institute of America to become a level three ProChef, the highest level possible. He was one of 98 level-three ProChefs in the United States. Gormanâ€™s ultimate goal is to become a Certified Master Chef (CMC). To do this, he must compete for eight days, cooking meals for CMCs who will judge the presentation and

authenticity of his meals. For now, Gorman treats Mabee cooking as his training for the CMC competition. One way he is doing this, according to Charles Robles, the general manager of Mabee dining, is by making Mabee a premiere kitchen. â€œIt means that weâ€™re able to expand the menu development that we do. Weâ€™re able to source reasonably purchased ingredients and items from around the region and around the area, with a focus more on heart healthy foods as well as on being able to provide meals that, typically, you wouldnâ€™t find at other universities,â€? Robles said. The changes Gorman has made since he started working at Trinity last summer are felt across the campus. Darlene Rodriguez, catering coordinator, has noticed a difference in the food and client satisfaction. â€œSince heâ€™s been here, the changes have been phenomenal. He has updated the food for the students and for catering. Our clients canâ€™t get enough of him. Heâ€™s very knowledgeable. Heâ€™s an expert at what he does,â€? Rodriguez said. Gorman has also offered to cook specialty dishes for clubs on campus. Last semester, Gorman worked with the Muslim Student Association to celebrate Eid-al-Fitr, making specialty dishes in Mabee for a day that included mangolas and butter chicken. Senior Hamza Adisa, former president of the Muslim Student Association, worked with Gorman to plan the event and was pleased with his willingness to help. â€œWe discussed the different varieties of food that we could offer that would accurately represent the current demographic of Muslims we have on campus,â€? Adisa said. Gorman is continuing to look for ways to better Mabee dining, work with students and hone his culinary skills. â€œItâ€™s only going to get better,â€? Gorman said.

REALLY weird?

Mirage editor-in-chief Mirage managing editor Trinitonian editor-in-chief Trinitonian executive editor, print Trinitonian executive editor, digital Trinitonian ad director Deadline to submit an application packet: February 23. Job descriptions, salaries, and application instructions are available from Campus Publications adviser Katharine Martin (kmartin1@trinity.edu; 210-999-8371).

MIRAGE YEARBOOK

Trinitonian Serving Trinity University Since 1902

PULSE • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

Collaboration thrives in alternative studio art class Professor encourages bold, unique projects

GABBY GARRIGA | PULSE REPORTER ggarriga@trinity.edu Seafoam green. So much seafoam green. Beverly Morabito, junior art student, sat on her stool in her Alternative Studio Practices class next to her fellow students, who were also painting. The object she brought into class that day was her roommate’s old tax textbook. The studio grew louder as the 12 students in this class talked and joked while painting their objects with their own unique color. Morabito covered the whole textbook with her specific shade of soft green. “My roommate said that the tax laws change every year, and so every year, a new textbook comes out and the old one is irrelevant. She couldn’t even sell it or anything. So I thought that was a fun, interesting statement of painting over the book because it was no longer relevant,” Morabito said. Right now, in their Alternative Studio Practices class, the students are focusing on an unusual art style called polit-sheer-form. The students have been studying this method this semester and now they are making their own interpretations of polit-sheer-form. Mathieu Borysevicz, an artist, writer, filmmaker and curator based in Shanghai, wrote about the style in an article that the class was assigned to read. “[Polit-Sheer-Form Office] PSFO is a collective and as such their activities are aimed not so much at productive results but instead the mere idea of togetherness,” Borysevicz wrote. “The desired result of being together is simply the cultivation of a collective consciousness; at expanding the individual’s intellectual and spiritual capacity through shared experience, time and space.”

KRISTINA REINIS poses for a studio art project. photo provided by JULIA POAGE, staff illustrator

By painting their objects, the students recreated the community of unusual art inspired by the artists of polit-sheer-form. Randy Wallace, studio manager, teaches this class. In this unique class, students study and practice experimental and nontraditional art performance. Students have studied many unconventional forms of art, including politsheer-form. Morabito has enjoyed the atypical art class so far. She sees it as a fun challenge. “The thing I like about it the most is that it’s kind of a challenge for me. First of all, because of the collaborative element, since I usually like to do things by myself,” Morabito said. “But then also just in general,

I didn’t know what to expect when taking a class called alternative studio processes, because that could mean anything ... It’s just interesting to let myself be at the hands of Randy [Wallace].” In the class, students spend time studying the unusual art method before their assignments. They watch videos, read articles and discuss the meaning behind the artists’ styles. Wallace calls this the “hidden work.” “There are all these supportive forms of expression that support the primary works. So, a sculpture may have these objects that he or she makes and there’s this hidden work — the invisible work, like the writing, the notes, the organized thoughts. We looked at

that kind of thing a lot because we’re learning how to be an artist — how to think like an artist — and it’s not just about producing that image. It’s not always about that product,” Wallace said. Their most recent assignment generated a series of manipulated photos of students positioned in locations across San Antonio, emphasizing perception and the manipulation of photographs. Students traveled across San Antonio to find the perfect location for their photographs. Morabito’s group traveled to the Pearl to pose for pictures. “We were standing on pipes and things that we weren’t sure if we were allowed to stand on, and just being in weird positions and leaning up against walls and stores. It just ended up being kind of a cool project,” Morabito said. Noah Davidson, a senior studio art major, went to Mission San José. “I really enjoyed the assignment. It made you place yourself in a new environment and it made you draw out the shapes in the pictures, to realize the shapes in nature. It was really productive. I like how we’re working with unconventional art. It’s thought provoking. It provokes your imagination,” Davidson said. Wallace encourages students of all class levels and majors to join his class. Wallace believes that a diverse group of students allows each to bring a unique perspective to the collective. “You work with everybody’s strengths. You discover these surprises of your classmates and peers that you don’t always get to see. They’ll go off and do something independently and they’ll come back and suddenly they’ve contributed this unique aspect of themselves that the group can absorb and amplify,” Wallace said.

New club teaches American Sign Language Students gather to maintain signing skills SAM ORTIZ | PULSE REPORTER sortiz2@trinity.edu When first-year Zoe Lacey graduated from high school, she was excited to continue taking American Sign Language (ASL) courses in college. Upon arriving at Trinity, however, Lacey realized there were no ASL classes to be found. Instead of getting out of practice, Lacey decided to start her own club in Nov. 2017. The club has already brought in 40 people within the last few months. In the future, she hopes to have enough rallying for ASL that a professor is hired and a class is made in the modern languages and literatures department for people to major in or just take classes. “It’s just a really fun language,” Lacey said. As a volunteer at a therapeutic horse riding ranch, Lacey worked with multiple children who used sign language as their primary mode of communication. Now at Trinity, she is hopes to keep up her skill and educate others on the importance of ASL. First-year Danielle Clark, the vice president of the club, attended high school with Lacey and was excited to learn the language. Junior Vlad Chalenkov, the club’s social coordinator, gained his ASL knowledge from high school in the North

Eastern Independent School District. He spoke about his experience with ASL and coming to Trinity. “I was pretty fluent by the end of my four years and I didn’t want to just make that go to waste,” Chalenkov said. When asked their favorite words to sign, each member of the club has a unique response. Lacey enjoys signing the word “soda pop” because the gesture requires making a popping sound. Chalenkov’s favorite is “woodpecker” because, although there is no official sign for it, the word is typically signed with a pecking gesture to an open palm. Clark loves the word “spell” because the gesture looks like magic. Rocio Delgado, the ASL club’s academic advisor and associate professor of education, discussed her thoughts on the club. “I grew up speaking Spanish in Mexico, and when I came to college in the United States I was advised not to take ASL as my foreign language because it wasn’t a ‘true language.’ ... When I met Zoe, I was excited about the possibility of practicing my signing again and sharing that knowledge with others. Through the club, we hope to continue to educate the Trinity community about ASL and users of the language,” Delgado said. Delgado also hopes to create more ways for Trinity students to learn about and interact with the local deaf community in San Antonio. There are many individuals with different degrees of hearing loss, and their stories deserve to be heard.

illustration by JULIA POAGE, staff illustrator

To get involved with the ASL club, email zlacey@trinity.edu. They welcome all levels of knowledge in ASL, and if you have no experience, they are happy to teach you. Their next general meeting is Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. in Northrup 314. They will be conversing with each other in sign language and teaching each other common phrases. People from the deaf community in San Antonio are holding an ASL coffee meeting on Feb. 23 at Local Coffee in the Pearl at 7 p.m.

Just a note Want to know more about ASL? We’ve got you covered. Staff video producer Elise Hester caught up with club president Zoe Lacey to learn the basics of ASL. Check it out at trinitonian.com/aslvideo, and make sure to subscribe to our channel for more bonus content each week!

AE &

Richard Linklater to direct film set during moon landing

Dennis Edwards, lead singer for R&B band The Temptations, dies

A prolific Texan director, Linklater puts his all into his films. Hopefully, this one will be more eventful than “Boyhood.”

Famous for songs like “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and “Cloud Nine,” the 74-year-old was known to be struggling with meningitis before his death

Denice Frohman discusses poetry, rupture and reclamation in Álvarez Seminar

Famous for her viral hit “Dear Straight People,” DENICE FROHMAN discusses her personal experiences as a queer Latina and how they have affected her poetry. Frohman’s work is notable for challenging the status quos concerning often-overlooked identities, including both racial and sexual minorities, as well as the working class. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

MAS-sponsored speaker discusses experiences and identity as they pertain to works of art GEORGIE RIGGS A&E REPORTER griggs@trinity.edu “I’ve been thinking about what poetry can do in this time of rupture,” said Denice Frohman, poet and latest performer in the MAS Álvarez Seminar when describing her approach to writing in this political climate. The readings selected for the event all showed poetry’s power in times of adversity, especially the power of humor, which Frohman’s infectious energy put on full display. A packed house welcomed Frohman to the Holt Center on Thursday, Feb. 1, as she performed her spoken-word poetry. The event tackled ideas of in-betweenness that exists within identity, but it was funny above all else. “I was not aware of Denise before she was scheduled to perform,” said Simone Washington, sophomore and vice president of Trinity Progressives. “But she made a new fan in me, and I’m sure the whole audience. She was very

good at manipulating the scope of her writing, which I think is very hard for writers. We would be outside of the world and floating while she was speaking.” Coming to this performance as a relative newcomer to Frohman’s work, the excitement and size of the crowd at the Holt Center was surprising at first. Used to the relatively mellow turnout at other campus literary readings, I found myself struggling to even find a seat. This surprise quickly dissipated, though, as Frohman started to perform, telling the already rowdy crowd that she welcomed vocal reactions to her poems, which many members took to heart. “When I wrote about her in the PRIDE group message, people were instantly excited,” said Andrea Acevedo, senior and president of PRIDE, talking about the familiarity with which many of the attendees had with Frohman. “ ‘Accents’ and ‘Dear Straight People’ are especially popular. Her style is so fast, but she also has a lot of love in her work. She’s talking about a lot of very serious things, but with humor.” The poems were remarkable in their ability to cover specific experiences from Frohman’s life, often pertaining to her queer, Latina identity, in explosive ways. Her speed of performance helped turn her already funny writing into something akin to rap or stand-up comedy in its delivery. When Frohman told us she had just performed her last poem, the reaction of the crowd sounded like Beyoncé had left the stage without singing “Single Ladies.” Finally, Frohman relented,

starting the first lines of her viral hit “Dear Straight People,” to a long, collective cheer.

With all of her poems, Frohman talks about aspects of identity in ways that complicate popular narratives. “Her poems are just so full of life. We’re used to seeing narratives about families with difficulties, especially related to immigrant narratives, but her poems are full of love for her family, like in her poem ‘Accents,’ ” Acevedo said, referencing Frohman’s poem that deals with the way white Americans often reacted to her mother’s accent. “For me, her work is really important because there’s not that much media with a narrative I feel represents me.” Others were inspired by the event itself, as well as the poetry that was performed and discussed. “As a creative writer, if I can use that term, just being in that audience helped me as a writer,”

Washington said. “It made me more interested in space and scope, and in navigating spaces.” The ease with which Frohman interacted with the audience was noticeably natural, as though this was not the first time that she had explained her work to a crowd. “I think she appeals to people our age because she’s not really afraid to call people out, but also how accessible her work is,” Acevedo said. “She works a lot with kids and at high schools on writing.” As energetic as it is, Frohman’s writing contains consistent themes of humor, subversion and questioning authority. “I’ve been trying to write towards reclamation,” Frohman said, referencing this representation but also the sense of space that Washington had commented on. With all of her poems, Frohman talks about aspects of identity in ways that complicate popular narratives, especially with her poem “Celebration of the Piraguero.” Bringing in laughs with its reverent romance of the male figure selling piragua, another word for raspado, an ice treat sold from street vendors, Frohman portrays the working man as a hero, especially in the spaces of communities threatened by gentrification. “You can come to the page with an agenda but you are so small,” Frohman said, talking about the unexpected directions writing can take the writer. “You come with an agenda and the paper punches you in the mouth.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

Thinking about films: Big-Little Comedy in SA Bexar Stage and Trinity Advice from a critic junior aim to turn San SAMMYE JOHNSON GUEST COLUMNIST sjohnson@trinity.edu I believe my eclectic movie tastes were informed by what I watched during the cold winter months in Wilmette, Illinois (a North Shore suburb of Chicago) from the time I was eight until I went to Northwestern University as a journalism major at 18. I’d have bouts of bronchitis — in December, January, February and March — where I’d miss up to a week of school. I’d be at home coughing and wheezing, with a humidifier steaming up one side of the room, as I watched “old” (now considered classic) black-and-white movies on WGN television. I cried over “Now, Voyager” and “Casablanca,” laughed at “His Girl Friday” and “Bringing Up Baby,” was caught up in “Double Indemnity” and “The Maltese Falcon” and was intrigued by “City Lights” and “Metropolis.” My first experience as a film critic was sitting in the screening room of the Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre, on North State Street just a few blocks from the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. I was the newbie feature writer straight out of graduate school who was tapped to do film reviews from time to time. Sometimes I’d be the only one in the screening room, but more often Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel were there as well — all of us sitting in different rows as far apart as we could. I didn’t know then that Siskel and Ebert would become iconic film critics, with their trademarked “Two Thumbs Up” for their “At the Movies” TV series. And I certainly didn’t think I’d end up teaching an arts criticism course that involved film.

Criticism — any writing for that matter — is about organizing your thinking, taking the dozen ideas bouncing around in your skull and arranging them in an effective manner. What do I look for when writing about film or reading a film review? First and foremost is recognition that it’s an opinion. A.O. Scott, the current co-chief film critic at The New York Times, says, “To be a critic is to offer up subjective judgments — well defended and cogently argued, if you’re doing it right — that enter into public discourse.” Robert W. Butler, former Kansas City Star film critic who now has a blog, “Butler’s Cinema Scene,” states, “The act of watching is only the beginning. Criticism — any writing for that matter — is about organizing your thinking, taking the dozen ideas bouncing around in your skull and arranging them in an effective manner. It is not about having the right opinion (there is no such animal) but about the ability to express and defend the opinion you have.” Here’s my five-point list of what should be covered in a movie review that will help you decide how to approach it as either a writer or a consumer:

1. The genre, time period and setting of the story. You need to know whether you’re watching comedy, thriller, sci-fi, romance, horror, action, drama, western, mystery, fantasy, film noir, adventure, crime, history, war, musical, biography, superhero — or a combination of genres. When the movie takes place is a factor: Current time, the future, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the 1920s or whatever specific decade; the location (which may be different from where it was filmed) is also important. Consider the romantic coming of age drama “Call Me by Your Name” and its lush Italian setting in 1983 versus the biographical drama “The Post” in the early 1970s in Washington, D.C. versus the action war movie “Dunkirk” about the 1942 evacuation of Allied forces by British civilian boats.

2. The director. According to Ebert, “Most good movies are about the style, tone, and vision of their makers. A director will strike a chord in your imagination, and you will be compelled to seek out the other works. Directors become like friends.” For those who follow auteur theory (with the director as the primary creative force), it matters whether a film is directed by Kathryn Bigelow, Guillermo del Toro or Steven Spielberg. We make assumptions about what each will produce: action thriller, fantastical beasts and compelling storyline. 3. The actors. Most people think of films in terms of the actors and go to a particular movie because of its stars. Pointing out the importance of actors, Pauline Kael, The New Yorker’s film critic from 1968–1991, wrote, “The movie doesn’t have to be great; it can be stupid and empty and you can still have the joy of a good performance or the joy in just a good line. An actor’s scowl, a small subversive gesture, a dirty remark that someone tosses off with a mock-innocent face, and the world makes a little bit of sense.” Acting makes a big difference in our enjoyment of movies. 4. The script source. Original scripts written especially for the screen are judged differently from adaptations of novels or plays. These are two different categories at the Academy Awards. Some say it’s impossible to move a storyline intact from one medium to another. But I’ve seen dozens of successful book adaptations, including “Gone With the Wind,” “Jurassic Park” and the “Harry Potter” series. In play to movie adaptation, there’s “The Sound of Music,” “Hairspray” and “Fences.” 5. A remake or part of a series. The number of remakes (how many times can you redo “King Kong”?) and series (exploitation horror flicks like “Halloween” and “SAW”) reflects a lack of risk taking in Hollywood. While there are remakes that are just as good or better than the original, I agree with Siskel, who observed, “A film that aims low should not be praised for hitting that target.” In the final analysis, critics agree there are three questions that reviewers and moviegoers should ask themselves: What is the filmmaker trying to do? How well did he or she do it? And was it worth doing? Or, as Ebert said, “The point is not to avoid all Stupid Movies, but to avoid being a Stupid Moviegoer. It’s a difficult task, separating the good Stupid Movies from the bad ones.” Sammye Johnson, professor emerita, retired from Trinity University in 2016.

Antonio into America’s next big humor hub

AUSTIN DAVIDSON A&E REPORTER adavids1@trinity.edu With a population of 1.47 million people, San Antonio is the seventh largest city in the United States. San Antonio’s size and active population make it a prime city for a new venue to expand and grow, and the Big-Little Comedy Fest is trying to place San Antonio on the map for comedy and improv. Jackson Beach, a Trinity junior, works as the press secretary for Bexar Stage, where the Big-Little Fest will be held Feb. 14–18. He and the Big-Little team have big plans for this festival, and big hopes for the impact it will have on the San Antonio comedy scene. Jackson and I sat down to get a better image of the future that Bexar Stage and Big-Little have in mind for San Antonio. “Compared to Austin and Philadelphia, the San Antonio comedy scene is almost non-existent. Sadly, comedians don’t see San Antonio as a destination comedy city. So part of Bexar Stage and Big-Little’s mission is to change that, to put San Antonio on the map when it comes to comedy in all genres,” Beach said. “They also want to cultivate San Antonio’s already burgeoning improv scene. There is a real interest for it in the city and Bexar Stage is hoping to cultivate that.”

In the past year, comedy scenes across the country have been rattled by countless sexual harassment scandals, so Bexar Stage and Big-Little have guarded against these issues. “Sexual harassment scandals have also affected the improv scene. The co-founders of Bexar Stage, Tina Jackson and Dan Grim, have been in the improv scene for decades and people they used to know and work with have been revealed to be some pretty awful individuals,” Beach said. “Before every class, everyone signs a paper that pledges to fight sexual harassment and to create a safe and accepting comedy venue that people can enjoy.” To accomplish all these ambitious goals, Bexar Stage aims to use the Big-Little Comedy Fest to put San Antonio on the comedic map. “The festival will be from February 14–18 and will have 13 show blocks with 45 acts within them. These acts will range from improv sketches to standup comedians. The acts will be from all over, including some Texas and even San Antonio-based comedy groups,” Beach said. “The company that is putting on the festival, Big-Little Comedy, has been doing this for almost 8 years now, with their shows originally being in Grand Rapids, Michigan and then in Cleveland, Ohio.” San Antonio isn’t so far off from comedy hubs like Austin, Los Angeles and Chicago. It’s a massive city with a population that loves to support homegrown talent — all that remains to be seen is whether people patronize the comedy talent that will be coming to San Antonio soon. The Big-Little Comedy Fest begins on Valentine’s Day and continues through President’s Day weekend at the Bexar Stage; performances will begin at 8 p.m. each day.

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 •

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Quick reviews: The 24-Hour Play Festival Trinity’s theatre talent is brought to the forefront as thespians write, rehearse and perform plays in the span of one day JULIA WEIS MANAGING EDITOR jweis@trinity.edu

Six plays. Six directors. Six playwrights. Eighteen actors. Twenty-four hours to put it all together. The 24 Hour Play Festival is a magnificent performance put on each year by Trinity’s theatre department. This year, it featured six different plays centered around language — mainly the humor derived from its manipulation. I have gone to the 24 Hour Play Festival over the last few years because of my friend Danielle’s involvement in the Trinity theatre, but aside from that, I enjoy seeing the hard work put in by my fellow students. This year, I enjoyed seeing what the playwrights developed with the language theme, though I thought some of the performances stood out above others. If you missed this spectacular event, check out my recap of each play below. EVAN BAKER starred as one of the archeologists in “The Mysterious Case of the Disappearance of Eloise Fisher,” one of the 24 Hour Play Festival entries. photo provided by KERRY MADDEN

Six plays. Six directors. Six playwrights. Eighteen actors. Twenty-four hours to put it all together. “A Snapshot of Life” Director: Sarah Bastos Writer: Alex Bradley This play seemed to focus on the idea that, while photos hold memories of our lives and are indicative of certain moments, they only show a glimpse of who a person was. The main character fought with her mother over “the precision of language,” as her mom argued that she shouldn’t say the word “shit” when there are theoretically much more specific words you could use in a situation. It seemed to be making a statement on how frequently we take photos and how in the past we valued the few photos we had. It was heartwarming to think our lives are more than just a few photos and interesting to realize that we’ve lost that feeling today. All this being said, I thought this play jumped around a lot and was a bit hard for me to follow. That might just be because I hadn’t gotten into the flow of the theater setting yet, but I had a hard time understanding what the story was supposed to mean right until the very end. “The Mysterious Case of the Disappearance of Eloise Fischer” Director: Nico Champion Writer: Allie Butemeyer This play was so funny, and the best part is that none of it seemed intentional. Kody Nace had the best expressions and reactions, which makes all of his silly lines even funnier than Nico Champion and Allie Butemeyer may have intended them to be. The plot is something along the lines of a failed archeologist and his assistant who help another archeologist find a missing bone, which turns out not to be missing at all, as

it was in his coat pocket the whole time. Instead, he discovers that he’s in love with his assistant, but somehow doesn’t realize that she’s also been impersonating the maid this whole time. If you’re confused, then that’s probably right. Not the easiest to follow, but goofy and heart-warming. “Learning French” Director: Mindy Tran Writer: Holly Gabelmann This was by far my favorite play. Not only was it entertaining, but also moving and dramatic. At first you meet a young man and woman at the library and are set up for a love story between the two of them, but then the story unfolds to reveal that the man has been using his study time at the library to teach French to an older woman dying of cancer. It was the classic story of a young woman who thinks her love interest is into someone else but actually he’s just a really nice guy who helps old people. It’s been done before, but the emotion that my peers put into this piece was stunning. I laughed out loud at Alex Bradley’s horrible attempts at French, and was close to tears when Briahn Hawkins gave an emotional monologue about the struggles of cancer. “A Crane of Sunshine” Director: Caroline Neeleey Writer: Kody Nace As someone who is unaffiliated with Greek life, I found this satire to be hilarious. The young actresses did a great job portraying the stereotypes of sororities and making a statement on the exclusivity of the clubs. I enjoyed their play on words with typical Greek life terminology and appreciated how much expression both Ren Hill and Sophia Elsadig put into it. The “crane” part might have gone over my head, but other than that, it felt like a relevant and entertaining piece. “Real Life” Director: Erica Schoenberg Writer: Casey Deal A play about the distinctions between social media life and real life — another relevant issue pertinent to all of us young millennials. The actors seemed to discuss the irony of how we essentially have two separate lives. I was confused by the set and whether the two characters were actually talking to each other or if they were supposed to be talking through the virtual world. I also wasn’t sure where exactly the connection to the language theme was. Nevertheless, I like seeing theater on contemporary issues that affect my life today, and I thought the actors did a great job of portraying the dissonance we all experience in today’s hyper-social media world. “The Pombies” Director: Kate Jones-Waddell Writer: Erica Schoenberg I couldn’t really decide if this was super adorable or kind of cringe-inducing. The three actors were supposed to be children playing in a yard, but I guess it was hard for me to get past their adultlike appearances and deeper voices. After the children play in their pretend boat, they become “pombies” — pirates plus zombies. They took the manipulation of language to the core, with constant new word inventions, as children do. It was definitely cute and brought me back to being a kid, but was a little over the top at times, and I’m not necessarily sure I wanted to watch whiney kids fighting on a playground. I guess that means the actors are good at their jobs, so props to these three for taking it to the max.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN • Baseball @ Houston-Victoria, Friday, Feb. 9, 6 p.m. • Women’s Basketball @ Dallas, Friday, Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m. • Softball vs. Concordia (TX), Saturday, Feb. 10, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Sports

New scoreboard largest in the divison

Funded completely by donations to the football team, video screen to provide instant replay, improved stats

ANTONIO PEDRAZA | SPORTS REPORTER apedraza@trinity.edu A 28 by 48 foot video scoreboard rose out of Trinity University Stadium last week, replacing the smaller digital board. The new scoreboard, funded privately by the football team’s booster club, will be capable of displaying stats and ingame replays. Jerheme Urban, head coach of the football team, was responsible for spearheading the project, which he hints is only the first phase of a complete renovation for the stadium. “This project has been privately funded, with those efforts being co-chaired by two Trinity alumnni, as well as Michael Bacon and Allan Marshall in the development office. This is a very exciting time, as the support has been phenomenal and people are excited about contributing to this project so that our entire student body, their parents and our alumni can maximize their game day experience,” Urban wrote in an email interview. Urban also claims it is the largest board in all of Division III, and boasted about the board’s sound capacity, which led to the nickname, the “boombox.” Brady Blanton, a junior on the football team, explained that the scoreboard will put Trinity’s facilities on par with the rest of schools in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). “There was a huge push for the scoreboard because it kind of caught our stadium up to the standards set by our conference,” Blanton said. “Before, Trinity was the only school in the

The old scoreboard is taken down last week. The new screen looms in the background. The screen is funded by donations to the football program. photo by ALLISON WOLFF, staff photographer

conference to not have a scoreboard with instant replay capabilities.” Urban elaborated on his plan for the future, but the details are still in the works. “We are kicking around a couple of ideas between now and August, but we’ll have to see how the timing works out on them. If not, we will roll those into the overall stadium renovation, which is a project that we all hope kicks off here in the near future,” Urban wrote.

Ben Milliet, a junior football player, is excited for the start of the renovation process. “The scoreboard is great for the program — not only does it help to modernize our football stadium, but it will help with recruitment, game attendance and make practices more fun as well,” Millet said. “This is the start of a revolution for the Tiger football program, it will help us out so much.”

Not only is the stadium upgrade expected to benefit Tiger football, but track and field as well. “The scoreboard will improve our track meets by making them more entertaining. Now everyone will be able to see meet highlights,” said Analisa Herbert, sophomore sprinter. Urban also plans to use the board in the off season for campus-wide events. “The important thing to realize is that alumni and donors did not just support this project for five or six fall afternoon football games, but wanted to make sure that it was a true enhancement to campus experience. I plan on hosting a couple of movie nights on the lawn throughout the year to help bring the campus together,” Urban wrote. Dylan McAndrew, junior, is a fan of the new scoreboard. “I think the new scoreboard could bring more hype to the football program and could possibly lead to an increase in attendance and school spirit, but only time will tell,” McAndrew said. “I think it’s one step towards a higher turn out to our football program, a team that is missing the support and backing of the entire student body.” Urban summarized the excitement that the scoreboard has brought to the team. “This is a very exciting time, as the support has been phenomenal and people are excited about contributing so that our entire student body, their parents and our alumni can maximize their game day,” Urban wrote. with additonal reporting by Kendra Derrig, sports editor

Tiger swim and dive look to make a splash Men’s, women’s teams prepare to win next week’s SCAC championships in Dallas

HAILEY WILSON | SPORTS REPORTER hwilson@trinity.edu The Tiger swimming and diving teams made quite a splash last semester and are currently gearing up for the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championships, which will be held in Dallas on Feb. 14–17. Both the men and the women will be defending their titles after taking home the SCAC championship last season. The teams started off their season strong with a meet against University of Puget Sound, where the women won 123–88 and the men won 102–75. Strong performances by first-years Mabel Fowler and Shamzi Alkaff helped lead the Tigers to their first victory of the semester. Fowler was named the SCAC female swimmer of the week on Jan. 24. She plans on using this accolade to help her stay motivated throughout the remainder of the season. “It makes me that much more excited for conference to come,” Fowler said. The diving team then hosted State University of New York at Fredonia, where senior Christine Peterson and first-year Daniel Valmassei captured the top spots in the competition. The next day, the Tigers swept Southwestern University with a 152–97 win for the women and a 165.5–113.5 win for the men. Each team won 10 events throughout the meet.

JACOB HURRELL-ZITELMAN, sophomore, trains for the upcoming SCAC Championship meet in Dallas. photo by ALLISON WOLFF, staff photographer

When preparing for the SCAC Championships, Valmassei emphasizes the importance of staying healthy. “At this point we’re trying to stay healthy and make sure everything is strong,” Valmassei said. The Tigers capped off their regular season schedule on Jan. 28 in Nashville, Tennessee, where both the women and men combined for victories over Centre College and Birmingham-Southern College. Several Tigers stood out during the meet, and Peterson’s scores qualified her for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regionals. This past week, four Tigers received AllSCAC accolades. On the men’s side, Alkaff took home the swimmer of the week honors and junior Duncan MacAskill took home

diver of the week honors. On the women’s side, sophomore Star Rosales was named the swimmer of the week, and Peterson was named diver of the week for the third time this season. Junior Ivy Claflin thinks both teams are ready for the championships. “In terms of weights and time spent in the pool, I don’t think that our teams have ever been more prepared for the meet,” Claflin said. As far as preparation goes, the team is focusing on the small stuff. “We’re in the taper part of our season, which is really fun. We’ve just been focusing on the smart stuff: technique, speed, and details. Hopefully it will all pay off next week,” Claflin said.

Some Tigers are looking at the championship as a stepping stone to get to nationals. “Nationals isn’t really something we have anticipated several members of the team going to before. I think that everyone is really hyped up about how that is a real possibility now,” Claflin said. The women will be aiming to win their 15th consecutive SCAC championship, while the men are aiming to for their seventh consecutive championship. The SCAC Championships will take place at Lewisville Eastside Aquatic Center in Dallas, and will kick off on Wednesday, Feb. 14, with the 200-medley relay and the 800-freestyle relay, and conclude Saturday, Feb. 17.

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 •

SPORTS

Women’s tennis opens season with high hopes Tigers expect to have a successful season with talented team

HAILEY WILSON | SPORTS REPORTER hwilson@trinity.edu The women’s tennis team was in action this past weekend playing against opponents from a higher NCAA category. The Tigers competed against crosstown rivals St. Mary’s University, a Division II school, on Saturday morning after a long rain delay and then against Division I opponents Texas A&M University-Kingsville later in the afternoon. The Tigers came into the weekend ranked No. 16 in Division III and were eager to test their skills against some tough opponents. The morning session was a test of patience for the Tigers. The St. Mary’s Rattlers swept all three doubles matches and won five out of six singles matches. The afternoon yielded more positive results. Although Trinity was swept in doubles again, juniors Caroline Kutach and Andrea De Leon were each able to grind out a win in their singles matches. “It’s always nice to win against an opponent from a higher division. It’s good for my confidence and hopefully will help string together more positive results as the season progresses,” De Leon said. Senior Marie Lutz claimed the feeling among the team regarding the rest of their season is positive, despite the results against their first opponents. She said this last weekend was an opportunity to get on the court and kick off their season. “Playing against opponents from a higher level really gives us a chance to assess where our

ASHLEY DEBAUGE, sophomore, competed last Saturday. The team will head to Ohio for the next match. photo by ALLISON WOLFF, staff photographer

team stands, as well as gives us an opportunity to fine tune our skills against tougher opponents in order to prepare for our season,” Lutz said. Lutz also spoke about her goals for the upcoming season. “The goal is to win conference. We have a strong team and I like our chances. This is the deepest team we have had in my four years of being here, so the goal is to win in Colorado this year,” Lutz said, referring to the location of this year’s SCAC Championships.

However, she made it clear that there is still a long road ahead for the team. “In order to accomplish our goals, our team really needs to improve our fitness levels, Fitness is key to win matches. Also team chemistry for doubles is another thing we need to work on. The girls need to learn each others games so we can truly succeed on the court,” Lutz said. Other members of the team agreed with Lutz, making it clear that one of their most important focuses is team chemistry.

“This weekend was a good experience for us because we got to compete against opponents that compete at a higher level and that’s always good practice. We also got to test out a few different doubles teams which is always good so we can work on our chemistry,” said sophomore Meredith Jackson. The women’s tennis team heads to Ohio this weekend, marking the start to their Division III season. They will face Case Western Reserve University.

SPORTS • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Esports are the sports of the modern age TIFFANY NGUYEN | GUEST COLUMNIST tnguyen@trinity.edu Cosigned by William Ballangee and Rachel Lopez Within the last decade, esports have been gaining more mainstream attention as more people become interested in online competitive games, such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), League of Legends (LoL) and Super Smash Brothers. Esports have become an unstoppable force as the industry continues to grow rapidly and draw more attention. However, despite the recognition they has gotten, people struggle to adopt esports into their definition of sports. Esports get a bad rap because, unlike “real” sports, they don’t take place in reality. No one

is likely to get injured or exert a lot of physical energy, and these pro gamers usually spend 10 hours a day sitting in chairs and staring at computer screens. Even in a world where practically everything — from basic tasks such as shopping to complex education programs — is digital, calling such an inactive activity “sports” stretches the imagination. However, the argument that esports lack physical training is false. Just like any other sport (archery, golf, fencing), esports require finesse and dexterity. Professional players spend endless hours developing and maintaining muscle memory and reflexes. Furthermore, esports hold a very real presence for all kinds of audiences, from gamers to interested spectators to company sponsors. One finds it hard to argue that esports aren’t “real” when millions of dollars are being spent on tournament prize money, and

LoL or Overwatch competitions are aired on ESPN, a sports television channel. Therefore, sports are competitions between masters of their craft: chess is a sport, archery is a sport, football is a sport, CS:GO is a sport. Every competitor from that list has dedicated their life to trying to be the best at what they do and prove it to the world. Are the eight hours a day that chess players spend grinding out games, studying strategies and reviewing their own plays less than the eight hours a day soccer players spend doing the exact same thing, just because the chess player doesn’t break a sweat? In fact, esports players commonly spend 10+ hours a day seeking perfection; because of the lack of extreme physical exertion, there is no time needed for pros to rest their bodies, allowing them to put in more hours than any other sport. The amount of effort and time professional

gamers put to their craft is not only comparable but often exceeds those of traditional sports. We live in the twenty-first century, a society that tests the boundaries and definitions of things around us. Trinity students know to test their educational boundaries by taking classes from different disciplines that interest them, though their parents likely went to college to prepare for secure and familiar “real world” careers. Grocery home-delivery now exists, but at one time, no one could imagine an alternative to going to the grocery store. We are even developing tech such as Sophia, an empathetic AI, when emotional robots were only a thing of science fiction novels. Next to all these things, expanding the basic definition of sports seems almost trivial. We have redefined our lives in so many other ways. Why should sports not also rise up to meet the times?

and meaning, and literary language is no different.” This is similar to tutorials in the beginning of most games that explain how the player can interact with the virtual world. The languages in question are different — English as opposed to the series of programmed rules that make up any game’s mechanics — but both readers of literature and players of online games learn a series of rules in order to explore a creatively configured world. Players must train to become better at “reading” the rules of the game, just as people who interact with books gradually learn how to predict events: which character will die, who will fall in love. The case for viewing games as art gets stronger when looking at experiential games, played less for competition and more for storytelling or open-ended sandbox exploration. I admit that I haven’t played many games that would be considered “esports”; however, I’ve played many games that I would consider in the same area as books or television in terms of nuanced themes and worldbuilding. One of the best games that I played in 2017 is “Night In The Woods,” an indie platform game released by the studio Infinite Fall last February. The story centers on a cast of anthropomorphic animals who live in a small rural town called Possum Springs; it follows a cat named Mae who returns home after

dropping out of college only to be haunted by prophetic dreams and a possible ghost. “Night In The Woods” uses its gameplay mechanics to explore complex themes like mental illness, religion, family and the consequences of industrialization in small towns. The latter is what made the game very interesting to me; there’s a lot of emphasis on the shifting role of workers’ unions in Possum Springs (an issue in real-life towns that rely on small businesses), and without spoilers, the game’s ending feels very relevant to current politics. The player, as Mae, is asked to answer questions that don’t have a clear answer — such as whether God in Possum Springs is “caring but absent, uncaring but distant or vicious and roaming”. The answer to the question requires a lot of thinking about symbolism, just as questions asked in good books do. There are also games that are more similar to visual art. Examples of this type of game include “Mountain,” which is about looking at a mountain. There isn’t much to do in the technical sense, but you can watch the mountain slowly change over time as it sprouts with vegetation, is covered in snow during the winter and eventually erodes. “Year Walk” is also a game that prioritizes visual art and aesthetics. Players walk around a desolate Swedish countryside, admiring the

beautiful graphics while learning about the Swedish ritual of “year walking”, where people sequester themselves in dark rooms and then walk through a forest to a village church to learn what their future holds. The experience of playing one of these games is like looking at a piece of art in a gallery — one that can be interpreted in many different ways. While games may be considered sports one day, the debate is also going on about whether they should be considered art. Video games are legally considered art forms by the National Endowment for the Arts. However, in 2010 film critic Roger Ebert caused a controversy when he claimed that games couldn’t be art with the statement, “No one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great poets, filmmakers, novelists and poets.” He also brought up the sport-like nature of games as a reason to disqualify them. Even if this is true, all new art forms developed in recent centuries have been met with this kind of criticism. For example, films were once considered artistically inferior until blockbuster movies like “Citizen Kane” were made. As time passes and more creative games are made, people will eventually view games as art forms, not just as sports.

Games aren’t sports, they’re an art form NOELLE BARRERA | NEWS REPORTER nbarrera@trinity.edu In the above piece, Tiffany Nguyen, William Ballengee and Rachel Lopez claim that online competitive “esport” games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, League of Legends and Super Smash Brothers can be classified as sports because of their of their competitive nature and the amount of time that players spend training. While many games can be classified as sports from this set of criteria, others — even some MMOs — should also be in the “art” category, alongside movies and television. The way that players shift their perspectives to an individual game’s worldbuilding and mechanics is akin to the process involved in viewing art, and games also often incorporate levels of storytelling that sports do not. The amount of time and effort that professional gamers spend honing their skills is analogous to athletic training, but it is also similar to the process of reading a challenging book, or watching a film multiple times. In Thomas C. Foster’s educational book “How to Read Literature Like a Professor,” Foster says the beginning of a novel is the chance to learn the literary rules: “Every language has a grammar, a set of rules that govern usage

Left to right: BENJAMIN GONZALEZ, RACHEL LOPEZ, TIFFANY NGUYEN and WILLIAM BALLANGEE, officers of the TU Gaming club, play Mario Kart in CSI. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • FEBRUARY 09, 2018 •

SPORTS

An open letter to the athletes I’ve covered As she moves on to become the Trinitonian’s first video producer, Hester reminisces about her experience as a reporter ELISE HESTER | VIDEO PRODUCER ehester@trinity.edu Breathe a sigh of relief. My reign of terror is over. Elise freaking Hester is no longer a sports reporter. It is time for my parting words. I had a ball telling your stories this past year and a half. The time, energy, talent and dedication you give to the games you love and the school you represent is appreciated and valued. I am inspired and amazed by your excellence and commitment, both in athletics and in academics and in every other commitment in your busy lives. Whether you emailed me quotes after a weekend tournament or whether you sat with me for an hour talking about your life, thank you for sharing your time and your truth with me. I hope the way I told your stories brought you joy. To those I am lucky enough to call a friend, I love and value the person you are. Thank you for filling my life with joy.

The time, energy, talent and dedication you give to the games you love and the school you represent is appreciated and valued. When I started as a young, innocent, sophomore sports reporter, both sports and journalism were new to me. There was then, as there is now, much room to grow and this experience challenged me in a way that made me better. I’ve learned about the power of words and the responsibility I have in how I use my own. I’ve learned what it means to be brave — sometimes by sharing my own story, but more times by shutting up and listening to someone else’s. And I learned that sometimes courage is recognizing where I have failed and striving to be better. As long as I can remember, I’ve always had stories to tell, but there weren’t always people who wanted to listen. I have a distinct memory of singing a song to my first grade teacher about how none of the other kids wanted to play with me. It has taken me time to realize that people actually read the things I write and with an audience comes a more visible responsibility to watch what I write. I haven’t always done that. I’ve messed up. More than once. I’ve written things that I shouldn’t have. Some of those times I’m forced to face the reality that I failed that I have hurt people with my words, a sinking feeling akin to missing the game-winning basket. Anytime I learn that something I wrote hurt someone, I’m always

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT, staff illustrator

sorry. I’m always sorry, but I can’t feel bad forever. I can’t let fear keep me from moving forward. I can only take each moment of failure as an opportunity to be a better person and a better writer, to live my life with kindness and consideration. I’m sorry for any time I haven’t lived up to that goal and for any time my words didn’t reflect the respect I have for each of you. My experiences with the sport reporters I wrote alongside — Haley McFadden, Chris Garcia, Shelby Devore, Hailey Wilson and Saul Malek — both on the Trinitonian and also in classes, on committees, at camp, on TigerTV and in friendships are experiences I value and treasure. Every single Julia —

Elmore, Weis, Poage and the soccer Julias too while we’re at it, why not? — is the love of my life. Markham Seigler is also the love of my life, but imagine I said that while winking. The current sports staff is full of hardworking people who are telling your stories in ways I never could. I can’t wait to work with them and other sections in my new role as video producer. In making videos to accompany pieces written by our talented columnists, contributors and reporters, I get to exercise my first love. If you didn’t know, I do not want to be a writer, but a videographer. My life passion is telling human stories through sport, and it has been great to do so through a different

medium. I’m thankful for each challenge, each misstep, each triumph and every single story. This has been an incredible year and a half. Being a part of this staff and this family is a true honor. I hope you’ll get to see an occasional sports column from me every once and a while. I’ve covered the World Series the past two years and I will fight to do the same this year, especially if the Astros are back, which they will be. Knock on wood. And because I can’t end by talking about the Astros: Thank you for everything. Keep playing. Keep fighting. Keep winning. I’m forever a fan. Go Tigers (and go ‘stros)!

Don’t be a ...

(sucker)

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