4.20.18 - Trinistonian

look out for 10 of these and get a stony prize from the staff!

Misleading Trinity University Since 1902

Volume 115 Issue 25

69 EXCLUSIVE: Students discover PULSE hidden third Wendt brother

237 Senior history major locks NEWS self in time capsule

APRIL 20, 2018

000 In defense of peeing in

OPINION

the Thomas elevators

Swashbucklers go ‘free-substance’ Introducing

Tigers for the Pursuit of Happiness

Straight-edge residents rediscover raunchy, seafaring roots

BONE DADDY | ASS REPORTER One of Trinity’s prominent student groups is undergoing a change. The Swashbucklers — known for being militantly substancefree, dressing up like pirates and having entire residence halls to themselves when fraternities can’t even get a few adjacent rooms — have dramatically changed one of their core tenets.

Ima Succor, a senior Swashbuckler and business minor, said, “The decision to change our policy on substances came about because we were trying to grow the club by addressing common criticisms. Specifically, the baseball team would always call us ‘Swashcucklers’ when we walked by the pitch during their practices. We needed to confront our image problem. ” Realizing the need for change, the Swashbucklers have changed their motto from “substance-free” to “free substances.”

The initial period after the change was tough, particularly for those ‘Bucklers who still had reservations. Luckily, the club found a ready-

New RSO rounds out Tigers for Life, Liberty ABRAHAM LICKTON | FOUNDING DUDE

The aftermath of the newly-unleashed free substance hall. photo by ISO Bitch, camera monkey

made way to ease these members into a life of casual substance use by attending some talks by campus speakers.

One such speaker was an advocate for opioid awareness brought to campus by Students for Opioid Solutions. During the questioning period, the Swashbucklers asked very detailed questions about the euphoria induced by the drug. This was initially disconcerting to Moonfred Bendt, member of Tigers for Liberty and a co-founder of Students for Opioid Solutions.

“I thought it was in rather poor taste to ask an addict about the effects of opioids.

Being called a cuck doesn’t excuse that,” said Bendt, “Every guy in Tigers for Liberty calls every other guy a cuck at least thirty times a day, and we haven’t let it affect our decency or respect for others. Also, shameless plug for our next speaker, Ben Shapiro, who’s coming to campus to give a talk about how being uncomfortable around the gays is the best way to fight political correctness.” continued on PAGE 4

Mabee Dining Hall decides to end it all

@mabeefoodreviews’ Instagram is final straw for Aramark employees SENTIENT MEATLOAF | BACTERIA

Partly in anticipation of coming changes to Trinity University dining and partly as a reaction to numerous one-star reviews from esteemed Instagram food critic @ mabeefoodreviews, Aramark officials decided this Monday to blow up Mabee Dining Hall with dynamite as a last-ditch attempt to garner sympathy for the failing eatery. Witnesses report being on the way to breakfast when red bricks — as well as a rubbery orange substance that may have been Mabee’s most recent failed science experiment, so-called “vegan cheese” — went flying.

Aramark officials stated that no Mabee staff members were injured in the explosion. Except for the one guy who lit the stick of dynamite, they were told not to come into work that day.

Only one unfortunate bystander, sophomore Mona Myrtle, seemed to have been hit in the head with a brick. Apparently concussed, she has been squatting in the rubble where Mabee used to be for three days, lapping up burnt vegan cheese.

“I miss Mabee,” Myrtle said, her cries echoing through campus, louder even than the baseball team’s blaring practice music. “My powdered eggs, my Jello, my overcooked squash!”

Health services has made numerous attempts to remove the injured student from ground zero. But Aramark — notable for always winning this type of battle — said no.

“See, the explosion initiative is all about making students feel bad for us,” Aramark marketing manager Cherry Cheery explained.

“With all the drama about the Mabee swipe policy and all the complaints about bland mystery meat when there could be good vegetarian options … That makes us look like the bad guy. A student sobbing because she

Students cheered as Mabee Dining Hall combusted last Monday. photo by ISO Bitch, camera monkey

loved Mabee so much? Now that’s a quality marketing move.”

Additionally, Aramark recently set up a kickstarter to fund the construction of a new dining facility, which will either be called The Shortest Tower Ever or Mabee 2: The Reckoning. So far, the crowdfunding campaign has raised none of its two million dollar goal.

“I don’t understand why,” Cheery said.

“I thought Trinity students were activists.

I thought they would care about the starving, deprived masses — especially when it’s themselves!”

Trinity students, however, remain mostly unperturbed by Mabee’s sudden absence.

“Mabee Dining Hall … That’s what that big room next to the P.O.D. was?” Senior Ford Etful said, perplexed, when asked for his thoughts about Monday’s explosion.

“Oh yeah, okay, wait, I think I remember eating there when I was a freshman. Yeah, the place with the cold fries? Huh, yeah I guess I never noticed it got completely demolished. I just stopped eating there so long ago.”

First-year Kevin Greasy is glad for an excuse to spend all of his parents’ money at Pizza Classics.

“They can’t get mad at me for using the credit card at restaurants anymore! I have no other option,” Greasy said.

Since the explosion, former Mabee workers have relocated to other food-selling areas on campus.

“It’s such a relief not to spend my entire day listening to the same five eighties songs.

There isn’t any music in the commons. I never thought I would find silence so beautiful,” former Mabee worker Gordon Pansy said.

If the explosion initiative fails to achieve reasonable levels of pity for Mabee Dining Hall, Aramark plans to purchase @mabeefoodreview and use the account to paint a more positive picture of food sold on campus.

“Nobody’ll even know it’s not a student running the account,” Cheery added.

As of now, Trinity has no plans to rebuild the destroyed dining hall.

“I think we’ll probably just put a big white wall around the whole thing. Students will assume we’re doing something, and that’ll be enough,” dean of students Davis Buttle said.

Tigers for the Pursuit of Happiness has officially been recognized as a registered student organization (RSO.) The group has joined the ranks of other RSOs on campus, like Tigers for Life and Tigers for Liberty, and has planned a series of events to commemorate their official status.

As of publication, the group has twelve members and is advised by Will Smith, visiting professor of freshness from Bel-Air College.

“We just felt like something was missing on campus. I mean, there’s Tigers for Life, for Liberty. All that was missing was the representation of the pursuit of happiness,” Smith said. “It was unconstitutional.”

According to senior Kit Cutty, president of Tigers for the Pursuit of Happiness, the group has been trying to become an RSO since 2014.

“We’ve been trying to achieve this thing for ages,” Cutty said. “We’ve met unofficially for a while, but we’ve never been an official group, so that’s cool. There’s a certain unalienable right to creating an RSO as a student, and for some reason, the administration didn’t get that until now.”

Cutty explained that she realized the need for a group like Tigers for the Pursuit of Happiness her first semester on campus.

“I mean, I was going to Tigers for Liberty meetings, Tigers for Life meetings, and something just felt off,” Cutty said. “They’re great groups, don’t get me wrong, but the two don’t fulfill what this campus needs. That’s why I started Tigers for the Pursuit of Happiness.”

Junior Tomi S. Jofferson is the group’s party planner. She is also the one who planned the series of events that will celebrate their RSO status.

“I actually wrote our charter and stuff, but I also create our parties,” Jofferson said. “We have lots of cool stuff coming up that I think students and professors will really like.”

Jon Hancook, a sophomore member of the group, said he initially joined the group because a friend was in it, but has had a great experience with it.

“Yeah, I kinda just signed on, but I didn’t really do anything big with the group,” Hancook said. “There was like, this sign-up sheet during a Student Involvement fair, and I guess I signed it really big or something because they told me they thought I was really interested and eager. So, yeah, here I am.”

When asked if he would participate in the party planning, Hancook said he doesn’t have much to offer, but is excited to attend.

“Yeah, I think they want me to create a couple of posters since I have big handwriting,” Hancook said. “But I think that’s all I’ll do in terms of putting my name out there.”

More information about the events will be released when they are finalized. For more information about join Tigers for the Pursuit of Happiness, contact Kit Cutty.

2

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • APRIL 20, 2018 •

TRINISTONIAN

Previously, on SGA: High on the Hill This issue covers the SGA meeting on April 20.

The meeting was cancelled, as the Wax-’n’-Hashy Room was hotboxed by TUPD, who had apparently been hoarding confiscated marijuana.

Meanwhile, please enjoy coloring this page in! Drop your Trinistonian coloring book off at the newsroom, under the Fiesta Room.

Tune in each week for Kath Cretin’s SGA summaries. SGA meets at 4:20 p.m. on Mondays in the Wax-’n’-Hashy Room in the CUC. It’s CUC now, deal with it.

STAFF

DAVID CONCORD editor-in-chief GHOULIA WIES managing editor GRAPES FRY director of digital presence JONAH HILL business manager ROLLER DERBY ad director KATH CRETIN news editor KARA MURDERER pulse editor AUSTIN POWERS a&e editor KINDA DARING sports editor YOPLAIT GAFFER opinion editor OVEN SHAMBLES special sections editor HORNY BRATT photo editor FIZZ DAY graphics editor GORDON JUICE webmaster ALEASE HESTURD video producer OVEN SHAMBLES copy chief ZERNKS circulation director TJ MAXX adviser CONTACT INFORMATION EDITORIAL email: trinitonian@trinity.edu ADVERTISING email: trinitonian-adv@trinity.edu ad office: (210) 999-8555 fax: (210) 999-7034

TUPD BOXERS REPORTERS No L Barea, Rabby Raggira, Maggo Loopy, Saul Phallic, Sklr McCrmck-sm, San Antonio Pedraza, Georgie Porgie, Dando Roths-kid, Wobbly Bopson, Harley Williamson COLUMNISTS Ben Gomez, Theresa Toe, Mikki Mouse, Bone Daddy, Charles Wendt COPY EDITORS Sofia Sofia Gonzalez, Corny Hildebrand, Nathan Piglet, Yeezy Lisahova ILLUSTRATORS Andrea Warhol, Julia Pogostick PHOTOGRAPHERS Coal Sunnier, Alice and Vulf, Steven Somnral-Orsack BUSINESS STAFF Sara Mac and Cheese, Ten Wins ADVERTISING STAFF Finna Flex-on-her, Kaitlin Limabean, Volcano Lukeskywalker, Regal Noodles, Brendan Stamos, Island Stews

MARIJUANA On Friday, April 20, at 4:20 p.m., kids were caught smoking Js behind the Mabee dumpster. At first, TUPD officers thought the dank smell was a skunk. It was not.

THEFT On Friday, April 20, at 4:20 p.m., 8 bikes were reported missing from the Prassel residence hall. Students reported that none of the bikes were locked up. Those fools.

THEFT On Friday, April 20, at 4:20 p.m., a Bell Center staff member reported them missing canoe from the supply closet.

We blame OREC. The report was filed shortly after OREC announced they were in debt.

COCAINE On Friday, April 20, at 4:20 p.m, two students were caught stealing a white substance from the lab that is testing the effects of cocaine on rats.

looking for a job? keep looking.

Corrections • In the April 06 issue, no names were spelled correctly.

• In the April 13 issue, every photo was miscredited.

• In the April 20 issue, we printed half of the paper backwards and

upside down. No, for real tho.

Spot a mistake? No you didn’t. Keep it to yourself.

The Trinitonian [USPS 640460] [issn 1067-7291] is published weekly during the academic year, except holidays and final exams, by Trinity University, One Trinity Place, San Antonio, TX 78212-7200. Subscription price is $35 per year. Periodicals Postage Paid at San Antonio, TX. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Trinitonian, One Trinity Place, #62, San Antonio, TX 78212-7200.

The first copy of the Trinitonian is free; additional copies are one thousand dollars each. ©2018. All rights reserved.

TRINISTONIAN • APRIL 20, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

3

University pays students to just sit on white chairs Suspicions confirmed: Turns out that nobody’s ever done work by that fountain — it’s a farce after all LOLLY MCGAGGINS | SUSPICIOUS Every college applicant is familiar with the enticing marketing material sent out by universities and plastered all over the front page of their websites. This material consists heavily of idyllic images of students studying around scenic campuses, often sprawled out on the grass or having very deep conversations — probably about existentialism, Marxism or quantum physics.

In Trinity’s case, the images probably contain at least one white lawn chair. There seem to be bonus points, from a marketing photographer’s perspective, if Miller Fountain is somehow included in the shot. However, these seemingly candid photographs may, in fact, be the product of deception.

It has come to light recently that Strategic Communications and Marketing is financially compensating the students who study in the lawn chairs out by Miller Fountain. This compensation requires students who are desperate for some quick cash to study near the fountain, which creates both a picturesque photo opportunity for marketing purposes and an impressive tableau for the benefit of any visiting prospective students and families.

“It’s really a great opportunity for students,” said Marc Sleezy, student resources coordinator. “They get a beautiful place to study, and they also get paid for it.”

Sophomore Grace Dealy, one of the students who gets paid to study outside the fountain, explained that her job is not all it’s cracked up to be.

“A lot of the time my homework gets wet,” Dealy said. “If it’s a particularly windy day, sometimes it gets to the point where I can’t even read my own handwriting. I’ve been through three laptops already this school year because they keep getting water damaged.”

Strategic Communications and Marketing has neither reimbursed Dealy for the new laptop nor offered to raise her salary.

“I make about five dollars an hour, so unfortunately I’m actually losing more money than I’m making right now,” Dealy said. “But I’m really hoping to expand my resume, so I’m going to stick with it.”

In response to accusations of dishonesty and false advertising, head of Strategic Communications and Marketing Kelly Pusher explained that they have never falsely represented the university with any of their promotional materials.

“We clearly label all of our photos with a disclaimer regarding the financial compensation of these seemingly candidly placed students,” Pusher said. “If you look at the bottom corner of any and all pictures containing students studying around Miller Fountain, you will find a line of text explaining that these pictures are not impromptu.”

Pusher added that the text on these photos is in size 0.2 font, and upside down.

“The disclaimer is there, it is clearly visible with the aid of a simple magnifying glass, therefore it is all completely legal,” Pusher said.

The university has issued a statement in support of Strategic Communications and Marketing’s strategies.

“The promotional images used by Strategic Communications and Marketing were not misrepresentative of Trinity in any way, nor were any of their actions illegal.

Therefore, we find no reason to condemn them or ask them to stop,” the statement read.

Dalton Weeb, a junior communication and political science major, disagrees. He is organizing a student protest of the office’s practices because he argues that prospective students could easily get the wrong impression from the pictures.

“Personally, I just don’t want anyone to make the same mistake that I made. I chose Trinity because I thought that everyone spent most of their time outside in white lawn chairs. Needless to say, when I got here I was sorely disappointed. Now, learning that those pictures weren’t even genuine in

TAG URSELF: TRINICAT EDITION

illustration by ANDREA NEBHUT Students looking to make some extra cash in a pinch can sit in Adirondacks for marketing department photoshoots, prospective student tours. photo by ISO Bitch, camera monkey

the first place … I honestly feel scammed,” Weeb said.

Weeb is a strong proponent of peaceful resistance and hopes that he can accomplish his agenda without having to resort to more strong-armed methods, such as legal action.

“All I’m asking is that they either clearly label these pictures as contrived or stop using them,” Weeb said. “I am an advocate for transparency and I hope that other universities who may be using the same deceptive strategies to lure students might see Trinity as

an example and stop the staging.”

In fact, it has not been proven whether or not other universities pay their students to sprawl out on lawns and study near campus landmarks. Weeb plans to expand his movement if it proves successful at Trinity.

“Right now we’ll really just have to wait and see. I’m confident that once people understand the size and scope of this problem, they’ll join our cause,” Weeb said.

Weeb asks any interested parties to contact him at dweeb@trinity.edu.

illustration by ANDREA WARHOL, did you know she’s an art major?

4

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • APRIL 20, 2018 •

Gawking at the Greeks HESTURD | CAN’T READ GAMMA’S NEW PHILANTHROPY: TEACHING PHI DELTS HOW TO PARTY The PDKs are sick and tired of their goodgirl image.

“Yeah, so, like, 10 years ago PDK was lame, but now, like, we’re the Phi Delts, and we party hard,” said Chastity Bond.

The last Phi Delt party was off the chain, with the ladies drinking wine while making cookies as the “Dear Evan Hansen” original cast recording blasted from the speakers.

However, Phi Delts feel that they could still be getting even more lit. In order to up their game, the women of Phi Delta Kappa decided to partner with members of Gamma Chi Delta.

“I was inspired by Lee Hay Spalding,” Bond said. “I sat next to her in 8:30 geology class and she came into class looking just so hungover every morning on Mondays and Fridays, and even some Wednesdays.”

“We’ve had a lot of fun teaching the Phi Delts how to get turnt,” said Trina Gams.

“They are so sweet and adorable. I really feel like we are helping. This is now one of our new charities.”

BENGAL LANCERS BREAK DOWN STEREOTYPES “What’s the difference between the football team and the Lancers?” said Bubby Wattsun. “I thought being a Lancer was just part of playing football.”

In order to combat these type of misconceptions, the Lancers planned a discussion which consisted of club members yelling from a tree.

“Not all football players join Lancers,” screams Punter Greene from the tree. “The other half of the team is always in bible study.”

“Football isn’t the only thing that Lancers

play,” raps another Lancer over a purchased beat from the internet. “Some of our active members participate in rug-bay.”

SPI-CHI The Sprouse was sprocked by spcandel when a member of the recent pledge class started dating a member of Iota Chi Ro. Spurty Spurson says, “I dated a baseball player all last year and he was great. So nice, so pretty, the best butt, decent stats, but I just realized that what I really wanted was someone who could get me even more weed.

I-Kyle had that for me.”

Despite the odd nature of the pairing, SPURS support their sprister.

“SPURS are open minded as hell,” SPURS president Salli Sprouma said. “Our sisters date boys and girls from all walks of life and we are a hundred percent supportive. I think Spurty and I-Kyle are so spodarable.”

Other spristers felt differently.

“I want Spurty to be happy,” Sparrow Spearman said. “But last week she missed Thurs-baes in order to listen to local indie music on Princess Pass. Seriously?”

When asked about Spurty and I-Kyle, the men of Iota Chi Ro look confused.

“I-Kyle has a girlfriend?” asked Dannial Connie. “Oh, and she’s a SPUR? I’ve never met a SPUR, but I hear they are stuck-up jerks.”

When shown a picture of SPURS Sorority from bid day, Danial Connie realized that he had indeed met at least 15 active members, one of whom was his study partner and none of whom were actually jerks.

“I had no idea. I’m color blind,” said Danial Connie. “I thought she just liked the basketball team.”

TRINITEERS PLOT RETURN Rumours have been circulating about a mysterious return of the elusive Triniteers.

“Triniteers was one of the original Trinity fraternities,” said an anonymous Teer alumnus, poking his head out of a trash can. “The name sounds like LeeRoy’s wet dream had a child with the Mickey Mouse club. We, I mean, they, deserve to be reinstated.”

Despite rejecting a new sorority of misfit toys on the basis of there are too many sorority girls at this dang school, Greek life coordinator Germie All-in is ready to welcome back the Triniteers.

“Once the final Teer is graduated, the club can be reinstated,” explains All-In. “We’ll make sure that the new members aren’t cool enough to do anything crazy, but still cool enough to be frat bros. Like O-Phi level of trying hard and the I-Chi’s level of sober monitors.”

“Why can the Triniteers come back, but we can’t create a new club!” Said the girls of the rejected sorority. “We should have called it the Tigerettes!”

As the rejected sorority sisters attempt to reinstate the Tigerettes — searching in vain for the last living Tigerette, now chain smoking in a Techuanca retirement home — the returning Triniteers seem to have some support from an unlikely place.

“The members of PRIDE are 100% behind the return of the Triniteers,” said PRIDE president Hella Gay. “We are really looking forward to partnering with the historical frat for the traditional Teers, Queers and Beers mixer.”

O-PHIS CAN’T WIN IM SOCCER The men of Omega Phi came up second once again in the final of intramural soccer, losing once again to the only team who can defeat them: senior Trinity soccer players who have finished out their four years of eligibility.

Swashbucklers fill much-needed gap in accessibility of illicit substances continued from FRONT Having swayed their more hesitant members, the Swashbucklers began searching for a steady supply of illicit substances, which was harder than they expected. Lowgee Peeay, a junior Swashbuckler and biology and English double minor, said “We went to some liquor stores but all they had were things called ‘Scotch,’ ‘Tequila’ and ‘Vodka,’ but no alcohol!”

Then, the Swashbucklers realized that there was a well-known supply of illicit drugs on campus: TUPD headquarters. Over time, TUPD’s seizures of sub-milligram traces of weed from Colorado students’ dorm rooms had grown into a large stash.

To get access to the storeroom within the TUPD house, the Swashbucklers — several of whom are majoring in calendar and gender

studies — determined that once a year university scheduling overlaps perfectly such that every TUPD officer is at a CopCorn stand for a 30-minute window, leaving the house wide open.

Nobu Zeformee, a first-year Swashbuckler and “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” enthusiast said, “To perform the heist, we put on our stealthiest pirate gear and armed ourselves with our sharpest plastic swords. We entered the empty TUPD house, passing some Delts that had been chained up in the front room for throwing bottles off of T8, got what we came for and left without a trace, like the Legolas actor but in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ where he sneaks up on the British, you know.”

With their freely-obtained supply, the Swashbucklers have been living up to their new motto. At the campus involvement fair,

their table eschewed candy for free Adderall and they got more new sign-ups than they’d had in years: six!

They also revamped their annual Haunted Hall concept. Normally, the spooky decorations are extensive, transforming several floors. This year, the Haunted Hall was merely the Swashbuckler dorms as they were before the free-substance lifestyle: clean with lots of board games. Truly terrifying.

Reached for comment as he was leaving Swashbuckler’s hall, rapidly tucking a small plastic bag into his pocket, president Danny Anderson, eyes darting about shiftily, said.

“At Trinity, we pride ourselves on providing a liberal arts education that enables our students to expand their horizons and experiment on their minds in remarkable, vaguely ethical ways. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a, uh, delivery for Deneese Jones.”

Swipe Right. Mabee.

Perfect for avoiding eye contact in the pasta line.

TRINISTONIAN

Announcing another Subpar @ Planning Bullshit concert that

LITERALLY NOBODY cares about!

Featuring: Velvet Vulture — Linen Lion — — Cotton Cow — — Toto — — Satin Snake — — Corduroy Cat— — Silk Salmon— — Yodel Boy —

Prassel Parking Garage on

4/20 4:20 ат

TRINISTONIAN • APRIL 20, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

5

Latest scoreboard finishes off football budget With football team out of the picture, SCAC fans sigh in relief, unison WOBBY BATSON | A GOOD BOY Though the football field’s brand new ‘Boombox’ is the biggest scoreboard in the history of Division III football, coach Jeremy Suburban recently announced plans to erect an even larger scoreboard within the next month. The new JumboTron will boast dimensions of 150 by 300 feet and a sound system with the ability to reach over 130 decibels.

“We are very thankful for the donor support that made the Boombox happen, but I have bigger plans,” Suburban said at a press conference on Monday.

However, the most unexpected part of Suburban’s announcement came when he was asked how the program would fund the new board.

“Unfortunately, the donor support just isn’t quite enough for this one,” Suburban said. “We will have to divert funding from other aspects of the team.”

The funding for the new scoreboard, which some have referred to as the ‘Midlife Crisis,’ will come from the team’s budgets for travel, uniforms, equipment, recruiting and staff salaries.

“There will be some significant sacrifices that will be made so this board can happen,” Suburban said. “I may no longer have a job, but Trinity will be known nationwide for its commitment to its fans’ audio-visual experience.”

Suburban’s public announcement was the first that many players had heard of the upcoming changes to the program.

“At first I thought he meant we would just have to play naked, and I was like, ‘Yeah, alright, I’m down.’ But apparently, we aren’t playing at all,” said junior lineman Mobile Holmes.

Junior lineman Blady Branton didn’t seem too concerned.

With ’boards this big, one might wonder whether the football team is attempting to compensate for something. photo by ISO Bitch, camera monkey

“I mean, I came to Trinity to play football, but I think it will be worth it,” Branton said. “Not to be cocky, but it’s not only about having a rock hard defense and a thick o-line. In order to be the best in DIII, you got be the biggest in DIII. There’s no question.”

At schools with successful football programs — and even at schools with weaker teams — football can perform as a recruitment mechanism for students, whether they play the game or enjoy supporting the team. Eric Spaloof, director of Admissions, did not express any worry that Trinity’s numbers could drop.

“I think the new board will bring even more support for the program, and

ultimately the school,” Spaloof said.

“Everyone will want to come to Trinity just to see the biggest board in the division, and when it comes to attracting potential students, size matters.”

However, when asked what they planned to do without football, players seemed at a loss.

“Maybe I’ll try baseball. They could use a strong arm,” said quarterback Brad Whoeven.

“I think I’ll just go home,” Holmes said.

With the football team gone, another major concern is what will happen to the Bengal Lancers, a fraternity that has traditionally only extended bids to football players.

“Everyone should be relieved to hear we aren’t going anywhere,” said Johnny Touchdown, Lancers’ president. “We might have to expand to, you know, the rugby team or something, but we are here to stay.”

While the team may no longer exist, the Tiger stand band and cheerleading team will continue to come out every game day to support.

“I think it’s important that while we acknowledge that the team was disbanded, that we also continue to support the program and the scoreboard,” said cheerleader Julia Tucker.

Others were not so polite.

“I’m glad they’re gone,” said Thomas Brass, a trumpeter for the stand band. “Now we can finally change the TV channel in Mabee.”

Huge white wall in Coates causes hysteria CORNY HILDEBRAND | CONFUSED A vast, white wall appeared a month ago, bisecting Coates Commons and the food court. This phenomenon has left students confused, starved and aimlessly wandering in search of food and other facilities.

In response to the food scarcity, firstyear poly-sci major Guy Maynard notably barricaded himself into Mabee Dining Hall’s glass meeting room, only exiting to bribe the chefs and exercise his monopoly on cookies every time a new batch was made.

“I don’t really know what’s going on. I just eat at Mabee. Specifically Mabee cookies.

There’s been an influx of people eating here, and weirdo upperclassmen keep trying to bargain with me,” Maynard said. “So I gotta take what’s mine. It’s economics, right? No sharing. You’re not getting in here either, so go away. Mine.”

On upper campus, students have also been struggling to survive. Senior anthropology major Heeny O’Maura was found just before her 8:30 a.m. classes, nursing wounds next to Miller Fountain.

“You know, I’ve started having visions after going so long without food. It’s like, my Old Testament class was right, y’know?

Earlier today I followed what I thought was a horse into the fountain, then it tried to kill me. See, I have the scratches and everything.”

O’Maura paused as she showed off her sticksplinted, mud packed forearm. “Y’know, I dunno what that thing was, but it’s a good thing my natural simian aggression kicked in at the last second. I was all hunter-gatherer, then wham!”

On the second floor of Coates, ethereal happenings also abound. Junior biology major Daedalus Grant has been lost in Coates for almost a week.

“What? Who are you. Have you ever been up here? Can you help me?” Grant looked blearily around Skyline, then pointed at a potted plant. “Those. They told me bathrooms were up here. I can’t find them. I always thought it would be cool to piss in a potted plant, but I’ve been doing it for three days now. I can’t find the stairs down. I only go from plant to plant …”

After speaking, Grant continued wandering in circles, drawn towards a plant every time he neared the entrance to either the bathrooms or the stairs.

When asked about the impact the wall has had on his life, sophomore art history major Jamison Nikolas expressed uncertainty unrelated to the question.

“I certainly haven’t heard anything coming from it. No, no construction, but, uh, that’s to be expected. No breathing! No laughing, either! And absolutely no clear, bell-like tinkling that really, really makes me want to dance,” Nikolas said.

Sweat visibly beaded on Nikolas’ forehead as he declined further comment with silence and vigorous hand-flapping that generally translates to: “Leave me alone, your questions are dangerous and I’ll have no part in them even if it’s your duty to report distilled truths.”

Junior art major Juliette Pogoh was one of the few who seemed to willingly express interest in the wall. She was found peering at the wall and responded with surprising directness to questions concerning it.

“Oh! Yeah! I saw inside there. Through the door! It’s like it’s another world; I didn’t even recognize it! There’s like, some sort of portal thing going on there, its gotta be,” Pogoh said.

Pogoh later requested a second, impromptu interview while standing in a South Hall window, eyes strangely bloodshot in the evening light. Pogoh continuously smoothed down the hair on either side of her head as she spoke.

“What I said earlier? Lies. Don’t worry about it. Side-note, if you ever wanna, say, make a bargain, or ask for a trade for an A on your finals, somethin’ nice. Feel free to direct requests towards the wall. You’ll get heard. It’ll only cost a few fingers, maybe a firstborn,” Pogoh said ominously.

The wall declined to comment on events, though it was asked very nicely to give up its secrets in return for a pinky finger.

Ready to

TRANSFER?

Pathways got you down?

Itching for an ounce of privacy?

Allergic to the cats?

SAVE YOURSELF!

SPORTS

19

• APRIL 20, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

Soccer star TUfit promotes health during finals discusses his Club provides free meditation, yoga and exercise classes for students cancer battle HAILEY WILSON | SPORTS REPORTER hwilson@trinity.edu

Blake Lieberman was pronounced cancerfree in 2009, now starts for the Tigers at goalie SAUL MALEK | SPORTS REPORTER

smalek@trinity.edu

Sophomore goalie Blake Lieberman has started against Trinity’s strongest opponents, but in his 17 years of soccer, his toughest adversary was one he had to face off the field.

When he was 11 years old, Lieberman noticed a golf ball-sized lump on his back.

At first, he wasn’t convinced that anything was awry. He was a pretty active kid, so naturally he figured that the bump was just a bruise from soccer. But the bump persisted for months. By this point, Lieberman had a feeling something was wrong. Two weeks of testing finally led doctors to the conclusion: Ewing’s sarcoma.

Ewing’s sarcoma is an extremely rare form of cancer that impacts about 5,000 people worldwide per year, mainly children and adolescents. The cancer usually occurs in the bone, but this was not the case for Lieberman.

“My form of Ewing’s sarcoma presented itself in a different way, in my soft tissue.

Only about 10 percent of childhood cases of Ewing’s sarcoma occur in soft tissue,” Lieberman said.

Due to relatively early detection, Lieberman was fortunate his cancer had not metastasized. But still, the road to recovery was going to be a long and grueling one for the young soccer star.

“I had the choice of doing either radiation or another surgery to try get all of the tumor out. I had a bunch of MRI’s, PET scans, CAT scans and ultimately had to endure 14 rounds of chemotherapy,” Lieberman recalled.

During treatment, Lieberman was unable to participate in soccer, the game he loved so much. He was home-schooled, and all of that time that could have been spent with teammates and friends was spent in hospital rooms, wondering if he would ever make it back to the field.

“The chemo was awful, to say the least. I lost a lot of weight. My blood cell counts were always low. I was always tired,” Lieberman said.

Through all the pain and difficulty, Lieberman has persevered.

“I’ve been cleared since 2009,” Lieberman said.

Despite being out of club soccer for an entire year, Lieberman joined the local Houston Dynamo club, fittingly, a team whose head coach was a cancer survivor himself. With a sympathetic coach who wanted to give him a chance at returning to form, Lieberman made the most of his opportunity and earned a spot on the team. He stayed with the club team for a bit before advancing up the rankings to play with another club team.

Then, in high school, Lieberman started for his school team while still making time to play club. Now, Lieberman is the starting goalkeeper for a Trinity soccer team that finished the season 21-2. In games that Lieberman started, the team posted a stellar 19-2 record, with Lieberman enjoying a save percentage 78.4 percent.

Lieberman could have abandoned his goal of ever playing soccer again. Thankfully, he didn’t.

Before TUfit was established, students looking to get active would typically turn to intramural sports, outdoor recreation, or the Bell Center. Now, TUfit aims to be Trinity’s premier health and wellness club.

The club offers fun, free and relaxing activities to all students and staff on campus.

By offering weekly meditation, yoga and workout classes, TUfit aims to improve the mental, physical and cognitive health of students on campus.

Sophomore Sarah Gorban is currently the president of the TUfit. Gorban emphasizes the importance of a club like this.

“To me, TUfit is not just a club, but also a safe and growing community of students interested in maintaining and growing healthy lifestyle strategies. College can definitely be stressful and challenging, and I feel that it is valuable to have resources available to reduce stress and relieve the mind and body,” Gorban said.

In years past, the club hasn’t been very active. This semester, TUfit has kicked

“I feel that it is valuable to have resources available to reduce stress and relieve the mind and body.”

SARAH GORBAN PRESIDENT OF TUfit

things up a notch, offering weekly events and collaborating with other clubs and programs on campus.

The club hosts yoga on Tuesday evenings from 7:30–8:30, guided meditation on Friday evenings from 6–6:30, and aerobic fitness workouts on Saturday mornings from 11–12. The club holds weekly meetings and will be voting on April 25 to determine next year’s officers.

“We are looking for a new social media chair, secretary, treasurer and meditation leaders,” says Gorban.

The vice president, sophomore Malcolm Fox, also serves as the club’s meditation leader. The weekly meditation has received

Sophomore SARAH GORBAN, left, and other members of TUfit participate in a free yoga class, one of many classes organized by the wellness club. photo by ALLISON WOLFF, staff photographer

heaps of positive feedback this semester, and attendance is growing every week.

“I firmly believe in our commitment to bring free fitness classes, information on nutrition and healthy living techniques to students, faculty and staff on campus here at Trinity,” says Fox. Brandie Regalado, TUfit’s weekly yoga instructor, has observed a noticeable difference in the energies of the students since they first started.

“They are able to relax faster, sit with discomfort longer and, most importantly, begin to better recognize when something isn’t working for them — physically or mentally,” Regalado says.

Regalado teaches yoga classes all around San Antonio. She’s an instructor at Sweet

Soul Yoga, Yoga on Bulverde, Yogafit and Southtown Yoga Loft. She also teaches private sessions. Regalado believes that yoga is able to help students with more than just flexibility and relaxation.

“Over time, the body begins to change which leads students to explore other ‘impossible’ or ‘unlikely’ dreams,” says Regalado.

TUfit is hosting two events during reading days — they will have yoga and meditation on April 30, and a coffee and tea nap on May 1. Both events will be held in the library’s Tiger Learning Commons.

All weekly events are free for Trinity students to attend. Those interested in knowing more about TUfit can follow @tufit_club on Instagram or send an email

When you remember your mom ordered you a yearbook, but you haven’t picked it up yet.

CSI Cube April 23rd (5-8 pm) Coates April 24th/25th (10-2 pm) Library April 30th (5-8 pm) Midnight Breakfast May 1st

Sports

LET THE GAMES BEGIN • Baseball vs. University of Dallas, Saturday, April 21, 1 p.m.

• Softball vs. Our Lady of the Lake, Saturday, April 21, 12 p.m.

• Golf @ SCAC Championships, The Woodlands, TX, Monday, April 23

Ultimate takes on sectionals in Houston

Men’s and women’s club teams don’t advance but continue to improve HAILEY WILSON | SPORTS REPORTER

hwilson@trinity.edu

The men’s and women’s club ultimate frisbee teams both traveled to Houston on April 14 and 15 to play in the DIII sectional tournament. While neither team qualified for the national tournament, both gave strong showings in the final tournament of the season.

Sophomore Maddy Walshak is the president of the women’s team, Altitude. Though the team placed fifth of six teams, she is impressed by the team’s performance this season.

“Since we did not have any seniors graduate last year and have had six new players join this year, we are having an especially strong season,” Walshak said.

During the regular season, Altitude racked up wins against huge schools, such as Baylor University and the University of Texas at Austin.

“This year, there has been just an overall sense of trust and respect for each other that has grown exponentially since last year, and it’s really helping us on and off the field. I think our skills have developed a lot as well as team chemistry throughout the season, and I’m excited to see where this energy takes us,” said Mia Loseff, a junior on the team.

The team also improved their record on paper, going 4–6 on the season.

“This season we almost doubled in players and focused a lot more on having fun and building chemistry within our team rather than putting our record first. And I think it paid off, because we had a blast at every tournament we went to, and our record improved,” said Sydney Kuhn, a senior.

As the final tournament, the sectional tournament was extremely sentimental. The team has six seniors that will be graduating in May. “The last game on Sunday against Tulsa was so much fun,” Kuhn said. “We fell behind in the beginning, but everyone’s energy was surprisingly high for the sixth game of the tournament. We had our boys team there to cheer us on along with our alumni player, Marissa Torres, to coach us through each point.

We came back and won and celebrated all the seniors who were playing their last game.”

The men’s team, Turbulence, has also had a competitive season. The team snagged the No. 2 seed at sectionals and was focused on preparing to take on the No. 1 seed, Rice University.

“This fall, we beat Rice 10–9 in a huge win for our program, so we will have to beat them again to advance to the next level of tournament play,” says Brant.

Turbulence fell to Rice, placing third of four teams. The season started out a bit shaky according to junior Axel Anderson, one of the team captains.

“We’ve had a mixed start to our season.

We kind of got clapped the first tournament we went to this semester, but in the [last] tournament we had a much more competitive showing,” Anderson says.

Both programs are young, and ready for next year’s season.

“This team has gone from the ground up during my time here,” said Kuhn, who will be staying on the team as she pursues graduate studies at Trinity. “Altitude started out with just a few motivated girls, and now we have almost 20 players, and we are all great friends. Ultimate is about having fun and competing with spirit and when that is priority number one, everything else falls into place.”

Senior CAT O’SHEI, captain, warms up at practice. photo by ALLISON WOLFF, staff photographer

Trinity lacrosse falls to Baylor in quarterfinals After moving to more elite conference, club team reaches postseason for first time in seven years ANTONIO PEDRAZA | SPORTS REPORTER

apedraza@trinity.edu

The Trinity University lacrosse club was in action over the weekend in Waco for their first round of the regional tournament. This was the program’s first appearance in the postseason in over seven years.

The game was a thriller for lacrosse standards, with constant score changes and a dramatic finish. Unfortunately, the Tigers were unable to finish the job, falling 11-15.

“The team played very well. We led for the majority of the game. We lost, but I was proud of how well we played,” said Ben Mulford, a senior and team captain.

Although the result was not what the team had wanted, many of the team members remained positive looking towards the future.

“I’m pretty sad, but overall it was a good experience. The team had a lot of growth throughout the course of the season, and I’m excited to see what the future has in store,” said Henry Vogt, a junior.

The lacrosse program is on an upward trend. This year, the team moved to a new, more competitive conference, the Lone Star Alliance.

“It was a good first run in the playoffs.

We could not have done it without the coaching staff and players that dedicated themselves to our cause. I’m excited for

LEFT: Junior COLE JACKSON practices leading up to the game against Baylor. It was the first time in seven years that lacrosse reached the postseason RIGHT: Senior STEPHEN CHANG runs at practice. After holding the lead, the team would lose 11-15. photos by ALLISON WOLFF, staff photographer

next season because I feel like we’ll be even better,” said Cole Jackson, a junior.

The program was started in 1989, but has experienced substantial growth in recent years, with a full coaching staff and a 35 man roster.

“There is a bright future for our program.

The first big step was hiring a knowledgeable coaching staff. This is hard to come by

because in south Texas, the sport isn’t as popular like in the northeast. The team is also a lot deeper than in years past, so I’m excited to see the team’s future development under this coaching staff,” Jackson said.

While many of the current upperclassman have been important in the team’s growth, faith is in the younger players’ abilities to keep the forward momentum.

“We have a lot of young talent which will really help to stabilize the program to achieve sustained success, we also have a great keeper in Trey Foster,” said Vogt.

Mulford agreed.

“We are going to continue to make progress,” Mulford said. “We have a good group of leaders coming up and a solid freshman class. We are on the up and up.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT • APRIL 20, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

Cendrillon Review

An operatic reimagining of the Cinderella story GEORGIE RIGGS A&E CONTRIBUTOR griggs@trinity.edu

“Cendrillion” adds little to the well-known and beloved fairy tale “Cinderella.” But that didn’t seem to be its goal, at least judging by Trinity’s rendition last weekend. A short, concise opera comprising of three acts, “Cendrillion” maintains the essentials of the fairy tale’s plot, but adds the chance to admire some fun costuming and lighter opera singing. Maybe more critical to the busy cultural schedule of Trinikids, it was probably much shorter than whatever was on in the Stieren, freeing up more time for the weekend.

Following the central Cinderella, the play takes on a lighter note by adding a somewhat Shakespearean note of mistaken identity, with Prince Charmant disguising himself as a beggar and his chamberlain as the prince. Cinderella and the real prince meet in the first scene of the opera, neither of them knowing the other’s real identity. The chamberlain, meanwhile, comically basks in the misguided attention from princess-hopefuls, as the real prince remains ignored, trying to find a woman to love him without knowing of his title.

The other major deviation sees the evil stepmother becoming a rather bumbling, chaotic neutral stepfather. This formed an interesting depiction of gender, as Cinderella often does.

Instead of three conniving women pitted against our heroine, there were only two, the stepsisters.

Even though the sisters were still comically bratty, the mixture of the opera’s tone and charming

performances from Sarah Hadsell and Kiyana Saidi-Nejad made them feel like more fresh and interesting takes on the old characters.

Neither of these changes made a real transformation on the plot, because at the end of the day, “Cendrillion” is just “Cinderella” in operatic clothing. Honestly, the singing was, I’m sure, technically very good, but not the focal piece of the performance for me. I know that the singing is probably really the point of an opera but I was much more captivated by the pretty costumes and the over-the-top plot, which was helped by a partially non-actor cast. Though there was a quite a bit of overlap with frequent performers from theater, it was also cool to have the choir aspects brought in, making it feel like a bit of an amalgamation, though in a smaller package than both.

This was my first opera at Trinity to attend, and I was pleased at how short it was. I don’t mean that in a snide way— the performances were all great, the production value was clear in the costumes, and the play was overall very funny. While all three can equally be said about most Trinity Theatre productions, their length and entry fee often makes them a hard sell for students. This, on the other hand, in the smaller and more lowkey setting of the Ruth Taylor Recital Hall, brought only about two thirds of an audience out against the second night of “Lystistrata.” However, they had the forethought to post a live recording of shows from both Friday and Saturday night to Facebook, which many that might have ventured over to “Lystitrata” may have used to catch up.

While not exactly comparable to a dramatic play or musical since the technique of the singing was more the centerpiece, “Cendrillion” still served as an example of a good, concise storytelling that takes place in under 90 minutes, something that becomes important when it’s 7 or 8 p.m. on a Saturday Night. I’m sure the play or whatever was good too, though.

The

LEEROYS

2018 LeeRoys Award Recipients

Excellence in Service Program of the Year:

Sigma Theta Tau

Tigers TUgether: Collaborative Program of the Year:

Vietnamese Student Association

Diversity & Inclusion Program of the Year:

TU Latino Association

Promotion & Social Media Award:

Gamma Chi Delta

TU Spirit & Pride Award:

Prowlers Dance Team

Tigers on the Rise - Emerging Student Group:

Mock Trial Club

Advisor of the Year:

Dr. John Hermann, Mock Trial Club Fraternity & Sorority Standards Champions:

Fraternities: Bengal Lancers; Omega Phi Sororities: Alpha Chi Lambda; Gamma Chi Delta USO Student Organization of the Year:

Trinitonian

RSO Student Organization of the Year:

Black Student Union

Earn Your Stripes Distinction Alpha Chi Lambda Alpha Phi Omega Bengal Lancers Black Student Union Chi Beta Epsilon Delta Sigma Pi Gamma Chi Delta Kappa Kappa Delta Mock Trial club Omega Phi

Sigma Theta Tau SPURS Sorority Student Ambassadors Student Government Association Student Programming Board TEACH Trinity Diversity Connection TU Latino Association TUVAC Vietnamese Student Association

• • •

16

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • APRil 20, 2018 •

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Lysistrata: Sex, togas, and social change

The latest theatre show offers laughs, phalli and stunning costume design

DANIEL ROTHSCHILD A&E REPORTER drothsch@trinity.edu

The Trinity University theater department raised the curtain last Friday on the last mainstage production of the Spring semester: Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata,” adapted for the modern stage by Ellen McLaughlin and directed

by Stacey Connelly.

The ancient Greek play is at its core a deeply misogynistic text, but in general, modern readings of the narrative interpret the story as that of women in antiquity exercising their agency by turning their marginalized role as mothers and home-keepers on its head and using their sexuality to end the Peloponnesian War. Even with this interpretation, the play is, and always was intended to be, a comedy.

Trinity’s production of the ancient play was riddled with meta humor, drawing attention to the form of the production. It seems like most of these jokes were added by the theater department, rather than McLaughlin’s adaptation. In a framing device in the beginning, the two-person Greek Chorus walked down from the back of the house and complained, “We only have 45 minutes to do this?”

“It usually takes an hour and a half!”

“There’s some lecture scheduled to be in here after this.”

In addition, the stage managers came onto stage more than once.

There was a haunting phallic presence in the details of the set, from the penis-shaped ornamentation that bordered the Athenian architecture to the two round shrubs on either side of a priapic tree near the Parthenon off in the distance. The phallic presence of the set was mirrored by the costuming that gave the erection scene in Anchorman a run for its money in terms of vulgarity. During the performance, an older couple in the front row with embarrassed hysterical laughter.

The latter is actually in accordance with the tradition of performance in ancient Greece.

Similarly to the way Greek stage performers would wear large, exaggerated masks to help their emotions read to the audience members stuck in the nosebleed seats, costuming for Lysistrata specifically included huge strap-on erections, to project the players’ massive and frustrated arousal.

There are hints that the anti-war sentiment of the play is meant to be applied to the political climate of 2018. On what we’re being told is the brink of World War Three, it’s hard to watch a play about anti-war activism without reading it as an allegory, and Trinity University’s Lysistrata utilizes a few different methods to further lead viewers to that conclusion.

On the poster, that I’m sure you’ve seen by now hanging in nearly every building on campus, three nude statues of Greek women stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity. The one on the far left wears a pussy hat, an icon of 2017’s Women’s Marches.

At curtain call, in place of bows, the actors stood in a lineup and each presented a poster the likes of those seen at recent protests and rallies.

It’s ambiguous as to which rally specifically they came from. Some seemed to be from a women’s

The women of Lysistrata stand with the changing tide of society. photo by STEPHEN SUMRALL-ORSAK

march, some alluded to the anti-gun protesting that was seen in the wake of the Parkland High School shooting, and others were less direct, with messages like “science, not silence” or “not usually a sign guy but geez.”

The vagueness as to which current political movement the performance was linking itself to worked in the production’s favor, as it illustrated the many ongoing issues that amount to the largely distressing political climate of America in 2018. The play offered us many possible relations that can be drawn between the narrative of a protest and the issues of today, but didn’t really push any single one, but didn’t suggest that the protesting methods of Lysistrata be implemented to modern protests either.

Rather, it offered a narrative of a group of women banding together and using their subjugated roles in their society to call for a change.

This encompassing message was solidified by the final image of the actors standing shoulder to shoulder in solidarity, holding up their signs from a handful of different protests over the last two years.

At the center of them, Lysistrata stood, holding a sign that read, “this is what democracy looks like,” the only poster among them that was seen onstage earlier in the play.

In addition to that, this play provided a lot of what my mother used to call “potty humor,” and then when I got older, “sophomoric humor,” yet I left the theater feeling all the more cultured for it.

The final performances of “Lysistrata” will take place this week on April 18–21 in the Ruth Taylor Fine Arts Center in the Stieren Theater. Tickets can be bought the day of or ahead of time during regular business hours at the box office.

COME HOME IN STYLE.

Newest trailer for “The Incredibles 2” brings joy

“Rampage,” the Rock’s second game-to-film, is sadly a reality

The universally loved and acclaimed animated superhero flick is getting its longawaited sequel and it’s looking really good.

The most marketable man on earth Dwayne Johnson’s newest film made over $34 million dollars, and yeah, it’s as dumb as the title sounds.

AE &

Soccer Mommy dives deep into heartache

The Tennessee native performed at the 502 Bar and delivered a moving performance

JULIA WEIS MANAGING EDITOR jweis@trinity.edu

“Chill but kinda sad” is the self-described music style of Soccer Mommy, a Nashvillebased indie group that came to San Antonio for the first time last weekend. Lead singer and songwriter Sophie Allison writes lyrics that cut like a knife, singing about raw emotion and heartbreak, something that any sad college student can relate to.

Soccer Mommy is mid-tour for their new record “Clean.” The album has received stellar reviews by people far more qualified to review music than I am. In fact, there’s really not much that I can say about them and the other pioneering, women-led rock groups that hasn’t already been said. But what I want to talk about is my experience watching one of my new favorite bands perform live.

I saw Soccer Mommy live in Houston sometime in February, so I knew what to expect from this concert. At that point, I liked their music, but wasn’t the kind of fan that knew every song and followed Allison and her boyfriend/guitarist bandmate on Instagram (like I am now). After listening to them and other female-fronted indie rock bands, I was stoked to see they were coming back to Texas, and only a short Uber ride away from campus.

I was initially going to go with my friends who are much more well-versed in alternative and punk music, but I ended up being the only one free that Saturday night. I showed up to the 502 Bar, got my X’s marked on my hands and walked in with my T-shirt, shorts and Chacos. The bar is very small and intimate, making it a cool venue for a live music show. I was really excited when I realized how close I would be to them. I was less excited when I realized how close I would be standing to random guys trying to talk to me. Maybe I’ll write another article one day about concert etiquette.

Madeline Kenney opened for Soccer Mommy and got everyone in the mood to rock out. I hadn’t heard of her before, but I liked her sound — the same kind of emotional, guitar-driven indie rock that I liked about Soccer Mommy. The Oakland-based artist also said she had a “piece of advice” for the audience: “Women aren’t a genre of music.”

Both Kenney and Allison mentioned their frustrations with the music industry, and how women guitarists and songwriters aren’t held to the same standards as men.

They want their music to be appreciated for their talent, not just because they’re women.

Beyond that, Allison sings about heartbreak, misery, growing up and finding out who she wants to be. Her lyrics go from crying out to angrily asserting herself.

Allison’s voice is unpolished, emotional, yet clear — reaching out into the void to anyone who wants to listen. It’s complimented perfectly by Julian Powell, her guitarist, as he strums gently in the background.

As I stood only a few feet away from Soccer Mommy, I felt like I was taking a looking glass to Allison’s heart. It was as if she was looking right at me and opening up her wounds.

SOCCER MOMMY captivates the audience with her emotionally powered lyrics. photo by JULIA WEIS

On Saturday night, Soccer Mommy performed some of my favorite songs that both break my heart and make me feel whole. In “Waiting for Cars,” Allison sings, “I want to know what’s real/What’s been purified to heal/My wounds.” One of their latest songs, “Still Clean,” reminisces about the end of a summer fling, saying “[you] left me drowning/Once you picked me out your bloody teeth.”

As I stood in the crowd, smiling, singing along and swaying to the gentle music, I thought of how universal the feelings

of heartache and suffering are, and how grateful that someone was brave enough to add a guitar, bass and drums to her deepest, most personal thoughts.

I highly recommend looking into the new wave of indie and rock music by women, if you aren’t familiar with it. Some of my favorite bands besides Soccer Mommy are Snail Mail, Chastity Belt and Vagabon.

And of course, to give credit where credit is due, I’d like to thank my cool, longhaired friend from Nashville for showing me this music.

Cardi B’s first album shocks and awes the haters The hip-hop sensation’s latest project proves to bring the same confident attitude as her previous songs DANIEL ROTHSCHILD A&E REPORTER drothsch@trinity.edu

“Is she a stripper, a rapper, a singer?”

Cardi B raps about herself on “Drip,” the second song on her new album “Invasion of Privacy.” This is a kind of startedfrom-the-bottom statement that actively acknowledges the speed with which her now-we’re-here came. Cardi B has only been actively releasing music for less than three years, and already she is one of the most sought-after names in rap music as far as performance and a frequently heard voice on pop and hip-hop radio stations. Her rise to fame happened with such speed that she has yet to experience a transitory stage, melding together her past career as a dancer with her current success.

Even though it happened fast, a lot has changed for Cardi B since the release of her first LP-length mixtape, “Gangsta Bitch Music Volume 1” in the spring of 2016.

She was already famous two years ago but not nearly to the magnitude that she is now.

The Bronx rapper’s rise to the top started in 2015 when she was signed on for a season of VH1’s “Love and Hip Hop.” She quickly became a fan favorite in accordance with her over-the-top persona and stayed for another season before dropping the program in 2016 to focus more fully on her music career.

Although “Love and Hip Hop” offered her a platform and a certain amount of fame, her career really took off after she left. The climate in 2016 allowed a plethora of newcomer hiphop acts to reach the mainstream. Among the tattooed faces of Soundcloud rappers, 2016 also brought the all but forgotten trio of Migos back into the spotlight, one of whom Cardi B got engaged to that year.

Offset and Cardi B are currently expecting a child together, but her pregnancy hasn’t stopped her from performing a very acrobatic Coachella set earlier this week.

Cardi B’s face can be seen on any social media outlet in one of a million contexts.

Most frequently, she appears as the poster woman for Fashionnova, The brand of reasonably priced clothing that from what I can tell only exists in corporately promoted Instagram content.

Earlier this month, the rapper released her first non-mixtape album, “Invasion of

Privacy,” to widespread critical acclaim. The New York Times reported that Cardi B has become the fifth female woman to debut a rap album at number 1, following in the footsteps of foundational women in hiphop like Lauryn Hill, Foxy Brown, Eve and one-time collaborator Nicki Minaj. Perhaps more gratifying is that in the process of

“Her lyrics on this song as well as most of her others are aggressive in a way that makes the listener feel powerful.” sliding into the top slot she beat out Thirty Seconds to Mars, the washed-out altrock band fronted by accused abuser Jared Leto, as well as XXXtentacion, a musician whose entire mythos revolves around his history of abusive violence, highlighted by the young rapper’s systemic abuse of his pregnant girlfriend. Other than the above-mentioned garbage men, even the immaculate Abel’s “My Dear Melancholy” moved down to number two after Invasion of Privacy was released.

The first single released from the album was also a smash hit. “Bodak Yellow” peaked at number one on the US Billboard and garnered Cardi institutional attention, winning the 2017 BET award for Single of the Year. It was also nominated for two Grammys, although she lost both to Kendrick Lamar. The song features Cardi B musing on the flow of fellow A-lister Kodak Black, from his single “No Flocking,” but its success outweighed that of “No Flocking” almost as soon as it hit the radios. Her lyrics on this song as well as most of her others are aggressive in a way that makes the listener feel powerful. Not in the same way that say, Eminem might have aggressive or violent lyrics that reflect a masculine projection of unprocessed emotions, but in a more lovable fuck-the-haters way.

Other notable songs from the album include “I Like It,” which features a sample of Pete Rodriguez’s “I Like It Like That,” which if you don’t recognize in print you would recognize by sound. The song features a Boogaloo trap beat and two rappers who perform verses in Spanish. The final song, “I Do,” features SZA, off of the summer’s widely bumped “Cntrl,” and is produced by Murdabeatz. The hook, sung by SZA, is an unapologetic approach to leaving a prospect on read, ending with “I do whatever I like, I do, I do” playing on the ritualized statement of matrimony, only here she uses it to express her aggressive individuality, but Offset was already aware of that.

11

WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • APRIL 20, 2018 •

Resident Assistants help Trinity students feel at home MAGGIE LUPO | PULSE REPORTER mlupo@trinity.edu College can be really awesome because students live away from home and away from parents, with a roommate their own age. But college can also be really difficult for those exact reasons. Unexpected problems are bound to arise; when they do, Resident Assistants (RAs) at Trinity are ready to help.

Trinity RAs are more than just problemsolvers, though. They have to be therapists, rule-enforcers and advisors too. The duties of an RA vary depending on the situation, which means that they also must be adaptable.

Ben Brody, sophomore RA in the firstyear area, explained that the RAs’ principal responsibility is to help ensure students’ social success.

“It’s our job to assist new college students with the transition from home life to college life, which essentially entails personal development, questioning what you know and finding your own voice,” Brody said.

The way RAs carry out this main goal looks different depending on the time of year.

“In the beginning of the year — as in, New Student Orientation and adjusting to classes — I spend a lot of time each day with residents as a group and individually, asking probing questions, helping them go through their own thought process, making their own sort of discoveries, and I spend a LOT of time walking from place to place

SOPHIA ARRIAZOLA talks about her duties as a resident assistant. photo by STEPHEN SUMRALL-ORSAK, staff photographer

with people, showing them the campus and helping them find their bearings,” Brody said.

As the year progresses, RAs in the firstyear area start to take a less active role in residents’ lives as friend groups start to settle in and first-years start to get their feet under them. This is when RAs must strike a balance between ‘active’ and ‘passive’ programming.

“In addition to the proactive one-on-one [meetings] that we do, we have bulletin boards and posters that we put up that have much more subtle advice, like spring break

PULSE

safety tips, or relationship advice. RAs are college students too; we don’t always have all the answers, which is why we’re required to — and make it a point to — cite our information from where we get it online,” Brody said.

Aside from their academic and social success programming, RAs have more rule-enforcing and administrative-type duties. They complete ‘rounds,’ or patrols, of their section of campus.

One RA is on rounds every weekday night, and two RAs are on rounds every weekend. They aren’t actively looking to bust anyone, but they are obligated to report policy violations when they see them.

Though rounds and other rule-enforcing duties continue throughout the school year, towards the end of the second semester, RAs take even more of a step back from first-years in terms of social and academic guidance. Sophia Arriazola, a senior RA in the first-year area, explained that the first-years are usually ready for this step back.

“As the year ends, we’re expecting them to be more independent people and ready for sophomore college,” Arriazola said.

Of course, not all RAs work only with firstyears. Tahlar Rowe is a senior RA for HOPE Hall, where she gets to work with students of all years. She said the experience has been incredibly rewarding.

“It’s really great to be able to get to know people on a personal level. In HOPE Hall, it just furthers that community, because you not only know people as your residents, but you also know people as your brothers and sisters on the hall ... I’ve never lived anywhere else but HOPE hall, so clearly I’m very in love with HOPE Hall,” Rowe said.

All three RAs praised the job as one of the most enriching experiences that they’ve had at Trinity.

“Being an RA is the most valuable thing I have done at Trinity, and the most valuable thing anyone can do at Trinity as a student,” Brody said. “I get to experience all the joys of parenthood, of mentor-ship, of sibling-hood … It’s like being an older sibling without fighting all the time or having to share things.

You create a sense of community, you give advice in tough situations and you get to help someone’s experience be better than yours.”

Arriazola also enjoys helping and watching her residents grow and mature.

“I’ve been in the first-year area [for three years], so the first-years that I had my very first year on ResLife are juniors, about to be seniors ... It’s really cool to see the growth and development, and some of them will still come back to my room or still hang out ... When they come back and they’re like ‘I’m doing great now,’ or ‘you really helped me with this,’ that’s just really rewarding,” Arriazola said.

Rowe appreciates the connections she has been able to form with her residents. “[My favorite thing is] being able to establish relationships with students, especially my first-years,” Rowe said. “I’m a resource — when they have questions they can easily come to me and be able to ask me, and I can answer questions. And if I can’t [answer them], I can figure out who can answer the questions for them. [It’s] kind of being like a mentor.”

While being an RA is one of the most difficult jobs on campus, a great RA can make a difference in a student’s college experience.

through social channels. Applicants should be proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, Mac OS, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Microsoft Office and Google sharing software.

Duties may include HTML email creation and social content creation.

The Creative Digital Communications Intern will receive $7.25 per hour. The position will be active from May 7 to Aug. 10, and will not exceed 15–20 hours a week. For more information, contact Monica Ramirez at (210) 999-7472 or mramire1@trinity.edu.

events to the web calendar and other duties as requested. Applicants should be proficient in typing and proofreading, and should have a basic knowledge of web programming.

Applicants must submit a resume and any sample work.

The Web Services Intern will receive $9.50 per hour. Interns will work 20 hours per week during the summer and 10 hours per week during the semester. The position will be active beginning May 14. For more information, or to apply, contact Emily Stumme at (210) 9998495 or estumme@trinity.edu.

Help wanted: Summer jobs on campus Dying to stay at Trinity over the summer? Here’s what’s left AMBER ADICKES | PULSE INTERN addickes@trinity.edu As the spring semester nears its end, some may be realizing they don’t want to leave Trinity after all. For those who wish to stay in sunny San Antonio for a few more months — and make some extra cash — plenty of summer employment opportunities are still available.

STUDENT ASSISTANT IN RISK MANAGEMENT & INSURANCE Risk Management and Insurance is seeking a professional, detail-oriented student to work over the summer. Duties include filing, answering the phone, assisting walk-ins, creating and printing file labels, populating spreadsheets and other duties as assigned.

Pay for this position will be $7.25 per hour. For more information, or to apply, contact Alexa Johnston at (210) 999-7815 or ajohnst2@trinity.edu.

STUDENT ASSISTANT IN INFORMATION & TECHNOLOGY SERVICES Information Technology Services is seeking a positive, polite student to assist administrative staff in daily office administrative duties.

Tasks will include answering telephones, faxing, filing and running errands on campus.

Student assistants will also greet office guests, answer questions and direct guests to proper individuals. Applicants must have proficiency in Microsoft Excel.

Pay for this position will be $7.25 per hour.

Student Assistants may work up to 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, or to apply, contact Leticia Argueta at (210) 999-7430 or largueta@trinity.edu.

STUDENT ASSISTANT IN FINANCIAL SERVICES Financial Services at Trinity University is seeking a student to work in the office over the summer. Student assistants will be asked to enter data into Google Sheets, go on daily mail runs, file paperwork and complete other projects as assigned.

Pay for this position will be $7.25 per hour for about 20 hours each week. The position will be active from May 7 to Aug. 10. For more information, or to apply, contact Diana Garcia at (210) 999-8258 or dgarcia3@trinity.edu.

PUBLICATIONS MANAGEMENT INTERN Strategic Communications and Marketing is seeking a qualified student to manage print and digital content for the Trinity magazine and Impact magazine over the summer.

Applicants should have proficiency in Google file sharing software and Microsoft Office, and should be willing to learn Adobe design software and web content management systems. Those interested should also be familiar with branding and marketing concepts as outlined by the university. Applicants will be required to submit a resume, cover letter and two work samples.

While interns are expected to come with a general curiosity about publications and marketing management, many of the skills needed will be taught during internship.

The Publications Management Intern will receive $9.25 per hour. The position will be active from May 7 to Aug. 12, and will not exceed 20–30 hours per week. For more information, or to apply, contact Molly Mohr Bruni at mmohr@trinity.edu.

CREATIVE DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS INTERN Alumni Relations and Development is seeking a student intern to help facilitate Trinity’s brand awareness and story to alumni

DIGITAL MARKETING INTERN Strategic Communications and Marketing is seeking a qualified student to gather and produce content from the campus community. Student interns will document and report on campus life, extracurriculars, undergraduate research and experiential learning. Student interns will be asked to identify, produce, edit and maintain content in the focus areas aligned with marketing strategies. They will also be expected to meet with individuals and conduct interviews. Applicants should be able to write, proofread, edit content, proficiently use social media platforms and be motivated to learn new skills.

The Digital Marketing Intern will receive $8.75 per hour. Interns will likely work 20 hours per week, and may be asked to work under pressure to meet office deadlines.

The position will be active from May 2018 to May 2019. For more information, or to apply, contact Abel Ramos at (210) 9998406 or aramos2@trinity.edu WEB SERVICES INTERN Strategic Communications and Marketing is seeking a student to assist in the production of web pages for Trinity’s websites. Duties include providing web support via incoming requests from faculty and staff, responding to inquiries, making website edits, publishing

WEB DEVELOPMENT INTERN Strategic Communications and Marketing is seeking a student to assist in the production and modification of web pages for Trinity’s websites. Duties include assisting in developing sites and making modifications to existing sites. Interns will be asked to find solutions to reported issues and bugs, and be a problem solver. Interns should have a strong knowledge of building out dynamic websites driven by PHP and a familiarity with Drupal. Applicants must be proficient in basic web programming, including HTML, CSS, PHP, MYSQL, Javascript, JQuery and AJAX. Applicants must submit a resume and any sample work.

The Web Development Intern will receive $9.50 per hour. Interns will work 20 hours per week during the summer and 10 hours per week during the semester.

The position will be active beginning May 14. For more information, or to apply, contact Emily Stumme at (210) 999-8495 or estumme@trinity.edu.

In addition to these, more opportunities for summer jobs at Trinity may be posted in the coming weeks. To view a complete list or for more information regarding employment, visit the Human Resources page on Trinity University’s web page.

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• APRIL 20, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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Pulse

Conference links religion, climate Speakers prompt the faithful to care about environmental issues GABBY GARRIGA | PULSE REPORTER ggarriga@trinity.edu Music and singing filled a Northrup classroom last Friday as attendees of the Religion and Climate Change conference sang hymns together. In addition to students, community members of various religious backgrounds traveled to Trinity University to attend different lectures and presentations concerning the connections between religion and climate change.

The conference, organized by visiting political science professor John Burke, lasted most of Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. Lecturers included doctors, local community activists, a reverend and San Antonio’s chief sustainability officer Douglas Melnick. Burke organized these lectures to spread awareness of climate change and discuss why faith-based groups should care.

"We're trying to provide an academic exercise to have knowledgeable faith-based awareness of what global warming and climate change is about and how as people of faith we can work together across religions to try to move towards a more renewable, sustainable relationships going forward," Burke said.

The first lecturer, Linda Gibler, presented her analysis of Pope Francis’ book, "Laudato si': A Call to Change." Gibler is a Dominican sister of Houston, meaning she took vows to live a life in

LINDA GIBLER talks environmentalism. photo by STEPHEN SUMRALL-ORSAK, staff photographer

accordance with Evangelical principles and use the principles to address social justice issues. Gibler also works at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio. She spoke about the importance of integral ecology — the mutual movement of human creation and the environment into deeper relationship with God. According to Gibler, "Laudato si' " teaches that destruction of the environment is a result of violence in people's hearts.

“God is revealed to us in creation, so when we lose touch with that, we forget. We forget that God is part of it, and we can treat Earth wrong. When we do that, we don’t avail ourselves to the fullness of God who’s around us everyday,” Gibler said.

Gibler believes that once people undergo a change in hearts, they will be able to diminish

the effects of climate change.“Earth is suffering, and it’s suffering because of humans’ misuse. And we’re called upon to change that. We’re called to love everything God loves and to care for everything God cares for — for our own good but also because it’s precious to God,” Gibler said.

In addition to lectures, the conference also included a luncheon on Saturday, funded by the Academic Affairs office. Academic Affairs uses their funds to promote faculty programs and events that have the support of their respective department chair. David Ribble, associate vice president for budget & research, believes that Burke's conference was deserving of the funds.

"I think he put together an interesting group of people that are looking at a critical issue from different perspectives. So I think anytime we're

having that kind of a conversation on campus that's something that academic affairs would like to support," Ribble said.

Student organizations also held breakout sessions Saturday morning to inform the community on the many effects of climate change. Trinity's Global Health Initiative focused on the social justice aspect of climate change as it affects climate change refugees.

These people can become displaced as rising sea levels overtake the land they live on or use to farm. The club argued that people fleeing the effects of climate change should have a refugee status to be able to seek asylum more freely. With this status, people would be able to gain housing benefits and food assistance.

The club gave an interactive presentation on the global communities affected by climate change, focusing on areas in Asia experiencing rising sea levels. Kira Lalani, junior and vice president of Global Health Initiative, helped organize the presentations.

“We’re trying to bring awareness into the global health aspect of [climate change] and the fact that climate change actually has a lot to do with the global health. With climate change, people are losing their homes and they have nowhere else to go, but the thing is they’re not refugee status so they’re not getting the proper care or recognition that they need,” Lalani said.

The club ended the presentation with time for attendees to contact representatives to advocate for climate change refugees to be given refugee status.

Henna Night teaches about Islamic culture continued from FRONT That message, one of understanding and inclusion, was the overarching theme of the evening. Many audience members felt that they learned something from the event.

First-year Allison Carr expressed her interest in the fashion show, the final act of the evening.

“I actually was really interested to learn about the hijab, and how you don’t actually have to wear that, but there’s ways that you can wear it — all the different styles — I thought that was really cool,” Carr said.

Carr added that although her decision to attend Henna Night was spur-of-the-moment, she’s glad she came.

“It was super entertaining and I feel like I learned a lot,” Carr said.

That’s exactly the kind of reaction that the other co-president, Danyal Tahseen, was aiming for.

“I liked how the entertainment was really intertwined with the learning, and I think people took a lot from it, both educationally and entertainment-wise ... Henna Night is so unique in that aspect. There are so many programs at Trinity already, but Henna Night really promotes that aspect of making sure people learn something about different cultures; cultures other than their own,” Tahseen said.

Tahseen’s personal favorite act was a duo of cultural songs performed live by sophomore Aamu Karla, and a complementary background video synthesizing various aspects of Muslim culture. “[The song] has so much emotional value, and just in light of everything that’s going

on in the world, I think that song uplifts us and reminds us that it’s so important to just be human and celebrate our differences, celebrate each other, and I think that was a great take-home message that I’m going to carry with me,” Tahseen said.

Looking ahead to next year’s Henna Night, Tahseen is excited to expand the program and get more of the Trinity community involved.

“I’d love to get more interest from different groups who weren’t really sure exactly what Henna Night is, but now that we’ve set an example, it would be really nice and heartwarming to see people come forward, volunteer to be part of the show and want to be part of this exciting message,” Tahseen said.

Tahseen invited minority groups throughout the San Antonio community, such as Muslim student groups from University of the Incarnate Word and the University of Texas at San Antonio, to attend Henna Night.

“I’m glad to have been able to expand Trinity’s community through the show … I hope to keep doing that as I move forward towards the end of my undergraduate career,” Tahseen said.

For now, though, Tahseen gets to enjoy the evening’s success.

“I’m so amazed and pleasantly surprised by how well it went. I’m so pleased to see the turnout, and it’s better than anything I could’ve ever envisioned,” Tahseen said.

Interested in joining the Muslim Student Association? Contact Danyal Tahseen at dtahseen@trinity.edu or Nabeel Gaber at ngaber@trinity.edu.

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WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM • APRIL 20, 2018 •

OPINION

Trinity University doesn’t honor the great books MANFRED WENDT OPINION COLUMNIST mwendt@trinity.edu

Trinity University prides itself on being a liberal arts college. This is publicly and proudly displayed all across campus and the university’s website.

A key part of Trinity’s curriculum is the pathways program and clusters. According to the website, “Our pathways curriculum blends the liberal arts and sciences with business and pre-professional programs, enriching our writing, speaking, and problem-solving skills.” During the discussion surrounding the implementation of pathways, many questions were raised.

One strong issue taken with the pathways curriculum is that it made it possible for a student to graduate from Trinity University with a liberal arts degree but without having read or engaged with Plato or Shakespeare — two of the foundational writers much of western tradition either originates from or flows through.

They used to be staples of a liberal arts education that all students of the liberal arts would have to engage with at some point. But not at Trinity.

Trinity offers a simple and inexplicably weak bandage to this issue. To the public knowledge of the Trinity student community, only one class focuses on the classical canon of Western Tradition — HUMA, the First Year Experience of infamy. The one FYE we are told not to take as prospective students by every single student that we meet during the course of our recruitment by Trinity.

Many students agree that this is a problem and show interest in taking a class on the great books. Trinity has two possible courses of action to rectify this issue with the pathways curriculum.

In order for a student to be a true graduate of the liberal arts, they must understand and have engaged with texts and authors upon whose shoulders we all stand in the modern world. If it were not for Shakespeare, Plato, Socrates — the names of great writers roll on — our understanding of the world would be very different. Trinity, from a minimalist point of view, can make taking one great books class mandatory to graduate from Trinity.

illustration by JULIA POAGE, staff illustrator

Reading [the great books] is a unique experience that allows students to understand the place and role we have in the world.

While this would not guarantee that a student will engage with a significant amount of sources of the current world, it would be a step in the right direction.

The moderate action Trinity could take is to add a pathways cluster requirement for the great books.

Essentially students would be required to take three classes pertaining to the great books and western tradition before being allowed to graduate from Trinity. Undergoing this course of action would ensure that students are properly engaged with Shakespeare and Plato

before they are allowed to go into the world as representatives of our school.

The most aggressive action Trinity could take to remedy this current situation is by offering a great books major or minor. A number of other universities have implemented such programs with great success.

Reading the great books is a unique experience that allows students to understand the place and role we have in the world. The great books act as the synthesized knowledge of the past twenty-five centuries.

In these books, the past of the world is written and the future is predicted. Reading

these books allows us to see how the world was perceived at the time the books were written and that there is nothing new under the sun.

A true liberal arts education is not complete without having read Shakespeare and Plato, and Trinity’s curriculum should reflect this. In a valueless world drowning in the death throws of post-modernism, it is more important than ever that we study the great books and great tradition from which we can learn shared values of our community that transcend time.

Manfred Wendt is a senior political science major.

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Growing into a healthier person THERESA HO COLUMNIST tho@trinity.edu

Sometimes, I almost don’t recognize the person I am now.

Before I got to Trinity, I rarely exercised when it wasn’t required, I always needed some kind of meat product in my food and I never slept before two a.m. I loved it. Not exercising just meant more free time playing video games or reading. I had a deep and loving relationship with chicken, beef and pork dishes from different cultures that had no room for more than a couple pieces of vegetables every other day. Staying up late at night when everyone else was asleep let me enjoy quiet time to myself without thinking about all the future things that I would eventually need to think about, like schoolwork, college applications or what I wanted to do for a living.

So when I was standing in line for Taste of Diversity waiting for free food and a free T-shirt, partly to kill time while waiting in line and partly because it’s the end of the semester and I’m feeling a little sentimental, I realized how different my life is now. I was drowsy because I had only gotten seven hours of sleep instead of my new usual of eight hours of sleep. I was munching on mock-meat chicken tenders from a vegetarian restaurant called Green and absolutely loving them. And just a week before

GREG PAPE greg2u4@sbc.global.net To: Professor Christine Drennon, Director, Urban Studies Dept.

Bobby Watson, Trinitonian reporter This is to provide a response to some of the representations in the April 14 Trinitonian article, “What to expect when you’re expecting to live in San Antonio post-graduation.” I’m an independent residential rental property owner of houses and duplexes in San Antonio, as well as a Trinity alumnus (1976).

While there’s general consensus about the serious lack of affordable housing in many parts of the U.S. including San Antonio, I believe the broad assertion that “renters essentially have no rights in any dispute with a landlord” is highly inaccurate.

Below I offer some links and citations that support this. I’m aware of Dr. Drennon’s as well as local rental industry representatives’ participation in the mayor’s Housing Policy Task Force, which provides a worthwhile focus addressing local affordable housing issues.

While it’s true that most qualified observers rank Texas as among the most landlord friendly states, there is nonetheless a wealth of protections for renters who do their due diligence in learning their legal rights and asserting them when necessary. This diligence often entails what renters — and prospective renters — do before signing a lease or rental contract.

OPINION

A letter for my

fellow Christians: Tradition is toxic Look at the world, our brothers and our sisters, with an open mind and heart ELISE HESTER VIDEO PRODUCER ehester@trinity.edu

illustration by JULIA POAGE, staff illustrator

that, I had finally learned what the renovated Bell Fitness Center looks like. It’s beautiful in there, by the way.

Taste of Diversity isn’t the first Trinity event I’ve been to, and it definitely won’t be the last. But, in some small way, it reminded me how nice it is to try new things. Briefly, I felt humbled because I was reminded that I’m not always right. In fact, I quietly realized that I’ve been wrong a lot this year. I’m not saying that not exercising, staying up late, and eating a bunch of meat isn’t fun or worthwhile — because it most definitely is. What I am saying is that I had preconceived notions about healthy living habits that made me not want to exercise, or try vegetarian food, or sleep at

a normal hour. And when I did try being a little healthier, it wasn’t that bad. That being said, I have to admit that sometimes, if I’m feeling very stubborn, I will stay up until three a.m. before passing out with Netflix still playing on my phone.

So whether it’s about smaller things like food or more heated topics like religion, politics and relationships, try to keep an open mind about what the other side has to say. Try new things.

Push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Embrace moments in which you’ve made a mistake, and admit that you were wrong.

It should also be noted that the Texas Property Code chapter 92 provides an implied warranty of habitability for residential rental property without respect to lease language, and negligent rental owners can be and often are held accountable within the court systems, as well as by code enforcement authorities. It is true that much of the statutory “repair, remedy and deduct” protections for renters are generally limited to those matters that materially affect health and safety; hence, the importance of renters ensuring reasonableness and acceptability of all lease provisions — or omissions — that fall outside health and safety assurance.

With regard to Dr. Drennon’s comment about “Say something is broken in your apartment, and you fix it ’cause your landlord won’t fix it ... Well, no, now you’re in violation, and you’re evicted. You have no rights in that case.” This is inaccurate as a categorical statement, and will depend heavily on the lease/rental document, as well as the rental operator.

Common leases such as those provided by TAA and TAR generally spell out repair responsibilities clearly, while it’s admittedly all over the map with other leases and agreements.

It’s my experience that most rental operators are responsible and won’t jeopardize a good relationship with a good renter over repair issues that aren’t due to property abuse or negligence by the renter. It’s simply bad business practice to incur an average cost of close to $3,000 — repairs and lost rent

combined — that happens when good tenants leave avoidably.

Good rental/lease agreements clearly lay out who is responsible for what repairs, and under what conditions. A well-advised prospective renter should avoid renting when those matters are not spelled out well or aren’t fairly constructed.

There are also restrictions in the Texas Property Code concerning fine print in rental documents, and there are some explicit statutory requirements that certain key lease provisions be prominent and/or in bold print. Texas generally allows wide latitude in what can be included in lease/rental contracts, provided it’s not discriminatory or otherwise illegal. All the more reason for prospective Texas renters to become well educated in this area.

And yes, I believe all adults — even young ones — have considerable personal responsibility for researching their rights and responsibilities before embarking on their first, as well as any subsequent rental ventures.

There is no shortage of credible websites and organizations that can and do help with this. Certainly, renting post-graduation should be a key part of pre-graduation prep modules, and I imagine there’s room for improvement in this area at some campuses. Hopefully, a good summary rental guide/checklist is provided at Trinity and most other local campuses to students who intend to rent and all those who are soon to graduate.

Theresa Ho is a sophomore neuroscience major.

Respected Friends, Colossians 2:8 instructs us to “be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you through an empty and deceptive philosophy, according to human tradition, according to the elementary principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”

I was brought up believing that to love Jesus is to be conservative, but as I have grown closer to God, I have begun to see that much of the conservative Christian ideology I was indoctrinated with is only “Christian” on the basis of tradition, not of scripture.

It is an appeal to tradition that is the core of conservatism. Conservatism clings to a toxic nostalgia, longing for the “good old days.” The modern movement is working toward the restoration of a “great” past that never truly existed, failing to realize that our past as a nation is something that must be reconciled, not restored.

Our savior was born into a culture of tradition and was quick to point out many of these traditions were not based on the word of God. Christ was slow to anger, but when anger rose, it was righteous and directed at hypocrisy and injustice. Let us not, as many Christians have, use the indictment of the Pharisees to excuse the evils of antisemitism, but rather as an inspiration to examine our own religious orders, as Christ did his.

You have no doubt heard the parable of the good Samaritan in which it was the traveler’s own religious leaders who left him to die. He was saved by a Samaritan — the religious and ethnic enemy of the Jews.

It is the Samaritan who is his neighbor, illustrating an important point to us: While people of other beliefs may not be our brothers and sisters in Christ, they are our neighbors. As Christians, it is our duty to to protect their lives and their liberties as we would our own, to treat them as we want to be treated. But we have often shown disregard for our neighbors, refusing refuge to those living in fear, both in the past and in the present.

In putting “America first,” we are putting the interests of ourselves above our neighbors and disobeying the word of God. When we reject others for the “safety” of our own, we do so knowing that Christ will one day say to us, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Matthew 25:45)

It is comfortable for white Christians to ignore the injustices that do not affect us. It is also sinful and shameful. The innocent black bodies slain in American streets are the bodies of our brothers and sisters.

The families who are denied asylum, the trans people who are murdered, the immigrants who are detained, the children who are trafficked, the women who are silenced and the veterans who are ignored are all our neighbors. We are called to love these people in the same way Christ loved us.

Standing against systems of injustice is radical and dangerous.

Radical American Christians such as Angelina Grimké and Martin Luther King, Jr. followed the command of God to act justly,

Let us not use the indictment of the Pharisees to excuse the evils of antisemitism, but rather as an inspiration to examine our own religious orders, as Christ did his. love mercy and walk humbly.

They faced criticism, hostility, and in King’s case, death, yet they knew that “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Grimké and King did what was difficult. It is always easier to “let go of the commands of God for the traditions of man.”

Human institutions, no matter their stated dedication to the word of God, are all corruptible.

Neither the great Sanhedrin nor the Tyron Evergreen Baptist Association is infallible. Neither Pope Francis nor James Dobson is divine. We must allow their influence, as well as our own deeply held beliefs to be challenged.

To my conservative brothers and sisters in Christ, I ask nothing of you but that you ask God to search your heart and break it. Look into scripture and into history with an open mind, searching for the truth. I will do the same.

Our prayer, together, will be that of Psalm 51:17: “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.”

Your sympathizing friend, Elise Hester

Elise Hester is a junior communication major.

...

Opinion

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

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letters to the editor

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

guest columns

Can’t keep it to a few hundred words? Pen a guest column and let your views be known. Please keep it between 500 and 700 words, and give us time to prepare. If possible, submit by Sunday at noon. Email it to Opinion editor Soleil Gaffner at LGaffner@trinity.edu.

FROM TH E EDITORS’ DESK

please note!

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

comments from

They asked, you didn’t answer the FORUM There’s nothing quite like seeing administrators take an active interest in the students’ opinions, then take that feedback to heart.

It’s an unfamiliar feeling. This newspaper staff has witnessed the university embark on at least three major initiatives with little meaningful input from students.

After Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the “Campus Carry” bill into law the summer of 2015, the university held a campus forum to solicit opinions as to whether Trinity University should ban concealed firearms on school grounds. The university already prohibited firearm possession, and the law allowed private universities to opt not to allow concealed carry on campus; SGA’s president at the time stated that the event was merely a formality.

The folks behind the Tobacco-Free Trinity policy, implemented last August, fielded student opinions at one town hall meeting.

But this was held after the administration’s mind was made up — the point wasn’t to determine whether Trinity should ban cigarette and vape use on campus, but to see how students felt about the decision.

Then, in September, students were informed that students living off-campus

TRINICATS Sabrina’s Busy Day

were no longer able to swipe themselves into the dorms. For over a decade, any enrolled student could enter any residence hall, regardless of their housing status; now nonresident students find themselves locked out of their former homes, without being asked how they’d feel about the change.

So you’ll have to forgive our surprise when we saw the university acting so quickly to gather and account for students’ opinions on Trinity’s new dining contract with Aramark.

Hats off to Charles Robles, Bruce Bravo, David Tuttle, Paul Wright, Diana Heeren and the folks at Aramark and on SGA for working to get as much student feedback as possible.

Seriously, the turnaround was lightningquick. Tuttle emailed students on March 31 and weeks later, on April 14, Aramark had processed the data gathered from about 700 students, staff and faculty, and also included information they gleaned from last week’s demonstrations in Mabee.

The undecided elements of the contract include the degree to which the university accommodates for special diets, for example allergen-free and vegan options, details about how Mabee should be arranged and what food vendors should be featured in the Coates Commons.

We spoke up and they heard us: Extended hours across campus, meal-point exchanges and to-go options are on their way. The university is also working to replace the POD’s Grilleworks with a Steak ’n’ Shake and set up food and juice trucks around campus.

We regret to inform you that it seems that EcoGrounds will be replaced with a Starbucks. Of the 76 respondents who asked for a different brand of cafe, 61 specified the only multinational chain that already maintains 10 locations within three miles of campus.

We’ve asked before and we’ll ask again: Why not Rosella or Local?

Still, it’s good to hear that local coffee vendors might serve in Mabee, and vegetarian Trinitonian staff are thrilled to hear that Taco Taco may begin serving lardless beans. There’s plenty to be jazzed about.

If you aren’t one of the 700 survey respondents, we recommend you reach out to the aforementioned administrators immediately. Search your T-Mail inbox for emails from dtuttl@trinity.edu; it’ll be near the top.

After all, it’s not every day that you get to have a meaningful say in your university’s offerings and operations.

BRAD PARSCALE on April 14, re:

Denise Boehm’s April 13 letter to the editor, “I’m not proud of TU”

This is a joke. I went to Trinity for three years. I played basketball and engaged fully in the Trinity experience.

I have hired more Trinity graduates than nearly anyone in the country.

I have never been investigated for any crime. Not one. You are just repeating the same talking points of the liberal Fake News Media. I ran a fully legitimate campaign and changed the way political campaigns will be run in the future.

If you don’t agree with President Trump that is your right as an American.

However if you just religiously follow the fake news media then you probably didn’t receive the same great critical thinking education I received at Trinity.

It was an education that allowed me to reason and see the truth. To see behind the curtain and make choices that are my own.

I am proud to support our President as now a majority of Americans do. Sad to see Trinity, a great school, cave one minute to those that are so uninformed. cartoon by ANDREA NEBHUT, staff illustrator

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Intl. students SGA receives student feedback from and finances dining services exhbition in Mabee continued from PAGE 3 “There was a lot of trouble with elections in my country. Fraud stuff, just a lot of mess.

People were rebelling against the government.

They were burning down houses, groceries stores, big super markets, just everything they could — even churches,” Mencia said.

“People fought against police and that caused the country to become stuck for, like, two months. I was very lucky, for exactly the day I got back for Christmas break it was calm.”

Changes in currency value can also have a big impact on international student’s ability to pay. Depreciation of a student’s home currency or an increase in the strength of the dollar can suddenly increase a student’s tuition.

“When Trump was heading in the elections and eventually won, we did see a depreciation of the peso, and because my father earns his money in pesos to pay for tuition for me at Trinity, our costs skyrocketed,” said Daniela Montufar Soria, a junior international student from Mexico. “Additionally, we had some issues due to insecurity in Mexico, so that’s why we had to move here to the United States. when my father lost his job, I was suddenly unable to pay for my Trinity education.”

The complexity of these issue makes it hard for Trinity to help its international students, especially when it comes to currency exchange rates.

“We don’t have any policies in place that if a currency were to work in favor of a student that we would go try to recoup the money. Currencies rise. Currencies fall.

They are valued differently every day,” said Eric Maloof, vice president for Enrollment Management. “So Trinity does not have policies in place that would either advantage or disadvantage international students during their time at Trinity.”

Montufar Soria intends to take advantage of her role as a Student Government Association (SGA) senator to help enact change. SGA in turn has opened up a dialogue between the administration and international students.

With the help of dining services, Student Government Association created an exhibition to display proposed changes to dining services next fall under the new contract the university has signed with Aramark. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

continued from PAGE 3 David Tuttle, dean of students, initially proposed the idea for the exhibit at a Student Government Association (SGA) meeting on March 21. Tuttle asked SGA to think of better ways to promote the discussion and to solicit more feedback from students.

“I had raised the idea of another forum, but the SGA students said there were better ways to get people’s opinions or to get people to show up,” Tuttle said. “What the senators suggested was that we do something more dynamic, and so the idea for the exhibition came out of SGA.” SGA representatives thought that students seeing their peers would make it more likely to get honest feedback and decided that students were more likely to give all of their feedback in an interactive session instead of taking a survey on their own.

“We thought that if we had other students there, they would be more likely to think,

‘That’s my friend, I’ll go give feedback.’ Also, something more interactive where people can try free food attracts more students,” said Amulya Deva, junior and president of SGA. “We got a decent amount of feedback especially compared to if we’d just done a survey.”

Along with the interactive exhibition, an online survey was sent to students on March 31, and the results are in, according to Tuttle.

Roughly 700 people responded to the survey.

Many of the changes that dining services had already decided on — including togo containers, more flexible use of meal swipes, extended hours — were received well by students. Responses were consistent throughout the exhibit, and although not many differing opinions from the online survey surfaced, the exhibit helped dining services receive more in-depth responses.

“There were certain things we weren’t sure how students would respond to. For example, the Batch 101 concept, otherwise known as the exhibition teaching kitchen,” Tuttle said.

“According to the survey, a lot of students thought that would be really great. However, in the conversations with the staff, they went a step further and asked things like, ‘Could my organization do something there,’ or ‘Could we request certain things.’ ” Tuttle also mentioned that talking with the students affirmed the idea of having local coffee options that could be rotated out in Mabee dining hall.

SGA and dining services have yet to see the full results from the exhibit since Aramark recorded the student responses. However, dining services, SGA and Tuttle plan on finalizing the contract soon.

“Once we get the full analysis back from the survey, we’ll work with SGA to try to disseminate the results and we’ll take that input and work it into the contracting process,” said Paul Wright.

If you would like to become more involved in these decisions, contact SGA president Amulya Deva or SGA vice president Rachel Daniel.

NEWS • APRIL 20, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

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SGA solicits dining services feedback

Exhibit displays proposed changes to Mabee SKYLR MCCORMICK-ISOM | NEWS REPORTER smccorm1@trinity.edu Results from a survey sent to students about dining services options are in and currently being reviewed by the university.

Student Government Association (SGA) organized an interactive exhibition to promote the survey and the new contract the university signed with Aramark earlier this year.

Changes in the contract that were promoted by SGA include featured concepts and artistic renderings of future renovations, a Steak ‘n’ Shake in the POD, a Starbucks in the library and juice and food trucks around campus.

“It was more of an interactive event,” said Paul Wright, director of business operations for Tiger Card. “Instead of talking about it through other media sources, we decided to have more of a visual reference so students could come down and see realistic drawings and ideas and concepts, ask questions to us or the Aramark staff and just to give them better insight into what we’re trying to accomplish with our new contract.” continued on PAGE 6

Sophomore CAROLINE HAGGARD looks at the dining services exhibition set up in Mabee. Student Government Association arranged the event to get more feedback from students. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

USOs ask for Where and why TU students transfer over $600,000 continued from PAGE 3

continued from FRONT USOs include Greek Council, Recreational Sports, Student Ambassadors, Student Programming Board (SPB), Trinity Diversity Connection (TDC), Trinity University Volunteer Action Community (TUVAC) and Campus Publications — both Mirage and the Trinitonian.

According to the SGA budget document, only three USOs are requesting less money this year than they requested last year — Greek Council, TDC and TUVAC. At SGA meetings, USOs present their new requests and reasons for increases or decreases.

Recreational Sports requested $3,698 more money, which is due in part because of increased participation in Outdoor Recreation and Club Sports, as well as continued maintenance of the new Bell Center facilities.

Student Ambassadors requested $35,042.92 — $3,580 more than it requested last year — for additional conferences for officers, more money for giveaways, financing expanded philanthropy and their Future Alumni Week.

SPB requested $37,635 more — it requested $216,202.92 this year — for an increased Welcome Week Concert cost, a spring concert to celebrate Trinity’s 150th anniversary and more collaboration for USOs. Mirage requested $4,257.20 more, which will in part cover the costs of publishing. The Trinitonian requested $6,580 more, partly due to increased printing costs.

Jamie Thompson discussed how SGA gauges big-budget things.

“The senate looks at the overall Student Programming Board budget proposal, specific line items such as the concert, and makes specific funding decisions,” Thompson said.

“The senate is selected by Trinity students — so the funding decisions the senate makes are generally a good reflection of student desires and needs.”

If you would like to become more involved in how the student activity fee is allocated to organizations, contact the Student Government Association president Amulya Deva or vice president Rachel Daniel.

Richard Reams, associate director of Counseling Services, spoke about what his office does to assist students who are considering transferring.

“It’s usually not the main reason why a student comes, but it may be in the mix of their considerations, and so we would talk about the pros and cons of staying versus transferring,” Reams said. “We certainly will not try to persuade you to be here. We want a student to be where it’s a good fit for them.”

Reams spoke about reasons students give for transferring.

“In my 23 years here, the things that I remember hearing about include wanting to be closer to home, and that’s more important for some people than others,” Reams said. “Some want an academic program that we don’t offer.

Some want to be at a different type of university

— larger, or with a more active athletic scene with big games and football weekends. Some want a more intense arts scene, more arts majors.

Some need a less expensive school, or a less academically rigorous school.”

While academic stress is often discussed at Trinity, Reams does not recall it being a student’s main reason to transfer.

“Obviously, the degree of academic rigor here might be a reason for some students to go to a place that isn’t as stressful academically. They might think that’s better for their mental health, not to be so stressed, but I can’t recall anyone saying that was a primary reason why they were looking to transfer,” Reams said.

First-year Alena Friedrich explained her decision to transfer to another university over email.

“Academically, I was really happy at a small liberal arts school,” Friedrich wrote. “But socially, I felt limited at Trinity due to what I perceived as

a lack of student organizations, and I just didn’t really feel like San Antonio was the place for me.”

Friedrich is considering Denison University because of its larger campus and range of student organizations.

“I really like that Denison has a really large campus even though it’s in a fairly small town in Ohio, and from what I’ve read they’re known for having a lot of clubs on campus,” Friedrich wrote. “The other schools I’m looking at are on the West Coast — closer to my Seattle home — and also offer a lot of opportunities both on campus and in larger metropolitan cities like Los Angeles.”

Friedrich discussed her decision with her resident assistant and dean of students David Tuttle and found that they were supportive.

Students with questions about the transferring process can visit the Registrar’s office in Northrup 118. More information can also be found on the university’s website.

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Counseling Services attendance doesn’t Intl. students reflect Trinity’s near-even gender ratio talk financial Male students discuss aid insecurity graphic by LIZ DAY, graphics editor

cultural, societal stigma

Uni has no policies in place that protect students whose home countries experience crises

NOELLE BARRERA | NEWS REPORTER nbarrera@trinity.edu During the fall 2017 semester, 64 percent of Counseling Services student clients were female. This is the same percentage given in the Center for Collegiate Mental Health’s 2017 Annual Report.

While the university has a relatively equal gender ratio — 53 percent of students are female, and 47 percent are male — women are more likely to go to Counseling Services. A reason for this may be cultural stigma against men seeking help with managing mental or emotional issues.

Richard Reams, associate director of Counseling Services, discussed reasons that men might be more reluctant than women to seek mental health support, citing upbringing as a key factor.

“I think the reason is that many of us men, as boys, we’re socialized to be tough, play hurt, to walk it off, don’t be a cry-baby, to take care of your own business. All of that is antithetical to going to the doctor or seeing a counselor,” Reams said.

Reams gave advice to students.

“I would encourage them to think of talking to a counselor as being somewhat analogous to working with a coach,” Reams said. “To use the athletics metaphor: there’s a problem, you haven’t been able to solve it on your own, so a coach — I think of myself as being an emotional or mental health coach — can help you step up your game emotionally and healthwise,” Reams said.

Despite cultural stigma against seeking help, many male students on campus have had positive experiences with Counseling Services.

Sophomore Phillip Trenthem first went to Counseling Services during his first year to seek help with an interpersonal issue.

“I went because I felt like there were things happening in my life that were beyond my control, that I couldn’t solve myself, that I couldn’t talk to my family about,” Trenthem said. “That’s the main thing. It’s a problem that — if I were at home — I would be able to solve by other means, but because I don’t have the same social framework here, I decided to use Counseling Services.”

Trenthem first went to walk-in hours and then began to see a counselor regularly to discuss how to deal with things going on in his life.

“It started as one thing that made me go, and

BOBBY WATSON | NEWS REPORTER rwatson@trinity.edu

graphic by ANDREA NEBHUT, staff illustrator

it ended up being multiple different things and just talking about my life,” Trenthem said.

Trenthem felt that the objective perspective of a counselor was useful in helping him approach his problems.

“I needed a third party perspective, and I wasn’t getting that from my friends,” Trenthem said. “So it helped to get a neutral point of view.”

Trenthem gave some advice to other male students considering whether to make an appointment with Counseling Services.

“It could change your life like it did mine, so don’t really hesitate if it’s something you’re thinking about doing,” Trenthem said. “Nobody has to know either. You could do it in secret if you’re worried about peer pressure or judgment, which shouldn’t happen on this campus but can happen. So you can try to keep it confidential.”

Junior David Menchaca went to Counseling Services to get advice about his decision to change majors.

“The very first time I went to Counseling Services was fall semester. My freshman year I came in as an engineering major, and — as we all know — engineering is a very difficult major,” Menchaca said. “So I was really struggling with the math and physics, and the anxiety and stress was getting to me. So that’s when I first started going.”

Menchaca eventually switched majors after seeing a counselor on campus. Though Reams theorized that the stigma of counseling is what repels men from visiting Counseling Services, Menchaca doesn’t think that stigma affected him greatly in making his decision to go.

“I knew that I needed help, and that was

the place to get it,” Menchaca said. “So I had no qualms about going there, but I can see how stigmas against males and mental illness and seeking help and being open about their feelings would dissuade others from getting the help that they need.”

First-year Nash Evans went to Counseling Services recently for help with insomnia.

Initially, Evans was reluctant to go because he thought his insomnia wasn’t serious enough to be a problem.

“I wasn’t super worried about going, but I wasn’t going for a while because I thought I could kind of get over the insomnia myself,” Evans said.

Evans found Counseling Services to be helpful in dealing with his insomnia.

“It definitely helped me with my insomnia a little bit,” Evans said. “They gave me some helpful exercises to do. It might be worth going back sometime, but at the moment, insomnia hasn’t been bothering me very much.”

Senior Samuel Steup talked about his experience with Counseling Services.

“I mean, there is a little bit of hesitation or reluctance,” Steup said. “Even now there’s a little bit of uncomfortable feeling just walking in and being like, ‘OK, hey, I’m here because I’ve got issues.’ ... Then you get into the hallway of Counseling Services, and it’s like, ‘OK, this is good for me.’ ” Students can make walk-in appointments with Counseling Services on any weekday afternoon between 1:00 – 4:00 on a first-come, first-seen basis. More information can be found on Counseling Services’ official webpage.

No fire can stop

Trinity University has 141 international students from 42 different countries. This variety of backgrounds contributes to the global community at Trinity, though international students can sometimes be subject to financial hardships both here at Trinity and at home due to their home countries’ situations.

“Ecuador’s political situation right now isn’t very good. There’s a lot corruption and a lack of jobs, basically. So what was once something that was safe isn’t because there’s no government funds, like in construction for example, and my dad is an architect,” said Alyssa Avalos, first-year international student from Ecuador. “Of course, I had to be aware of my expenses before, but even more so now because I don’t want my family to limit themselves to keep me here.”

Avalos is one example of how international students can be affected by political stability, which might threaten their families livelihood or sometimes — in extreme cases — completely freeze their funds, like in the case of Lutfi Sun, a sophomore international student from Turkey.

“After a political coup failed, the government started to crackdown on people who were criticizing them for corruption and things like that. The government accused many people of being involved in the coup attempt including my father and two of my uncles, and then they arrested them,” Sun said. “Then our bank accounts were blocked. Our passports were seized, and I wasn’t able to leave the country.”

Fortunately, Sun was able to get a civilian passport and leave Turkey soon after.

University staff and fellow classmates helped Sun in securing enough funds to continue his time at Trinity. While Sun’s situation is more extreme than most, he is not the only student to be almost physically stopped from returning to Trinity.

Sebastian Mencia, first-year international student, was almost stopped by riots in Honduras from both returning home and coming back to Trinity over Christmas break.

GOT A NEW continued on PAGE 6

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NEWS • APRIL 20, 2018 • WWW.TRINITONIAN.COM

3

Where and why Trinity students transfer Students tend to leave for public, cheaper institutions NOELLE BARRERA | NEWS REPORTER nbarrera@trinity.edu When students choose to transfer from Trinity to other schools, where do they go?

Eric Maloof, vice president for Enrollment Management in the admissions department, explained some data collected by Trinity’s Institutional Research and Effectiveness and the National Student Clearinghouse about students who transfer schools.

A cohort study of the class of 2020 found that of the 73 students who left after their fall 2017 semester, 51 students (70 percent) went to public institutions, seven students (10 percent) went to private institutions and 15 (20 percent) were not found by National Student Clearinghouse.

“The vast majority went public,” Maloof said.

The data showed that few students leave Trinity for a similarly accredited private liberal arts university.

Of the 58 students located by the National Student Clearinghouse — 51 who went to public institutions and seven who went to private institutions — 23 students (40 percent) went to two-year colleges and 35 students (60 percent) went to a four-year college. Of the 23 students who went from Trinity to a two-year college, 78 percent have been attending the institution for two or more semesters.

Texas State University at San Marcos and Austin Community College were the primary colleges Trinity students transferred to, with five out of the 58 transferring to each.

Houston Community College received four transfers.

Of the 58 students that the National Student Clearinghouse could find, 48 stayed in Texas. The runner-up state was Florida, where two students transferred. Though there was no geographic trend for where students transfer, the data showed that students often move closer to their home state.

Maloof drew conclusions from the data.

“I would say that this data shows us that a good portion of our students who decide to transfer from Trinity after their first year are typically moving closer to home, the majority are going to public institutions, and [many]

graphic by LIZ DAY, graphics editor

are going to community colleges,” Maloof said.

“The good thing is that we track our students.

We know that the vast majority of them ultimately end up graduating from college. And that’s really important to us.”

The results of the cohort study of 2020 were fairly consistent with the results of a cohort study that took place eight years ago, but these statistics may change in the future along with student demographics.

“Trinity has become a much more selective institution ... We’ve gone from admitting one out of every two students to this year admitting almost one out of every three students. Each freshman class that we bring in is different from the last in measurable ways,” Maloof said. “Over the last few years, we’ve enrolled a higher percentage of students that are more apt

to retain, persist, succeed and graduate here at Trinity.”

The National Student Clearinghouse study does not provide information such as the intended majors or grade point averages of students who leave. However, Michael Soto, associate vice president for Academic Affairs, is in the process of developing predictive analytics models that could potentially identify reasons why students might transfer or leave. Soto is responsible for improving the student retention rate, with a focus on increasing the rate of students who come back after their first year at Trinity.

Soto spoke about what the models might take into account.

“The most obvious variables have to do with registration information. What courses are

students registering for? What combinations lead to the highest rates of difficulty? What grades are students receiving at mid semester and at the end of the semester?” Soto said.

Megan Kruse, Coordinator for Student Conduct and Special Projects, shared information on students’ reasons for leaving that the Dean of Students collects from students’ withdrawal forms.

“Of students who withdraw, about a third say the academic programs they want are unavailable. And then another third, a little under 30 percent, will say they want to be closer to home. They can check multiple boxes on the withdrawal form, so it could be any number of these factors,” Kruse said.

can be helpful if the university has a public safety crisis. He gave a hypothetical example of an influenza pandemic.

part of the community crisis management team helping us make those decisions with an awareness of what the law is is important thing.”

Trinity leadership team is wonderful, and they usually know what to do, but having a lawyer in the room gives you a greater sense of confidence and helps to inform you as you make decisions.”

Bradley said that the transition would be gradual, and the new counsel would still be able to converse with Dykema Cox Smith if needed.

“I suspect what will happen is from now on [is that] calling external counsel will be a decision made by the general counsel,” Bradley said.

Anderson made an online statement to Trinity faculty and staff about the benefits of the search.

“Bringing our day-to-day legal services in house further facilitates delivery and management of all university legal requirements and will result in a reduction of expenses and potential exposure,” Anderson wrote.

Anderson will make the final decision once all the candidates have come to campus.

continued on PAGE 5

Trinity seeks new internal legal counsel continued from FRONT “Legal work used to be more reactive.

If something happened, you would call your attorney to help you with the issue,” Logan said. “The whole concept of risk management and enterprise risk management and how general counsel relates to it is really moving in the other direction. It’s preventative work, where you’re trying to look at risk from many different perspectives, risk being the opportunities to do things but also the risk of your goals getting frustrated or risk of something bad happening.”

According to Bradley, an in-house counsel would be invaluable in dealing with financial issues such as negotiating contracts between departments and outside vendors.

“Contracts are a big part of the day-today life as an administrator. You’re trying to make sure you get the right vendors, right price, right terms. For example, every vendor we use in ITS, we typically have a contract with,” Bradley said. “There’s a lot of legal terminology in contracts, so having a general legal counsel on campus would be very helpful.”

Bradley said that internal legal counsel

illustration by JULIA POAGE, staff illustrator

“We would want a lawyer in those conversations because there are legal issues there,” Bradley said. “For example, could we quarantine the campus? Could we say no one is allowed on or off the campus to protect everybody on campus? And then what are the implications for that? We don’t want the university to do anything that’s not completely legal, so having someone who’s

Bradley also cited “center of attention” events as areas where the university may need legal help.

“There are different types of what’s called ‘center of attention’ events. Sometimes they’re good — one of your professors wins a Nobel prize. But when that happens, you have to make plans,” Bradley said.

“What are our legal issues? Who do we cooperate with? What are the rules? The

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Previously, on SGA: Best Funds Forever This issue covers the SGA meeting on April 16.

CAMPUS CLIMATE CHECK Nick Santulli, senior and senator emeritus, asked for feedback on the recent dining services exhibition that was held in Mabee Dining Hall. Junior senator Julia Shults said it went well and that most feedback was affirming.

Shults added that some students requested making the international line an allergy and diet-friendly line, and perhaps moving the international line elsewhere.

President Amulya Deva, junior, gave feedback on the Muslim Student Association’s Henna Night. Deva said that, though the experience was more political than she expected, it was well-handled and interesting.

Sophomore senator Simone Washington explained that the decision to fund an extra henna artist made earlier in the year was a good choice.

First-year senator Noelle Barrera offered feedback on Trinity Diversity Connection’s Taste of Diversity, saying the lines were long, but the overall experience was good. Barrera also mentioned the success of the Jewish Student Association’s Hillel seder held earlier this month. (Barrera is a news reporter for the Trinitonian.)

Senior and senator emeritus Samy Abdallah motioned to sing a belated happy birthday song to vice president Rachel Daniel, junior.

BUDGET PROPOSALS Each spring, university-sponsored organizations (USOs) present budget proposal requests to SGA. Unlike registered student organizations (RSOs), which receive funds from the student activity fee on a request basis, USOs receive a yearly budget that is funded once for the entire year. Budget proposals will be voted on once all USOs present to SGA on April 23.

The Trinitonian requested $46,650, which is $6,580 more than it requested last year. The increase was caused by an increase in printing costs and a lowered advertising sales goal, among other things.

Mirage requested $46,200, which is $4,257.20 more than it requested last year. Mirage explained that the increased cost was due in part to publishing costs. (Both the Trinitonian and Mirage are a part of Campus Publications.)

Greek Council requested $34,875, which is $1,200 less than it requested last year. The council budget funds Greek U, Greek unity events and Greek Carnival, along with conferences and other opportunities.

OFFICER REPORTS President Deva reminded senators that they do not have to dress in business casual next meeting since they will be making budget proposal decisions and the meeting will be long. Vice president Daniel asked senators to review all proposals again before the next meeting.

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

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Volume 115 Issue 25

8

OPINION

Trinitonian Serving Trinity University Since 1902

A scriptural rejection of Chrisitan conservatism

Trinity seeks new internal legal counsel

11

PULSE

Lecturers discuss climate change, importance of faith

15 Lysistrata: social change A&E through sexual frustration

Henna Night a big hit Muslim Student Association brings showcase of Islamic culture to campus

University creates search committee, pares 165 candidates to three NOELLE BARRERA | NEWS REPORTER nbarrera@trinity.edu Trinity is currently searching for its first in-house general legal counsel. In January, Danny Anderson, president of the university, announced the creation of a search committee.

Members of the committee include Jennifer Adamo, director of Risk Management and Insurance; Jim Bradley, chief information officer of Information Technology Services (ITS); Deneese Jones, vice president for Academic Affairs; Gary Logan, vice president for Finance and Administration; Claire Smith, executive assistant to the university president; and Sheryl Tynes, vice president for Student Life.

In the past, Trinity has relied on the external legal firm Dykema Cox Smith, but an internal legal counsel is desirable both because of price — external counsel is paid hourly while internal counsel would operate on a fixed salary — and also because of the desire to have someone acclimated to the Trinity environment.

The role of general counsel at Trinity is to facilitate legal oversight of the university.

Internal legal counsel can provide training to staff and faculty members on issues including compliance with employment law and Title IX. Smith explained why Trinity is switching to an internal counsel.

“We’ve had external general counsel for many years,” Smith said. “We’ve been with one company that has served us extremely well, and what we’re looking for now is to bring that institutional knowledge in-house so that we have good access to general counsel, somebody who could really partner with the campus partners and collaborate with them.”

The search committee narrowed down the options from 165 candidates to three. The committee is currently conducting on-campus interviews with the candidates and giving them the opportunity to meet with constituents.

Smith said that the committee is pleased with the results of the search.

“We’re really impressed with the pool of candidates,” Smith said. “They’re very strong, highly qualified and highly motivated to become a part of the Trinity community, so the search committee is very pleased with the way things have gone.”

Logan frequently interacts with legal counsel.

He named a number of issues for which the university can contact general counsel.

“There’s such a wide variety of issues and reasons you talk to attorneys, from contract reviews to policy reviews to legal advice,” Logan said. “If you’re thinking about doing something — employment advice, looking at employment issues — there’s a lot going on with many people at the university.”

According to Logan, attitudes towards general counsel and legal work in higher education have changed over the last few decades. continued on PAGE 3

APRIL 20, 2018

Sophomore NATASHA MUPPALA, left, and junior VICTORIA ABAD, right, preformed as a part of Top Naach, Trinity’s Bollywood dance team, at Henna Night. Trinity’s Muslim Student Association organized the event. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

MAGGIE LUPO | PULSE REPORTER mlupo@trinity.edu Last week, Trinity celebrated diversity with a week-long program of events that exposed students to different cultures, identities and

backgrounds. At the end of the week, on Friday April 13, the Muslim Student Association capped off the celebrations with their second annual Henna Night.

Henna Night was billed as “a showcase of Islamic culture,” which it delivered on by

featuring a variety of acts, each representing different facets of Islam. The evening included belly dancing, a short skit, traditional music, Quran chanting, stand-up comedy and a fashion show, alongside delicious ethnic food and, of course, henna.

The event was intended not only to entertain, but also to inform. The opening presentation

by Sajida Jalalzai, assistant professor of religion, set the tone of the evening by explaining the cultural and historical significance of henna as an art and a tradition.

Later in the program, there was also a comical skit addressing the prevalence of Islamophobia on social media. The organizer and author of this skit, first-year Kayla Padilla, explained that the process was somewhat unconventional because she was writing about Islamophobia even though she’s not Muslim.

“I kind of went out of my comfort zone to make it funny, but I didn’t really know how to make it funny … but after I sent it to [Muslim friends and co-actors in the play] they didn’t really have any objections, so we all just kind of [were able to] laugh at it,” Padilla said.

Nabeel Gaber, co-president of the Muslim Student Association and an actor in the play, praised Padilla for her writing and explained that the skit was intended to address everyday issues that might be encountered by Muslim students at Trinity.

“It’s not meant to be preachy, but it does have a good message to it,” Gaber said. continued on PAGE 14

USOs request $636,961.84

SGA to make decisions for university-sponsored organizations’ budgets

SKYLR MCCORMICK-ISOM | NEWS REPORTER smccorm1@trinity.edu University-Sponsored Organization (USO) budget proposals are underway, and this year, the eight groups are requesting a total of $636,961.84. Student Government Association (SGA) is in the process of deciding how much of the student activity fee (SAF) to distribute to the organizations.

Unlike registered student organizations (RSOs) that present funding requests on a monthly basis, USOs present an annual budget every spring. USOs are funded with the SAF for the following year, and however much money is left funds different RSO events and initiatives throughout the next school year.

“The Student Activity Fee is a finite pool of money, so in that sense, yes, most decisions are difficult because a funding allocation for one event will ultimately result in more and more difficult decisions down the road,” said Jamie Thompson, director of Student Involvement and an adviser to SGA. “However, the senate does a good job of thoughtfully examining each request on its own merits, within the larger context of remaining funds in the pool, the impact to the

Sophomore senators JUAN LUEVANOS, left, SIMONE WASHINGTON, center, and ANGEL RAMIREZ, right, sit in on an SGA meeting earlier this fall. The senators are responsible for voting on allocations of money from the student activity fee, including university-sponsored organizations’ annual budget proposals in the spring of each year. photo by CHLOE SONNIER, staff photographer

campus community, the fiscal responsibility of the organization and more.”

When it comes to RSOs, SGA is able to cut specific line items on request forms. For example, SGA rarely funds food, T-shirts or gift cards, according to Hannah Larson, junior and treasurer of SGA. “There really are no hard and fast rules about what we’re allowed to and not allowed to pay for,” Larson said. “The exception to food

would be big cultural events, or when food is central to the event and is a reason for people to attend, and the same would go for T-shirts.”

However, when it comes to USO budget proposals, SGA cannot cut specific line items.

Rather, SGA must fund at least the five-year average of each group. In total, the five-year averages of the USO is $546,592.83 this year. continued on PAGE 5