VOLUME 118 ISSUE 2 TRINITONIANServing Trinity University Since 1902 AUGUST 28, 2020 5 I’m here, I’m queer ... and 12 Studio art students and professors face 14 Athletic Department undergoes OPINION Catholic. Get used to it. ARTS challenges of COVID-19, virtual learning SPORTS budget cuts but all teams stay Trinity reopens campus to select students reminding and instructing students on proper 967 students are living on health and safety procedures. campus, including City Vista, Outside the realm of housing, Trinity has also introduced a number of measures designed 535 of which are first-years. to minimize and contain the spread of the virus. The University provided COVID-19 testing at BENJAMIN ADAMS | REPORTER the onset of the move-in process, and is installing [email protected] a smartphone-based health tracker app designed to trace the spread of the virus. In order to do this, On Aug. 14, 2020, Trinity University the University partnered with a private health opened its campus for the first time since group, the Florence Medical Group. Murchison spring break of the previous semester. Of residence hall has become Florence’s makeshift the 967 students who trickled into student headquarters, acting as the university’s active housing, 535 of them were incoming first- COVID-19 clinic. years, many of whom had never lived away “Having this separation from Health Services from home. Starting college is never a painless protects the health of students and staff. Within process, and with COVID infecting large Health Services we’re offering tele-medicine for swaths of the U.S., this year’s cohort is faced student patients for whom it’s appropriate,” wrote with an even greater sense of uncertainty while Gary W. Neal, Director of Counseling, Health entering a semester unlike any other. and Wellness Services, in an email interview. The unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 As a result of both individual and community pandemic has led to a dramatic departure from Students check-in for COVID-19 testing outside of Laurie Auditorium. A negative test result is efforts and sanctions, students are faring well in many traditional aspects of campus life, including required for all students and visitors planning to go on-campus, regardless of where they live. limiting the spread of COVID-19. GENEVIEVE HUMPHREYS housing. The university’s three-year housing photo by “It’s early, but they seem to be doing well. Our requirement, initially put in place to foster closer halls enough to ensure a one-student, one-unit Myrtle, as well as Prassel,” said Rachel Boaz public health campaign is working. And of course, community bonds, has been suspended for the housing situation, it led to the further ejection of Toppel, Assistant Director for Residential Life. we’ve all been hearing and seeing messages about near future. Instead, the university has had to students from residence halls. “Sophomores are living together in Thomas and masks and social distancing for several months,” reverse course, attempting to drastically reduce With the de-densification of campus came Lightner. Our main campus juniors and seniors wrote Neal. “Students generally know what they the number of students living within close the dispersal of first-years to areas of campus not are living in North and South.” need to do to protect themselves and each other. proximity of one another. typically populated by incoming classes. Alongside the new single dorms, Residential I am encouraged that our mass testing program This decision led first to the temporary “In addition to the normal first-year area Life has been working to institute a new code revealed a lower infection rate among students, suspension of the three-year housing requirement that we’re used to [Beze, Herdon, McLean], of conduct which will allow for the safest staff and faculty than I expected.” for sophomore and junior residents. When we have also expanded first-year housing into possible interactions on campus. Signs now that decision did not de-densify residence the McFarlin [complex], so Isabel, Susanna and adorn the walls and floors of the campus continued on PAGE 3 CARES funding distributed to students over summer Trinity accepted $1.6 million in HEERF funds in May, 50% of which are legally required to go to students RACHEL POOVATHOOR | REPORTER [email protected] “Everyone was affected by this in some way, right? But particularly, our students with the most financial need were affected the most,” said Eric Maloof, Vice President for Enrollment Management, a direct supervisor of Student Accounts, the on-campus unit in charge of collecting money from and reimbursing students. According to Trinity University’s CARES Act Compliance site, Trinity learned that it was eligible for CARES Act funding on April 9, 2020. Of the total $2.2 trillion economic stimulus, $14 billion made up the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). The University received the first half ($832,754) of total federal funding ($1,665,508) for “immediate” disbursement to students in financial need, as stipulated by Betsy DeVos, U.S. Department of Education Secretary, in a letter informing graphic by institutions of their eligibility for aid. NADIA CRAWFORD An ad-hoc committee formed to discuss Trinity’s CARES Act funding. disburse the money fairly; the Department of funding disbursement to students stated that The committee also determined that they This committee included Christina Pikla, Education continued to release new guidance institutions distribute no less than 50% of did not want to add additional pressure to Director of Student Financial Services on disbursements. the total CARES funding to students with students to fill out applications to receive the and Student Accounts, and Alex Serna- “When the Department of Education first financial need and that some students aided HEERF funding. Wallander, Chaplain. Representatives from gave their initial guidance ... it was as clear as should fall within Pell Grant eligibility. Later, “We made the decision to look at all of the Business Office, Student Financial mud. There was a lot of ambiguity. As much DeVos also specified that the students aided our undergraduate and graduate students Services, Student Life, and the Office of as we wanted to get money into the hands of must also be Title IV eligible. and decided to distribute the monies to those Strategic Communications and Marketing students as quickly as possible, we also didn’t “The committee wanted to determine people who filed the FAFSA for the 19-20 were also involved in weekly conversations want to distribute that money in an incorrect an approach that seems fair and reasonable Academic year, Title IV eligible and had to clarify the Department of Education’s way, in a way that would come back to haunt within the guidance provided by the demonstrated financial need,” said Maloof. frequently-amended stipulations. the University.” said Maloof. Department of Education provided at that Trinity CARES Act committee began The original stipulations from the point in time, and determine how we were meeting on April 21 to determine how to Department of Education regarding HEERF going to allocate these dollars,” said Pikla. continued on PAGE 4 2 TRINITONIAN.COM • AUGUST 28, 2020 • NEWS TUPD BRIEFS Previously, on SGA: Zoom-bombing Prevention STENCH OF MARIJUANA On Saturday, Aug. 22, an officer This covers the meeting on Aug. 26. it, and 30.8% said they would not utilize the license. 46.2% was dispatched to South Hall of respondents said they would use the license 1-2 times a after the smell of marijuana was CLIMATE CHECK semester while 15.4% said they would use the license 3-4 times reported on the second floor. The Junior senator Oliver Chapin-Eiserloh mentioned that there a semester. marijuana was located and seized from the resident. are some Trinity members who are not following the health Senator Chapin-Eiserloh discussed the costs of their two and safety guidelines and signs that were placed throughout license options. A 500-person plan would cost $1,400/yr and a BURGLARY ALERT campus to ensure community safety. He has reached out to 1,000-person plan would cost $3,400/yr. He expressed that a A Trinity student reported her others who are also working on addressing issues of neglience. 500-person plan should suffice. Sophomore senator Sol Rivas car had been broken into at Junior Comm Chair Rebecca Wicker mentioned that the Lopes agreed that a 500-person plan would serve the student Hildebrand. An officer arrived on hybrid classes, classes that are being offered in person body well and help organizations avoid zoom-bombing. SGA scene to initiate the report. and online, should offer instruction that can be heard from voted unanimously to purchase the 500-person plan for FIRE ALARM, CAUSE FOR ALARM? anywhere in the room, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. $1,400/yr. On Monday, a fire alarm was Advisor Tuttle suggested Training and Outreach Specialist activated at City Vista. TUPD Jessica Barto as a contact to reach out to about specific INSTAGRAM RENOVATIONS determined a smoke detector was classrooms. President Jaelen Harris and Comm Chair Wicker opened up activated in an equipment room. their discussion of outreach to the rest of the SGA members. ZOOM WEBINAR LICENSE Junior Senator Nicholas Janedis believes more could be done Senator Chapin-Eiserloh shared the results of a survey to make the community aware of their weekly ‘climate checks.’ STAFF they sent out regarding purchasing Zoom webinar licenses. These climate checks give all Trinity students an opportunity KAYLA PADILLA editor-in-chief These licenses will allow for large events with guest speakers to bring any grievances to SGA’s attention. GENEVIEVE HUMPHREYS managing and prevents “Zoom-bombing.” Trinity Diversity Connection Senator Riveras Lopes suggesested that SGA pick a color for editor (TDC) experienced zoom-bombing a few weeks ago during their logo and organize their Instagram feed a bit more to make JORDAN JURAN business manager JESSIE DE ARMAN ad director one of their trainings, so purchasing a license would create SGA more accessible.