First and foremost, welcome new students, parents and faculty to Trinity University. Our staff here is delighted by the opportunity to share, hear and explore your stories throughout your time with the university. Trinity is a place to grow intellectually, discover your true passions and become a better person overall. But we aren’t here to talk about YOUR personal growth or academic endeavors, however interesting we’re sure they are. We thought about writing this editorial to first years (the politically-correct term, which we’ll be sure to address at a future date) about their time here and the greatness of our school but figured everyone is already a bit tired of that spiel. So instead, we’ll take this time to address something different. After meeting with Trinity’s new president, Danny Anderson, who was gracious enough to lend his time and ear to our staff, a few of his words struck us about the nature of our campus and the nature of our lives “” “the only constant is change.” Trinity, and its community in San Antonio, is entering into a new era, with a new curriculum, a new nineteenth president in Anderson and maybe most importantly a brand new look for the Trinitonian. Try to contain your excitement. We have spent our past weeks staring at numerous fonts, countless color palettes and dismally bright computer screens until finally we reached a cohesive and complete design, not only for our print paper but also for our online site. I say all this because, for first years, it really isn’t anything new. You’ll see Anderson and not think, like the rest of us, of his counterpart in Ahlburg; you’ll see the residence halls and not the fences, dirt and concrete that once occupied their space; you’ll see our paper and it’ll be all you know. To you as first years, there is no other Trinitonian, it simply is how it exists in that moment. And there isn’t anything wrong with that. Come a year or two, you’ll experience changes as well. Students often complain about how the campus is “always changing when I leave” which is inherently true, only because everything is always changing. Such a revelation is equally exciting and intimidating at first. As new students, the transition here to Trinity and the college life is already a huge change from your prior lives. Stepping into a campus that itself is experiencing constant change can leave you gasping for even more air. But in the struggle we often find beauty, whether it be in a progressive and exciting new president or in a beautifully redesigned newspaper. Embracing the changes, no matter how overwhelming they may be, allows those daring individuals to enjoy the ride. We aren’t saying you should simply accept the change at face value and cast away any speculation; in fact you can hate our new paper design or find yourself wishing for a new president. But you simply shouldn’t be afraid. Doing so is not only ignorant and foolish but hinders you from what college, and Trinity in particular, is all about. You may come here with certain perceptions or beliefs about everything from Greek culture to religion, and Trinity as well as your classmates will often challenge those values. Through hearing and filtering it all, amidst the changing community, academics and personalities, your ideas may be further cemented or they may be changed. Either way, being open to the vastly different, contrasting and often polarizing issues and ideas here on campus will allow for what we all really wish to accomplish in our time here “” personal growth into a better person. And despite our earlier convictions it looks like we’ve managed to start talking about personal growth somehow. It happens. We’ll work on it. But we digress “” change, by its very nature, will always be constant. You’ll just have to get used to it.

At the end of the day we’re proud to be a part of such change, even if just a tiny bit. Be open to everything, have fun and study hard. Y We can promise that you’ll love it here.