As you get more settled into the new year, we at the Trinitonian urge you to think about what makes you excited and angry about our campus. We hope that you will see the Trinitonian as an opportunity to engage in thoughtful discussion about campus issues. We do our best to reflect the sentiments not only of students, staff and faculty, but also of the Trinity community members that rely on us for news. We know that we can’t do it all, and in those cases, we want to ask you for help.

Whether you want to respond to a story or opinion column or you disagree with an editorial decision, we would like to encourage you to write into us and share your thoughts with the community. If you have questions or opinions, you’re likely not the only one. With that, we present to you the official grievance policy of the Trinitonian as dictated by the Board of Campus Publications:

“Anyone having a grievance with an editorial decision or policy of a publication under the supervision of the Board of Campus Publications is asked to follow this procedure:

Letter to the Editor

Write a letter to the publication’s editor, describing the grievance and suggesting action for the editor to take. If the complainant wishes that the letter to the editor not be printed in the publication, such a wish must be explicitly stated in the letter.

Write to the Adviser

If the complainant is not satisfied with the editor’s response, he/she may write the adviser of Campus Publications within five academic days of the editor’s response. The adviser will arrange a joint meeting of the involved staff persons and the complainant in order to resolve the situation or, if the complainant wishes, the adviser will meet with the complainant only. The results of such meetings will be documented for the Board of Campus Publications, the complainant and the editors involved.

Present to Board

If the complainant is still not satisfied and wishes to take his/her case to the Board of Campus Publications, he/she may do so by writing the chair (or, if one has yet to be elected, the convener) of the Board of Campus Publications within five academic days of the meeting with the adviser. If the complainant wants a response from the committee, that wish must be explicitly stated in the letter.

Discussion with Board

4. The chair will arrange for the complainant’s grievance to appear on the next agenda of the Board of Campus Publications meeting. The complainant may be present at the meeting (notified by the adviser). The Board will respond to the complainant within five days of this meeting.”