We’ve finally made it. The fall semester is coming to an end along with 2018. We’ve gone through a lot this year as a campus and a nation. Before we hunker down in the library and stress out over our finals, let’s take a minute to reflect on what we’ve experienced during this long year.
The start of 2018 was marked with a tragedy on Trinity’s campus. We mourned the loss of sophomore Robert Foye but celebrated his life and what he brought to our campus.
While 2018 had lows, the year also had accomplishments in store for Trinity. Towards the end of January, Trinity reached a milestone and became a National Historic District. Students also set out to accomplish more this year. We saw our first Activism Fair, put on by then-sophomore Simone Washington to help students become more civically engaged in San Antonio. Students from the Global Health Initiative put on the first annual Health Fair to raise awareness of personal and global health issues.
2018 also brought many changes to our campus. Our dining services were almost entirely reconstructed as Trinity extended its contract with Aramark, bringing us a renovated Mabee Dining Hall and a new system to use swipes at the Commons. Coates Student Center also got a renovation, giving us a hallway so that we don’t have to waste time walking around the building to get our coffee and giving us more couches to procrastinate on.
Our buildings weren’t the only thing upgraded in 2018. Our degrees became more valuable as we let in the smartest, largest first-year class. Just think — by the time we’re all established adults, telling people you have a Trinity degree could mean the same as saying you won the lottery.
If there’s one thing that characterizes Trinity students, it’s passion; in 2018, we saw passionate students be vocal about local and national issues. When Trinity’s Coalition for Respect took a hiatus due to low student involvement, several students banded together and brainstormed how to expand the organization’s reach across campus. In preparation for the 2018 midterm elections, students in political organizations like Trinity Progressives and Tigers for Liberty dedicated their time to register voters and campaign for candidates they supported.
We can expect that 2019 will bring similar opportunities for students to get engaged and for our campus to continue growing positively. 2019 will be Trinity’s 150th anniversary, which will be a time for reflection and celebration.
We hope that you enjoy what’s left of the year — try not to get too wrapped up in the end-of-year stress. Thank you, Tigers, and see you next year.
