Somehow, someway, we’ve reached the last Trinitonian issue of the year. Like everything else, Trinity’s campus newspaper has had an unpredictable year full of ups and downs, but the fact that you’re holding this issue in your hands is a testament to the power and necessity of student journalism through it all. (And if you’re reading this in your inbox, a testament to its adaptability.)

Our headlines have been all over the place these past two semesters, covering everything from rat infestations to sports championships to the ever-present effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. We can’t wait to come back in the fall and print papers weekly again, but before that, it’s time to recap the best and worst from this school year.

Best:

In-person gatherings
While “in-person gatherings” encompasses most of what it means to be a college student, such a phrase has never evoked the specific emotions that it does during a pandemic. After over a year of Trinity stretching itself across the globe, tied together by Zoom links, it was amazing for everyone to return in the fall. For us here at the Trinitonian, this meant the news became tangible; we could once again walk up to a new face in Coates with interview questions in hand or attend a sporting event that allowed an audience. Two days before this editorial was published, all of the editors gathered in the newsroom until late at night, reestablishing connections between sections that were lost. It’s so good to be back.

Starbucks
Every Trinity student knows how much of a saving grace Starbucks can be. And probably every Trinity student can attest to the fact that this year has been rough. It’s 10 p.m., you’ve been in a booth on the library’s fourth floor for three hours, you’re losing steam, but you’re still only halfway through your paper due at midnight? Boom, have a brown sugar shaken espresso. It’s 8:30 a.m. and you just trudged up Cardiac Hill to join a Zoom class because your professor might’ve been exposed to COVID and you didn’t want to wake your roommate? Maybe coffee cake will make this situation less terrible.

Dining Services employees
Speaking of food and drinks, we can’t say enough good things about the people who greet us every day at the POD, Mabee Dining Hall, Einstein Bros. Bagels and more. Food services in general have had to be cautious throughout the pandemic in order to serve people safely, and Trinity Dining Services is no different. Even while adjusting to these changes, the people who cook our food and ask “swipe or bonus?” have remained positive lights in our day-to-day lives as students. Sometimes all it takes for a bad day to become a good one is a smile and a pair of chopsticks.

Worst:

The Tiger Card shutdown
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Due to a programming error, all access to student rooms was inadvertently deactivated at midnight last night (8/31).” What a great email to receive at 8:17 a.m. from the Tiger Card Office. Nothing says “welcome back to school” like getting locked out of your dorm room. Due to an expiration date error, all students living on campus lost access to their rooms, but luckily, a quick stop by the Tiger Card Office to re-encode their card was all it took for students to regain access. Quick, as long as you didn’t show up at the same time as hundreds of other students with the same problem.

Omicron
Oh, Omicron. It was simply too much to ask for one semester without the threat of Trinity shutting down again. While the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is less life-threatening than earlier variants, its high transmissibility wreaked havoc on San Antonio and the rest of the country. Our spring semester was pushed back by two weeks to avoid an almost-certain spike on campus that would make the university operationally nonfunctional. For some, this was a welcome extended winter break, but it also posed housing and financial issues for some whose jobs and secure housing are at Trinity. Professors had to cut the curriculum down to adjust to the new timeline, and many students — seniors, especially — had to readjust any end-of-semester plans to start later.

Construction
Need we say more? As if COVID hadn’t sucker punched everyone enough, there just had to be a water leak at the start of the semester. This isn’t anyone’s fault but the pipes themselves, but that doesn’t make the situation any sweeter. On top of the heat and hot water disruptions in residence halls and other buildings on campus, Facilities had to break ground in high-traffic areas on campus. Now, the work encroaches on what was once a peaceful study spot by Miller Fountain, and all we can do is hope that the new or repaired pipes won’t do us so dirty next year.