Trinity University

Sophomore students were on a mission to welcome President Vanessa Beasley as their special guest to leave a lasting mark on their dorm room wall with her signature. A clean room, some hors d’oeuvres, sips and cordial attire were all a part of the thoughtful plan.
Owen Flynn, sophomore computer science major, along with his roommates, Brennan Jimez, sophomore engineering major and Ash Meckel, sophomore economics and geosciences double-major, decided at the beginning of the academic year to create a visitor log wall filled with the signatures of visitors written on name tags. This wall began when Flynn and his friends had many extra name tags from the swim team and found a creative way to incorporate the leftovers.
“Our friend Erin Heath came up with the idea. At first we had counted the names on the wall and we were only at 90-95,” Flynn said. “We decided to reach out to President Beasley to be our 100th. We worked up the courage and drafted an email and sent it to the Office of the President. We got a response really fast and set up a time and laid out some plans to have her come over. It only took about one week to make it happen.”
Beasley’s office staff informed her that there was an invitation from some students asking if she would like to be the “100th visitor” to their dorm room. She said that she was super excited to take on the opportunity and visit.
“At first I was like, ‘Say that again?’ I was grinning from ear to ear when I first heard about it,” Beasley said. “It was one of the kindest things I’ve heard in a long time. I was very impressed by their invitation and the kindness of it.”
Beasley was escorted in a golf cart to Bruce Thomas Residence Hall and two of the students waited downstairs for her arrival. When she reached the sixth floor, there was jazz music playing, a platter of cheese and crackers, champagne glasses and sparkling apple cider awaiting her.
“We all got to know each other, and I asked them about themselves and how they came up with this idea. It was such a thoughtful reception. I stayed for as long as I could because I had a meeting after, but I had so much fun,” Beasley said. “When I was in college, I didn’t think about people coming into my dorm. There was so much hospitality with them. I find something so important in the act of being a good host. When they showed me all the different people on their wall it was a form of storytelling which I was also moved by.”
None of the roommates had met her before, so they worked to make a good first impression. They made sure to have everything in order and prepped for a delightful ambience before the special guest arrived.
“It was lovely to spend time with President Beasley. She was interested in our lives as students and our upcoming athletic events. I can’t wait to see her around campus, and she is always welcome back in the dorm,” Meckel said.
Beasley’s visit to Thomas is in line with her goal to create a sense of belonging on Trinity’s campus. She said she loved to see that students created and found their own homes here at Trinity, literally and figuratively.
“Three words. You are enough. If you came to Trinity and got in, you are enough,” Beasley said. “I hope you meet someone who blows your mind, helps you decide and changes your life. You are enough just as you are. Every single student is here because we asked you to be here. I know that every student here is smart, knows how to work with others and will make good decisions.”