Tennis Tables

One of two tables presented to the Tennis program in April. An identical table from the women's team was included.

I always made a point to take my sons to the San Antonio Spurs' opening night games in the seasons after each of the team's four championships. I wanted them to see the banners hoisted so one day when they took their kids to games they could say "I was here when they raised those banners." Then the Spurs moved from the dome to the AT&T Center and someone decided to hang different banners. Then they did it again. This makes me think they don't understand the point of hanging banners. At least we aren't the Lakers, thank goodness, and for a number of reasons.
__________________________________________________________________

When I was a lad... Every Christmas season I looked forward to visiting the Kooky Cookie House at the outdoor Capital Court shopping mall in Milwaukee. In that mechanized faux cookie bakery house, children would wait in line to see Santa while watching a robot and gingerbread men bake cookies. Of course it was just an illusion, but I believed the cookies were being made right there, though clearly it was a lie. (Rows of fake cookies were on looping conveyor belts: Think the background animation in a Flintstones cartoon.) Several years ago - probably after eating gingerbread, I did a search to see if the Kooky Cookie House was still a "thang" for the youth of Milwaukee. Well, it was disassembled and apparently is sitting in a barn somewhere in Wisconsin. A sad ending for those in my nostalgic generation.
__________________________________________________________________

In 2011 the tennis courts and stadium renovations were completed on the Trinity campus. Living in our campus residence next to the south campus courts I was surprised to find the metal 2000 championship signs/banners left in a scrap heap near the end of my driveway. Apparently the new digs would get freshly updated championship signs, and the old ones were being trashed. I knew students on those dual national championship teams and remember the elation of people on campus when Trinity University captured two national titles in different cities on the same day. Dual titles is a rarity in any college sport.

Given my feelings about the Spurs championship banners AND given the unsavory fate of the Kooky Cookie House, I had to act. Or felt compelled to, anyway. So I dragged the signs up the driveway where they sat for several months, to the delight of my lovely wife, Donna.

I feel a connection to the tennis program, here, because Coach Butch Newman once allowed Donna and me to audit his tennis PE course. We were always at the losing end of the challenge courts, but had a great experience anyways. (Side note: Chi Beta April Ancira was in the same class with us.) Before each class Coach Newman would give the class a pep talk and connect life lessons to tennis. He was a motivator (though not good enough to motivate us up the challenge court food chain). Coach was a star here in the D-I hey-day and has been the foundation of the D-III program since the 1980's.He is beloved.

I decided it would be appropriate to make a gift "gesture" toward the tennis program and Butch Newman, on behalf of Student Affairs, by having the signs crafted into multipurpose tables to be used at the new pavilion. I was able to secure capital equipment funds for $1,000 - the minimum - for tennis tables, which I think people thought were table tennis tables. So the funding was approved. I don't know if the tables would have been funded had I given a proper description.

Finally, the Facilities Services staff hauled off the signs and colleague Jim Baker oversaw the transformation from rubbish to tables, which was done by Charlie Naranjo (welder) and Joe Dominguez (painter). They did terrific work (and under $600 total), turning the old signs into something lasting and usable. In my brief presentation (below) to the tennis teams and staff, set-up by current men's Coach Russell McMindes, I was able to offer some ribbing to Coach Newman for trashing the original signs.

He just laughed at me in the self-deprecating way he does. I think he liked the tables and was impressed with the work of the Facilities staff. In hindsight, I may have even nudged him to regret tossing the old signs in the first place. It seemed clear to him, he said after all, that one man's trash is another man's treasure: In this instance, it's the same man.

Coaches Russell and Jacob McMindes and Butch Newman call the team together for a brief presentation of two tennis tables on April 6, 2013, prior to a match. Also in attendance were Athletics staffers Bob King and Seth Asbury.

High Maintenance

Electrician Martin Chapa examines Northrup lights as part of routine maintenance.

JURGENS upDATEs

Happy birthday to me! Followers of this blog and of student life at Trinity are well aware of The Dog Jurgens - the TSA bomb-sniffing pup that we fostered for a year. She stayed at the Tuttle house by night and weekend, and at Campus Publications by day. Students and staff walked and trained her. We returned her to her base in early October where she has been training ever since. For my birthday, my lovely wife Donna was able to arrange a surprise reunion with me and Jurgens, thanks to Diana at TSA and some of the trainers.

Donna hijacked me from work and took me to the mall where Jurgens was doing some training. She explained what was going to happen. I was to sit and wait while she worked before I could blow my cover. You can see in the video below that while I sit quietly (heart pounding), Jurgens finds her target (explosives), which one of the trainers had on her for this exercise. The exercise complete, I was allowed to greet J-Dawg. It was the best surprise and present I have ever had. I miss her so much and my wife knows it. She set it all up and it was awesome to see Jurgens for the first time since we turned her in five months ago. You can't just go in and out of the dog's life once it is turned in for advanced training. So it was a lot of work and coordination for Donna and people made a lot of exceptions for her/me. My favorite part of the video is hearing my wife.

So here is the update. Jurgens is doing fantastic! The trainers said she had thrown a rare tantrum that day, in which she just stopped walking and had to be dragged. Sound familiar? Here is the video, again, of her in her most famous stubborn mode. She has trained at a very high level and will be paired with her permanent handler in early March. After that, she will have 12 more weeks of training and then be moved, with her handler, to her airport city to get to work. The trainers say she LOVES to work. No surprise to those of us who learned first hand what "toy drive" was as we trained her to want to "seek." You can tell in the video above that she did a good job. If we were ever worried about the quality of her life as a working dog, those fears are long gone. She is happy, still funny, and dogged in her determination. (Intended.) When it was time to go, Jurgens, ever living intensely in the present, ran off in search of new toys, bombs, and adventures. She has never been sentimental!

Jurgens will graduate in early June. When I learn more details I will distribute information to others. In the meantime, I hope this photo, video, and update are enjoyed by all who participated in raising this great little pup!

You Belong Here

A priest once told me that most of his peers had about six speeches in their repertoires - that essentially each homily was a re-working of those same sermons. I have a handful of favorite themes too when I speak: College is not what entertainment portrays; take care of one another; we are here to support you; don't break our stuff; we want to save you from yourselves; and 'you belong here.'

Imagine my glee, recently, at seeing the "You belong here" slogan stenciled in paint on a couple campus parking spaces. I'm not suggesting someone stole my theme. Indeed, I have to admit that I was worried that it was a campaign from some right-wing religious group. I don't want to be an unwitting pawn. To make sure  I tried to find out more on the internet. No luck. All I could really find is that it is a song by Anberlin, who I thought was a past wife of Henry 8. Or a sleep aid. Well, my search led me to the Anberlin song, which led me to another group called Paper Tongues, which has a song called Trinity, which reminded me I had a blog post to write. In any case, I have to wonder who on earth took the time to do this "vandalism" and why. But I kinda like not knowing.

Of course I have to be against random stenciling on parking spots as it is definitely a violation of our stenciling policy, which I feel duty-bound to uphold. I want to be clear, in no way am I endorsing stenciling on parking lots at Trinity.

I totally endorse this stenciling on the parking lots at Trinity. This isn't graffiti, because I understand it. It isn't someone's attempt to affirm to others that they are parking in their own personalized spot.

Whether it is prospective students, current students or alumni, hopefully everyone here finds a sense of place and belonging. It can be hard. As we conclude residential life student staff selection, as we come out of fraternity and sorority pledging, as the student commencement speaker is chosen and as officers are elected to student government posts, I am always reminded that some aren't selected, some aren't chosen, and others aren't elected. I hate that. Amidst all of the affirmations that the winners are receiving, the rest are left to wonder - do I really belong?

My answer is a resounding YES! You are the ones that the message is particularly for. At some point everyone doesn't get what they want. (Except for Molly Malloy, who I went to high school with.) Another day looms ahead. I am constantly reminded of the exceptional people that make up this outstanding community. Our students are talented, bright, clever, and caring. These qualities bind them together. Our students also, at times, have doubts, fears, and failures. This community looks out for each other and exalts the successful while supporting the down-trodden. At any given time, through the highs and lows, we all ask, "do I belong?"

I don't think it can be said or sung or stenciled enough. As we look at marketing our campus, developing a new strategic plan, and finding our unique niche in higher education, we seek a theme that will never get old.  I think we need not look too far for inspiration. Glance down once in awhile - and maybe it will hit you. It's simple: You belong here.

Is it just me?

Football Player - Actor

My wife and I have recently started watching Homeland, which we are really enjoying. But every time we watch and actor Damian Lewis comes on screen I am struck by the resemblance in looks and mannerisms to famous Trinity alumnus, assistant coach, and NFL star Jerheme Urban. Anyone else who knows Jerheme and watches the show see the resemblance? Note that one is a really nice guy and the other a terrorist, so I am in no way comparing the two, though Jerheme can work the weights.

I know this post is a bit of a throw-away, but I also wanted to get the alcohol post/photo moved down in the queue from the top spot. it is weirding me out.

Thinkin' 'bout drinkin'

I hate the picture* above. The first time I saw it was in the film Haze, which is available for viewing from our Alcohol Web page and is shown to new members of social organizations each spring. My thoughts run rapid fire: Where were her friends? How did she end up like this? Who took this picture? Who posted it? Who left her there? What did she think when she woke up? Was she sexually assaulted? Will she ever know?

Every so often, it is important to re-visit a favorite past-time of college students. It can't hurt. Many are consumed by "consuming" anyways, so it is best not to ignore it. Getting students to invest in their own success can be a challenge. Getting them to be safe and look out for one another - in the face of so much pressure is another matter all together.

Prohibition didn't work. We are not anti-alcohol at Trinity, if for no other reason than that. People love their alcohol, despite some pretty compelling information (and images) that says we would be better off without it. If we were to start from scratch, would we choose to have alcohol in our culture? Any reasonable person couldn't argue in favor of it. But that isn't the drink we have been poured. So moderation is the key. Stressing that message is about all we have going for us, and it is a challenge in a perceived work-hard/play-hard setting like college. But we live in a world with alcohol, so we need to deal with it.

A couple years ago there was a movement to change the drinking age from 21 to 18. I am still not sure why those are the only two options. I like a 19-age-limit as it gets most through high school and freshman year. Enforcing alcohol policies as dictated by law is really difficult. We try to focus on the behavior that is disruptive and that usually leads to staff finding alcohol. We don't look for alcohol as a beginning point. But you have to enforce policy or you send mixed messages.

At Trinity, the majority of our enforcement happens in the first year area, where disruption doesn't mix well with new students trying to navigate the challenges of academics and independence. In the upper-class area, with most aged 21, we leave it to our students to control their environment. The Sophomore College environment is somewhere in between. Off-campus is another matter. Parties at private residences pose huge risks and our students often feel their consequences on campus. (Think DUI, vehicle accidents, sexual assault, and hospitalization for alcohol poisoning - all of which happened this past fall.)

We educators need to always be thinking about drinking. Most alcohol awareness programs have been shown to be ineffective. So in addition to thinking, we need to educate one another, to talk about it, and to try to save people from themselves.

This spring the Trinity Alcohol Coalition will re-convene to review our philosophy related to alcohol (we acknowledge students drink, we care about safety, and we enforce policies). Email me at dtuttle@trinity.edu  if you want to be included!

*sorry this is offensive. But it is, isn't it?