Bridge to Nowhere

It isn't easy to secure renovation money to remove -- rather than add -- construction. I'd like to see Trinity remove the bridge, pictured above, that goes nowhere, except into a brick wall along the third floor of Thomas residence hall. Previously, there was a doorway into the building where the bridge ends. When the University went to a proximity card access program (for students to use their ID cards), my colleague, John Greene, Director Facilities Services, started eliminating exterior doors.

Originally dorms featured key access, which proved unreliable, resulted in frequent door propping, and didn't allow for accountability. The new system is far better, but far more expensive. Thus the Great Door Crusade. Students were livid. The residents in Thomas Hall would be forced to use primary entrances on first and third floors. The push-back was tremendous, as the door closure was simply more evidence (to students) of a callous administration insensitive to student wants and needs. Even if the ultimate goal was student safety.

That comes with the territory on a college campus. Students protested the creation of the now popular first-year quad, they liked - then didn't - then did, the Sophomore College and group housing/community initiatives/block housing. Former HUGE campus issues included students not clearing their own trays in the dining hall and also leaving trash cans outside their doors so maids wouldn't disturb them when sleeping in. On the latter issue, students would leave the trash cans outside and just open the door when they needed to discard trash. That created issues related to animals (in exterior halls) and drunk trash can kickers - not one in the same. There was a nasty and public halftime Homecoming tradition as well, that seemed to mock, in a very inadequate biological re-creation, the conception process. The Good Ol' Days.

Resistance to change isn't exclusive to college students, though. University professors and staff are not always completely open to shifting tides. At least with students, the turnover every four years quickly creates short memories of how things used to be. In this first year of our new President, there have been plenty of changes on campus, from banning University-bought individual water bottles in departments (some nonsense about the planet), to staffing changes at the executive level and elsewhere, to new budgeting procedures. With each change of Presidents there are always hopes for - and then resistance to - change. It is easier in theory than in practice. I am not immune either. Every time I say to students "that won't work here" or "we already tried that" I can hear the cock crowing for the third time. Dang it.

Indeed, in my own area, working with ARAMARK has brought changes to the University Club and to the new plan. The new plan addresses years of complaints, yet is being met with suspicion and some (minor) push-back. So I see the issue from both sides.

And so it goes. We can follow the same old paths that end up with us running into brick walls, or we can embrace new and different ways... and change. This is a really exciting time for our University on so many levels. And it is happening at a pace we aren't accustomed to. Not all change is good, nor is it all bad. But resistance for resistance sake can take us nowhere - other than a dead-end street.

Lights, Bedroom, Action

Living on campus at 540 Kings Court, my family and I have had many neighbors in the residence next door at 538. It's not that we can't keep good neighbors. But the property there, also owned by the University, has served as overflow office space for various departments that are dislocated while their facilities are being renovated.

Our current neighbor is the Trinity University Police Department. This is a good neighbor to have. Security for my home and family - and security from my teenagers throwing parties. A win-win. Other neighbors have included the Tomas Rivera Center, Public Relations (they liked looking at my dog in the backyard) and Art (students with... uniquely-shaped pieces, were frequently crossing our lawn as they came and went).

There are downsides to the arrangement with TUPD. Investigator Charlie Lopez has an office with a window right across across from the window near where I usually dress. That's his problem I guess. It is a little noisy sometimes, too, when your neighbors are coming and going 24/7. The biggest problem, though, has been the incredibly bright white porch lights shining into our bedroom. But when I have raised the topic of removing those lights, my friends next door wouldn't budge. I guess they were sensitive about all those donut jokes after all.

Now what happens in my bedroom is no one's business, unless I blog about it. My poor wife could not sleep because of these intrusive bright lights. My requests for the department to choose softer lighting, like student parking ticket appeals, fell on deaf ears. There are many downsides to a tired, cranky wife. Enough said. So, the last time I raised the issue with Chief Paul Chapa in our weekly meeting, he told me that if I would buy red and blue lights for their porch that we would have a deal.

One Home Depot run later and the deed was done. Ironically, the first night, last Saturday, the Chief was actually on hand at nightfall because he was on campus related to an arrest of a drunk and disorderly individual. So he got to see the lights on their very first night. He was kidding, he said, about the color lights, but he likes them. My wife likes them too. The only one who objected so far was the person in the squad car who kept yelling "f*** you." I don't think that was directed at me and the lights, but really, who cares if it was.

The next evening we were able to settle in for a nice deep sleep without the TUPD nuisance to grapple with. Until we heard the voice of Tiger Athletics announcer James Hill from the softball field in our backyard. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to tonight's game between the Trinity Tigers and the Austin College Kangaroos." Someone please, just lock me in a squad car.

Farfan-atical!

When she was a student, Elizabeth Farfan turned her back on Trinity - literally. Now she is teaching here. The energetic, funky, and personable part-time faculty member with a term appointment in Sociology and Anthropology is from Houston graduated from Trinity in 2005. She went on to receive her PhD. from Berkeley and has since returned to Texas. She just recently submitted her dissertation for review. She spent over a year with native tribes in Brazil doing her research.

As a student here, Elizabeth was a bit of an activist. She was involved in several student organizations, but it was really her senior year when she got on everyone's radar. In fact, it was at her commencement. During the spring semester the University announced that Congressman Lamar Smith would be the graduation speaker. Elizabeth and several others were disgruntled about the record of the Congressman and the process for selecting a speaker. That process was not very transparent, they said, nor did it involve students.

The students weren't pleased. So, they planned to protest during the commencement address by the congressman. That protest was to stand up and turn their backs to the speaker. To some it was a bratty show of boorish behavior. To most, though, it was a silent and strong statement of activism. Elizabeth calls it her last display of activism. It was a doozy.

When it came down to it, only one student stood up, turning to face a horrified audience, with her back to the powerful man giving the commencement speech. Her issues with him were personal, she says, noting "his political platforms were against Mexican immigrants. He especially worked very hard to make sure that the children of undocumented immigrants could not get access to public schools at any level. As the daughter of a once undocumented immigrant father, I would not have obtained my BA at Trintiy if Lamar Smith had been successful." Elizabeth recalls her family standing as well, in the back of the auditorium, in tears because they were both proud and fearful for her, taking this last stand, by herself, looking the other way, and on display. Any mixed feelings I had about the protest went away immediately, as I too watched Elizabeth from the back of the auditorium. She stood tall, chin held high, stoic, and with resolve. Then she sat.

Elizabeth is teaching three courses this semester - an upper-division course on Brazil, a course on documentaries, and a course on research. Her mentor when she was a student here was Dr. David Spener. She isn't upset that people didn't join her in the protest. She did what she believed in, with great courage and honor. Now she teaches our students. I suspect they love her, but I think they have no idea who stands before them in the classroom. Alone, proud, and with dignity.

Modern Extra

Trinity graduate Miguel (Mike) Guerra ('10) hits the big time in this past week's episode of Modern Family. Mike makes his first appearance at around the 14 minute mark when Mitchell hands him a flier at a food court. He appears again about 17 minutes in when he turns spectator at a harp performance.

This is likely only the beginning for Mike, who played in several Trinity productions and served on the Residential Life staff as a Resident Mentor. Mike moved out to LA and has clearly continued to hone his craft. In the background you can see the guy who played Al Bundy in "Married With Children."

Jerheme Urban, John Cornyn, Barney the Dinosaur... Make room for Mike Guerra. (I knew he would make network TV one day. I really did. Really!)

Ring Toss

I try to be a good sport. Usually, when people ask me to participate in silly things, I do so. I am thrilled that someone thinks my participation can be a draw, though I understand mostly people want to laugh at a Dean doing the un-Deanlike. Last year I participated in the ASR Chocolate Festival booth game of milk-pong, a derivation of a popular drinking game. And I still haven't lived down my awkward music video with Michael Elder.

I have drawn the line at dunk tanks, because I look better dry than wet, and because I don't need to be any more of a target than I already am. As a young Resident Director I participated in a pie throwing contest in which a student I kicked out of the dorm took the opportunity to aggressively smash the pie in my face. Lesson learned.

The most unusual request I have received, though, was last week from my colleague Caroline Keener in Intramurals. She invited me, Dr. Raphael Moffett, Ben Newhouse (shown above... above), and Josh Beebe, all of Campus & Community Involvement, to wrestle one another in an exhibition for the annual IM wrestling tournament on February 27 and 28. Naturally, we all declined. First, I am not a wrestler and also not a big touch-er. Second, I think we would all look stupid. Really stupid. Which is what I think students really respond to. I also think that Caroline didn't really think this through. I think students would be really into it until we would actually start to wrestle. Then I think there would be lots of awkwardness and a lots of let-down.

Fortunately, for Mitch Hagney, I had just turned down this request when I received an e-mail from him asking me to be a dunk tank participant in TUVAC's World Water Day on March 22. Feeling like a kill-joy already, I am prepared to help out Mitch. Students will pay a nominal fee to dunk professors and administrators and the proceeds will go toward water projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mitch thinks it would be a huge hit if I would participate, which is code for he thinks I would look stupid. Which I think students really respond to.

But at least I don't have to wrestle. So Mitch, you're on. Who can argue against water projects in Africa? Besides, I think I could do much worse. And already have.

Photo doctoring by Clara Wells.

Food for Thought

Last night ARAMARK management and Association of Student Representatives members held a town hall meeting to further introduce changes in dining services as previously reported in the Trinitonian. For those who missed the town hall, click here to see a video presentation. As the interim VP for Student Affairs I oversee campus dining services, which we contract out to ARAMARK.

Over the past year ARAMARK, the administration, and ASR have worked closely to evaluate dining services and make recommendations for improvements. While ongoing assessment revealed generally satisfied student customers, complaints have lingered about value, variety, quality, and nutritious options. The plan that was presented by ARAMARK, and approved by the University, addresses those issues and more.

There had not been a major overhaul of dining services for over 20 years. The new all-you-care-to-eat plan brings Trinity in line with most other campuses. The flex dollars offer other choices for students around campus. An additional option for juniors and seniors allows more flexibility for those who are in their third and fourth years on campus. For employees, the planned new Science Cafe, possible upgrades to Java City in the library and the Skyline Room in the Coates University Center, as well as a planned renovation of theCommons and the installation of an Einstein Brothers Bagels this summer should create exciting and affordable meal choices.

The new door rate in Mabee Hall may also entice employees to lower campus and a special faculty/staff plan is being considered. The ARAMARK improvements, at their expense, will allow them to make drastic changes. Those changes will be assessed and the dining program will be reviewed again in five years. In the meantime, the Chapman POD will allow the University to examine its impact on Java City and to be able to plan for a Science Cafe. That Cafe may become part of a hub of campus life in what will be a remarkable new facility. The video presentation does not address it, but there will be a conceptual redevelopment of the snack bar in Prassel residence hall.

Please use this blog post to offer feedback and pose questions.

Update on March 29, 2011: A Guide to Choosing the Meal Plan