April 2012

Dear Seniors,

We know from talking to many of you that this is a bittersweet time. In the last newsletter in May we will try to frame for you all that happens - and maybe what to expect - in the crazy few last weeks of the year. This time, though, we want you to know that it would be really normal to have some ambivalent feelings. While you are planning a major shift in your lifestyle, the groups and teams that have been important to you are making plans. Without you! Younger students are registering, finding apartments, reserving rooms... Hey, you used to do that! Lots of people are bugging you about jobs, grad school, your “gap year” (remember we think these are usually “on” experiences)….that’s not new. And you still don’t want to talk about it – although it might be all you think about.

Sincerely,


Angela Breidenstein        Dave Mansen
Class Marshal                   Alumni Sponsor





Alternative Spring Break 2012 - Dominica





April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
It’s often hard to know how to respond to a sexual assault survivor, but two things are of critical importance.  First, an empathic response that communicates your concern will show the survivor that you are willing to listen nonjudgmentally and offer support throughout the healing process.  You will want to communicate that the assault is not the survivor’s fault and that you are available to talk at any time.  Second, it is essential for a sexual assault survivor to have as much control as possible in handling the events following the assault.  This pertains to everything from how much information s/he chooses to share with you to decisions about whether to take any disciplinary or judicial action about the assault.  For more information about helping a survivor, click here, and visit Trinity’s Sexual Assault Web site. Survivors of sexual assault may wish to make an appointment with a counselor at Counseling Services.

The University Standards Committee meets annually to review, revise, and update Trinity University policies. Student representatives to the committee are Logan Walsh, Joseph Moore, and Kelly Wilson. Major revisions of policy often take a lot of time and require involvement of many. If you have such ideas to propose, please start now by contacting these students or Dean of Students, David Tuttle at dtuttle@trinity.edu. Any ideas are welcome from the community.

ARAMARK Dining Services is thrilled to announce that our RFoC Mabee Dining Hall is now a member of the San Antonio ¡Por Vida! Program. By participating, our residential dining facility will provide students and faculty valuable information allowing them to make healthier food choices.  more>>


-By Reverend Stephen Nickle
Faith informing service, informing faith, informing.... Three Christian fellowships mounted mission trips over spring break: Reformed University Fellowship journeyed to Laredo, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship journeyed to Arkansas, and The Well journeyed to the Dominican Republic!  Click on the above links to view photos and read more about the journeys. 


Summer/Part-Time Job Fair
Wednesday, April 11, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Coates Plaza
Seniors, although you’re probably searching for long-term employment, we encourage you to attend this Job Fair!  Summer or part-time positions can turn into full-time employment in the future.   Stop by to meet face-to-face with recruiters from a variety of organizations!  Please dress professionally and bring copies of your resume.  You’ll find a complete list of attending employers in TigerJobs.

National Student Employment Week (NSEW) Reception
Monday, April 16, 3 – 4 p.m., Fiesta Room
Student assistants, you and your supervisor are invited to this reception to recognize the valuable contributions you make to Trinity University.  Seniors will be specially awarded at this reception!  Refreshments will be served, and even if you’re busy during this time, feel free to stop by and grab some goodies on the go. 




Check out the Senior Year Experience Display in the Coates Center Lobby!

Twilight at Trinity Save the Date

March 2012

Dear Seniors,
This semester I’ve been fortunate to have a number of very cool conversations with members of your class. They’ve involved senior project design, plans for after graduation, personal epiphanies, and academic questions.  Some of these have come from advisees and students I’ve known through courses – others from students I’ve met once before at a Trinity event as your class marshal – and others have been with students I’ve never met before who followed up on a recommendation from a professor in another department.

I share all this to emphasize the potential of conversations you hopefully are having with Trinity faculty, staff, alumni, and other members of the Trinity and San Antonio community.  As I wrote in an earlier newsletter, faculty and others enjoy these conversations with you – and we just might have something to offer – including the fact that we know people who know people who know people… We can help put you in touch with interesting people who might become mentors and employers.  Know, though, that these conversations do not “just” have to be about academics, graduate school – things you think are our “turf.” We like hearing what you’re thinking about your continued intellectual and personal evolution, including your thoughts and questions about “life after Trinity.”  

So – take advantage of the opportunity to have cool conversations with faculty and staff at Trinity.   Hopefully you’ve already started these – and – it’s never too late.  Plus once started, they keep going beyond graduation.  I can look back at my Trinity experience and remember at least three pivotal conversations I had that really changed my thinking and my career path – one of which was just about this time of year….

Sincerely,
Dr. Breidenstein
Class Marshal

Dear Seniors,
As we come upon spring break, I remember writing you for your first spring break to wish you a fun break, give you ideas about San Antonio and Texas locations to explore, and urge you to be safe.  The same holds true three years later.  Please be safe and consider exploring all that San Antonio and our nearby locations have to offer!
As we get to the final stretch of your senior year and your Trinity career, we look forward to celebrating many important milestone events with you.  Hopefully many of you got your alumni card at the Countdown to Commencement – you are nearly there! I am sure you are all aware of the many activities that are focused on the “next phase” in your career. Graduate school, new job possibilities, service work around the world, maybe reflection and relaxation before launching ahead. We all are here to help in those endeavors.  Be sure to participate in career services and alumni relations events! You are about to be one of us, so let us help you get engaged with interested and appropriate alumni around the world.  I am looking forward to seeing each of you become successful Trinity Alumni!



Sincerely,
Dave Mansen
Alumni Sponsor









-By Reverend Stephen Nickle
“Living, living fully and well, is at the heart of all serious spirituality.” Eugene Peterson’s assertion jarred my eye as I read, and re-read, and re-read again. My relationships with members of the Trinity community serve to alert us to this insight and explore how it plays out from day to day. My own tendency - to forget the invitation to “life abundant” - gets challenged by those relationships. Take out your calendar. What parts of this past week would you assess as “living fully and well?” Where has the way you are spending your life falling short? more>>



3/7/2012 (Wednesday), 2012 Spring Career Fair, Laurie Auditorium, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Come meet face-to-face with representatives from a variety of employers!  Whether you're looking for an internship or a full-time position, you'll find a wide variety of opportunities!  Check out TigerJobs for a complete list of attending employers.  Please bring at least 10 copies of your resume, and dress professionally!

Click here to view Career Services Recruiting Events during March.


If you weren’t able to make it to the Countdown to Commencement event last month, that’s okay!  We can’t recreate the good times, but the information is still available.  Click here to order your cap and gown, get graduation announcements, find out about your alumni benefits, and more!

Important Reminders

Saturday, March 17  Electrical power outage scheduled
4:30 - 5 a.m.  Entire campus

5 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lower campus only
12:30 - 1 p.m. Entire campus

Sunday, March 18  There will be limited road access on campus in the morning because of the Alamo Half Marathon.