Dr. Bladimir Ruiz: ​Decade-Long Commitment to ​the Madrid Program

By Sophia Scearce

Launched in 2005, the Madrid Summer Program has enabled hundreds of Trinity students to experience a summer of learning and interning in Spain’s capital. At the center of the program is Dr. Bladimir Ruiz, associate professor of Spanish at Trinity University.

“There is something about creating a space that is not only a physical space in a classroom, but that allows for an interaction that is deeper than just sharing knowledge,” said Ruiz regarding his experience educating students in Madrid.

​Ruiz has led the program for the past 9 years and is about to lead it for the 10th time in May. ​Through his decade long ​involvement with the Madrid Program, Ruiz emphasized the importance of learning outside the classroom. “I think what these programs are providing us with is the opportunity to have the classroom in the country and in the city, and to have the city as a classroom.” This kind of immersive learning outside the classroom also attracted many students.

Jacob Hurrel-Zitelman: Trinity Student Turned “Coffee Guy”

By Paige Johnson

Jacob Hurrel-Zitelman has established himself across campus as the coffee guy. He can be found using his own handheld brewer and beans wherever he is, just to avoid Starbucks. When he’s not brewing coffee, Hurrel-Zitelman stays busy any way he can.

“I get really antsy when I do not have something every single second of the day,” said Hurrel-Zitelman, 20, who studies entrepreneurship and marketing at Trinity. “I’m very ambitious and I want to keep doing something all the time.”

He is the founder and owner of Quick Sip Coffee, a company that sells specialty cold brew across San Antonio.

SGA Held Marathon Meeting to Decide on Funding

SGA members at Monday's meeting (photo by Victoria Abad) 

By Victoria Abad, Sophia Scearce and Sarah Wysocki

The SGA voted to cut funding for most University Sponsored Organizations (USOs) ​and other campus organizations ​at their last meeting of the semester Monday ​night. The cut was due to a $20,000 deficit SGA was facing as a result of the funding requests for the 2018-2019 school year.

The meeting, which Senator Emeritus Samy Abdallah, a senior, described as “the biggest budgeting meeting ever,” lasted more than three hours and went through several waves of heated debates.

Marisa Kwiatkowski: Investigative Reporter Who Broke the USA Gymnastics Sexual Abuse Story

Marisa Kwiatkowski having a conversation with Trinity students 
(The Roar photo) 

By Jacob Rossitter

Marisa Kwiatkowski, who recently visited Trinity University, is an investigative journalist for the Indianapolis Star, a daily newspaper in Indianapolis, Indiana.

In 2016, Kwiatkowski, along with a small team of investigative reporters, broke the story of USA Gymnastics covering up female gymnasts’ allegations of sexual abuses by several coaches. At the time, two former gymnasts came forward to accuse the team doctor, Larry Nassar, of repeated sexual abuse of female gymnasts. Kwiatkowski and her colleagues followed up with the Nassar story. Since the publication of their stories, more than 250 people have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse against Nassar.

On Wednesday, April 11, Kwiatkowski gave a talk to around 100 Trinity students and faculty about her experience investigating the USA Gymnastics story, as well as other of her investigative pieces. Her talk demonstrated how having a voice can make a difference, and how investigative journalism can give voice to the voiceless.

Alumna Applied Knowledge Learned at Trinity to Educate Her Own Children

By Joy Camp 

Christi Shaw couldn’t wait to finish school and move on with life outside of college.

Finishing her studies at Trinity University in only three and a half years, she graduated in 1972 and began her work in the state capital of Texas as an administrative assistant to Representative Joe Sage. 

In 1976, Shaw met the man of her dreams, Thomas Moorman, and they married on Dec. 20th of that year. About three years later, their first child, daughter Muffin, was born. Before she knew it, Mrs. Moorman was a mother of six.

Seizing the Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity: Trinity Students' Involvement in the NCAA Final Four

By Lauren Bagg

Trinity student Amanda Gerlach, a sophomore communication and Spanish double major with a sport management minor, was an ambassador for Westwood One Radio Row during the NCAA Final Four, held in San Antonio earlier this month. Her job was taking past and current coaches, players and other people involved with college basketball for interviews at different radio stations.

Gerlach saw this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because she was able to “spend time talking with them too, which was really nice!” she said. “I even got a picture with Bill Walton.”

Kelly Grey Carlisle: Searching for Personal Truth through Writing

Kelly Grey Carlisle in her intro to non-fiction class
(photo by Sarah Wysocki) 

By Sarah Wysocki

Kelly Grey Carlisle, Trinity professor of creative non-fiction writing, searches for the truth about her past and her mother’s murder in her newly published book, We Are All Shipwrecks. Though she did not know what she would find in her investigation, she dove in to her mother’s cold case, at the time, decades old.

Many know the professor side of Carlisle--a funny, well-read and well-written woman who cares deeply about her students. Some even know a bit of her personal side--41, married, mother of two young girls, who are 6 years and 19 months old. But there’s more to the story than what is seen on the outside.

Dominic Morais, Sports Management Professor and Weightlifting Coach

Dominic Morais. 
(Photo courtesy of Dominic Morais)

By Bret Smith

Dominic Morais faced a tough choice right before he joined Trinity University in 2015. He was offered two jobs: a tenure track position at California State University at Northridge and a visiting professor position at Trinity. A Tenure track position is a long term employment, while a visiting professorship is temporary.

Even though the Northridge offer was a safer decision, Morais went against his advisors and decided on Trinity.

“Trinity was the type of culture I wanted. It reminded me a lot of Vanderbilt in that it was a small school from a lot of standpoints,” said Morais. “I just felt like I could make an impact here, like I could be here and I could actually start changing things and I just did not feel that at all with Cal State.” Morais went to Vanderbilt for his undergraduate study.

Adrien Lavigne: Up and Coming Singer and Song Writer

By Victoria Abad

Adrien Lavigne, 21, ​also known by his artistic name Adri, is starting to build his image as a musician. The Trinity University senior is working hard to put his name out in the music world with an original and multi-style acoustic sound. He is also getting used to the attention his music has brought him.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” he said while fixing his hair during an interview with The Roar. “It’s my first time,” he explained, settling comfortably in the chair. There is no doubt that he will only do more interviews in the near future.​

Lavigne released his first song, "Feel Alone,"​which he wrote, ​on March 2nd on YouTube, his own website and Tunecore, a platform that allows artists to distribute their work through other online retailers such as iTunes and Spotify.

Nobel Economist Christopher Sims Speaks at Trinity

By Blue Mohr

Renowned economist Christopher A. Sims, 75, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2011, discussed his journey as an economist during a public lecture Wednesday night at Trinity.

Starting out as a mathematics major at Harvard University, Sims read about studies on quantification, storage, and communication of information and wanted to apply it to “infinite memory channels," a mathematical concept regarding the flow and storage of information.

SGA Debates on More Funding for SPB

SPB representatives Magdalena Blancas (back left) and
Logan Felton (back right) make their presentation to the SGA on Monday
(Photo by Emily Bae)

By Joy Yauger, Emily Bae and Marina Schweitzer

Trinity’s Student Programming Board (SPB) asked Student Government Association for $40,000 additional funding at Monday’s meeting, sending student senators into a round of heated debate.

Representatives from SPB told the senators that they needed a bigger budget to keep up with students demand for events. The group is involved in organizing several big campus events including the annual Welcome Week concert, Tiger Fest, and Chocolate Fest, to name just a few. Monty McKeon, the director of SPB, said the organization tried to “keep up with the quality of events and quantity.” SPB already has a budget of $87,000 for the Fall Welcome Week concert.