Greek Council Poised to Promote Sexual Justice and Diversity

Students gathered at the Greek U leadership retreat
on March 22 (photo by Jacob Tingle) 

By KaDarius Lee

At their first meeting of this year on Monday, Trinity's Greek Council discussed collaboration with university and city organizations to promote sexual justice and diversity on campus.

Ten members of the Greek Council Executive Board as well as two representatives from each sorority and fraternity on campus attended the meeting. Tayler Weathers, communications chair for Greek Council, said Trinity University’s Coalition for Sexual Justice and the San Antonio Rape Crisis Center "are interested in collaborating with Greek organizations in order to help in the fight for sexual justice on campus."

These organizations have reached out to Greek Council about collaborating and having a sit down with organizations to discuss how to raise awareness and tackle sexual justice issues on campus.

Trinity Students Cheers on Street2Feet Race

Street2Feet participants pass
Flores Street on Saturday.
(Photo by Meredith Peckman)

By Meredith Peckham

At 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, more than 30 Trinity University students queued up along Flores Street in downtown San Antonio, to cheer on participants of the Street2Feet 5K running race.

The race began at 8:00 a.m. with the starting line on West Houston Street. More than 1,000 people registered to run, including 40 homeless individuals who had trained for months for this 5 kilometer race, according to Stree2Feet co-founder Elizabeth Rosenblum.

Street2Feet provides exercise programs for individuals experiencing homelessness in San Antonio, as a way of building healthy body and spirit. “This race is a fundraiser and an extension of Street2Feet,” said Rosenblum. She noted that both homeless and settled individuals participated.

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.

Bid Day 2018 Welcomes 200 New Members

New Members of Sigma Theta Tau with
orientation chair Yvette Pena
(Photo by Ruthie Rubin)

By Ruthie Rubin

Trinity’s Greek life welcomed nearly 200 new members on Friday’s Bid Day.

Bid Day is the day on which Trinity sororities and fraternities extend invitations or “bids” to their new members.

Among them were 129 new sorority members and 79 new fraternity members, who lined up at the Coates University Center to receive their bid cards from the Greek Council.

SGA Failed to Vote Due to Lack of Quorom

By Joel Kumahata

The Student Government Association met Monday to reopen discussion on whether or not Greek Council, the overseer of campus fraternity and sorority organizations, would receive a budget next year.

Over 60 students from every Greek organization on campus made the trip up to the Waxahachie Room in the Coates Center to hear the decision. But as soon as the meeting was called to order, a problem became clear. Only about half of the senators were present, not nearly enough for a quorum to vote on anything.

Members from Greek organizations on campus
crowded the room of the SGA meeting Monday night

About halfway through the meeting, SGA Vice President Joseph Khalaf received an email from four of the missing senators, who were absent without giving excuses. The email read that they had elected to skip the meeting with the mindset that, in the shadow of finals, their time was better served as students studying, and not in service of their senatorial responsibilities.

Trinity Reacts to SGA Denying Funding for the Greek Council

By Carlie McCrory

Trinity’s Greek life community erupted this week after SGA voted 7-4 to not approve Greek Council’s funding proposal. Within two days of the vote, a meeting of the Greek community was organized and Greek life alumni were lobbying SGA senators to reverse the decision.

In an email to the student body, SGA president Nick Santulli wrote, “When the Senate denies the concept of an organization’s proposal, they are, in effect, stating that they are not in favor of the organization’s proposal or the idea of the organization receiving funding in the manner requested”.

He went on to say that the decision does not mean the end of Greek Council nor does it mean Greek Council is not able to receive funding from SGA. “If the decision stands, Greek Council will instead apply for funding on an ad hoc (or as-needed) basis, similar to the process by which Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) seek funding.”

SGA Denied Funding For Trinity Greek Council

Trinity Greek members at Greek U 2016

Photo by Jeremy Allen

By Taylor Moser

At Monday's SGA meeting the student governing body rejected the budget proposal of Trinity University's Greek Council, marking the first time in Trinity history of such happening.

Greek Council’s treasurer, Claire Poland, gave a seven-minute presentation of their 2017-2018 budget proposal, followed by approximately seven minutes of questioning from SGA senators.

But the senators decided not to give any funds to the Greek Council. Rather than receiving a budget for the year, the Greek Council will now have to apply for funding on a case by case basis. This decision could potentially change Greek life on campus.

Greek Life Welcomes New Members on Bid Day

Trinity Greek Life celebrates Bid Day on Friday
Photos by Samantha Luzader

By Samantha Luzader

Despite the dreary weather, hundreds of Trinity Greek Life students gathered around the Miller Fountain on Friday to celebrate the annual Bid Day.

The students came dressed in every outfit imaginable, from tutus to body paint to roller skates, in bright color and interesting materials. The campus around the fountain was abuzz with excitement and fun, as each organization got ready to welcome their new members.

Older members meet the new members on Murchison lawn, and then run them up the fountain, where their new club waits to welcome them.