Social Life

Trinity University's philosophy of residential life is based upon the ideal of a community of students working together toward the common goal of attaining knowledge. In order to facilitate this commonality and support among students, Trinity requires all students to live on campus for their first three (3) years.

Approximately one-third of the seniors live on campus, which speaks well of the involvement of students on campus, as well as to the quality of residence halls.

All residence halls on campus are set up as suites, so that two rooms share a bathroom and two students live in each room. Not only does this provide the convenience of short lines to the shower, it allows students to live within a comfortable social block where they immediately begin friendships with suite-mates as well as a roommate. All of Trinity's spacious rooms have access to an outdoor walkway or balcony, so students may enjoy San Antonio's beautiful climate, even in months traditionally considered to be winter. Each room is linked to the campus computer network with two ports for Internet access as well as a phone line. Many, even in first-year residence halls, have unusual amenities such as walk-in closets.

Trinity's students are active in more than 100 campus organizations ranging from political and special interest groups to religious organizations and academic clubs. Students may become involved in instrumental and choral ensembles, drama productions and debate regardless of their academic majors. Roughly 30% of students are involved in local sororities and fraternities on campus. Students at Trinity join fraternities or sororities in the Spring, so they have a semester to decide whether or not they wish to become involved in that aspect of student life.

Service opportunities are abundant at Trinity. The Trinity University Voluntary Action Center (TUVAC) is the most popular student organization on campus with roughly half of the student body participating in one of the twenty service projects in and around San Antonio. Last year TUVAC and the other service organizations at Trinity gave more than 10,000 service hours to the San Antonio community - a nice effort from a student body of only 2,300 undergraduates at a school that does not require service as a graduation requirement.

Other students choose to become involved in the First Year Leadership Council, a division of the Association of Student Representatives, or in Trinity's Activities Council, a group of students responsible for organizing on-campus events such as films, concerts, festivals, and other special events.

Athletics are quite popular at Trinity. Student-athletes are involved in nine men's and nine women's intercollegiate sports. The Trinity Tigers compete at the NCAA Division III level (non-scholarship) in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). Trinity is proud to have won the SCAC President's Trophy, an all-sports award, 10 out of the last 11 years. However, not all students who enjoy athletics play varsity sports. Almost 60% are active in Rec Sports programs like intramural sports, outdoor adventures, and club sports.  Students can go hiking or sea kayaking, they can compete against other students in sports like table tennis, basketball or flag football, or join lacrosse, water polo, or volleyball club teams.

Trinity University also offers students the opportunity to meet with the top minds in their fields. In the past few years, several endowed lecture series have brought speakers to campus including George Bush, John Major, Margaret Thatcher, Shimon Peres, Peter Jennings, Dan Rather, William Styron, Phillip Roth, and John Updike. Lecturers to campus always meet with Trinity's students in a classroom setting or a small group reception in addition to their public lecture.

What about off-campus life? San Antonio is a beautiful city with a population greater than one million, offering a culturally diverse and unique place in which to spend four years of college. An advantage to Trinity's location is the fact that it is a small liberal arts college located in a large city. Although that is not absolutely unique, it is relatively uncommon. The campus is located in a residential setting just a few miles north of the famed Riverwalk and Alamo, a few miles south of the airport, and within driving distance of everything in San Antonio and the surrounding Texas Hill Country. Students are encouraged to explore and enjoy all that San Antonio has to offer:

Although these are only a few of the many options available, taking time to find out what a surrounding city offers is an important step in the college admission process. Students won't be happy at a school if they don't like the surrounding locale.