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March 31, 2006

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Event Showcases Talent

It’s the perfect Trinity event. Students often speak of their wish to burst the Trinity bubble. Most crave a diverse campus culture. And many want to see a show of campus spirit and unity.

Three Trinity students have developed an event that does all of these things. Christina Childress, Logan Gowen, and Sara Hutt had an idea. These students still cared about New Orleans (though none of them are from there) and the aftermath and devastation from hurricane Katrina. They are good citizens of the world.

Their idea was to stage a fundraiser that brought musicians and artists from the New Orleans area together to do a tribute to the spirit of the city and its residents, particularly those residents still here in San Antonio. With the help of Roberto Prestigiacomo in the Drama Department and the guidance of Becky Spurlock and her staff in Campus and Community Involvement, these students (and many others) will see their vision played out on stage for the San Antonio and Trinity communities on Saturday, April 8 in Laurie Auditorium.

The program, “Our Tears Still Flood the City,” will have something in common with other recent success stories on campus. Like “Trinity Idol,” “The Vagina Monologues,” the fall concert sponsored by the Gammas and Kappas, Jackson-Keller Field Day, and “This is my Story,” the “Tears” program relies on the hard work and creative talents of students who are simply inspired to create.

On a small campus like ours, that has so many programs and events, students could easily fail out of school going to everything, let alone making choices on any given night. Indeed, “Tears” will go up against “Anything Goes” on April 8, though there are other performances of it -- that weekend and the next -- worth checking out.

It’s all worth checking out: The plays, the concerts, the multi-cultural events, the speakers, the athletic contests, and more. Sometimes students bemoan the lack of attendance at some of these things, but they shouldn’t. Is it fair to expect an athlete who spends hours on their sport to then attend many other events, especially in-season? After four hour rehearsals, do many students in drama want to head to a softball game?

Students are extremely busy. I have long suspected that if the Good Lord Himself were a Distinguished Lecturer here that some would miss the event to study Business Policy, or would leave early during Q&A for an intramural game.

Our faculty and staff are the same. How will the Admissions staff ever make-up the time they spend away from their families on the road? Is it fair to expect to see Coach Newman in the front row at the Vagina Monologues?

Can this busy, crazy roller-coaster ride be different? Can we realistically have full stands at track meets, can we pack the Chapel? Probably not. But we can try to support the tremendous work of our students and staff and faculty as often as possible. A great starting place would be this wonderful program on April 8. A full house would be perfect.

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