Students run a voter registration drive at a table outside Coates Student Center
Student Activism
Tigers make their voices heard on campus

Trinity students have a long history of taking action. For decades, they’ve banded together to form political groups such as the Trinity Progressives or the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT), and they have also taken on issues that are broader in scope, such as the Theater for Social Change or the Trinity University Volunteer Action Community (TUVAC). And even when an official organization doesn’t exist, Tigers have made their voices heard through protests and other demonstrations on campus.

The Trinity Progressives often work closely with MOVE, a progressive local political group, in voter registration drives on Trinity’s campus. Last year, the Trinity Progressives helped MOVE register more than 200 students to vote on campus. Students from Trinity’s YCT chapter led a successful volunteer campaign for congressman Chip Roy in the last midterm election.

Certain student groups rally around a particular issue. PRIDE acts as a haven and support group for LGBTQ+ students. Among other events, PRIDE brought Michael Sam, the first openly gay athlete in the NFL, to speak at Trinity in 2016.

The Theater for Social Change seeks to effect action on the part of its viewers. The productions may even be interactive; in this year’s play, the audience saw the same scene twice and got the chance to intervene the second time.

TUVAC works on volunteer service projects. Founded in the early 1970s, TUVAC sends its members around the world for Alternative Spring Break, in which they spend their free week doing volunteer community service. Through TUVAC, students have dug irrigation systems in New Mexico, built orphanages in Cancun, and aided adult literacy efforts in San Antonio.

Mountain of styrofoam in Mabee Dining Hall


Trinity students do not always exercise activism through official student groups. In February 2007, some dumpster-diving students built a wall of styrofoam containers in Mabee Dining Hall to protest the University’s overuse of styrofoam products. Since then, Mabee has significantly reduced its dependence on styrofoam containers.

When Trinity moved from Division I to Division III during Ronald Calgaard’s tenure, tennis players began the infamous tennis racket protests. Students camped out on the tennis courts, organized petitions, and even pelted University trustees with tennis balls. In the wake of changes to residential life policy, Calgaard once also had to face a crowd of some 200 students on his front lawn.

Whether protests arise through sanctioned student groups, SGA, or independent sources, Trinity students have devoted countless hours to shaping and improving life at the University and surrounding community. 

LeeRoy Tiger is Trinity's lovable mascot, spreading #TigerPride wherever he goes.

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