In a post-Trinity days haze of midterms and copyediting, I find myself reflecting on a weekly chore that often goes overlooked: the letter from the editor (LFE) program contained on Page 2 of the Tripod. Each week, I (or another member of our editorial board) pens a letter to the student body for Page 2 of our publication. 

This letter usually comments on current events, campus happenings and the contents of the relevant issue. More often than not, I begin writing this letter when I arrive in the newsroom office at 3 p.m. on Mondays. I (would like to) think this belatedness is not an act of procrastination, nor an abuse of editorial power, but rather an exercise in immediacy — a commitment to the present tense and a chance to write from the particular moment in which the Tripod comes together. There is, after all, something valuable about a letter written at the tail end of a week’s worth of reporting, editing, debating and (not so) occasionally despairing over commas (sorry, Clayton). 

I understand that these letters do not serve an apparent purpose to those who tune in to just the crossword or the occasional browser of the features section. LFEs are not news — they are not immediately pressing to the daily lives of our student body. It is a quasi-opinion that isn’t on the opinion page, a direct address with no fixed call for action. Most people who read this page are professors or angry alums out for syntactic blood. 

However, even for those averse to reading longer blocks of text by a student editor, Page 2 is perhaps the most important page of our publication, and the most notoriously skipped. Page 2 does have more than LFEs. It also houses letters to the editor, our masthead and our editorial and print policy, for those keen on teensy print. 

Letters to the editor (LTEs) serve a different but equally necessary purpose to a letter from the editor: they give readers a voice to speak back to the student body. The Tripod is not and should not be a one-way distribution of information. To bastardize the words of Abraham Lincoln, it is of the students, by the students and for the students of Trinity College. The newspaper is an opportunity for an exchange of dialogue among the campus community and I highly encourage it to be utilized as such. 

This function is particularly important at Trinity, where students bring different experiences, political beliefs, academic interests and understandings of campus life. Disagreement is inevitable, but it can also be productive. This is the very act of critical thinking and free speech that higher education was founded upon. To shirk this opportunity is not only a personal loss, but a loss for all of Trinity — it is a missed chance to challenge our own assumptions and engage with our campus on an expressive and analytical level. 

The masthead is perhaps the best expression of this sentiment. A growing masthead is an indication of students taking advantage of this exact opportunity of expression and dialogue from within our publication system. This week, I am proud to announce four new staff writers (and two on the way): Aanum Khan ’30, Carlos Fonseca ’30, Julianna Williams ’30 and Cam Guendner ’30. Check them out to my left! 

I am especially proud of the class of 2030, who have been contributing massively to the Tripod this semester. By this time my freshman year I had only published one article, a half-baked opinion on “BoJack Horseman” riddled with logical errors and heavily dramatized prose. The new writers continue to impress me and the rest of the editorial board with their curiosity, tenacity and willingness to learn. If these students are any indication of the future of expression on this campus, I can say confidently that Trinity — and the Tripod — are in good hands. 

The masthead also matters greatly when we talk about accountability. I hold a public and hard stance on anonymity in the publication, and I view the masthead as a place for our editors and staff to take responsibility for what is in these pages. As each of these new names is added to the masthead, these writers shift from purely independent entities to individuals that support a collective enterprise that shapes the identity, credibility and values of the Tripod. 

This responsibility extends to the editorial and print policy, which I wrote about in January of 2026 as essential to forming an educated opinion on the publication. If you look in the bottom left of this page, you will see our policy for letters, retractions and acknowledging mistakes. It is a constant, permanent feature of the publication, a resource for anyone who wishes to submit a letter, challenge a published claim or understand how we respond when we get something wrong. More fundamentally, its presence makes a statement about the relationship we wish to maintain with our readers: the Tripod does not ask to be trusted blindly, but offers readers the means to understand and scrutinize its practices. 

Student newspapers operate in a unique environment: our staff members are both journalists and members of the community they cover. They attend the same classes, participate in campus life and experience many of the same institutional decisions as their readers. This proximity can provide valuable insight, but it also requires careful reflection about fairness, independence and responsibility. Letters from the editor offer an opportunity to make that reflection visible, to provide a concrete assertion of the values guiding the publication.

This slightly meta title (‘On Page Two’ … on Page 2) is, in essence, an expression of Page 2’s unique and particular role in the Tripod: a space within the newspaper devoted to reflecting on the newspaper itself. 

If I had a request for our student body, faculty, staff and alumni, it would be to read Page 2 in its entirety (or more realistically, a cursory skim). To us at the Tripod, maintaining a meaningful Page 2 is an investment in the campus community. Students should be able to identify who is producing their news, contribute their own perspectives and understand the editorial principles shaping the publication. Ultimately, a college newspaper is strongest when its readers see themselves not merely as consumers of information but as participants in an ongoing conversation. Please, contribute to this conversation. 

In peace, 

TBC

On Sept. 18, 2026, The Cornell Daily Sun reported on a lawsuit concerning a sexual assault that took place in the university’s Chi Phi fraternity house on the night of Oct. 19, 2024. The following coverage was swift and animated; the reporting was picked up by The Boston Globe, The New Yorker, CNN, ABC, even making it across the Atlantic to BBC. A former writer for the television show “South Park” created a website dedicated to targeting the seven men involved, as well as “those employed at Cornell who gave [the seven men involved] a break.” Greek organizations across the country have rallied in solidarity with Jane Doe and called for legal repercussions.

Despite the severity of the assault at Cornell, the event had been kept quiet for almost two years. Without the student newspaper, the story of what happened at Chi Phi would almost certainly have been a casualty of institutional silence. 

Student journalism is not a purely superficial undertaking, nor is it an extra line to add to one’s CV.  Student journalism serves a real purpose in the digital age of misinformation and oppressive power systems descending upon higher education. For this reason, I do not like calling the articles in the paper “stories” because I find that it attaches an almost fictional quality to its content. The things we write about at the Tripod are very real and some have an extremely tangible effect on students’ lives.

This week, the Tripod tried its hand at investigative journalism. The investigation into Trinity’s Resident Advisor (RA) program has been ongoing for several weeks now. The Tripod attempted to reach out to as many RAs as possible, and spoke with Union representatives from other NESCAC schools to better contextualize the RA program at Trinity. The overworking and undercompensation of RAs is a problem that has been prevalent on Trinity’s campus for years, and the Tripod has never had the time or the resources to act on it until now. We are incredibly excited to bring this longer-form journalism to the pages of the newspaper. 

In this same vein, free speech is also explicitly covered in this issue, with Trinity falling 42 places in the FIRE (Foundation for Individual rights and Expression) rankings. Yet I feel more confidently now than ever before in my time at Trinity that the Tripod is stepping into its intended role as a free speech platform on campus, and that students are taking advantage of this unlike ever before. 

For the first time in recent Tripod history, we have two opinions on Greek life in the same issue. Greek life, along with topics like sexual assault and racism, has proved to be difficult for the Tripod to cover in past years due to the culture of silence and the chilling effect that they have on our small campus. We have a new band of contributors, especially to the opinion page, and a new investigative news team (pending a rebrand to the “Trinvestigative” news team). 

Student journalism is often a thankless and tiresome job. I find it to be needlessly oppositional,  wherein members of our own community often position themselves against our staff. Despite constant reminders from students that we are not a large newspaper, and therefore not an important newspaper, I have found the opposite to be true. The Tripod may be small, but its reach is not necessarily confined to the Trinity campus — people read it, and they care quite a bit. Organizations care about how they are portrayed, students care about what gets covered, and people with considerably more institutional influence than a college newspaper might suggest still pay attention to what appears in these pages.

Yet, the Tripod is also not the administration’s newspaper, nor is it the student government’s newspaper, nor is it the Greek system’s newspaper, nor is it the newspaper of any particular political ideology. It belongs, in some admittedly complicated sense, to the students. That means students should be able to criticize it, contribute to it, disagree with it and, most importantly, utilize it. 

News is important, students are important, and student journalism has an inherent place on this campus. Oh, and email tripod@trincoll.edu to get started at the Tripod. Enjoy the bits, as well as the pieces. 

In peace, 

TBC

The beginning of the fall semester to Thanksgiving break is known as the “Red Zone” for sexual assault on college campuses. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault or sexual violence, the Trinity Title IX Office can be reached at (860)297-2688. The national sexual assault hotline number is 1-800-656-4673.

Welcome (back), Bants! 

We are so excited to begin the Tripod’s one hundred and twenty second year of publication together. If you missed us at the club fair, never fear. It is never too late to express interest — we take on new writers all year long. 

Our meetings take place on Monday evenings at 6 p.m. in the Jackson basement — it’s the side door with the Tripod logo next to the laundry room — you can’t miss it. Whether you are a die-hard fan of student journalism, simply have a passing interest or just want to ogle, you are welcome to sit in on our meetings and find a section you would like to write for! If you have a previous commitment at that time or simply do not want to show face out of deep shame and insecurity, you can also email tripod@trincoll.edu, talia.cutler@trincoll.edu, isabella.chirkis@trincoll.edu, or any of our section editors to get started writing. 

You can choose to write once and never again, or write every week. You can decide not to write at all, and instead assist with social media, puzzle-making, design or photography. That really is the beauty of the Tripod — its multifacetedness! (Put that word on a Scrabble board…)

We are happy to share several structural updates that we have instituted over the summer: 

We have created a solidified investigative news team. You can now email tips (the news kind, please) to tripod@trincoll.edu. We also plan to do a lot more with social media this year, including virtual Along-The-Long-Walks and digital interviews. The Tripod is instituting new meeting and pitch protocols, and we are no longer accepting comments on the website. 

As you can probably tell, we worked very hard this summer to set the foundation for a myriad of new projects. This semester, our goal with the newspaper is to provide an accurate historical record of our campus’ happenings and serve the community by way of veracity and information. We cannot promise that it will be perfect, but we can promise that the Tripod endeavors to maintain a high standard for our campus — to be journalistic but also accessible and communal.

It is our hope this issue can be an example! Here is what is in this edition of the Tripod: In News, we cover this year’s tuition increase, the actions of St. Anthony Hall’s Epsilon chapter after their chapter’s three year suspension was lifted, improvements to campus dining options, and the arrival of the class of 2030. In Opinion, three editors opine on campus water fountains, study habits, and the call for controversy. Features covers Caroline Wiffler ’26’s summer experience abroad at Sotheby’s and Peter Eisler ’86’s Pulitzer Prize, while Arts has a roundup story and an overview of what Bants listen to! The sports section covers men’s soccer. Last, but certainly not least, Bits and Pieces welcomes the class of 2030 with a wonderful selection of incredibly serious, and a new and improved crossword. 

These stories were crafted with care, conviction and several coronas. If you possess any of these qualities, we would be more than happy to have you in our newsroom. One of the hardest things to do when you arrive on campus is find your place — for first years, this may be straightforward: which clubs are worth your time? What classes are right for your sleep schedule? How long will that orientation friend group last? Even for returning students, so much is uncertain: which friends fit your new class schedule and which ones will you not see until next semester? Which roommate has that terrible habit you never noticed before? Which Mather crush from last year did you not realize was graduating? It can all be very hard to navigate without a sense of place and purpose. 

Our most sincere hope is that the Tripod can be someone’s ‘place’ on campus — if you are looking for a sense of community, accomplishment, your name in print and a pretty sweet office space, come check us out. 

Now, we understand that the optics of trying to lure first-years into a basement may be misleading, so we will wrap this letter up:  Whether you’re a freshman who will read the paper once and never again, a senior who has made the Tripod a staple of your Tuesday routine or a disgruntled alum who will probably send us five emails today listing every typo and semantic error in this issue, we have only one thing to say: thank you for tuning in.

In peace, 

TBC and IRC

P.S. “Multifacetedness” is worth 24 Scrabble points, in case you were wondering. Our managing editor would tell you it doesn’t fit on the board, but he’s a nerd. Who would know that?

In my final letter from the editor of this academic year, I would like to take the occasion to talk about learning. What a revolutionary subject for a collegiate newspaper, I know. This past year (but especially this past semester) has been chalk full of learning opportunities. Some things I have learned include: 1) How to properly cite a book consulted in an electronic format in Chicago style. 2) How to ride a Velo. 3) What “Sub-fusc” means. 4) The Agadir public transit runs 40 minutes behind. 5) The rumours about what you do in Oxford societies are not exaggerated. 6) Sometimes, you should get in a stranger’s white van at 4 a.m. 7) A sconce is not just a light fixture. 8) What escargot should look like. 9) What escargot should NOT look like, etc, etc. 

This year was uncomfortable for me as I am sure it was for many of you as well. I moved to a different country, I met amazing people and travelled to equally amazing places. I made new friends and reconnected with old ones. I was thrown far out of my comfort zone and it was not easy, but it was always worth it. This is the very nature of learning — it opens an individual’s capacity to do more, to see more, to understand more. It is not always fun, or easy, but I often find that it should not be. 

The Tripod itself has been a learning curve. Our staff has been put through their fair share of trials and tribulations. This semester has not quite been exactly what I envisioned for the paper – there were stories that we could not write and articles that felt rushed or underdeveloped. Not to mention editing mistakes, last minute changes, etc. Still, despite not being precisely what I wanted, I am happy that we were able to learn from each and every error, that our paper was able to continue this academic year and that it will be back in the fall for its one hundred and twenty second year of publication at Trinity.  

All this to say: the world does not end when you are faced with a brand new one. As the class of 2026 leaves Trinity College, I urge them to remember that. Trinity is not going anywhere. There will always be rumors about what goes on in Jones, the AD basement will always be strangely sticky, and a variety of projectiles will continue to fly out of the Jarvis windows for years to come. But now, you are faced with building a new life, whether that be across the street, the state, the country, or the world.

Do not be fooled, though — you are not just beginning to enter “the real world.” The “real world” is a fallacy — are we not all in the “real world” all the time? The old hackneyed adage of the “real world” being harder and tougher and more arduous than college is really just an assertion of the effort required to learn beyond an educational environment that makes it easy for you. It will be uncomfortable. It will be tough, but it is nowhere near impossible, and it is always, always, always worth it. 

Here is what you will learn from this issue of the Tripod:  In News, two members of the class of 2029 built both a trampoline and a bouncy castle in front of the LSC, and gave me perhaps the most entertaining interview I have ever conducted. Researcher DurreShahwar Muhammed gave a talk on peroxisomes, and Dan Lugo updated the timeline on changing the policy on protests and demonstrations. In Opinion, two editors and a contributing writer cover Trinity’s gates, their welcome weekend menu and the spring flip-flop culture on campus. There are two senior spotlights in Features, while Arts contains articles on Jonathan Gonzalez’s reading and discussion, Anthony Bale in the A.K. Smith series and a review of Ancestral Echoes playing at the Cinestudio. Sports includes a recap of spring athletics. Of course, the Tripod could not part for the semester without a final Bits and Pieces. 

And now to conclude with more cliches of a farewell or commencement address (although graduation is still weeks away), I would like to thank our seniors on staff: Angelica Gajewski, Annika Hayley, Ashley McDermott and Hannah Smith. There is a pun somewhere here about Triple A’s and their ability to power our humble publication, but I’m too lazy to make it. 

Instead, I’ll just say this: you may not read the LFEs and you may not even read the Tripod, but I hope you learn something from Trinity itself. I hope you are challenged and that you have an interest in learning even when it is no longer compulsory. Most of all, I hope you do not take anything too seriously, including this letter. Have a great rest of the year, bantams.

In peace, 

TBC

On Monday, April 13 an alumni by the name of Mike Deitch ’94 reached out to the Tripod wondering why we used “Tucker Carlson ’91” in our coverage over the last few weeks; he was wary of Carlson’s graduation status. At first, there was no easy answer to the question of if Tucker Carlson actually graduated from Trinity: Wikipedia says he “failed to graduate” citing the book “Hated by All the Right People” by Jason Zengerle. Zengerle cites “The Origin Story of Tucker Carlson,” a short that allegedly has his graduation information in it. The Tripod was unable to locate the interview itself, with the Daily Caller interview the citation appears to be referring to not mentioning Tucker’s time at Trinity. Yet, Carlson appears on page 184 in the 1991 Trinity Ivy, suggesting he was indeed a member of the class of ’91. The New York Times claims he graduated in 1991; The Encyclopedia Britannica claims the same. 

With this muddled historical context in mind I went to Trinity’s Archives searching for an actual answer to the Carlson conundrum. Thanks to help from the wonderful research librarians at the Watkinson, I was able to locate the 1992 Commencement Program and minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting approving the graduates for the class of ’92. Listed, specifically in absentia, was Carlson. It seems that Tucker Carlson did indeed earn a degree from Trinity and that he did indeed graduate, but in 1992, not 1991. The Tripod shall now refer to him as “Tucker Carlson ’92” and will print a correction in this week’s paper.  

– ABG

In this penultimate issue of the Trinity Tripod, I thought it fitting to mention etymology. “Penultimate” comes from Latin roots, combining paene (almost) and ultimus (last). Peninsula is actually a similar construction (paene + insula), or, “almost an island.” You get the gist.  

It’s interesting to think of etymology to construct words that don’t — but could — exist. By breaking something down at the root, you can slap together some twisted Franken-words that could mean just about anything. Par exemple, Trinity could be described as “penexcellent” or, more crudely, a “penminimus Ivy,” or what have you. 

In this issue of the Tripod, this is what we have produced in the spirit of construction: In News, you can read about the recent Bantam Welcome Weekend, as well as the re-branding of the Study Away Office (first DEI and now this? Email me if we should re-brand the paper something long, uninteresting and buzzword-y). Opinion houses quite the smorgasbord, with pieces on Tucker Carlson ’91 and his potential presidential bid, academic requirements, colloquialisms (lock me up) and a piece from The Trinity Faculty Coalition for Justice in Palestine. Both a professor and a student are exhibited in the features section, while arts covers Trinity’s Hip Hop Festival, Dawn Lundy Martin’s visit for the A.K Smith Reading Series and has reviews of films “Project Hail Mary” and “Palestine 36.” 

The timing of this issue is what I consider to be a golden era on campus – everyone has housing and class schedules (hopefully), but thoughts of next year are still far off, instead leaving us to scintillate in what can only be described as a campus photographers wet dream: lounging on the quad, playing spikeball and somehow always inexplicably mid-laugh. 

I urge us to stay here as long as possible. Or, at least until our “penexcellent” institution breaks for summer. Is it “penexcellent” or “penexellentia”? I wouldn’t know — I’m taking Latin next semester. As rough as this amateur wordsmithing has been, I sincerely hope that this issue is much smoother. Happy reading. 

In peace, 

TBC

Talia Cutler ‘27

Editor in Chief

In a perfect world, our sparse staff of eleven (four graduating seniors, two student athletes, three in greek life, in the finance association, in IHouse, Model UN, and the Vernacular, all of whom take a full course load) would craft a perfect paper, devoid of any mistake, week after week. But, in the immortal words of The Rolling Stones, “You can’t always get what you want.” 

Mistakes do not exist in a vacuum. There is room for error embedded into the context of production. For example, the Tripod is completely against the use of generative AI, as listed in our policies. We do not use AI to write any articles, we do not use AI to edit and we certainly do not use AI as we design. Thus, even as we copy edit well into Monday night to get the papers printed on Tuesday, some errors slip through the cracks. Maybe I am biased, but I like to think of these errors as irrefutable proof of labour, that human work went into this paper. 

Of course, we strive towards perfection. What paper would we be if we didn’t? Yet, when producing on a tight deadline, the quality we tend to give our attention to is less focused on AP Style and more on the quality and veracity of information above all else — in other words, the less obvious. Other times, there are events simply out of our control that contribute towards a downturn in quality; Sometimes sources do not respond. Sometimes writers fall through, leaving me or Bella to conjure something in an hour, or Alex to box up the page. It happens. We move on. Some of our readers do not. Why is that?

The perfect newspaper is an elusive quality — the truth is, our staff could always be doing more.

But sometimes, we must sacrifice one thing for another. We could have more rigorous training periods, but that would inhibit accessibility and interest. We could cover more off-campus events, but that takes resources we could be using elsewhere. 

Three of our articles were written by a singular new editor (who we should pay overtime to). Three were written by another editor, who also handles the Tripod’s design (and is perhaps the definition of overtime). Three were written by our managing editor, with the gaps filled in by some talented staff. This week, here is what we could churn out:  

In News, we have coverage on Tina-Marie Lugo’s Women’s History Month event, as well as Attorney General William Tong’s discussion on gun safety. In Opinion, our editors opine on private equity, Chartwells and the new entrepreneurship center. Arts covers Paul Schrader in the A.K Smith Scholar Series. In sports, you’ll find pieces on the closure of Women’s basketball’s season, as well as Men’s lacrosse first season opener win in over a decade — and they say they weren’t prepared! Lastly, B&P has some gut splitting articles as usual, including a YikYak advice column, brought back by popular demand.

I should warn you, though; some articles may contain typos. I hope and pray that this does not personally offend you. If it does, I recommend you go outside — it’s quite lovely out there! We at the Tripod essay towards quality, but we never expect it. At a school with no journalism program, we function as an unfinished product; a place for people to learn how to write, a place for trial and error. 

If you would like to write for the Tripod or help us edit on Monday nights, stop by our office in the Jackson basement at 6 p.m.! Please be familiar with AP style and/or be semi-literate (optional).

In peace, 

TBC

Talia Cutler ’27

Editor in Chief

Post-Trinity days, with spring break firmly within arms reach and the snow (finally) beginning to melt, it is the season of slacking. The senior slide in particular, like any form of raucousness and irresponsibility, is an art form that will come to a head in the coming weeks. You’ve put in three and a half years of (pretty) good work and (some) effort, and now the slide begins. 

This is not to say it isn’t an uncertain time, because this stage of the senior slide is defined by uncertainty over what’s next. Graduate school decisions come out in several weeks, jobs are likely still in the recruiting stages, and no one knows when the pasta bar is coming back. Trinity seniors are not alone in this precariousness. It is also an uncertain time in terms of geopolitics, digital safety, and the amount of microplastics I consume on a daily basis. On campus, however, this uncertainty is not life and death — although I’m sure it may feel that way. Instead, it is a transitional period, one that revels in the quintessential college-ness within us. 

This week, the Tripod has for you some collegiate excellence: News reports on Men’s basketball’s NESCAC championship, as well as Early Decision admissions and Dr. Dumas’ Thursday panel on female judiciary representation. On the opinion page, writers discuss the impending war with Iran, the liberal arts approach to office hours and the winter blues for quite the smorgasbord-ian section. Arts reviews the students who participated in the American College Dance Association’s conference in Cambridge, while Features reviews Trinity’s Environmental Justice Program. Finally, in Sports, we have stories on Women’s hockey and an introduction to spring athletics. 

Hopefully, this issue acts as a preventative measure towards those disposed towards senior (or junior, sophomore, freshman) sliding. Perhaps these stories will inundate oneself with motivation to make the most of what is left of the school year. If men’s basketball can be consistent with winning, maybe you can find it in you to be consistent about lecture attendance or sending out summer job applications! Perhaps more realistically, though, one can be reminded from these pages that the spring semester is uncertain, formulaic and short (much like the Tripod itself). Unseasonable tank tops are right around the corner, bants, as is the inevitable “spreak” drama and the point in the semester where your syllabus begins to look suspiciously optional. Slide responsibly. 

In peace, 

TBC

Talia Cutler ’27

Editor in Chief

In the aftermath of Valentine’s Day, love is in the air once again, Bantams. There are much worse things to be in the air, like sewage, microplastics or whatever radiation that eduroam is emitting. I am firmly in the camp that love is multifarious. I would love to elaborate, but I sadly had to drop PHIL – 247 last spring. What I can say, however, is that connection is at the core of any expression of love, and I hope that the Tripod is able to give our readers just that — a sense of care and connection. 

Living on a small campus like Trinity’s is conducive to a much closer and well-connected student body than a larger or more urban campus. No one comes to Trinity for a city feel — we value greenery, closeness and an Instagram story of the chapel. After a few days of recovery from Tap Thursday specials and novelty frat themes, we must appreciate how well-meshed our student body has become. There is a level of care and attention and love built into our community. Clearly we are here ‘neath the elms because we are a student body that values connection, whether that be between our administration, faculty or each other. Perhaps all three — it’s quite a trinity! 

We hope to pour in some of that care into the pages of the Tripod. Each issue takes exactly one week to put together, beginning in our office staff meeting, where we pitch ideas for the upcoming week and divvy up stories to our writers. The following days are always a whirlwind of setting up interviews, taking photos, article edits, re-edits, re-re-edits. The process ends with hours of copy editing well into the night, InDesign graphics burned into our design editor’s corneas, frantic emails to our printer and eventually, distribution on Tuesdays at noon. 

This week’s Tripod is evidence of this commitment to our campus connection. In news, we have covered DEI’s rebrand, the Bistro’s closure, and a panel on Professor Hamidi’s book, “After Fission.” The opinion page ponders the role of rebranding in higher education, Trinity students educational return on investment and what toilet paper might say about our administration (surprisingly, not an innuendo). Our resident movie reviewer has compiled a Valentine’s Day watchlist in the art sections, along with editors reviewing “The Vagina Monologues” and the Cinestudio’s latest film showing, “La Grazia.” Sports has profiles on the hockey team and Division III Men’s Basketball MVP Henry Vetter ‘26. Last but certainly not least, we have a beautiful Bits & Pieces for your entertainment and consumption, complete with a crossword, a list of restaurant recommendations, and an advice column, where an editor offers answers to your most intimate and personal questions from the furthest corners of Yikyak. 

The Tripod is, if nothing else, a labor of love in 12-16 pages of 11 1/2 x 17 inch white paper stock. It is brought to you weekly with effort and the hope of connecting Trinity’s students, administration, faculty, staff, alums and parents to one another. I am not saying you should send our staff flowers or chocolates, but I am sure we wouldn’t mind a case of Modelos — you know where we are located… 

With love, 

TBC

Talia Cutler ’27 and Isabella Chirkis ’27

Editors in Chief

The last few weeks have been incredibly difficult both emotionally and technically for the Tripod staff and, of course, the entire Trinity community. Recently, we lost a fellow Bantam and this was absolutely devastating. The grief following the loss of a loved one is a heavy burden, and one that does not disappear. There is no reconciling it. Our campus is shouldering that grief now — Nicky Green ‘29 is, and forever will be missed. 

It would be easy to be pessimistic about the future at this point in time. We are aware of the massive breach of trust the Trinity Tripod has committed against its readers, as well as the perception of our practices. However, we refuse to be an environment infested with pessimism. We cannot build a functioning paper from that — instead, we are viewing this turnover as an opportunity to begin the paper again.

We have spent the last two weeks rewriting our governing policies and, of course, organizing a massive internal restructure. We have seen the loss of two senior members of the executive editorial board and four staff editors. In their absence, we have appointed new co- editors-in-chief and one managing editor. This is a new issue, a new semester, a new executive board and a new commitment to our mission as a student newspaper.

Our goal is not to obstruct or distract from what has happened, but learn from it and move forward to publish quality and timely news for the student body, faculty, administration, parents and alumni. 

In this week’s issue, we address the past — we have a multi-generational letter-to-the-editor from alums in journalism on our decision to retract, and pieces from two editors on re-defining campus news as well as editorial policy in the Opinion section. Additionally, we have pieces covering the squash team’s win streak in Sports, the library’s water issues in News and a wonderful Along The Long Walk on the front page. 

This issue was chaotic and fraught with difficulty as we navigate our new (unexpected) roles. But throughout the painful trial-and-error, it has, without question, been a worthwhile task. We love our campus community, and to us, the Tripod has always been a central part of that. Both of us have been writing for the Tripod since fall of our freshman year, watching the coverage of the St. Anthony’s Hall suspension, the shooting of a Trinity student in Vermont, institutional litigation, student protests, worker strikes and everything in between. Being in the newsroom on Monday nights, begrudgingly participating in Tuesday distribution and frantically spamming slack channels on Saturdays has been a staple of our experience at Trinity. To abandon the paper is unthinkable — to build it back up again is a privilege, and one that we are happy to do together. 

At the end of the day, the Tripod serves the principles of journalism, but it also serves the student body. With the new editorial board, we hope to deliver on this service with veracity, sincerity and poise. We have to start somewhere, and we are choosing here to begin again. 

With optimism, 

TBC and IRC

Mental Health resources are available at the Counseling and Wellness Center at 135 Allen Place, or dial 988 in an emergency.