Letter From the Editor: When the Nights Grow Longer, Resist the Urge to Hide

Savannah Brooks ’26

Editor-in-Chief

Friends, we are at that point in the semester. The sun is setting at 4:30, going to Mather is becoming tedious and all you want to do is go home and hug your family pet. Trust me, I get it. For those first-years who are reading this, know that you are not alone. Eventually, you will get older and more confident, and you will confide in your friends about how you felt sometimes your first semester, and you will realize that most of them felt the same way. Before you get to that point, though, you might be able to take comfort in my story. Today, as a senior, those who know me well would say I am too involved in campus — I know too many people, I know too much about everything that is going on and I need to stop putting so many things on my plate. But, my first semester, I essentially had no friends, and was constantly wondering if I made the right choice in coming to Trinity — in fact, I even filled out a transfer application.

It is not easy to admit this so publicly, but reading something like this in the Tripod, I know, would have been incredibly beneficial for me during my first year. Please know that if you are struggling to find your people, if you don’t enjoy going out, if you are struggling in a class or if you generally feel like your world is ending, you are not alone. This time of year is when it starts to become most difficult to leave your twin XL and venture out to club events or into the city, but it is also when doing so is most important. I challenge you to take time this week, if you are feeling lonely or down in the dumps, to go to a common hour event, sit out on the quad when it gets dark, take time to relax in the Chapel while an organist is practicing or even take a short walk to see a movie at Cinestudio. College is difficult, messy and can be extremely isolating, but learning to have a good time in your own company will give you what you need to get by.

In this week’s Tripod, you will see coverage of some of the things that the Trinity community has to offer once you step foot outside of your stifling hot dorm. In news this week, we covered the Connecticut State Chess Tournament which was hosted on campus and a discussion on the Russo-Ukrainian War (online only) alongside an edition of Along the Long Walk, an article on how faculty are using and responding to AI in the classroom and coverage of the controversy around Students and Faculty for Justice in Palestine’s chalking of classrooms last week. In opinion, you will see three opinions on President Lugo’s response to the chalking along with an opinion on having a boyfriend and one arguing for the Trinity administration to denounce its most infamous alum, Tucker Carlson ’91 (online only). Arts & Entertainment this week offers a review of a version of the original “Nosferatu” with music from Radiohead as well as a feature on Trinity’s Organ Studio. In features this week, we are spotlighting Professor Lynn Sullivan of Studio Arta and the South Asian Student Association after their recent Diwali celebration. In sports, we talked to women’s squash regarding their upcoming season and swim & dive about their new Team IMPACT player.

Even though we only have one issue left for the semester, it is never too late to contribute to the Tripod! You can write for our next issue, but we also accept articles for publication online between our last issue of the fall and our first issue of the spring. If you are interested in contributing, please feel free to email tripod@trincoll.edu with a pitch or simply a willingness to write. 

– SNB