$12.3 Million is Great and All. But We Found Some Things That Still Need Work.

In light of the recent $12.3 million bequest to Trinity, the editorial board wants to remind the College community where money still needs to be spent, and where it shouldn’t be spent. We came up with a couple ideas to illustrate our point.

1. We need better preservation techniques and infrastructure for Austin Arts and its galleries. Studio Arts Technician Chris Brown told The Tripod last May about humidity problems in the Widener gallery, as well as water damage in the basement as a result of spikes in building temperature. He told us “it’s not worth putting in a work order anymore.” He also told us that the College neglected the senior art gallery on Broad St. “into oblivion.” The senior studio is now housed in a trailer on Vernon St. When Ben Gambuzza interviewed Brown, the gallery they were sitting in, Widener Gallery, was well above the temperature it should have been for the art to be properly preserved.

2.Cultural organizations have cited, over and over again, about the lack of institutional support with regards to funding so that they may be able to execute mission -aligned programming. Cultural organizations form an important part of the College’s social life yet they are one of the most underfunded entities on campus. From Trinity’s International Hip-hop festival to other impactful social events by cultural organizations, teams always go out of their way to raise capital that ends up benefiting Trinity in some way. Financial support for these organization is important because these are the organizations that animate Trinity’s connection with the Hartford cultural community.

3. Trinity’s radio station, WRTC, deserves more financial support as well as recognition on campus. Its budget was recently cut over the summer, and after the longtime general manager Bob Parzych’s recent passing, it has been hard to find a replacement without a sufficient financial incentive. WRTC is a staple of Trinity College and the Hartford community- there are currently more community members working as DJs than students, and it is imperative to preserve this connection with Hartford as well as promote the radio station as an important asset of the college.

We are elated with the recent bequests to Trinity in the past months totalling over $20 million. But they’re not going to solve Trinity’s financial problems. These three issues, and many more, need attention. Dear readers, what didn’t we have space to include?

Sincerely,

The Editorial Board