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Campus LifeFor Trinity students, an active life outside of the classroom is an integral part of the college experience. Many choose to explore the varied cultural, historical, and community events that Washington, D.C., offers. A student can research her family tree at the National Archives, attend a play or hear a symphony at The Kennedy Center, see heads of state, visit the White House, or serve as a Smithsonian volunteer. The campus itself provides a wide range of activities. Students who join the athletic teams face physical challenges together. Attending a lecture by a Supreme Court justice can offer new insights into how legal precedents are set. Helping at a local shelter often leads to a new understanding of human needs and perseverance. Trinity provides a variety of programs to meet the needs of its diverse community, which includes Weekday, Weekend College, and graduate students; commuter and resident students; and national and international students. When these groups work together, there is a dynamic opportunity for sharing insights and experience. Ministry is an ongoing process of accompaniment accomplished within a faith community. It is mindful of the developmental character of the human journey and functions to nurture, reconcile, guide, sustain, and heal individuals and communities. Built on mutual trust, it engages the gifts, time, talents, and energies of every member of the community. As Ex corde Ecclesiae notes, "Pastoral ministry is that activity of the university which offers the members of the university community an opportunity to integrate religious and moral principles with their academic study and non-academic activities, thus integrating faith with life." In the setting of higher education in the 21st century, campus ministry takes place in a context of increasing diversity and globalization, aware of the opportunities and challenges these imply. Campus ministry embodies four specific dimensions of activity:
All members of the Trinity community -- students, faculty, and staff -- are expected to uphold a way of life that embraces personal integrity and responsibility, the foundation of the Honor System. The Honor System has been part of Trinity since 1913. Each person accepts the responsibility to uphold the Honor System. This includes the corresponding obligation to assist others to maintain the standards. Thus, the Honor System involves both personal and community participation and commitment. Working together, Trinity students achieve individual integrity, a shared trust among all members of the community, and a shared sense of responsibility to uphold the Honor System.
Resident and Commuter Policies Because Trinity's educational mission and philosophy extends well beyond the classroom to include a range of learning opportunities and developmental experiences, Trinity encourages all students in the College of Arts and Sciences to live on campus. Residential living enables students to explore the rich dimensions of community life and embark on their own personal development with the guidance of professional staff. All students living in residence halls must be on a meal plan provided by the College. The Dean of Student Services may grant exemptions from the meal plan for documented health reasons for which a diet prescribed by a physician cannot be accommodated by food services. Lockers and mailboxes are available to all Weekday commuter students. Lounges are available in Main Hall to mingle, study, and relax. Children should not be present on campus unless they are enrolled in the Child Activity Center or some other organized program. Under no circumstances may children attend classes. Residential Reservation Deposits Returning resident students deposit $100 each year on or before March 30; no refunds of this deposit will be made after May 1. Room contracts for students will not be issued until this payment is received; it will be credited to spring semester expenses of the following year. Returning students choose their rooms each spring, and new students are assigned rooms. Students must vacate residence halls 24 hours after the last day of the examination period unless special permission has been granted. The room will be checked by the residence director when the student is ready to leave. Any charges, either for damages or for cleaning, will be placed on the student's account. The Student Association (SA) through its three parts the Student Government Association (SGA), the Judicial Association (JA), and the Community Activities Association (CAA) represents the student body. The SGA acts as the policy making branch of the SA. Weekday, Weekend College, and graduate students each elect a Student Government Association. The presidents of these SGAs meet as the SA's Federation of Leaders. The JA has a dual role. One role is to disseminate information and engage the community in discussions about the Honor System; and the second is to act as the official hearing committee for students accused of violating College rules and regulations. The CAA represents more than 20 student organizations, and facilitates campus activities and club programming. Student Involvement, Leadership, and Community Service Trinity offers a variety of opportunities for learning and experience outside the classroom. Through the Office of Student Activities and the Student Government Associations, student organizations conduct campus-wide events for entertainment, cultural enrichment, political awareness, and charitable service. Student-run clubs, such as the College Democrats and College Republicans, the Black Student Alliance, the Athletic Association, and the Latin American Association, sponsor specific programs and are open to all students enrolled at Trinity. Trinity students manage three publications: The Record (literary magazine), Trinilogue (yearbook), and The Trinity Times (newspaper). Trinity also has chapters of four national honor societies Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Sigma Lambda, Psi Chi: The National Honor Society in Psychology, and Pi Sigma Alpha: The National Political Science Honor Society. Trinity celebrates many traditions. Class colors -- red, blue, green, and gold -- were chosen by the first four graduating classes. At the end of the year, graduating seniors bequest their color to the incoming first-year class, creating a common bond between every fourth class. During the academic year there are special days for the celebration of individual classes according to "class color." Other long-standing traditions at Trinity include: the First-Year Medal Ceremony, Sophomore Pin Ceremony, Junior Ring Mass, Convocation, Cap & Gown Sunday, Founders' Day, Family Weekend, and Well Sings. Student ResourcesTrinity College is committed to providing all students with a wide array of services and support to help them succeed academically and to become leaders in their professional, civic, and family lives. Trinity students take advantage of the many resources provided by the College. Academic Support Services and Career Services Academic Support and Career Services Center (ASCS) provides co-curricular programs to support Trinity's academic mission. The programs offered are committed to the value of a liberal arts education, to the development of leadership skills, and to the development of lifelong learning that will enable students to meet the challenges of a constantly changing world. The programs offered by ASCS include one-to-one tutoring; study skills and student life planning; support advocacy for students with disabilities; and learning skills workshops on topics such as managing time, taking tests, managing math and testing anxiety, understanding learning styles, and taking notes. ASCS also houses Law School Advising and provides career services, which offer diverse career planning programs designed to support and empower Trinity students and alumnae as they make career choices and life transitions. The workshops, personal counseling sessions, and online resources offered by ASCS allow students to develop skills for advancing themselves professionally. Numerous resources teach students how to write resumés and cover letters, conduct employment searches, interview successfully, and make important career decisions. In order to expose students to a wide variety of career opportunities, ASCS sponsors a number of on-campus job and internship fairs. Additionally, ASCS in conjunction with Alumnae Affairs enables Trinity students and graduates to make valuable professional connections through networking and on-campus interviews. For students wishing to pursue advanced academic study, information about applying to graduate and professional schools is also available. Trinity offers many opportunities for women athletes to excel and develop the necessary skills for competition in intercollegiate athletics. Dedicated coaches bring years of experience, knowledge, and motivation to the program, and their coaching philosophy encourages athletes at all skill levels to participate. Trinity's athletic program is a full member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III, and Trinity's teams abide by the rules of the NCAA. Trinity sponsors seven intercollegiate sports: basketball, crew, field hockey, indoor track and field, lacrosse, soccer, and tennis; the college also plans to add the sports of volleyball and softball. Trinity is a founding member of the Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference. All of the intercollegiate teams with the exception of crew and indoor track and field compete in this conference. Trinity's teams are members of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, U.S. Field Hockey Association, U.S. Rowing Association, U.S. Track and Field Association, and U.S. Women's Lacrosse Association. In addition, Trinity Recreational Sports (Rec Sports) offers opportunities for students to participate in a variety of sports and athletic activities. To reflect its commitment to women's sports, Trinity has built a Campus Center that includes a comprehensive sports center for women and girls. The center houses a multi-use space for basketball and volleyball, a swimming pool, a weight room, a dance/aerobics studio, lockers and showers, and team rooms. Trinity celebrates the presence of many children in the lives of our large campus family, and Trinity is committed to doing everything possible to ensure the health, safety and well being of all children. Trinity is also committed to maintaining an appropriate academic environment for collegiate-level teaching, research, learning and co-curricular activities, and all of the related work that supports the academic life of the College. To achieve these objectives, Trinity expects the full cooperation of all faculty, staff and students in observing these policies, which apply to all persons under the age of 18 who are not otherwise enrolled in programs of Trinity College: As a general rule, because Trinity's work is higher education, Trinity's campus is not an appropriate environment for children. Students and faculty expect to be able to conduct their teaching and research in an adult environment; Trinity manages the campus for adults, and does not have the capacity to provide safe places for children. As a result, parents who find it necessary to bring a child to campus at any other time must adhere strictly to these rules:
Resident students may not 'babysit' children in their rooms. In addition, resident students may not have guests in their rooms who are legal minors, under the age of 18, including relatives. The lounges for commuter students and weekend students are not appropriate places for child care, and children may not be left in these rooms for extended periods of time, even if other students are willing to look after the children. We understand that child care emergencies happen. However, Trinity is not in a position to provide emergency child care on campus. We advise students, faculty and staff who have child care emergencies to choose to remain at home rather than trying to bring the child to campus. We ask supervisors and faculty members to be lenient in excusing absences that result from child care emergencies. Trinity supports Macintosh and IBM-compatible computer classrooms for Macintosh- and Windows-based instruction. In addition to computers in the classrooms, computers for general use are available in the Computer Labs, the Library, and the Writing Center. The Computer Labs are open seven days a week and are staffed by the center coordinator and student interns trained in the use of computer software and hardware. Students may make appointments with the coordinator during posted hours. Pre-formatted blank disks are available for purchase. Additionally, many classrooms and instructional areas are equipped with computers connected to the internet, digital projectors, and smart boards to provide high quality instruction using technology integrated into every aspect of the curriculum. Resident halls are fully wired with high speed internet connections in every room so that students may perform research and class work in a technology-rich environment. The Future Focus Program serves as an academic bridge for students who come to Trinity and need extra support during their first year. The program provides first-year students with the opportunity to improve basic skills that will be needed in the academic and professional arena. Students participate in a summer introductory session that includes the development of an academic success plan; "first step" sessions involving discussions of issues, such as locus of control, realistic self-appraisal, and cognitive dissonance; and individualized learning plan meetings. During the academic year, Future Focus consists of cohort courses, co-curricular activities, leadership seminars, mandatory study time, and academic workshops. Health and Counseling Services The Health and Wellness Center provides primary health care and health education for students. The overall goal of the Health and Wellness Center is to educate the community about healthy life choices. Before entering the College, each student age 26 and under must complete and submit a medical questionnaire, a physical examination report, and a record of all immunizations to health services. All students are required to carry their own or purchase college-sponsored health insurance. A registered nurse and a part-time medical doctor are on staff to care for students. Emphasizing a wellness approach to health care, a part-time personal counselor is available to students in the Health and Wellness Center. The counselor can provide confidential assessment and referral services. Outreach workshops and programs focus on personal growth and developmental issues. Libraries and Library Services The Sister Helen Sheehan Library houses approximately 210,000 volumes and offers an online public catalog and access to the World Wide Web. The Sheehan Library is affiliated with the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC), which provides access to a catalog of more than five million volumes in the libraries of American University, Catholic University, Gallaudet University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Marymount University, and the University of the District of Columbia. The library also enjoys reciprocity agreements with the libraries at Georgetown University and Howard University, which give students and faculty access to these collections. In addition to providing individual assistance, the library offers research skills workshops in using its databases and in searching the World Wide Web. One of the newest campus computer classrooms, the Educational Technology Leadership Institute (ETLI) Classroom, is located in the Library. The library home page, The Trinity College Library Catalog, and WRLC databases are available online at http://library.trinitydc.edu. Free shuttle service to and from the Brookland/Catholic University Metro station is provided for the entire Trinity community. The shuttle runs from the Main Building to the Metro station parking lot. Schedules are available from the Campus Safety Office. The Writing Center (conveniently located in room 115 of the Science Building, next to the Academic Computer Center) is open during day, evening, and weekend hours to give all undergraduate and graduate students individual feedback about their writing. During one-to-one consultations, students can discuss specific assignments; share developing drafts; ask questions about composition, grammar and punctuation; and review citation rules and manuscript guidelines required by professional organizations, such as APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, and AP. Peer Writing Consultants, who are trained in a semester-long academic course, and the Writing Center Director offer specific recommendations for improvement to students' writing processes. The Writing Center does not offer a proofreading service; rather, students participate in the tutorial session, bringing with them all items relevant to the assignment and making their own revisions. Since all writers benefit from drafting, seeking the insight of an objective reader, and revising, the Writing Center encourages even advanced writers to meet with a consultant. The aim of the Writing Center is to help students develop lifelong writing skills. Throughout the fall and spring semesters, the Writing Center also offers free lunchtime and evening writing workshops in organization, revision, grammar, punctuation, and documentation. Registered Trinity students can schedule a consultation appointment by calling 202/884-9316. Additional writing resources are available on the Writing Center website at http://www.trinitydc.edu/academics/writing. |
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