CONCRETE STORY HITS HOME
I would like to express my sincere admiration of Andrew Concatelli’s work on the crumbling foundations article in The Reporter. As a Tolland resident, I have many friends and neighbors affected by this issue. Residents feel isolated, without any support mechanisms homeowners typically turn to for salvation. To say anxiety levels are high would be an understatement! Andrew wove a story that presented Trinity as a beacon of hope for homeowners while elegantly demonstrating how we use opportunities like this to educate students. This is exactly what they, the homeowners, and we, Trinity, need right now! This work is exemplary.
Brian Flynn, Data Insights Specialist and Project Coordinator Analytics and Strategic Initiatives Center, Trinity College
Tolland, Connecticut
COACH’S EXPRESSION JUST RIGHT
I just received my copy of The Reporter. Thank you for the TTR response to alumnus Robert S. Herbst ’80 regarding the cover photo of Coach Caitlyn (Luz) Hitchcock ’00. I wanted to respond on a deeper level as an alumna and former teammate and player with Hitchcock. I played with her from 1998–2000 and played for her from 2000–02.
Herbst’s comment jumps off the page and smacks no differently than a completely misogynistic catcall from a male-identified stranger on the street: “Why don’t you smile? You would look prettier!” It doesn’t matter that it is dressed up in the veneer of an older fellow Trinity alum. It is no less sexist. We would NEVER tell a male-identified coach to “smile nice for a picture because coaching is so joyful and there was a sad article about Sandy Hook in this issue.” Hitchcock takes her profession and her players seriously; she demands excellence and hard work from them. The expression conveyed by the photo is just that; a completely different emotional expression than one that is appropriate to the complex grief related to a mass shooting. Conflating the two is once again problematic and misogynistic. It implies that the only expression that men are comfortable seeing in women is one that makes them feel better (smiling).
Clare Bullock Boyd ’02
Easthampton, Massachusetts
Now that I’m retired, I actually get to read the Reporter cover to cover—always informative and fun for me!
I’m writing to thank you for your reply to Robert Herbst ’80 regarding the (glum) picture of Caitlin Hitchcock. I’m sure he didn’t intend for his comments to be received as sexist, but this smiling phenomenon has plagued girls and women as long as I can remember.
And I’ll place my first sporting bet that he wouldn’t have thought or written that about his own male coaches from Trinity had they been featured sans smile. Just sayin’.
Your response was spot on, and I couldn’t have said it any better. Thank you!
Robin Sheppard M’76,
Professor of Physical Education, Emerita, and Former Associate Athletic Director, Trinity College
West Hartford, Connecticut
NOT SO THRILLED WITH NEW LOOK
I hesitate to be a skunk at the picnic, but please consider this a minor dissent on the reported enthusiasm surrounding the new design and feel of The Trinity Reporter.
Although aspects of the new design—and more importantly the content—were appealing, the minuscule typeface for the captions under the photos is off-putting. And more significantly from a design and marketing perspective, the dirty gold color used for the word Trinity diminishes its legibility.
Here’s hoping that a friend walking by our coffee table will realize that the magazine displayed on our table is The TRINITY Reporter.
John Chapin ’70
Post Mills, Vermont
DO NOT STEP ON THE STONE
I read with interest the article about the Luther-Roosevelt Stone in the latest Reporter. I saw that it asked for comment on the tradition of side-stepping the stone until graduation day. It also said the tradition dated back to 1974.
To my recollection, that tradition did not exist when I was a Trinity student (1975–79. I lived in North Campus for three of four years, trafficking back and forth daily (many times two round-trips or more). I stepped on the stone lots of times and still graduated. I’ll even bet that (as a member of the Pipes) we even sang on and around the stone as we left our late-night rehearsals in a Seabury classroom. When I brought my kids to see Trinity, I was miffed by the practice as it was not something I knew about.
So, unless there were a bunch of us who “did not get the message” (possible, but not likely), I do not think the tradition of the stone began until after 1979.
Hope all is well on Summit Street. GO BANTAMS!
Tom Johnson ’79
Baltimore, Maryland
I was interested to read about the Theodore Roosevelt marker on the Long Walk in the spring 2018 issue of The Trinity Reporter, and I saw your request for information about the don’t-walk-on-the-stone tradition at the end of the article.
The tradition of not walking on the Roosevelt marker until graduation was actually news to me: this was not a tradition during my years at Trinity (1978–81). The first time I heard of any such tradition was in 2013, when I toured the campus with fellow alumni and my high-school-aged son. The student guide mentioned the don’t-walk-on-the-stone tradition, and the alumni were rather surprised.
It may have been an older tradition that fell out of use, or, alternatively, it may be quite new. I would be interested in what alumni in different age groups might remember.
Michael A. Gould ’81, Esq.
New York, New York
TTR responds: Thank you for letting us know about your memories. We thought that the tradition started sometime after 1974, and now we can turn our attention to 1981 or later. We look forward to hearing from more alumni.