2.24.25 Reflecting on Town Halls, Actions and Inaction: On February 14, Valentine’s Day of 2025, Trinity student organizations held its first ever town hall meeting. The meeting was incredibly well attended by students and representatives of various organizations ranging from cultural houses to political activist organizations. The meeting was not well attended by any notable school authorities. Concerns from students ranged across the board, and every single answer the representatives of the college gave was lip service and blatant falsification. But I am not here to cover that. The Tripod’s article from Feb. 18 delves into far greater detail than I can here. What I wish to cover is the student action side of things. Why have these actions at Trinity, and universities and colleges like it across the world, fallen to the Students? Why are the administrations of these giant corporate entities that we call colleges so flaccid in making change. The answer: money. Trinity is not willing to disclose its investments, nor has it made any commitment to divestment, but what it has made clear in letters from its president is that it would rather make a profit than stand up for a social or political cause which it ostensibly supports. Per the words of current President, Joanne Berger-Sweeney, “The Board of Trustees is charged with protecting the College’s ability to deliver its mission: to prepare students to be bold, independent thinkers who lead transformative lives. A crucial component of ensuring that the College can carry out its mission is the stewardship of financial resources, including the endowment, for the benefit of the institution as a whole.” (Address Given on 11.25.24 entitled “Response to Disclosure and Divestment Requests) Yet, the demands of the student population are made clear in this case: Divest from Genocide and fossil fuel supporting companies. The college, believing its financial motive to be more compelling than any social motive, has refused to even acknowledge said demands as demands, and merely understands them as a request. Meanwhile, students are punished for demonstrating these demands publicly and openly. And yet, this should not come as a surprise to anyone. Our society functions on complicity to capitalist oppression and the inherent problems therein. The students ( of all backgrounds and identities ) who protest against that are simply “misguided”. Our youthful minds cannot yet contemplate the “real world”. I assure you, many of us have been forced to contemplate the world far more and far sooner than any Board Member or administrator of any college may have. Amidst rewrites to our student handbooks, minimal communication from our school about ongoing national concerns with regards to immigration, DEI and more, and the continued silence that capitalist oppression mandates for the oppressed, the only thing clearer to us than our administrations frustrating lack of care and composure is the fundamental need for action. Protests, town halls, organizing on the school, state and national level, and personal dedication to the causes we believe in are all ways in which we, the ignored, oppressed and forgotten, fight back. I say to my fellow people who are long tired of living in suffering and pain, remain silent no more! There is power in our movement when we stand united. Let not petty disagreement and social conflict dictate your political beliefs, instead, let the clear and present oppression inherent in our system dictate your politics. To my comrades, allies and friends who fight for the causes we have so boldly fought for, remain strong. Trust your heart, and maintain the pressure. It is only under the demand of the entire 99% will the 1% give in. A.L.G