President Addresses State of the College

Last week, the Tripod sat down with Trinity College President Evan Dobelle to discuss various issues concerning the college community. Topics addressed included construction on campus and social life at Trinity.

When asked whether the Vernon Street gate would be opened as the major entrance to the college, Dobelle answered, "Vernon Street has been given by the city to the college, never to return to a city street, so it's a private way." Dobelle added that in about three years, "we have to decide how exactly we want to have the entrance to the college."

Dobelle addressed several options currently under consideration, including leaving the ceremonial entrance on Vernon St. closed from dusk to dawn to provide access to admissions and activities during the day. However, Dobelle emphasized, "nothing has been decided yet."

Dobelle then addressed construction on campus, noting that while it is disruptive, "You can't build something without generally disrupting something else." He mentioned the new dormitories being constructed , noting its "172 beds, with three separate entrances, and lounge space."

Dobelle stated his expections that the opening of the dorms in September of 2000 will "totally change the residential life of the college and make it more comfortable for everyone."

Dobelle also addressed the construction of the new Admissions and Career Services building along the Chapel Quad, noting that "it will alter the parking arrangement...but there is no easy answer for it." Dobelle added that the Learning Corridor Project is on schedule, due in September of 2000.

Dobelle expressed great enthusiasm about the ontinuation of Project 2002, commenting on the grants from the Hartford Foundation and Kresge Foundation, stating, "We are excited and continue to raise money for the Library... The complication is, you have to continue to raise money because things become more expensive. We have determined with the Board that we are not going to construct any buildings at this institution which are not first rate, and we are not going to cut back and marginalize buildings, which I think had been historically been the case at Trinity."

When asked about the future status of Midsession, Dobelle answered, "I have high expectations. I believe in the original concept of Reading Week, or Midsession, which was an opportunity as I understood it thirty years ago, when it was created, was to give students and faculty an opportunity to have an educational experience outside the classroom." He went on to say, "The Board wanted to end it, and I asked the Board along with Dean Brown to give it an extension to see if we could come to a better usage of it. Hopefully that will be the case."

Addressing the possibility of Midsession not meeting the expectations of the trustees Dobelle commented, "If that is not the case, it will be eliminated, and as a result we would probably start classes after Labor Day instead of before Labor Day, which some students would also like, so we'll see what happens."

Discussing the role of adjunct professors at Trinity, Dobelle stated, "Adjunct professors are not to be dismissed as unqualified or uncredentialed educators." Dobelle commented, "... we have set out to increase the number of full time teachers, and every effort is being made to do that now. The complication is, you have a financial responsibility to the college, you need to try to reduce where appropriate adjunct faculty."

He noted that, "as a private college we're far different from most, we don't rely on teaching assistants as many universities do" and added that "eighty percent of the courses taught at the college are taught by full time faculty." The president also addressed the faculty vote to abolish Greek life at Trinity, stating, "For the last twenty years, the faculty has stated that point of view and students have stated the antithesis."

He then added,"I am awaiting a report that the Board of Trustees has asked for from Vice President Herzberger."

Discussing social life on campus, Dobelle commented, " I wish social life was better for people who define that as more options or the capacity to have alcohol at events. I don't know quite what to do about that, I wish I did." Regarding drinking on campus, Dobelle commented, "I've got laws that I have to enforce, and certainly can't ignore. I can't risk Campus Safety Officers or RAs being sued for negligence for allowing people to drink. The social scenes at Trinity, Bates, Bowdoin, and Middlebury are all about the same."

Addressing the challenges of maintaining Trinity's standards, Dobelle stated, "We have to be observant that we live in a very competitive world. We're trying to get the very best students and faculty to come here, and then also to retain these people. We have to be alert to changes in higher education, and accommodate new technologies, and create new opportunities for our faculty to pursue."

Dobelle added that "A lot of it has to do with resources. I spend a great deal of time away from home raising money. We have great expectations here and the only way to meet them is to raise money. The reality is, it's my job to provide resources for a distinguished faculty and an able student body." Dobelle commented,"... we have traveled hopefully in the past four or five years to an institution that has always been a good college but was at the crossroads and in danger of slipping into the top of the second tier. We are now at the middle of the first tier, and we're glad there are so many students who want to apply here. We hope we are taking the right students, and the right students tend to realize the advantages of attending a liberal arts college in the inner city."

Addressing the image of the college, Dobelle said, "I'm comfortable with who I am, I'm comfortable with where Trinity is. If you read the top ten, you see they are the ten wealthiest institutions with large endowments. I suspect the US News And World Report rankings are weighted towards those with money. Other rankings or surveys have been very positive towards Trinity. I'm never happy, I'd like to be number one on everyone's ranking. That's my attitude, that's the way I am. I am competitive that way, but I am also mature enough to be happy with who I am, if I am doing the best I can, and that's what we are trying to do."

"As far as invoking moral authority," Dobelle added, "in my judgement, other than UCLA, there's only two on that list. So if you want to have a list about which academic institutions invoke moral authority, make a difference, and are wise about sustaining a vibrant democracy in a country by reaching out to our neighbors, then we've been on that list all along. It depends on what kind of list you want to look at."

Dobelle summed up the state of Trinity College by commenting, "The strength of Trinity is how people do when they graduate from this institution. From what I've seen, the alumnae of Trinity have the success and power as those of any other college and university, and I don't mean just Bates, I mean Harvard. A Trinity student has a sense of competitiveness, a sense of family, a sense of responsibility, and I'm very proud of our student body and our alumnae. I wish everything could be perfect for everybody all the time, but that's complicated and for someone far more able than I am."