Update from the Vice President of Student Life, Becky Starkenburg, March 21, 2020

Students,

On Monday, we begin online learning together. As we have promised throughout these days, your faculty and staff at Trinity are with you every step of the way. We believe you will rise up, be successful and embody the Trinity community even in this time. It inspires me greatly to think of our students right now! So, here’s the good news:

Trinity is providing every student in every program a Student Success Coach to help you transition to online learning and finish your semester successfully.

What will my coach help me with?
Our goal is to assure you that you are not alone in this, and that you have a clear first point of contact at the College. Your coach will reach out to you in a high-touch way (beginning with a phone or virtual conversation when possible) to offer support, encouragement, and resources to help you succeed.  Student Success Coaches will continue communication with you throughout the remainder of the semester to support you in finishing well.

Who is my coach? 
Your Student Success Coach will be a current member of Trinity’s staff.

How do we connect?
Your coach will reach out to you early next week (Monday, 3/23 – Wednesday, 3/25) to make a first point of contact and offer support. Each coach may take a different approach – some may call you directly while others may email or text with instructions on scheduling an online video meeting or a phone conversation. Everyone at Trinity now has free access to Microsoft Teams – so download it on your phone or other device, as many of us are already using it. Once the connection has been made, all of our coaches will respond to you within 24 hours of your contacting them throughout the rest of the semester.

What if I don’t need or want a coach?
That’s okay – not everyone needs a Student Success Coach. But, we do think everyone needs human connection, especially now. So, we hope that the connection your coach will provide will help you know that your Trinity family cares! If you are doing well, just tell your coach you got this for now, but know you can always reach back out to your Coach if you need additional support or for a first point of contact with the College.

Will normal student life and academic services be available and how do I access them?
Put simply – Yes! We are updating the Trollweb Student Resources tab to reflect resources available during this season.

I have other questions and so do my parents, help!
We will be sure to actively update Trollweb and the Trinity COVID-19 information page – everything gets updated every day. If you find that you can’t get the question answered that you need either from the webpage or from your Student Success Coach, please email studentlife@trnty.edu and Mabia Shadel will respond to you within 24 hours.

We serve a Living God who is with us.

Peace be with you,

VP Starkenburg