College of the Holy Cross - Purple Patcher Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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Mock Trial development is curtailed when con- strained by a course structure and curriculum designed for the average student. The new program, therefore, concentrated on more individual de- velopment of talent, scholarly initia- tive, and excellence. The first suc- cesses were moderate, but the direc- tion was promising and its ramifica- tions extended in many unthought-of directions. The sense of a proper atmosphere is perhaps the key to the whole change. True intellectualism is stifled by a negative atmoshpere-emphasis on re- strictions, rote memory, and thought- less acceptance of truisms, the type of education C too frequently identified with Catholic colleges? which is de- fensive, purely apologetical, and whose goal is the Catholic ready answerf, This sort of atmosphere can be carried into the whole life of a college, not merely academic, but also spiritual and disciplinary. The prod- uct of such an institution is an un- questioning mind, a formalistic for perhaps apatheticl Catholic, and a character whose morality is, by reflex, 22 the only basis of his religion, he does not think. Holy Crossfs symptoms of this disease were patent. Presently, administrative, faculty and student efforts are thoughtfully removing old fungi and its nourishment. Discipline has become more realistic. The posi- tive aspects of religion have been emphasized, though many doubted complete success was possible in this area while daily Mass remained a practice. In the academic life-the essence of a college-slow modifica- tions in the atmosphere are apparent, careful and wise change is difficult to recognize, its importance is basic. Only those few who remain out of touch with the twentieth century are oblivious to the correctness of direc- tion which Holy Cross has now assumed. The remaining majority, however, see that what has been accomplished is only a beginning. The microcosm which has been evolv- ing under the pressure of an evolving world now has a direction, not really a new direction, but one which is more positive, realistic, and clearly defined. -PAUL MCGRATH

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undergraduate school in the country. Yet a careful analysis of Holy Cross's stature was revealing. It simply was not the equal to its counterparts in the secular ranks. In too many re- spects Holy Cross had not grasped the intellectual and educational revolu- tions of the twentieth century. John Kennedy's campaign-charges that the country was not moving ahead as it should applied only too obviously to Holy Cross. Yet when the Class of 1962 first climbed Linden Lane, the Hrst groundswells of movement were breaking if quietly. The same year with the Class of 1962 a new man entered the oflices of the Dean of Studies, Rev. John Long, SJ. In such an organization as a Jesuit col- lege it is impossible to attribute any momentous improvement to any one man. Indeed, it would be incorrect. Yet in many ways Dean Long sym- bolized the change and his tenure in office was too closely synchronized with the changes to be merely coin- cidental. If Holy Cross was a different col- lege in 1962 than it was in 1958, this change was evident in many segments of the life of the college. The faculty was improving with a trend toward attracting many unusually competent lay professors. The average caliber of the student was rapidly climbing. The curriculum was being revised, and the climate on the hill was becoming more intellectually oriented. Holy Cross, long famous for its production of pro- fessional men, now was beginning to concentrate its efforts toward the pro- duction of scholars. Perhaps the most significant and symbolic innovation of these four years was the introduction of a Special Studies Program. Catholic schools in general-Holy Cross being no exception-had been geared to- ward the average intellect. But, whereas the golden mean is sometimes a praiseworthy goal, in education such a compromise tends only to produce mediocrity. The new Special Studies Program was geared toward the aca- demically superior individual. The philosophy behind the programis initiation realizes that such a student's As 4 N ...W ,f Z SN

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YW? Twice monthly a group of students meets in Lehy lounge to discuss the science of first principles. Each year the Aquinas Academy consists of about ten scholastic leaders of the senior class. It is dedicated to the in- vestigation of a philosophical problem which is chosen by the members at the beginning of each fall semester. This year the Academy elected for discussion The Natural Law and Existentialism, with particular em- phasis on the latter. In September Joseph M. Corr was selected President of the organization, Peter Luperio, Vice President, Robert P. Marshall, Secretary-Treas- urer, and Paul T. Hayes, Publicity Director. Meetings of the Academy are con- ducted on an open basis and anyone with an interest in philosophy may at- tend. Gatherings usually run about an hour and a half and consist of an exposition of a modem philosopher and his thought, and a discussion period. A member of the Academy introduces the topic by way of a brief discussion. Modern philosophers in- Aquinas Circle vestigated this year included jaspers, Marcel, Bergson, Nietzche, and Sartre. Culminating each yearis activity is an actus in philosophy conducted by the Academy. Last year Thomas McCarthy publicly defended St. Thomas's theses on the freedom of the will and the immortality of the human soul. This spring the organization sponsored an actus in the field of scholastic ethics. Moderator Rev. Dennis Crowly, SJ., selected one of the top students in the senior class to conduct the disputation. The actus is conducted in Kimball auditorium and frequently draws interested students from other New England colleges. Theses in scholastic philosophy are defended in the face of objections proposed by an audience composed of faculty and students. During April Prev. Frederick I. Ademann, SJ., of Boston College spoke on the contemporary existen- tialist Husserl. Guest speakers pro- vide an opportunity for exploring some of the avenues of modern thought. 23