University of Notre Dame - Dome Yearbook

“i 10 I THOMAS L PFIEFER South R.ver. New Jersey B S Biology JOHNM PLEASANTS Granger. Indiana B S Biology MATTHEW A PRIEST Rochester. New York B S Chemistry JACKL RAINSBERRY Montclair. California BS Physics JAMES M RENGA Bloomfield. New Jersey B S Chemistry STEPHEN J RICCI Mequon. Wisconsin B S Mathematics JORGE E RIVERA Santurce. Puerto Rico BS Biology WILLIAM J ROSANELLI West New York. New Jersey B S Biology DANIEL H RYAN Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania B S Preprofessional MARK RYAN Annapolis. Maryland B S Preprofessional PARTICKM RYAN Lead. South Dakota B S Mathematics ARTHUR C ST ANDRE* Whippany. New Jersey BS Biology " Research is the way to teach " Although Or Julian Pteasants made this statement in reference to his classes in biology, they reflect his notion of the ideal mode of educa- tion in a university system Since his high school days. Dr Pleasants has experienced a type of education of experience and application With this education behind him. he is able to carry into the classroom an acute awareness of the prob lems of the student and the ability to make the student ap ply the knowledge he has obtained Dr. Pleasants has the ability to identify with the students he teaches on all levels He believes that education on the university level should give students an overall look at life In particular, he believes that the university should be an educational and social community in which the student must be able to exert his influence and force a change He is a living example of this ideal, since he was extremely active in the radical Catholic Worker movement of the mid- 1 940 s It was here that he became interested in his special field of nutritional science in which he is an acknowledged expert From this initial " baptism of fire " in nutrition, he has made the transition to the problems of food and digestion in a germ -free environment, research which he believes will in- directly result in the eventual resolution of the world food crisis The final advantage to this type of experiential education- al philosophy is that the teacher can identify with the needs and problems of the student He has reached the conclu- sions that in today ' s university, the burdens on the student to integrate and apply the disciplines imposed by a variety of teachers can become overwhelming and impossible to cope with He sees that the basic problem a student has in entering the university is learning the technique of applica- tion of knowledge and basic principles Dr Pleasants also acknowledges the fact that the student needs a chance for participation in the evolution of the society In this context he envisions the potential merits of such activities as the 1970 student strike and. more recently, the ill-fated Prince- ton Plan Although he states. " I have found teaching difficult, maybe because I came to it so late. " Dr Julian Pleasants has brought to Notre Dame a great insight into the ideal educational system and the implementation which would make such a system possible ”