Fairfield University - Manor Yearbook (Fairfield, CT)

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Scenes From A Jesuit University hen we leave our homes and join the Fairfield University community, we quickly familiarize ourselves with names that forever will be synonymous with our college experience: Canisius, jogues, Regis, Campion, Loyola, Kostka, Claver, And Gonza- ga. All students become aware eventually that - these buildings were named after Jesuit saints and scientists. However, some might not realize that a deeper jesuit experience lies behind the - . names of the buildings. Looking beyond the names unveils the true character of a university , t if Q . . . . . f :Ek deeply rooted in the Jesuit tradition. From Ori- Q55 . I entation And Senior Week to academics and lg' 'Anil dorm life, we discover that our college exper- 1 if ience is uniquely 'jesuitf' ie i ,Nlwtt lr litllfullt-1it.til,s xxitli lXtlli'lI lil'l'tlL'lllK'llslL'l'. lillijlil litt- lltiiilwwliflf'AilNllil.lN.Xl.l'NSl1bl llll'llIIlKl'lNIlX :umrnumtx Ill lhlllllllll ,whip l f,,',v','7r,.,'r,',fn ,Vl1 n,,'fit A

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i- cf -.siff N .:.1. N L' it .. f' TEC Leafs Qi L-.lfcssz iPT.vt'T'.f ,ii '.c ' --Y T c .i. Yac.. T. .i'.c' sZL.c1t'.Zs HI T '.t's ' es ..r..:cfst.it .. the .N k'.-et vl .lLN...' c t N .il.cl piiios- x l e ..: :.g forte .intl Iliwli- -' wzzcf. ::.tt.scs Zl.c -lcst.1t- :to cvc-:.::.1r.g .it lairfielcl ' ktfsi IN cci:.te:.tt.ited 1:3 one .fast-Xvfcf.expi.c1!.stli.ctZheJesu- is .i'e to .1ZZc'tlroci.i'. rozhcser- -ltt' ill l.i1lI..irl Nsliltli Illc' Pfkilllkl- 'Affi ot justice is .in .chsoltite re- duirc-t:.t-rit Jesuit Xlission State-ri.ei-ti 'lil.is cofiithlttliclit has chal- .e:.gct: the lesuits to develop .i pro- gran. vviizc h would prepare students :or the dc-ziiaiicls ol the contempo- . i v . rar. m.irsetp..icc and also instill in ilrerii moral and spiritual values. liiiere are several ways which the Jesuits have sought to fulfill their commitment the core curriculum. the prominence of lesuits in the university community. and the L.llllpLlN lllllllSffN. Scene one:TheCore Curriculum Registration day. The line at the registrars office extends into eter- nity. or so it seems to undergrad- uates at lairfield liniversity. lt is registration day. A student throws her hands down. exasperated with her search for a philosophy or reli- gion class to fulfill her core require- ments. She confides to her friend. l cant believe lm torturing myself lust to get into classes that l'll never reallv use. Many students might not recog- nize the importance of Certain courses in the core curriculum. but as Dr. l,eo fJ'C,onnor. chairman of the American Studies Department states, The core is critical to under- standing the assumptions ofJest1it education. Many alumni as well as graduating seniors have reported to me that they look back at those recruited courses with apprecia- Milli The broad accusations levelled at the core curriculum usually stem from the courses perceived non- practical value. While noone can clenx the importance of practical coursccs. overlool-:mg other fields which strengthen our moral fiber .incl awareness of others such as ht- erature, philosoplij., religion. and the .ms would imclermme the suc- ftss ii. .i student s specific field lr lsilif ullc-ii SJ.rc-alhrmsthis, ll' sa-.s ln some sense. they are r' a . 5'4 i right in that they may never make money with it. Hut yes. it is practical in that they will use the courses to think. write. speak. and under- stand. When the Jesuits instituted the core curriculum. they were not iso- lating themselves from the contem- porary needs of their students. The Jesuits have been constantly adapt- ing the core to meet practicalities. Xshen the core was first created in the lfliffs. students had few elec- tives to choose from. unlike the graduating class of 19?-its did. The students in those days had to take .fi credits of philosophy, 16 credits ol theology. lr. liill Cullen says that with the dawn of the space race. beginning in the late 1950's when Russia lauiic hecl Sputnik. the first earth satellite. the Jesuits revised the core .llltl lllAlKlL' ll lllilfl' Sk lL'lll L'-UllCl'llL'Ll. 'l hen in 11170, the core was re-exalu- .itecl by the K urriculum f,ommittee Above: Fr. Laurence O'Neil. SJ.. participates in the bi-annual blood drivejolm Courtmmzrlfe plaom Left: Fr. Simon Harak. SJ. Brian Rwsell fllmlu which asked itself whether the core was giving the best educaton possi- ble. The answer was no. and re- forms took place that required only three philosophy courses and two theology courses, down from five philosophy couses and four theol- ogy courses. One of the most recent develop- ments in the cores emphasis is the expansion of the fine arts program. Fine arts is a typically strong Jesuit tradition. but was put on hold in the early years of Fairfield l'niversity to meet the practicalities that the challenge of educating the incom- ing Catholic immigrants demand- ed. Times have changed. however, with the Jesuitss success in secur- ing tlie basics of education at Fair- field. resulting in rapid capital growth and an excellent academic reputation. Today. the Jesuits have the resources and time to concen- trate on the fine arts. Within the next few years. Fairfield will con- struct a new fine arts building. This facility will provide a center for the fine arts program to develop. This modern facility will include a stage for dramatic performances which are currently produced at the Play- house. and musical performances which are currently held in the Oak Room. This facility will also serve as a place to showcase student and faculty art work. currently dis- played in the library. Campus Cen- ter. and the Center of Financial Studies. With respect to the curriculum in general. new majors and minors such as the new Faith, Peace. and Justice minor. are being developed to strengthen students's awareness of the Jesuit mission. While Har- vard L'niversity boasted of its adopting a core curriculum. the Je- suits never left the core. Scene two: TheJesuit Presence. Fr. Joseph MacDonnell. sribbles some math formulas which resemble Chinese to the student with the gaping mouth. But Fr. Maclbonnell is patient and goes over the process once more until the students mouth closes. at least slightly. AnotherJesuit is found in a makeshift jail in the Campus Center lobby trying to raise money for a worthy cause. Ile demands. Set me free! Students respond by drop- ping some coins in a can. These are two places where the Fairfield stu- dent encounters the presence of the Jesuits. the second unique feature of a Jesuit education. Although the Fairfield Liniversi- ty community might view these fa- miliar scenes as normal. they are none the less important. As Dr. O'Connor states. At aJesuit Uni- versity the presence of the Jesuits themselves is important because they give witness to their own tradi- tion. The Jesuitss loyalty to this tradition seems endless. With his usual smiling disposi-