Manhattan College - Manhattanite Yearbook (Riverdale, NY)

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National Student Association ■ANHATTAN, quick to realize the im- - portance of this nation-wide student movement and to accept the challenge thrown out to Catholic youth to found such an organization on Christian principles and American ideals, sent N. F. C. C. S. dele- gates John J. O ' Leary and Bill Harrington to the Chicago Student Conference of De- cember 1946, where over 700 student repre- sentatives made known their desire for a nation-wide student organization. Fully aware of the time-consuming nature of the work that representatives to such an organization must perform, delegates for this entirely new student association were found, and on August 28, 1947, Albert Coakley, as the new Senior Delegate to the N. S. A. and Bill Harrington, whose past experience with this movement proved invaluable, went to the JS ' Iadison, Wisconsin convention that wrote the N. S. A. ' s constitution. Entitled to three voting delegates under the scale adopted at Madison, and now com- pletely stripped of any connection with the N. F. C. C. S. delegates, Albert Coakley, Bill iVIechmann, and C. Bernard McCartan, together with alternate delegate Joseph Nearon, became the Manhattan representa- tives to the N. S. A. hi addition to attending the almost weekly Commission or Assembly meetings of the New York Metropolitan Region, this group worked to orient the student body on the nature of N. S. A. and to keep them informed on its activities, through the medium of posters, circulars. Quadrangle articles, a rally and the presentation of the him, Campus Frontiers. Their worthwhile efforts combined with those of Brother Alban, their moderator, were rewarded when Manhattan became a formal member of the National Student As- sociation in February of this year. 179

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N.F.CCS. invURING the past year the big task of - ' - the NFCCS was the conducting of the Student Rehef Campaign. The campaign, which resulted from a resolution introduced by the Manhattan delegation to last year ' s Congress at Toledo, netted $5,000 here at Manhattan and about $175,000 throughout the country. The money was used to send food, clothing, school supplies and medicine to college students in the war-torn lands of the world. The money was raised in several ways; by holding the world premiere of a movie and stage show in Hunter College Auditorium; by sponsoring a double-header basketball game with four colleges in the region; by raffling a mask which was donated by Mr. P. Fingesten; by raffling two automobiles; through gifts of various organizations on the campus; through direct contributions in mite boxes, and in other ways. Manhattan was host to the Pattern Insti- tute for a week last June. At that time the International Relations Clubs of many col- leges in the Federation met here to attend the sessions of the United Nations and to hear the most prominent Catholics in the field of international affairs. It was at the suggestion of the NFCCS that Sigma Beta Kappa sponsored the Holy Hour for the intention of a Christian victory in the Italian elections, and that Pen and Sword held the Pray for Russia May Day services. In October, John O ' Leary was named chairman of the Leadership Institute held at Cathedral High School. Leading Catholics in many fields were invited to speak. Out- lines of existing student organizations and a course in parliamentary law were also in- cluded. Other activities of the NFCCS are listed under Student Government Commission, Christian Doctrine Society, Labor-Manage- ment Commission, Missions and the Society for Interracial Justice. The ijtleg.ifci dining the k were Nick MiitlUr. Willi.im H.iriiiigloii .iitd jobi: O ' Lc.ir). 178

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Student Government Commission C ' INCE 19-40 Manhattan College has been the seat of the National Commission on Student Government, a body designated to issue a model constitution for student gov- ernments throughout the country. This job IS certainly no small one, and the time already spent on it is long, e ' en though the fruits of the labor are not seen in the field of endeavor. In the years to come, the task of John McCarthy, Al Coakley, John Brosnan and all the rest shall find successful completion, thusly providing a better educa- tion for the men who follow in the sequence of time, through the American halls of learn- ing. Even when a model constitution is written there will yet remain the chore of selling it to the students and educators; a constitution without adherents marking only an isolated mile post along the trail. 180