Seton Hall University - Galleon Yearbook (South Orange, NJ)

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very different place from Seton Hall in 1977. According to Kostka, in the early years of the 1970’s “the students seemed to be more interested in what was taking place around them; both in the university and in the nation.” On the College level, students were concerned with a number of restrictive rules, such as limited visitation hours in the residence halls. Just prior to Kostka’s arrival at SHU, twenty-four hour visitation rights had been granted in the men’s dorms. However in 1972, when the Women’s Residence Hall was being completed, the issue of twenty- four hour visitation rights was raised again. There were many people who believed that the regulations for women should have been different from the men’s regulations. “Some of us,” Kostka said, “felt that it was not appropriate to restrict women if we weren’t restricting men.” Fortunately, when the final decision was made, a precedent was established which required that if rules were made for men, the same rules would apply for the women. Among the other issues which Kostka faced in the early 1970’s was the increasing importance of the Stu- dent Government. “Because the stu- dents — as a whole — were more ac- tive” said Kostka, “the Student Gov- ernment organization also became more active. With this activity came increasing power and influence for the Student Government on campus.” As the war came to an end, Kostka saw students directing their activity toward more university related issues than to the outside world. As Kostka remarked, “The students were becom- ing more concerned about Seton Hall and what was being done at their school. They pushed for teacher evalu- ations. They also questioned rules and regulations and how we, the adminis- trators, were enforcing these rules,” he added. Since 1970 many changes have oc- curred in the world and at Seton Hall. At the University, Kostka has found that “the students, to a degree, have become more conservative.” He has also found that there seems to be “a segment of the student body that is getting back to the old college philosophy of having a good time, get- ting an education and getting out.” Left to right beginning opposite page: Alphonse Rylko, Director of Financial Aid; Lee W. Cooke, Director of Admissions; Rev. Joseph Slinger, As- sistant to the Vice President for Academic Af- fairs; Miriam F. O’Donnell, Assistant Vice Presi- dent for Academic Services. The Dean believes that the students are not as active in some cases or as inter- ested in some issues which they should be concerned about. He be- lieves this to be a negative factor, rather than a positive one because the student body’s activity “causes the University to re-evaluate its programs, activities and operations and to make necessary changes.” Kostka feels that these attitude changes of the student body are re- flected in the current operation of the Student Government. He thinks that the present difficulty with the group is that “all of the easy issues have been dealt with.” He has found that student government leaders were readily sup- ported by the student body when changes were being made in the stu- dent visitation privileges, the Pub was being planned, and the University Se- nate was being organized. However, Academics 27

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education is to create an atmosphere through which students can under- stand and experience the importance of moral and ethical problems. The importance of developing a proper sense of right and wrong is amplified by value judgements of democracy and freedom in an American institution, along with the Church’s teachings of a Catholic university. Comparing these objectives directly with Seton Hall, Dr. Mitchell com- ments, “We cheat our students if we pretend that knowledge of fundamen- tals is unimportant. We lie if we suggest that learning is easy. We falsely profess if social adjustment and feeling good are the desired ac- complishments in a course of study rather than a firm grasp of the ele- ments necessary to a mastery of any discipline.” What does the future hold for higher education here at Seton Hall? Well, as grocery bills continue to skyrocket and car styles continue to change, educa- tion will also follow in an eternal, evolutionary process. Mitchell predicts that “teachers will realize that their chief duty is not to scorn students for their inability to comprehend but rather to help them in overcoming their weakness. Students will in turn understand their youthfulness requires constructive criticism that seeks to im- prove their skills. They may not like it, but they will be thankful later.” Seton Hall academics: descriptions flow from all directions, whether it’s the “whole human experience,” the “enhancement of one’s life,” or the “broadening of educational apprecia- tion.” Students, however, are free to choose their favorite and, in conclu- sion, here lies the true strength of Seton Hall. The Middle States Report of 1973 describes the campus as “an open, friendly environment.” Perhaps the biggest academic memory of Seton Hall will be the informal, casual op- portunity to know one another. Indeed, academics at the Hall is not a brain- washing but rather a relationship that will, hopefully, be a lasting one. Unlike the basketball game whose echoing cheers eventually fade away or the rock star’s voice which loses its freshness or even that glass of beer which has lost its head and become warm, the academic relationship of Seton Hall can endure forever. Active involvement at Seton Hall: Student Life It was the era of the Vietnam War and the stormy protests which were erupting at colleges across the nation when Dean Kostka came to Seton Hall. In fact, Kostka’s arrival followed a serious protest incident in which a number of students, faculty members and administrators were injured in a war protest-related encounter with the Essex County Sheriff’s Department. In a sense, Seton Hall in 1970 was a 26 Academics

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Clockwise from above: David G. Kostka, Dean of Students; George T. Bonett, Assistant Dean of Students; Paula M. Rivard, Assistant Dean of Students; Gerald Ramos, Assistant Dean of Students; William M. Milianes, Director of the Student Center. 28 Academics