Siena College - Saga Yearbook (Loudonville, NY)

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My dear brothers and sisters of the class of 1983, 2 Opening Once upon a time there was a young man from a wealthy family. Like most of the boys at his time, he was caught up in the macho influence of friends and fam- ily and longed to be rich and well liked. He had absorbed the usual values of his time. Then the silent hand of God touched him through his experience of war and life with the poor. Prayer and meditation transformed his life. Empty pleasures gave way to the desire to share Jesus, life, Jesus, pain and glory, Jesusl love for the poor, love for the oppressed, for the aged, the lonely and the for- gotten. This young man learned to walk with the poor, to live with them and through his lifestyle, to further the reign of God. As a result, hun- dreds, even thousands of men and women began to follow him. He motivated an entire age to reform itself, to end the many wars that plagued that time and to end the oppression of feudal- ism itself. This man was, of course, Francis of Assisi who is the inspiration and guiding spir- it of Siena College. I believe that Francis of Assisi speaks to you. the 1983 gradu- ates of Siena. and to all of us associated with this school that we love so well. I believe that the foundation of your education here is Francisl message of jus- tice and peace. Siena will be re- membered by you certainly for its educational opportunities, but also as a caring community; not just a friendly place, not just a pleasant place, but a real community, a com- munity where we learned to respect one another, where we learned to help one another; a community where we acknowledged our differences, differences in beliefs, in life styles, in religion and in race, but a true community. This lesson that you began to learn at Siena must be Cover: Saga - a tale, often a poetic narrative of heroic deeds - a detailed recital of events. brought to fulfillment. You must continue to see all persons as your brothers and sisters, as children of God, the Father. This is what your education at Siena College should mean to you. As alumni you remain important members of the Siena College Community and Francis himself calls you to share your knowledge, your educa- tion, your very lives with those less fortunate. You have the obligation to understand the plight of the poor. You have the responsibility of putting your intellectual learn- ing into practice in the years that lie ahead. I believe that Francis calls you and all the alumni community to be of special service to the poor and to be active in the pursuit of social justice. I would be tre- mendously disappointed if you were not concerned about the many needs which face us today and will continue to face us for many years to come, the needs of the homeless, the chronically unemployed and the needs of families. Francis calls us to remember that all men and women are our brothers and sisters, that we are members of a global community. Francis calls us to live the Beati- tudes of Jesus, to live the Gospel life, to be men and women of peace and mercy seeking after justice at all times. It is a great and difficult call, one to which Francis responded eight hun- dred years ago. Yet it is a call ever new, ever personal, a call to you as graduates of Siena and a call to all of us who remain here on campus. A call to be true instruments of peace, love, pardon and hope. Hugh F. Hines, O.F.M. President 22 35 Features: Academics: a distinct or of or belonging outstanding part, to a learned quality, or society. characteristic of something.

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a . i ; , SAGA $93 .57 Sieno Colfge Loudohville, New 1, k

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A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR . . . A saga is a story told by many people over a long period of time. In the beginning a saga was an account of a single hero. It soon grew to encompass the story of a family as well. Combining legend and myth with truth, the saga became an instrument for recounting history from one generation to the next. Thus a saga is a life story - full of personal deeds and trials. It is a story which begins before the first cry of life and which reaches beyond death. Whatever an individualis saga is, it must be told. The SAGA is tradition. This tradition at Siena takes the form of a co-educational, independent Franciscan liberal arts col- lege. Generations from now, how will you remember our saga? If someone were to ask what Siena was like during 1979 to 1983, how will you answer them? Will you describe the residential campus or the character of the buildings? Will you give them an account of the changes that occurred on campus - the construction of the new friary and ren- ovation of the old; the change the class of 383 experienced in policies; the growth of academic programs, including the com- puter science department? From the first day of orientation we were welcomed into the Siena community and we found a home here. We shared common joys and tribulations. As the se- mesters progressed, we experienced the enlightenment of reading Chaucerls Tales and The Western Heritage1 the thrill of receiving our first mid-term grades and exclaiming - but I always gotAls in high school! the adventures of The Rafters, the surprise of the first snow fall and Christmas in the quad, memories of sub runs and alarming nights in the dorms, or sliding down a snow-covered Route 9 to learn that the professor for that 8:30 class was still safely parked in his driveway. Our saga included the joy of whisking through registration lines to discover the only philosophy sections still open were with the same dreaded teacher, the relief of selecting senior electives which promoted cultural growth and relaxed lifestyles - ie. 67 Sports: any activity or experience that gives enjoyment or recreation; past time. M ythology of Medieval music, the challenge of saving the last religion requirement senior year only to hear announced on the first day of class that the cake that you expected turned stale because the professor left Siena, and the horror of being herded into the ARC to recall everything we never even wanted to know about the metaphysical existence of air! Besides devoting ourselves to study, we were also generous enough to volunteer our efforts for worthwhile causes; some close to home, such as Albany's Big BrotherstBig Sisters program, and others as far away as Cambodia. The concern we at Siena showed in our aid to these needy people was overwhelming. Equally impressive was the support we Siena students gave to Anheuser-Buschis creationist theory of why weekends were made. From orienta- tion to parents weekends to spring week- ends, the class of ,83 has proven with consistency that it is a family that knows how to celebrate with enthusiasm! Yes - there are many particular sto- ries that make up the saga of the class of 1983. Just as the word saga grew from the account of one person to the account of a family, so too our saga has devel- oped. We began, most of us, as the high school graduating class of 1979. On that first day of orientation we arrived, a na- ive, frightened and anxious group of indi- viduals. Four years later we graduated, an experienced, educated, and spirited community. We had become the class of 1983 a a family with a saga. Mark G. Reamer Editor-in-Chief 99 ' I47 Student life: ones manner of living in the academic environment. Class of 83.- an experienced, educated and spirited community - a family with a saga. Opening 3