University of Notre Dame - Dome Yearbook (Notre Dame, IN)

Page 31 text:

Citizens kneel in adoration before Blessed Sacrament in Lady Chapel of Sacred Heart Church. Blessed Sacrament is exposed daily in October, Lent, and May, on all First Fridays. Gold altar was carved by Bernini, artist who helped dec- orate St. Peter ' s, is nearly 300 years old, was purchased in Rome by Father Sorin, University founder, is only Bernini work in America University which provide for this N.D. democracy are the test. Approximately 200 do not meet requirements each year, either scholastically or otherwise, quickly disappear from the campus. Head of N.D. ' s government is prefect of discipline who has authority over students in all affairs except scholastic. Prefect has two assistant priests, one lay assistant. In extreme breaches of discipline, cases are submitted to faculty board of discipline who hear the case in court session. Under pre- fect of discipline, immediately over students, are hall rectors who manage inner-hall affairs, midnight and weekend per- missions. Citizens elect class officers, but extent of their power is managing the class dance, even here are supervised by offi- cials. From each hall a representative is sent to Student Activities Council. SAC intercedes with prefect of discipline for those unjustly accused, promotes pep rallies, petitions r-capped hall watchmen signs citizen in at night. Hall doors are locked at 10:00 ; to stay out later than ten, citizens must sign out with rector of hall get a dnight in student vernacular then sign name, room number in watchman ' s book They come in before twelve. Seven watchmen take care of two halls each director of studies for free days, is uniformly ineffectual. As a student governing body, it is noted among citizens for lack of power. Precedence or distinction at N.D. comes only through su- periority of class or of scholastic average. Residence halls are assigned to different classes, are set apart for seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen. In first year students are assigned rooms according to time of application and choice. There- after scholastic average determines each citizen ' s precedence in application for room for the following year. Citizens must wait in line a great deal (see cuts) . It is an essential note of N.D. ' s democracy. Since citizens gener- ally do things, go places at the same time, facilities cannot accommodate all immediately. At the beginning of semesters, students wait in line to register for classes, get laundry and dining hall cards, athletic and dry cleaning books. Through the year they wait in line to get laundry, football game tickets, at soda fountains, for morning check. A day at N.D. usually begins early. Masses in hall chapels and in Sacred Heart Church are at 6:00 and 6:20. Citizens must appear at chapel a stipulated number of times a week to make morning check. In freshmen halls usual require- ment is five checks, sophomores and juniors four, seniors three. Students needn ' t attend Mass, must check in time for morning prayer after second Mass. Religion is a great part of life at N.D. Daily Mass and Communion, visits to Grotto of Blessed Virgin, a replica of Lourdes, are encouraged. In three hall chapels where prefects of religion have offices, later Masses are at 7:20; confessions are heard, Communion distributed until 9:15 in two, till noon in the third. This is a convenience for those who sleep in. Prefect of religion pub- lishes each day Notre Dame Religious Bulletin, one page mimeographed paper dealing with religious topics. Bulletin is delivered to all citizens, is sent to subscribers all over U.S. Breakfast is at 7:00, dinner at noon, and supper at 6:00. Night prayer is at 7:00 in hall chapels and study rooms of dormitory halls. After night prayer halls are to be j in quiet, often are boisterously noisy, especially flj halls. At ten, hall doors are locked. To stay must get midnight permission from rector, rooms at ten to report those not in. Light by master switch at ten, in freshma halls. Two vacations interrupt the schoo Easter. Other times during year ci permission, with parental approval, t end with classmate, go to Chicago fo life. Soda fountain in Caf labors under 9:00 p.m. push. Two soda-jerkers, one dish washer perform row of gleaming taps. Coke is fastest selling drink. The Huddle, serving halls on north part of campus, has other N.D. soda fountain, is smaller, has poorer appoint- ments than Caf fountain, but still does whopping business, sells everything from donuts to radios

Page 30 text:

Students at basketball game in fieldhouse. Citizens are admitted to home varsity games by tearing coupon from bock issued from athletic association, at football games sit according to class, seniors on 40 yard line, freshmen on 10. Men in visored caps are guards, keep order in stands, try to prevent smoking Notre Dame has a curious form of municipal government. It is a democracy within an autocracy. Its democracy is pure as any in the world, its autocracy is absolute. Democracy exists among the students, who live under strict control of adminis- trative officials. Citizens of N.D. in most cases are such only nine months of a year, four years of their lives. While they are citizens, they lose all distinctions of family, fortune, fame. At N.D. they must make their own friends, their own names among their fellows. Average citizen of N.D. is from an upper middle class family, has just graduated from home- town Catholic high school; most come to college to study, none for social life. Citizens come from 48 states, great cities, small towns, farms, 14 for- eign lands. Not all citizens are from great middle class how- ever. Many are from poorer families, must earn part of the expenses of their education by working. Students may earn part of yearly expense by wait- ing table in dining halls, serving as secretary or corrector to professors, working as assistants in library, may have any other of miscelleaneous part- Citizens stream into dining hall for noon dinner, supper is in evening. This is in West Hall, which, like East Hall, seats 1200. Some hall rectors, pre- fects eat at elevated tables at ends of hall. Citizens eat 1 Vi to 1 V 2 tons of potatoes daily, have ice cream once daily, eat 100 gallons. Dining halls employ 200 workers, 150 white-coated waiters. All workers must pass health exam yearly. r time jobs offered by the University. Other citizens are from rich cosmo- politan or small-town aristocracy, must leave evidence of wealth, except clothes and personal belongings, in their homes. Wealth, social position count little in N.D. Fraternities do not exist on campus; citizens may not drive automobiles. To find the son of a big industrialist or professional man with famed name rooming with the son of a small town druggist or Iowa farmer is not unusual. Municipal ordinances provide for this democracy, fellowship of Amer- ican youth promotes and insures it. When young men apply for entrance to the University, they are accorded citizenship only on record of scholastic average, general desirability. Admission is only awarding of first papers, however. Citizenship is retractable at any and all times. Rules of the Citizens wait in line in Badin Hall laundry, dry cleaning dispensary. Students drop laundry in hall chutes, must show numbered card when they pick it up here; articles are marked with students ' individual num- bers. Here student with huge bundle pays additional for oversize laundry

Page 32 text:

CITIZENS ' PRIME CONCERN IS HIGHER LEARNING Notre Dame exists for one prime purpose. That purpose is the campus-town ' s main industry: educa- tion. Each year more than three thousand young men leave their homes scattered over the globe, converge on this 1700-acre island of higher learning on the plains of northern Indiana. Here they live in an at- mosphere of education with as little or as much to do with outside life as each citizen may desire, but within limits set by the University. Study is the main thing in their lives for the four, five, six years they spend in N.D. Most young men who become N.D. citizens realize this. Some students of the University are not citizens of N.D., live with their families in South Bend, or board in homes authorized by the University because they cannot be accommodated on campus. Education at N.D. is for them the same as for citizens, the pressing business of their years of study. Education is more than books at N.D. Life in the campus-town is designed so that everything contrib- utes to education, cultivation of students. Citizens come from all parts of U.S., from many foreign coun- tries, notably America ' s southern neighbors. Citizens live with their fellows, know them more intimately than most U.S. college men know their fellow-students. Thus citizens become cosmopolitan in views and man- ners, are freed of local prejudices and provincialisms. Citizens also come to know professors well, lose exces- sive formality that usually exists between faculty and students. The barrier that separates teachers from classes in large state schools does not exist at N.D. Religion is part of N.D. citizen ' s education, is meant to teach him his spiritual obligations, moral principles, to convey to him that he is a Catholic at all times, not just at Sunday Mass. Here religion is the center, guiding principle of all life and education, 30