University of San Francisco - USF Don Yearbook (San Francisco, CA)

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Volume 54 Forsan et haec olim meminisse juvabit. The purpose of an annual is to record the many elements which have fused together to form the school year. While the basic components around which the year developed—the people and their activities—are always included. the cohesive, vitalizing, and motivating ingredients —their ideas—are usually omitted. The University at present seems to be passing from adolescence into adulthood, with all the pains and problems of this maturing process. We are experiencing the physical pains of growth, but more importantly we are experiencing the intellectual pains of introspection. This past year the I University has become increasingly concerned with its self identity and its function, and now. having entered upon the dawn of our Second Century, we are seeking new perspectives and new horizons. This concern, pervading all facets of the University during the past year, has been the driving force on the Hilltop. It is. therefore, the theme and dedication of the 1965 Don— 3 CjQ j fc 5is- :

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The 1965 Don

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The Purpose of the University The University is essentially a conventional human society. Each member of such a society has. as a human being, distinct capacities, goals and needs. Io fulfill his potentialities he must venture beyond himself into meaningful relationships with the other members of his society. No one is self-sustaining; everyone benefits from and contributes to his fellow men. The University, like the human beings which comprise it. is a living dynamic, reflective organism. In no way can it be static. Its vitality must be channelled toward the development of those inter-relationships which structure and fulfill its purpose. To realize the essence of these proper relationships the University is exercising its reflective capacities and undergoing a thorough self-analysis. Primarily, our University must be aware that its is a Catholic University. And yet, it must determine whether it is really Catholic in anything other than name. A University is not Catholic because the shadow of a Church steeple is cast across its campus. It is not Catholic because it requires Theology or because its students are free to search for truth on every level. These external signs no more determine internal principles than the decor of a classroom determines the quality of instruction within it. Rather, a University is truly Catholic when the principles governing it constitute approaches and perspectives which cannot be found in other universities. The principles must be communicated through the theory and the example of those who have already arrived at a commitment to them. If these principles arc not operative, then the University is not Catholic and no amount of rationalization will make it so. 4