1988-09-27

              asses

Tuesday/September 27, 1988

Students enjoy the comforts of Margretta "Hotel"

by Julie Martinka

The Benedictan value of hospitality shines through in the newest addition to the College of St Benedict campus, Margretta Hall.

The new dorm is comparable to the lobby of a hotel or a condominium complex. High ceilings and wide hallways give it a very spacious and clean atmosphere. Housing 157 students, this dorm consists of 68 double rooms and 21 singles, six of which have private baths. The entire dorm is also air conditioned.

Due to the dorm's original architectural structure, the rooms are of all shapes and sizes. Residents Carmen McConnell and Mary Frundt live in a room with vaulted ceilings and arched windows that make the room look like a studio. The bathrooms are designed in the same way.

The soundproof walls are another added dimension which seem to appeal to the residents. They give the dorm a quiet and relaxed atmosphere.

Each of the three floors have a computer room containing four computers, a study room, and a spacious lounge with a television. There is a conference room on the bottom floor which is also being used for aerobic classes. This room is connected to a kitchen which has two stoves, a double sink, lots of cupboard and counter space, and a microwave.

When asked if the residents had any concerns or criticisms about their new dorm, they replied, "Are you kidding? What more could you ask for?11

There were a few comments made about the location. Some of the residents feel isolated but the majority don't mind. When asked if the distance from the dining cafe stopped her from eating regularity, Mary Nemanich, sophmore, replied "nothing stops me!"

The finishing touches are being made to this $2 million project and the building is just about complete. There were no bed frames or furniture in the rooms when students first moved in

 time to celebrate!

S. Margretta Nathe and S. Colman O'Connell, CSB president, celebrate after the blessing of S. Margretta's namesake, Margretta Hall. The blessing was one of the many events at CSB's First Annual Founder's Day, a 75th Anniversary Birthday Celebration.

Next Independent Meeting

Wednesday, September 28th

*   5:00 p.m. Corona Basement Lounge

photo by Brenda Schindler

The original archetecture of Margretta Hall makes each room unique.

and the blinds were just being put in last week.   One resident commented that it was definitely worth the wait. Margretta Hall is bursting with

student activity and is beginning to take on a comfortable and lived in feeling. There's no place like home in Margretta Hall.

CSB rich in history

Editors' note: This is the first in a series of articles celebrating the College of St. Benedict s 75th anniversary.

The 1988-89 school year brings the College of Saint Benedict into a year of celebration. CSB is celebrating 75 years of educationg young women and serving central Minnesota.

Building a school from the roots of a pioneer land in the woods of Minnesota was difficult, but the sisters of the Order Saint Benedict persevered in their mission the educate.

The college was started by the sisters who came to America from Bavaria in 1851 to first teach Germen immigrants in Pennsylvania. Six years later, three sisters left Pennsylvania to open a school and convent in St. Joseph, Minn. The sisters arrived in Minnesota in 1857 where they faced the struggles dealt by nature and society.

In 1881 the sisters opened Saint Benedict's Academy and recieved an educational charter in 1887. The academy led to the introduction of college-level courses at CSB. Educating women at the college level was rare in the early 1900s, but in 1913, Saint Benedict's became of the first colleges in the Upper Midwest established for the undergraduate education for women.

The founders built St. Theresa Hall to house the college classrooms and students1 living areas. CSB graduated its first student, a transfer student who had completed three years of education at another institution, in 1917. The first entire CSB class graduated in 1918.

CSB recieved accreditation from the North Central Association of

Colleges in 1934, but the outlook for the college darkened in 1942-43 when enrollment plunged from 191 students to 160 as a result of World War II. A turnaround in 1946 after World War II sent enrollment to 270. In 1963 CSB built the Benedicta Arts Center; a structure that would stage some of the finest arts events in Minnesota. The BAC celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

CSB and Saint John's University started a partnership in 1964 with the first joint courses. Fourty-eight Bennies and 42 Johnnies took part in the exchange between campuses by shuttling the students back and forth in Bennie buses. By the late 1960s all academic classes were coed. This unique set up at CSB/SJU continues today with CSB providing the atmosphere af an all women's college, but providing a coeducational environment.

The campus broadened to the world in 1970 when CSB/SJU was involved in a coopertive venture in Luxemburg with five other institutions from the United States. The first CSB International Studies Program took students to Cannes, France in the spring of 1973. In the fall of 1973, another group travelled to St. Gallon, Switzerland. Two years later, students studied in Mexico. Now CSB and SJU sponsor seven overseas study programs located in Austria, Greece and Italy, France, Ireland, England, Spain, and China,

the 1970s were a period of rapid growth for CSB. Apartments were built to give students an alternative to on-campus housing. As high school graduating class sizes dropped, CSB took risks in planning for an increase

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