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THE RECORD
Friday, September 27,1963
" . . . good for the general atmosphere . . . "
Coed Classes Capture Acclaim
By Jim Marrin
Under a new academic arrangement, students at St. John's are now able to enroll in courses at the
College of St. Benedict which are not offered in the St. John's curriculum. By the same token, girls are attending classes here which they would otherwise be unable to take.
There are at present 48 Bennies enrolled here in a wide variety of courses, ranging from journalism to advanced physics. In Sociology 39 (Racial and Cultural Minorities), they outnumber the Johnnies 24 to 21. Only four Johnnies are taking advantage of course offerings at St. Ben's this semester, but many more are expected to follow, especially when the new Benedicta Arts center is completed.
Nothing New
The exchange program between St. John's and St. Ben's is nothing new. Professors from each institution have taught courses on both campuses for the past decade. In 1956 nine Johnnies traveled to St. Ben's for a sociology course. Students from St. Ben's have taken art, sociology and science courses at St. John's in the past, the most recent example being the enrollment of six girls in Chemistry 24 last semester.
But it was all by way of experiment. These early successes prompted both schools to inaugurate a program of cooperation this year on a much larger
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Faculty Receptive
Faculty response at St. John's has been favorable. Many professors feel that there should be cooperation in all areas where duplication of services, abilities and equipment would be eliminated.
Said Dr. Sylvester Theisen, sociology professor whose Sociology 39 class boasts 24 Bennies: "I'm completely in favor of it, although I feel the area of cooperation should be restricted to upper division courses.
"It certainly won't change the nature of either college. St. John's will not lose its identity as a men's college."
When asked if the Johnnies worked harder in classroom competition with Bennies, he remained noncommittal but added, "It might work that way. To have young ladies is good for the general atmosphere."
Still a Novelty
The exchange program remains somewhat of a novelty to students from both schools, unfamiliar as many of them are with mixed classes. Bennies are, for the most part, entirely satisfied with the arrangement.
Jane Murray, senior Bennie majoring in social work, felt that "many times men have different ideas, especially in the field of social science. It is good for us to hear the masculine point of view." Most Bennies agreed.
The coed classroom: a new look (almost) for St. John's.
scale, encompassing a great many upper division courses in both schools.
Duplication Costs Eliminated
Father Arno Gustin, OSB, president of St. John's, explained the reasons for the change. "Mounting costs and the duplication of course offerings and facilities are among the considerations which prompted the decision," he said. "It was in some respects a very necessary one.1*
He cited similar cooperative efforts in colleges throughout the country. "The Association of American Colleges has talked about programs of this kind for years. A number of places are pooling their resources." The CIC (Committee on Institutional Cooperation) met in 1958 to draft a program for the Big Ten schools which is working out successfully.
"Through this program we hope to strengthen both colleges without an added financial burden," he said.
No Difficulties
Administrators at both schools anticipated several difficulties to accompany the new program, not the least of which would be the scheduling of classes. But St. John's registrar, Mr. Robert Scheetz, reports that "things have gone very well. We scheduled the courses in which we expected the girls to enroll, on the basis of pre-registration statistics, at the same hour. This alleviates in part the transportation problem. They are able to come and go together by bus.
"It is a modest beginning," he said. "I expect it will continue to expand slightly as we work to reduce the number of duplicated courses in the more specialized upper division areas. We are making policies as we go regarding certain aspects of the program. For example, it was recently decided that if the enrollment is sufficiently large for courses offered at both schools, students will not be able to switch to the other school."
Senior Rita Hunn is the only girl in a class of 35. "The first day was a little disconcerting," she said. "But the program is wonderful in that we have so many more courses to choose from." She did, however, feel that some effort could be made to make the books specifically recommended for the class available to Bennies in their own library. "It is difficult to get over to St. John's to use the library," she said.
Intellectual Level
Pearl Pelletier, senior transfer from the University of Minnesota, praised the program. "It strengthens the departments at both schools," she said. "It also affords Johnnies and Bennies a chance to meet on an intellectual level. The context before was only social."
Senior Karen Kloubec and junior Pat Weiler agreed that the program should be extended to other upper division courses. "It may also shatter a rather prevalent belief among Bennies that all Johnnies are intellectuals," added Karen. But Pat frankly stated that she would be more at ease in an all-girl class. "It inhibits discussion which is ironic in a racial and cultural minorities class," she said. She was supported in this feeling by an anonymous Johnny who felt that having women in class would prevent "blunt" discussions.
Johnnies Favor Extension
By and large, however, Johnnies are accepting the fact cheerfully. Senior Bob Whalen, a member of the masculine minority in Sociology 39, favored extension of the program "in areas where the masculine and feminine point of view would differ."
John Diffley, a senior classics major, gave the program his vote of approval. One of the four Johnnies enrolled in a course at St. Ben's, he said, "That's the most enjoyable class I have this semester. The program is definitely beneficial. It helps draw out the best in a class."
ABA Review Receives Catholic Press Award
The American Benedictine Review was awarded last summer the 1963 general excellence prize by the Catholic Press Association of America. In the field of scholarly publications, The Review was cited equally with Thought magazine for top honors.
The Revietv, representing some 30 American Benedictine abbeys and 60 convents, is published at St. John's. Father Oolman Barry, OSB, professor of history, is the editor. He is assisted by a board of
eight associate editors from American Benedictine houses. This quarterly journal is one of the publications of the American Benedictine Academy which fosters study and research.
In its 1963 citation, the Catholic Press association judges stated: (' The American Benedictine Review demonstrates issue after issue a depth of editorial concern which entitles it to a high place among the comparatively small number
of indispensable Catholic journals."
In awarding first place to The Review for typography and layout, the judges continued: "The magazine demonstrates that attractive results are possible even though very few type sizes are used. The design of the book is noteworthy, and distribution of type is excellent." The Review is designed by Mr. Frank Kacmarcik and printed by the North Central Publishing Co. of St. Paul.
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I
Dozer Busts Dusty Barn
Cat Collapses Cowshed
By Pete Traskey Just a stone's throw from St. Thomas hall and a car's width
from St. Joseph hall, with all the stoic aplomb of the Naked Maja and the dignity of Stonehenge, rest the bare ruined choirs of the Old Barn.
What was once a stately and massive structure of masonry and sheet tin lies now a battered shell of what it once was, a well-known landmark and an infamous eyesore.
The recalcitrant remnants of what has housed everything from a herd of dairy cattle to hockey players are now going under the blade of a bulldozer as heedless to sentiment as Alaric must have been. The stubby yellow Cat squats indifferently in the debris and dust, mocking the former disasters which could never quite bring the barn to the ground.
But now she's torn from hayloft to cowshed, and it's not a little like seeing Penn Station fall to the iron ball of the wreckers.
The bare foundations that yet stand are all that remain of the original barn that was built in 1890. Their walls were made of native stone, three feet thick. The ceiling was supported by 140 I-beams weighing over 350 pounds apiece. These in turn rested on inch-thick cast iron pillars set on granite blocks. This little bit of engineering was topped off by a brick superstructure.
In 1894 it was leveled.
The cyclone lasted only minutes but it did the trick. That same year a wooden barn was cautiously built on the same foundation. This happily served its function for many years.
Then in 1927: "Although the St. Cloud fire department responded heroically to the task of saving the barn, all that could be done was to prevent the nearby buildings, especially the home of the workingmen (now St. Joseph hall), from being attacked by the flames." And so it went.
Soon after it burned to its sturdy foundation the tin sheet-
Faculty Notes
Dr. Edward L. Henry, assistant to the president and professor of political science, spoke at a luncheon meeting of the Minneapolis Kiwanis club at the Nicol-let hotel on Sept. 18. Dr. Henry discussed his views on Church-State relations.
Father Vincent Tegeder, OSB, of the history department, and Oapt. David Bear, military science, attended a meeting of the Minneapolis Civil War Round-table on Sept. 17. Dr. D. C. Mc-Murtrie of the Abraham Lincoln foundation of Ft. Wayne, Ind., was the featured speaker. Father Vincent and Oapt. Bear are co-advisors of the St. John's Civil War Roundtable.
ing went up. The Old Barn was pretty safe.
Until last year, that is, when a silo that was being manhandled to the ground slipped a mite to one side and threatened to take half an acre of tin with it. But the Barn survived as a whole, looking only slightly as if one-half of it were under full sail.
In all of the happenstance disasters that have befallen the grand old lady, the only casualties have been a couple of crops of hay. The dairy herd was retired in 1957. And until recently the only official activity took place in the stained glass shop in a small corner of the barn. There Bro. Placid, OSB, and Mr. Bronislaw Bak, late of the SJU art department, put together the stained glass windows that now grace the facade of the abbey church.
Today, among the dusty bricks and concrete rubble, scattered shards of deep-hued glass wink out from the ruined corner.
Tomorrow, perhaps an expanded athletic field and an extended parking lot will cover the area where the Old Barn stood. In the vicinity is the tentative site of the proposed science hall.
Progress, in the form of a littJe yellow bulldozer, plows over sentiment and salts the earth. Goodbye, Barn. And where, now, will the hockey players warm their toes?
Bureau Places New Faces in Lecture Circuit
St. John's professors may be hitting the lecture circuit more than ever this year with the inauguration of a new speakers' bureau.
This arrangement will provide for a "pool" of faculty members available to speak before interested groups in central Minnesota.
St. John's professors have often given such speeches in the past, but efforts to extend the university's educational function into the community were not organized. These past attempts also relied too heavily on just a few professors. Therefore, plans were begun last spring to broaden, organize and improve this program.
Under the new system a larger number of faculty members will be used. It is hoped that by spreading the speaking load, more professors will be made known to the public. At the same time it will familiarize more of the faculty with the community groups.
A leaflet will be sent soon to all area civic and church organizations listing the lecturers and their topics.
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