Santa Clara University

Jiménez story was inspiring

The Francisco Jiménez story ("Breaking Through," Summer 2003) reminds us that where-due to political or economic oppression that deprives an individual or family of dignity-a person seeks refuge by scaling over or burrowing under steel barricades or barbed wire that mark imaginary political lines in the dirt, there are no such things, in the moral sense, as illegal immigrants, only irrelevant borders. Thank you for this inspiring story on "Breaking Through."

Saluting Jerry Kerr

The class of '40 salutes (former alumni director) Jerry Kerr for his outstanding contributions to SCU. He is held in high esteem.

Philosophical differences

In "Core Values" (Summer 2003), Robert M. Senkewicz describes the history of SCU's core curriculum, and how it changed to a non-philosophy driven curriculum.

The joke is on you, Mr. Senkewicz! As philosopher Ayn Rand noted, "Even though philosophy is held in a well-earned contempt by the other college departments, it is philosophy that determines the nature and direction of all other courses, because it is philosophy that formulates the principles of epistemology, i.e., the rules by which men are to acquire knowledge. The influence of the dominant philosophic theories permeates every other department, including the physical sciences."

What this means is that the curriculum of SCU changed from one that was based explicitly upon Aquinas' pro-reason philosophy, to one based implicitly upon a host of contemporary, irrational, and anti-reason philosophies, such as Marxism in the 60s and 70s, multiculturalism in the 80s, and volunteerism and environmentalism in the 90s.

For SCU to claim that philosophy does not drive its curriculum is dishonest, since all curriculums are driven by some form of philosophy. For SCU to explicitly reject Aquinas' rational philosophy is to reject the very foundation upon which the West was built: reason. For SCU to implicitly allow contemporary irrational philosophies to guide the curriculum rather than choose another pro-reason philosophy that better serves the student is to create generations of irrational, anti-reason graduates. To me, this is an evil of which Saddam Hussein would be proud.

Rethinking SCU's philosophy

Professor Robert Senkewicz' article ("Core Values," Summer 2003) is full of fun facts and ridiculous conclusions. Philosophy did not lose in its bid to be the overarching, multidirectional bridge uniting all fields of knowledge. It simply waits in the background while the eclecticism of truth by committee follows its path to disaster. Disaster for SCU means following cultural trends instead of offering defining moments of self-discovery. This is a similar dilemma to what is happening in the Catholic Church today where there are "pancake breakfast ministries" and every reference to the masculine is being removed from song and scripture.

If the study of philosophy at SCU is diminished to a course on ethics and ethics is based on the situation, with life and death decided by committee, what makes SCU different from any secular college?

Kudos for magazine

Congratulations on the Summer 2003 issue of Santa Clara Magazine. The mix of stories and awareness of what's happening on campus is very well done. Bravo to the entire magazine team.

Divorce can be a source of strength for some

Nobody has to "pay the price of divorce" except for the attorney's fees. There is such a punishing tone to the title of Professor Spohn's article ("Children Pay the Price of Divorce," Summer 2003).

As professor of religious studies, I am sure Dr. Spohn is aware of the caveat: if your God is a punishing God, you will be a punishing people; if your God is a loving and forgiving God, you will be a loving and forgiving people. Parents or children can always find explanations for failure and some of these explanations, including divorce, can actually be sources of strength.

I submit that children of divorce are often tougher and better able to deal in the real world where most people and families are not so perfect and well adjusted.

That does not mean divorce is easy for children: it is not. The final quotation, "How can we improve our marriage for their (the kids) sake?" is in fact not too realistic. With divorce, one or both usually cannot improve the marriage. Better to ask, "How can we improve our behavior with divorce for their sake?"

Mission Mass is the exception, not the rule

Your article, "Mass Appeal" (Summer 2003), brought back vivid memories of so many meaningful liturgies celebrated in the Mission Church and even behind the church in those little back altars.

However, for more than 30 years so many of us have been stuck in parishes and situations where liturgies are nowhere remotely similar. It has been a long struggle to continue attending Masses where little real participation is allowed and even less for women. But is not this our God-given baptismal right as laity to have access to the Eucharistic celebration in a real way? We, as Santa Clarans, have been spoiled by the Jesuits' openness to share the Eucharist and experiment with liturgies that leave us all feeling that we have really participated.

The challenge for all of us as alumni is to take what we learned in those four years of Mission Masses and, as they say, "just do it!" by changing the many rules and restrictions and transplant the Santa Clara spirit into our own Catholic communities. It's time for more grassroots Mass movements.

Tradition at the heart of Mass appeal

When I am asked what I gained from attending SCU, I reply, "the Jesuit tradition." As I read the article, "Mass Appeal" (Summer 2003), I remembered the sense of community and faith gained each week at the 10 p.m. Mass. It was from these Masses and this tradition that I learned my career must be a vocation of service. The new DISCOVER program (page 4, Summer 2003) appears to exemplify and support that tradition as well.

Posthumous thanks to professor

I was sorry to read of the passing of Fr. Donald Crosby, S.J. (Spring 2003). He was my favorite professor. There was a group of us who took just about every class he offered. On the first day of his "World War II" class, he stood up on his desk and shouted out one of Hitler's monstrous speeches, in the original German. We were awestruck and hooked.

He also taught "History of Religion in America." I remember aspects of this class to this very day. He will be missed. I just wish I could have let him (or any professor, for that matter) know how important they were to us.