im - CMOlgEOADt • Fat* Fhr*
D.S.L. Sorority
This semester, the
Abbey’s first sorority has
‘ been formed on campus.
Delta Psi Lambda is
composed of twenty
Abbey co-eds,' including:
Fran Ambrose, Sharon
Beall, Mandy Cleveland,
Nancy Cruz, Jean
Evarts, Sari Hall,
Jeannie Hamilton,
Margaret Hendrick, Lisa
Howell; Lisa Laskas,
Donna Lyman, Donna
Maloni, Peggy Mc-
Cluskey, Jo Ann Mills,
Barb Owens, Kathy
Prather, B. J. Sands,
Jean Suarts, Jane
Shannon, and Patty
Truax.
Historians are Nancy
Cruz, and Lisa Howell,
Donna Maloni is
Parliamentarian, Kathy
Prather is Treasurer,
Sari Hall is Secretary,
Vice-President is Jane
Shannon, and President
is Lisa Laskas. Br. Paul
(B.P) is the sorority
advisor.
The sorority was
formed because the
Abbey women felt a need
for an organization for
women, and were
anxious to foster an at
mosphere different from
that created by the
fraternity system.
Lisa explained that,
“The main function of the
sorority is to provide*
services for the college
and community as op
posed to a strictly social
organization.”
As a part of their goal,
on Sunday, November 7,
fourteen of Delta Psi
Lambda’s members
swabbed arms for swine
flu vaccinations at Mount
Holly General Hospital.
1^1
ft ■ '
St. Benedict stands before the
roofless, boarded up Brother’s Building,
which burned during Easter Week I960.
In IMS, the
front of the
Statue was moved to the
Cathedral.
Library Holds Valuable Books
Very few students
realize the treasure chest
which Belmont Abbey’s
library holds in its deep,
dark interior. In this
coffer is the collection of
rare and valuable books,
some of which are not
obtainable anywhere else
in North America or
England. Most of these
books and manuscripts
are of intense interest to
librarians, scholars, and
research students who
often travel a long
distance to view these
valuables.
Among the library’s
outstanding ac-
cumulations are included
five incunabula, hand
written books, which
were produced before the
1500’s — that is, the
“cradle days” before the
printing press. In ad
dition, about 200 of the
books were printed in the
early part of the 16th
century. One of the
oldest books in the
collection, published in
1476, is Alberti Magni, a
Venetian theological
work which boasts a
“handdone, illuminated
initial” still in its original
colors with only a trace of
fading. A 1509 Roman
book of Marcus Lucan’s
is also one of the very old
collection. A special
characteristic of these
old books is their vellum,
“Fine grained lambskin
or calfskin prepared for
writing or for binding
books.” After 400 years,
they are still in excellent
condition.
Also of peculiar in
terest is the 1674
“Catholique Apology
With a Reply” by a
“person of honor, ” (tfie
anonymity necessitated
L/uiu iiwL iiavc uciicxutru
any way by having his
ime published!) •
by the Catholic per
secutions at the time;
ftoger Castlemaine
would not have benefited
in
name
The Blue Laws of
Connecticut, Code of 1650
(30 years after the
Pilgrims’ landing) begins
the collection oT rare
American books.
Collections other than the
“rare”, “valuable”, and
“American” categories
are “Autographed”,
“Benedictine”, and
“North Carolina”
collections.
Most of these valuables
are written in the
languages of Latin,
Greek, German, and
French. One of the
library’s most valuable is
the 1565 Old Testament
Hebrew Bible,
“published by the
direction of Christopher
Plantine, Minister of
Biology Dept. Needs Teacher
In the changing world
of today, it has become
more and more
necessary for man to
examine his environment
and the biological factors
encompassed within it.
This is prudent if one is to
make rational and moral
judgments concerning
the world around him; he
must first have the facts
which will allow him to
reach valid decisions.
That is, unless one is
aware of basic facts, he
is, in effect, simply
“shadowboxing.” “The
lack of background in the
hard sciences is an im
pediment to the
acquisition of a true
liberal arts education,”
Dr. Jeannie Stuart
stated.
Biology became a
major at B.A.C. in 1969.
Its upperclassmen major
count has grown greatly
since 1972. And although
the present biology
curriculum prepares the
conscientious Abbey
student to be competitive
with students elsewhere
(five repent graduates
are currently enrolled in
medical schools and
dental schools, as well as
several in fine graduate
programs), the present
program lacks two
needed courses, cell
biology and embryology
(embryology is only
offered on the honors
level). The two courses
are needed in order to
truly be “where the main
thrust of biology is
today,” says Dr. Stuart.
However, there are no
courses which may be
dropped and at the same
time offer the biology
student an adequate
selection of courses in his
major. The logical
solution to this dilemma,
and one which has been
needed for some time, is
that there be three full
time biology faculty
members at B.A.C. At
present, there are only
two full-time biology
faculty personnel.
The need for three full
time biology faculty
personnel may be clearly
seen from the results of a.
survey taken of "thirty-
five (35) small private
colleges in the southeast.
Here it was found that
biology faculty averaged
ten to twelve contact
hours per week, whereas
the biology faculty at
B.A.C. carry ap
proximately twice that
number of hours, using a
like basis for calculation.
In addition, the number
of upperclassmen biology
niajors to full-time
biology faculty averaged
one to nine in the survey,
whereas the Abbey’s
ratio is approximately
double that number.
Even, with the increase
in enrollment in the
biology major, science
continues to draw good
students. Out of the
thirty-seven students
allowed unrestricted
absences this semester,
twelve are science
majors. Out of the six
graduating suma cum
laude in 1976, two were
biology majors.
Proportion-wise, quality
is still present even
though the numbers in
the biology department
have greatly increased.
The biology depart
ment has been most
fortunate in receiving
several outstanding
contributions. John
Lippard (class of 1938)
recently contributed an
electron microscope and
other equipment worth
$10,000 collectively.
Other handsome con
tributions have been
received from Dr. Raul
Aizcorbe and Harry
Binder, who have both
given significant
physiology equipment.
The biology depart
ment’s budget has been
increased this year from
40 percent of lab fees
collected to 66 percent of
lab fees collected.
However the pressing
problem of obtaining a
third full-time biology
faculty member still is
present.
Bamberg, Germany,”
and is contained in six
volumes, all of which the
' library possess.
One of the most im
portant donators of these
domes was the Most
Reverend Emmett M.
Walsh, Bishop of
Charleston. This
donation of 1942 is known
as the “Charleston
Collection,” and includes
the complete Migne
collection of 1000 “bound,
royal octave” volumes,
which have been out of
print for a considerable
number of years and are
extremely rare. Other
donators were Fr. Julius
Pohle (Dec. 1924) and the
Reverend Father
Thomas Oesterrich from
St Maur’s Priory in
Bristol, Va.
To this date, ap
proximately 1000
volumes have been
catalogued. The Abbey’s
collections, as typical of
most rare collections, are
arranged by size into
three categories - small,
medium, and large. This
mode of shelving is
employed to protect the
small books (often only
3” tall) (rom being
literally squashed by the
larger books. Likewise
the large books are
supported by the other
large editions which, if
put beside smaller books,
would bend at the bin
ding.
Volume V, No. 2
Belmont, N. C.
December, 1976
CROSSROADS
Published bi-monthly by
Belmont Abbey College,
Belmont North Carolina,
28012.
Student Editor:
Anthony DeCristofaro
Contribu2ions:
Mary Cook
Fr. Bradley
Fr. James
And Staff
Second class postage
paid at, Belmont, N. C.
28012