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By
Tarah Auguste '01  Fr.
McFarland has asked me to talk about what Holy Cross means to me, and what
I hope the future
holds for Holy Cross. Khalil Gibran once wrote, "The true meaning of a nation
lies not in gold or silver, but in its learning, wisdom and in the uprightness
of its sons." Though Gibran was writing in another epoch and for another culture,
his words still speak with volume, and I think he would grant me a little artistic
freedom and allow me to say that the true meaning of a nation lies not in gold
or silver but in its learning, wisdom
and in the uprightness of its children.
The essence of Gibran's words is manifest in the Mission of Holy Cross, and that
is what drew me to this great hill. I was one of only four black women in my
entering class of 700. Thinking back on it, I am still frightened by the implications
of that fact. Needless to say, there were times when my enthusiasm faded, but
I knew that even in my deepest solitude that I would succeed here. When I realized
what and how I wanted to study, I found
Holy Cross' Eurocentric curriculum lacking and was obviously disappointed. However,
Holy Cross turned a negative into a positive. Once I declared my interest in
studying abroad in Africa during my junior year, people such as Professor Kom,
Professor Géracht, Sandy Shook, Joe Reilly, my deans, and especially,
Dean Ainlay, were more than willing to make this
happen for me.
This is what I am here to say to you today. As students, we need to learn how
to make Holy Cross work in our respective lives; we have to make Holy Cross work
for us, and not wait all four years for a teacher or a dean to offer us something
extraordinary. If you want it, go get it-it's as simple as our savior Jesus once
taught, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door
shall be opened."
That is the gift of this institution: It allows you to be creative and spread
your wings and to play an active role in your education. Unfortunately, it is
a gift which often goes unopened. This College is packed with people that are
there to help, and if it so happens that you fall on a person
that can't help, they know of someone who can. I have yet to see a single door
slam in my face, or hit a dead-end street, and I can't say that for every place
I have been my whole life. My dream was to be liberally educated from a different
perspective; to fly unencumbered by traditional values. Holy Cross has given
me enough knowledge and support from the faculty to teach me how to soar and
reach for everything that I have ever wanted.
Not only did I open my gift, I used it well. It has taken me four years to realize
that this is where I always belonged. As for its future, it is my sincere hope
as well as my dream that more students would open their Holy Cross gifts and
use them to the fullest, and that Holy Cross would not only continue to offer
various paths to education, but that it would also offer more Afrocentric forms
of learning within the curriculum. I would hope that under this presidency, the
course of study actually prepares students for a bigger perspective, which to
me is the true meaning of liberal arts education. Its learning should not just
be from the perspective of a few but should respect and appreciate every perspective,
so this nation
can live up to its greatness.
"A Glimpse of
Transcendence” by Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. >
"Our Tradition:
Common Good, Common Ground" by Rev. John W. O’Malley,
S.J., Inauguration Speaker >
“The Glow of
All that yet might be” by Helen Whall, Speaker of
the Faculty >
Back to "Rev. Michael C. McFarland,
S.J., inaugurated
as 31st president" Feature >
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