| 
Extracurricular
Any 330 healthy, active and sociable young men and women
can be counted on to discover and invent diversions from the
daily demands of their studies! The friendships which develop
among Thomas Aquinas College students are rooted in the common
pursuit of the academic program of the College, but they are
nourished and deepened by shared interests in sports, music,
theater, and especially by the informal out-of-class conversations
which so typify "TACers" on and off campus.
 In
keeping with the College's efforts to provide students with
an environment as free from unsuitable distractions as possible,
extracurricular activities are largely informal and organized
by students themselves. However, there is a student activities
program sponsored by the College which complements the academic
program by providing good opportunities for recreation, relaxation,
and diversion from the daily demands of the curriculum.
Two seniors are chosen each year by the Assistant Dean to
plan activities and events both on and off campus. Formal
and informal dances, barbecues, intramural sports, backpacking
and snow skiing trips, sight-seeing excursions, the annual
St. Patrick's Day party, the Trivial and Quadrivial Pursuit
- a favorite "stump the student" game played by the student
body and faculty on St. Thomas Day - are among the many activities
which afford students the recreation so conducive to the successful
pursuit of a serious and demanding intellectual life.
Hiking, fishing, and backpacking are readily available in
the Los Padres National Forest which borders the campus. The
Pacific Ocean is twenty minutes away from the campus. The
harbors at Ventura and Santa Barbara offer whale watching
tours, deep sea fishing, and outings to the nearby Channel
Islands for diving, snorkeling and sight-seeing.
Museums close to campus include the Getty Center, the Norton
Simon, the Huntington Library, the Santa Barbara Museum of
Art, and the Reagan Library. Los Angeles is 70 miles away
and offers world-class theater, musical performances, and
many other cultural and recreational activities.
 Athletics
- As any intellectual who lives up to the billing will tell
you, the mind isn't formed while ignoring the body! Physical
activity is a vital complement to the life of the mind and,
especially in students embroiled in the daily demands of a
rigorous academic program, is an essential ingredient for
good health and well-being. Every year, students field soccer
and softball teams to join the Ventura County leagues. But
more generally, sports activities are intramural...initiated
and organized by students themselves. Basketball, roller hockey,
and volleyball are played year-round and College-wide tournaments
are the focus of intense competition and enthusiasm.
Dances - Both formal and informal dances are
held frequently throughout the year. Musical, comical and
histrionical performances by students are traditional at these
parties. Those who arrive at the College unfamiliar with the
two-step, the swing, and the waltz can plan to learn and distinguish
themselves in these essential arts.
 Demiurgus
- A student occasional-publication self-labeled "a medium
of free thought and creativity." Submissions from students
and tutors range from politics to metaphysics to pen and ink
caricatures to humor to poetry. More formal essays and critiques
are welcomed by The Aquinas Review, the College's official
publication.
Language Clubs - If you happen to pass by a
table in St. Joseph's Commons and hear an unfamiliar tongue
it most likely is one of the College's informal language clubs
which hold meetings over lunch or dinner. Groups discuss and
read French, German, Greek, and Latin.
 St.
Genesius Players - Our theater troupe. Besides acting
and designing and constructing sets, Players compose and perform
music, and enjoy fund-raising and costuming for the plays.
Productions in recent years have included Two Gentlemen
of Verona, Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello,
and Merchant of Venice. The Players presented MacBeth
in 2004 and As You Like It in 2005.
Legion of Mary - Two active Legion chapters
hold weekly meetings and are involved in community outreach
coupled with Marian devotion.
Choir - A very talented group directed by Mr.
Daniel Grimm. Since the early years of the College, the Choir
has been primarily dedicated to adding to the magnificence
of Masses on Sundays, feast days, and solemnities by performing
polyphonic hymns and choral music. It has won kudos from audiences
and visiting musicians throughout southern California, and
it now performs frequently on campus and in the Los Angeles
area.  The
Choir, accompanied by students and professional musicians
from the southern California area, presented Mozart's Requiem
in D Minor, K. 626 at the 2003 Advent Concert, and Georg
Philipp Telemann's Der Tag Des Gerichts at the 2004
Advent Concert. Musicals have included Gilbert and Sullivan's
Patience in 2004 and The Mikado in 2005.
Schola - An all-male ensemble dedicated to
adorning Sunday Mass and other liturgical events on campus
with traditional Gregorian chant.
 The
Bushwhackers - Another very talented bunch guided
by tutor Carol Day. These trail-savvy volunteers maintain
many of the hiking trails in the Los Padres National Forest.
Venturing out on regular expeditions, they build up and fortify
trails while clearing away brush and other debris. A favorite
reward for their outdoor labors are the spectacular nights
under the stars in the mountains of southern California...accompanied
by a high-resolution telescope.
TACers for Life - These students travel weekly
to abortion clinics in the area to counsel and pray.
|
