Current Students

During the last days of classes before final examinations, 35 Thomas Aquinas College juniors gathered in the rotunda of St. Thomas Hall to sing five hymns. The brief performance marked the latest chapter in a young but increasingly anticipated campus tradition.

In a longstanding tradition, the younger classes at Thomas Aquinas College take turns each spring bidding farewell to the soon-to-be-departing seniors. On Saturday evening the juniors had their opportunity, hosting a dinner for the Class of 2013 at the Doheny Hacienda, followed by a dance outside St. Thomas Hall.

Posted: May 1, 2013

On April 17, 2013, representatives of Thomas Aquinas College and the Fritz B. Burns Foundation broke ground on the College’s next building, St. Gladys Hall.

Each year, starting in the fall and continuing well into the spring, the seniors of Thomas Aquinas College labor to create what will be the culmination of their four years of academic efforts — the senior thesis. Based on a subject of each student’s own choosing, and drawing from the College’s classical curriculum, the thesis represents its author’s effort to apply his education to a matter of scholarly and personal importance.

Each spring, in the final weeks of the semester, members of the Senior Class team up against the faculty in the annual Senior-Tutor Softball Game. In this year’s contest, which took place on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 24, the pupils bested their tutors.

After the game, the College’s athletic fields became the site of another popular senior tradition — the thesis draft-burning party.

When alumnus Joseph Hattrup (’01) joined the Thomas Aquinas College teaching faculty in 2006, he had already completed his doctoral studies (philosophy, University of St. Thomas), but not his dissertation. He therefore spent most of his vacation and free time over the last several years completing this requirement — a challenging task for a full-time college instructor and father of three young girls. His diligence, however, has paid off, and as a result, he has earned the title of doctor.

An end-of-the-year, outdoor dance, Chez Martin has become one of Thomas Aquinas College’s most popular annual events. Put on by members of the Senior Class, it is a relaxed occasion for the seniors to say goodbye to the underclassmen. It also serves as a fundraiser, with proceeds going toward the seniors’ farewell gift to the College.

This year’s Chez Martin began with dinner, and then proceeded with a talent show that blended — however incongruously — elements of Titanic and Jurassic Park. The night ended with desserts and dancing.

Streaming and downloadable audio:

Under the direction of Daniel Grimm (’76), the Thomas Aquinas College Choir recently held its spring concert, at which it performed some of the world’s best-loved opera choruses. View highlights in the following photographic slideshow below:

Related:

• Video: An Afternoon of Song at the Ojai Libbey Bowl

Posted: April 22, 2013