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Copyright © 1957 Lithuanian Students Association, Inc.   December, 1957  No.4(13)  Managing Editor P. V. Vygantas

THE LITHUANIAN STUDENT CONVENTION

During the Thanksgiving holidays, November 28—December 1, the annual convention of the Lithuanian Student Association Inc. took place .The Hotel Statler in New York City was the site of this gathering. Coming from all parts of the United States, several hundred Lithuanian students attended the convention. They gathered together to discuss the problems and future plans for their joint organization. It embraces all Lithuanian students who presently attend American colleges and universities.

Most of the sessions dealt with internal organizational problems. Two sessions were devoted to lectures by K. Ostrauskas, one of whose many articles apeared in the September (1957) issue of "Lituanus',' and by Dr. A. Vasys of the Fordham University Institut of Contemporary Russian Studies. During the convention, a banquet was held at the same Hotel Statler

Mr. Ostrauskas, the first speak er, dealt with the problem of acquiring a liberal education in an age of increasing specialization. After stressing the tensions between these two educational tendencies, Mr. Ostrauskas reaffirmed the values of a liberal background, in contrast to the present day mood. He did not deny the necessity and value of specialization, but claimed these two tendencies to be co-existable, and with some effort capable of reconciliation by every one.

The second speaker, Dr. Vasys, spoke on the students duties in deepening his knowledge of Lithuanian culture. Each nation pos-seses its own cultural values and only in terms of a national heritage is a person capable of contributing to the world's cultural achievement. In this area, the nation serves as an intermediary, between the individual and humanity and without its services, at the present time, individual achievement is impossible. Although Lithuanian achievements in the cultural field are little known outside of Lithuania, they still remain valuable and effort should be made to gain a deeper knowledge of its values. The unconscious effects of home and surroundings, although valuable, are still inadequate in the preservation of Lithuanian national culture. But, to the student, numerous ways are open, and he, through their diligent use is fully capable of achieving this aim even now. After stressing the functions of organizations and gatherings of this type, Dr. Vasys spoke of Lithuanian studies on the university level. Among the universities offer-inf a Lithuanian program is the University of Pennsylvania which offers a full program and Ford-ham University where courses in Lithuanian are available at the universaty's summer sessions. In closing, the speaker noted, that in his opinion, in contrast to the great efforts expanded by students in occupied Lithuania, in the field of Lithuanian national culture, the efforts of the students in the West are not adequate.

The banquet was held as an attempt to foster closer co-opera-tion between the Lithuanian students and the older Lithuanian generation. As a consequence, numerous Lithuanian notables attended the banquet. The principal speaker was J. Kajeckas, Lithuanian charge d'affairs in Washington. Among the invited guests was Dr. G. Shuster president of Hunter College in New York. Congratulatory telegrams from Senators W. Knowland and J. Kennedy were received and read.