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THE 210TH COMMENCEMENT ~ / / ~~ A Call for Concern aiout Cifie( ~ / T age of protest and participation has coined its own jargon -"activism", "Vietnik", "freedom marcher. " For m any of this year's American college graduates, picketing has become the valid, and therefore leading, a nswer to conventional problems. But Pennsylvania commencement speaker (and U. _S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development) Robert C. vVeaver offered an alternative for this generation of "activists" and their restless socia l consciences. Addressing 2,900 degree recipients on May 23 in Convention Hall, v\Teaver said: "Our need is to be concerned with urba n values and translate them into equal opportunity, attractive communities, a nd the good life for ourselves a nd our neighbors. " The new mern ber of Presiclen t .Johnson's cabinet said he is "sometimes concerned lest we underestim a te or misinterpre t the impli ca tions and potentialities o f urba nization." '"' e n eed to "raise the horizon of expectations of the American people" in order to accomplish this great goal. "It cannot be tha t the complexity of the issue deters us," he said. Nor ca n it be tha t "we shy away because the iss ues involved yield to n o simple, single, sure solutions, for tha t is equally true of so many other problems. "Perhaps it is that urban problems a re so immediate and so much a part of our daily existence that we .3:-cceet them as immutable. If so, I want to disabuse you of tha t d elusion . Man h as created cities a nd m an can ch~ e them. The fundamenta l issue," he continued, "is, of course, wh eth er or not urban democracy will work, truly, for all America ns . Stated anothe r way, the highest goal of our n a tional efforts in urban d evelopme nt is to maximize options, to insure the .highest possible fevel of opportunities fo r all o ur people, at th e same time that o ties provide comfort, security, ex citement, a nd sa tisfactions fo r their oc~ " T h e Federal government is "Stressing 34 HIS PENNSYLVAN IA GAZETT E experimentation, innovation, and ing pace .. . The university, as a nondemonstration," he said, " ... not to political, non-profit establishment, is fend off radical change in cities, but in a position to experiment with proto foster it." Government is seeking grams of innova tion and to provide a compromise solutions which it feels medium for action on the part of the are inevita ble. This process calls for private citizen, the philanthropic planning and decision making, with foundation, and the government." the implicit belief that "if people and Pennsylvania's involvement is "witin_stitutions can agree on common nessed in the enterprising community problems, become involved in com- efforts of our divisions of law, medimon solutions, and learn to work to- cine, education, city planning and its gether for specific, though limited, ob- environmental institute, regional scijectives, then there is the basis for ence, a nd the department of labor wider joint action." and industry. Citing his aspirations for urbaniza" l'Vfore recently this thi;ust of the tion a nd the complexities awa iting the University toward assisting our urban graduates of 1966, , Neaver said: "I be- neighbors in seeking experimental lieve in cities. I welcome a n urban solutions to long neglected and r apAmerica. But I know both can be idly emerging social problems is r~)much better than they now are. To ~sen ted by our Human Resources achieve the urban p o tential tha t is .E.rogram, a n a tionally acclaimed segours is the domestic challenge of your ment of the University which is ingeneration. volved in seeking solutions to the "It is m y hope," he told his a udi- problems or'breakdown in community ence, " tha t this .. will be your com- relations. T h e student involvement in m en cem ent to ide ntify with this cru- this University effort, the Community cial issue. · You are urban America. Involvement Council a·n d its Tutori al Vh a t you and others in our society Board, h ave d emonstrated tha t our ilieam ca n become a new environment 1;1ndergradu a te students ca re d eeply that maximi zes choices, reduces in- . ab out the human and social probl':._ms convenience, d emands a nd achieves of our Philadelphia community. O ver l:>eauty, a nd establishes a viable system 600 of our stude nts under the coorof local and regional government." dina ted efforts of their own leadership Sharing , Neaver's platform of be- actively engaged in p er forming a valiefs, President H arnwell said: "Com- . riety of community services o n a 1~ umencement implies the beginning o f lar basis in the Philade)phi:i~ a new activities and new goals, a nd throughout the p ast academic year inoffers new achievem ents. The chal- cluding tutoring elementar y a nd high lenge today for this potential energy sch ool students. C learly this U niverass ures an opportunity for each indi- sity," the president concluded, "stands vidual to contribute significantly to- ready and willing to imp lement the ward the _revitaliza tion of contempo- efforts of those a lready engaged in rary society." Noting many changes compou nding a remedy for the pro_.12and improyements made by gov- lems of the city." ernme ntal programs, the president T the 210th Commencement, the pointed to society's current "process Un iversity also awarded honorof dramatic evolution" and the role of educational institutions in that proc- ary d egrees to ten distinguished m en: • ·waiter H. Anne nberg, ' 31 ess: "The great urban universities, as ·, e P!,ilaclelcommunities of con cerned and knowl- editor a nd publish er edgeable people, are m eeting the chal- p!, ia Inquirer a nd preside nt o f T r ilenges of urbanization a t an increas- angle Publications, Inc., docto r of \ 1 ]u/y, 1966 A �