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Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024
The Observer

Keeping ceremony indoors will insult military officers

Pass in Review is not only a ceremony that allows our ROTC cadets to honor our University's president, Father Edward Malloy, but also a commemoration of the sacrifice and commitment that our soldiers have to defending and fighting for our country. For the past few years, the Pass in Review has been held at an indoor location, Loftus. However, four years ago, it was held outside on South Quad, and many ROTC students speak nostalgically of the ceremony that year.Given Loftus' out-of-the-way location and the desire to support our ROTC cadets, Student Government pushed extremely hard this year to move the Pass in Review ceremony from an inside location to South Quad. Despite our meetings with University officials, a unanimous resolution from the Student Senate to have the ceremony outside and obtaining over 1,000 signatures to show student support for the ceremony, the Pass in Review will once again be held in Loftus.I would call this an insult to our future military officers. Not only was this University saved from financial distress by grants from the Navy shortly after World War II, commemorated by the football game we play each year, but many members of our Notre Dame community may be deployed to fight in Iraq upon graduation. If our very own will be sent to Iraq to keep peace, rebuild the nation and put their lives at high risk, I feel that an outdoor ceremony would be the least the University can do to honor and commemorate their future sacrifice.Even though an outdoor location would have given all of us immediate access to the ceremony, I encourage all of you to attend that Pass in Review at Loftus today at 5 p.m. Show your support for your future troops and the members of our Notre Dame community.

Jeremy Laoformer student body presidentApril 13