Some new voices will sing traditional Irish fight songs when fans unite at the Notre Dame-Army pep rally Nov. 17 - as Saint Mary's will host its first pep rally since 2005.
Saint Mary's students will join Sorin College, Breen-Phillips Hall and Carroll Hall as pep rally representatives. The College was unable to host a pep rally last year due to changes in the planning structure, Student body president Susan McIlduff said.
McIlduff and student body vice president Maggie Siefert worked alongside Saint Mary's Student Activities Board President Claudia Toth to reinstate this dual campus event, McIlduff said.
"[While we were campaigning], we talked to many students and found that [they] missed having a pep rally last year," McIlduff said. "We made it one of our campaign platforms."
Toth, McIlduff and Siefert began to contact Notre Dame in April and asked to be put on the schedule of host dormitories once again.
"The hosting schedule was finalized two weeks ago, and Peggy Hnatusko, [the associate director of] the student activities office contacted us to let us know," McIlduff said.
The news was announced at the Sept. 18 Board of Governance (BOG) meeting, but many students still did not know Saint Mary's was set to host a pep rally.
Prior to the announcement that the College would host a rally, BOG and Saint Mary's Cheerleaders met students last Friday at 4:30 p.m. to walk to the pep rally as a group - an event they hope to continue.
While the Army pep rally is the last of the season, Siefert said the cheerleaders and BOG would continue to walk to each pep rally with students - who meet them at 4:30 p.m. on Fridays outside of the Welcome Center.
"[The walkover] was a big success our first time doing it, and hopefully in the games to come it will be as big a success if not bigger," Siefert said.
"I've seen the fliers," junior Theresa Klear said in reference to the fliers posted around campus that advertise the weekly event. "I think [officially sponsoring a pep rally is] a good opportunity to show how involved we can be in Notre Dame and at their football games.
"Pep rallies are a time Saint Mary's girls can go represent the College and show who we are."
Sophomore Deanna Molosky was also unaware of Saint Mary's plan to host a rally, and does not understand the reasons behind it.
"[I think] it's a good idea, but I'm wondering why we are [hosting it] because it's not our football team." Molosky said.
Klear, a member of the Notre Dame Marching Band, said she is happy Saint Mary's will host a rally.
She said when the band takes the field she often looks for her friends, but fails to find them because unlike Notre Dame residence halls, Saint Mary's students do not sit together and wear the same T-shirt.
Fellow band member and sophomore Katie Putz agreed.
"It's going to be awesome to look up and know where the Belles are sitting," Putz said.
