Dear Caity and Erin Schneeman,
We think that's a great idea for the fight song and should be promptly added into the Notre Dame repertoire. While we're at it, there's a few more "gender issues" that could be addressed in our school songs.
"Rally sons and daughters of Notre Dame,
Sing her glory and sound her fame...
Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame...
While her loyal sons and daughters march onward to victory!"
Or how about "Hike"? Forget the fact that it's written for football, a sport predominantly played by men.
"Hike, hike, hike, the march is on,
No brain or brawn...
For Notre Dame men and women are winning
When Notre Dame hears hike, hike, hike. HIKE!"
Or even "Irish Backs":
"And when the Irish backs go marching by,
The cheering thousands shout their battle cry,
For Notre Dame men and women are marching into the game,
Fighting the fight for you, Notre Dame...
When Notre Dame men and women fight for gold and blue,
Then Notre Dame men and women will win the game."
While we're at it, we can make "Notre Dame" non-gendered, and insist on referring to the University as "her/him."
We are all in favor for forgetting the fact that these songs were written during a period when Notre Dame was an all-male school, that these songs were written to cheer on a male dominated sport (i.e. football) and that this University is a university full of tradition, a tradition that is marked by these songs that have endured from their composition.
We fully support changing all of these lyrics to foster an inclusive, politically correct atmosphere here at Notre Dame so that the ladies in the stadium cheering on the football team won't feel belittled because we have to punch the air at "her" instead of "daughters".
Caitlin Lambert
junior
Pasquerilla East Hall
Christine Morris
junior
Walsh Hall
Oct. 31
