In this week leading up to our emotional home finale against Florida State, I’ve already found myself in several conversations with other seniors about whether I’d yet purchased my marshmallows, which brand makes for the best throwing distance, and how to get our stockpiles past the pesky ushers. Who does the University think it is, anyway, to sic its kindly greeters on our the students’ beloved tradition? For all the traditions which are held sacred here, why shouldn’t this be received just as well? The snowball fight-esque eruption after halftime makes quite the visual from across the stadium, and, by all accounts, is a raucous event to be a part of. Even before we were students here at Notre Dame, many of us knew about and had begun to look forward to the senior game marshmallow tradition. Few of us, though, had the foresight when taking in the spectacle as fans or underclassmen to consider the following day’s cleanup process — I can say I certainly didn’t. The day after the senior game last year, though, I ventured into the stadium for an unrelated purpose and was appalled by what I found. Throughout the senior section and its periphery, row after row of the recently renovated bleachers of our iconic stadium were slathered in gummy, rained-upon marshmallow goop. As the workers who cleaned the stadium each week filed in, their dismay was visible; for our 20 minutes of revelry, their work that day became hours longer. The unconscious disregard for the plight of these workers struck me as something unbecoming of what a Notre Dame senior class strives to be. Now, don’t get me wrong, I want to take part in the festivities as much as the next senior; this year, though, I think we should take the tradition one step further. This Sunday afternoon, I invite you to join the undersigned in heading into the stadium to do our part in cleaning up the mess. Will it be work? Yes, but it will also be one more chance to enjoy the stadium with our friends, and accomplish something memorable while we’re at it. Afterwards, we’ll head over to Senior Sunday in Dahnke Ballroom to warm up, chow down, and talk about booking our tickets to the playoff in January. I can’t envision a more fitting way to wrap up our cheering careers at the University of Notre Dame. Make some time today to stop by Martin’s Supermarket and grab your bag of Jet-Puffs, and please consider making time Sunday to build upon our great tradition.
Joe Trzaska
senior
Gates McGavick
senior
Corey Gayheart
senior
Brendan Watts
senior
Bethany Boggess
senior
Alyssa Ngo
senior
Nov. 8
