news

Students embark on spiritual trip

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013

This weekend, a group of approximately 50 sophomores from Notre Dame and Saint Mary's embarked on a figurative and literal spiritual journey to an undisclosed location on Campus Ministry's signature sophomore retreat, the Sophomore Road Trip. John Paul Lichon, Campus Ministry's assistant director for retreats, pilgrimages and spirituality, helped coordinate the Sophomore Road Trip. "The Sophomore Road Trip is a wonderful retreat to allow sophomores to take a step back as they begin their sophomore year," Lichon said. "[Sophomore Road Trip] is really a chance to think about 'Am I the person I really want to be?' Our biggest hope is that a retreat is a genuine encounter with God." Sophomore theology major Irina Celentano said the trip gave her a better perspective on her own life and the lives of others. "[The trip] gave me the time to step back and become more acutely aware of myself and what things I can change or improve on, but it also showed me how much progress I've made," she said. Celentano said she went on the retreat in order to clarify her own goals and faith and to grow closer with her classmates. "I wanted to know what other people are going through and where they are on their various life journeys. I wanted a better appreciation of other peoples' stories," she said. Students do not know where the road trip will end until they actually arrive for the retreat, Lichon said. "It provides a nice analogy for our faith. There are twists and turns and ups and downs, but you get where you need to go," Lichon said. In addition to enhancing to the intrigue and excitement of the retreat, Lichon said Campus Ministry designed this aspect of the retreat with a certain message in mind. "There's a sense of mystery behind [Sophomore Road Trip], and some students come to find out what it is all about," Lichon said. Lichon said the mission statement of the Sophomore Road Trip, written by the junior and senior leaders of the retreat, reads: "Through reflection informed by Holy Cross Spirituality, the University of Notre Dame Sophomore Road Trip provides students with tools to navigate the twists and turns of their vocational journey towards completeness in Christ." Celentano said the mystery surrounding the destination of the retreat added a sense of unity to the weekend. "There's something kind of exciting about not knowing where you're going but still knowing you're all going there together," she said. Like all Campus Ministry retreats, Sophomore Road Trip is entirely student-led. Lichon said the team of leaders for this weekend's Sophomore Road Trip began meeting before students left for summer break last year and continued as soon as the school year began in August. Celentano said the retreat revolved around a series of talks and group discussions but maintained a well-balanced dose of individual prayer, team-building exercises and discernment. "We had a lot of talks from the leaders on vocation and discernment and taking a step back to see where we are in our lives," Celentano said. There are other opportunities to attend Campus Ministry retreats this year. "If people miss Sophomore Road Trip, they can go on a preached retreat, silent retreat or one of the pilgrimages over breaks," Lichon said. Registration is now open for the Oct. 4 through 6 Sophomore Road Trip on the Campus Ministry website.

JDRF walk spurs diabetes awareness

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013

Saint Mary's junior Becky Walker does not flinch at the idea of giving herself four shots every day. But when it is someone else's hand that has to administer the injection, her childhood fear of needles settles in. "I'm diabetic, and I deal with [needles] because I have to," Walker said. "Otherwise, I'm kind of terrified of them." Walker fearlessly took a stand against her disease along with an estimated 15 combined members of the Saint Mary's Rotaract Club and the Notre Dame Diabetes Sidekicks on Sunday at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation 2013 Walk to Cure Diabetes. The charity walk raises funds through team and participant donations for the millions of people living with Type 1 diabetes. Walker said people who are personally tied to the disease often offer donations. "Definitely a part of it is that I am diabetic, so this would be a reason, specifically, to participate in a diabetes walk," Walker said. "It was close to me. If I wasn't diabetic, I don't think I would have heard of it or been looking for it." Nicholas Holuta, president of Notre Dame Diabetes Sidekicks, said Walker and her team joined thousands of South Bend and surrounding area residents at 2 p.m. in braving the slight drizzle of rain to walk the two-mile course in Beutter Park, Mishawaka. "The atmosphere was pretty awesome," Holuta said. "The weather was a little worrisome early on, but luckily the rain held off pretty well and we had a great day. There were a bunch of fundraising teams there from the South Bend and Mishawaka communities, and it was just a great event as a whole. Everyone seemed to be having a great time." The walk marks the first monthly event for the Rotaract Club, president and junior Kaitlin Maierhofer said. "[Becky] thought it would be something Rotaract could team up with because we are always looking for service opportunities. I just became president, and I said 'Go for it, we can put it together, I'll support it, it sounds like it will be a blast.' I'm all for helping whoever I can. It just sounded fun. It was different. We haven't done anything like it in the past," Maierhofer said. From a personal standpoint, Walker said her story is similar to those of other members in the Notre Dame Diabetes Sidekicks. The organization was initiated two years ago and open to both diabetic and non-diabetic students. "With Notre Dame, we [basically] have a weekly dinner, and we serve as a support group for ourselves," Walker said. The newly established club attracts approximately 15 members each week, boasting a total of 30 active representatives, Holuta said. She said half of the members are not even diabetic. "Yes, many people in the group are diabetics, but there is still significant portion of the group who have are not diabetic who play a huge role in what we do," she said. "Originally, we were founded as a support group for diabetics on campus, but now we're way more than that, and I really like the direction we are heading." The growth and progress of the group continues to develop through word of mouth and publicity for events such as the JDRF walk, vice president and sophomore Nora Eder said. "We've talked to health services to see if we can get any kind of outreach for the club like send a newsletter," Eder said. "More awareness has definitely been our focus for this year, and letting people know we are out here, and trying find ways to reach out to incoming freshmen whose parents are totally nervous about their kids coming to college for the first time." The organization continues to raise funds for its planned calendar of monthly events through JDRF, chairperson and senior Clare LaRosa said. "Our overall goal is to be a resource for diabetics on campus, [so they] know that they're not alone and to have other people going through the same things, to talk to if they have any issues," LaRosa said. "We are on the path to becoming an official club, so we have more leverage to get things done on campus." LaRosa said the club is looking to demand more flexibility and greater availability of dining hall meal plan options for diabetics on campus. "Any diabetic students can email one of the nutritionists in the dining hall. We can, for free, get an extended meal plan so we get 28 meals a week instead of 14 without paying extra," LaRosa said. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 15, LaRosa said adapting to the disease and then later transitioning into college with it as a handicap was somewhat of a struggle. "College is way different. You might start class at 9 [a.m.] one morning and noon the next day, and then on the weekends you might be sleeping in really late, so eating meals at a bunch of different times can really mess with the blood sugar," LaRosa said. "Getting used to all of that is a big transition. This club didn't exist when I was a freshmen, but if it had I think it would have been a good resource to just have people to talk to about this stuff." Walker works to educate students about on-campus options for diabetics while providing aid and assistance to fellow Saint Mary's diabetics on where to purchase and restock on medicine. "I don't have an official title, but I see myself as the official Saint Mary's ambassador of the [Notre Dame Diabetes Sidekicks]," Walker said. Considering she is not a diabetic herself, club president Kaitlin Maierhofer and Rotaract member's own motivation for participating in the club goes beyond representing Rotaract's executive board. "You really don't hear much about diabetes, I mean it's really prevalent in the world and in today's society, but there's not much people really do. This [JDRF Walk] is a different little spin on something we can help with," Maierhofer said. LaRosa said the specifics of type 1 diabetes are overshadowed by those of type 2. The JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes succeeds in raising consciousness of type 1, LaRosa said. "Diabetes touches a lot of people, and it's something that really changes somebody's life," LaRosa said. "As a club, one of our main goals is to educate and raise awareness. That will be something we're working on going forward is educating campus about the difference."

First year retreat spurs faith and friendship

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013

The first of five freshman retreats directed by Notre Dame Campus Ministry took place this weekend at the Sacred Heart Parish Center. Campus Ministry organizes freshman retreats each year to help first-year students reflect on what brought them to Notre Dame and what personal and spiritual goals they have. John Paul Lichon, retreat coordinator for Campus Ministry, said the goal of the retreat is "to be an entry point for students for their faith life" and to "introduce the spirituality of the Holy Cross." Lichon said students at the retreat are challenged to ask the question, "What does it mean to be complete in Christ?" According to the Campus Ministry website, this year's retreat centered around the famous quote by Holy Cross founder, Fr. Basil Moreau, "Education is the art of bringing young people to completeness." TiphaineDelepine, a freshman business major, said activities ranged from awkward family photo contests to trips to the Grotto. She said adoration was particularly moving for her. "It was so powerful that everyone was sitting in silence for over an hour, just praying and being with God," she said. Delepine said she initially signed up for the retreat to bond with her roommate. But after reflecting on the weekend, she said, the retreat took on more significance. "I learned about myself, I learned how I want to grow in my four years at Notre Dame, I learned about different opportunities to grow in my faith, and I made friends," she said Danielle Thelen, a sophomore retreat leader and a music and business major at Saint Mary's, said the retreat was an absolute success. "I wanted [the freshmen] to feel welcomed and for them to feel like they had a family and that they belong here at Notre Dame," Thelen said. "I truly believe that we achieved this. You could tell by watching them becoming friends with people from different dorms and walks of life, talking about faith and opening up about their lives."

Zahm rector issues sudden resignation

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013

After Zahm House rector Scott Opperman resigned Thursday night, confused and concerned residents spent the weekend learning more about the situation and remembering the leadership Opperman provided during his one year and three week term. Associate vice president for Residential Life Heather Rakoczy Russell confirmed Opperman's departure and said Fr. Tom Doyle will serve as Zahm's rector "while an active search for a permanent rector is underway." Opperman replaced former rector Corry Colonna in the fall of 2012. Zahm House resident assistant Connor McCurrie said from the beginning, Opperman emphasized the importance of creating a welcoming community. "[Within] the first week he was here, he changed everything from a hall to a house," McCurrie said. "He continued that approach throughout his time here and really made sure we knew this that this was our dorm, that it was going in the direction we wanted it to and that we were a community first and foremost." The hall staff members were the first notified about Opperman's resignation when they were called to the Main Building for a meeting late Thursday night, McCurrie said. Junior Sam Hyder said his first reaction was disbelief, though a House meeting called Friday partially clarified his confusion. "Scott was a big part of Zahm; he loved Zahm and everybody loved him," Hyder said. "On Friday, everybody met and they brought in representatives from [the Office of] Community Standards and [the Office of] Student Affairs to explain the situation." "As they were explaining it, we still weren't getting a lot of answers from them. Part of that was because Scott preferred to keep the reasons for his resignation out of the public eye, but it kind of left all of us confused." Hyder experienced his first year in Zahm with former rector Corry Colonna and his second with Opperman, and he said Opperman brought a change in leadership style. "My freshman year, the rector wasn't really an influential part of the community," he said. "He wasn't a bad rector; he just didn't fight for us like Scott did. We could really tell that Scott had our best interests at heart." Opperman's dedication to the hall and its residents was obvious, Hyder said. "The biggest strength he had was that he put Zahm first and that he cared for the men in Zahm and the overall community of Zahm," he said. "At times, he acted as an intermediary between the administration and Zahm, but the bottom line was that we knew he would fight for us ... and that he would give his all to this community in every way that he could." Freshman Norbert Kuc said he already had a sense of this bond between Opperman and the residents after only three weeks living in the hall. "I only knew Scott for about three weeks, but I saw him as like a father figure to us. I'm sure the upperclassmen will vouch for me when I say that," Kuc said. "There were some upperclassmen here who would call him 'Dad.' He always had his door open, so if anyone had a problem, he was like your dad away from home, basically." "If any of us had something going on, we'd be down there to talk to him in a heartbeat. He really felt approachable, and it seemed like he wasn't as much of a 'rector' as he was someone from your family who cares about you and was on your side." From his perspective as a member of the hall staff, McCurrie said the community will miss Opperman, although interim rector Fr. Tom Doyle "will keep moving us forward." "Clearly, we're all a little bit sad that Scott is gone," McCurrie said. "He was great for the community ... and we hope that he's doing well now. "[Scott] was very personable and very pastoral in his approach. He was a huge help to many of the guys here, and he was everybody's good friend. I think he did a great job of balancing our dorm traditions with the University policy ... and he really helped us solidify our community while he was here." McCurrie said residents wore Zahm apparel throughout the weekend to show support for Opperman, and more than 100 people went to the Grotto on Thursday night after hearing the news. "We have not had any communication with Scott, but we know he has received hundreds of texts and emails from people in the dorm making sure he's okay and that he knows he's in our thoughts and prayers," he said. Hyder and Kuc both said Zahm's annual "Hesburgh Challenge," an event first organized by Opperman, was one of the former rector's greatest contributions. "[Opperman] wanted to do something last year to honor [University President Emeritus Fr. Theodore] Hesburgh for Hesburgh's95th birthday and Zahm's75th anniversary, so he organized this challenge to build community and fight for better camaraderie," Hyder said. The second iteration of the Hesburgh Challenge took place the first weekend in September this year, during which the dorm decided to partner with an elementary school in Haiti to raise money and build a lasting relationship, Kuc said. The sense of a "community within a community" that Opperman created helped Kuc become comfortable with the transition to college in his first weeks here, Kuc said. "He said that all of Notre Dame is your home, but Zahm is specifically your little area of this broader place," Kuc said. "Even if you don't feel comfortable going to the advisors or anyone else who is supposed to act as a family figure for you, you can always go to the other guys here at the dorm for support. "He would always say 'watch out for your brothers.' We were all expected to watch each other's backs because we're all in this together. That was a big thing for him, that you can't leave your brother behind." Doyle will serve as interim rector effective immediately until a replacement is found. Doyle served as the University's vice president for student affairs from 2010 to 2012 and is a fellow with Notre Dame's Institute for Educational Initiatives.

Purdue win lacks intensity

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013

Many Notre Dame students followed the football team south to West Lafayette on Saturday to watch the Irish defeat the Purdue Boilermakers 31-24. Despite the win, students said they were bothered by the "intrusive" Jumbotron in the Boilermaker's stadium. Caitlin Crommett, a junior entrepreneurship and film, theatre, and television double major, said she headed to Purdue on Friday to visit friends at Purdue and then enjoy game day. "I felt [game day] was a pretty enjoyable experience in the stadium," she said. "We didn't have any negative reactions to us being in the stadium. We weren't heckled. Before we went inside, we joined a Purdue tailgating party." Crommett said she prefers the Notre Dame game day experience to the Purdue atmosphere. She said Purdue misused of the jumbotron, which she felt created a divide in the crowd. "It detracted people from what was going on the field," Crommett said. "I like how at Notre Dame people at our games are focused on what's on the field, and people aren't turned around watching a screen while the other half watch what's in front of them." Senior Blake Weaver said he has traveled to away games throughout his four years at Notre Dame as a member of the Band of the Fighting Irish. He said watching the game at Purdue made him appreciate Notre Dame's lack of a Jumbotron. "The consistent interviews and corny trivia [on the Jumbotron] throughout the game were distractions and missed opportunities for the band to get to play since we had to listen to the announcer talk about advertisements or random Purdue facts," he said. Weaver, who traveled to Michigan last week with the band, said Purdue's Jumbotron is not what makes the game day experience less enjoyable than Notre Dame home games, but rather that Purdue "utilized their Jumbotron incorrectly." "During the downtime for the game, they should incorporate more of their cheerleaders and band instead of watching commercials and throwing footballs through a giant blowup donut on the field. I felt like I was at a baseball game with those fan participatory games," he said. The Notre Dame versus Michigan game last weekend exhibited a more intense rivalry, Weaver said. The atmosphere is so much more intense [in Ann Arbor]," he said. "It's more of a true football game where both teams are accomplished and revered programs." Sophomore Daniel Strickland attended both the Michigan and Purdue games. He said he also thought Purdue's game-day atmosphere was comparatively more calm than Michigan's. "They don't have the same intensity as Notre Dame or Michigan would have. We sat most of the time except for the big plays. It was more comfortable, but it was a testament to the lack of intensity," Strickland said. Strickland also said the Jumbotron negatively impacted his game-day experience. "During the game, I liked being able to see the Jumbotron and the game, but when the game wasn't going, the Jumbotron could've been used in better ways to pump up the crowd," he said. Strickland said he preferred the way the Jumbotron was used at Michigan, which got fans way more into the game than at Purdue. "[Purdue] needs to show more highlights and clips to pump up the crowd," he said. Strickland said Purdue's mismanaged Jumbotron showed him the benefit of Notre Dame's Jumbotron-less stadium. "If Notre Dame used a Jumbotron like Purdue did, then I'm fine with Notre Dame not having one," he said. Sophomore Michael Brown visited Purdue to meet up with a friend attending college there. "She showed me their fanfare around campus, like the clapping circle. I also got a photo with the Neil Armstrong statue on campus," Brown said. Brown said he noticed a mix of spirited and hopeless Purdue fans. "At 4 p.m. when we were walking around campus, we heard from five different Purdue fans that Notre Dame was going to kill them. Around 7:30 when we walked to the stadium, we only heard "Notre Dame, go home, we're going to kill you! I thought it was funny being in an enemy's territory," he said. Brown said Purdue used the Jumbotron in a cheesy way. "The intro of the team to the field was cool. But mostly, they did cheesy things that kept interest," he said. "Asking about Bruce Willis movies and comparing them to the team were useless. They did a lot of stuff with the Jumbotron that I expect bad teams to do. Trust me, I'm a Pirates fan." Brown said in comparison with the Notre Dame game-day experience, students at Purdue were less enthralled with the game. "It seemed like there were a bunch of people who didn't care," he said. "Some students obviously cared, but a decent proportion just didn't go and didn't care. They have a good team and there should be more people on campus who back them. I don't see that here at Notre Dame. We're extremely unified."

Professor studies games' relationship to culture

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013

Department offers rare books

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013

GRACE McCORMACK

Granddaughter remembers Dorothy Day

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013

An unconventional path to the Senate

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013

Editor's Note: This is the first story in a series featuring the Notre Dame and Saint Mary's graduates serving as members of Congress. This series, titled "Trading Golden Dome for Capitol Dome," will run on Fridays.

Saint Mary's student becomes Google Ambassador

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013