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Class discusses culture shock

By The Observer · Monday, Oct. 1, 2012

After spending a summer in a remote part of the world, any student would find settling back into life at Notre Dame a challenge. For a group of students who participated in service or research abroad this summer, a course titled "Cultural Differences and Social Change" offers tools for integrating their abroad experiences back to life at home.

The Observer

CSC to host collaborative research workshops

By The Observer · Monday, Oct. 1, 2012

The Center for Social Concerns (CSC) will host two Community-Based Research workshops for students interested in collaborating with community residents and organizations to conduct research projects.

The Observer

Professor discusses Quran and sharia

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012

In the first talk of The Quran Seminar, a project dedicated to studying passages from the Quran, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, professor of law at Emory University, gave a compelling talk about the relationship between the Quran and Islamic state law. An-Na'im said in the talk last night at the Notre Dame Law School he strongly believes sharia law and the Quran should be kept separate and not directly influence state law. "I find the term 'Islamic law' profoundly misleading," he said. "Sharia has nothing to do with state law and should be kept separate."    An-Na'im noted the difference in attitudes of Islamic countries before and after the colonization of their nations by other countries. He said before they were colonized, Muslim states had no formal, central bureaucracy as we know today. "The state never exercised the function of enforcing criminal justice or criminal law," he said. However, after Victorian-era governments colonized Muslim countries, they were influenced by the style of governance of their rulers. This persisted even after they became independent, he said. "[The colonized Muslim countries] continued the same kinds of practices of colonial governments administrations, and that is where we now come to the conclusion that sharia is supposed to be a natural state law and enforced by the state," An-Na'im said. He said this implementation of sharia law as state law is improper. Muslim society is made up of many different viewpoints and interpretations of the text, which is encouraged, he said. However, when a state implements sharia law, this variety of opinion on the interpretation of the Quran is not present. "[State implementation of sharia law] diminishes the space for diversity of opinion, but it is arbitrary," he said. "It depends on the leaders controlling the state, who decide what is to be enacted as the state law and what is not." An-Na'im said the implementation of sharia law as state law takes away the ambiguity and mystery of the Quran's text. He said throughout his talk the Quran's meaning is too mysterious to ever fully understand. "It is the more profound intention of the Quran as a transformative text or language, where language itself is just simply a hint at what it might be or what it might lead to," he said. An-Na'im ultimately said the implementation of sharia law as state law is impairing the Quran and the mystery the text is supposed to have. "It demystifies the Quran to its own detriment," he said. "Not that the Quran becomes simplistic but that our simplistic meaning of it, because we need to derive a specific so called legal outcome, is what is destroying the sanctity and integrity of the Quran's text." Contact Madeline Inglis at minglis@nd.edu

The Observer

Communications class teaches at Center

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012

For some students at Saint Mary's, class time on Thursday is now spent in a different type of environment - teaching guests at the South Bend Center for the Homeless.  "Public Communication," holds classes for the guests at the Center and teaches them the basics of communication studies. After only three weeks spent at the Center, some students are already feeling a sense of learning for themselves and their guests. Senior Tara Fulton said has already noticed how working at the Center is a wonderful experience for herself and her group members. "This Thursday will be our fourth class visit, and we are very excited to continue on with the process. The veterans that come to our class every week are very enthusiastic, and always willing to participate," she said. "I think that the veterans' participation and enthusiasm has really made us the students as a group feel good about teaching the class. It seems like the veterans truly enjoy the class, and are gaining better communication skills after every class." Throughout the weekly lessons for the veteran's group, Fulton and her fellow classmates have been teaching different aspects of communication to their guests. "My group hopes to gain more personal experience with our communication skills, and insight into how others communicate," Fulton said. "We want to help our guests communicate better, where they can take what we teach in our class to the outside world and use that information to better their communication interactions. "Two main aspects our group will focus on with the veterans are how to control their humor and sarcasm better when communicating with people." Overall, Fulton said she is happy to be enrolled in the class and looks forward to continuing the work her group has begun at the Center for the Homeless. "The veterans are a great group of guys, and are very eager to learn, which makes my group and I happy and willing to go teach every week," she said. Senior Caroline Gallagher is part of a group that teaches the children at the Center. "Our group is called Club P.S., which includes the kids," Gallagher said. "Although our class has only been at the Center for three weeks, we have had such a great experience so far." Before arriving, Gallagher said the group was a bit nervous, as they did not know what to expect from the experience. "After the first day with the kids, any sense of being nervous was completely gone," she said. "The children are extremely vibrant and excited to learn new things- plus they love having older kids to hang out with for an hour every week." Gallagher said, she believes her group has already gained a lot from being at the Center for the Homeless. Although they have faced a few hurdles, Gallagher said the group is thrilled to be working with Club P.S. "The biggest thing that I hope our students gain from my group being at the Center for the Homeless is how important communication is in every aspect of every person's life," Gallagher said. "I hope that the curriculum we teach them is something that they will remember for the rest of their lives, and will help them to be successful in communicating with the different people that they will meet throughout their lives." While Gallagher and her group know teaching children is a lot of responsibility, she said they feel capable of providing the necessary tools for their students to thrive. "As a group, I feel we are capable of doing exactly what we have to in order for the students to get the most out of their Thursday afternoons with us," Gallagher said. "While the semester progresses, I am excited to see where our lessons take us with the kids." Contact Jillian Barwick at jbarwi01@saintmarys.edu

The Observer

Walkers support suicide victims

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012

The Notre Dame chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI-ND) held the Project Hope Suicide Awareness Walk yesterday to help promote awareness and spread faith and support for loved ones of suicide victims and those suffering from mental illnesses. The two-mile walk started at the Rockne Memorial Gymnasium and concluded at the Grotto where a short prayer service and speeches took place. Money raised from the event will go to the Memorial Epworth Center, Oaklawn Foundation and Portage Manor, three local organizations that fight mental illness. The event had a turnout of 200 people. Several families of suicide victims were present, some wearing t-shirts with pictures of their loved ones to honor their memory. Senior Amanda Bruening, founder of NAMI-ND, participated in past events before coming to Notre Dame.  "Originally, this was something I participated in at the University of Miami after my brother took his life, and it made me realize there was an active thing I could do to make a difference," she said. "Since that walk was such a main foundation in me getting over my grief, I felt it necessary to have one on our own campus to help others." Alexandra del Pilar, a junior at Saint Mary's College, said she believes groups like NAMI-ND  are crucial to college communities. "I think it is very important for college-aged students to have a support group on campus, because here they are alone and do not have that strong support of their family," she said. Bruening said awareness on college campuses is important because of the young age of many suicide victims. "The age of many suicide victims ranges from 15 [years] to early 20s.  For this reason, I think it's so important for college campuses and communities to get involved," Bruening said. Tom Seeberg, father of St. Mary's College student Lizzie Seeberg, who took her life in 2010, gave a speech about both his own struggles with his daughter's death and the importance of prayer and hope. "She got up every morning and punched life in the face," Seeberg said about his daughter. "Her comment when confronting a problem was 'So, what are we going to do about it?'" Seeberg said mental illnesses could be combated by being better understood. "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. And this stigma of mental illness is the elephant in the room," Seeberg said. Julie Hersh, author of "Struck by Living" and columnistnfor Psychology Today, spoke about her own battle with mental illness and the waystin which it can be prevented. "To protect ourselves against mental illness, the three most important things ar: sleep, nutritio, and exercise," Hersh said. "One way we really can protect each other is kindness. When someone is in a suicidal state, you have no idea how much a hand on a shoulder for kind word can do. It creates a pause for them." Hersh ended her speech with motivation for all to help protect one another from mental illness. "Create a pause that will create a space to save a life," she said. Contact Shannon O'Brien at sobrie12@nd.edu  

The Observer

Museum unveils Knute Rockne exhibit

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012

Fans of Notre Dame football may be surprised to learn legendary coach KnuteRockne's professional life extended well beyond the game he helped define. The South Bend Studebaker Museum recently opened the exhibit "KnuteRockne: The Rest of the Story," detailing Rockne's involvement with the automobile manufacturer Studebaker from 1928 until his death in 1931. Museum archivist Andrew Beckman said the exhibit highlights Rockne's role as a motivational speaker and celebrity spokesman for Studebaker, working during the football offseason so as not to interfere with his coaching duties. Beckman said the exhibit celebrates the 125th anniversary of Notre Dame football by acquainting people with an interesting, yet lesser-known aspect of the University's past. "We thought this would be a great opportunity to reintroduce people to a part of Studebaker and Notre Dame history they may not have been aware of before," he said.   Rockne was Studebaker's prized spokesman, he said, using him in advertising campaigns and as a representative at sales and industry meetings across the country. The exhibit features old photographs from these sales meetings, as well as other advertising memorabilia. "Studebaker would use Rockne in their promotions, in [public relations] photos, so we have a number of those from the late '20s, including ones showing Rockne with his players hunched around a Studebaker," Beckman said. The exhibit also contains one of the "Rockne" line of automobiles Studebaker produced for two years after Rockne's death in 1931. "Very few people are aware there was an automobile named after the coach, so we have an actual 1933 Rockne five-window coupe as part of the exhibit," Beckman said. Based on past success with Rockne-themed exhibits, Beckman said he expects a tremendous response for the museum's current offering.  He said most of this successncould be attributed to widespread curiosity about KnuteRockne's life. "Every time we do something regarding Rockne, the response is usually surprise followed by fascination," Beckman said. "That's what we have traditionally observed." Beckman said he hopes people visiting South Bend for Notre Dame football weekends will continue their support of the Studebaker Museum. "We try and get as many people down here before the football game starts as we can," Beckman said. "We've traditionally been very busy on game Saturdays, so we anticipate that carrying through this year." Contact Dan Brombach at dbrombac@nd.edu

The Observer

Group explores students' off-campus movement

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012

At its Friday meeting, Campus Life Council (CLC) focused on residence life and factors contributing to an increasing number of students moving off campus. Student government chief of staff Katie Baker said some reasons students move off campus are to obtain freedom, privacy and more space for less money. Currently, 17 percent of undergraduate students do not live on campus, and this is a linear trend over the past five years according to student body president Brett Rocheleau. He said the current senior class is an outlier with fewer students living off-campus than in past years. Even though the majority of students off-campus are male, a sizable percentage of female students live off-campus. Baker said the lower percentage for the latter category is in part due to safety concerns with some housing locations in the South Bend area. CLC addressed the issue of increasing numbers of juniors and even sophomores leaving the residence halls.  One strong driving factor is cost. According to its online admissions website, the University charges $11, 934 for room and board. This does include a meal plan.  In recent years, real estate agents have targeted sophomores to sign housing contracts for their senior year. This can be difficult since relationships between students change over time, and they may not want the same living arrangements two years down the road, Howard Hall rector Margaret Morgan said. Cindy Broderick, rector of Pasquerilla East, said students do not believe they can find adequate housing if they wait until their senior year. She said she tries to tell the girls to wait, but oftentimes they feel the pressure to sign contracts early on. CLC also discussed dorm rules and a lack of a feeling of community as additional causes of the off-campus movement of an increasing number of students. Even with the number of students leaving the dorms, the University is still dealing with the issue of overcrowding. In a number of residence halls, the study rooms have been converted into living spaces, Walsh Hall senator Veronica Guerrero said. Furthermore, when students return from studying abroad, they often cannot return to their original residence hall. "There should be a downgrading of the number of students," Guerrero said. She said it is easier to bond in the dorms when there are a smaller number of girls in an incoming class. This way, everyone gets to know each other better, she said. A point stressed at the meeting was the strength of the residence halls and their spirit of community. Oftentimes, when seniors move off campus they return to their original dorms in order to partake in the activities from dorm dances to movie nights. The halls do not want to lose that connection with their students. "[Dorm life] is a part of the intangible Notre Dame experience," Walsh Hall rector Annie  Selak said. Contact Carolyn Hutyra at chutyra@nd.edu

The Observer

SCIA calls for immigration reform

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012

Formed last semester under the guidance of Cardinal Roger Mahony, the Student Coalition for Immigration Advocacy (SCIA), a part of MovimientoEstudiante Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), seeks to promote education, awareness and advocacy for immigration reform on campus. Sophomore Juan Rangel said the group is part of Mahony's effort to spark interest in immigration among college students at Catholic colleges. "[Mahony's] mission was to set up a network of Catholic universities, starting with the Midwest, but then expanding around the country, to encourage college students to get involved with immigration reform and become interested in the issue," Rangel said. "That's what the mission of the club is now, to expand that mission as he started, primarily focusing on Notre Dame." When Mahony visited Notre Dame last semester, he gave a lecture about the Dream Act, a bill that calls for expanded citizenship and education opportunities for young illegal immigrants, and there he commissioned students interested in immigration to band together, Rangel said. This year, the group will split into three committees: education, advocacy and awareness, he said. "Education is primarily focused on awareness of the issue at Notre Dame, dispelling any false rumors or myths that are going on about immigration," Rangel said. "And then advocacy, we're trying to talk to the administration and [University president] Fr. [John] Jenkins to see if they'll allow undocumented students to come to campus to study at Notre Dame, like Holy Cross and Saint Mary's already do. Notre Dame hasn't done that yet, so we're hoping that we're able to encourage participation at that level of the University." So far, SCIA has distributed buttons featuring a picture of the American flag and the phrase "I'mmigrant," Rangel said. "[The buttons] say that we're all immigrants, one way or another," he said. In the future, the group plans to sponsor forums, lectures and other events to spark conversation on immigration reform, Rangel said. All interested students are invited to attend SCIA's first meeting Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. in the Notre Dame Room in LaFortune Student Center, but Rangel said students not in SCIA can also play a part in raising awareness about immigration on campus. "Students can start even just talking about immigration in general," he said. "A lot of students think, and even the American public in general, that it's kind of not talked about, but in the past the Dream Act has had bipartisan support and ... the immigration debate has been bipartisan. It's not just a partisan issue like many people think it is."   Rangel said SCIA has high hopes for the year. "We want to get as many people that are interested in the club to join us so that way we can have a full year of activities," he said. Contact ToriRoeck at vroeck@nd.edu

The Observer

Former Cavanaugh rector passes away

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012

Her residents battled skunk odor and dressed up like shepherds for her. She struggled with cancer, but she was always put her residents' struggles before her own. And now Amy de la Torre, former Cavanaugh Hall rector and adjunct Spanish instructor, will be missed across campus, but especially among the past and current women of her dorm. De la Torre, who served as the Cavanaugh Hall rector from 2005 to 2011, passed away Thursday after a struggle with cancer. 2006 graduate Elizabeth Callahan served as a resident assistant (RA) during de la Torre's first year as a rector in the dorm, and she returned to work as an assistant rector (AR) with de la Torre from 2007 to 2009 while earning her law degree. "The smaller things, I remember the most," she said. "When the RAs do rounds, Amy always walked around and did rounds with them. That's how she got to know [her residents]. She wasn't just walking to walk. She would stop and talk. We would talk about TV, we would talk about classes, we would talk about boyfriends, we would talk about careers. "She gave great advice, and I think the girls really respected that." Callahan remembered de la Torre as a good listener with a quick sense of humor. "She took the job really seriously, but she didn't take herself seriously," she said. "Being a rector, there are some things you have to laugh at." When a skunk sprayed de la Torre's chocolate lab Jackson on a late-night walk, Callahan said she remembered the rector laughing and wrangling the 90-pound dog in a shower stall and scrubbing the smell out with some of her residents. "That shows how much they loved her," Callahan said with a laugh.   De la Torre established the Christmas pageant that has since become a dorm tradition during Callahan's senior year. The hall residents perform the pageant, penned by de la Torre, every year for a group of local elementary students and children living at the South Bend Center for the Homeless. "Every year, she had to rewrite it because more people wanted to join," Callahan said. "We had more shepherds and angels, and the shepherds were more chatty. ... She was always so excited about it that all the other girls bought into it." 2011 graduate Holly Hinz also remembered the flurry of activity and excitement around the Christmas pageant. "She would always have a lot of fun with it, but she would also make sure we did it right because there were all these people coming," Hinz said. Hinz became an RA during her senior year not only because she wanted to work on hall stuff, but also because she wanted to work with de la Torre. De la Torre retired at the end of Hinz's junior year, but she said the dorm community the former rector established lived on. "She kind of just seemed like a mother away from home," Hinz said. "When I came to Notre Dame, I really bought into this idea of your dorm being your home. I know of assumed all dorms were like that, but I think Cavanaugh had an especially strong feeling of that. That's because of Amy." Hinz said de la Torre said the Divine Mercy in the Cavanaugh Hall chapel every Friday afternoon. The collection of girls in prayer was always an eclectic one, she said, because de la Torre would grab whoever she found in the hallway and bring them along with her to the chapel. "She always had a really impressive faith," Hinz said. Current senior and RA Meredith Kugar said the dorm will pray the Divine Mercy in the Chapel this afternoon and then visit the Grotto together in de la Torre's memory. After they heard the news of the former rector's death, a small group lit candles at the Grotto for her Thursday night as well. Kugar's class entered Cavanaugh Hall as freshmen during de la Torre's last year as rector. "From the very beginning, it was so apparent that everyone in the dorm loved her," Kugar said. "The three grades above us were speaking so unanimously, saying, 'We love her.' That word was used so much to describe her. For a dorm of over 200 girls to pretty much unanimously love their rector, that's special. "I think the love that everyone had for her, she gave that right back to everyone in Cavanaugh." During that year, 2011 graduate Celia Johns was also an RA. When Johns was in trouble during her sophomore year, she said she was nervous to work with her rector, but she said de la Torre supported her as more than a disciplinary figure during that time. "It wasn't just like she wanted to enforce those rules," Johns said. "She asked about what else was going on in my life. "My interaction with that was so transforming, and when I was an RA, I took so much of that with me, the way she was able to handle problems and help people through problems without losing sight of who they were as a person, recognizing people for more than just the actions they had done." When she became an RA, Johns said she worried again about the effect that incident would have on her chances to be hired for the job. "[Amy] said, 'I'm hiring for who you are now, not who you used to be," she said. "And that was really powerful that someone I admired so much was giving me permission to move on with my life." Brian Coughlin, associate vice president for student affairs, said a funeral will be held for de la Torre in Florida, where her father lives. She has three children, two of whom are both Notre Dame graduates.  "I know that the women in Cavanaugh absolutely adored her," he said. 2011 graduate Melissa Truitt, another former RA in Cavanaugh, echoed Coughlin's sentiments. "She's pretty much the reason I got involved with my dorm community to the extent that I did," she said. Truitt described hearing the news of de la Torre's death as "just overwhelming sadness." "She was such an amazing woman," she said. "No matter who you were, you knew Amy cared about you." Contact Megan Doyle at mdoyle11@nd.edu  

The Observer

OIT showcases technology

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012

Notre Dame's Office of Information Technology (OIT) hosted the Mobile Summit, an event designed to showcase the University's technological capabilities, gain student and faculty perspectives and inform people on the expanding use of technology on campus Wednesday. The event, which took place in the Eck Hall of Law, featured panels, addresses from students and faculty and seminars about mobile technology on campus, according to the event's website.  

The Observer

Political scientist discusses 'How Rebels Rule'

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012

Jennifer Keister, who earned her Ph.D in political science at the University of California, San Diego in 2011, visited the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and delivered a lecture concerning Thursday rebels and their coercion techniques. She presented her dissertation, "States within States: How Rebels Rule," which is now being turned into a book manuscript. 

The Observer

ND hosts regional debate

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012

Notre Dame will host the first regional tournament in the Ronald Reagan Great Communicator Debate Series on Saturday. The debate series, sponsored by The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, will feature high school students from across the nation.

The Observer

Saint Mary's student earns Gates scholarship

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012

Saint Mary's freshman Clarisa Medina stands at 4-foot-11 but her short stature does not hinder her plans for a big future.  "There's not a doubt in my mind that I'm going to be successful," she said.  In May 2012, Medina found out she was accepted to become a Gates Millennium Scholar. Of the 26,000 high school seniors who applied for the distinguished scholarship, she was one of the lucky 1,000.  "Students apply annually from all U.S. territories and states." Medina said. "The program is more prestigious than any university's admission process, including Harvard."  Medina applied online in December 2011 and wrote nine essays discussing community service, activities she engaged in during her weekends and summers and the type of courses she had taken to prepare herself for college.  "We also had to write about things that have happened in our lives that we had to overcome to get to the point where we want to be, she said. "There are three rounds and in the final round they determine if you can become a Gates Scholar based off of socio-economic need. If you are chosen you get up to 10 years of education at any university of our choice."  Medina is the first Gates Millennium Scholar to enroll at Saint Mary's College. The financial aid office had never heard of the scholarship before Medina.   Medina was first introduced to Saint Mary's through her sister and current sophomore, Cecily Medina.  "She loved it so much here and she strongly encouraged me to come," Medina said.  "When I came to visit I liked the classroom size, it was very appealing to me. I feel as if I have so many opportunities here. I get to double major and go abroad. It's the ideal place to master the basics and go on to a higher level of education, perhaps a PhD."  Medina, a double major in global studies and political science intends to minor in justice education and Spanish as well as earn her MBA from Notre Dame during her last year of college.  Medina finds another advantage of Saint Mary's is her ability to participate in two different sports. "I run cross country and play softball here," she said. "It's a great stress reliever for me and my team provides me with an additional support system." The second of eight children, Medina relies on her sports family to help her transition from her home environment. "It is really difficult coming from a Hispanic family because we are very close knit and dependent on each other," she said. "It's so loud at home and here everything has been pretty quiet. I know I just have to remind myself to sacrificed that for a reason and that reason was to get an education and to have an opportunity that my parents never had."  "I am very proud of [Clarisa]," Cecily Medina said. "When she won the scholarship it wasn't just her winning, it was our entire family winning."  Despite engaging in an enriched athletic and academic life, Medina has not forgotten her background in service. "I plan to open a camp here that I created back home," Medina said. "It's called Run the World and I believe that it is the reason why I got the Gates Scholarship." Contact Rebecca O'Neil at roneil01@saintmarys.edu  

The Observer

Belle competes on "The Voice"

By The Observer · Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012

One Saint Mary's student is finally living her dream of becoming a professional singer. Sophomore Sylvia Yacoub, from Muskegon, Mich., was featured this week on "The Voice", a reality show for aspiring singers to compete and be coached by some of the music industry's biggest names. Yacoub, who spent last year at the College, is currently taking a year away from school to compete on the show and further her career as a singer. Yacoub's audition in front of coaches Adam Levine, CeeLo Green, Blake Shelton and Christina Aguilera aired on Tuesday night on NBC. Even though she only aired during this week's auditions, Yacoub already has a huge fan base at home. "My hometown has been amazing. The support is so humbling to see that just me appearing on 'The Voice' has touched so many lives and inspired so many people to go after their dreams," Yacoub said in a conference call. "Seeing someone from their town and school has really touched so many people in my town. It really means a lot to me." When a competitor auditions, the coaches have their chairs turned with their back toward the singer for a blind audition. During Yacoub's performance, Shelton, Green and Aguilera all turned their chairs in hopes of gaining her on their teams. In the end, however, Yacoub picked Aguilera as her coach. "I grew up listening to Christina a lot. She has been such a huge musical influence for me," Yacoub said. "I tried not to be biased and I listened to all the arguments [of the coaches]. When dealing with nerves and music, I think she can help me the best with where I want to go as far as pop music. "It was probably one of the most exciting and tranquilizing moments of my life. I was so nervous to sing in front of her and when I realized she had turned around; it's crazy that your idol your whole life had heard something in me." As for self-promotion for the show, Yacoub has utilized social media to help her connect with her fans back home and at school. "It's really cool to be able to get feedback from fans and see how many people you've actually reached and touched and have been inspired by you," Yacoub said. "It's really cool especially when you're not airing yet." While Yacoub had to wait until after her audition aired on NBC to share that she was Team Christina, she was still able to update her fans on when she would finally grace the television. "It's really cool to keep in touch with them and keep them engaged," Yacoub said. "Then they kind of feel more involved and hopefully they feel more connected with the audience, which is cool about 'The Voice.'" Before Yacoub made it onto the next round of the show, she had auditioned for other reality shows a couple of years ago. "I wasn't really doing them for right reasons two years ago," Yacoub said. "I have a lot more maturity and my voice has grown since then. I am at the right place mentally and vocally and it felt right going into everything now." Yacoub said she is really excited to have this experience with "The Voice" and hopes it will continue so she may meet her end goal of becoming a professional singer. "I honestly don't think I would have had this experience two years ago," she said. "This is such an amazing experience and I can't believe I am here now." "The Voice" airs on Mondays and Tuesday's on NBC at 8 p.m. Contact Jillian Barwick at jbarwi01@saintmarys.edu

The Observer

U.S. News & World Report ranks SMC

By The Observer · Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012

For the fourth year in a row, U.S. News and World Report ranked Saint Mary's College among the top-100 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges. The College came in at No. 87, up from No. 90 last year. This year marks the fourth year in a row the College's position has moved higher in the U.S. News and World Report rankings.

The Observer

ND lights up Ugandan towns

By The Observer · Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012

Notre Dame's Initiative for Global Development (IGD) is teaming up with Accenture, a global management consulting company, to provide electricity to rural communities in northern Uganda in hopes of giving them the ability to start their own enterprises.

The Observer

Students support local dentist's charity

By The Observer · Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012

Several St. Mary's and Notre Dame students volunteered their time Saturday during Mahoney Family Dentistry's second annual "Dentistry from the Heart" event, providing 297 people in the South Bend community with free dental care. Close to 200 people camped out the night before to ensure a spot for the 6 a.m. registration.

The Observer

Seniors seek opportunities to serve

By The Observer · Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012

For seniors networking with representatives from national and international service programs Wednesday night at the Post-Graduate Service Fair, volunteer work after graduation can be more than a "year off."

The Observer

Faculty support LGBTQ individuals

By The Observer · Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012

Nearly 400 University faculty and staff called upon the administration to add protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) persons to its non-discrimination policy in a full-page ad in Tuesday's issue of The Observer.

The Observer

Irish explore social entrepreneurship

By The Observer · Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012

The Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and the Fellow Irish Social Hub (FISH) will host the inaugural Irish Impact Social Entrepreneurship Conference today and tomorrow in the Mendoza College of Business.

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