Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
The Observer
Thursday, April 2, 2026
Support The Observer
Observer Store Subscribe
The Observer

Opinion

The Observer

Keeping up with all

By The Observer · Monday, Sept. 3, 2012

Nothing captures my attention like a good old-fashioned family drama, and as petty as it may be, "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" has managed to pull me in once again. There seems to be something so relatable in this seemingly out of this world family. While no one near me would describe their family as being similar to the Calabasas-based moguls, almost any normal family understands the Kardashian family dynamic.

The Observer

My 36-inch inseam

By The Observer · Monday, Sept. 3, 2012

So I'm tall. I always have been. From kindergarten through second grade and from fourth grade on I was the tallest person in my class. In third grade I was bested by Jenna Hornsby who, due to the early onset of puberty in women, grew a lot that year. You might think, dear reader, that my proclamation that I was the tallest is a sign that I view my height as only positive. Not so.

The Observer

Faith and identity

By The Observer · Monday, Sept. 3, 2012

As a freshman and a Latino, I am compelled to respond to junior Johnny Wichard's claim that the concept of "hosting retreats and/or Masses is by definition the most racist thing I [Wichard] have heard on this campus and a way to focus incoming freshmen on their race." I believe these statements lack truth.

The Observer

The dumbest box

By The Observer · Monday, Sept. 3, 2012

Your cable box is likely the most unsophisticated piece of technology you own. It's an antediluvian ruin - a paean to an age of primitive tools, lo-fi signals, and basic cable. Yet it survives in apartments, homes and dorms across the country and continues to be sold by cable providers. The box provides a difficult-to-use interface controlled by a wonky remote control and struggles to perform the simplest tasks.

The Observer

I just can't get enough

By The Observer · Monday, Sept. 3, 2012

I don't know about you all, but every time I stick my water bottle in front of the sensor on a Hydration Station, I get this little rush, this feeling of excitement and anticipation. It's like a Jack in the Box type thing, but less terrifying. I know it's coming, but part of me still wonders if it will. Then, when the counter turns, the show's over, and I drink the water. Geez oh man.

The Observer

Parietals and football

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012

The University of Notre Dame has one set of rules that make it one of the most unique, and sometimes one of the most frustrating, places to live and work. These rules, of course, are parietals. Violation of parietals results in punishments as extreme as the loss of on-campus living privileges. Projects, school work or simple conversation are never legitimate reasons to "break parietals."

The Observer

Arts and crafts

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012

At some point during my freshman year, I heard the students of the College of Arts and Letters (and therefore myself) referred to as arts and crafts majors.

The Observer

Doctrine clarification

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012

In the letter "ND needs to reconsider lawsuit" (Aug. 28) and the petition mentioned in that letter, author Rossi suggests that the University could justifiably comply in good Catholic conscience with the HHS mandate to provide contraceptive services due to the doctrine of double effect. While I welcome continuing dialogue regarding the HHS mandate, contraception and the University's decision to sue, I would like to submit an explanation as to why the doctrine of double effect is not applicable in this instance. Because the previously mentioned letter and petition attempt to use Catholic principles and teachings to justify their arguments, I, too, will argue from this basis. As such, the good effect being considered is providing healthcare whereas the bad effect is providing contraceptives for contraceptive purposes.

The Observer

Romney's big mistake

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012

On Aug. 11, Mitt Romney announced Paul Ryan, the controversial Wisconsin representative and author of the even more controversial "Path to Prosperity" budget, would be his running mate. The running mate decision is one of the most important that a candidate can make in a campaign, and unfortunately for Romney, his choice of Paul Ryan was one of the worst ones that he could have made.

The Observer

ND lawsuit offends gender equity

By The Observer · Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012

Recently, my colleagues and I drafted a petition against the University's lawsuit over the Department of Health and Human Services mandate requiring no-cost birth control coverage. I would like to discuss more fully one point our petition addresses: Regardless of whether or not contraceptives themselves promote gender equity, pursuing this suit is an affront to gender equity at Notre Dame.

The Observer

What Would Hesburgh Do?

By The Observer · Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012

When the men of Zahm House took on "The Hesburgh Challenge" in honor of the dorm's 75th anniversary on Sunday, they did not mean the infamous library drinking game. Instead, they smoked cigars with Fr. Hesburgh by the Reflecting Pool to celebrate their agreement to continue his legacy of tolerance, inclusiveness and service. Zahm House is a hall of many traditions: Ignats the Moose, the Spring Carnival and a rivalry with the neighboring Keenan Hall Knights, to name a few. But as part of their pledge, the residents promised to eliminate one tradition in particular: the dorm's self-mocking chant, "Ole, ole, ole, Zahm's gay, Zahm's gay," in solidarity with and out of respect for all sexual orientations. Each resident also promised to participate in at least one House- or University-sponsored service event. In an iconic photograph that hangs just inside the front doors of the LaFortune Student Center, Hesburgh clasps arms with Martin Luther King Jr. at a rally for civil rights. He opened the University's admissions pool to women during his presidency, expanded the University's service opportunities and was one of the visionaries behind the Peace Corps. Hesburgh's presence on our campus has long been a reminder of his beliefs in inclusivity and his support of a united community both at Notre Dame and in the world. When Zahm inducted Hesburgh as an honorary fellow and member of the dorm, he commended the residents for their bravery in standing up for what they think. The members of Zahm House, including one member of this Editorial Board, took the Hesburgh Challenge, and they now ask the rest of campus to follow their lead in maintaining an attitude of acceptance. For freshmen, this may call into question the slew of dorm rivalries that defined much of Orientation Week: Zahm vs. Keenan, Alumni vs. Dillon, Pasquerilla East vs. Pasquerilla West. Although competition can be healthy, sometimes rivalry gets out of hand. As seen at Dillon Hall pep rallies in the past, "school spirit" cheers can quickly turn into derogatory slurs against rival dorms. In addition, the continued use of stereotypes like "BP pig," "the outcasts of Carroll" and "Hotel Ryan" in casual conversation makes it difficult for Notre Dame students to attest to their "inclusivity." This year, Frosh-O activities focused less on serenades and the pesky "ring by spring," but many upperclassmen protested the change, saying the awkward experience of Domerfest is a part of the Notre Dame tradition. But what makes a true Notre Dame tradition? Nothing about yodeling Taylor Swift tunes to a terrified fellow freshman can be found inscribed on the Main Building. Nowhere on the football field are there instructions on how to tear down your rival dorm. Traditions are what we make them to be. The legacy we leave behind is entirely up to us. As intramural sports ramp up and the quest for "Hall of the Year" begins, Notre Dame's 29 residence halls have an opportunity. Every year the dorms compete for "Hall of the Year" through excellence in six categories: academic, liturgical, athletic, multicultural, social and environmental. Each of us exhibits skill in at least one, if not all, of these fields, and can undoubtedly find some way to bring home pride to our dorms and store up memories of struggle, success and failure. Hesburgh wants to leave a legacy of tolerance and unity, but he also emphasized dorm identity. He described Zahm House as "outstanding," with a character of "zeitgeist" and "a kind of daring." Just as Zahm donates all proceeds from its pizza parlor and hosts the Spring Carnival for local Michiana children, various charitable signature events across campus give each dorm a distinct - and usually fun - way to serve. Keenan Hall has Muddy Sunday. Cavanaugh has the Dance-a-thon. Fisher has its eponymous Regatta. Pasquerilla East has Silent Night, Silent Auction. Each event draws hall residents under a common banner and invites the entire Notre Dame community to join in inclusion and service. For freshmen, this attitude is particularly important, especially as they test the waters outside their dorm identities and start investing themselves as individuals in the clubs and organizations they signed up for at Activities Night.The Notre Dame community shouldn't have to neutralize all dorm traditions to excel, to make memories, to develop real relationships. Residence halls can retain their quirks and rituals, and even their rivalries, while still maintaining a spirit of inclusion. So ask yourself: What Would Hesburgh Do? Follow the Zahmbies' lead, and take the real Hesburgh Challenge. Just as Zahm adopted Hesburgh himself into its hall community, so should the rest of the dorms incorporate his mantra of inclusion into their daily lives.  

The Observer

Cultural vs. universal worship

By The Observer · Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012

Fr. Corpora, your recent column "One Eucharist, many expressions" (Aug. 30) was an insightful look at just three of the liturgical traditions we have here at Notre Dame. This variety is beneficial in that, among all these traditions, there will surely be one or another that will fit the individual spirituality of most. Even still, I struggle with the drawbacks of this variety, which your article subtly hit upon: we have African Masses, Spanish Masses and ever-amorphous dorm Masses. One of the best developments of the 20th century was the growing idea of a universal human family, free from distinctions of race. Is not encouraging Masses of certain groups of people reversing that? While it is a fairy tale notion to suggest we radically strip down cultural-linguistic barriers in our liturgies and have Masses only in Latin again, there admittedly was something neat in the idea that everyone could worship "una voce," side by side, in a family in which there is "neither Greek nor Jew." (3 Galatians 28) Regression to Latin being distasteful to most, it would seem that we will have to reflect on more contemporary ways to stress our undivided brotherhood in Christ. Respectfully, Dale Parker senior Morrissey Manor Aug. 30

The Observer

A message from 'Gangnam Style'

By The Observer · Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012

It is probably a reasonable assumption that each of you reading this has seen the newest South Korean pop hit "Gangnam Style" by PSY. If you have not, immediately put your tray away, leave the dining hall, head back to your dorm and look it up on YouTube. For those still reading without proper context, the song was released in America in late July. Since then, it has racked up an astounding 75 million hits on YouTube. With a catchy beat and fantastic accompanying dance moves, the song is being hailed as the first South Korean hit to make it in America. For those unfamiliar with the song (and accompanying video), it follows PSY around Seoul as he searches for a girlfriend who has class but isn't afraid to let her hair down when the time is right. The style he is looking for reflects the lifestyle of people in the Gangnam Province of Seoul, the ritzy, upscale section of the capital, hence the title . For reference, seven percent of all the wealth in South Korea is located in this 15-square-mile area. Throughout the video, PSY dances around a number of locations in Seoul, becoming involved in several dance battles before finding the kind of girl he is looking for. But within the video, masked by high energy dancing and comic relief, lies a deeper commentary no one would expect out of such a silly song and dance number. The Atlantic was the first publication to note the socio-economic commentary played out in the music video in its article "Gangnam Style, Dissected: The Subversive Message Within South Korea's Music Video Sensation." Throughout the video, PSY constantly sings about the actions of the men and women from the Gangnam province: how they drink expensive coffee, live lavish lifestyles and go to only the classiest of places. However, in his video, he is in the sauna not with businessmen, but with gangsters. His party bus is actually full of old tourists and disco balls. He even meets the girl of his dreams, not in a dance club or ballroom, but on the subway. When he is shown on the beach with girls, it turns out that he is simply at a children's playground in a beach chair. This mockery of the Gangnam lifestyle serves to show that it is overrated; while many South Koreans dream of living a life of excess, PSY points out wealth isn't all that will make you happy. After all, he does get the girl in the end. This is contrasted with American music videos, where the singer is often at parties and in expensive clothes, surrounded by beautiful women as cash falls down from the ceiling. The culture surrounding music itself was also parodied. The Atlantic noted PSY also makes subtle jokes about the music industry. One scene involves him parading down a hallway with two models as trash blows in their faces, clearly a parody of the classic red carpet and confetti scene of the rich and famous. These events always occur while PSY is dressed to the nines, wearing a fashionable outfit, a suit or even a tuxedo. While K-Pop (Korean Pop Music) is apparently not big on social commentary, PSY likely drew from his exposure to American culture during his schooling in the United States. For years, music has been used to express what the artist cannot put into words and has long provided social, political and economic commentary. In recent times, however, artists that produce songs wrought with commentary never take themselves too seriously. PSY certainly doesn't. Look at Macklemore, for example. Macklemore writes songs with powerful messages like the growing effect of consumerism ("Wings"), drug use, ("Otherside"), crime ("Soldiers") and even politics ("The Bush Song"), and then comes out with songs like "And We Danced" and "Thrift Shop." These songs are wildly entertaining and also expose a different audience to his deeper songs. These artists continue to create moving messages and call attention to many issues not seen in the mainstream news by the general public. Perhaps this is exactly what the public needs, powerful messages delivered in such a way that they stick. While a poster or article will influence you for as long as you read it, a song you play a dozen times a week will be more likely to stay with you. And, as long as PSY keeps dancing his way to a better tomorrow, he's going to have quite a few supporters along the way. Austin Lagomarsino is a junior aerospace engineering major. He can be reached at alagomar@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer. 

The Observer

Somebody hire me

By The Observer · Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012

Somebody hire me. No joke. Open request. Hit me up. This career fair thing next week has me a little worked up. I don't get worked up very often about pretty much anything. But right now, color me worked up. I look around at my friends in finance or accounting or engineering. They've got ideas. They've got résumés full of career-specific experience and talents. They've got drive and motivation to talk to this guy from this company or firm about this internship program. And if that guy doesn't seem fired up about it, they've got 50 more places to go. I talk to my Arts and Letters friends, and even though it's a much more wordy conversation full of lofty language and big words, they seem pretty all right with grad school, law school or, with the ambitious ones, a real job. Well, I've got a suit. I've got a résumé that screams, "This kid has no clue what he's doing with his life." My résumé includes how many box tops I collected in my dorm last year. So when I don't get hired, at least the guy crushing my application into little balls and throwing them into his basketball hoop-themed trash can in the corner of his slightly above average office knows I'm a better person than he is. What I don't have is any clue under the heavens of almighty God what I should be shaping my future towards. Yeah, I'm a marketing major. But do I want to do marketing? I have no idea. Maybe. Maybe I want to be an astronaut or a cowboy or a fireman. I work for The Observer, and I'll probably get a journalism minor here. It would be cool to work for a newspaper, I guess. You know what else would be cool? Operating a telegraph. Being a chimney sweep. Working as a deck hand on the Titanic. Do you get what I'm saying here? Everybody says I'm fine. It's a process. Nobody knew when they were your age. You'll figure it out. With a degree from Notre Dame, you can probably do anything you want. Don't worry about it. It'll be fine. Well that sounds all good and well, but gee whiz guys, there's a career fair next week. Who am I going to talk to? What tables am I going to stop at? Can these people see just by looking at me that I'm not qualified to do anything except ramble on in newspaper columns that nobody reads? And I'm not even qualified to do that, I just do it and nobody here has the heart to tell me to stop. I'm worked up, guys. Real worked up. And I know I'm not the only one. Holla if you feel like you've been down the same road. All I know is that I would feel a lot better about all of this if somebody would just hire me. So seriously. Somebody hire me.  

The Observer

To see the face of God

By The Observer · Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012

I've had "career angst" since I was little. While other children had dreams of becoming astronauts, teachers or firefighters, I was torn between three career paths: 1) Running a bowling alley, 2) mowing lawns or 3) manning the check out aisle at the local IGA. In spite of all this, there is one thing I have always wanted - to be more like my mom. About eight years ago, my mom's dad (my grandpa), died of Alzheimer's. He was one of the most influential men in her life, a man who sacrificed his life for her dreams of college and law school. It was painful to watch my mom slowly lose one of the people she loved most. His mind, which once handled numbers and names with nimbleness and ease, slowly lost awareness of the family and the world he loved. The disease was certainly not kind to him. It reared its ugly fangs for many years. So long, in fact, that I began to become very familiar with the commute between our hometown in Cincinnati to the nursing home in Dayton, where my grandpa was to spend the last years of his life. We would often visit Grandpa around meal times. And, save for the slow movements of fork and knife and the occasional clinking of glass, the Alzheimer's wing in which he lived was mostly silent. Staff shuffled around from place to place, attending to residents who needed help. Most residents, however, sat quietly and ate by themselves. All this said, I doubt many people would say nursing homes are places of beauty. But, it hit me recently that these trips to visit my grandpa might be the closest I have ever come in my life to experiencing God, to understanding the mystery of the One who is unconditional love. And it was my mom who helped me see it. You see, during these visits, my mom never left my grandpa's side. Although he never responded, she would talk to him and help him eat. And if the weather was nice, she would bundle him up and take him on walks around the building's paths. But the most beautiful moments came when Mom would just hold Grandpa's hand. Alexander Schmemann captures what I saw in these moments with words more eloquent than mine, "In silence: all words had been said, all passion exhausted, all storms at peace. The whole life was behind - yet all of it was now present, in this silence, in this light, in this warmth, in this silent unity of hands." I can only imagine the day of my mom's birth, the day when my grandpa first looked and held her hands. Love must have burst forth from his heart, even though she could not respond or say his name. And now, in these moments, in this unity of hands, it was happening again. This time, however, it was my mom's turn. Although it was Grandpa who now couldn't respond, no words were necessary to express the love that burst from his daughter's heart. Vincent Van Gogh once wrote, "Love is something eternal - the aspect may change, but not the essence." Alzheimer's could not alter the essence of love present in the relationship between my mom and my grandpa. Grandpa was always "Dad" to my mom. That is something no disease could ever touch. These experiences were poignant reminders to me that, in a similar way, nothing can alter the fact we are beloved sons and daughters of a different father, a Heavenly Father. Although we can never understand completely or respond adequately to this beautiful gift, we can, bit by bit, try to live into its truth. And we must know, no matter how much we forget or remain obstinate and silent before Him, that God always gazes on us with affection. It's what a loving father does for his children, and it's something we can give back to Him. It's what my grandpa did for my mom, and it was something she was finally able to give back. My mom is a reminder to me that we have to choose love, even when it's hard, and even when we may not get anything in return. It's one of the most powerful things we can do because, when we love unconditionally and without any expectation of return, we have the opportunity, as Victor Hugo once wrote, "to see the face of God." So, this year, I am making a commitment to remembering that each time I have the opportunity to love a family member, a roommate, a stranger or a friend, I have an opportunity to experience now what awaits us in Heaven - the loving face of God. Thanks, Mom, for modeling and showing me the way. Scott Boyle is a graduate of Notre Dame and intern in the Office of Campus Ministry. He can be reached at sboyle2@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.    

The Observer

Time to do what you love

By The Observer · Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012

So Activities Night has come and gone, and you likely have a stack of cards, brochures, flyers, email addresses and cell numbers (and, if you're lucky, a free Campus Ministry t-shirt) sitting on your desk, waiting for you to decide what to do with it all. Well, put on the shirt. Then pull your little recycling bin up next to your desk, grab the pile and ask yourself, "What do I love?" Try to weed out the little loves, like dessert or the next episode of "Breaking Bad." Look at the vast array of choices before you. What do you love enough to give it your time?

The Observer

Pacem in Terris

By The Observer · Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012

Everyone reading this article has helped someone in some way - maybe by volunteering at a homeless shelter or maybe just by helping pick up those papers you saw someone drop. However you helped, you felt good about it. Sure, you might have felt somewhat frustrated, but you definitely weren't thinking, "That was the wrong thing to do." Why? Because it's what we're supposed to be doing. It's like eating well and exercising. You feel healthier and have more energy because you're doing what's good for your body. In the same way, if you periodically take that little bit of time to do a good deed, your soul will feel better. That's not to say that you should forever do good out of a purely selfish motive, but I strongly believe the more you serve humanity and the more relationships you build, the more you will come to love the people around you and genuinely long to do whatever you can for them.

The Observer

Contraception is sinful

By The Observer · Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012

To quote the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "The innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love" (2370). Paraphrasing, contraception is sinful. "[W]e have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them ... ?" (1868). Cooperating in the use of contraception by others is a sin. As a Catholic institution, the University would contradict its values by providing contraceptives. Moral philosophy has quite the burden to overcome this straightforward teaching of the Church. Also, note the University is not preventing non-Catholics from obtaining contraceptives elsewhere and thus is not subjecting non-Catholics to Catholic conscience. I am not familiar with the quality and affordability of insurance for graduate students and their families at Notre Dame. However, "the University should not provide contraceptives" and "the University should provide better healthcare to student-families" are different normative statements. The latter is beyond the scope. Finally, consider the irony of all this. Looking back to The Observer in 2009, Fr. Jenkins was criticized for conferring an honorary degree on President Obama. Three years later, Fr. Jenkins filed a lawsuit against him. Maybe Fr. Jenkins would have joined the 20-plus seniors who boycotted their graduation and instead held a Vigil for Life at the Grotto. I recognize the Church's teachings and Notre Dame's efforts are not popular. The numbers are staggering for the use of artificial contraceptives both within and outside of marriage for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. However, I applaud the University's efforts to live out fully and faithfully the teachings of the Church. Brett Ubl junior Fisher Hall Aug. 28 

The Observer

Shard of truth

By The Observer · Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012

In my first article freshman year, I referenced Kwame Anthony Appiah's "Cosmopolitanism," which seems appropriate to resurrect in this current political context. Creating the metaphor for Truth as a complete mirror, he writes, "Each shard [of this mirror once shattered] reflects one part of a complex truth from its own particular angle. ... You will find parts of the truth (along with much error) everywhere and the whole truth nowhere. The deepest mistake ... is to think that your little shard of mirror can reflect the whole." There is great responsibility that comes when expressing what is reflected in a single shard of glass - whether it is a politician's platform, a Supreme Court justice's dissenting opinion or a columnist's criticisms. The glass shattered long before the founding of the country. What piece of truth there is must be handled in such a way that does not damage our pursuit of the whole Truth. The means with which we handle our truth requires humility. An important framework for the need for humility in our current discourse can be found in 1 Corinthians 13: "For now, we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. ... And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love" (12-13). Dr. Cornel West, a professor at Princeton University, echoes 1 Corinthians 13 when he writes, "To be a part of a prophetic tradition is not to be a prophet or elitist. Rather, it is humbly to direct your strongest criticisms at yourself and then self-critically speak your mind to others with painful candor and genuine compassion." If we take our role as American citizens to be prophetic within our borders and examples to other countries, we must proceed with humble means. "The greatest of these is love," and so, if in our humility, we are guided by love, we are more carefully collecting the various shards of glass, resulting in a more complete truth for our country. It does a great disservice to our country when humility is notably absent in the political discourse. The lack of it augments the divisiveness of debate, debate which has the potential of being healthy and fulfilling. The epithet "war" is applied to almost any disagreement - Obama's "War on Religion" or the GOP's "War on Women." Both political parties claim their side is the victim and the other side is the beast. There is the Truth according to Democrats and the Truth according to Republicans. Unfortunately, each claims to be the whole Truth rather than a simple shard of it. When discussing humility in a political context, one main criticism emerges - a political leader must be confident and appear confident to his or her constituents and the rest of the world. Confidence, it assumes, rejects humility, because humility is seen as a form of weakness. However, confidence and humility are not incompatible; in fact, typically those who are the most confident are also the most humble. The presence of humility does not weaken a politician or his or her positions. Rather, humility does provide a politician with the foresight to change his or her positioning, not position. Positioning allows maneuverability in achieving one's set position. Humility and willingness to change one's means for the benefit of the end creates room for compromise. Not surprising in today's political climate, compromise is both an afterthought and a fairytale. Today, compromise is defined as bipartisanship in which one side moves completely across the aisle to agree with the other. However, true compromise is a platform for progress as a country, but it is impossible without humility. Compromise is certainly not possible nor recommended for everything - ultimate positions do not have to be compromised. When it comes to guaranteeing basic human rights and protecting the dignity of the human person, there can be no compromise. But when it comes to how politicians conduct themselves, willingness to compromise and admittance to the reality in which no politician holds the whole Truth, is absolutely necessary for progress as a country, because it relies on the assumption that there will be more truth to discover. Our goal as citizens and as a country should be to create the space in our personal lives and our public lives for humble discourse. The means with which we reconstruct the glass, which we are all attempting to do, are as important as the final product itself. For, one mishandling can shatter each piece into more, setting back any further attempt at attaining the Truth. Let's not shatter the glass further. Alex Coccia is a junior Africana and peace studies major, and a gender studies minor. He can be reached at acoccia@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer. 

Trending