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An incomplete view of the future

By The Observer · Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012

I like Paul Ryan. I like that he is a leader with ideas and not just a loud voice and argumentative demeanor. I like that he views reducing the federal debt and enacting sound economic policy not only as responsibilities that come with being an elected official, but as moral responsibilities his generation owes to the generations which will come after him. But as much as I respect Ryan for his willingness to put forth a concrete economic plan, I can't help but find his talk of working to leave behind a better country ironic considering he is one of several members of Congress who continues to deny the facts surrounding climate change. Global warming, if left unchecked, will have disastrous effects on the future generations of Americans, who Ryan champions. Economic strength is an important issue and will continue to be one, but the future entails much more. Two weeks ago, Brad Plumer of The Washington Post summarized Ryan's track record on environmental issues and highlighted how Ryan has (among other things) voted to block efforts by the EPA to regulate carbon-dioxide emissions, as well as disregarded the work of non-partisan climatologists. If the climbing annual temperatures, unforgiving droughts and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns of the past couple years are not enough to convince some of the reality of global warming, another story by Plumer in The Washington Post last year described how the consensus within the scientific community on man-made climate change is growing even stronger. It's ironic Ryan claims to care about the country he will be leaving behind for the next generation, yet is so willing to block others' efforts to combat a different problem of monumental significance. While Democrats typically champion themselves as defenders of environmental causes and alternative energy projects, there has still been little to no talk in this election about serious alternative energy plans for the country's future. I understand this election is about the economy, and for good reason. Try finding someone who is unemployed and searching for a job, and convince him or her the federal government's top concern should be reducing carbon emissions. You probably wouldn't get too far. While it's unrealistic, even foolish, to propose the fight against global warming should be objective No. 1 in Washington, the fact remains - more must be done about this very seriously problem. If nothing else, our most prominent national figures could begin by giving global warming the attention it warrants. The supposition that policy makers must choose between the interests of environmentalists and business owners, effectively pleasing one side and hanging the other out to dry, is as naïve as it is untrue. Who's to say we can't build a stronger economy and cleaner environment? There was a time when America prided itself on being the world's solution center. Is that a standard we can't expect to meet again? Surely we have not reached our intellectual capacity as a nation. A favorite line among politicians in recent years has been, "It's time for America to lead again." Why not let green business and effective, clean energy production be our starting points? My frustration over this issue glosses over one stark reality - there are no easy solutions when it comes to global warming. But before battling the problem, let alone fixing it, government leaders and citizens alike must consciously choose to head towards a future that includes cleaner energy production and less dependence on dirty fuel. This election is about many issues, climate change being one of unrecognized importance. To be honest, I still don't know who I'll vote for. When November does arrive though, I'll be punching my ballot with the feeling my selection is not doing enough to promote a cleaner future, as well as the hope it will change. John Sandberg is a junior political science major from Littleton, Colo. He can be reached at jsandbe1@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer. 

The Observer

Big kids don't cry

By The Observer · Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012

Just over one week ago, my younger brother moved into Stanford Hall and began his freshman year. He's got his whole Notre Dame experience ahead of him. I couldn't be more jealous of where he is at in life.

The Observer

Zoolander' pondering

By The Observer · Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012

In the fall of 2001, a movie premiered that expanded the boundaries of human thought and shined an introspective light on everyone who had the pleasure of seeing it. It's not a far stretch to say this film changed my life. Of course I am talking about the timeless classic, "Zoolander." Now, in this column it is not my intention to discuss the film's deep commentary on the fashion industry, nor its political undertones against child labor and kung fu. I want to discuss Derek's internal struggle and search for identity to which all of us can relate. After spending much of his career at the top of the male modeling world, Derek found himself being replaced by a newer, hotter Hansel. When Hansel won the "Male Model of the Year" award over Derek, the internal struggle commenced. Peering into a puddle on the side of the road, Derek asks, "Who am I?" When his reflection only responds with, "I don't know," and a goofy face, he realizes he had a lot of pondering to do. Seeing a new class of freshmen here on campus, it's hard not to feel the same way or to draw a parallel. Coming into the University of Notre Dame, each of us were the best and brightest from our respective hometowns and high schools. We were the "Male Model of the Year," if you will. But as we have either recently started, are moving through or finishing up our time here at Notre Dame, we are going through the same process of forming and reforming ourselves and our identity. In my time here at college, I've been a man of many hats (pun intended, I have a shelf with dozens of them). From the man who likes cupcakes way too much to The Observer's expert film critic, I've taken on many roles, names and concepts of who I am, and I'm sure you have too. When asked to tell people about myself, I jump to my list of activities, grade and major, maybe adding that I love to bake and cook. Still the list feels hollow and incomplete, even with the addition of the roles and traits I've come to be known by. I'm not one to, nor am I one you'd want to, be offering an existential analysis on who we are as humans. But I will say to be sure there is more behind being the guy who makes crepes on Sundays and can quote "Scrubs" while naming the season and episode the quote comes from. Adopting catchy identities and being a guy with a thing (à la "How I Met Your Mother") can be useful, ice breaking and fun, but ultimately that will leave you staring into a puddle asking yourself if you really are really, really ridiculously good looking, or, if you're like myself, you have a lot of pondering to do.

The Observer

How polarized is America?

By The Observer · Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012

When Richard Mourdock ran against Sen. Dick Lugar in the Republican primary last year, he told CNN he thought bipartisanship should consist of "Democrats coming to the Republican point of view." The blunt comment reflects an attitude that will clearly not help the gridlock in Washington, but it nonetheless gives us insight into the current political atmosphere. This controversial interview proved to be but a minor speed bump on the way towards the nomination for Mourdock, as he beat Sen. Dick Lugar by 21 percentage points just two months later. This raises an interesting question: Is the current political atmosphere really more polarized than the political atmospheres of previous national elections? I believe not.

The Observer

One Eucharist, many expressions

By The Observer · Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012

Today I had the privilege of presiding and preaching at three Masses. All three Masses were attended by Notre Dame students. All three Masses had the same Sunday readings. All three Masses were here on campus. But the Masses were very different from one another in style, feel, spirit and song.

The Observer

For students who don't understand football

By The Observer · Monday, Aug. 27, 2012

Notre Dame's football obsession presents a dilemma to a certain population of the student body. For there is a certain percentage, albeit small, that might not completely get football, whether because they don't understand the rules or just don't enjoy it. Though the rest of the football-crazy student body will gasp in shock at this blasphemous tragedy, this minority should not feel shunned or in any way stripped of their status as a Notre Dame student.

The Observer

Keep calm

By The Observer · Monday, Aug. 27, 2012

In 1939, with the nation facing imminent invasion from German forces in the second world war, the British Ministry of Information printed 2.5 million copies of a red poster with white lettering designed to bolster the resilience of a people and inspire Britons to go about their daily lives in the face of near and present danger. The message?

The Observer

Lessons from my SSLP

By The Observer · Monday, Aug. 27, 2012

An influential way of thinking about poverty in America is that those who are poor tend to laziness. As a formulation universally applied to poor people, this way of thinking is absurd. And the vast majority of Americans recognize that, I think. Yet, there is a wide range of attitudes in between two extremes, while most still seem to miss the mark about the realities of poverty and welfare. The matter is complicated when political interest groups such as corporations, unions, Democrats and Republicans wield such power and use it not to advance the common good, but to strengthen their own interests. Yes, there is a legitimate worry that welfare programs weaken beneficiaries' motivation to work. It is true that some people will sit on a monthly check and food stamps without seeking employment. People do milk the system. Some refugees do it, just like any other human might in similar circumstances. However, to slash funding for programs that are truly helpful in providing necessary footholds for people to climb out of poverty is equally destructive. The right path probably lies somewhere in between the opinions of the polarized interest groups, and the Church can help guide us. Upholding the rights and responsibilities for each member of society, the U.S. Bishops declare:

The Observer

Gay at the Grotto

By The Observer · Monday, Aug. 27, 2012

I have gone to the Grotto many times. I have lit candles for my grandparents, for family, for friends, for myself. My freshman year, I visited the Grotto nearly every night before walking the covered path beside Corby Hall and making my way back to my bed on the third floor of Dillon.

The Observer

Coming home

By The Observer · Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012

I'm pretty sure I've been dreaming for the past 14 months of my life. I've lived in three states that start with the letter I and two Spanish-speaking countries on opposite sides of the Atlantic. I traveled to nine countries during my three-and-a-half months in Spain last fall. I've seen such famed locales as the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Colosseum, Notre Dame in Paris, the SagradaFamilia, Trafalgar Square, the David and the Sistine Chapel. I enjoyed a breakfast of beer and pretzels at the real Oktoberfest and visited the Guinness factory in Dublin. I swam in two oceans and two seas. I climbed a volcano and went waterfall-jumping in El Salvador this summer. I formed lasting relationships with the people I met in all of my temporary homes.

The Observer

What is a person?

By The Observer · Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012

Last year, Notre Dame Right to Life sold T-shirts that said, "A Person's A Person, No Matter How Small." Whatever we believe about abortion, I hope that this cute but profound Dr. Seuss quote made us ask an important question whenever we saw one of those shirts: What is a person?

The Observer

What is a person?

By The Observer · Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012

Last year, Notre Dame Right to Life sold T-shirts that said, "A Person's A Person, No Matter How Small." Whatever we believe about abortion, I hope that this cute but profound Dr. Seuss quote made us ask an important question whenever we saw one of those shirts: What is a person?

The Observer

ND needs to reconsider lawsuit

By The Observer · Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012

Earlier this year, the University of Notre Dame, along with 42 other Catholic-affiliated institutions, filed 12 lawsuits against the Department of Health and Human Services, claiming the mandate that these institutions provide contraceptive coverage violated their First Amendment rights.

The Observer

On experiencing books outdoors

By The Observer · Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012

For one Saturday in summer, I read a book in a tree at my grandmother's house. I was never one for climbing trees, unless the sap-sticky scratchy pines beside the tiny church ever counted. Barely bushes, they were long bending branches with so many pieces sticking out that my Sunday School compatriots and I would clamor into the hall minutes before Mass, scraped and sticky, with pine needles mixed with beads of blood (from the roughness of the bark) ruining our clean church clothes. Knowing I was afraid of heights without having ever really experienced heights in actuality, I never had the guts to climb a real tree. I knew the stories about Uncle Carl, my mother's youngest brother, who had been an expert at climbing trees, but less well-versed in the process of getting down from them. Aware, then, that going up a tree also meant getting down from it, I decided against such explorations. The day came, however, that (if I remember right) this tree growing into the side of the fence would be trimmed or otherwise cut down, and as my mother and I examined it reverently, she suggested I sit in it. The notch in which one could sit was not very high up - over my head, but I was small. With some boosting from her or my father, I forget exactly, I found myself settled in the notch between two branches. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was blue and somewhere I could hear a lawn mower (always in Shreveport I could hear a lawn mower). The bark was warm in the sun. Once I was up, I requested my book which my mother had to retrieve. What I was even reading I forget, as I remember paying little attention to it - perhaps a volume collected from Grammy's dusty library shelf. I was more interested in the treeness, of the experience of being-in-tree. I recall that, on the whole, the adventure was short-lived. I realized the tree was not exactly comfortable, that the shapes of the branches formed a seat but not a nice one, that I was tired of reading the book I wasn't really reading and that I would like to do something else like try on dresses in the closet or pick out songs on the piano or find whatever chocolate/ice cream/cookies there were to be found in the house. I demanded to be retrieved and hoisted myself out of that space, where I must have been caught by Daddy or Mom. When I discovered books on tape were sometimes read by the author, I decided that I wanted to hear Madeleine L'Engle read me "A Wrinkle in Time." On first picking up the book, I discovered the protagonist was named Meg, which was all I needed to be interested. In the space of a few pages, I was transported into this great science-fiction-fantasy space in which God was still present and in which there was a space for my Christianity in this brave and beautiful world. From the children's room of the public library I retrieved the tapes I wanted - "A Wrinkle in Time;" later, "A Wind in the Door," though I would fall asleep listening to that one. With my trusty beige and brown tape player/recorder I set up camp on the swingset, placing the thing on the wooden platform by the slide. I was swinging, climbing, hanging upside-down from the metal bar and twisting my hands in the rings as Madeleine L'Engle, grandmotherly, taught me how to properly pronounce things like the name of the Murrays' dog (Fortinbras) and what it meant that Mrs. Which talked LLLIIIIKKKKEEEEETHHHHIIIIISSSSSSS (it was an echo). Caught there between the swings of my swingset and, later, sprawled on a blanket in the open grass as the sun disappeared, I began to feel an autumn chill. I saw myself in some windy New England town, where a little farmy piece of land with landmarks like "the star-watching rock" produced Margaret, Sandy, Denys, and Charles Wallace Murray, and Calvin O'Keefe. With Mrs. L'Engle's calming voice to carry me I rediscovered my backyard. I saw the brick colors of the back patio, the flat roof of the sunroom, the climbing plants that clung to our little green fence, the locks on the gates, the slope down the hill where I had made my fairy-houses, the red clay and light brown mud that I had squished my toes in during a heavy rain on a day on which my mother had felt adventurous as well. I breathed the grass and saw the colors the sky turned as night fell. Contact Margaret Emma Brandl at mbrandl@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer. 

The Observer

Reverse culture shock

By The Observer · Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012

When I was getting ready to go to Nepal, I tried to prepare myself for living in a culture very different from my own. I read about the culture and talked to anyone and everyone I could who had been to Nepal before. I was ready to deal with culture shock. What I wasn't prepared for was the culture shock I would experience when I got home. I got off the plane at O'Hare and made it through customs smoothly. Everything was going fine. And then I had to talk to someone. Hearing English being spoken freaked me out. My first language is English, and it's not like I never heard it in Nepal, but I was so used to the sound of Nepali that hearing English was weird. Then, I noticed just how many white people there were. No joke, when I saw all the blondes with blue eyes, I got nervous. I didn't know how to act. I didn't understand why everyone around me looked like I did. The worst though was going through security. On a normal day, security at O'Hare can make even the most hardened traveler nervous. Well, I was not at my best when I walked into that security line. I was tired from traveling for two days. I was jetlagged out of my mind. I still had a tika (a red mark, made from powder that is a blessing) on my forehead. And I was dressed like a total bohemian hippie, complete with purple MC Hammer parachute pants, looking the part of the traveler returning from South Asia. Just being in line for security was so overwhelming, I started to cry. I already looked like a crazy person from what I was wearing, and the tears did not make it any better. The TSA agents probably thought I was some sort of criminal. Once I made it through security, I barely caught my connecting plane. I didn't leave my culture shock in Chicago; it has followed me to Indianapolis and South Bend. Hot water still freaks me out. Air conditioning makes me so cold, that my lips actually turned blue in class. I think chicken tastes bad, and cheese is a super-weird food. Now, there are definite perks for being back in the U.S. I can get Diet Coke whenever I want. The power doesn't just go off for any reason. I can do laundry in a washing machine and not by hand in my shower. I was ready to come home at the end of the summer. But I had no idea how weird the U.S. would seem. 

The Observer

Political summer

By The Observer · Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012

Wow, what a summer! The advent of each school year ushers in that mundane question, "How was your summer?" Short of the June landmark Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a., Obamacare, many from the Notre Dame community experienced a similarly momentous summer. This year's warm weather brought cheers, jeers and lucrative payouts to some alumni, providence and misfortune to others, arrests and unveilings within the football program along with legal wrangling from the administration. Summer was characterized by a collective "wow" factor typically unfelt by so many Domers during one season. Campus administrators bookended their "offseason" by first, filing a religious freedom law suit over healthcare coverage mandates against the federal government the day after graduation. While the University chose for financial reasons to self-insure its healthcare recipients - purely a secular business model decision - somehow administrators want to claim a moral religious freedom objection against providing contraception for non-Catholic and non-Christian employees. What was that adage about giving to Caesar what is Caesar's while holding up Roman coins? In mid- to late-summer, Fighting Irish quarterback Tommy Rees and linebacker Carlo Calabrese faced consequences from a skirmish with local law enforcement officials. Both were suspended from the opening game in Dublin. But as part of youth, every college-aged person makes unwise decisions, unfortunately more times than not as part of maturing. I personally was no stranger to stupidity at college. Hopefully they learned a valuable, but painful lesson. Does anyone believe that learning how to make better choices now can translate onto the field of play? Earlier this month, athletic administrators unveiled their new football uniform design. Their chaotically cluttered, visually amateurish football uniform design was reminiscent of any high school. Talk about tarnishing the classic Notre Dame football brand. Notre Dame now rivals the University of Maryland for wearing the silliest split-colored helmet design of sparkling gold popcorn on one side, with a menacing fighting leprechaun insignia reminiscent of a Cirque du Soleil painted clown on the other. May this writer suggest that the athletic department sponsor a campus contest to redesign your football mess by maintaining some classic uniform elements, while possibly concentrating on the jerseys and pants, not the helmets? Several alumni have experienced interesting summers as well. On the lighter side, semi-retired Regis Philbin ('53) continued to wander through TD Bank commercials saying silly things while laughing about an increase to his personal bank account. Politically, Republican Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell ('76) noted that he was honored to be on the GOP Vice Presidential short list. However, earlier this year, Virginia Democrats bestowed upon him the title "Governor Ultrasound" after he supported legislation mandating that any woman considering abortion must submit to a trans-vaginal ultrasound, even against her will or against her doctor's advice. After an uproar, the GOP legislature amended the bill to require an external ultrasound, that as McDonnell's signing statements notes, "can help the mother make a fully informed decision" about having an abortion and "some type of requirement that a woman be offered a view of an ultrasound before an abortion can be performed." Shall we call this a neutral summer for McDonnell? My good personal friend, California GOP U.S. Representative Dan Lungren ('68) - truly the first person I think of when I tell others that some of my best friends are Republicans - has fought a more difficult summer. This month, during two town hall events, protesters challenged Lungren by calling him too extreme for office, a warrior against women and unfit for Congress. One protester called for citizens to hold Lungren accountable for his "stoned-aged views" noting his denial of science in favor of oil and gas lobby interests. Could enough Fred Flintstones live and vote in Lungren's district this year to save my good friend's election? Closer to campus, political happenstance affects the Second Congressional District. Paradoxically, our sitting Double Domer, Democratic Congressman Joe Donnelly ('77, '81 JD), who beat former GOP Congressman Chris Chocola in 2006, can now thank Chocola for the opportunity to win the Indiana U.S. Senate seat in November. Chocola is president of The Club for Growth, an organization whose mission "promotes essential American policies through Pro-Growth policies and economic freedom." The organization affected the GOP primary by successfully toppling incumbent U.S. Senator Richard Lugar - apparently by unmasking the Rhodes Scholar's anti-growth and economic enslavement bent. May we call this the "Luck of the Irish" for Donnelly? In Washington this summer, the political parties and presidential campaigns geared for their run-up to November. In softball, the RNC beat the DNC in the last inning. The congressional Democrats whipped the GOP 18-5 in baseball. The congressional women lost their softball game by a couple runs to the women's media team. Take what trends you like from these results. So, how was your summer? Gary J. Caruso, Notre Dame '73, serves in the Department of Homeland Security and was a legislative and public affairs director at the U.S. House of Representatives and in President Clinton's administration. His column appears every other Friday. He can be contacted at GaryJCaruso@alumni.nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.  

The Observer

On experiencing books outdoors

By The Observer · Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012

For one Saturday in summer, I read a book in a tree at my grandmother's house. I was never one for climbing trees, unless the sap-sticky scratchy pines beside the tiny church ever counted. Barely bushes, they were long bending branches with so many pieces sticking out that my Sunday School compatriots and I would clamor into the hall minutes before Mass, scraped and sticky, with pine needles mixed with beads of blood (from the roughness of the bark) ruining our clean church clothes. Knowing I was afraid of heights without having ever really experienced heights in actuality, I never had the guts to climb a real tree. I knew the stories about Uncle Carl, my mother's youngest brother, who had been an expert at climbing trees, but less well-versed in the process of getting down from them. Aware, then, that going up a tree also meant getting down from it, I decided against such explorations. The day came, however, that (if I remember right) this tree growing into the side of the fence would be trimmed or otherwise cut down, and as my mother and I examined it reverently, she suggested I sit in it. The notch in which one could sit was not very high up - over my head, but I was small. With some boosting from her or my father, I forget exactly, I found myself settled in the notch between two branches. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was blue and somewhere I could hear a lawn mower (always in Shreveport I could hear a lawn mower). The bark was warm in the sun. Once I was up, I requested my book which my mother had to retrieve. What I was even reading I forget, as I remember paying little attention to it - perhaps a volume collected from Grammy's dusty library shelf. I was more interested in the treeness, of the experience of being-in-tree. I recall that, on the whole, the adventure was short-lived. I realized the tree was not exactly comfortable, that the shapes of the branches formed a seat but not a nice one, that I was tired of reading the book I wasn't really reading and that I would like to do something else like try on dresses in the closet or pick out songs on the piano or find whatever chocolate/ice cream/cookies there were to be found in the house. I demanded to be retrieved and hoisted myself out of that space, where I must have been caught by Daddy or Mom. When I discovered books on tape were sometimes read by the author, I decided that I wanted to hear Madeleine L'Engle read me "A Wrinkle in Time." On first picking up the book, I discovered the protagonist was named Meg, which was all I needed to be interested. In the space of a few pages, I was transported into this great science-fiction-fantasy space in which God was still present and in which there was a space for my Christianity in this brave and beautiful world. From the children's room of the public library I retrieved the tapes I wanted - "A Wrinkle in Time;" later, "A Wind in the Door," though I would fall asleep listening to that one. With my trusty beige and brown tape player/recorder I set up camp on the swingset, placing the thing on the wooden platform by the slide. I was swinging, climbing, hanging upside-down from the metal bar and twisting my hands in the rings as Madeleine L'Engle, grandmotherly, taught me how to properly pronounce things like the name of the Murrays' dog (Fortinbras) and what it meant that Mrs. Which talked LLLIIIIKKKKEEEEETHHHHIIIIISSSSSSS (it was an echo). Caught there between the swings of my swingset and, later, sprawled on a blanket in the open grass as the sun disappeared, I began to feel an autumn chill. I saw myself in some windy New England town, where a little farmy piece of land with landmarks like "the star-watching rock" produced Margaret, Sandy, Denys, and Charles Wallace Murray, and Calvin O'Keefe. With Mrs. L'Engle's calming voice to carry me I rediscovered my backyard. I saw the brick colors of the back patio, the flat roof of the sunroom, the climbing plants that clung to our little green fence, the locks on the gates, the slope down the hill where I had made my fairy-houses, the red clay and light brown mud that I had squished my toes in during a heavy rain on a day on which my mother had felt adventurous as well. I breathed the grass and saw the colors the sky turned as night fell. Contact Margaret Emma Brandl at brandl.2@nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer. 

The Observer

From your student government

By The Observer · Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012

Welcome back! One of our administration's main goals this year is to improve the communication between the Notre Dame student body and Student Government. To that end, Student Government is very excited to update you on some of the initiatives we have already accomplished since taking office on April 1st, as well as our plans for the upcoming semester. Some new everyday conveniences that you may notice around campus include hydration stations in every dorm and new food vendors in LaFortune. One of Notre Dame's top priorities is to continue making campus more sustainable. Thanks to funding from the Office of Housing, we are one step closer to this goal, saving tens of thousands of plastic water bottles since the hydration stations were installed this summer. For your eating enjoyment, a Taco Bell/Pizza Hut has recently opened in the basement of LaFortune, and a Panda Express is coming soon. Student Government has also been busy behind the scenes, working on initiatives that may not be as visible to students. The OIT freshmen security trainings have been reformed and switched to in-hall trainings. We have also worked with the Gender Relations Center on improving sexual assault resource trainings for RAs. We hope that these sorts of changes will pervade the campus as a whole to create a safer living environment. Finally, our administration has focused heavily on strengthening our off-campus relations through meetings with the local chiefs of police. Be on the lookout for an email with important information about staying safe off-campus. In the coming semester, Student Government's main focus will be on expanding inclusion in the Notre Dame family, ensuring that all students feel welcome on campus. We will approach this from two different angles: first, through actively supporting the establishment of a Gay-Straight Alliance student organization, in partnership with the Four to Five Movement, and secondly, through continued support of the Call to Action movement which began last spring. As we work with the University on both of these issues, we hope you will tell us your ideas on ways to make sure our campus is as welcoming and friendly as possible. We promise to keep you updated on processes and decisions made by the University and look forward to hearing your feedback throughout the semester! If there is ever anything you want to see improved or changed here at Notre Dame, don't hesitate to visit us in 203 LaFortune - our door is always open!

The Observer

Political summer

By The Observer · Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012

Wow, what a summer! The advent of each school year ushers in that mundane question, "How was your summer?" Short of the June landmark Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a., Obamacare, many from the Notre Dame community experienced a similarly momentous summer. This year's warm weather brought cheers, jeers and lucrative payouts to some alumni, providence and misfortune to others, arrests and unveilings within the football program along with legal wrangling from the administration. Summer was characterized by a collective "wow" factor typically unfelt by so many Domers during one season. Campus administrators bookended their "offseason" by first, filing a religious freedom law suit over healthcare coverage mandates against the federal government the day after graduation. While the University chose for financial reasons to self-insure its healthcare recipients - purely a secular business model decision - somehow administrators want to claim a moral religious freedom objection against providing contraception for non-Catholic and non-Christian employees. What was that adage about giving to Caesar what is Caesar's while holding up Roman coins? In mid- to late-summer, Fighting Irish quarterback Tommy Rees and linebacker Carlo Calabrese faced consequences from a skirmish with local law enforcement officials. Both were suspended from the opening game in Dublin. But as part of youth, every college-aged person makes unwise decisions, unfortunately more times than not as part of maturing. I personally was no stranger to stupidity at college. Hopefully they learned a valuable, but painful lesson. Does anyone believe that learning how to make better choices now can translate onto the field of play? Earlier this month, athletic administrators unveiled their new football uniform design. Their chaotically cluttered, visually amateurish football uniform design was reminiscent of any high school. Talk about tarnishing the classic Notre Dame football brand. Notre Dame now rivals the University of Maryland for wearing the silliest split-colored helmet design of sparkling gold popcorn on one side, with a menacing fighting leprechaun insignia reminiscent of a Cirque du Soleil painted clown on the other. May this writer suggest that the athletic department sponsor a campus contest to redesign your football mess by maintaining some classic uniform elements, while possibly concentrating on the jerseys and pants, not the helmets? Several alumni have experienced interesting summers as well. On the lighter side, semi-retired Regis Philbin ('53) continued to wander through TD Bank commercials saying silly things while laughing about an increase to his personal bank account. Politically, Republican Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell ('76) noted that he was honored to be on the GOP Vice Presidential short list. However, earlier this year, Virginia Democrats bestowed upon him the title "Governor Ultrasound" after he supported legislation mandating that any woman considering abortion must submit to a trans-vaginal ultrasound, even against her will or against her doctor's advice. After an uproar, the GOP legislature amended the bill to require an external ultrasound, that as McDonnell's signing statements notes, "can help the mother make a fully informed decision" about having an abortion and "some type of requirement that a woman be offered a view of an ultrasound before an abortion can be performed." Shall we call this a neutral summer for McDonnell? My good personal friend, California GOP U.S. Representative Dan Lungren ('68) - truly the first person I think of when I tell others that some of my best friends are Republicans - has fought a more difficult summer. This month, during two town hall events, protesters challenged Lungren by calling him too extreme for office, a warrior against women and unfit for Congress. One protester called for citizens to hold Lungren accountable for his "stoned-aged views" noting his denial of science in favor of oil and gas lobby interests. Could enough Fred Flintstones live and vote in Lungren's district this year to save my good friend's election? Closer to campus, political happenstance affects the Second Congressional District. Paradoxically, our sitting Double Domer, Democratic Congressman Joe Donnelly ('77, '81 JD), who beat former GOP Congressman Chris Chocola in 2006, can now thank Chocola for the opportunity to win the Indiana U.S. Senate seat in November. Chocola is president of The Club for Growth, an organization whose mission "promotes essential American policies through Pro-Growth policies and economic freedom." The organization affected the GOP primary by successfully toppling incumbent U.S. Senator Richard Lugar - apparently by unmasking the Rhodes Scholar's anti-growth and economic enslavement bent. May we call this the "Luck of the Irish" for Donnelly? In Washington this summer, the political parties and presidential campaigns geared for their run-up to November. In softball, the RNC beat the DNC in the last inning. The congressional Democrats whipped the GOP 18-5 in baseball. The congressional women lost their softball game by a couple runs to the women's media team. Take what trends you like from these results. So, how was your summer? Gary J. Caruso, Notre Dame '73, serves in the Department of Homeland Security and was a legislative and public affairs director at the U.S. House of Representatives and in President Clinton's administration. His column appears every other Friday. He can be contacted at GaryJCaruso@alumni.nd.edu The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.  

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