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Thursday, April 2, 2026
The Observer

Opinion


The Observer

Bald is beautiful

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Next Friday, I am shaving my head for St. Baldrick's. This was something I had been thinking about over the past few weeks, and finally I just decided to go for it. St Baldrick's is such an amazing cause, and raises so much money for research for childhood cancer. I know we all know people who have been affected by cancer. One of my friends and classmates that I graduated with from grade school died of leukemia in September 2010 after a four-year-long battle. She was such a vibrant person, so full of life and never afraid to speak her mind. I saw her undergo chemotherapy and go bald, something she was very self-conscious about. Which leads me to my main point here.


The Observer

Hope on the horizon

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In February, the Gender Relations Center (GRC) invited Kerry Cronin to our campus to begin a conversation about dating. The program in Legends was very well-attended, and the audience participated in a lively dialogue about relationships (or the lack thereof) on the Notre Dame campus.


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Remembering Virginia Tech

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I remember April 16, 2007 because I almost did not go to school that day. When you're in your high school schedule of waking up at ungodly times to go to school every morning, you remember those rare occasions when you almost got to go back to bed. Any form of parental excuse was a blessing from the heavens in the midst of endless standardized testing.






The Observer

Vision Walk

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Did you know more than 10 million Americans are affected by blindness? This statistic is a sad reality for all ages, with many different causes and forms of blindness affecting children and the elderly alike. However, YOU can help! Research dedicated to curing blindness is taking place all over the country, as well as on this very campus!


The Observer

Why these pages exist

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Most readers believe that editorial pages like this one exist merely to express opinions and encourage dialogue. But pages such as "Viewpoint," rooted not solely in the commercial domain but nestled in academic settings - and especially those of religious-affiliated institutions like Notre Dame - serve a more important life-setting role for young adults. Unlike the Wall Street Journal or New York Times, The Observer more directly enlightens students on how to mold their adult lives through stimulating debate, personal experience and simple entertainment. On this published grid lies a daily spark with the potential to ignite each young mind to think on its own and make independent judgments that may or may not agree with older generational teachings.


The Observer

Primary nonsense

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Many conservatives, myself included, have been pretty disappointed with this year's Republican presidential primary. While the field is narrowing and a winner seems to be emerging, the entire process has been taxing on an electorate that was so charged to displace the current incumbent after all the damage done to this country for present and future generations. A conservative revival that began shortly after 2008 and manifested itself in Tea Party politics that showed tremendous influence in 2010 has taken a huge hit by the lackluster choices in candidates for the top position in global politics.



The Observer

John Bolton at Notre Dame

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Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton spoke this past Thursday at the Law School. The event was sponsored by the Notre Dame Federalist Society.


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A blueprint for America's fiscal future

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Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are fundamental to American society. They provide much-needed financial security to the poor, disabled and elderly. But as I wrote last time, these programs are growing at unsustainable rates, and there are economic, fiscal and moral imperatives for reform. Too often lawmakers and other commentators speak about the need to reform these programs without offering solutions (as I did in my last article.) To break this trend, I am going to explore the best policy options for reforming each of these programs.


The Observer

Give Griner a break

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The women's basketball national championship was over a week ago. I watched with friends, many of them witnessing our own women's basketball team compete for the first time all year, as two great sides battled in a very intense game. While many of the people I was with shouted at the television, I was a bit more contemplative. This column may be a week too late, but as they say, better late than never. Here are my two cents.


The Observer

Obama jeopardized non-partisan Supreme Court

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It's no secret that the line separating the federal judiciary from the executive is blurry at best. When a partisan president is given the authority to nominate justices to the Supreme Court, the supposedly non-partisan nature of the Court is inevitably jeopardized. Washington will never be able to take the politics completely out of the judiciary. However, the degree to which politics affects the judiciary certainly can be controlled.


The Observer

Why fantasy matters

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"Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed." - G. K. Chesterton


The Observer

GRC event just a bandage on a bullet wound

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In "Dating at Notre Dame: The Remix," (April 3), Dr. Moss addresses how a hookup culture exists in place of a dating culture on campus, and he speaks to the efforts that the Gender Relations Center (GRC) has undertaken to initiate a shift to a culture of healthier relationships.



The Observer

Off-campus blues

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I always knew my decision to move off campus would create a bit of non-literal distance between the independent off-campus life I wanted and the communal on-campus life I loved, but I never imagined that the immense alienation I have felt this year would be rooted in the dorm of which I still considered myself to be a part.