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Kickstart it

By The Observer · Sunday, March 18, 2012

A large group of people can be a tremendous source of money and encouragement. At least, that is what internet startup Kickstarter is trying to prove. Described as a way to fund creative projects, Kickstarter is an online hub for people who have really ambitious ideas, but very little financial backing. Users of the site post descriptions of their projects alongside short videos as a means to pitch their idea. They set a target monetary goal and a time limit to reach it and they're off. People who visit the site can fund projects in exchange for tiered give-backs from the creators. But here's the catch: If the project reaches the goal in the allotted time, the creator gets the money. If not, nobody spends a dime.

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The challenges of the weekly laundry day

By The Observer · Sunday, March 18, 2012

People make fun of me a lot for my wardrobe. I did a quick inventory; I own something like six t-shirts. Four of them rep my beloved Kansas City Royals and the other two display my affection for Kansas University basketball. To match them, I have three pairs of basketball shorts. Aside from a handful of dressier clothes for special occasions, this is pretty much all I've got.

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A lesson on education reform

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 6, 2012

There may be no public policy issue more important or pressing than American education. Saying that our education system is "mediocre" may be too generous. Amongst 30 developed countries, American students rank 25th in math and 21st in science. Roughly 1.2 million students fail to finish high school on time every year, and a third of first year college students need to take a remedial course in math, science or reading. The famous 1983 study on the plight of American education, titled "A Nation at Risk," suggested, "If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war."

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A call to all

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 6, 2012

I have considered myself part of the Notre Dame family for my entire life. I was born and raised in South Bend, and some of my earliest memories are of my parents taking me to dinner in South Dining and of visiting the football locker room.

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A new foreign policy

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 6, 2012

President Obama has not followed any formula or precedent ever established before by a U.S. president to wage war, which is causing America to lose strategic advantage and U.S. soldiers to fight an enemy with no goals for victory.

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No-sleep ninjas

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 6, 2012

To the night owls out there: Hello from one of your own. I'm writing at our prime time: Those wee hours of the morning after parietals and the closure of the library, when we congregate in those few campus locations still open, when it's a struggle to decide whether or not it's tomorrow yet.

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Reflecting LGBTQ diversity

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 6, 2012

In response to "LGBTQ students discuss campus relationships" (Mar. 7,) we, as LGBTQ members of the Notre Dame community feel that the article does not sufficiently or accurately describe the experience of the community as a whole. The article fails to consider the perspectives of students whose experiences do not align with those of the three students quoted, demonstrating a lack of attention to the sensitive nature of such issues.

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The power of voice

By The Observer · Monday, March 5, 2012

Pastor Martin Niemöller's famous quote reads, "They came first for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak out for me."

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Finding a family

By The Observer · Monday, March 5, 2012

In general, I feel the most at home at Notre Dame when I spend time with international or ethnic minority students. That is not to say I do not have other friends; I just identify more with the international students, being one myself. This occurred to me at Monday night's Town Hall meeting. The Carey Auditorium was full of students voicing their concerns and experiences with racial discrimination or incidents that have impacted their time here.

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Support from afar

By The Observer · Monday, March 5, 2012

I am writing in response to an article published on the front page of your Mar. 5 edition of The Observer titled "GSA Asks University for Official Recognition." I am in no way affiliated with Notre Dame, The Observer or the state of Indiana for that matter. I am a student at The American University in Washington, D.C. As a gay Catholic college student I am fortunate enough come from a university whose Methodist affiliation appears meager when compared to the prevalence of its religiously diverse student body, representing everything from Catholicism and Judaism to Mormonism and Islam. Additionally, The American University was given five stars in the Campus Climate Index, ranking it among the top LGBT friendly universities in the country.

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ND needs GSA

By The Observer · Monday, March 5, 2012

I am deeply disappointed by the SAO's apparent response to the current request for a gay-straight alliance.

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Believe in the run

By The Observer · Sunday, March 4, 2012

I don't admit this to many people, but I often find myself up far too late watching old Nike commercials on YouTube. It's seriously addicting — once you watch one video, you have to watch another, and another. By that point, you are feeling so motivated and inspired that you just want to go for a run. However, you can't go for a run because it is too late, so you just keep watching videos. Also, the songs from the commercials make great additions to any race playlist.

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Dialogue still needed

By The Observer · Sunday, March 4, 2012

Thank you to everyone involved in bringing Loyal Daughters and Sons to Notre Dame's campus this year. From those who were brave and generous enough to share their stories, to the writers who interviewed them and faithfully adapted the stories to the script, to the actors who portrayed them with sensitivity, to the crew who facilitated every aspect of the performance, to the producer and director who so skillfully shaped LDS — you crafted a moving performance and I'm grateful I had the opportunity to witness it this weekend.

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NEDA Week

By The Observer · Sunday, March 4, 2012

As many may have noticed by the abundance of eating- and body-themed activities on campus, last week was National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. In order to spread the word, many students banded together to spread awareness about this dangerous and highly prevalent set of disorders that affects men and women across the globe. Some of you may have participated in an eating habits questionnaire that was circulated early in the week, and for that we thank you! It was amazing to hear real feedback not from a national survey, but from one so much closer to home.

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This Republican primary makes me sick

By The Observer · Sunday, March 4, 2012

It isn't that I don't understand why Republicans or Tea Partiers might want a smaller government, lower taxes, more aggressive foreign policy, etc. I don't agree with these ideologies, but I can sort of see where they come from.

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Downton Abbey

By The Observer · Sunday, March 4, 2012

Almost everyone who knows me knows that right now, I probably love one thing more than anything else in my life — "Downton Abbey." Several of my friends are currently rolling their eyes or calling it "Downtown" while a few others are cheering me on.

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Think before you speak

By The Observer · Sunday, March 4, 2012

When I was 13, I accidentally kicked my soccer ball over our fence and into the woods. Finding my ball surrounded by thorns, I mumbled a certain expletive. My father's bionic hearing kicked in and from our back porch he sent me straight to my bedroom — grounded. His rationale? "Smart people don't use dumb words."

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We do this for you

By The Observer · Saturday, March 3, 2012

Every year on the last Monday before spring break, you read a column from the new Editor-in-Chief expressing how much he or she cares about you, the reader.

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