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Labor lessons

By The Observer · Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Two months ago, Aaron Rogers received the snap from center Scott Wells, took a knee and the Packers were world champions. Pandemonium ensued, as grown men were moved to tears and confetti filled the air.

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Concert contentions

By The Observer · Wednesday, March 30, 2011

In "Spring Concert," (Mar. 29), you voiced your disappointment in SUB's selection of bands for the 2011 spring concert. It seems to me that your argument rested on two points: the ability of other universities, such as IU, to attract better acts, and the lack of talent of O.A.R. and Chiddy Bang. Indiana University Bloomington has over 42,000 students. With this amount of students they can fill arenas that so called "better acts" expect, and more importantly they have more money to work with which allows them to put on more concerts. We have about 11,000 students here. That's roughly four times less than IU, so it makes sense that we only have the money to put on one concert instead of four.

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Are you on a mission?

By The Observer · Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Raise your hand if you would have liked to be in the Lady Vols' locker room facing Coach Pat Summit's wrath at halftime of the Notre Dame-Tennessee women's game Monday night. Coach Summit, known to be, um, blunt when she's unhappy, found her group in unfamiliar territory: behind to a team they'd beaten 20 times, in every single previous meeting. Down by five points at halftime with two key players already in foul trouble, she attributed much of Tennessee's difficulties to the Notre Dame women, saying, "They are on a mission."

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Lent in the dining hall

By The Observer · Wednesday, March 30, 2011

With yet another season of Lent upon us, we at Notre Dame are once again beset by those intriguing peculiarities which are unique to this particular time of year — including the numerous entreaties from campus ministry urging us to use the season to finally change our rotten ways, the subtle bragging from overzealous Catholics about just how many things they are giving up for Lent and how difficult it has been for them and, of course, the conspicuous absence of meat from the menu of the dining hall each Friday. This last practice seems excessively draconian to me, and so during a recent meatless Friday lunch I tried to consider all the possible reasons why the University would feel justified in instituting such a policy.

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One-day 'sacrifice'

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 29, 2011

I am shocked by the selfishness expressed in Mr. Baker's Letter to the Editor "Where's the Meat?" (March 28). As a vegetarian, I find it appalling that someone would be so clearly opposed to abstaining from meat for one mere day! Plenty of people — myself included — refrain from meat every single day of the year as an act of protest against the cruelty implicit in the practices of the American meat industry. There are over 925 million people who do not get enough to eat in this world. One acre of land used to grow cow-feed produces around 165 pounds of edible cow flesh when that same plot of land could grow 20,000 pounds of potatoes. On top of that, the standard treatment of animals in the American food system induces needless amounts of suffering to God's own creatures. No one should complain about one day without meat. Especially not someone with the education and opportunity that Mr. Baker has as a student of Notre Dame.

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Stepan not fit for acts

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 29, 2011

I write this letter in regards to the Spring Concert. I congratulate SUB on pulling an amazing lineup this year, completing an excellent three year run. A few years ago it was Cartel and Citizen Cope; last year it was The Roots; this year has Chiddy Bang and OAR. The board has really done a great job providing talented, relevant acts for our students.

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Jus in bello' or just in bad taste?

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 29, 2011

I believe that members of the ROTC program sincerely pray for peace, as no one suffers the burdens of war more than our nation's military and their families. For this reason, it is troubling to see the invitation to Colman McCarthy to serve as the keynote speaker for this year's 2011 Student Peace Conference (April 1-2) put on by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. The Kroc Institute's website describes Mr. McCarthy as a "renowned journalist, teacher and peace activist" who has had editorials printed in a number of prominent newspapers. In one such editorial, Mr. McCarthy directly mentioned the ROTC program at Notre Dame. Disputing Father Hesburgh's view that the program serves as a way to "Christianize the military," Mr. McCarthy asked if there was a "Christian method of slaughtering people in combat, or a Christian way of firebombing cities, or a way to kill civilians in the name of Jesus." While it may come as a surprise to Mr. McCarthy, the American military does not seek to engage in any of these activities. Rather, it serves to impartially defend the nation by carrying out the just orders of our democratically elected leaders.

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No lights on the Dome

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Anyone who crossed God Quad after dark this weekend should have noticed an odd peculiarity: There were no lights on the golden dome. The Office of Sustainability announced that the lights on the golden dome and the Word of Life mural on the Library would be turned off over the weekend as a sign of support for International Earth Hour. As Executive Vice President John Affleck Graves explained, the university was supporting the initiative "by keeping the lights off on these symbols of our campus for a span of 60 hours instead of 60 minutes." While I'm sure it was well intentioned, the decision to turn the lights off on the images of Our Lady and Christ was poor and disquieting.

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The strength of words

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Notre Dame student: Every time a Notre Dame guy "hooks up" with a Saint Mary's student a tree is planted along The Avenue.

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God Debate continued

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 29, 2011

I would like to add my own comments to Joseph Nawrocki's Letter to the Editor "The God Debate" (March 25). I was again disappointed this year when I saw the choice for speakers, although I cannot say I was surprised. There is an ever increasing liberalism within this country, this University and undergraduate student populations in general. By liberalism I do not mean the American idea of liberal and conservative — they too are players in a history of liberalism.

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A return to values

By The Observer · Monday, March 28, 2011

There were a lot of bracket disappointments this weekend. From Kansas to Ohio State, it was tough to find a bracket that wasn't destroyed in some way. My biggest bracket upset came in the NCAA Women's Coaches Fashion Bracket. I could not believe Muffet McGraw got out in the Elite Eight. And Kim Mulkey of Baylor won? Come on.

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Student lounge

By The Observer · Monday, March 28, 2011

I have been kicked out of the so-called "student lounge" in Coleman-Morse for the last time. Almost every single time I have gone to study in Room 104 of Coleman-Morse, the Hammes Student Lounge, it has been reserved for some event or some group. Why call this place a student lounge if students do not have regular access to it? I think the lounge in Coleman-Morse is a great place to study for its quiet and calming atmosphere. Besides that, it has a very convenient location and for those of us who live a far distance from campus, the student lounge is a great place to hang out in between classes or other meetings. So why deprive students of this excellent study-space oasis?

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Filling out the bucket list

By The Observer · Monday, March 28, 2011

We're back from spring break, which means that we are now in the last half of the last semester of the last year in college for me and my fellow seniors. And while I didn't ever go to Mexico, Florida, Puerto Rico or someplace similar for spring break (college foul, I know), I did make an epic road trip with my high school buddies this year, so at least I can cross something off my Notre Dame bucket list. The concept of a Notre Dame bucket list was always something that I had in the back of my mind. After all, we are only on campus for four years, it would be foolish to not experience everything that the school had to offer. However, apparently posters were being passed out a few weeks ago outside of DeBartolo with a list of 100 things to do before you graduate. Someone had finally created an actual bucket list! Of course, being the absentminded person that I am, I didn't end up with one.

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Spring concert

By The Observer · Monday, March 28, 2011

Well it's that time of the year for Notre Dame to announce what magnificent act(s) will be performing at the annual Spring Concert. Hoping to make up for the dry, drab and dreary performance by the geriatrics of Guster, Chiddy Bang and OAR will be taking the stage in about two weeks. The people could not be any more excited for this spectacle; two acts with such a great sense of musicality and pure talent.

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