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Annex SMC

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010

With the recession still roaring strong, it is time for us to evaluate what really matters in terms of priorities for the next few years at this University. Notre Dame is still a growing school and it is important to make sure that growth is directed in a positive manner. I think we all know what I'm about to say and you are probably agreeing to its inevitability. Notre Dame should annex Saint Mary's.

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The 21st

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010

As the clock struck midnight on Tuesday morning, my friends and I tossed confetti in the air and hoisted my friend Bear on a chair to celebrate his "Bear-mitzvah." We'd been looking forward to his birthday for quite a while now because his is the last 21st birthday that our group has to celebrate, which might be our biggest event until graduation. While all birthdays are special, the 21st birthday is the Holy Grail of birthdays because it gives you almost any legal freedom you can imagine. In the 14 months or so since my first friend turned 21, I've noticed that all 21st birthdays can fall into certain categories. While they all may be celebrated the same way, the actual time when they're celebrated can mean a lot of different things.

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No Shave November'

By The Observer · Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010

Nine days ago, I, along with my fellow O'Neill Hall Mobsters and (I'm sure) many men across campus, began the annual tradition of "No Shave November." Scruffy neck beards and patchy facial hair undoubtedly ensued. Still, as the competitive Domers that we are, those brave of heart and strong willed, always abiding by "Rule 76: No Excuses — Play Like a Champion Today," have continued on avoiding the razor. But the question arises, why do this? Apart from conformity and peer pressure, what good comes from 30 days without grooming? Well, dear readers, this column will (try to) tell you.

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NTD Awareness Week

By The Observer · Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010

By now, a few of you might have seen me shoving a pamphlet in your face this morning outside of DeBart, shouting about NTDs and promising you a free silly band. Sorry that we were so annoying, but this week is NTD Awareness Week, and it's my mission to get everyone on campus interested in a bunch of diseases that no one really knows about. So here goes.

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The true end of an era

By The Observer · Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010

When I was a freshman in the fall of 1966, the slogan on campus was "The New Era with Ara". Ara Parseghian had come within one play of winning a national championship in 1964, and 1966 was shaping up to be "The Year."

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Package deal

By The Observer · Monday, Nov. 8, 2010

I write this letter to commend Ryan Williams on his excellent article regarding legacy status and affirmative action. I agree with the entire spirit of your article, and with most of the content as well. However, I would like to tweak the argument in Ryan's article just a bit.

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Notre Dame should lead - not lag - on Oaths

By The Observer · Monday, Nov. 8, 2010

"Catholic" derives from the Greek word katholikos, which means "universal." In "Caritas in Veritate," Pope Benedict XVI states the Church has "a mission of truth to accomplish," and "proclaims this truth tirelessly, recognizing it wherever it is manifested." Speaking of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Paul VI wrote of his "complete moral support for its common ideals." In Pacem in Terris John XXIII expresses his clear wish that "the precise and juridical character" of the UN's Universal Declaration receive support "on the level of justice and legislation, not just that of human assistance." Catholics have a duty to work with men and women of all faiths, nationalities and political persuasions to promote universal ideals and rules in direct support of the common good.

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Refocusing

By The Observer · Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

This past Saturday, as the band paid tribute to Declan Sullivan by playing our Alma Mater, I looked around and saw the Notre Dame family holding each other, singing in his memory. I then looked down to the field at the players, so many of whom had witnessed the accident. It was then that I noticed Coach Kelly standing with the team, his head down, his hands clasped in front of him and an NBC news camera inches away from his face, which remained there for the rest of the song. That image has been in my head ever since. To me, it captures the mindset that now surrounds the death of Declan Sullivan: finding out who is to blame.

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Can one be moral in an immoral system?

By The Observer · Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

In his academic forum address, Thomas Friedman repeatedly criticized the failures of the U.S. economy to match the competitive needs of our global economy. This failure is certainly related to the decline of critical thinking and discourse, which requires more serious and empirically grounded discussions of the causes and effects of national and global economic policies than this forum demonstrated.

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Global warming and morality

By The Observer · Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

In his Viewpoint yesterday on "Science, Politics, and Global Warming," Ed Larkin argued that while the theory of evolution is obviously true to a casual observer at the zoo, global warming is not evident to non-scientists. Therefore, those who call on society to make dramatic changes to avert its impacts are unreasonable. 

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The 'shellacking' electoral lessons

By The Observer · Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

In 1982, 21 months into his presidency, Ronald Reagan's approval rating stood at 42 percent sliding from 51 percent at his inauguration on its way to a low of 35 percent — hardly the type of lofty nostalgic remembrance for those who memorialize Reagan by naming airports after him and proposing that his likeness be carved on Mount Rushmore. But for Reagan, conditions worsened during his tenure as unemployment rose from 7.2 percent when he took office to peak in November of 1982 at 10.8 percent while personal income stagnated to a mere 1.4 percent in the final quarter of the year. So while high unemployment conditions and an economic emergency greeted Barrack Obama at his inauguration, growth steadily rose — albeit anemically.

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Reformatting the Forum

By The Observer · Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

The Notre Dame Forum began in 2005 as a way for the University to engage students and faculty about one topic during a one-time panel discussion.

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No regrets about living on my own off campus

By The Observer · Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

It wasn't an easy decision when I had to weigh between off-campus or on-campus housing. I couldn't help but lean toward the idea of being free from cramped quarters, parietals and limited amounts of liquor even though I'm beyond the age of 21.

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