Opinion

What has changed?

One topic has dominated campus conversation for the past week, and it has nothing to do with the start of fall classes, the Dillon Hall pep rally or Brian Kelly's new spread offense.

That kid in class

So syllabus week is over and now it's time to actually pay attention and get down to business in class. Unfortunately, this also means interacting with our fellow students. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of people that I meet in my classes with whom I end up forming substantial friendships.

Playing judge'

Dear Ryan Kreager,

A different interaction

Starting with the incident on July 17, and certainly picking up following the first full weekend back at school, Notre Dame students' "interactions" with South Bend police has been the talk of campus. Some of the debate has come to focus more on the issue of whether underage drinking is a crime worth pursuing by the police when other crime is rampant in the city. To those who think that certain Notre Dame students say the South Bend police is oppressive just because they want a free pass to drink underage, I offer a story that isn't about to make the front page of The Observer.

Take responsibility

So far there have been multiple articles in The Observer and other news sources about tension between Notre Dame students and the police. The students quoted in The Observer articles have only seemed to express their frustration that the South Bend Police Department is wasting their time on such trivial things like underage drinking. If that were the case that would be frustrating, but in every article I've read the parties in question seemed to already have illegal activity happening. A previous article in the Aug. 27 edition of The Observer discussed a fight breaking out at a party and moving into the street. In addition, the front page story of the Aug. 30 edition cited a party where students were trespassing into a nearby pool.

Share the Alma Mater

I am from the class of 1975. I love the Notre

The system is broke; Let's fix it

Can someone please start a charity fund that donates money to help the unemployed get job training for every time a politician says he or she is not a part of Washington culture? My first thoughts every time a guy in a suit, excuse me pleated khakis and a working man's collared shirt, says he wants to be sent to Washington to change the culture of D.C. is how stupid must the U.S. public be to buy this as genuine? Despite your political beliefs you are likely equally baffled as to why politicians can say with a straight face that they will "shake up Washington." Yet, they will get away with it and win their elections (Only seven incumbents in all of Congress have lost in a primary so far this year), not because people are dumb, but because there are no real options. Pessimism is attacking the soul of the United States. We need to start finding ways to stop it.

Drinking age needs another look

True hypocrisy

To Ryan Kreager, and anyone else who agrees with him,

Not above the law

To Joe Deter, and others scrambling for a poor excuse for underage drinking,

Striving after nothing

"Whoever exalts themselves will be humbled. And whoever humbles themselves will be exalted."

Priorities

Dear Ryan Kreager,

True winner

My younger brothers and I are the products of a mixed marriage.

Quarter dog price increase doesn't add up

I am writing in response to the Aug. 31 article "‘Quarter dog' prices rise at the Huddle?" (Sarah Felsenstein, Aug.31). I respect the business decision to increase quarter dog prices, but I believe that the price increase will do far more harm than good in the long term. I understand the price increase was made because the Huddle loses money on every dog sold. However, I think there are better solutions to consider. Let's do some math. From the article, we know that last year 29,798 dogs were sold at a loss of eight cents each. That's just under $2,400. The ORLH website tells us that space exists for over 6,200 students on campus. Let's assume just 6,000 people have meal plans, including flex points (the NDFS website says mote than 99 percent do, which is more than 6100 people). Thus, by reducing each person's flex points by 40 cents, the quarter dog losses are recouped. Note that this year, every student with flex points has $345 in points, whereas last year we had $325. Further, the article mentions that "no other major price changes have been made to Huddle Mart products this year." No other food vendor has increased prices either, as far as I am aware. So we have $20 more to spend, but nothing specific to spend it on. I never use all my flex points anyway, so for me and many others it's wasted. Why can't Notre Dame boost housing fees by $1 to subsidize quarter dogs and regain last year's losses? If the extra flex points are removed, then the net effect is lower housing fees. If that's too complex, then leave flex points as they are and add the dollar anyway. I guarantee no one would notice. Besides, $2,400 is really not that much money, considering Notre Dame's huge endowment and all the money spent on new fences and pep rallies that few students like. It would not be too difficult to save this tradition, and if NDFS will not do so, then I have just one thing to say: "Help us, generous alumni. You're our only hope!"

Can Greek mythology inform modern science?

At the lab I was working at this summer, I got a chance to talk to a visiting professor of neuroscience from MIT, and her husband, a mathematician also from MIT. I talked to them about the major directions of science in the next 50 years.

Despicable Scene

Sadly, the Scene selection disappointed me early this year in calling the wonderful movie, "Despicable Me" an "average children's comedy that was neither terrible nor great."

Anger at SB Police is hypocritical

To Joe Deter, and everyone else outraged by the underage drinking busts happening around town:

Being frank about franks

It's come to my attention the price of "midnight dogs" went up to a third of a dollar from a quarter of a dollar. I'm sure the extra eight cents extracted from students' pockets will really turn things around. While it's not clear why business is languishing, whether due to a great hot dog shortage or packer strike, it is clear LaFortune needs more money. But why stop there? As a firm believer in fractions, I would like to point out the new cost of "midnight dogs" is actually 33 1/3 cents. Splitting pennies into thirds would yield an extra cent for every three individual purchases. Think about that 20 years from now! True, some startup costs may be required; maybe the very best in copper cutting technology and a license from the federal government. But in time — say, the next 20 years — it will all pay for itself! After all, a penny shaved is a penny earned.

Underage drinking worse than armed robbery?

Friday night South Bend police arrested 23 students, as we all know very well. What many of us who just read The Observer for their daily news may not know is what else has been going on in the South Bend community. Let me paint you a picture.

Summer of Love

My Notre Dame family,