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The best from Europe and America

By The Observer · Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009

This morning I read Mr. Easley's Climate Change letter ("Global warming skeptic," Dec. 7). I am a GreeND member studying in Notre Dame's Rome Architecture Program. His assertion about Europe's worry about climate change is correct; people here are indeed worried about global warming. It greatly saddens me that back at home this is not the case.

The Observer

Elevated discussion

By The Observer · Monday, Dec. 7, 2009

 When I first read Mark Easley's letter to the Observer, I was tempted to write a witty reply pointing out inaccuracies and do my best to delegitimize his argument. But Easley's viewpoint is a snapshot of the larger debate raging among the leading thinkers in our world. Instead of firing rhetoric back and forth in The Observer, why don't we take this opportunity to elevate the discussion? Both sides, if you really think about it, want the same thing: a bright future for our nation and world. In that sense, we are all talking about sustainability here.

The Observer

Online abomination

By The Observer · Monday, Dec. 7, 2009

 Online homework is an unnecessary hassle. Besides being frustrating due to technical difficulties, it takes up more time than regular, written homework, and thus is not a beneficial way to be taught. The majority of a student's time is spent trying to discover how to please the Web site by submitting answers in the format it likes. Another issue is juggling all the things necessary to complete online homework. It becomes problematic when one has to go from computer to book to notebook and back to computer for every single problem. It would be so much more time efficient if the computer were taken out of the equation; if this were done, all technological issues would be eliminated as well.

The Observer

Best band in the land

By The Observer · Monday, Dec. 7, 2009

 I just wanted to take a brief moment to thank the Best D**n Band in the Land. We as players get most of the attention on Saturdays, but I can tell you, what you guys do for both us and the fans deserves to be commended. My favorite aspect of every home Saturday was walking up the tunnel before the game with all of you playing our fight song. Chills would shoot through my body each and every time. It brings a tear to my eye thinking I will never have the opportunity to do that with you guys again.

The Observer

Coaching search

By The Observer · Monday, Dec. 7, 2009

 I have never felt compelled to write in or publicly express my feelings about our great University and its football dilemma until now. I have always respected the position of Notre Dame on academics and athletics and believe strongly that we can win and be a relevant force in the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) while maintaining academic standards. Having said this we have some to point in our programs history where we need a leader, a proven winner, someone who knows how to motivate and be motivated. I myself liked Charlie Weis but I believe that despite his great football mind he lacked that intangible that takes teams to a higher level. We have great players and they should settle for nothing less than greatness.

The Observer

Natural law

By The Observer · Monday, Dec. 7, 2009

 "The crisis of … democracies," said Benedict XVI in accepting the credentials of American Ambassador Miguel Humberto Diaz, a Notre Dame alumnus, "calls for … policies respectful of human nature and human dignity," including "respect for the inalienable right to life from the moment of conception to natural death."  

The Observer

PE must be worth something

By The Observer · Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009

As a freshman, there are many things you have to just get used to here at Notre Dame. Parietals are a big one that I imagine will never seem to make sense. The fact that the University can put such harsh regulations on the new freedom college is supposed to bring doesn't seem right. The amount of work that has to be done each day is also something that you just have to accept and push through during the first year. But one thing that a college freshman shouldn't have to accept is taking a class for a full year and not getting credit for it. There is no good reason physical education should be a zero-credit course at Notre Dame.

The Observer

Grab and Go system unfair

By The Observer · Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009

Grab and Go is flawed because we are overcharged for what we can get and it limits our choice on what food and the quantity of that food we can eat.

The Observer

How to keep tradition alive

By The Observer · Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009

Notre Dame is a special place. Perhaps more than any other university, it holds almost mythological importance to its faithful. To many the future of Notre Dame is the future of morality or Catholicism or tradition itself. As Notre Dame goes, so go the giant intangible constructs, as they say. When it comes to creating devotion, this is excellent. But I am sure it has already occurred to you (looking at you here, Fr. Jenkins) that this can be problematic when trying to make decisions. Because everyone's investment feels so large, everyone believes that what they want for the University must be accomplished, or we court disaster.

The Observer

Global warming skeptic

By The Observer · Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009

There is a lot of research taking place these days that points to global warming as an imminent threat. The great leader, Barack Obama and his Congressional cronies are moving ahead with legislation and international meetings to begin limiting greenhouse gas emissions on a grand scale. Europe, in its infinite wisdom, is also pushing climate change legislation internationally. When the global economy is hurting so much already, they want to handicap our economic capacity with these kinds of regulations that likely won't yield any positive results.

The Observer

Disappointed with event

By The Observer · Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009

After receiving numerous e-mails from my beloved class of 2010, I decided to attend their Beer Tasting event at Legends on Wednesday night. I was promised five to seven beer samples and some food, all for 10 dollars. I wasn't very interested in the Legends delicacies, seeing as the event didn't start until 8 p.m., but I was excited about sampling the beers, assuming I would get my money's worth. What was I given, along with my fellow classmates? About two ounces each of six beers. Maybe a little more. But really. Less than a pint for 10 dollars. Oh wait — let's account for the price of some barely warm sausage or pretzel I could have decided to eat (I didn't) at 8:30. So then maybe I should have received seven dollars worth of beer. But I obviously didn't. So may I repeat, for the multitude of seniors who decided — wisely — to save their money and not attend: I paid 10 dollars for a few terrible buffet options and one beer.

The Observer

Making Memories

By The Observer · Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009

Who doesn't love going home for Thanksgiving? There's the food, the friends, the family, the anticipation of the Christmas season. Most of all there are the stories.

The Observer

Finding family at the Center for the Homeless

By The Observer · Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009

In this column, "The Notre Dame They Know," I will interview individuals who have been influenced by the University of Notre Dame. I will seek to discover the unique role that Notre Dame has played in their life and vocational journey. It is hoped that this column will inculcate a deeper, more honest and more profound love for Our Lady and Her University.

The Observer

Weis' departure handled respectfully

By The Observer · Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009

We all knew for a while that Charlie Weis would not be retained as Notre Dame's head football coach. What we didn't know was when and how the process would play out, because the last time the Notre Dame administration fired a coach, they botched it. The University fired its last coach, Tyrone Willingham, after just three seasons, before he had a chance to develop his recruits and integrate them into his system. After Willingham was fired, then-Director of Athletics Kevin White admitted that school officials had pressured him to let Willingham go against his better judgment. The administration thought they could snag Urban Meyer, formerly the head coach of Utah and an assistant at Notre Dame. But then, like Meyer to Florida, things headed south in a hurry. This time, so far, they've got it right. As firings go, Weis' has gone incredibly smoothly. Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick said the decision was tougher than most would imagine, which is understandable given how much everyone wanted Weis to work out as a coach. He was an alum who loved the school, he won in the NFL and he had success in his first two seasons with the Irish. He made Brady Quinn a Heisman contender and a first-round draft pick and led the Irish to two BCS bowls in two years. Just what dragged the team into the depths of college football is tough to pinpoint. The recruits poured in but the wins slowed down. The team looked unprepared to beat teams it was supposed to beat (Syracuse and Navy — twice) and had trouble winning big games. Swarbrick said the direction of the program left him unconvinced that next year would bring significant improvement, so Weis had to be let go. It's important to remember that Weis did not destroy the program by any means. He brought in great recruits, he graduated his players and, for the most part, he kept them out of trouble. Off the field, his work with the Hannah and Friends charity is admirable and will continue to improve lives. But, bottom line, Weis did not prepare his talented team to win, and for that reason letting him go was the correct move. Swarbrick handled the unsavory situation as best he could. He recommended the move to University President Fr. John Jenkins, who approved it — the way decisions should be made at this level. Swarbrick said he had a dialogue with Weis and informed him of his fate after the Stanford game, in a timely, professional manner indicative of the way this situation has played out. By now, the circus that surrounds a coaching change at Notre Dame is in full swing. The media attention focused on the Irish program intensifies every move Swarbrick makes. ESPN has camped out near Legends to film updates on the coaching search. Each hour brings new rumors from message boards to usually credible media outlets eager to break the news of who will become Notre Dame's 29th head football coach. Finding a coach who can win at the Division I level is tough in a vacuum. Under this microscope, it's near impossible. But Swarbrick can't let that stop him. His decision — and he reiterated Monday that it will be his decision — has to be the right one. Swarbrick's previous involvement with athletics and the contacts he has made over the years should help him evaluate all the possibilities, not just those the media has pigeon-holed as candidates with mostly baseless speculation. It's not about a big name, it's not about an offensive or defensive background and it's not about getting him — whoever that may be — here in time for a bowl game. It's about preparing the team to succeed next year and the program to excel over the next 10 years by molding and motivating talented athletes into a cohesive, productive unit. That's where Charlie Weis fell short, and that's what the next head coach must do. Now it's up to Swarbrick to find him. And if what we've seen this week is any indication, he will. 

The Observer

An exercise in futility

By The Observer · Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009

Dear Jimmy, You probably don't know me, so let me introduce myself. My name is Bob Kessler. I have been one of your biggest fans for the past four years. The first time I saw you was on Saturday, April 22, 2006 when you walked past me and my future roommate after entering the upstairs meeting room at the College Football Hall of Fame to make what was probably the biggest announcement of your life — until now. Yes, I was there that day. When my roommate and I heard that you would be announcing your college choice at the Hall of Fame, we figured that we had to be there for what could be a program-defining announcement. We powered past our hangovers from the previous night of debauchery and made our way through the mean streets of South Bend so that we could stand in the back of the press conference listening to all the bloggers pretend like they had actual inside information about things. We watched you walk into the room sporting goofily-spiked hair like Sonic the Hedgehog and wearing enough rings to make the Dark Lord of Mordor jealous. We listened to you talk about national championships and Heisman Trophies (take note of the plural tense), and your hope that you would be in the Hall some day. As we left the press conference that day, we wondered if you would have any chance of achieving the things we hoped you would. We didn't know what to make of the cocksure 18-year old that Sports Illustrated had previously proclaimed to be "The Kid With The Golden Arm." For two years after that day, through the painful 2007 season and the maddening 2008 season, we still were never too sure what to think. But then, a funny thing happened: You morphed into one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. You threw touchdown passes with pinpoint accuracy. You orchestrated game-winning drives when nobody thought you could. You played with toughness and poise, and were the leader that we had always hoped you would be. You lived up to your word: Charlie Weis was certainly not fired because of you. So now you have a choice to make. Someday soon you will step into another conference room to make the biggest announcement of your young life: whether or not you will leave school early to go to the NFL. While I'm sure you have many smart individuals advising you on this decision, I figured that my crack team of Wikipedia researchers could help you out, and offer some items to consider: Item One: Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Carson Palmer, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, Tony Romo, Donavan McNabb, Eli Manning. At first glance this might appear to be a list of the best and most successful quarterbacks playing in the NFL today. While that might be a true statement, it is also a relatively subjective measure. Objectively, there is one thing that all of these men have in common: They all went to college for at least four years. Item Two: Ryan Leaf, Andre Ware, Tim Couch, Michael Vick, Todd Marinovich, JaMarcus Russell, Rex Grossman. This is a list of players that have left college early in recent years to pursue their NFL dreams. Think about that. Item Three: Trent Dilfer and Mark Rypien. These are the only quarterbacks since 1985 (as far back as my research goes) that have won a Super Bowl after leaving college early. Shockingly, the two combined to play for 10 NFL teams over the course of their careers. Item Four: Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers. This is the complete list of teams that could potentially draft you in the first half of the first round. Item Five: The intangibles. A year from now you could be quarterbacking a bad NFL team to no fanfare, or a tailor could be taking your measurements for your Heisman Trophy suit. You could be riding my fantasy football bench behind Tony Romo, or you could be preparing for a trip to a major bowl game. You could be a footnote to Notre Dame History only vaguely remembered years from now by those that saw you play, or you could be a legend beloved by generations of Notre Dame followers. All the money in the world cannot make you a legend and it cannot make you beloved. It cannot give you happiness or peace of mind. Showing devotion to this University (to the students and alumni that have supported you through the worst three consecutive seasons in Notre Dame history) can give you these things. Leading your teammates through this time of turmoil to the successful season that would undoubtedly await can give you these things. One more year can give you these things.

The Observer

Thank you Weis

By The Observer · Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009

 I just want to offer you my thanks for your five years of work as our football coach. Although the atmosphere around campus hasn't always been the kindest towards you, I, among others hopefully, appreciate the time you've given to this program. Thank you for having the courage to take a job that had a lot of baggage and was the center of some of the most difficult scrutiny in all of college athletics. And what made it worth it for you was not the paycheck, the perks, or the benefits. Rather, it was your love for Notre Dame and the love for the game of football. Although the University has decided to move on, there are those here at Notre Dame who would like to thank you for rising to the challenge, and we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

The Observer

So-called discounts

By The Observer · Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009

 Imagine my surprise when I checked my email the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break to see that the Bookstore was holding student appreciation days. I thought my chance had finally come to receive a discount on namesake merchandise at the bookstore. Alas, my dreams were dashed after reading the fine print at the bottom only to learn that this phenomenal deal does not include books. To quote a friend, "The Bookstore practices amount to nothing less than usury" and to add to that, the Bookstore might as well be located in the seventh circle of hell. Side note: Bookstore price for Dante's "Inferno:" $13, amazon.com price: $8.57. 

The Observer

Losing the meaning of a contract

By The Observer · Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009

 My godfather was a dean at Notre Dame and a member of the University's athletic counsel for over 40 years. I have had the fun of hearing many behind the scenes stories of Notre Dame football etc.The most common themes were about Notre Dame "handshake" relationship with coaches and that Notre Dame athletes were students first. To that end Coach Weis has exceeded all former standards with the team cumulative average at 3.0.

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