Opinion

Coaching change

 I watched in disgust as the football team was hung out to dry this past Saturday. The defense was as ill-prepared as any and the inability to score from within the red zone was baffling. Time after time, I said to my son, "Navy must have 12 men on the field because they seem to have two to three defenders on the receivers." When it was first and goal at the two, we came away with no points. Navy's first play after taking over was a 39 yard run by the fullback — another run — and an eventual TD.

Belittling humanities

I would like to take classes over the summer in order to get my requirements out of the way. I met with my advisor, and he explained that math, science and related classes could not be taken at other universities for credit. However, I could take philosophy, history and theology at other universities.

Postponing Panic

Throughout the course of the past few weeks, I've found that I have become more and more tense. I have no time to relax, and I can often be seen running around campus like a chicken with it's head cut off. My lack of time for stems from my overindulgence in a variety of activities that keep me bouncing back and forth around campus like an erratic ping-pong ball. Not to mention the fact that I have 18 credit hours on top of all that. Homework, therefore, takes a backseat. The stack of homework that I am behind on is beginning to resemble the Sears Tower. As my books keep piling in the corner of my room, I am scurrying from one event to the next, in hopes that maybe around midnight I can finally catch my breath.

We need a college coach

I just wanted to vent a little — no big deal. I am not a die-hard fan but I do get upset when we throw away chances to win. I will feel better just putting it down on paper, so to speak. And I realize, too, that there are many, many other facets of Notre Dame than football, but being in the limelight, it gets a lot of press.

Show some respect

Cell phones distracting

My wife and I attended the excellent Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra Concert Nov. 5 and found ourselves constantly distracted by the frequent audience use of cell phones for texting and e-mailing during the actual concert. The glow of cell phones was all around us. I could not for the life of me understand why people could not wait until the concert was over to use their cell phones.

A Notre Dame short story

 Part 5 by Felicia Aguirre

The great mystery

Love thee Notre Dame

 The recent realization that I only have the privilege of serving as your Fighting Irish Leprechaun for two more home games inside Notre Dame Stadium has me in a panic. Before I have the honor of taking my final steps on that hallowed field, I would like to thank you and share with all of you the most important lesson that I have taken away from my experience here at Notre Dame.

Notre Dame short story

 Part 5 by Felicia Aguirre

Bored with the lakes

Notre Dame is full of runners — a fact made even more apparent as the November weather has not deterred the joggers from running outside in Nike running tights and Under Armor.

The BCS system encourages cheating

 Human nature dictates that the more select and coveted a prize, the greater the impetus to control the process that awards a trophy. No truer statement need be said but for the granddaddy of all the punkishly rigid and controlling processes than that of the national collegiate football championship. The so-called "Bowl Championship Series" is a fiefdom presented with an earthshaking clarion call, but in reality only focuses on one important bowl venue each season. It is neither an actual series, nor an impartial championship journey. Rather, the BCS is a manipulated, subjective process controlled by an oligarchy of interests who assiduously limit the competition to a mere two teams. As a result, the current BCS model is the quintessential study that showcases a sure-fire way to encourage ongoing manipulation and cheating by those who participate in as well as those who control the process.

A useful resource for students

Going off campus to head downtown can be costly, and sometimes less than safe, especially when alcohol is involved. Student government and the Office of Student Affairs have teamed up with local transport authority Transpo to offer a safer, more convenient form of transportation for both off- and on-campus students.

Notre Dame short story

 Part 3 by John Cirilli

Tradition

 I graduated from Notre Dame for the first time in 2007. I managed to stay away for a year. I sometimes quip that I failed to achieve escape velocity. While most take this to be a joke, it is not.

You can't be poorer than dead

 Flannery O'Connor, prone to wry humor for instructive purposes, titled one of her short stories "You Can't Be Any Poorer Than Dead."  Her story characteristically examines how people face — or ignore — their limitations, both their own and others'. But more centrally, and hauntingly, O'Connor's work — beginning with her title — suggests that there is one giant human limitation that underscores all our others, and threatens us at every turn, and yet which we spend most our lives trying not to think about. At some point, our lives just … end. 

Soulja Boy ruined everything

 In regards to Danny Masse's Nov. 3 Letter to the Editor ("Ignorant or genius?") discussing Soulja Boy, I fail to understand why there is even a debate on whether he is ignorant or a genius. Despite his one hit song, Mr. Boy is extremely inconsequential to rap music and hip-hop. I do not even know how to refer to him professionally. Is it Mr. Boy?

Travesty in North

 Students of Notre Dame, a travesty has struck North Dining Hall. It has become apparent that the Cheerios bins are being filled with Honey Nut Cheerios, and the Honey Nut bins are being filled with regular Cheerios. The purity of each has been compromised by such mixing. For the sake of us all, especially those who rely on Cheerios or Honey Nut Cheerios for sustenance, North Dining Hall's failure to separate the Cheerios must be stopped.

Inquiry on ND girls

 Dear Meghan Dougher,

A Notre Dame short story

 Part 2 by Christine Fagan