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What money is to happiness, affirmative action is to college diversity

By lettertotheeditor · Monday, Nov. 21, 2022

For the past week, I have been reading “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin; during this time, I have also been reflecting on the Supreme Court hearings on affirmative action that took place on Monday, Oct. 31. On Thursday, while I was reading the book’s chapter on money (Chapter 7), I followed Rubin as she reflected on the connection between money and happiness. Early on in her musings, I came across the following comment that reminded me of the discussion on affirmative action:

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Reflections on snow 

By Jonah Tran · Monday, Nov. 21, 2022

I have seen snow less than 10 times. Nine times to be exact. My first time was years ago while snowboarding at Big Bear Mountain in California. The other eight times were at Notre Dame. 

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The importance of comprehensive sex education

By Grace Sullivan · Monday, Nov. 21, 2022

The topic of sex tends to be taboo due to the deep embedment of abstinence over education in society. Although sex education classes can be awkward and uncomfortable, these tough conversations are worth having in order to begin normalizing and destigmatizing discussions about sex. Not only does comprehensive sex education reduce teen pregnancy rates, sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) and assault, but it provides young adults with essential information that promotes the sexual health and well-being of themselves and others. According to KQED, “comprehensive sex education” teaches that not having sex is the best way to prevent STIs and unintended pregnancies, but also offers medically accurate information about STI prevention, reproductive health, healthy relationships, consent, gender identity, LGBTQIA+ issues and more! This method of education not only reduces STI’s and teen pregnancy rates among young adults, but it also delays when teens become sexually active. However, this form of education is not as present as it should be in school curriculums.

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The machine gun method

By Devin Humphreys · Monday, Nov. 21, 2022

When I was in Algebra II my freshman year of high school, we were taught a couple of different ways to solve a quadratic equation. A couple have fallen by the wayside (as we law students do not regularly employ math more complicated than the Hand Formula), but I remember two distinct methods that had almost opposite pros and cons: factoring, which we learned first, and using the quadratic formula, which we learned last. As my math teacher, Mr. Josh Taylor, explained and demonstrated, factoring is the easiest of the ways to solve a quadratic equation, but it doesn’t always work. In contrast, the quadratic formula always works, but it has the uncanny tendency to get unwieldy at the times when it would make the most sense to factor instead. As a result, Mr. Taylor gave the quadratic formula the nickname of “the machine gun method” — it always gets the job done, but sometimes by using more “bullets” than the job required.

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College Republicans’ response to the College Democrats’ Letter to the Editor

By lettertotheeditor · Friday, Nov. 18, 2022

This week, the College Democrats published a Letter to the Editor accusing our club of promoting “racist, transphobic, and antisemitic rhetoric” in the 2022 midterm debate that took place on Wednesday, Nov. 2. They call for our debater’s remarks to be formally condemned by the University administration and to require our officer corps to face “comprehensive anti-bias training.” The allegations made by the authors of the letter are categorically false and defamatory. We call on the College Democrats to retract them and issue a formal apology immediately.

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In response to “The Devil in Nerd’s Clothes”

By Stephen Viz · Friday, Nov. 18, 2022

Forbes magazine technology writer David Jeans released a piece last weekend titled “The Devil in Nerd’s Clothes”. The article depicts the rise and fall of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, an abbreviation of “Futures Exchange.” More importantly, the article explains the personality and destructive decisions taken by FTX founder Sam Bankman–Fried. The nerd in this situation is Bankman-Fried and the devil stands to be his destructive decisions that have led FTX to bankruptcy. Jeans’ piece is an excellent read, and I highly encourage checking it out. But for now, hear me out, because I have some thoughts on the matter.

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On snow and purpose

By Reyna Lim · Friday, Nov. 18, 2022

I have very little idea of what purpose means, but today I’m writing about it anyway. This is how I make sense of things. I’ve addressed it in this column before: purpose, meaning, being 21 and utterly confused. My dedication to seeming continually lost is less of an artistic choice, and more of a direct representation of what takes up the majority of my brainspace lately. Most weeks, when I see my editor’s deadline approaching on my planner, I crack open my journal and scan through my most recent scribbles and streams of consciousness until I find something that might be just substantial enough to lengthen into a readable column. But the whole precedent of my writing, in my head at least, is that it will never be read or given hardly any weight. Yet as these things go, from time to time, an odd column of mine will be discovered by a family member and sent to an aunt in New York, a cousin in Seoul. On a recent phone call with one such family member, I was offered the heartening redundancy of well-meaning assurance: You’re meant to be figuring things out right now. Then, the question: So what do you want to do? 

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Hate has no place here

By lettertotheeditor · Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

Last Wednesday, BridgeND hosted a debate between the College Democrats and College Republicans. What was intended to be an educational conversation and a model for civil discourse instead spiraled into a display of racist, transphobic and antisemitic rhetoric from the College Republicans’ representative. We believe that the College Republicans must be held accountable for their hateful words, if not by our University’s administration then by concerned students like us. This letter is not about liberals being unable to listen to opposing opinions or being intolerant of different viewpoints. It is about taking a stand against the growth of hateful sentiment on Notre Dame’s campus and holding those who perpetrate it accountable. 

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Spes Unica: A reflection on leading a retreat and a call to others

By Gabriel Ibarra · Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

I’ve been missing from the pages of The Observer for a while, but I am back and refreshed after a great weekend Spes Unica retreat. As the 50th retreat in this biannual series, Spes Unica retreats are a hidden gem among the many retreats that happen around the tri-campus community. Though I was a leader this time around, this retreat was still one I actively participated in as if I was living it out. For context, this was my first official Spes Unica retreat, but my third spiritual retreat at Holy Cross. The first was at Sophomore Anchor Day, an overnight retreat that served as a spiritual check-in for those in their second year of Holy Cross. After this, I did not go on any Spes Unica retreats, but I did attend our Marian Pilgrimage. During this pilgrimage, we traveled around from Indiana to travel to Illinois and Wisconsin, visiting holy sites centered around Mary. Highlights include going to Marytown in Libertyville, the University of Saint Mary of the Lake in Mundelein and the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion. This was a multiple-day trip that introduced Mary to several students in new and exciting ways. But, these were not Spes Unica retreats, also known as SPES. 

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How misinformation/ disinformation on social media is destroying our democracy 

By BridgeND · Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

Social media has given a platform for individuals to share their voices faster and to a broader audience than ever before. At our nation’s founding, it would have been unimaginable to predict that anyone would be able to speak at any time from anywhere. This phenomenon has lent itself to the creation of a new type of speaker, a bolder ego unafraid of sharing what is on their mind. In reaction, our government is stuck with a thought-provoking dilemma of what “free speech” truly entails in this day and age. The oratory vehicle that social media has become provides several cultural stresses on the democratic structure, such as an overload of information, the creation of a hive mind and radicalization. Perhaps the greatest threat to democracy, which works in tandem with the aforementioned, is the growing misinformation and disinformation online.

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Christmas starts now

By Caitlin Brannigan · Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022

I love looking out my window and being greeted by a winter wonderland. I love curling up in my bed with a book and a cup of hot chocolate. I love making snow angels and flailing around on the quad, hurling snowballs at my friends until our fingers are numb. 

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Kill your darlings: Notes on letting go

By Kate Casper · Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022

Letting go has never been easy for me. In fact, it’s one of my least favorite things to do — because, often, letting go feels like losing. Whether it’s letting go of a person or a feeling, a place or a sense of normalcy, things will change, and change can be dreadful.

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Sibling rivalry

By Isabelle Kause · Monday, Nov. 14, 2022

As twins, my brother and I have spent most of our lives together. We attended the same grade school and high school and could very easily relate to one another when it came to the joys and stresses of everyday life. People have occasionally asked us if we have “twin telepathy, ” and while our answer is always no, we do share a close bond with occasional moments of competitiveness. 

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