Opinion
Happy New Year
By
The Observer
· Monday, Jan. 16, 2012
It is a vast, uninterrupted expanse of white outside. The snow is falling, but the cold lake is still.
Echoes of yesterday, today and tomorrow
By
The Observer
· Monday, Jan. 16, 2012
Welcome back! It's time to take a deep breath and start again: a new semester, a new year, perhaps a new major or a new roommate for some of you. And yet, aren't you grateful for what's not new — friends, professors, rectors, well-worn paths to classes, the Rock and South Dining Hall? Both the familiar and the new add their particular flavors to the mix as each of us sorts out where and how we fit into the story of what Notre Dame has been and will be.
Don't want to miss a thing
By
The Observer
· Monday, Jan. 16, 2012
Yesterday, I saw a lot of Facebook statuses that amounted to, "Today is my last first day of a college semester," etc.
Dan Sportiello
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
Dan Sportiello is in his fourth year of graduate study in philosophy at the University of Notre Dame--the institution from which he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in the same subject. While his interests are broad, he is soon to take his oral exam in the history of ethics. He is especially interested in the relationship between theoretical and practical reason--and in the relationship of both to the historical circumstances in which they are taught and exercised. His column, Bound Variables, is a biweekly philosophical meditation upon those aspects of our lives here at Notre Dame that go otherwise unnoticed.
John Sandberg
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
John is a sophomore from Littleton, Colorado and a graduate of J.K. Mullen High School. Before transferring to Notre Dame, John spent his freshman year at the University of San Diego, where he was the baseball beat writer for the Toreros' student newspaper, The Vista. Switching from sports to the viewpoint arena, this year John has written columns on national and international affairs, aiming to articulate a down-to-earth perspective in a world full of "expert opinions." Two of his more widely read pieces this year have been "Virtue as an obligation, not a choice," and "Politics and evolution: who cares?" A third generation Domer, John is an avid baseball fan as well as a participant in Notre Dame's Bengal Bouts. He can be reached at jsandbe1@nd.edu.
Carolyn Green
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
Carolyn Green is the student director of the 2012 Holy Half Marathon. A seasoned half-marathoner (she's working her way up to a full), Carolyn hails from Portland, Oregon--home to Nike, Hayward Field, and the elite team of distance runners known as the Oregon Track Club. Of course, Portland is equally famous for Voodoo Donuts, so it evens out. Through the Holy Half column, Carolyn will share her passion for the sport of running and provide exclusive Holy Half updates, inspiration, training tips, and motivation.
Fr. Lou DelFra
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
Rev. Louis A. DelFra, C.S.C., is a Holy Cross priest, ordained in 2004. He is Director of Pastoral Life, and Chaplain, for the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE). He has also worked in Campus Ministry, and as Associate Pastor and Religion teacher at Holy Redeemer Parish and School in Portland, OR. Fr. Lou previously served as a middle school and high school teacher at Malvern Preparatory School in Philadelphia. He has received his undergraduate and Master's degrees from the University of Notre Dame, and currently publishes in the fields of religion, literature, teacher education, and spirituality. Fr. Lou resides in Dillon Hall.
Dee Tian
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
Dee is a Senior Marketing Major, with minors in Philosophy and Anthropology, who has a passion for spicy food and Disney movies. She loves fast-paced, hectic days so she's been involved in many activities including BP Hall Council as Dance and Spirit Commissioner, Campus Tour Guide, GRCFirestarter, VP of Marketing Club, TA for Professor Moore, and Notre Dame Encounter Board. After graduation, she will be working for Verizon as an HR Analyst in their enterprise wide Leadership Development Program. As an Observer columnist, Dee hopes to explore and question the many dilemmas college students may face in their spirituality and encourage students to grow in their faith.
Grace Concelman
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
Grace Concelman is a senior from Pittsburgh majoring in finance and philosophy. Her column, Options and Futures, covers current events in finance and economics and seeks to make financial terminology more accessible to the Notre Dame community. She looks forward to pursuing a career on Wall Street in sales and trading where she will spend hours of her life staring at computer screens trying to make sense of flashing market data.
Alex Coccia
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
I am pursuing Africana Studies and Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. I have been fencing for nine years and am on the Notre Dame varsity team. In the summer before sophomore year, I taught fencing and Social Studies in the Ugandan village of Kkindu. On campus I am co-president of Progressive Student Alliance, and attempt to promote healthy dialogue about gender related issues as a Gender Relations Center FIRE Starter. I am a very passionate person but attempt to allow reason to dominate the conversation. I always enjoy having long and in-depth discussions with friends about a variety of topics, including campus issues, national politics, religion, and foreign policy, and I typically write on these subjects. I write with the thought that "we may not see eye to eye, but we can always speak heart to heart" (Colman McCarthy).
Marc Anthony Rosa
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
Marc Anthony Rosa is currently a senior Management Entrepreneurship major. As his column title "Router? I hardly know her" may suggest, he's a tech and start-up junkie who loves being part of the digital renaissance. When he's not wondering why he abandoned his sunny home in Florida for the frigid northern Indiana weather, he spends every available waking hour writing about his experiences with technology. He has some pretty cool experiences working with start-up companies all over the country, and loves to share what he's learned and what he's noticing in the technology community in his column and on his personal blog, www.marcanthonyrosa.com. Besides writing, he's passionate about comedy, string cheese, and most of the alphabet.
Mark Easley
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
Mark Easley is a senior computer science major living in Keenan Hall. He originally hails from Raleigh, NC. Easley contributes to the Observer to sharpen his writing skills and keep abreast on the latest current topics and campus pulse. His usual column is titled "Elephant in the Room" and it deals with politics and current events from a strong conservative perspective. Easley's columns are notorious for stirring up debate and controversy and attracts many critics and fans.
Arnav Dutt
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012
Arnav "Lou" Dutt (born January 6, 1937) is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker. He served as the head football coach at The College of William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State University (1972–1975), the University of Arkansas (1977–1983), the University of Minnesota (1984–1985), the University of Notre Dame (1986–1996), and the University of South Carolina (1999–2004), compiling a career record of 249–132–7. Dutt's 1988 Notre Dame team went 12–0 with a victory in the Fiesta Bowl and was the consensus national champion. Dutt is the only college football coach to lead six different programs to bowl games and the only coach to guide four different programs to the final top 20 rankings. Dutt also coached the New York Jets of the NFL during the 1976 season.
Leave Santa alone
By
The Observer
· Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011
Here's a Christmas surprise: some parents have argued that Santa — with his round belly and universal appeal — might be contributing to the rise in childhood obesity.
Protecting our rights
By
The Observer
· Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011
In late October a former Taliban activist who had renounced his militant affiliation and applied for political asylum in the state of New York was seized from his home by U.S. Marshals. The man, whose asylum case we studied as part of a course on the Anthropology of Human Rights (with Professor Cynthia Mahmood), had suddenly disappeared.
Wisdom from mom brings rest for your souls
By
The Observer
· Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011
What do these three pieces of advice have in common? Take a shower and see how you feel. Remember to say thank you and offer to help. Stand up straight.
Santo's year
By
The Observer
· Monday, Dec. 5, 2011
1990 was an auspicious year for many reasons. Among them was the birth of a soon-to-be strapping young lad at approximately 1:11 in the morning on April 1. Around the same time, all-time Chicago Cubs great Ron Santo began his career broadcasting home games for his former team.
Behind Anonymous
By
The Observer
· Monday, Dec. 5, 2011
Anonymous is the inciter. Anonymous is the underground poet, the published author. Anonymous is the coward, the bigot and the bully. Anonymous is the well-wisher, the tipster and the answer. Anonymous is conviction. Anonymous is safety. Anonymous is the masked, intentionally and unintentionally done. Anonymous is the fear of repercussion. Anonymous is the advantage of the eloquent. Anonymous is the good and the bad of human opinion. Anonymous is nameless, faceless, and lost.
