Opinion
No. 1 Hockey fan
By
The Observer
· Monday, Feb. 7, 2011
It is our senior year and the last four years have been some of the best in our lives. We experienced new things, visited new places and made many fabulous new friends. One of our friends in particular has a soft spot in her heart for Notre Dame Hockey. As a dedicated fan, she has never missed a game (except when she studied abroad in Ireland for a semester), and she always keeps all of us updated on how the team is doing. Molly (our friend) is an amazing person who is going to dedicate her life to teaching our young people. She also has a favorite Notre Dame Hockey player, No. 19. You know who you are. If any of the hockey players are reading this right now we know that a shout out to Molly (mgorsz01@saintmarys.edu) would be a dream come true. You can decide when and where, but remember as a No. 1 fan, she never misses a game. GO IRISH!
Practical men
By
The Observer
· Monday, Feb. 7, 2011
In Monday's Viewpoint section, Notre Dame junior David Mahin of Siegfried Hall wrote in to the Editor publicizing Siegfried's "Day of Man." While I fully endorse Mr. Mahin and the Ramblers' collective support for the South Bend Center for the Homeless — the recipient organization of the money raised by Siegfried's "Day of Man"— I nonetheless wholeheartedly dispute the overt connotation of "man" with "toughness."
Challenging President Obama on Education
By
The Observer
· Monday, Feb. 7, 2011
The State of the Union address on Jan. 25 was a continuance of the President's anti-ideological rhetoric since the midterms and the tragic shooting in Tucson; a refreshing escape from the entrenched arguments of the last two years. The speech signaled that the President is fiercely open minded heading into the new legislative session, and excited to work with whomever has an innovative idea supported by documented evidence. Empowering children to compete in the next generation economy through equal opportunity in education was a rallying cry and reoccurring theme in the speech. Appropriately, seated in the audience of the speech thanks to Speaker John Boehner was a group of outstanding students that embody the hope of the United States to overcome educational shortfalls from four different inner-city Catholic schools in D.C. Many of the students present were beneficiaries of a successful program called D.C. Opportunity Scholarships that was terminated for all future underprivileged D.C. students by Congressional Democrats and President Obama in 2009.
How not to get a date for Valentine's Day
By
The Observer
· Monday, Feb. 7, 2011
In response to yesterday's Viewpoint article asking for a date for Valentine's Day, I thought I'd give my fellow Domer's some advice on what not to do if you if you're still looking for a special someone to spend February 14 with. Here's my top 10 list for how not to get a date for Valentine's Day.
Holla, gurlz
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011
I know, I know, there's no way we could ever forget, but I'm just so excited I had to write in about our favorite day of the year! No, it's not dorm dance season, even if that is a great excuse to get all dressed up. It's not all those winter birthdays that give us an excuse to have some liquid birthday cake and make that South Bend temperature feel a little warmer. It wasn't even this past Sunday with all the talking baby commercials, although those babies are totes adorable! Especially http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEXZ2hfD3bU! Whoops, this isn't an e-mail. That totally isn't going to work. Come on girls, we all know our favorite day of the year is Siegfried Hall's Day of Man!
Retired numbers in Purcell Pavilion
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011
Last year, the numbers of Luke Harangody and Ruth Riley were retired in the rafters of the Purcell Pavilion. I think this was a good idea, but I believe there are two more numbers that need to be retired. Those are the numbers of Austin Carr and Adrian Dantley, because they both were really good. I could do some research and throw in some of their statistics from when they played at Notre Dame, but I don't want to.
Your college = your personality
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011
As you all know, the University of Notre Dame boasts five colleges, which collectively allow any given student the opportunity to pursue something they love. Housed in these five colleges are several fields of study, facilitated by many professors who are passionate about their work and teaching (and well, some not so much for the latter). So on and so on. Let's be honest, though. Much like the dorms on campus seem to have fitting stereotypes, so too do the five colleges. While I cannot argue that the same is true for other universities, I can say that at Notre Dame, your college says a lot about who you are. I am not writing to argue whether the college makes the student or the student makes the college; that is up to you to decide. What I am here to argue is that your college = your personality.
Thank you, "Snow Essential Personnel"
By
The Observer
· Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011
Thank you for your dedication. While thousands of students, including myself, had the chance to step out of their hectic lifestyles for an entire day, you came to work. Because of you, I was able to admire the snow on beautifully cleared sidewalks, enjoy leisurely meals with friends at North and South dining halls, and even grab a cup of coffee at Starbucks to sip while reading a book. I wish I could have personally thanked every member of the "Snow Essential Personnel" team today. In fact, my sincerest gratitude goes out to every employee who makes living at Notre Dame such an honor and a privilege. As far as I'm concerned, you are the Fighting Irish.
Thank you, North Dining Hall staff!
By
The Observer
· Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011
This morning my roommates and I woke up to the great news of class cancellations due to the snowpocalypse that had reached South Bend overnight. After going back to sleep for another hour, we then got to work on deciding what to do with our newly found freetime. First order of business: eat some food. We wanted nothing more than to go to North Dining Hall and enjoy some hot brunch after the long snowy night. Unsure of whether NDH would be open as a result of the storm, we trekked across north quad and made it there without too much trouble because of the efficient snow removal. The even better news was that NDH was open! The card swipers were there, smiling at us as usual, the dessert bar was being restocked as we took our seats and the food was hot and ready. We certainly didn't expect such a scene! The men and women of North Dining Hall (and the snow removal crew and the LaFortune workers and various support staff) made it to campus safely, all for our direct benefit. We cannot thank you enough for all that you do for us! While we slept in and lounged in our pajamas, all of you were out and about, braving the brutal road conditions and making your way to Notre Dame. It really says a lot about how much we need to appreciate the staff on campus. Don't take your clear sidewalks, clean dorms, hot lunch and Starbucks for granted. Many people came to work this morning despite the blizzard so take a minute to say thank you and appreciate how good we have it here. Thanks Notre Dame for the snow day and thanks NDH for the best brunch we've had all year!
Please, no further help necessary!
By
The Observer
· Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011
For fear of sounding cranky like CBS commentator Andy Rooney, I am hesitant to complain about the substandard level of global technological instantaneous communications still wallowing in some quarters of cyberspace. Naturally, like most, I want my e-mail to pop into my box a split second after it was sent from halfway around the world. I remain wild about language command software that allows my PCU to reply back at me like the infamous super computers such as HAL in the movie "2001, A Space Odyssey" or WOPR of "War Games." I would accept refusals of my requests so long as their methods of communication were either mechanical or monotone. "Would you like to play Global Thermonuclear War?" could be poetry to my ear.
Snow day magic
By
The Observer
· Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011
I grew up dreaming for snow days. I cannot count the number of nights I slept with a spoon under my pillow and my pajamas inside-out. If my prayers were ever answered by some miracle, I scraped together all the snow in my Atlanta lawn to build a snowman.
Thank you
By
The Observer
· Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011
I would just like to say thank you to the dining hall workers and support staff who came in to work. We got a day off, but they had to come to campus even through the blizzard conditions. Thank you!
A new tradition
By
The Observer
· Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011
Snow days in college are a surreal experience. With the apocalyptic tones of meteorologists ringing in their ears, Notre Dame and Saint Mary's students started to get a little ridiculous on Tuesday night.
The new digital revolution
By
The Observer
· Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011
While I was basking in the Carribean sun, jet-setting the world and such over break, I had an epiphany. At the airport, on the bus and aboard the boat, children were playing with their parents' (maybe even their own) iPhones and iPod touches. Not the New Moon crazed tweens, but 4- to 8-year-olds who barely grasp the concepts of basic arithmetic. It is difficult to impossible to teach anyone over the age of 65 how to use a computer, but these little rugrats can operate quite a complicated technology with ease. Then it hit me, as it has hit other financial analysts and tech gurus. We are entering the next great tech boom.
Super Bowl storytime
By
The Observer
· Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011
Somewhere, there is always a story to be told. As an aspiring journalist this is something that I hold dear. I could write a feature story about any one of you reading this column (yes, all five of you), because there is something interesting that makes you tick. So here in this space, as America's unofficial holiday approaches (aka Super Bowl Sunday) I will tell the stories of people that I have never met, so that you feel like you just did.
After the blizzard, peace
By
The Observer
· Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011
That turbulent blizzard, once passed, left behind such a peaceful scene.
