Opinion
A Cut Above Hermione
By
The Observer
· Monday, Nov. 15, 2010
Harry Potter mania is upon us. The comparison between South Dining Hall and Hogwarts will become much more apparent when swarms of students in gold and scarlet file in to drink Butter Beer and eat whatever exactly it is that they eat in Harry Potter. Chocolate frogs perhaps?
Bouncing right back
By
The Observer
· Monday, Nov. 15, 2010
This past Sunday was shaping up to be a memorable day. Coming off of the excitement of Senior Day, the football team from my dorm and home for the last four years, Dillon Hall, was playing in the interhall football championship game against Sorin, and it turned out to be a thrilling game. Unfortunately, Dillon lost 7-6 in overtime. And while it may have been disappointing for me as a member of the Dillon community, my heart went out to the players who had put so much time and effort into the team and had sacrificed so much to win a championship. It isn't possible to be any closer to winning a championship than those guys were. But in the end, they walked away empty handed, just like every other team in the league not named Sorin. It just seemed so unfair.
The silent intellectuals
By
The Observer
· Monday, Nov. 15, 2010
What defines an intellectual? Popular culture would conjure images of bespectacled professors talking Renaissance art, ancient literature and economic philosophy in the same breath. This image has remained static for a long time — as fitting in 1810 as 2010. The question thus arises as to whether it is relevant in the 21st century. Jonathan Coravos, a student at Bowdoin College, in his article "Defining Modern Intellectualism," refutes the charge that Bowdoin students lack intellectualism. Interestingly, this claim has sometimes been levied against Notre Dame students as well. Initially, one might come up with many reasons why Notre Dame students are viewed as lacking intellectual vigor. Sports are a major part of the culture at Notre Dame, and the football program is arguably the most visible aspect of the University at any given time. Also, the fact that Notre Dame is a Catholic institution may lead outsiders to assume that Notre Dame students lack the questioning spirit that often accompanies intellectual curiosity. However, Bowdoin students have also been charged as lacking intellectualism, so major sports and religious affiliation can't be the whole story. Also, the criticism is oftentimes levied within the Notre Dame community itself. So, is the problem (as Coravos argues) due to the antiquated notion of intellectualism, or are modern students indeed intellectually lacking?
International life lessons: Dorms 101
By
The Observer
· Monday, Nov. 15, 2010
People say that abroad experiences are supposed to open up new perspectives and enlarge your world because of their differences.
Long live Bowie'
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010
It is an incontrovertible truth that David Bowie is the greatest singer that the world has ever known and will ever know. It is also an objective fact that Brooks Smith has quite an abysmal taste of music.
Love thee, Notre Dame
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010
"Let's drive down Notre Dame Ave.," my mom said when we arrived on campus for Frosh-O a little over two years ago. "I want you to see it."
NDSP, try to be nice ...
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010
We always enjoy coming back for football weekends, but especially visiting the Grotto one more time before hitting the road on Sunday. As we pulled up to the east security gate at 9:45 a.m., the guard asked me where my wife and I were headed. I said "We are heading to the Grotto," with a nice smile. His reply: "Well, make it quick."
Unwanted overtures
By
The Observer
· Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010
This is an open letter to the self- declared "King of Controversy" Mark Easley and any one else who supports "Annexing SMC," (Nov. 10). Here is our response to your kind offer to rid us of our burden of general uselessness: as if. Don't suppose that any self-respecting "Saint Mary's chick" as we're so condescendingly referred to would ever even consider such self important drivel.
Dining hall disaster
By
The Observer
· Friday, Nov. 12, 2010
It's 12:35 p.m., Monday afternoon. South Quad is bustling, I've been in class since 8 a.m., and there's nothing I want more than to get a quick lunch before heading back to Keough, probably for an excessively-long nap my roommates will judge me for taking. One thing stands between me and that lunch-nap combo: a massive crowd.
Thank you Security Hut
By
The Observer
· Friday, Nov. 12, 2010
Call me warmhearted, but upon reading the SMCurity (Nov. 9) of a fellow Saint Mary's student I felt compelled to stop by the Security Hut at Saint Mary's and personally deliver hugs and Christmas grams to everyone present. Perhaps Ms. Hagopian's claim wherein SMC Security preys on parked cars is true, but the reference made in regards to their appetites and "indelible marks" left by their navy uniform pants is fallacious, irrelevant and abusive. She certainly has every right to freedom of speech and expression, but allow me to say her views are not representative of the entire Saint Mary's community. On behalf of my friends and I, please know that we are grateful for all Security has done to ensure the safety and "SMCurity" of their Belles.
Response to Annex SMC
By
The Observer
· Friday, Nov. 12, 2010
As a senior at Saint Mary's I've had the pleasure of enjoying four years of the "draconian, single-sex education" referenced in Annex SMC (Nov. 10). Your first incorrect assumption is that the women of Saint Mary's share your perspective that having no male, computer science majors (sorry Mark) in their midst is somehow oppressive or relegates them to lives of mediocrity, but I digress.
The meaning of freedom
By
The Observer
· Friday, Nov. 12, 2010
Freedom is "the absence of necessity, coercion or constraint in choice or action" (legal definition). The word freedom dominates the U.S. political discourse. While the nature of the word is expansive, its use in U.S. politics has been deduced to a concrete and tightly bound definition of personal choice without the interference of government. This interpretation of the word and its portrayal as the founder's sole intention defined the rhetoric of the wave of conservative victories in 2010.
Super sad Senior Day
By
The Observer
· Friday, Nov. 12, 2010
The class of 2011 has gotten to see the story happen, as painful and frustrating as it's been. We have some ownership over it — and maybe in 50 years, if Notre Dame hits a slump again, we too, will be able to write to The Observer and complain about how ungrateful the student body is for the gift they've been given.
David Bowie is dumb . . .
By
The Observer
· Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010
I've been lying to myself about it for a long time, but I can't deny it any longer: David Bowie is a terrible singer, a terrible songwriter and a terrible musician. I tried to nod along with the critical consensus that this ridiculous poser is some sort of genius of 20th century rock, but the more of his music I heard and the more of his personal life and professional decisions I learned about, the more I thought he was an overinflated jerk.
Farewell Lyons Hall
By
The Observer
· Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010
It's horrifying to think that the number of times I'll be walking under the Lyons arch and scanning into the building I've called home is limited to the five remaining weeks of this semester.
Fixing the necessities
By
The Observer
· Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010
I love Notre Dame with every fiber of my being. The education is top notch, football games are a blast, the religious aspect is wonderful, the campus is beautiful and the general Notre Dame community is very welcoming and open. However, I do have a problem with one aspect of Notre Dame: allocation of funds.
The courage to say 'I'm sorry'
By
The Observer
· Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010
"Declan Sullivan was entrusted to our care, and we failed to keep him safe. We at Notre Dame — and ultimately I, as President — are responsible. Words cannot express our sorrow to the Sullivan family and to all involved."
