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Tuesday, March 31, 2026
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What are you fighting for?

By The Observer · Wednesday, March 9, 2011

All right, we're guilty. Sometimes we whine about working at The Observer; it often goes hand-in-hand with our griping about the weather and the weird things that go along with Notre Dame. But sometimes we get the opportunity to be a part of something, even indirectly, that reminds us why we're so lucky to be a part of this University.

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The implications of Lenten conversion

By The Observer · Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Christian gospel is perceived as paradoxical, almost unrealistic, because it proposes a way of life which is not governed by the virtues so highly prized by our technocratic society: success, efficiency, immediate gratification and control. The Christian gospel is not about success (gaze briefly at a crucifix for verification) it is highly inefficient, frequently delays gratification and encourages us to relinquish our obsession with control to One whom we cannot see.

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Necessary dialogue

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Thank you, Shea Streeter, for starting the conversation on sexual assault at Notre Dame ("Necessary conversations," Mar. 7). As a man this issue affects me differently than it does women. Nevertheless, this is an issue with which I have a close personal relationship and have had many conversations about. I have two friends from home who have been victims of rape/sexual assault and, quite frankly, the conversations I've had with them are very different from the ones "College HAS Issues" tells us we ought to have.

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We must face reality

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 8, 2011

I am writing this piece on behalf of the taxpayers across this country that are caught in the middle of the debate over public sector union compensation. We are in very tough economic times, and workers, both in the private and public sectors, have had to make sacrifices in their personal and family budgets. It is evident that while taxpayers have had to make adjustments in their budgets, some public sector union bosses think they should be immune from necessary fiscal austerity measures. To be clear, I am directing my argument to the leaders of the public sector unions, not necessarily the rank and file.

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Defacing the University

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Disclaimer: I want to make it clear that I am not addressing this letter to all of the residents of Zahm House. I have several friends in Zahm and am sure that most residents are generally good guys. This is to, as our rector Br. Jerome said, "a few rotten apples."

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New college degrees

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Recently there's been a lot of furor over the MRS and MR degrees, owing to a shocking expose by a SMC chick who revealed that neither of them were actual degrees. I have taken upon myself to provide a short, non-exhaustive list of other degrees that don't exist but probably ought to.

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Squatters' displays diversity

By The Observer · Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Before I begin, here is a caveat. My idea for what would eventually become this column began about a month ago at Reckers at 2 a.m. on a Wednesday night. It was an essay on diversity for Contemporary Topics, and, never one to take a Contemporary Topics assignment lightly, I bet my friends that I could finish it in the fifteen minutes it took them to finish their food. The instance that I wrote about, however, I still find quite interesting and quite indicative of a certain part of the Notre Dame experience.

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Super athletes

By The Observer · Monday, March 7, 2011

Maybe the most important sporting event of our generation occurred Sunday, and just about no one noticed. Once in a lifetime the world is graced with the presence of an athlete that shifts the entire sporting landscape. Our world has been graced with two of these athletes. Rachel Alexandra and Curlin dominated the horse racing world like Alexander the Great dominated the known world. What do these two athletes with no equal do when they are retired from the days of competition? They make babies. That's right, soon our world will be blessed with the love-child of these two great race horses. No longer will Earth be called the Home of Humans, but rather Earth will be referred to as Home of Super Curlin Mega-Alexandra, and a couple people. This got us thinking, what if humans were to do this? Imagine the possibilities. Albert Pujols and Jennie Finch? Move over Cy Young and Barry Bonds, we got a new record holder. LeBron James and Lisa Leslie? I'm thinking we have a 40-time consecutive MVP coming. Roger Federer and Serena Williams? Grand Slams would not even begin to describe their dominance. Tiger Woods and Annika Sörenstam? Future average 55 under par on a 70 par course (Yeah, that's 15 strokes on 18 holes). The possibilities are endless. Just think if we can have real Coke taste with zero calories, then why isn't this possible. We're looking at you scientists. Until then I will refuse to watch these so-called greatest athletes in the world struggle with their weak genetic combinations. I want super athletes and I want them now.

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Collective bargaining benefits all workers

By The Observer · Monday, March 7, 2011

Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his [or her] interests." In the U.S., we seem to have forgotten that the ability to bargain collectively is an internationally recognized right of all people, rich or poor, in the public or private sector. While workers depend on employers for wages, employers depend on workers for the labor that produces the goods and services that create profit. The two parties are co-dependent. Therefore, the working class is an indispensible part of our economic system and should have the ability to voice its needs and concerns in the only legal form available: unionization. Collective bargaining allows both workers and employers to have a voice, pursue their interests, and come to a compromise. Sounds like democracy to me.

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Green Madness

By The Observer · Monday, March 7, 2011

Sunday March 13, 7p.m. Where will you be? I for one will be glued to a TV somewhere in SoCal anxiously awaiting the announcement of ND's NCAA tournament seeding. That's right, the GreenMan is obsessed with something other than the environment –– college basketball. Since I've been finding myself checking ESPN.com more than my email, I thought an examination of the green aspects of March Madness might be an appropriate topic for this column.

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We are one

By The Observer · Monday, March 7, 2011

My Contentious Politics course took an unexpected turn last Wednesday afternoon. Instead of meeting, like we regularly do, in Debartolo 214 to discuss current controversial events, we met in a small seminar room at the Kroc Institute for Peace Studies to engage in an informal conversation with an undergraduate Palestinian student, now living in Jordan. "What would I learn from a student my age?" I thought to myself as I walked to the Kroc building. I had never met anyone from Jordan before, which seemed really interesting, but what else was I to expect from this casual conversation among us students?

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Credit due

By The Observer · Monday, March 7, 2011

Fiddler's Hearth also donated food to the Dance Marathon this weekend. Terry Meehan, owner of Fiddler's, attended the event, and was very generous by donating sliders and veggie trays for the last meal. I just wanted to make sure they received some recognition. They were missing from the article posted about Dance Marathon this weekend.

The Observer

Necessary conversations

By The Observer · Sunday, March 6, 2011

After watching the performance of Loyal Daughters and Sons on Thursday, I was stunned. Not by what I had seen — I know the horrors of sexual assault at Notre Dame only too well — but by the fact that afterwards no one was talking. After it ended everyone was either silent or started talking about more light-hearted subjects like their plans for the evening. If one in four college women are subjected to sexual assault, this means that over 1,000 women currently at Notre Dame have experienced it. How are we not talking about this?

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Rules and maxims for safe dining hall navigation

By The Observer · Sunday, March 6, 2011

It can be hit and miss. It's sometimes repetitive. It can be a drag. But most importantly, 6:15 rolls around each day and navigating through the dining hall is like driving the Loop in rush hour. There are traffic jams, crashes and a fair share of road rage. Everyone's felt a love tap from someone in the steamed veggie line or had someone cut them off in the drink area. If you're a Northy, walk in/out any of the side rooms and you run the risk of your clothes absorbing more food than your stomach. Oof.

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You define our work

By The Observer · Sunday, March 6, 2011

I was required to attend a live showing of the National Theatre's performance of "King Lear" at Browning Cinema Thursday night.

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Re-inventing the parasite

By The Observer · Sunday, March 6, 2011

My freshman year at Saint Mary's college, an Observer comic referred to Saint Mary's women as parasites. Some people, including my friends, were quite offended by this, but I didn't really care. I couldn't attend Notre Dame, even though I was in the top five percent of my high school class, scored well on the ACT and had a nice repertoire of activities that encompassed academics, athletics and fine arts. I simply couldn't afford it.

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