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The myth of Notre Dame's bubble

By The Observer · Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011

Earlier this year, The Observer designated the blog "Things Notre Dame Students Like" as "the No. 1 must-visit website for ND students." By now, most of us have probably read or are familiar with this blog, a collection of various traits and qualities that the author thinks apply particularly well to Notre Dame students. This list covers a wide variety of topics, with everything from "Making Religion a Competition" to "Only Riding with One Cab Driver" included as things that Notre Dame students really like.

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Supporting the team

By The Observer · Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011

Notre Dame is home to a top-ten men's basketball team this year, but judging by the buzz on campus (or lack thereof) you would not guess it.

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Concerning giraffes

By The Observer · Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011

I write in response to The Observer's Question of the Day regarding the placement of a giraffe in a refrigerator. The responses, while funny, were necessarily limited to trite one-liners, and do not, in my opinion, fully capture the spirit of such an undertaking at Notre Dame. Here's how it would really work:

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Love is all you need

By The Observer · Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011

Since 496 A.D. the Church has celebrated St. Valentine's feast day on Feb. 14th. For many centuries, of course, the day simply recognized the person of Valentine — a priest imprisoned and subsequently martyred for his faith in Jesus Christ around 269 A.D., a time when Christianity was still considered a crime against the Roman Empire. Valentine aided his fellow Christians in whatever ways he could, including by marrying young Christian couples, until he got caught. The Emperor Claudius actually became fond of his prisoner Valentine, until Valentine decided to have a go at converting Claudius to the faith. Enraged, Claudius condemned him to death.

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Day of woman

By The Observer · Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011

Let me begin by saying that I think the Siegfried Day of Man, while perhaps indeed a little "phallocentric" ("Practical Men," Feb. 8), is a good thing. Raising money for a good cause is something that everyone can get behind (women included, but again, that's beside the point). Mr. Mullen's letter ("Be a Man," Feb. 9), though, encourages enforcement of gender roles without presuming to do any legitimate good in the world.

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A knight's tale

By The Observer · Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011

We all know the type: Born humming the Notre Dame Victory March, parents who met at Notre Dame, been attending football games at Notre Dame Stadium since they were a toddler. Certainly a healthy portion of the student body right now can claim Notre Dame as less of a college choice and more of a family tradition.

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Cupid's courage

By The Observer · Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011

Pierce Coticchia's letter, "Wanted: Valentine's date" (Feb. 7) exhibits the exact type of romantic courage men on the Notre Dame campus need to embody. I hope many eligible young fillies take Pierce up on his offer, and that many more bachelors take the same challenge next Monday.

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Ramblers are practical

By The Observer · Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011

I would like to comment on Knott sophomore Brian Metz's horrible opinion of the Siegfried Hall Day of Man ("Practical men," Feb. 8). As a former Rambler, a founding member of the event my freshman year and the commissioner of the event for my sophomore, junior and senior years, I would like to convey why in fact a fundraiser for the homeless should in fact be aptly named "The Siegfried Hall Day of Man." Although you do make good points, I would like to offer my opinion for why you are wrong.

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Be a man

By The Observer · Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011

I was troubled by Brian Metz's viewpoint yesterday ("Practical men," Feb. 8) that disputed the notion that toughness is a prerequisite for manhood. Mr. Metz seems to be offended that Siegfried promotes physical hardiness as a way to raise money for the homeless.

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The pains of being good at math

By The Observer · Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011

I dread every conversation that begins with "What's your major?" and have toyed with the idea of picking a more socially acceptable major, such as medicine or law.

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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!

The Observer

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."

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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.

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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.

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