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Notre Dame should lead - not lag - on Oaths

By The Observer · Monday, Nov. 8, 2010

"Catholic" derives from the Greek word katholikos, which means "universal." In "Caritas in Veritate," Pope Benedict XVI states the Church has "a mission of truth to accomplish," and "proclaims this truth tirelessly, recognizing it wherever it is manifested." Speaking of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Paul VI wrote of his "complete moral support for its common ideals." In Pacem in Terris John XXIII expresses his clear wish that "the precise and juridical character" of the UN's Universal Declaration receive support "on the level of justice and legislation, not just that of human assistance." Catholics have a duty to work with men and women of all faiths, nationalities and political persuasions to promote universal ideals and rules in direct support of the common good.

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Refocusing

By The Observer · Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

This past Saturday, as the band paid tribute to Declan Sullivan by playing our Alma Mater, I looked around and saw the Notre Dame family holding each other, singing in his memory. I then looked down to the field at the players, so many of whom had witnessed the accident. It was then that I noticed Coach Kelly standing with the team, his head down, his hands clasped in front of him and an NBC news camera inches away from his face, which remained there for the rest of the song. That image has been in my head ever since. To me, it captures the mindset that now surrounds the death of Declan Sullivan: finding out who is to blame.

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Can one be moral in an immoral system?

By The Observer · Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

In his academic forum address, Thomas Friedman repeatedly criticized the failures of the U.S. economy to match the competitive needs of our global economy. This failure is certainly related to the decline of critical thinking and discourse, which requires more serious and empirically grounded discussions of the causes and effects of national and global economic policies than this forum demonstrated.

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Global warming and morality

By The Observer · Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

In his Viewpoint yesterday on "Science, Politics, and Global Warming," Ed Larkin argued that while the theory of evolution is obviously true to a casual observer at the zoo, global warming is not evident to non-scientists. Therefore, those who call on society to make dramatic changes to avert its impacts are unreasonable. 

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The 'shellacking' electoral lessons

By The Observer · Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

In 1982, 21 months into his presidency, Ronald Reagan's approval rating stood at 42 percent sliding from 51 percent at his inauguration on its way to a low of 35 percent — hardly the type of lofty nostalgic remembrance for those who memorialize Reagan by naming airports after him and proposing that his likeness be carved on Mount Rushmore. But for Reagan, conditions worsened during his tenure as unemployment rose from 7.2 percent when he took office to peak in November of 1982 at 10.8 percent while personal income stagnated to a mere 1.4 percent in the final quarter of the year. So while high unemployment conditions and an economic emergency greeted Barrack Obama at his inauguration, growth steadily rose — albeit anemically.

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Reformatting the Forum

By The Observer · Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

The Notre Dame Forum began in 2005 as a way for the University to engage students and faculty about one topic during a one-time panel discussion.

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No regrets about living on my own off campus

By The Observer · Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

It wasn't an easy decision when I had to weigh between off-campus or on-campus housing. I couldn't help but lean toward the idea of being free from cramped quarters, parietals and limited amounts of liquor even though I'm beyond the age of 21.

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Wrestling with tragedy

By The Observer · Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010

I didn't know Declan Sullivan personally, and don't presume to write about his tragic death from any personal insight into Declan or the circumstances of his tragedy. I can only write as a member of his community at Notre Dame, and as one who has experienced other inexplicable tragedies — whether it be student deaths at the high school where I taught, or over the years here at Notre Dame, or indeed among my own family and friends. The wounds from these experiences all seemed to throb and ache again as we experienced the loss of Declan last week.

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Welcome to the Family, Coach

By The Observer · Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010

Welcome to the Notre Dame Family. In short order, you are getting a full taste of the Notre Dame family. Our family, like all families, is dysfunctional. We strive for perfection but often fall short. We have our flaws, disagreements and issues, but ultimately we love our family unconditionally. For those who truly know Notre Dame, love her. Those who don't just don't understand.

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Proud to be Vermin

By The Observer · Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010

You have all heard jokes about Carroll Hall. Most of you have probably made one or two (or more) comments yourselves about the Lakeside Estate during your time at Notre Dame.

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Legacy preferences

By The Observer · Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010

With the 2010 football season essentially flushed down the toilet and the signature event of this year's Notre Dame Forum a thing of the past, it is time for the administration to focus on their next great challenge: sorting through the applications of thousands of high school seniors in order to form the Class of 2015.

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Inspired by your memory

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010

As I walk around campus this week, I am filled with memories from years ago. On Saturday morning, Nov. 13, 1993 I joined the throngs of students in North Dining Hall for breakfast filled with excitement for the "Game of the Century" later that day: No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 2 Notre Dame. As we got our bagels and cereal, I remember the moment when I overheard another student say: "Did you hear? A freshman died last night!" Seventeen years ago we did not have cell phones, or even wired internet in the dorms, so it took until later in the day to learn the name of the student who was lost from our midst, Mara Fox. She was killed by a hit-and-run driver as she walked along Douglas Road with friends on their way home from dinner off campus. Her death was sudden, tragic, and filled with questions about who was to blame. As news of her death spread across campus, the joy of beating Florida State to claim the No. 1 spot was over-shadowed by the knowledge that a life was lost too soon.

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Science, politics and global warming

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010

According to the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, "everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." That Moynihan was a politician is ironic, as politics seems to be the one sphere where different parties actually do have their own facts. Social security, tax rates, charter schools — statistics are constantly produced on both sides by think tanks and used by political journalists. It's easy to get either turned off or confused by the acrimonious debate.

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The Observer cover curse

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010

In addition to the posters, flags and signs that are covering up the cinder block walls of my room in Keenan, the inside wall near my door also sports six of The Observer's Irish Insider cover pages from throughout this season. Over the weekend, a friend and I noticed that each of these cover athletes has experienced a considerable setback this year. DayneCrist and Armando Allen have suffered season-ending injuries. Unless the Irish can pull out victories in two of their final three games and become bowl eligible, Ian Williams and TheoRiddick are unlikely to return. Carlo Calabrese missed the Tulsa game with a hamstring injury. The most recent cover features David Ruffer with the headline, "From Walk-On to Starter to Sure Thing." The senior kicker is having a great season, but many are wondering why he did not get a chance to prove so in the final minute on Saturday.

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Honoring Declan

By The Observer · Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010

You want to do something significant to memorialize Declan Sullivan? Don't think about doing something for videographers. Rest assured, new regulations will protect them. Instead, do something for those he cared about but who are still quite unprotected: football players. Evidence is growing that not only professional but college and high school players are experiencing cognitive and emotional harm as a result of head injuries, even when these fall short of a concussion. For example, a recent Purdue study of 21 Indiana high school football players published in the Journal of Neurotoma showed that eight suffered significant cognitive and neurological changes after a season of football even though only four of them had suffered a concussion.

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Missed opportunities

By The Observer · Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010

I saw and heard President Jenkins' prayer for Declan Sullivan at the start of the Tulsa game on TV from my home in northwest Michigan. However presumptuous of me to improve on his prayer, I nonetheless wish I had heard Father Jenkins speak a final paragraph something like this:

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Tis the season

By The Observer · Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010

The other day, when my roommate and I were shopping for Halloween costume accessories, we stumbled across Christmas decorations in the third aisle of Michael's. While most would argue that late October is too early to begin celebrating the Christmas season, we were both elated and immediately decided to purchase a "Happy Holidays" scented candle and gold colored plastic reindeer for our common room.

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