Articles of Interest

Born to Lead

Posted on 15 December 2002:

THE SPORTING NEWS: SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR - TYRONE WILLINGHAM

The first of 16 speeches Tyrone Willingham gave on a night back in June started at 7 o'clock. Charles Lennon, the president of Notre Dame's alumni association, had heard and read the same things about Willingham everybody else had: That he rationed his words no matter how hungry his audience was for information; that Willingham's personality fit the public demands of being Notre Dame's football coach as well as a monk with a vow of silence fit the role of talk-radio host; that Willingham lacked the gravitas required for this particular position, a college football calling.

But Lennon knew better because Lennon knew Willingham long before Notre Dame hired him and long before Willingham became the first college football coach to be named The Sporting News' Sportsman of the Year. The two met six years ago when Notre Dame was playing Stanford and the schools' alumni groups co-sponsored a luncheon on the Palo Alto, Calif., campus a day before the game. Lennon and his wife, Joan, parked in the wrong lot and entered the wrong building. The Lennons were lost until a gentlemanly black man asked if he could help, even though he was in a hurry. "He just told Joan and me to follow him," Lennon says.

Of course Willingham did. Leading the way is what he does -- then, now and back on that warm June night on the Notre Dame campus. He finished the first speech to an alumni reunion dinner crowd in about 10 minutes, hopped on a golf cart and headed to the next. At each stop, the emcee introduced the man that Domers, still scarred from the previous winter's losing and lying, were desperate to hear. "He talked to 16 different alumni groups that night and said something different each time and got 16 standing ovations," Lennon says.

By 10 o'clock, Willingham had wrapped up the last of his shake-down-the-thunder sermons, this one to the Class of '77 celebrating its 25-year reunion. Willingham made this his final stop so he could renew old acquaintances with Michael and Cynthia Parseghian, the son and daughter-in-law of Ara, a Notre Dame legend. A few years ago at Stanford, Willingham got to know the Parseghians after quietly sponsoring a charity event to raise money for the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation. The foundation strives to develop a treatment and cure for the rare Niemann-Pick Type C disease that has claimed the lives of two of Mike and Cindy Parseghian's children.

"The only thing I remember Ty saying when he got done talking after his last speech was that he was very emotional about what he had just experienced," Lennon says. "And how happy and proud he was to be able to do it here at Notre Dame."

***

He compared himself to a Martian. When talking about his impact on college football, Willingham didn't compare himself to past successful Notre Dame coaches such as Ara Parseghian or Lou Holtz. When talking about his social importance off the field, Willingham didn't compare himself to legendary black sports figures such as Eddie Robinson or Jackie Robinson. Instead, Willingham compared himself to a Martian.

"What do we really know about Martians?" Willingham says. "Do they exist? How do they live? Yet I'd say we probably have a bias against them. But if we became more educated about them, we wouldn't have that bias, would we? If we knew more about Martians, we would think differently about them, wouldn't we? If we're going to live on Mars, I need to know more about Martians."

Willingham is one of three black head coaches employed by the 117 Division I-A college football programs -- he's the Martian in his analogy -- and the first in any sport at Notre Dame. According to the Black Coaches Association, only 17 black head coaches have been hired for 348 Division I-A openings since 1982.

When Willingham was asked before the Notre Dame-Florida State game about his views on the BCA's proposal that one of every five vacancies be filled by a black head coach, he politely declined. That makes him a focused coach but hardly a reluctant pioneer.

Willingham grew up in the 1960s in Jacksonville, N.C., which prepared him for a world that often has different rules for blacks and whites. As a boy, he had to watch Old Yeller at the Onslow Theatre from the balcony. He watched Georgetown High, a black school where his mother taught, mysteriously burn to the ground on graduation day. Four years later at Jacksonville High, Willingham beat out a white quarterback for a starting position when the concept of integration was as comfortable as North Carolina's humidity.

Willingham, 48, knows all about racial tension and will talk about it with passion and purpose. Funny how more people than ever on the Notre Dame campus, where 3.2 percent of the undergraduate students are black, have joined the conversation.

"It is a crime," Willingham says of the lack of black head coaches in college football. "Any time we as a people don't allow another person to express their talents based on color, religion or sexual preference, we deprive someone the ability to reach their potential. It's a crime. It's not just a black thing."

He applauds the BCA's initiative. He longs for the day when men like Willie Jeffries can view their profession with more pride than anger. When Jeffries was hired at Wichita State in 1979, he became the first black head coach in Division I football outside of historically black colleges. "It's racial," Jeffries says. "Most of the athletic directors making $150,000 with perks don't want to go out on a limb, and that's 50 percent of the problem."

More than half of the solution, Willingham acknowledges, involves winning. He readily acknowledges that without being the first coach in Notre Dame history to win 10 games in his first year, without beating as many top 25 teams (four) as any program in America, without doubling the Irish win total from last season, he still would be considered a work in progress. Not a legend in the making.

"When one sees that someone can handle the requirements of a certain job, that is an education," the son of a teacher says. "Education makes it easier for change to occur."

So he educates, one person at a time.

He played with kids during a promotional photo shoot at the Boys and Girls Club in South Bend, the same center where about a dozen Irish players showed up every Monday to play pingpong and video games. Thirty of those children accepted Willingham's invitation to be guests at Notre Dame's final pep rally.

He has spoken to Saint Mary's College students, high school football teams, black church congregations and mostly white civic groups. People -- regardless of race, creed or color -- are hanging on his words like they have hooks.

"I don't think we've had a sports leader make the type of impact he has had in this community," says Rev. Donald Alford of the Pentecostal Cathedral Church of God in Christ. "He has united people in the community and begun to change the image of what young football players are today, and even change the image of this community."

Community activism comes naturally for Willingham. His parents, Lilian and Nathaniel, once converted part of their home into a place where at-risk kids could spend time. Lilian Willingham, the first black on the local board of education, contributed so much that there is a Jacksonville parkway named after her.

When Tyrone Willingham arrived in South Bend, his definition of needy went far beyond the football depth chart. "It's my belief that this is a great community but one that has struggled with its own identity," he says. "There were a lot of people saying, 'You shouldn't take that job. You were 25th on the list of 26 candidates.' "

He peeks out his office window. It's 28 degrees and snowing. He arches an eyebrow and grins.

"And people in this community, partly because of the weather say, 'Why would you come to South Bend from Palo Alto?' " he says. "Well, what's wrong with South Bend? There's nothing wrong with South Bend."

The man Notre Dame players call "The Prophet" took a similar tack with his football team: There's nothing wrong with you. Willingham didn't worry about coaching the Irish from the shoulders down until August, if then. The first team meeting last January set the tone for an attitude overhaul, which is as responsible for the team's turnaround as quarterback Carlyle Holiday or cornerback Shane Walton.

Willingham used a 45-minute power-point presentation that concluded with a single click of the mouse and the word "WIN" appearing on the screen. The room erupted with hope, which had been destroyed. The program's dysfunction started to dissipate that day.

Almost a year later, Willingham has had such a profound effect on his players that senior wide receiver Arnaz Battle said after his final home game that Willingham is "like a father to me."

"We're all seeking some type of spiritual peace, some type of oneness in the world in which we live," Willingham says. "I do know that those individuals who find their place spiritually find their place in the world. If one is at peace with self, that is an amazing accomplishment. If one can create love, love is frictionless. I've been taught things run smoother the less friction you have."

Each day as Willingham walks out of his office, he walks past a large gray stone on the floor. Engraved in capital letters is the word "INSPIRE".

***

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Or is it the eyelets? In the Notre Dame locker room on football Saturdays this fall, win or lose, athletics director Kevin White would stare at the ground the instant he saw Tyrone Willingham. White was not looking away from Willingham as much as he was looking inside him.

White would spot the tiny gold circle he was looking for, a medallion about the size of nickel bearing the likeness of a Catholic saint on the front, handed out at the team's pregame Mass. As a matter of routine, Willingham, a devout Methodist, took the Catholic symbol, strung one of the laces on his adidas through it, and wore it on his shoe during the games as a nod to all the people who call Notre Dame "Our Lady's school."

"To me, that's more than just subscribing to the ideals of this place; that's living it," White says. "Every time I see him with one of those medals in his shoes, I get goose bumps. When I see that, I see how he's bought into Notre Dame, big-time."

There was a time, of course, when White wasn't so sure. The first time he met with Willingham about the Notre Dame job was before White hired George O'Leary "straight out of central casting." White wanted to see more outward signs of Willingham's passion for Notre Dame then -- wanted to hear how badly Willingham yearned for that calling. It wasn't until after White called Willingham back -- after O'Leary resigned for having false information on his resume -- that Willingham boldly declared, "You should have hired me the first time." Had Willingham come on that strong in the initial meeting, who knows?

In White's mind he needed to hire a man with an obvious affection for Notre Dame, partly to show how strong his own is. "My interpretation of Ty (in that first meeting) could have been screened by my own insecurity," White says.

The most rewarding year of Willingham's professional life has been the most trying of White's. The man who brought Willingham to Notre Dame rarely gets credit for doing so because there is a perception White never would have asked if Jon Gruden had a less-confining contract or if Bob Stoops had a less-appreciative employer. Even Willingham has joked that he was either "three, five, seven or nine," on White's list.

White deflects credit for his hiring power to a higher power. "Divine intervention, that's what it was," he says. "The Notre Dame family prides itself in two personal characteristics: respect and humility. Ty has taken those two ideals to another level. Just by being extremely humble. Just by being himself."

Jerome Willingham has heard from his famous older brother about three or four times this football season -- less frequently than when Tyrone was at Stanford. But in those precious few conversations, he heard the excitement within his brother that the public rarely sees.

"People think it doesn't affect him," Jerome says. "It has. He tells me about the pep rallies and how there's nothing like it. He's emotional; he just doesn't show it."

Win or lose. Former Notre Dame tailback Allen Pinkett, a radio color commentator for Irish football, will remember this season more for the way Willingham handled losing to Boston College than the way the Irish beat Michigan or Florida State. Pinkett even left a phone message at Willingham's office thanking him for setting such a positive example in handling defeat.

"The poise he's exemplified, that's what we alums want Notre Dame to be," Pinkett says. "It's like he was born to coach at Notre Dame."

Born to lead, he is the Ty that binds.

Tackle the Arts

Weaver Living a Dream in NFL

Posted on 27 October 2002:

As much as he is enjoying life in the NFL, Anthony Weaver wishes he had one more year at Notre Dame.

The Baltimore Ravens rookie defensive lineman and former Irish standout hasn't let one Saturday pass without plopping himself in front of the tube and watching his alma mater. He pays special attention to the performance of his old 'mates on the D-line -- Darrell Campbell, Cedric Hilliard and Kyle Budinscak -- barking at the television as if he were right there with them on every down.

"I miss those guys a lot," Weaver said. "I wish I could be out there. Watching those guys, I feel like I'm watching my kids."

There is another reason Weaver craves to be back in an Irish uniform this season: Tyrone Willingham.

"I think he's an amazing person," Weaver said. "He made quite an impression on me. I really wish I could have played at least one year under coach Willingham."

Weaver tells the story of how last spring, when he was working out for NFL scouts at Notre Dame, Willingham called him over for a brief conversation at ND's Loftus Center. Weaver was exhausted because the scouts were pushing him to the limit, and Willingham offered some simple words of wisdom.

"He told me to catch my breath and not let those scouts dictate the pace," Weaver said. "He told me to go out there and dictate the pace. He didn't have to say that to me. He didn't even really know me. That says a lot about the man. I was like, 'This man is awesome.' "

Weaver took Willingham's words and ran with them -- literally.

A strong performance in front of those same scouts had many believing Weaver was first-round material. Weaver dropped to the second round of the draft for reasons he can't seem to figure, but he still was projected to be a starter.

And he is.

Five games into the season, Weaver is lining up for one of the best defenses in the NFL. He's been credited with eight tackles, including a sack.

With the Ravens switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4 set up this season, Weaver holds down one of the starting spots at defensive end.

"It wasn't easy," said Weaver, referring to the adjustment in a 3-4-setup. "In the 4-3, you're more of attacking, attacking one gap responsibility. In the 3-4, you have two-gap responsibility. So you spend a lot of time on the field just reading instead of attacking. It was difficult, but nothing that practice can't cure."

Weaver looked like a seasoned veteran in Baltimore's 34-23 win over Denver on Sept. 30. He had one of three sacks against the Broncos and helped put extreme pressure on Denver Broncos quarterback Brian Griese.

The usually low-key Weaver even showed some emotion while celebrating several big plays, something he must have picked up from All-Pro teammate Ray Lewis.

"Ray ... he's the man," Weaver said. "He plays with so much energy, so much passion. Just knowing he's out on the field makes you want to play better.

"And he has the entrance before games, with his little dance, that makes you get so excited. I can't help but dance with him."

Even with an outspoken guy like Lewis on his team, Weaver hasn't felt any pressure to prove himself to the vets.

"I'm not nervous around those guys at all," Weaver said. "I think I'm pretty good too."

Although Weaver is adjusting well now, his progress was impeded a little bit. He didn't play a single preseason game after suffering a high ankle sprain during mini-camp. Weaver's right ankle healed in time for the team's opener at Carolina.

"I was pretty calm right until we had to run out of the tunnel," Weaver said. "I was like, "Man, I'm playing in the NFL.' I was in awe. We're playing on the road, and it was a hostile crowd. It was just like going out there and playing USC.

"Notre Dame definitely prepared me for the NFL."

But at Notre Dame, Weaver didn't have to go buy doughnuts and McDonald's for his teammates, like the Ravens' veterans make him and other rookies do these days. And at Notre Dame, Weaver didn't have to sing, "I Believe I Can Fly," in the team meeting room, like he was required to do in front of his Baltimore defensive teammates.

"I think I did pretty good singing it," Weaver said. "The guys told me I earned my signing bonus."

Weaver's contract is reportedly worth $2.65 million over four years. With his new riches, Weaver found a nice place out in a Baltimore suburb called Owings Mills.

"It's pretty quiet, but not as quiet as South Bend," Weaver joked.

Weaver also bought a Cadillac Escalade EXT and a couple of designer suits, just so he could look like a million bucks.

But there's something else Weaver still has to get that money can't buy -- his degree.

"I'm hoping to go back to Notre Dame next semester, because I have 15 credit hours left toward my degrees in government and computer applications," Weaver said. "It's definitely not going to be easy. If South Bend was warm in January, maybe that may be a little easier."

At least if he gets back to campus, Weaver can pretend like he's a part of the Irish again. Maybe by that time, he'll have something big to celebrate with them about.

"I'm hoping that everybody overlooks Notre Dame and that we win the national championship," Weaver said. "I'm praying for that, for all those people who said we had no talent and couldn't recruit anymore.

"I'm just going to sit back behind the bushes for now. But when Notre Dame is 12-0, I'm going to jump out."

Don't Believe Administration's SYR Spin

Posted on 20 October 2002:

I am writing in response to the Oct. 1 article, "New SYR gets mixed reviews." While waiting for an update on how my girlfriend was feeling and for my friend to return from the hospital early Sunday morning, I secretly hoped that an article of this nature would appear in this week's paper and give me the chance to write this response. I find it insulting that the University would attempt to place a positive spin on a policy that, I feel, placed my friend in this very compromising position.

The reason that the new alcohol policy was put into effect, to my recollection, was to promote more responsible alcohol use on campus. While the idea to limit the time of a pre-party and take the dance outside of the dorm was well-intended, I could not help but notice more students drinking to get - and stay - drunk this weekend.

I do not blame the University for the mentality of students. I am simply stating that their restrictions are exacerbating the situation. Out of the 200 people who attended our dance, I was aware of at least five examples of abusive drinking which led to illness or hospitalization. In all honesty, I saw more cases of binge drinking in the two hours before our dance Saturday than I did all last year.

If the University wants to help ensure our safety, I believe that they can provide a more conducive atmosphere for social drinking instead of fostering an environment with abusive drinking. As the social commissioner of Keough Hall and a person who has taken a lot of pride in living here, I find it truly disheartening that dorm spirit has diminished in the past year, especially among freshmen.

From what I have heard this has been consistent around campus and even the article mentioned the lack of spirit in the dorms. Many dorm dances have already been cancelled - for example, O'Neill's - and I fear that the lower attendance rates could possibly lead to the extinction of hall dances. I find dorm life to be one of the most unique parts of Notre Dame and think that the new SYR policies are a destructive force. Do not allow the University to convince themselves that the alcohol policy solves drinking issues here on campus. If these rules and regulations remain constant, it may be you waiting up all night hoping your girlfriend/boyfriend is alright and that your friend makes it home from the hospital.

Dan Degen
sophomore
Keough Hall
Oct. 2

Notre Dame Declines Big Ten Championship

Posted on 29 September 2002

SOUTH BEND, IN - September 21 (AP) The decades-long game of cat and mouse between the University of Notre Dame and the Big Ten Conference took a surprising turn today as Notre Dame was offered and declined the Big Ten football championship. Reading from a prepared statement, Big Ten Conference Commissioner Jim Delaney (of the Ulster Delaneys) indicated that at the close of play on Saturday conference athletic directors met by emergency teleconference and determined that the best path to national respectability would be to award the championship to the Irish, (4-0), who have eliminated half of the top Big Ten teams from serious BCS contention in a fifteen-day period and hold a three-game lead on all other conference schools.

Within two hours, however, the Big Ten's old nemesis delivered a bombshell. Speaking from an undisclosed location where he was meeting with high school players reconsidering prior verbal commitments to Big Ten schools, Notre Dame coach Ty Willingham indicated that the little school from South Bend, Indiana would decline the championship. Shortly thereafter, Athletic Director Kevin White held a formal press conference at which he announced the school's official declination. White expressed "appreciation" and "respect" for the Big Ten, but indicated that the school's Board of Trustees had voted unanimously to decline the honor.

Big Ten officials were stunned at the rejection. They had already dispatched a conference jet to South Bend carrying official emissary Keith Jackson to present the championship trophy. The Hayes Trophy, emblematic of Big Ten football supremacy is named in honor of the fiery Ohio State coach who symbolized the simple, hard-nosed, midwestern values of Big Ten football. The trophy is mounted with a giant Waterford crystal sculpture of the legendary Buckeye mentor rearing back as his withered, balled-up fist lunges toward the throat of an opposing player. The sculpture is mounted on an attractive mahogany base afixed with eleven brass numbers painted scarlet and grey, maize and blue and green and white and ranging from zero to forty-five, symbolizing the graduation rates of players at the various Big Ten institutions.

Off-the-record, Notre Dame officials indicated that they smelled a rat behind the offer. There were indications that legal scholars at the University of Michigan had concocted the Big Ten gambit in the hopes that guileless Notre Dame would accept the championship trophy, thus giving rise to a legal claim of a de facto "gentlemen's agreement" by Notre Dame to join the conference and share its television, bowl and gate revenues with the cash-starved Big Ten athletic departments. When asked about this report at his press conference, White paused and responded with a chuckle, "No dice. . . As usual, we're keepin' every stinking dime for ourselves." Notre Dame has been on guard against potential Big Ten use of the "gentleman's agreement" ploy ever since 1999, when Michigan pulled the quasi-contractual theory out of its voluminous off-the-field playbook in an attempt to stop Notre Dame from playing any games before meeting Michigan in Ann Arbor. Said one Notre Dame official, "There are just so many tremendous gentlemen in the Big Ten that it gets confusing. We have to be careful we're not making agreements with them every time we talk."

Aside from financial concerns, the Notre Dame coaching staff also feared Big Ten affiliation. Members of Willingham's staff indicated that if they were required to load up on games against Big Ten opponents it would limit opportunities to play power teams such as San Jose State, Wake Forest and Cal Berkeley, thus decreasing Notre Dame's strength of schedule and damaging its BCS chances. Said one assistant coach, "You can have your games against Michigan and Purdue, but if you want pollsters to respect you you're going to have to strap it up against the Utah's and Cincinnati's of the world, or else the pollsters are going to penalize you. I think Lloyd Carr spoke for a lot of coaches around the country, when he pointed out that you really need to be concerned about strength of schedule and the BCS."

This latest rebuff of the Big Ten comes three years after Notre Dame declined a formal invitation to join the conference. Sources indicate that at that time certain conditions demanded by the Big Ten undercut the deal. Notre Dame balked at the Big Ten's demand that the famous mural on the University's library be renamed "Touchdown Jalil." Big Ten officials felt that the new nickname, while minimizing Notre Dame's image as a religious school to make it more acceptable in the secular humanist Big Ten, would also make a nod to the multiculturalism so popular at large state schools. Notre Dame's refusal to accomodate by eliminating this sign of Western hegemonism and patriarchy was met with great unease in progressive Big Ten hotbeds like Madison, Wisconsin.

Another sticking point was the previously-undisclosed monetary commitments conference membership entailed. Notre Dame officials were shocked when they discovered the millions of dollars in premiums required of each conference member in order to maintain the term-life insurance policy the conference has taken out on Penn State head coach Joe Paterno. Said one Notre Dame official, "The folks at Minnesota told us that the Paterno insurance payments alone ate up all of their football gate receipts. No wonder none of them make any money."

Reportedly, Notre Dame also balked at the demands that it bring itself more in line with the curriculum of the Big Ten schools. Notre Dame faculty refused to consider implementing a more diverse curriculum including popular Big Ten majors such as Parks and Recreation, Kineseology, Leisure and Tourism, Opening Child-Proof Caps and Breathing.

The Big Ten likewise rejected certain of Notre Dame's requests, including that Northwestern be required to participate in a "play-in" game against Air Force and Duke to retain conference membership and a non-negotiable demand that Michigan State mascot "Sparty" be banned from the conference. Said Rev. Timothy Scully, Executive Vice President of Notre Dame, "Look, our alumni are pretty family-oriented kinds of folks. We really don't want to join a conference where you have this guy who looks like he just left a Greenwich Village Halloween party roaming the sideline. Kids shouldn't have to see that kind of thing."

The rejection of the Hayes Trophy comes in a year that has seen rising tensions between Notre Dame and the conference schools. Conference opinion was sharply critical of the firing earlier this year of former Notre Dame coach Bob Davie who was widely respected as the first Notre Dame coach since 1963 to uncover a talent gap with Michigan State. Notre Dame's unilateral abandonment of Coach Davie's gentleman's agreement with Big Ten schools to avoid using superior determination, discipline and coaching to win close games was seen as an unfair shift of policy by Notre Dame. Conference officials fear Notre Dame's approach represents an unwelcome change in tactics meant to return to the days of the 1980's and early 90's when Lou Holtz -- widely viewed in the Big Ten as ungentlemanly -- compiled a 20-1-1 record against the Big Ten and defeated the conference champion in five straight meetings. In this regard, the Big Ten has made a formal protest that Willingham's promise to "get back to the business of being Notre Dame again" was unnecessarily threatening and inflammatory.

Notre Dame's rejection comes as a setback for the Big Ten in what had been an otherwise auspicious year for conference schools. In June, Purdue retained the title of owner of "The World's Largest Drum" when a Bosnian effort to unseat it failed in a disastrous construction accident. And earlier this month the Ohio State University announced that the percentage of alumni owning shoes had reached an all-time high of eighty-two percent.

In an attempt to ease the Big Ten's again-ruffled feathers, Notre Dame agreed to place the Hayes Trophy on display on campus for a short period as a sign of respect and goodwill. While the University's athletic display cases in the Joyce Center are already at capacity holding national championship, bowl and Heisman trophies as well as game balls from victories over national powers such as Alabama, Texas, Florida State and USC, Notre Dame officials promised to find the trophy a place of honor, probably next to the trophy for last year's Big East women's lacrosse championship.

Celebrities take shots at TV's Dicky V.

Posted on 22 September 2002:

SOUTH BEND -- A chance meeting in the men's room gave Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey even more material to work with Thursday evening.

Offered the opportunity to serve as one of the many celebrity speakers in "A Roast of Dick Vitale" the sixth-annual event to benefit Life Treatment Centers, Brey had a host of topics to touch on for an audience around 500 inside the Joyce Center Fieldhouse.

One subject that drew plenty of attention was Vitale's hair, or lack of it.

During a break between dinner and the night's festivities, Brey walked into the first-floor rest room, where he spotted the ESPN color commentator for college basketball running a comb over his head.

"Dick likes to say he has a receding hairline -- it has receded all the way back to his neck," Brey said. "He goes for a haircut -- $50 bucks. Ten dollars for the haircut, $40 for the finder's fee."

And ...

"Most experts say there's a very thin line between genius and insanity. Dick Vitale has erased that line."

Texas Tech head basketball coach Bob Knight was one of many to offer his views on Vitale by videotape.

"I've never seen a guy who could talk so fast with one eye," he offered.

As if almost on cue up on the dais, Vitale turned to chat with fellow ESPN analyst Digger Phelps. Knight then fired off a zinger at the former Notre Dame coach.

"He combs his hair like he's studying to be a corpse," Knight said of his close friend.

There were times where it was tough figuring out who was being roasted -- Phelps or Vitale.

"Don't feel too bad, Dick," women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw said of Vitale not attending Notre Dame. "Digger didn't get in either."

And so it went during a long evening filled with one-liners and laughs for someone who loves the University of Notre Dame as much as anyone who has ever graduated from the place. Maybe loves it almost as much as Duke University.

Former Notre Dame quarterback Thomas Krug and his wife, Vitale's daughter Sherri, are expecting twin boys. Only his father-in-law, Krug believes, already has the names picked out.

"Duke and Blue Devil," Krug said of a man he sometimes refers to as "Duke Vitale."

Other roasters in attendance included New York Liberty head coach and long-time Vitale friend Richie Adubato, former Irish All-American Pat Garrity and USA Today sports media columnist Rudy Martzke.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, Utah's Rick Majerus and Louisville's Rick Pitino checked in via video. Washington Post columnist and PTI co-host Tony Kornheiser marveled about Vitale having written three autobiographies.

"A guy who's never read a book has written three," he said.

Brey even brought material for some of his fellow roasters. Hounded by Purdue head coach Gene Keady since he took the job, Brey will have Notre Dame play Purdue beginning with the 2004-05 season. The Irish will rotate Indiana off the schedule, at least for two years, and add the Boilermakers -- but only, Brey joked, on one condition.

"The fine-print says that Coach Keady's got to be the coach, or we're not playing."

Keady, who spoke immediately after Brey, didn't stick around for the rest of the evening. He high-tailed it back to West Lafayette for a couple hours of rest before catching a 6 a.m. flight out of Indianapolis today to go recruiting.

Why, Vitale wondered, didn't Keady just take a private plane back to campus?

"We went 13-18 last year," Keady said. "You don't get a private plane when you go 13-18."

Vitale accepted every slight with a smile, then found it hard to return the barbs when given the microphone to end the night.

"I've done pretty good for a guy with no talent," he said. "I'm 63 (years old), but I act 12."

Vitale flashed Phelps his honorary ring from Notre Dame's 1988 national championship football season.

"Take a look at it," he said to Phelps, who sported a yellow shirt with a pink sport coat, "because you'll never win one."

Vitale did second the opinion of Martzke in one respect -- come Saturday, Notre Dame will beat Michigan.

Tears welled in Vitale's eyes each time he talked of Notre Dame.

And he proved again Thursday that what is seen on camera is no act -- a guy who loves life.

"He's making a magic-carpet ride that nobody can make," marveled adidas representative Sonny Vaccaro.

"This guy is bigger than any rock star and it's because of what he believes in," Phelps said. "The fun things happen by accident with Dick Vitale."

First round ends with stripping, pubic hair

Posted on 28 April 2002:

Five strippers, a bottle of pubic hair and a finance professor made the end of the first round of Bookstore Basketball XXXI very memorable.

Punky Brewster opened the day by striping off an article of clothing for every point scored. Five sophomores from Pasquerilla East - Erinn Rigney, Meghan Rigney, Shaina Morphew, Krista Berghoff and Carol McCarthy - began the game wearing white undershirts, shorts, a headband and an armband. By the end of their 21-17 loss to What The Hell Are Robster Craws, Erinn Rigney was wearing only a bikini while the rest of the team was in other various stages of undress.

"We thought our bodies were hotter than our game," Erinn Rigney said about her team's strategy.

What The Hell Are Robster Craws embraced Punky Brewster's strategy as well. Matt Leonard, Bill Bingle, Gregg Michaels, Mike Wahl and Josh O'Farrell even helped by scoring the first two points for Punky Brewster.

"It was very distracting," Leonard said. "I thought it was just a ploy but then we found out they were serious."

While Punky Brewster was serious about stripping, Who's Getting Lucky Tonight? was serious about winning its first round match-up against milkflap.com.

Lucky, made up of one former and four current Welsh Family football players, used physical play and hustling to defeat Milkflap.com, an all guys team, 26-24.

"A lot of guys teams will hold back against us," Katie Rak said about the physical style of play. "They didn't hold back this game so we didn't hold back either."

Milkflap.com, made up of Brian McCabe, Paul Guzzetta, Mike Iacono, Pat Murphy and Joe Biggs, left the court immediately after the loss.

"They played very well," McCabe said as the team's only comment.

Head Bookstore commissioner Brian Clemency said Lucky's win was the first all-female win against an all-male team that he was aware of.

Late in the game, however, it looked like Milkflap would pull out a tough victory, as it led 19-15. Lucky had missed several easy shots and passed the ball poorly up until that point.

"It was one of those things were we were just missing lay-ups," Rak said. "Once we started hitting lay-ups we were fine."

Lucky battled back to take a 20-19 lead. Milkflap.com answered Lucky's answer, however, by tying the game at 21 and forcing overtime.

The extra period seesawed back and forth until Lucky took a 25-24 lead. Rak then grabbed a rebound and hit a short jumper to win the game 26-24.

"I was just at the right spot at the right time," Rak said.

One of the most revolting traditions in Bookstore Basketball entered its eighth year as Absolut Curlies VIII lost to No. 11 We Get Wet, 21-5.

Absolut Curlies, made up of five men from Zahm, continued an eight-year tradition by killing a fifth of Absolut Vodka and shaving their pubic hairs last weekend. The hairs were then put into the bottle and brought to courtside for the game.

"We were more aerodynamic today," junior Pat Amato of Curlies said.

The improved aerodynamics of Amato, Brian Zant, Chris Bystedt, Chris Roche and Pat McGarry could not overcome the superior athleticism of the five freshmen of We Get Wet, Justin Funk, Greg Bosl, Greg Durm, Matt Cox and Mitch Knapke.

Under the lights, finance professor Carl Ackermann and We've Got Your Cash Flow Right Here In Our Pants schooled Loveburger: All About The Benjamins, 21-19.

"They are a real forgiving group of guys," Ackermann said about his student teammates. "They let a guy well past 40 run up and down the court with them. I had a wonderful time."

The ski team was out of its element against No. 24 Irvin Jones as the ranked team whipped the spandex-clad skiers 21-10.

Irvin Jones, Danny Williams, Stacey Locke, Deauto Smith and Robert Allen were too athletic for Do You Want To See My Junk. Despite frequent substitution, Joe Payne, Marc Pribaz, Kevin Wolf, Jon Pribaz, Wes Jacobs, Jesse Hensley, Bill Leimhuehler, Eric Hansen, Dan Block and Kieran Norton could not keep up with Irvin Jones.

Notes:

* Bookstore commissioners released the top eight rankings for the women's tournament, which starts Sunday. Sindone's Slamming Divas received the top seed. Hardcore Strokers, which includes three Saint Mary's basketball players, is ranked second. Who's Getting Lucky Tonight, which defeated an all-male team Tuesday night, is ranked fourth.

* Irish basketball coach Mike Brey's team, Stylistics, plays tonight at 8:30 p.m. at Stepan Courts.

12-year old regulates Bookstore

Posted on 28 April 2002:

When the members of Cuidado Piso Mojado arrived at Stepan courts dressed with large cardboard signs on their backs, a bookstore commissioner promptly stopped them, declaring they could not play in the tournament with their cumbersome outfits.

The commissioner had on this year's Bookstore Basketball XXXI official shirt.

He sported a Walkie-Talkie.

But the players knew he wasn't a typical Bookstore official - he was 12 years old and 4 feet tall.

But Chris Matsey, a home-schooled, basketball aficionado from Clay Township talked a good game.

And Cuidad Piso Mojado listened.

Matsey convinced the players to let him try on one of the outfits to see if it was safe and if head commissioner Brian Clemency would allow it on the court.

Clemency did, but that did not deter Matsey from his patrol as the youngest commissioner in this year's tournament.

"I handle games, keep score, make sure no drugs or alcohol is used and make sure there's no fighting," Matsey said.

Sometimes he gets strange looks from players when he tries to enforce rules. But Matsey knows just how to handle such problems.

"I just put my hand on my Walkie Talkie and they listen." he said. "Then I go get commissioner Brian [Clemency], commissioner Brad [Fritsche] or commissioner Andrew [Dayton]."

So far, the job has been full of hard work. According to Matsey, he had to break up a tense situation between two teams in the preliminary round of the tournament.

"They were threatening to fight and so I got in the middle," Matsey said. "I told them it was a technical foul and if they did it one more time they'd have to forfeit the tournament."

Matsey earned the job when he started showing up at all the games last week, Clemency said.

He takes his job so seriously that he brought an apprentice, one of his friends, to the tournament on Sunday.

"He showed up with his friend and told me he was training him," Clemency said.

For all his hard work, the 12-year old earns one can of soda a day - unless he can finagle more out of the commissioners, a feat he has been known to accomplish.

"He's figured it out that if he times it right he can go to the different executives and get more than one every day," Clemency said. Turning to Matsey, he joked: "We're on to you, buddy."

Matsey enjoys the perks of the jobs, naming "free Coke and Burger King" as the top benefits.

After hanging around the courts for several days, Matsey thinks he knows who is poised to take the tournament championship.

"S.P. Shockers II. Definitely them. They're ranked." he said.

But Matsey wasn't able to watch all of his favorite team's game Monday. He was too busy watching Cuidad Piso Mojado, waiting for a souvenir from the game.

After the team finished, Matsey once again smooth-talked the team into letting him keep one of the large cardboard signs he tried on before the game started.

"I'm just like a regular commissioner," Matsey said. "They need me out here."

Crazy costumes take the court

Posted on 28 April 2002:

When the Bootney League All Stars showed up Monday for their first-round Bookstore Basketball XXXI game at Stepan Courts, they had no idea what team they were matching up against.

But they sure didn't expect what their opponents, Cuidado Piso Mojado, wore on the court.

Inspired by the abundance of wet floor signs around campus, seniors Tom Keeley, Mike De la Rosa, Mike Harris and Jay Newman stepped onto the court with body-size bright yellow cardboard road signs.

Keeley sported the team's moniker with his Cuidad Piso Mojado sign. De La Rosa pranced up and down the court as a deer and shouldered a deer crossing sign. With a cigarette in one hand and a cigar in the other, Harris wore a no smoking sign while a quiet Newman displayed a Slow Deaf Child sign.

But with only four players, the team needed a fifth. So, the seniors looked to their original inspiration: a bright yellow cone. But the cone and the signs weren't enough to pull out a win, as the All Stars rolled to an easy 21-1 win.

"We thought they were interesting uniforms," All Stars' player Andrew Heinlein said. "It was a pretty easy matchup. But it's all about having fun, and this was a fun first-round game."

Joining Heinlein on the All Stars was Adam Dell, Matt Knust, Drew DeWalt and Kevin O'Connor

De la Rosa thought the outcome could have been different.

"I would have won the whole thing by myself, except I got caught in the headlights," he said. "I was in a comatose state the whole game."

Harris' chain-smoking didn't help the team either as he had to stop play to light up a cigarette several times.

The one highlight for Cuidado Piso Mojado turned out to be their ability to box out the All Stars on defense with their huge signs, which tended to double as shields.

Despite their efforts, Cuidado Piso Mojado made a quick exit from the tournament.

"We were expecting big things," Keeley said. "No one likes to go home early."

Cuidad Piso Mojado was not the only non-conventional team to make an appearance on the courts Monday. Team 107: Three She-Bears, A Hoopoe and an Asian showed up with more than just basketball on its mind. The team, with players Kevin McGirr, Tim Ruggaber, Kevin Haley, John Sengenberger and Jim Ree, sported outfits ranging from hot pink shorts to tennis skirts, Baby-Ts and Depends undergarments.

But the team had a serious message to go along with its less-than-standard outfits.

Praying before the game and again at halftime, the team's members and fans were bound by a common love.

"We like to read the Bible and we love Jesus," Haley said.

Even the team's name, which ironically was censored by the Office of Student Affairs, has its roots in the Bible.

The reference to she-bears comes from 2 Kings and a Hoopoe is a bird mentioned in Leviticus.

"We all like searching the Bible for weird strange passages," said team coach Josh "Baldhead" Stagni.

The team squared off against a short-handed squad, Colonel Puberty and his Band of Anglophiles with players John English, John Dicello, Dave Lubnik and Clete Willems. The team only had four players for the first half because the fifth player failed to show. In the second half the team picked up a fifth player in Jenny Chan, but the extra body was not enough and Colonel Puberty fell to Team 107, 21-16.

The winners were surprised by their victory.

"We're not very good," McGirr said. "By the Grace of God we won."

First round action continues today and will continue until Thursday on courts throughout campus.

Team Inebriation lives up to its name with playing style

Posted on 28 April 2002:

As soon as Falco's 1985 hit "Rock Me Amadeus" started blasting across Stepan Courts, all predictability went right out the window.

Team Inebriation strutted onto the court, living up to its name and garbed in old-school basketball uniforms and other original shirts. Although it had the height and athletic advantage over its opponent, Longitude, Team Inebriation's choice of playing style hurt its chances for victory.

"If they weren't drunk, we probably would have lost," Longitude's Steven Schrantz said after his team's 21-11 win.

Point guard Brendan Slattery typified Team Inebriation bizarre playing style when he took a fast break chance and charged right past the basket. He continued down another court and scored a lay-up in wrong basket, on the wrong court.

"We were absolutely confused," Slattery said. "I didn't even know what court we were on."

Five guys all older than 2,000 years old could not defeat their youthful rivals as The Outsiders beat the Biblical All-Stars 21-8 in first round Bookstore Basketball action Sunday.

Dressed as Adam, Jesus, Moses, David and an Obscure Bible Guy, the five men from Stanford could not overcome the athletic advantage of The Outsiders.

"We thought that God was with us and if God was with us, who can be against us?" asked Jesus, a.k.a. Steve Gillespie. "But we were wrong, God has forsaken us."

Shane Hudnall, dressed as Adam, played the entire game barefoot and clad only in fig leaves. Despite playing the second half with one hand because he was eating an apple, Hudnall still displayed effective ball handling and a nice shooting touch.

At halftime, the All-Stars treated the crowd to a Last Supper of white bread and potato chips. One of the female fans also washed the feet of the players.

Throughout the game, the All-Stars' coach tried to intimidate The Outsiders with The Word Of God. The Word Of God chastised The Outsiders frequently for breaking the Seventh Commandment: thou shall not steal (the ball), but The Outsiders kept sinning and cruised to an easy victory.

Youth was served in another game Sunday as Pasty Moe And The Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat defeated Dootin The Vitamin G 21-14. The all-freshman squad pulled away in the second half from the all-senior Vitamin G. Pasty Moe took a 12-7 lead early in the second half and held on to win.

"They had the height advantage, and they were better shooters. They were also faster," Vitamin G's Kyle Eller said.

Three members of the Saint Mary's basketball team bowed out of the tournament early this year as With Ourselves defeated Hardcore Strokers 21-10.

With Ourselves used its height and athletic advantage to jump out to a 10-4 lead and never looked back. The first-round Bookstore loss was the earliest of Saint Mary's senior Anne Blair's career.

"Usually we play really easy or funny guys in the first round who don't take it very seriously," Blair said. "These guys didn't take it easy on us. I think they will go pretty far."

First-round Bookstore games continue today and Tuesday at Stepan, Lyons and McGlinn courts.

Bookstore Teams Find Their Names Censored

Posted on 28 April 2002:

Junior Brandon Griffith was very surprised to learn the name for his Bookstore Basketball team had been censored by Student Activities.

His team's name wasn't profane.

His team's name wasn't sexually explicit.

His team's name wasn't racist, sexist or anti-homosexual.

Nevertheless, Student Activities struck Poor Man's Blanket from the list of Bookstore Basketball team names and replaced it with Team 22.

"We made the name with the intention that even Father [Mark] Poorman [vice president for Student Affairs] would get a laugh out of it," Griffith said.

Poor Man's Blanket was one of about 70 teams that were censored by Student Activities this year. All references to Poorman were removed from the list as well as other names deemed too sexually explicit, insulting or profane.

Brian Coughlin, director of Student Activities, said that there are no set guidelines for determining what teams will and will not be censored. The list of team names is passed through three people - Bookstore adviser Melvin Adams, Coughlin and Peggy Hnatusko, assistant director of programming for Student Activities - and each person crosses out any name he or she deems offensive.

Coughlin couldn't give specific reasons for why certain names were banned since he had to look at so many different teams. There was, however, no specific bias against team names containing "Poorman."

"There is no policy to eliminate names that had `Father Poorman' in them," Coughlin said.

He said the "Poorman" names were removed because there is a general policy that Bookstore Basketball team names should not contain the name of another person without that person's specific permission.

"It's not Father Poorman specific," Coughlin said. "It's a rule for any person. Any person will be highlighted [to be further questioned.] If they want to contact the person specifically, they can do that."

Griffith said he was never informed of this policy or given the chance to contact Poorman to ask his permission.

"They never asked if we had gotten permission, and it wasn't even his name," Griffith said. "It's `Poor' and then `Man' with a capital M."

This general policy does not seem to apply to names besides Poorman's or other University administrators. Uncensored team names include references to, among others, former Irish quarterback Ron Powlus, former Irish football coach Bob Davie, pop singer Britney Spears, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Minnesota Vikings assistant coach George O'Leary.

Out Faster Than George O'Leary captain Jeff Simko said he was unaware of any rule about requesting permission from O'Leary.

"What do you think? Of course not. We definitely didn't call him," Simko said.

Coughlin claims he questioned names with O'Leary and Davie in them but did not censor them.

"I highlighted both those names so if they are in there, I don't know what to tell you," Coughlin said.

Crusading for Scholastics

Posted on 21 April 2002:

The student body of Notre Dame has always had a reputation of being well rounded students who worked just as hard as any top 10 academic institution, but have not forgotten how to have a little fun at the same time. I am quite relieved that the University administrators are finally getting around to stomping out these nasty rumors. If all goes as planned, such distractions as social gatherings, sexual relationships and (the most evil of all) tailgating will be nothing but windy stories told by old alumni. Nearly a decade ago, the administrators had started this campaign to rid your beloved campus of anything not related to academics, spirituality, or discipline. They had closed the student bars on campus and outlawed the use of kegs by private parties.

I was encouraged by this move and anxiously awaited the certain shift in the student population. No longer would this campus be overrun by out-going, socializing youths. Soon a wave of pure intellectuals, geeks and hermits would take over. To my disappointment, the turnover was not as quick as I had hoped.

A few weeks ago, I learned that the University had decided to take another stab at drastically improving the quality of student life at Notre Dame. With an efficient strike, Father Poorman out-did himself and his predecessors. He banned one of the only regularly attended social events left on your campus. Pure genius. Honestly, there is no need for dances. I cannot think of a single good reason that college-aged men and women should be allowed to enjoy each other's company in a relatively mild atmosphere of sexual tension. The administration was crazy to allow this debacle to go on as long as it did. What a waste of four perfectly good Friday nights each year. Think of the possibilities. With this extra time, maybe another theology requirement could be added now.

My advice to you is this: Students, do not try to fight this. Just sit back and let it happen. There is really nothing you can do. The administrators are too smart for you. They have all of the time in the world to slowly turn this University into just another draconian, Bible-thumping private college. You are only here for four years, and then you leave and a new set of students are pushed into the ivory tower.

Do not think for a second that this University needs you, your righteous opinions, or even your alumni donations. For every one of you who were allowed into this place, three others were rejected. They would happily fill your place. So keep on studying, go to Mass daily and most importantly, stay in the safety of your dorm room as much as possible. Do not worry about your fellow students who like to party, they will slowly be weeded out, and more decent students will take their places.

It is time to join the ranks of Bob Jones University and Brigham Young. We are a moral institution above anything else. There is nothing else to college besides school. Do not waste your time fraternizing with the opposite sex or frequenting certain South Bend establishments. Keep your nose in the books, and some day, Notre Dame will boast a higher suicide rate than Cornell, burnout rate than MIT and lack of social skills than the University of Chicago.

Since this is the Viewpoint section of the newspaper, I feel compelled to add a few suggestions for Father Poorman and the rest of those tireless crusaders for justice and scholastic responsibility. I think that the administration should move to ban all social events that are not hosted by Flipside or involve a carnival. In addition to that, the mandatory 11 p.m. lights-out of the pre 1960's era should be re-instituted. And most importantly, we should take drastic measures to get rid of Notre Dame football. It distracts the students from their work. It takes away from the academic prestige of our institution. And worst of all, - oh wait, that will not work, I just remembered how much money football puts in the bank.

Richard Quint
class of '59
NewPort Beach, California
April 4, 2002

Destruction of Dorm Residentiality is a Crime

Posted on 21 April 2002:

My letter today is in response to Peter Schmidt's letter, "Noting flawed reasoning," printed Mar. 28. His rude dismissal of the motivations of student protesters requires response.

In his letter, Schmidt dismisses the desire of students to uphold Notre Dame tradition, wondering if they "somehow experienced those traditions in a previous life" because they "have [only] been a part [of them] for a few years at most." The purpose of tradition on a college campus is to create a connection between members of the University family who were not campus residents at the same point in time. Students have been waving their arms to the band's performance of the "1812 Overture" for two decades. Should the current students' efforts to uphold that tradition - and even the value of the tradition itself - be devalued simply because they've only been doing it for up to four years?

In instituting the recent policy changes, the University administration jepoardizes Notre Dame's most unique tradition of all: stay-hall residentiality. During my tenure at Notre Dame, my friends at other schools (usually state-affiliated with strong Greek systems) thought the fact that I stayed in a dorm for four years was complete lunacy on my part. At their schools, dorms were only for geeks who couldn't get into frats or find apartment roommates.

They failed to see the beauty of stay-hall. I got to know people in the six classes that surrounded mine and keep in contact with them until this day. Even though my dorm was converted into women's quarters, I still feel a strong affinity with fellow Cavanaugh alums - even those who were not on campus during my time.

These policies remove some of the traditions that help bind dorm-mates together. With those traditions gone, students will migrate off campus and dorms at Notre Dame will become just like those at any other school.

Gone will be the opportunities to meet and learn from those who may be different from you. I remember my dorm-mates as vividly now as I did 10 years ago at graduation. I couldn't tell you the name of the guy who lived next door to my first apartment if you gave me a million dollars to do it.

And that's the true crime here.

Mike Coffey
class of '91
April 2, 2002

Lack of Participation Not a New Problem

Posted on 21 April 2002:

Although sadly I am no longer a student, I am an alumna of Notre Dame. Yet it seems nothing has changed; I don't remember being consulted about this policy either. Not that it surprises me.

I understand that Mr. Litle was not around when the administration's crackdown on alcohol began, but I was. I was at Bridget McGuire's. I was at the last ticket campout before they were banned. I was an opponent of the cancellation of the Graffiti Dance. And I was there when the students were denied a seat on the Board of Directors.

The difference between myself and most students at the time was that I was a member of the Student Union Board staff for three years at Notre Dame and witnessed firsthand the efforts of the Student Union to try again and again, without avail, to have a voice in the truly important decisions at Notre Dame. Instead, intelligent students with good intentions are rebuffed, or worse, ignored. Notre Dame kids are touted as some of the brightest and best students in the country today by the same people who, behind the closed doors of Student Affairs, treat students as though they do not even merit expressing an opinion.

If the alcohol policy is what the administration thinks it will take to ensure the safety of its students, so be it. As some have said, you are free to leave; there are others who would give up alcohol entirely to attend Notre Dame.

My problem is this: until the higher-ups at this University learn that Notre Dame students and alumni should have a place in the decision-making processes that affect them, situations like these will continue to contribute to the sad public commentary on what is otherwise known as a bright, progressive, student-oriented university. Sadly, I am sure the current propective students visiting at this time are getting quite an earful from some angered freshmen.

In my years at the Student Union, I finally realized that our efforts to have a voice were futile and unfulfilled. I am beginning to realize that, in the absence of a capital campaign, the majority of alumni are overlooked as well. Father Mark Poorman, the majority of alumni and students and I respect your leadership, intelligence and good faith. Please help ensure us that you respect ours.

Kathleen Leicht
class of '01
March 26, 2002

Students' Role in University Policy Examined

Posted on 21 April 2002:

There's something rotten on the campus of Notre Dame. Festering beneath the surface of the University's ideal exterior is a force more frightening than anyone realizes. For years, Notre Dame has given us fleeting gifts of bread and circuses while denying us what is far from our grasp: a voice.

Father Poorman's naove proposal to change the alcohol policy on the campus is merely a symptom of a terrible plague which afflicts the University. Though his proposal may seem to be madness, there is slight method to his decision. However, we should not overexert ourselves with this one small battle and forget that we have a greater conflict right beneath our eyes. The student's voice was largely absent from the proposal and soon enforcement of the new policy, and Father Poorman knows it.

But is he the one to blame? Does not the Board of Trustees, already known to perpetuate its own archaic "vision" for Notre Dame, bear the bulk of the responsibility for treating us as inferiors? I certainly got this sense when I scanned the hallway wall at the Morris Inn, splattered with portraits of current trustees. I could almost see the thought, "our money makes you possible," emanating from their eyes.

At some point, they forgot that our annual tuition should cover more than the cost of attending classes and eating quarter dogs. The ability to make a change as we see fit is a modest proposal to say the least, but the trustees would rather eat their own children than grant it from their own benevolence.

Alas, we are left with the question: What can we do to assert our voice and pull the curtain back from the eyes of those blinded by the notion that Notre Dame is a picturesque institution? Robert Pazornik's idea for a coalition to "Change ND" is a step in the right direction, but we need so much more. We need to frighten the trustees with more than a petition not to donate money in the future. After all, how many will succumb and donate money to obtain football tickets if we ever return to the status of a football powerhouse?

I challenge everyone who realizes that the call to "Change ND" should really be "Save ND" to act on this pressing issue. Once we pull back the curtain and discover the source of our discontent, we must develop a true student voice.

Bill Rinner
sophomore
Siegfried Hall
Mar. 25, 2002

Administrators' Actions More Immature Than Students'

Posted on 14 April 2002:

For those of you who don't know or who didn't attend, the party on March 23 at Lafayette was overrun with police handing out tickets for underage consumption. I was one of the unlucky ones who happened to get stopped and caught. I did not have a drink in my hand, and I was not acting drunk or out of it in any way, shape or form. I had just had a couple of drinks with my friends like we do on weekends.

The ticket itself isn't a big deal to me. The part that really bothers me is the conversation that I had with the police officer that was writing my ticket. He first told me that he had heard on the news about the new policy that the administration is trying to implement. Then, the shocker: he proceeded to tell me that the reason the cops were writing drinking tickets was because someone from the administration had called the police, tipped them off about the party and requested that "names of people drinking be taken."

Now, I will speak my mind to the administration. Your strong-arm tactics will not work. Many of my fellow students and I are sick to our stomachs because of the events of this last week. First, you try to take away our SYRs, which include some of the best and most well-known student traditions. Then, with the intention of scaring students and getting them into trouble, you tip the police about a party?

I thought we, the students, were the immature ones who can't handle hard alcohol or dances in our dorms. Well, you are the ones who need to grow up. Ratting out your own students? Trying to reduce drinking by scaring us?

There might be a small number of students who abuse drinking, but the vast majority of us do not. Notre Dame has always taken pride in the fact that it is a unique place. Now, you, the administration, are single handedly trying to ruin that. Notre Dame prides itself on the quality, intelligence and character of its students. So I ask you, why won't you let us have a voice? Why do you treat us like we are incompetent, irresponsible kids?

Matthew Scheidler
freshman
Alumni Hall
March 25, 2002

Where's the Proof?

Posted on 14 April 2002:

Students have made some excellent points regarding the changes in the alcohol policy; however, what I would like to see is the proof that backs these changes up.

Father Mark Poorman claims 30 focus groups were consulted before this decision was made, but declines to specify who they were and what was said. His letter makes references to percentages, numbers, and comparisons to other schools, yet does not include these statistics and assumes we will simply take his word for it.

Perhaps if students had access to the results of this study, we could better understand how this decision was made. If the situation is really that bad, then the evidence will be right there for all of us to see. At a university of the caliber of Notre Dame, it would seem reasonable to believe that the students could gain insight into the administration's decision through the publication of these statistics. Whatever that insight may be, at least the University would have afforded some respect to the students that they are attempting to protect. Who knows, we might even agree.

Ryan Pohlman
junior
Sorin Hall
March 20, 2002

New Rules Show Lack of Respect for Students

Posted on 14 April 2002:

As an off-campus, 21-year old senior next year, the new alcohol policies do not affect me in the least. In fact, I'm now better off since I can tailgate without fear of fine or harassment like so many of-age tailgaters experienced this past season.

So why am I enraged about Father Poorman's new policy? It shows an utter lack of respect for and confidence in the student body. Of course, this problem is not new, and Notre Dame faculty members face similar problems, but never has this outrage been so manifest as now. Much is being said about the direct impact of the policy on campus life. I wish to add my views of the larger picture here.

I doubt that anyone would deny that the students, faculty and alumni of Notre Dame are what make us a great University. Notre Dame carries a tradition of excellence in academics, but unlike other top-tier schools, we have strong social traditions that make us a family, resulting in one of the most dynamic alumni networks in the country.

Furthermore, unlike so many other universities, we have great respect for our school. We do not riot when we win national championships (or lose them), and we do not hold mass protests against policies we think are unjust. We usually respect the administration's decisions, learn to live with them and adjust our lives accordingly, like mature adults. No doubt, many were upset when the Graffiti Dance, the campout for football tickets and Sophomore Siblings' weekend were cancelled, but we eventually took these actions as a loss, moved on and embraced the new Notre Dame. Could we have protested, taken action, embarrassed this University unbearably? Yes. Did we? No, we were more mature than that.

What Poorman's policies tell us is that the University does not see students as adults, but as uncouth youngsters that must be monitored and controlled in every way, shape and form. Instead of approaching us as adults, seeking our input (and I'm not talking focus groups possibly made up of anti-drinking, anti-social people here), the administration acted like bad parents. They waited until housing contracts were in for next year and until RAs were hired (I'm sorry, guys) to unveil their tradition-killing plans.

It was a sly move. Perhaps the students, forced to live under their new, tighter rules, will eventually forget we ever had SYRs and tailgating and there would be a minimum of student response. Wrong. There will be enough of us that remember when we could be social on campus to keep the fire alive.

The problem goes way beyond alcohol, parietals, or even being able to fish in the lake. The lives and livelihoods of the heart and soul of the school, the students and faculty are in the hands of a handful of administrators, some of whom probably forgot what it was like to be a college student. We have no voice and when we ask for one, we are refused. The saddest thing of all, however, is that no matter what the students do, no matter how much backing from all majors, ages, sexes, races, sexual persuasions or social types we have, the administration will not listen. I feel sorry for the underclassmen and the incoming freshmen. They all deserve to have the same Notre Dame tradition I experienced as a freshman and sophomore.

When I came to Notre Dame as a freshman, I was amazed at the level of camaraderie and closeness in the dorms. I had close friends at every grade level, in every major, and I never felt the need to leave campus to have a good time. I seldom felt held down by the rules.

In the short three years I have been a student here, much has changed. Already, before the new alcohol regulations have taken effect, I have noticed a dwindling dorm spirit, or rather a flame starved for oxygen from an overbearing administration. I have seen our administration take action against long-standing traditions that were never a problem and stifle our spirits without warning. Three years ago, I would have recommended the school to anyone. Now, I see Notre Dame as an excellent place to delay or harm one's social development and to increase one's stress level to outrageous levels.

Some argue that if you don't love the school, including all the changes it may care to make at will, you should find somewhere else to go. If the administration wants to parent a school full of overstressed, fake-ID wielding, drunk-driving, immature and unwieldy students on a campus where few and mostly underclass students live in the dorms (where they can't wait to get out), they may.

However, I cannot have respect or admiration for a rule-making administration that does not respect us or treat my friends and me as adults. Give us a say, a real say, and mean it, or I guarantee Notre Dame will not be Notre Dame any more - it will be another school in the Midwest, and that would be a shame.

Jesse Hensley
junior
Siegfried Hall
March 20, 2002

Notre Dame Students Got What They Deserve

Posted on 14 April 2002:

Notre Dame students don't deserve alcohol in their dorms or alcohol period for that matter. Let's look at this how it ought to be seen. About six years ago, with the administration's blessing, bars around town started getting busted. Notre Dame students did nothing, just moved on to the next bar. This was understandable at the time. Later, the administration banned the football ticket distribution campout. Notre Dame students did nothing. They just rolled over like the sheep they are and accepted the plate they were given. The next year, the Graffiti Dance was cancelled. Notre Dame students had nothing to say because it didn't affect them, only upcoming freshmen. And last year, out of the blue, a tailgating task force of power-tripping rent-a-cops started busting everyone they could see at tailgates under a new ResLife edict. You, Notre Dame students, whined in the Viewpoint.

Now, the administration is banning hard liquor in the dorms. Let me tell you what Notre Dame students are going to do - nothing. You're just going to take it. Why? Because upper-classmen are going to say, "I'm moving off campus anyway," or, "I'm only here for next year." Without a critical mass of students, anything anyone else does won't matter. And you know what's best - you deserve it. I'm not going to sit here and say this policy change is bad. It's not. It's just a continuation of a consistent policy move over the last six years that Notre Dame students have ratified with their apathy.

Oh sure, student government is making a grand hullabaloo about getting back the SYR. This is because it specifically serves their and the administration's goals. When the administration "gives" us back the SYR, student government will get to claim a victory, students will think they have a voice (so they shut up) and the administration will have carried out its carefully crafted plan to herd its sheep. You think you've won so you don't protest, your stupidity earns you your liquor ban.

What's next after hard liquor? Beer and underage drinking are next. And the sooner the better. If students aren't willing to stand up for what they want now, then they deserve what they get in the future as far as I am concerned.

Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe there will be some sort of student push to stop this legislation. Maybe 15 students will go have a sit-in while the rest of the campus mocks them because they themselves are too frightened to stand up for what they believe. Maybe someone will take a dump on the porch of the Main Building. I'm sure someone is going to send an "Oooh, oh so nasty" letter to the editor. You go get 'em pal. I'm sure they'll care what you have to say if you think it out real hard and write it to The Observer. (Note hypocrisy here.)

And here's the problem with the impromptu student government sponsored "protest": a herd of sheep, no matter how large, is not frightening. Standing up on a podium and complaining to a bunch of passive students is no protest. Try perhaps holding a no-class day, a sit-in in the ResLife office or painting horns, a tail and a bifurcated tongue on touchdown Jesus - that's protest. I am in no way advocating this sort of activity.

Is there going to be any sort of civil disobedience to protest the administration's decision? No. Is there going to be any organized effort to stop what is happening? No. Will there even be a campus petition opposing the proposed changes to du Lac? Nope. Why? Because ND students are one of five things: a.) Convinced they don't matter and their opinion won't be heard by the administration (probably true); b.) Convinced that any sort of opposition to University policy undermines the University's ability to function as a private institution (just plain stupid); c.) Mindless little sheep that have yet to question any authority known to them; d.) So morally self-righteous that they condemn anyone for caring about their own living situation when there are poor people in some other country; or e.) So sick and tired of trying to get people to care that they have decided maybe this is a just punishment for student apathy.

So go ahead, write your mean-spirited letters to the editor, sit in your room and drink beer while complaining to your friends about the big bad administration, but by no means take any steps that might show you are displeased with the situation being shoved at you. Remember not to care at all about the future of the school you attend, and above all, hold true to that most sacred of Notre Dame traditions: Conformity.

Senate Opposes Ban on In-hall Dances

Posted on 14 April 2002:

Claiming residence life would be damaged if dances were forced out of the hall, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution Sunday opposing the proposed ban on in-hall dances and criticizing the decision-making process used by the Office of Student Affairs in revising the alcohol policy.

The resolution will now be presented at today's Campus Life Council meeting, the same meeting where Father Mark Poorman, vice president for Student Affairs, is expected to formally announce the proposed changes to the University's alcohol policy.

While the resolution said in-hall dances, commonly called SYRs, should be allowed to continue, it did not directly address the Office of Student Affairs' proposed ban on "hard" alcohol in undergraduate dorms or the revisions to the tailgating policy.

"The other two were brought up, but right now our biggest concern is SYRs," said Dillon Hall Senator Jim Ryan, who helped draft and revise the resolution along with Lewis Hall Senator Jennie Flannery and Student Body Vice President-elect Trip Foley.

According to the resolution, the proposed alcohol policy "threatens to negatively alter or eliminate memorable campus traditions" by forcing dances to be moved out of the residence hall. Senators listed 14 campus traditions, such as Alumni Hall's Wake, the Fisher Regatta and the Lewis Crush, that would be affected by the changes.

The resolution also said the University recognizes the tradition of in-hall dances through an appeal for donations sent by the Annual Fund to alumni. The advertisement asks for money to "ensure that the next generation of students has the opportunity to experience the novelty of an SYR firsthand."

"Getting rid of SYRs seriously impacts the community at school," Ryan said. "Some of the biggest events each dorm has are in the dorm."

Senators also disapproved of the process through which the policy was implemented. They said the proposal will go before the University's key officers without the approval of the CLC's Task Force on Alcohol Policy. Several senators claimed less than 80 students were involved in the focus groups Poorman said were consulted prior to his recommending the changes.

"I think most students are upset students weren't involved in the writing of the policy," said Carroll Hall Senator Jesse Flores, who is also a member of the CLC Task Force on Alcohol Policy.

During the decision-making process, Flores said the data from the 28 focus groups, which he said were composed of a broad spectrum of people, was compared with data from a study on college binge drinking conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health.

"[The administration] was looking to see if the focus groups matched up with the numbers," he said. "It turns out they did."

Most of the half-hour debate revolved around making sure the resolution was factually correct. Senators eliminated a clause saying more student attend in-hall dances than out-of-hall dances and argued about what figure should be used to represent the number of students involved in focus groups before settling on saying "less than 80 students" were involved.

"[The CLC] is going to look to pick it apart," Sorin Senator Pat Hallahan said. "We need to make sure it's tight."

The Senate resolution will be presented for CLC approval at this afternoon's meeting. If adopted by the CLC, the resolution will be submitted to the Office of Student Affairs. Although the office is not obligated to comply with the resolution, it typically incorporates CLC resolutions into its decision-making process.

"This is not the only step," Ryan said of the Senate resolution. "It is not the end-all solution."

Learn from the past

Posted on 7 April 2002:

I was a sophomore in 1983. I expected to live on campus until I was a senior. Then the 1984 alcohol policy was announced. It took two minutes for us to agree that we were moving off campus early.

In 18 years the administration has learned nothing. I'm pushing 40 now, but I remember enough to know that believing that banning hard alcohol on campus will decrease abusive drinking is absurd. Completely, utterly, absolutely absurd. It's the behavior of an ostrich. Personal experience teaches me that for those who want to drink, the proposed changes in the alcohol policy will increase their drinking, not decrease it.

I think back to those days and I thank God that I never killed any of my buddies or myself driving to off campus bars and parties or doing any of the other ridiculously stupid things we did. I lived through it relatively unscathed, but not everybody will.

No one who reads this should think that I condone abusive drinking. The administration is right about one thing. Binge drinking is dangerous. But the administration's answers to the problem are so far from adequate that it shocks me. As much as my alumni friends complained about ineptitude in the search for a football coach, the alcohol policy review process makes that search look stellar in comparison.

The solution must be student-based. It cannot be dictated from above. The answers to ultimatums from above will be rebellion today just as it was 18 years ago when I moved off campus in an act of defiance. Today's acts of defiance will perpetuate the problem, not diminish it.

I guess you can always review the policy again in another 18 years when this try fails.

Timothy Short
class of '87
Mill Creek, Ind.
March 20, 2002

They're pushing us around

Posted on 7 April 2002:

There has been a lot of vilification of Father Mark Poorman the past couple of days and frankly I'm disturbed by it. People have been writing "Osama bin Poorman" on dry-erase boards, putting pictures of him in the urinals for target practice and ranting about him in public until they foam at the mouth and people have to drag them out of the Waddick's line saying "Calm down, Muto, you just wet yourself."

Actually, I can't blame the good Padre, because it's not the man's fault. For you see, he is not Father Poorman at all, but an evil clone, hell bent on destroying all fun on campus. I have no proof of this, but that's the only explanation I can think of for this blunder of Three Stooge proportions.

I spoke at the rally the other day. For the record, I did not say that "celibate white men" are pushing us around. I said that "middle-aged, celibate white men" are pushing us around. I hate being misquoted.

I believe that my comment has some validity. The students of Notre Dame, a diverse group that holds a variety of different viewpoints and has a wide range of values and opinions, is being controlled by a small contingency of priests who don't exactly have their fingers on the pulse of the student body. It's like Walter Kronkite trying to direct a Jay-Z video.

Obtuse metaphors aside, the administration has totally lost touch with the student body and seemingly, with reality. If Notre Dame is a family, then current students are noisy kids banished from the adult table. We have to sit at the kids' table until we're wealthy alumni and can sit with the adults. This policy is a way to shut up the noisy kids without dealing with any real problems like the horrible state of gender relations or the severe lack of activities that would drive many to drink in the first place.

The most infuriating thing is that administrators assume a condescending attitude, like it is beneath them even to deal with us. They seem shocked that a group of sex-deprived, frozen and bored stiff 20-year olds would want to do anything but sit around and play Monopoly at LaFortune on Saturday nights.

If they take away my booze, my tailgating, and my Mardi Gras, after already taking away my right to confer with women after-hours, I have a feeling I'm going to go slowly crazy like Jack Nicholson in "The Shining." Don't be surprised next year if campus police have to shoot me off the North Quad water tower after I climb it with a high-powered BB gun and start picking people off.

I'm going to cut this off now, because I want to save room for others' opinions. But I'd like to address the students first.

The rally was a great start. But we can't stop there. I can see exactly what Poorman is up to. He's threatening SYRs, knowing that we would conveniently protest. But he never had any intention of getting rid of SYRs. My guess is we are going to get SYRs back, we're going to pat ourselves on the back, feeling that we got something done. Then we'll blindly go back to our daily tasks while the administration bends us over on the tailgating and hard alcohol issues. Do not let this happen.

We need to show that we have a voice, and we will not lay idly by and get pushed around. Burning du Lac is a good start. I'd burn my copy, except I'm using it to prop up one of my stereo speakers. Show the administration they can't pull the wool over our eyes. Next year I will be O'Neill Hall's president, and not only will I ignore any new rules that go into effect, but I will urge my freshmen to ignore them as well. They will beat us only if we let them beat us.

Midnight Alcohol Rally Escalates

Posted on 7 April 2002:

In the latest student demonstration against proposed alcohol policy changes, more than 100 students burned copies of the Notre Dame rule manual, du Lac, and hurled glass bottles of alcoholic beverages at the Main Building steps early this morning.

The midnight rally, which lasted for 30 minutes, ended abruptly when students quickly scurried away from the scene after Notre Dame Security/Police arrived at 12:30 a.m.

NDSP Sgt. Greg Pavnica said police received a call about a disturbance outside Main Building and "some vandalism along with a fire," which they are investigating.

The rally ended in no injuries or arrests.

"Don't give up the fight," said O'Neill Hall President-elect Joe Muto, a sophomore who has been vocal about his contempt for the alcohol policy, which will ban in-hall dances, "hard" alcohol in the dorms and will allow students 21 years old or older to host tailgaters with alcohol in a designated lot.

Vice President for Student Affairs Father Mark Poorman officially announced the new policy at Monday's Campus Life Council meeting, although students received an e-mail about the changes on March 18. Since the e-mail, there has been an all-campus rally sponsored by student government.

Students said they were participating in the latest rally because it was another chance to show the administration that their voices would be heard.

"I feel that Father Poorman's decisions are an invasion on our rights," said sophomore Cindy Adimari, who attended the rally with fellow Badin Hall residents.

Muto, who spoke to the crowd, said he was satisfied with the student response.

"We're very powerful," he said. "I don't think students realize that."

The idea for the rally, called "Give Back du Lac," came from some sophomore Walsh Hall residents who wanted to prove that students weren't apathetic about campus issues. One of the coordinators for the demonstration, Krista Seidl, said she was disappointed with University administrators after the CLC meeting.

"I was really frustrated afterwards," said Seidl, adding that she had expected more of a student response at the meeting. "I was surprised that only a small crowd of the students were being proactive."

Later Monday, Seidl, along with sophomores Gabby Sopko, Leah Bertke and Mary Miksch decided to take action. The women made posters and began spreading message of the du Lac demonstration by word of mouth.

However, Seidl and the other planners advertised that students should bring copies of du Lac and old gifts from in-hall dances to the rally, not the bottles of Absolut, Bacardi, Jose Cuervo and lighters to burn du Lac that participants also added to the list.

"We didn't intend for people to start lighting things on fire," said Seidl. "[The people who started fires] went to extremes to try to get their point across."

"The point is to give another opportunity to students," Seidl said.

Some students, however, disagreed with how the rally's participants used the opportunity.

"I think this behavior is indicative of the same sort of irresponsible behavior that the policy seeks to address," said Carroll Hall Senator Jesse Flores as he listened to students shout anti-administration sentiments and light small fires.

Flores looked at the crowd and began to point out the danger of starting fires and leaving broken glass bottles and paper on the steps of the Main Building.

"All that is ludicrous behavior in my opinion," said Flores.

Freshman Hanni Masserer said he agreed with the proposed alcohol policy changes to du Lac and that the students at the rally were behaving childishly.

Masserer, who is a 23-year-old student from Germany, said he is used to drinking beer in his country rather than the hard alcohol that the new policy bans in undergraduate residence halls.

"It's a private University. So basically, either you like it or you transfer."

Poorman Stands Firm on Alcohol Changes

Posted on 7 April 2002:

As nearly 200 students surrounded him on three sides Monday, the man behind proposed changes to the University alcohol policy welcomed student input into the writing of the revisions but closed the door on reversing the planned crackdown on campus drinking.

"I don't want to build false hope," Father Mark Poorman, vice president for Student Affairs, said, receiving grumbles from the student audience."This does appear to be a definitive direction we're moving in. If we look at that again, it'll be down the road."

Poorman's words came at a divisive Campus Life Council meeting, where the administrator formally introduced amendments to the alcohol policy a week after announcing them to students. He spoke in front of hundreds of undergraduate students who filled the chairs in the LaFortune Ballroom after the crowd had packed another room to capacity.

On a day when CLC members and several students at the 2 1/2-hour meeting directed frank comments and questions to Poorman for the first time publicly, the council's defeat of a Student Senate resolution also thwarted hopes for an eleventh-hour stand against the policy changes.

The CLC voted 11-7 in closed ballot in favor of the resolution to overturn the proposed ban on in-hall dances, leaving the measure one vote short of passage. The vote likely reflected a split between the students and the rectors and lone administrator who sit on the council.

Comments throughout the meeting reflected the division.

"With the amount of effort we put into alcohol awareness, education, discipline, we could be doing so many other things," said Keenan Hall rector Father Gary Chamberland, who asked Poorman why he hadn't taken the more drastic action of banning all alcohol on campus.

Poorman, a former Dillon Hall rector, restated his belief that alcohol abuse is a problem at Notre Dame but said his proposed changes to outlaw "hard" liquor in undergraduate residence halls, ban in-hall dances and loosen tailgating rules address the issue.

Poorman announced the changes March 18, after a two-year study into abusive drinking on campus. Approval by University officers of the changes likely will be a formality, and the revised policy will take effect in the fall.

Students were critical of the changes and decried being left out of the policy-making process.

Chris Manuel, co-chair of the Hall Presidents Council, said Poorman should release survey and focus group results that were part of the study.

"I know that you feel that they are private, but I feel entitled to them," said Manuel, a member of the CLC's alcohol use and abuse task force, who sat next to Poorman at the meeting. "Your report loses a considerable amount of credibility without these statistics."

Poorman said the data was best used for internal planning and "wouldn't advance the discussion at this point."

Poorman compiled and distributed a one-page list of what he believed were the questions students have asked him most in the week since he announced the changes in a campus-wide e-mail.

In the document, he answered concerns about enforcing the liquor ban, saying hall staff won't search for and seize the contraband unless individual rooms or gatherings draw undue attention to themselves.

He also responded to suggestions that the changes would drive more students to consume alcohol off campus and increase drunk-driving cases.

"We can't be held hostage by threat of students drinking and driving because the alcohol policy isn't liberal enough," he said.

Poorman acknowledged that he considered student safety played a role in the changes. He linked incidents of sexual assault and alcohol poisoning to abusive drinking and said the changes would have a "huge impact" on creating a campus culture that isn't alcohol-focused.

Freshman Adam Istvan said the changes were the result of the University wanting to disown liability for students' well being.

But Poorman said, "If we were interested in liability, we would have gone `dry.' The thing that would have reduced or eliminated our liability was going dry."

Following the meeting, Libby Bishop, student body president-elect, said Poorman hadn't fully answered students' questions.

"I still have a problem with the process of how this policy was formed," she said. "After the CLC meeting, Trip [Foley, student body vice president-elect] and I realized we need a new way to empower students. We want to channel the energy we saw today from students are working on a new way to do that."

Bishop, who enters office April 1, said she would continue to contest the in-hall dance ban. She and Foley expect to meet with Poorman in early April.

Leaders Hope for Student Support at CLC Meeting

Posted on 7 April 2002:

Student government officials plan to mount a public offensive today against proposed changes to the alcohol policy as University administrators formally introduce the changes to the Campus Life Council.

The push follows an emergency Student Senate meeting Sunday where members rushed passage of a resolution contesting the recommended ban of in-hall dances. Brooke Norton, student body president and chair of the CLC, said the council will consider the resolution today at its 3:30 p.m. meeting in the Notre Dame Room of LaFortune Student Center.

Norton, who last week organized a student rally protesting the announced changes, also has arranged for CLC members to speak against the policies and hoped for large student turnout to the meeting.

The biweekly meetings are open to the public.

"We want a strong showing from students," Norton said. "We hope to pack the meeting and let administrators see that this is an important issue to students."

More than 600 students attended Wednesday's rally, eventually marching to Main Building, where Father Mark Poorman's office is housed.

Poorman, vice president for Student Affairs, will officially present the policy changes he announced to students a week ago. The changes - the first to the University alcohol policy in 14 years - require revisions to the student handbook, du Lac. Ordinarily, Bill Kirk, assistant vice president for Residence Life, proposes du Lac revisions to the CLC.

"I thought the alcohol changes were so important that I wanted to do them myself," Poorman said.

The administrator, a former Dillon Hall rector, also expected to address feedback he has received in the past week about the proposed changes. He said his comments would echo information he announced in a March 18 e-mail to students.

Kirk will introduce other planned changes to du Lac, Poorman said.

"I'm curious to hear Father Poorman's input," said Sol Galmarini, said Badin Hall senator and CLC member.

Norton expected to allow three students to direct questions to Poorman. She said other other students could submit questions to CLC members, who, in turn, would question the administrator.

In anticipation of a capacity crowd in the Notre Dame Room, Norton said she also reserved space for the meeting in the LaFortune Ballroom.

Ironically, council approval of the Senate-drafted resolution would forward the measure to Poorman's desk for consideration in the Office of Student Affairs.

Poorman last week announced three changes to the alcohol policy that University officers are likely to approve this summer and enact in the fall:

• the ban of in-hall dances

• the outlaw of "hard" liquor in undergraduate residence halls

• and the loosening of tailgating rules to allow 21-year-old students to host parties before the home football games

Notre Dame adopted an alcohol policy in 1984.

Bishop and Foley Vow to Represent Students

Posted on 7 April 2002:

Saying administrators "sold students short," Libby Bishop and Trip Foley renewed Thursday their commitment to fight proposed changes to the University alcohol policy.

Still more than a week away from taking office, Bishop and Foley, the student body president- and vice president-elect, said they would pick up where Wednesday's rally left off and continue to represent student interests.

"I think that students were sold short by not involving them in the process of making this policy," Bishop said in a release. "I will personally take an active role on working with Bill Kirk [assistant vice president for Residence Life] and his office on the writing of this policy and ensure that a number or students will have input in the revision process."

Bishop and Foley enter office April 1 but this week began meeting with University officials and organizing student response to the proposed changes.

Father Mark Poorman, vice president for Student Affairs, announced Monday three sweeping changes to the alcohol policy:

• the outlaw of "hard" alcohol in undergraduate residence halls,

• the ban of in-hall dances known as SYRs

• and the revision of tailgating rules to allow drinking-age students to host parties before Saturday home football games in the fall.

Poorman said the changes would keep Notre Dame from becoming an alcohol-centered campus. He expected that University officers would approve the changes this summer and enact them in the fall.

If approved, they will be the first major amendments to the policy since 1988. The University first adopted an alcohol policy in 1984.

Revisions this year are the result of a two-year study into the alcohol use and abuse on campus, Poorman said.

But Bishop and Foley disagreed with the process officials used to develop the changes, saying it almost completely excluded students.

"This can never happen again ? where they work for two years in secret," Foley said in a Wednesday interview. "Abusive drinking isn't a good thing, but this policy isn't going to solve that."

The pair took particular issue with the barring of in-hall dances. Foley called the move "tradition-attacking" and worried that it would endanger hall spirit.

"It's not a real solution," said Foley, who believed that drinking and socializing would shift off campus and pose safety risks for students. "It has the effect of hurting the special aspect of the residential community we have at Notre Dame."

The ban of in-dorm dances and hard alcohol in halls was a double-whammy, according to Bishop.

"I don't really know what they're trying to accomplish there," she said.

In the wake of the probable changes, Bishop and Foley called for Student Affairs and Student Activities officials to increase funding for student groups to plan on-campus events. The money would pay for attractive new programming on campus.

Bishop and Foley said they also will work with the Office of Alcohol and Drug Education to address the root causes of abusive drinking.

The pair has a scheduled meeting with Poorman in early April. They said they would urge Poorman to include them and the student body in spelling out the details of policy initiatives.

"When it's such a change as this that affects student life so much, I think student opinion is critical," Bishop said.

Students in February elected Bishop and Foley, who had campaigned on the issue of clearing up unclear tailgating rules.

Now, the announcement of three changes to the alcohol policy expands the pair's agenda.

They pledged a zealous but realistic campaign to represent student interests.

"We need to work toward a fundamental change in how policy is determined at this school," Foley said.

Bishop added, "Hopefully, we can use this passion that people have about [alcohol policy changes] to get students to talk to us about other concerns affecting their lives here."

Senators Call Meeting for Alcohol Resolution

Posted on 7 April 2002:

The Senate decided Thursday to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday evening to pass a resolution calling for a review of the proposed ban of in-hall dances.

The primary reason behind the emergency meeting is to pass the proposed resolution before Monday's Campus Life Council meeting. If it passes, the resolution will be brought up at the same CLC meeting where Father Mark Poorman, vice president for Student Affairs, is expected to formally present revisions to the 18-year-old alcohol policy.

The resolution calls for students, faculty and administration to be involved in reviewing the changes to the in-hall dance policy.

"Life in the residence halls is a hallmark of the Notre Dame experience and the traditions of these residence halls bolster the Notre Dame community by bringing together the residences of a dormitory," the Senate Residence Life Committee wrote in a copy of the proposed resolution obtained by The Observer.

The resolution also refers to the potential cancellation of signature hall events and says the "direction of the proposed Alcohol Policy threatens to negatively alter traditions, some of which have lasted for over 20 years."

Stanford Senator Aldo Tesi, chairman of the Residence Life Committee, said an important part of the hall dances was its location in the halls.

"I am concerned about the smaller dorms such as Badin, where we only have 120 girls and it will be hard for us to have dances. For formals, we have to have two or three other dorms join us in order to have the dance financially and it detracts from the tradition," said Sole Galmarini, Badin senator.

Other senators raised concerns that smaller halls would be financially unable to meet the costs of their dances and that some dances might have to be cancelled in the fall because of the lack of space and available weekends due to football games.

Brian Coughlin, director of Student Activities, countered this by saying that the University has compiled a list of on-campus sites where hall dances can take place. Also, the University is looking into the possibility of reduced costs at off-campus sites.

"We have a list and there are 30 venues. Some of them are unique and unexpected. It would be irresponsible to release a list without informing the venue that their foyer might be used for a dance. These places would be ideal because they would be free to use," said Coughlin.

"Some of these places are the business school library and DeBartolo. They aren't 30 great new places and they are definitely unique," said Pat Hallahan, Sorin Hall senator and the chief of staff for Libby Bishop, student body president-elect.

Coughlin said that hall dances held outside and under tents would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis as all dances are currently handled.

The supposed lack of student involvement in the formation of the alcohol policy was also emphasized by several senators, although no mention of student involvement was included in the draft of the resolution obtained by The Observer.

Blake Haan, Keenan Hall senator, pointed out that only nine of the 28 focus groups held between September 2000 and March 2001, referenced in Poorman's Monday e-mail to students, were composed of students. About 240 individuals participated in the forums, and only 56 were students.

In an attempt to strengthen their resolution, senators discussed the addition of a clause that would be linked to the Annual Fund's use of SYRs to advertise for fundraising. The Annual Fund is a University-sponsored fundraiser directed toward alumni.

The advertisement appeals to alumni to donate money so that future students could enjoy SYRs as they once had. The mailing included a picture of a couple at a dance and used the popular MasterCard advertisement to compare the SYR memory to a priceless experience.

The Senate intends to use the Annual Fund's use of SYRs to demonstrate that the University does recognize the traditions that are associated with SYRs.

Join the Campaign to "Change ND"

Posted on 31 March 2002:

I've been at this school long enough to realize the sad, sad truth that the Golden Dome stands for one thing and one thing alone. And it's not Our Lady of the Lake.

It's cash.

Cold hard cash. Alumni checks with six zeroes, endowment figures with eight digits, big dollar signs and bigger piles of that precious, precious monetary fuel that buys stadiums and dormitories, Notre Dame monogram waffle irons and Stanford head coaches.

Notre Dame guidelines for student life revolve around wealth, and the latest policy revisions by Father Poorman are sadly no exception.

Is the issue at hand preservation of community, student safety or some other admirable cause? Father Poorman sat down at his computer Monday night and lied to us all. He drafted a masterfully woven blanket of rhetoric - a page right out of some Clintonian public relations spin cycle so fiendishly fashioned, so cleverly crafted, that one might actually be led to believe that the interests of the Notre Dame student body were the sole inspiration for the its conception.

But the truth is dirtier. Much dirtier. Father Poorman didn't need to write a statement Monday night. He barely needed to draft a page in order to express the true incentive for this plan. In fact, he should have only needed a single word:

Liability.

Plain and simple. If an underage student dies from over-consumption on school grounds, the Golden Dome is liable. Father Poorman has to sit in front of a grand jury and sheepishly explain that he is, and for quite some time has been, fully aware that underage students are imbibing massive quantities of powerful intoxicants on this campus. And what happens when the frailties of our ambiguous drinking policies are exposed? The Golden Dome pays through the golden nose, and some poor parents of an expired student get a sheepskin parchment and a check for $90 million as a macabre souvenir of duLac's worst nightmare.

But if said underage drinker dies with a drained bottle of Goldschlager in hand at College Park or Castle Point or on the sticky mauve tiles of Boat Club's dance floor, the University is not liable. Do not pass go, do not pay $90 million and Father Poorman proceeds directly to his mahogany desk in the president's office. Much better.

Is there a good chance that more students will perish from overdrinking off-campus than on? Yes. Is there a good chance that the Notre Dame community will drastically deteriorate upon the death of SYR's and traditional hall dances? Absolutely. Is any of this relevant to liability? Hardly.

Risk management. They teach us this stuff in school, right? If I were Father Poorman, maybe I'd do the same thing because people in high places aren't stupid. They're actually very smart, and if they have to bend the truth once in awhile for public policy purposes, who's to be the wiser? We're only students.

But that's not what should worry us most. It shouldn't bother any one of us that someone we trust, a member of our own Notre Dame family, may have in some small or not so small measure, sought to mislead his flock in any way, shape or form.

What should bother us most is that Father Poorman could care less what any one of us thinks in the first place.

And maybe that's not even the worst thing - maybe we should be more concerned that Father Poorman (and whoever pulls the golden strings above him) doesn't really even care what our student body government thinks either. Father Poorman didn't even bother to allow our student representatives any input concerning a drastic policy change that ultimately transforms the Notre Dame community as we know it.

So what now? What are we supposed to do?

Do we rally? No - no one will listen.

Do we chain ourselves to radiators? No - no one will care.

Do we pour malt liquor on the steps of Main Building? No - no one in Main Building likes malt liquor. And saving the right to consume malt liquor on campus isn't even the point.

The point is that, we, the students, have no voice in a place that wouldn't exist without us. And the way to speak when you have no voice is to learn the only language your adversary understands. At Notre Dame, that language happens to be cash.

This is a formal call to all seniors, juniors, sophomores, freshmen, graduate students, faculty and alumni who care about the Notre Dame community to promise to withhold all future monetary donations to this University until serious policy changes are enacted to provide students here with a real voice. Students need meaningful representation with meaningful power, and until such a power is realized, the Notre Dame community will continue to suffer a tragic, albeit silent, injustice.

A group is being organized among campus upperclassmen known as "Change ND." The group will be asking all Notre Dame students to sign individual pledges not to donate any personal funds to Notre Dame until drastic steps are taken to ensure that student voices will be fairly and adequately represented in the future.

The pages of The Observer will be littered for weeks with rants, raves and assorted gibberish - like this letter, for example. There will be angry words and cynical expressions; there will be good points made. But at the end of the day, the paper you hold in your hands will be thrown away.

Don't let this issue die quietly like so many other scarlet crimes the administration has coyly passed beneath our noses for years and years. Take this one out of The Observer and into your halls. When you see a "Change ND" pledge, sign it. Post it on your door and a tape a copy to Father Poorman's office window. Tell your parents, tell your friends. E-mail your local alumni clubs and let them know how strongly you feel about this.

Change is long overdue, and we badly deserve it. Today we have the opportunity to fight for something meaningful and something central to every academic and moral value this place of learning - our home - represents. Raise your fists and lower your wallet. Here come the Irish.

Robert Pazornik
senior
off-campus
March 20, 2002

Administration ignores student concerns

Posted on 31 March 2002:

Love them or hate them, you have to hand it to members of the administration for knowing what they are doing regarding the recent changes in the alcohol policy. Inevitably, more students will move off campus because they are fed up with being treated like children, leaving more dorm rooms for incoming freshmen. Students over the age of 21 who live on-campus will most likely welcome their new-found ability to tailgate at the cost of their right to have hard liquor in their rooms.

Moderate drinkers should not be directly affected by a ban on hard liquor and actually may support the intent to decrease on-campus drunkenness. It appears that the only segments of our community that will oppose these changes will be heavy drinkers who live on campus and underage drinkers who still lack the ability to tailgate. The last time I checked, neither demographic was busy forming a special interest group.

However, all students should be opposed to these changes for no other reason than that we had absolutely no say in them. This new alcohol policy is about much more than alcohol. We put up with a lot as Notre Dame students, and the administration seems to have no appreciation for it. University officials manage to maintain a facade of understanding through organizations such as student government, the Campus Life Council, SUB and any other groups you want to throw in there.

However, when the rubber hits the road, don't think for a minute that the administration is anything other than apathetic to dissension from students. Their general attitude seems to be "love it or leave it." Somebody handed them the Golden Dome and they use it against us every chance they get. I could be wrong. In fact, I hope I am. But if not, this is still our school, and I can only hope that someday we'll actually have the guts to take it back.

Vinnie Zuccaro
sophomore
Dillon Hall
March 19, 2002

Community and Tradition Destroyed By Unfair Policy

Posted on 31 March 2002:

Several weekends ago, I was at a ResLife job fair hunting for an assistant rector position for next year. Time and time again, potential employers, all employees in the residential life field themselves, praised Notre Dame for our fantastic dorm system. How, they wanted to know, did we manage to keep so many kids on campus and maintain our famous school spirit? Simple, I said, it's the dorm life. Living in the dorms is fun - they're like fraternities, and our dorm mates are like family members.

Guess what, Father Poorman and crew, thanks to the bomb you just dropped on the alcohol policy, you can kiss your - I mean our - precious "residentiality" good-bye.

Strangely, you've failed to recognize that, for better or for worse, college students like to drink alcohol, and Notre Dame is no exception. But instead of implementing programs aimed at responsible drinking, you've chosen an all-out ban on hard alcohol and in-dorm SYRs.

Though I find it sad that Notre Dame students would leave their dorms simply because of stricter alcohol policies, the truth is that many will. And with them will go our cherished and coveted residential system.

The most glaring error in your assessment is that you claim that banning hard alcohol in the dorms is a safer alternative to the current policy. Is it safer that students leave their dorms and drive to bars or off-campus parties? Wasn't this the reason for the relatively lax alcohol policies in the past? Do you honestly think that students will simply stop drinking? It is my prayer that the Notre Dame community never has to endure the loss of one of our own when he or she is killed in an alcohol-related car accident. Schools across the country have not been immune to these tragedies but our alcohol policies have spared us from this.

Earlier this year, we resident assistants were asked to provide our residents with alternatives to off-campus parties. It was said that too many of our students, especially freshmen, were getting drunk off-campus and having trouble getting home. Essentially, what you've done is taken them out of an environment where a network of assistant rectors, resident assistants, rectors and countless non-intoxicated fellow students are able to offer them help if they've had too much and left them in one full of equally-intoxicated strangers. That's safety!

I also find it strange that in-dorm SYRs have been banned, despite the fact that some dorms experience almost no problems during dances. My dorm, Keenan Hall, simply does not have the kind of problems that other dorms have because our staff, our upper-classmen and especially our rector, have cultivated an environment where responsibility is encouraged. Instead of punishing us for the misdeeds of others, perhaps your office should take a long look at the inadequacies of problem dorms and develop ways to make their SYRs safer.

And why ban both hard alcohol and SYRs? If alcohol is the creator of all of the SYR problems, isn't it enough just to get rid of the liquor? I'm thankful I don't live in Lewis or McGlinn because your SYR ban has left them with no signature events. And what will Alumni be like without the Wake? As past director and head writer