Campus News:
University President Father John Jenkins recently gave his annual address to the faculty. He reiterated and refined his three-part strategic vision for the University - remain dedicated to undergraduate education, become a highly ranked and well regarded research university, and to uphold the Catholic character. Jenkins stressed guiding undergraduates toward research with the goal of the undergrads seeking higher education and Ph.Ds. Domers earning Ph.D.s is low compared to peer institutions (Princeton, Yale, Rice) and very low compared to some liberal arts colleges. Between 1995 and 2004, five percent of Domers earned a Ph.D. Jenkins wants that percentage to rise and has formed a group with the goal of deciphering ways to increase the percentage. The faculty was asked to step up and teach courses in a way to inspire students to ask questions and seek answers.
Efforts have been taken to make undergraduate research more appealing to undergrads. A position has been created of assistant director for undergraduate research. The honors program has been expanded in the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Science. An honors program has been created in the College of Engineering. There has also been the addition of honors tracks for the majority of majors. About $30 million of our $1 billion campaign will be put toward undergraduate research. Jenkins hopes the efforts will allow us to one day be a member of the Association of American Universities. Joining such a group will bring pride, reputation, information sharing, member advice, and recognition as a distinguished research institution. Campus Watch by the Gipper from Scholastic... This is sort of a continuation from last week of the chap who passed out and woke up in a strange room...
Lesson learned? Well, upon discovering that she had an Algebra II quiz on Monday morning, Joe Cradle-robber vowed to only light up his nights with good old fashioned 18-and-up fun. As there is always an equal and opposite reaction to any action, there is some good to come from this...well...bad. Townie-lover boy has inspired the first installment of Gipper Law: 1.) Thou shalt leave the high school girls to the high school guys.
How would you have known the difference between college girls and high school girls? How else? Pigtails and plaid skirts. All high school girls wear uniforms. It's illegal not to. Also, just make a mental note when she mentions how excited she is about the prospect of a state championship this year. Take her beer, and flee the force of those beautifully innocent eyes. Despite the knee-slapper of a story that might follow, Gipper law prohibits this practice in the future. You can do better. Or you can at least do older.
Hall Notes:
More Elsie's Promise....
The final gig.
That show was a Senior Week gig on the Indiana farm of one of our classmates. It was a bash of epic proportions, which possibly only a farmer would understand. There were probably 300 in attendance, and the activities centered in the main equipment storage barn, though there was a large spillover into the adjacent fields, where many had set up tents to spend the night. It was like an Indiana Woodstock. Again, details are fuzzy, but I do remember the meal that was served - bacon wrapped filets with traditional picnic side dishes. The farm owners confiscated all car keys when partygoers entered and said, "Eat and drink all you want, and have a good time. You'll get your keys back in the morning." It was a good time, and a fitting end to the legacy of Elsie's Promise. Back home on the farm, surrounded by silos, tractors, hundreds of drunken co-eds, and dozens of cows.
NDSportscenter:
Sophomore tight end Konrad Reuland has decided to transfer. He left school and headed back to California unsure of his future. When recruited, Reuland was rated the #2 tight end in the country. He had recently slipped behind freshman Mike Ragone (#1 in the nation last year) for fourth on the depth chart. Charlie has also received a verbal commitment from this year's #1 tight end.
The defense of the women's soccer team continues to plague them. The ladies fell 2-1 in overtime to #16 Oklahoma State at Alumni Field. It was our first loss at home since 2003. Over the last 43 home games we were 41-0-2. It was the third longest home unbeaten streak. We outshot the Cowboys 20-6 and had a 7-2 corner kick advantage. Our record fell to 2-3-1. The Irish then won a game but fell to #14 Penn State 2-1 at home. We outshot the Nittany Lions 24-9 and led 9-3 in shots on goal.
Basketball alum Billy Taylor has been named the new head coach at Ball State University. Taylor had been the head coach at Lehigh University for the past five years. He led them to 81 victories, a regular-season conference championship, and an NCAA tournament appearance. Billy was twice named Patriot League Coach of the Year. Ball State's coach resigned last month. The team was 9-22 last year. Taylor agreed to a five-year contract. Billy is an Aurora, Ill. native and always had the goal of getting back to the midwest. A possible future leader for the Irish?
Campus News:
The campus ROTC (Reserve Officers' Training Corps) program continues ot receive a steady rate of applications. We have generally surpassed the national average even in the wake of the on-going Iraq War.
By the end of this academic year, the Army expects to have as many as 30 freshmen enrolled. Currently there are 24 but more are expected next semester. Since 2001, 20 to 25 new recruits have been accepted each year out of more than 200 applicants. Most seek the scholarships to make a Notre Dame education affordable. Full-ride scholarships are available to those willing to serve eight years in the military after graduation.
Because of scholarship availability, some ROTC members switch services. One student switched from the Air Force to the Army for financial reasons. Air Force scholarship money is less than that of the other services. That goes along with the overall military movement of our armed forces. The Army and Marines are growing while the Air Force is shrinking.
The Navy has also had its budget tightened. Scholarships have dropped 20 percent since 2003. The number of applications, though, has risen. In general, amongst Notre Dame ROTC programs the applications have risen or remained constant. Even with the possibility of being sent to the Middle East, students are still lining up to serve their country and gain a top education.
Campus Watch by the Gipper from Scholastic:
This story begins with a moment of complete discombobulation, as a young man awakening post-long-night-of-drinking, opens his eyes in a room decked out in pinks, pastels and Britney Spears. In this situation, the Gipp would recommend that, before shouting out, "This isn't my dorm," one should perform some reconnaissance. Especially since Spears hasn't been hot since her pigtails and plaid skirts took a back seat to her two skin-stretching natural births and crazed lifestyle. But because that would have been the smart move, our real man of genius shouted out something along the lines of, "This isn't my dorm room," or "What'd you do with my roommate!" before the thought passed through his head that maybe she has a dog...or better yet...an unknowing set of parents in the next room. Personally, I cannot imagine a greater walk of shame than one done in front of parents. Just pray in thanksgiving that our poor innocent party goer wasn't a professor's daughter. Imagine the awkward, "Mom, don't cry" plea from the innocent daughter. And the sound of that cocked shotgun from Dad. Well since it wasn't Club 23, our unfortunate comrade was merely booted out into suburban South Bend with his skivvies and a 10 minute wait for a cab.
Hall Notes:
More Elsie's Promise...
Anyway, anothe big event was "Hillstock: One Day of Peace, Love, and Music." This was the all-day show/barbeque/party at the original Hill Street house - home of Elsie's Promise. Unfortunately, it wasn't an all-day show. We, as a band decided that if we weren't the best band on campus, we would at least by the loudest band on campus. As such, the South Bend police received a number of complaints from homes several blocks away about the noise, and they shut us down. We lowered the volume on the amps and tried to play some more, but we were again denied. So we gave up and joined the party.
We played in all the Battle of the Bands, but never won. However, in our last Battle of the Bands, I pulled double duty, playing in two different bands. I don't think my Elsie's bandmates were too happy with me, but the other band (more on that later) definitely had a better performance. I think Elsie had seen her better days and was on the decline. And indeed, she only had one good show left in her.
NDSportscenter:
An unnamed donor has pledged $15 million toward the construction of a new hockey arena. Before the construction can go forward, 100 percent of the funds must be committed. And 75 percent must be on hand before the actual planning and construction begins. The final arena budget is expected to be around $25 to $30 million. Other donations have been raised to the tune of $7.5 million. No time frame has been set but our hockey coach hopes the funds will be in place by winter break.
The facility will remain in the north dome. A new structure will not be built. Coach Jeff Jackson is pleased with the north dome location. It's close to campus and an existing building will make construction quicker and cheaper. The remodeled fieldhouse will likely center on the new rink. There will be more accessible restrooms, concessions, new lockerrooms and better seating arrangements. "I'd like to see them put the fans right on top of us," Jackson said. "Make it a friendly place for us but an intimidating place for any opponents."
Last year the Irish won 15 of 17 home games in a "wide open, below-parr arena" that hold only 2,713 fans. We were #1 for seven weeks last year and Jackson thinks we could attract at least 1,000 more fans and wants the seating increased. It could have as many as 5,000 seats. Construction timing is an issue. The hockey off-season is only six months. The hope would be to construct during one off-season. But if the arena is compex, construction may be football stadium-like. Build in the summer. Shut down construction during the winter. Then finish the following summer. It will happen, but the exact plan is still up in the air.
Campus News:
The U.S. News and World Report recently came out with its college rankings. We were 19th. Last year we were 20th. The rankings are basically the same every year, give or take a position or two.
The JACC south dome renovation is tentatively scheduled to begin March 2009. It is expected to be completed by October 2009. In addition to the arena renovations, new practice courts and weight room facilities will be built in the back half of the north dome.
On September 7, the JACC featured The Show, a concert that opens the semester on one of the first weekends of the school year. The Show is open only to students. The concert this year featured the band OK GO and rapper Lupe Fiasco. The Show has a reputation for bringing in blossoming acts. The Black Eyed Peas performed in 2003 and Akon took the stage in 2005. OK Go is the band known for its single "Here It Goes Again" and its video which features the band performing a choreographed dance routine on eight treadmills. Lupe Fiasco's first album came out in 2006 and received three Grammy nominations. Philadelphia-based disc jockey Diplo will also be featured. He will spin before The Show and between the two acts. The Show is a completely independent production. Students book the acts, do the marketing, and manage the final production. They also try to hold the cost down. The Show committee solicits donations from various departments and student clubs to pay most of the production costs. Tickets for ND, SMC, and Holy Cross students were $10.
Campus Watch by Me:
I'm running out of gossip so I hope some issues of Scholastic come out soon.
I've got another Jimmy story. It's very minor, though.
So after the Georgia Tech game quite a few people were rather upset with the offensive line. My friend, who happens to be a professor, was walking on campus and talking to her husband on her cell phone. She's an Irish football junkie and she was talking about the o-line. Let's just say her language was colorful. She completed the call and continued on her way. It was only after cursing out the lead blockers that she noticed she wasn't alone on the sidewalk. Turns out young Clausen was also walking the same direction. Since he did not object to the phone call conversation, I can only assume he agreed with her.
Hall Notes:
More Elsie's Promise...
As mentioned earlier, we played regular shows at Club 23 on Thursdays, and Corby's or Jazzman's on Saturdays. Some other notable gigs included the first and only Elsie's Promise Midwest Weekend Tour, consisting of a show at a University of Michigan fraternity house on Friday and a show at a Michigan State house party on Saturday. Both were high class affairs. After the U of M show, it was like a gigantic slumber party where we all just grabbed a couch or a space on the floor to sleep. We woke up in the late morning, packed out gear, and headed out to East Lansing. MSU had a home game that day so there was much hubbub. We partied at the house all day while watching the ND game on TV. In the evening we set up our stuff and treated the partygoers to a jammin' show. I sampled a special variety of tea that day, and I do believe I hooked up with a dedicated "cowhead" who had made the trip with us. As with many of my memories of the Elsie's Promise days, I don't have a very detailed recollection of this event, as it has been over ten years ago, and those days were clogged with malted hops anad bong resin.
NDSportscenter:
The men's basketball team will play 18 conference games this year (16 last year). The Big East hasn't done that since 1998-99. Six games at the JACC will be on national television. We will play all the teams in the conference this year. We will play three teams home and awayh: Connecticut, DePaul, and Marquette.
Despite the rough start to the season, we are still attracting recruits. None of our nineteen verbal commitments have backed out. We are still #1 at Rivals and Scout. For the Michigan State game we are hosting a five-star DE from Texas, a four-star RB from Virginia, and a four-star athlete from Kansans.
For those of you who haven't heard, sophomore QB Demetrius Jones has left school and enrolled at Northern Illinois without officially filing any transfer paperwork. Charlie didn't find out until 15 minutes before they boarded the bus to Michigan. Jones was at practice on Thursday. But we have a California kid coming in next year to compete with Clausen. And one analyst says he's BETTER than Clausen. Be patient.
The women's soccer team had a rough time last weekend. We were on the road against #3 Santa Clara and #5 Stanford. Santa Clara freakin' destroyed us 7-1. Painful. Then we fell to Stanford 2-1 in overtime on a penalty kick. So we opened the year 1-2-1 and fell to #13 in the rankings. Coach Randy Waldrum opened up competition for the goalkeeper to all three of our tenders. Maybe some new blood will turn it around. And hopefully senior forward Amanda Cinalli will be back from a concussion suffered in the Stanford game.
So whatever happened to Darius Walker? It was first reported he signed with the Bears. But the offer was yanked at the 11th hour. He then caught on with the Houston Texans. They cut him just before the season began. He was re-signed, though, to the Houston practice squad.
Campus News:
Last week an Observer article announced that the Office of Residential Life and Housing stated the 27 dorms are at 104.1 percent capacity. All of the women's dorms are beyond capacity and most of the men's halls are as well. Study lounges have been converted to make room for 179 extra beds. According to the associate director of Res Life, the dorms have been above 100 percent capacity for the past five or six years. For the '90s, the capacity was never lower than 96 percent. For the most part, the University has not experienced a large student increase in the last 10 to 15 years. Last year, though, 100 more students enrolled than anticipated.
Res Life doesn't believe the overcapacity pushes people to move off campus. The 104.1 percent capacity seems to indicate the upperclassmen are still on campus to a great degree. Obviously the freshmen and sophomores are saddled with the cramped arrangements. The University is working to alleviate the overcrowding by building four new dorms. Duncan Hall is currently under construction. It is a men's dorm next to McGlinn and will open to students next fall. The new dorms will provide 1,000 new beds. That's much more than 179 students. Approximately 750 beds will be removed from the current halls to reduce capacity. The 250 extra beds will hopefully be enough of a cushion to prevent 100+ percent capacity in the future. Demand is actually higher than 104.1 percent. There are currently 30 men and 30 women on the waiting list to live on campus this fall.
Campus Watch by Me:
So here's another story about coach Charles...
Local car dealership, Gurley Leep, provides vehicles for the football coaching staff. Word is that Weis had problems with one of his vehicles. Well, Charlie called somebody at the dealership and supposedly beotched them out about the car problems. Awhile later, Mr. Gurley Leep called back and beotched at Charlie. He supposedly told Coach he better not treat one of his employees like that again or he'll pull all his cars out of the University. Sounds like he's a Jersey guy too. Get those two together and we could have a helluva sparring session.
Hall Notes:
Since I have a TON of material on Elsie's Promise, I'll continue to share random bits and pieces as provided by Dean Busack '97 (drummer supreme)...
Here is a sample setlist from our second year.
Corby's 1/25/1997
Set I
Down with Disease - Phish
Hard to Handle - Black Crowes
Nickel - original
Good Times Bad Times - Led Zeppelin
Lessons - original
Fields of Joy - Lenny Kravitz
Pleas - Widespread Panic
Southbound - Allman Brothers
Set II
Shakedown Street - Grateful Dead
Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd
Space Wrangler - Widespread Panic
Two Step - Dave Matthews Band
Evil Ways - Santana
Add It Up - Violent Femmes
Jenny/867-5309 - Tommy Tutone
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - The Police
Superstitious - Stevie Wonder
Set III
Tweezer Reprise - Phish
Harry Hood - Phish
Sex Machine - James Brown
Chalkdust Torture - Phish
As you can see, we were kind of all over the place in the type of music we played, but the crowd seemed to like it.
NDSportscenter:
Jimmy Clausen became our eighth freshman to start at quarterback. And he is the quickest to start, in only his second game. Previous starting freshmen, including Brady Quinn, didn't get the not until their fourth game.
Charlie continually says the best player will play regardless of age. In the first game nine freshmen saw action.
Prior to the upcoming Michigan State game, a new statue will be dedicated outside the stadium. Outside of Gate D, coach Ara Parseghian will be honored. His former players and coaches were invited and over 200 are expected to attend the early morning ceremony.
The men's soccer team, ranked #9, opened the year with a bang. They knocked off #1 UCLA 2-1 in overtime. UCLA was fortunate to see overtime. They scored with just 38 seconds remaining in regulation. We outshot the Bruins 13-8. Unfortunately the next day we had another top opponent. We fell 3-0 to #7 Maryland.
The women's soccer team opened the year at #2. They opened the season at home against Michigan. The ladies outshot the Wolverines in a big way but did not register a goal. It ended in a 0-0 tie. Then we left campus to take on #7 Florida. The women beat the Gators 2-0.
We beat Penn State. Sorta. Our fantasy camp team went to Penn State to play their fantasy camp team. The game was in Beaver Stadium on Friday before the main game. The semi-contact flag football game had participants with an average age of 45. The Irish came out on top 16-15. I'm guessing we had more than 0 yards rushing.
Campus News:
Two students were shot outside Club 23 early Tuesday morning, August 21. Both were seniors. The 21-year-old was hit in the lower left leg. He was treated and released from a local hospital. The 22-year-old was shot in the leg and abdomen. He was rushed to the hospital for surgery. Initially the wounds were considered life threatening. He had requested and received last rites. After the surgery he was listed in stable condition and is now expected to make a full recovery. The bullet, though, will remain in his abdomen permanently. The removal procedure was considered too risky.
The shooter has not yet been found. The students did not know the individual. There were three students (the two victims and another student) waiting outside Club 23 for a ride. The students were approached by the man. He asked for a ride. They said "no." The man then left. He returned a short time later in the passenger seat of an SUV. The vehicle drove up to the students. The man yelled at them and squeezed off five shots. The vehicle then took off.
In other non-violent news... Construction on the new engineering building will begin after Thanksgiving. Stinson-Remnick Hall, a $69.4 million structure, will occupy the site of the University Club. The club will be torn down around Thanksgiving to make way for the work. The engineering building will be completed in about three years.
Campus Watch by Me:
What are the latest tidbits from the grapevine?...Let's see... Well, I did hear some junk about Charlie. Apparently he had three different contractors building his house. The first two were fired. That was awhile ago. Cut to today. Assistant coach Haywood had a contractor at the football offices recently. He was building Haywood's house and came by for a meeting. As the contractor was leaving, Haywood went to introduce him to Weis. He told Charlie, "This is the guy building my new house." The first words out of the head coach's mouth were..."Don't trust those a$$holes." (Or something to that effect.) How's that for making a first impression? Ouch.
Hall Notes:
More Elsie's Promise stories to share...
Despite the legendary status, Elsie's Promise really only existed for two years. The first year saw the ouster of Mike Gilleece (guitar), but it also brought the demise of one of the founders - T.J. Bogdewic (vocals/harmonica). Alas, no more twenty-minute harmonica-filled jam versions of Bittersweet (much to the dismay of Dan Delgado), but also no more tone-deal screaming at the microphone either (much to the pleasure of many). Chris Crow was brought on to replace T.J. He was the only non-Domer in the band, but he assimilated well, except for the whole duLac thing. He never quite got into that pesky ban on premarital nookie, and ended up fathering a child with one of his groupies toward the end of Elsie's Promise's existence. Regardless, along with vocals, he brought keyboard and auxillary percussion skills with him. This opened up a whole new world of music styles in the second year of the band - much more Pink Floyd and Phish type psychedelic stuff, as well as some fun drum jams while the rest of the band went for beer.
NDSportscenter:
The Penn State game next week is on ESPN at 6pm EST. I believe the series stands at 9-8-1 in favor of the Irish. I also believe this is our first trip to State College since 1991.
Defensive lineman Darrell Hand, who was arrested for soliciting prostitution, was allowed a pretrial diversion. He was required to pay $316 in fees and court costs. The Class A misdemeanor will be wiped out if Hand stays clear of trouble for a year. The University did NOT suspend him. He was also allowed to return to the team. However, Charlie has his own punishment. Hand has been suspended for "at least" three games.
Last weekend Charlie had a "Student Appreciation Night" for the students. Sunday evening he had practice in the Stadium. A valid student ID was required for entry. Weis requested that the student media remain silent on what took place at practice. About 2,000 students attended.
Basketball alumni news: Russell Carter will play professionally in Italy. He failed to make the Cleveland Cavaliers' summer-league roster. His Italian team is a second division team....Colin Falls will be playing for a top division Italian team. The Italian season starts this month....Torin Francis is beginning his second season in Italy. He spent a month during the summer with the Boston Celtics but did not play due to a knee injury....Dennis Latimore is back to play a second season in France. Two knee surgeries curtailed his season last year....Ryan Humphrey will be playing in Cyprus. Last fall he was in the Los Angeles Clippers' training camp but was ultimately let go.... Chris Thomas will spend this season in Spain. Since graduating in 2005, Thomas has played in Italy, Greece, and Poland.
Campus News:
The students came back this weekend. Classes start on Tuesday. But some students were already on campus. Some were band members. Some were athletes. And some were student managers.
Student managing began under Knute Rockne. He employed students to schedule games and perform other tasks for the football team. Today, most student managers serve the gridiron squad. All but two of the varsity sports have at least one student manager to work practices, games, and make travel arrangements. Junior year is the busiest for the managers. Often times they put in more hours than the players and coaches. Some estimate junior managers spend 40 to 50 hours per week preparing for, assisting with, and cleaning up after every practice and game.
The glory job is painting the gold helmets. But managers must also haul equipment, track playing time, and take attendance at meals. They earn the right to work like dogs during their second year. Anywhere from 40 to 100 sophomores participate in the program. Their roles are limited. They work just once or twice for a variety of teams. At the end of their second year, the sophomores evaluate each other. Only the top 21 continue as student managers.
A second round of evaluations take place after junior year. That determines what sports they will receive senior year. The senior year work is less stressful. It's more meaningful work in a business-oriented role. They do paperwork instead of hauling equipment. The managers are more like "assistant-assistant coaches" for their senior years as they arrange travel instead of folding towels.
Their are perks as well. All junior and senior managers have 65 to 100 percent of their tuition costs covered by the University. And after three years in the program the managers become part of the Monogram Club. Sounds like they are well compensated for their work.
Campus Watch from the South Bend Tribune:
Freshman quarterback Jimmy Clausen was busted by Indiana State Excise Police on June 23 outside Belmont Beverages, a liquor store east of campus. Clausen was cited for transporting alcohol as a minor. A 23-year-old Domer went into the store and bought the alcohol. It was entirely in his possession, but he brought it to Jimmy's car as they were traveling together. The police stopped them right then and there. Jimmy, the 23-year-old, and another underage passenger were all in the vehicle. It is illegal for someone underage to transport alochol without a parent or guardian. Clausen entered a pretrial diversion to lessen the severity of the illegal act. He will avoid a misdemeanor if he goes uncharged in anything else for a year. Jimmy did not comment. Charlie said it was "ignorance" of the law that even he did not know. There is no word yet from the school or if this will have an impact on playing time. A school judgment will come at some point.
Hall Notes:
Elsie's Promise is still stuck in the studio. Other Vermin news...
Brian "Crew" Welch '97 is back in the Bend. He is married now. He met his wife, Andrea, in graduate school at Ohio University. They got hitched in November of 2005. Anybody ever think Crew would be the quarterback of something? Currently he's the Director of the Student Success Center at Purdue University North Central in Westville, Indiana. Crew is stockpiling his various university positions in hopes of turning them into a gig in the Academic Services for Student-Athletes at ND. Everyone eventually comes home.
NDSportscenter:
The home opener for football is next Saturday, September 1. We face Georgia Tech at home. It will be on NBC at 3:30pm EST.
Last weekend was perhaps the greatest exhibition match of all time in women's soccer. #1 North Carolina came to town to play #2 Notre Dame. A record attendance of 3,412 was on hand for the exhibition. The Irish were up 1-0 at the half. The Tar Heels bounced back and led 2-1. But with 12 minutes left we knotted it up. It ended in a 2-2 tie. Did I mention it was only an exhibition game?
Jeff Samardzija is slowly making his way to the Majors. He was recently reassigned to AA ball. Jeff is now with the Tennessee Smokies. The Shark started his stint with the Smokies with two victories and a 1.46 ERA.
More hockey news. The amazing recruiting continues. With most sports, commitments usually only come a year before the student goes to college. Jeff Jackson gets them to commit TWO years before college. Riley Sheahan, a center from Ontario, will join us in 2009. Forward Kevin Nugent, whose father was a Domer skater in the '70s, will join in 2008 or 2009. An option on which year? Yeah. Apparently he's good enough to play junior hockey and not just high school.
While the women's soccer team is playing exhibition games, Jeff Jackson is scheduling the big dogs to OPEN the season. We will open this season versus six-time national champion Wisconsin on October 12. The game will be in an invitational in Dayton, Ohio. Our only tune-up will be an intrasquad game. Yikes.
Campus News:
More on University energy...
Students have gotten involved in shaping our future energy sources. About 50 are working with faculty members who are researching alternative forms of energy, including solar, wind and water power. We are also working to increase efficiency of our power plant since it is still the most cost-effective energy source. The head of the Energy Center stated: "We're using our primary energy twice as efficiently as people normally do. The problem is only seven percent of the energy produced in this country is the result of cogeneration. It's not very common at all. That's the benefit of having a power plant on campus. We can use all the waste heat."
John Affleck-Graves, the executive vice president, has formed an Energy and Environmental Issues Committee. The committee is composed of faculty members, a student from both student government and the engineering department, and administrators. The committee has three main goals. One is to help develop an energy strategy for the campus and hold regular discussions of the strategy. The next goal is monitor conservation on campus, publicize information and results from the studies, and determine what is necessary to get the campus community to become involved. The last goal is to advice Affleck-Graves on specific issues that arise. It could be about sulfur dioxide emissions or improving energy efficiency in new buildings or bringing hybrid vehicles to campus.
The administration and student body are united in shaping a greener campus.
Campus Watch by Me:
Jimmy. Jimmy. Jimmy. The most famous frosh in school history is already partying like a veteran. I recently saw a photo that showed Jimmy and the rest of the freshman ballers partying at an off-campus house. Now there was nothing scandalous in the photo. No drinks. No Duke lacrosse. It turns out the famous frosh has a house off-campus already. Ma and Pa Clausen made a purchase. Jimmy has to live on campus for a year per University rules. But I expect him to go elsewhere from sophomore year on. Apparently the house is stocked with video games and a posh TV and DVDs and other luxury items. Look for the little rascals to be hanging out at the clubhouse year round.
Hall Notes:
There are more Elsie's Promise tales to tell. However, we'll give the band a break. While they are on hiatus...
Vermin Bert Berry '97 is back from injury. He is listed as the starting right defensive end of the depth chart of the Arizona Cardinals. But Bert made other news this summer. He was one of twenty current and former NFL players to take part in the first NFL Broadcast Boot Camp at NFL Films. The program ran from June 18 to June 21. It was directed by the NFL broadcasting department and covered a wide range of sports topics with instructors from all of the NFL's broadcasting partners.
NDSportscenter:
Steve Filer of Mount Carmel High School in Chicago is our 19th verbal commitment. Tom Lemming rates him at five stars. Steve is a beast of a linebacker at 6'4", 225 lbs. As a junior he had 87 tackles and 8 sacks. Filer has good size, is very aggressive, and has excellent lateral movement. He runs a 4.6 - 40. Filer chose us over Ohio State and Michigan. He had 37 offers. Steve is expected to be an inside linebacker. Filer is our 12th defensive commitment.
With the 19th commitment we vaulted to the #1 position at both Rivals.com and Scout.com. Our Rivals star average is 3.84. The average is bested only by USC and Ohio State. Our Scout star average is 4.00. Again we trail only the Trojans and Suckeyes. Our class may only grow 23. A few hopefuls have committed elsewhere. Hopefully we can land a running back, a wide receiver, two offensive lineman, and maybe another linebacker if we're lucky.
Sophomore point guard Melissa Lechlitner made the Under-19 USA National Team. She was one of twelve to compete at the World Championship. Team USA trounced the competition and Melissa played a vital role.
There's nothing like hockey news in the summertime. Over the summer five current or future Irish players were selected in the NHL Draft. The beautiful thing about our NHL selections are their ages. One will only be a sophomore. The other four? They are all INCOMING freshmen. Coach Jeff Jackson is a recruiting wizard. The talent gap is closing. Only three schools had more players selected in the draft.
Campus News:
More on Notre Dame's energy use....
Our power plant can be run on three different types of fuel. Electricity can be created by the use of coal, natural gas, or fuel oils. In recent years, this diversity has paid off. Our fuel has been approximately 85 percent coal, 10 percent natural gas, and 5 percent fuel oil. Because of the high costs of natural gas and fuel oil, we have sought coal and have averaged savings of nearly $15 million per year.
What about coal burning pollution? Our director of utilities had this to say: "As far as sulfur dioxide, we produce a lot less than the university's Title V permit allows [...] 46 percent less during the most recently published reporting year in 2003." The University is accountable for less than 0.2 percent of the total emissions in the state. Construction has begun on a new Ultra-Low NOx Burner for long-term use and backup power without sacrificing the goals of creating cleaner systems.
In addition to producing energy, we are also researching it. In 2005 the Notre Dame Energy Center became a recognized entity and began receiving funding. The center is working toward finding more efficient industrial processes. Two main projects are being researched. One is cleaner coal technology and the other is carbon dioxide capture. Coal is plentiful and expected to last 400 more years so it is not going away. Neither are other fossil fuels and gases they release when burned. The center is currently in the third year of a nine year project working toward new CO2 capture research. Funding has been aided by the U.S. Department of Energy to "focus on the development of a new liquid absorbent for efficient post-combustion capture of CO2 from coal-fired power plants."
More next week.
Campus Watch by Me:
Boys will be boys. Let me re-phrase... Stupid boys will be stupid boys. Junior defensive end/nose tackle Derrell Hand, 20, was arrested and jailed for allegedly propositioning a prostitute. He posted a $250 bond and was released from jail. The Philadelphia native was caught in a sting by female police officers. Hand has been suspended indefinitely from the team. The infraction is a Class A misdemeanor unless there are priors to increase the severity of the penalty. I fully expect Hand to be suspended for at least a semester if found guilty. Ah, the ignorance of youth. All he had to do was wait a few weeks and find a jocksniff groupie on campus. Impatience, thy name is incarceration.
Hall Notes:
More Elsie's Promise...
Back to the story about rock n roll making for strange bedfellows...
"How does this relate to Elsie's Promise?" you ask? Well I'm about to tell you.
During Pigtostal junior year, we performed as part of a multi-band line-up at the Swim House. One of the other bands was Stomper Bob and the 4x4's. Dave Lilllis, our guitarist, introduced meto Stomper Bob's keyboardist, Joel Cummins. Dave asked if I remembered the incident during our freshman year when someone was f***ing in my bed. I said, "What, am I hard of remembering? Of course I do." Turns out, Joel Cummins was that someone. "Heh, small world. Nice to meet ya Joel. Pretty appropriate last name."
Post script: Joel took his musical career further than anyone in Elsie's Promise. He is now a member of Umphrey's McGee, a fairly popular and well-known jam-band.
Because of their popularity, an old Stomper Bob CD actually sold for $76.00 on eBay.
Newman! Elsie's Promise coulda been somebody. We coulda been a contender. If only I had been found f***ing in someone else's bed, things might have turned out differently. Oh well.
NDSportscenter:
The recruiting news continues. Dan McCarthy of Youngstown, Ohio is verbal commitment #18. Dan is a 6'2", 190 lb safety and attends Cardinal Mooney High School. Tom Lemming has him as a four-star recruit and a top 100 prospect. His 4.48 - 40 speed helped him record 110 tackles and make two interceptions last year. McCarthy had 24 offers including LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Stanford. It came down to us and the Suckeyes. We landed a big safety with excellent closing speed and solid tackling ability. Dan's brother, Kyle, is currently on the football team. And his older brother, Brian is a Domer.
We recently signed a 20-year contract extension with the University of Michigan. Strange considering how Lloyd Carr has complained in the past about having us on the schedule. We will play the Wolverines through 2031. The series started in 1887. Michigan won the first eight games. The series now stands at 19-14-1. Oklahoma has also been added to future schedules. We will play the Sooners home and away in 2012 and 2013.
Senior Amanda Cinalli and sophomore Michele Weissenhofer were on the Under-21 National Team that competed at the Nordic Cup. The women trounced the competition. They defeated Germany 4-0 in the title game to avenge their loss in the final last year.
The men's soccer team has a pre-season ranking of #11 and return forward Joseph Lapira, last year's Hermann Trophy winner.
Campus News:
We know the University has its own power plant. But what's the story behind our energy?
Notre Dame is historical in its energy use. An energy publication stated that it seems "probable that Notre Dame was the first American college to have electric lights." Arc light has been in use since 1881 to light the recreation grounds. The incandescent lamp has been in use since 1885.
Our first steam plant was built in the late 1800s. In 1900, a new steam plant was constructed north of the Dome. After acquiring a steam turbine generator and two diesel generators, the University broke off from the power grid in 1953. We were entirely self-sufficient for electricity. The generators could function through the use of coal or natural gas as fuel. Until 1970, we produced what electricity we needed. But because of rising demand, after 1970 we had to purchase electricity from outside sources. The original generators from 1953 are still in use today.
The current power plant is operated as a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Plant and uses "cogeneration" in order to operate at maximum efficiency. "Cogeneration" for us means using steam to not only create electricity, but also to heat and cool the campus. The University is able to produce all of its own heat and chilled water (for air conditioning and refrigeration) as a byproduct of the production of electricity. Our power plant produces about 55 percent of all electricity used on campus. The only downside to the CHP plant is the emission of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which the University is continually trying to minimize.
More next week on energy use on campus.
Campus Watch by Me:
The parking lots south of the JACC and the Stadium have been re-paved. They have also been re-striped. And the re-striping seems to have added parking spots. The stalls barely look big enough for a Mini Cooper. Methinks there will be more parking passes available for all future football games. The re-paving should pay for itself in just a few seasons because of the additional capacity. Also expect more car doors to get dinged and for fat guys to be stuck in their vehicle because of insufficient door opening space. Thank goodness we can still tailgate through a down car window.
Hall Notes:
More Elsie's Promise...
The story of Elsie’s Promise wouldn’t be complete without another tale of some young taking up residence in the wrong bed, although this particular lad also had a lass with him. It was early in our freshman year. I had been away at Ann Arbor with the Band of the Fighting Irish for the 1993 ND - Michigan game.
When I returned to my third floor dorm room, weak and weary, I found that my roomies had thrown a party (as they tended to do, not only on weekends, but also during the week, but especially on weekends). The party was over (or it had at least migrated to another room), but when I turned the lights on, I saw empty beer cans strewn about, a general party mess, and what’s this?!?! There was stirring in one of the beds--not one of my roommates’ beds, but mine. Now I knew that it couldn’t be me stirring in the bed because I was standing there looking at it. Much to my displeasure, it was obviously someone else. Now I’m not sure which is better, a drunk person passed out in your bed, or two drunk people making out in your bed. I was confronted with the latter, so I did what any reasonable sleep-deprived person would do-I said, "HEY!!! GET THE F*** OUT OF MY BED!!!"
This little incident precipitated a whole series of events leading up to Father Mike uttering the now infamous, "You mean to say they were f***ing in your bed?" and my switching rooms to join Dan Delgado and Sweet Baby James Zawada in a much better roommate arrangement that would ultimately lead to a group of friends that would lead to this very website. "How does this relate to Elsies Promise?" you ask? "And why will I wait until next week to tell you" you didn't ask?
NDSportscenter:
The recruiting news continues. The 17th verbal commitment was a major get. We snagged 6'4", 270 lb Ethan Johnson from Portland, Oregon. The Scout five-star prospect chose us over USC, Oregon, and Michigan. Scout had Ethan as the 24th best overall player. Johnson attends Lincoln High and last year had 80 tackles and 10 sacks. He is our 10th defensive commitment and our fifth lineman. Ethan runs a 4.8 - 40 and benches 330 lbs. Johnson is athletic, explosive, quick off the ball and a possible starter from day one. If only we could get him here immediately.
Charlie lost his second medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctors who performed his gastric bypass surgery. The jury deliberated for three hours and found the doctors not negligent. Weis said that had he won, all the money would have gone to charity. But thanks to Charlie, plenty will still go to those less fortunate.
This year there were two fantasy football camps because demand was so great. The first was from June 27 to July 1 and from July 1 to July 5. Of the 89 participants, 38 were return campers. The ages were from 22 to 74. Twenty six states and two countries (Canada and Denmark) were represented. There were five father-son duos for the fifth year of the camp. Charlie and his entire staff assisted with the festivities. This fantasy camp will actually play another fantasy camp. The day before the Penn State game our team will travel to Penn State. The event will be an 11-on-11 semi-contact flag football game. Each team will have 35 players. Can the Irish win two games at Penn State?
Campus News:
The Eddy Street Commons project has officially been given the greenlight. After five hours of public comment and discussion, the Common Council unanimously approved re-zoning the 25 acres as a planned-use development. The vote was 9-0. The $200 million investment project will have preliminary work beginning by mid-August. The two hotels, first shops, restaurants and apartments should open in spring 2009. The condominiums, townhouses, and other housing will be built through 2011.
Approval came after the developer provided written commitments to the issues of local residents. The Marriott Hotel-condo tower will be limited to nine stories (six floors of hotel and three upper floors of condos). The height of the retail/apartment/office buildings will be limited to four stories except for five-story buildings at the corners of Eddy and Edison Roads. The developer will create a "pocket park" of green space of about 5,000 square feet. Bike lanes will be incorporated into the project. Bike racks and a bike cage will be in the parking garage. Before the remainder of Notre Dame Woods is cut down, the animals will be trapped and relocated. The development hasn't been labeled a "green" project, but it will incorporate environmentally progressive building design and construction.
Meanwhile construction continues on the newest dorm. It will open in the fall of 2008. The new softball stadium should be ready then as well. It should take a little longer for the law school expansion. It has just begun to break ground. There always seems to be something to build.
Campus Watch by Me:
It was announced last weekend that on Halloween in 2009 we will play Washington State at the Alamodome. You heard that right. It will be considered a "home" game and will be televised on NBC. There will still be seven home games. We will play in Orlando at the Citrus Bowl in 2011 and 2014. Opponents have yet to be named.
So what's this all about? Well, since the NCAA allowed the season to expand by one game, we have been working to have a 7-4-1 format with seven home games, four road games, and one neutral-site game that will be considered a "home" game. It's reminiscient of Rockne's barnstorming from back in the day. These games will allow more Domers from around the country to attend games. These games will mostly be played in Texas, Florida, and the south. It can become a solid recruiting tool in these prospect-heavy states. Charlie is already making strides in the south so look for that to further improve. Another positive with these games is that it helps solidify our independence. What other team can do this? Who else could have positive ticket sales at a neutral site a thousand miles from campus? Being in a conference would make this nearly impossible. The home away from home game will prove to be highly beneficial to our program and continue to separate us from the pack.
Hall Notes:
Where was I? Oh, yeah, Goldilocks was sleeping in Mr. Busack's bed.
So who the heck was Goldilocks? I won't name names, but I will say this particular chap was quite skilled at the art of golf. How did he get in the bed? Here's the story I heard the day after...
Putter (let's call him "Putter") was drinking with chums in another room. He stood up and approached the stereo. But he wasn't trying to change the music. Putter was prepping himself to take a bathroom break. Whoa there! Others in the room alerted him to his faux pas and ushered him out the door. Surely he would find the lavatory in his obviously inebriated state. Well he did find it apparently. Some time has passed and his buddies finally realized he hadn't returned. They searched the hallway and the bathroom. Nothing.
Putter had indeed found the urinal. Of course he was still three sheets to the win. So much so that he randomly selected another room to call his own. The door to my room (and Mr. Busack's room) was unlocked since Dean had yet to return from the latest Elsie's Promise gig. Enter Putter.
Amazingly, Putter was able to get onto the lofted mattress. The room was devoid of ladders. The loft systems came with ladders but we got them out of the way. We need the space. How crowded was our room? I had to climb over TWO couches just to get to my desk. Ladders were an obstruction. Dean and I were rather adept at climbing so we made due without. So how the hell did drunken Putter scramble up? He barely disturbed a thing. Many people, when they drink, become a-holes. Putter, on the other hand, became a monkey.
Sleeping Beauty woke up somewhat sober the next morning. He realized the room was not his own. Again he got in touch with his simian side and exited the tree house. When Putter is awake, dude is all primate all the time. When Putter is asleep, he's damn near in a coma. Dean had returned from his gig and shook and shook and shook the body in his bed. No response. Like I've always said, when it comes to sleeping, the Vermin are second to none. The End.
NDSportscenter:
Jamoris Slaughter attends Tucker (Ga.) High School. The defensive back is our 16th verbal commitment. Slaughter is 6'1", 185 lbs and a four-star recruit, according to Tom Lemming. Jamoris considered Michigan and LSU before deciding on us. Rivals had him as the third best prospect at his position. Last year he had 68 tackles and three interceptions. Slaughter is an explosive hitter with good strength and solid tackling skills. Jamoris runs a 4.5 - 40 and has excellent closing speed to go along with great coverage awareness. This defensive back is our ninth defensive commitment.
Former Irish basketball player Matt Carroll is now a very wealthy man. Carroll signed a 6 year $27 million contract with the Charlotte Bobcats. Last year Matt averaged 12.1 ppg. He started and shot 42% from 3-point range. Carroll has come far. Before making the Bobcats, he was cut by New York, Portland, San Antonio, and Golden State. Charlotte snatched him after he scored 20+ ppg for Roanoke in the NBDL.
Torin Francis has signed as a free agent with his hometown Boston Celtics. Last summer he was with the Miami Heat. He did not make the roster and went to Europe. Francis played in Italy and scored 7.1 ppg and grabbed 5 rpg.
Colin Falls was hoping for the NBA but has no qualms about playing pro ball in Europe. Falls has gone to Italy.
The jury is still out on Russell Carter. He attended some NBA tryout tournaments but did not catch on with anyone. Europe is a possibility if all avenues result in dead ends.
Campus News:
Another construction update. We are building a new $1.9 million, 10,000 square- foot engineering building on the north side of campus for aerospace research. The cost of the building is minor compared to what it shall house. Inside will be $6 million in wind tunnels and other simulation equipment. Much of the equipment will be paid for by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Construction is expected to be complete this fall. It will be located in White Field, the football parking area north of Douglas Road. The site is north of St. Michael's Laundry and adjacent to an electrical substation.
The University just received a $10 million gift from Robert and Elizabeth Nanovic. It is intended to support undergraduate programs of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies. The gift will allow the institute to "expand its program of teaching, research, language training and leadership formation for students engaged in the study of European affairs." Robert Nanovic '54 is a retired investment counselor. He received his MBA from Lehigh in 1960. Since 1993, Nanovic has been a member of the advisory council for the College of Arts and Letters. The Nanovic Institute was established in 1993 with a previous gift. In addition to teaching research in European studies, the institute has organized conferences, seminars and lectures by internationally recognized scholars and government officials on such issues as nationalism, citizenship, ethnicity, Catholicism and the place of Europe in the international community.
Campus Watch by Me:
Do they realize the new dorm that's being built is almost on top of the road that encircles campus? The new dorm is going in west of McGlinn and is almost on top of the golf course. The existing sidewalk has been slid over to right behind the curb of the roadway. A first floor corner room is less than 15 feet from the road. Once the construction fencing is removed, the old sidewalk can be re-built and it will be about five feet from the first floor window. Hopefully that room won't house an exhibitionist that will cause car accidents by rubbernecked drivers.
Hall Notes:
More Elsie's Promise...
I must interject in Mr. Busack's band biography. This is his old school roommate, Mr. Delgado, sometimes known as the Keymaster.
Dean did have a tendency to come home late after gigs. For some reason, I was required to leave the room unlocked so he could enter without a problem. Why didn't he take his keys? I mean, he took his car keys so he could transport himself and his drums. Why didn't he take his room key? It really wasn't that big of a deal until that one time.
So I was snoozing away. I heard the door open. Someone entered. They eventually found their way to bed. I was out of it. It seemed like the usual. No problem. Then I woke up awhile later. I stirred, yawned, stretched and rolled over. I glanced down from the loft system to see... Mr. Busack sleeping on the couch. Huh? I looked above the couch and on the dry-erase board I saw something written to the effect of... "Whoever is in my bed needs to get the helll out of here." Double huh? I looked at the other loft and saw a body in full slumber. Goldilocks? Was there poridge nearby? All these questions. Too bad I was still tired and didn't feel like obtained answers. I went back to sleep. No harm, no foul.
A short while later I was awoken by noise from the other loft. (What's a guy gotta do to get some peace and quiet?) Goldilocks had departed. Dean, also now awake, hops up, locks the door and scales up to his loft. He collapses immediately. Me too.
So what happened? I found out the story the next day. You only have to wait until next week to hear it.
NDSportscenter:
Our 15th recruit is Robert Blanton, a 6'1", 175 lb cornerback. The Rivals four-star recruit is the #4 rated safety. He attends David W. Butler High School in Matthew, North Carolina. Blanton runs a 4.5 - 40, has good size, tackles well, and has solid closing speed. Robert is strong against the run and is very versatile. He has great awareness, presence and leadership. Tom Lemming gives him five stars and considers him one of the top six defensive backs. Blanton had almost 30 offers and strongly considered Virginia Tech and Michigan.
The women's tennis team started the year ranked #2. They were #2 entering the Big East Championships but fell 4-3 to South Florida. That greatly affected their seeding at the NCAAs. The ladies were ranked 7th but seeded 6th. They hosted the first two rounds and downed Illinois-Chicago 4-0 and Michigan 4.0. Next up was #11 North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen. UNC was beaten 4-3. #3 Georgia Tech, though, ended our season, 4-2, in the next round. The team's record was 28-4 and the ladies recorded the most victories in a season in program history. Some of the ladies continued in the NCAAs, most notably the Thompson twins. Catrina actually competed in the singles and doubles tournament. She did so for the third straight year and was one of only six to do so. The twins entered as the #12 doubles team. They lost in the quarterfinals to the #2 team. The Thompsons finished 30-10 for the year and 102-40 for their career. They were named All Americans for the third consecutive year.
Campus News:
During the past school year an article in Scholastic stated that the University received a 0.0 GPA on a Sexual Health Report Card. A study by Trojan condoms and Sperling's Best Places, an independent survey organization, ranked ND 99th out of 100 well-known schools in terms of sexual health. The University of Utah was 98th and BYU was 100th. The GPAs were decided by grades in seven categories including availability of sexual health information online, sex/relationship advice columns in student publications, lecture and outreach programs, sexual assault services, availability of condoms, contraception, and sexually transmitted infection testing. According to the study, ND and BYU failed in every category.
The methods, agenda, and credibility of the survey, though, were questioned. Researchers only searched university websites for information. The survey group assumed everything on campus could be found online. Scores went down if information couldn't be found. Many of the grades do not accurately reflect the services present. We do have resources available to students. There are confidential services, counseling for assault victims, and a 24-hour hotline. These are apparently not on a comprehensive website. So we flunked.
Did other Catholic schools fail? Georgetown was the highest ranked Catholic school at 80th with a GPA of 1.1. Georgetown is more lax in its regulations pretaining to sex. It earned a 'C' for condom distribution, though the only on-campus resource for free condoms is an unrecognized student group.
Campus Watch by Me:
This is double secret gossip I heard this week. I've got to be sneaky and not be blatant about revealing this because apparently it really is being kept quiet.
Donations are made by alums all the time. Cutting a big check usually means somebody gets their name on a building somewhere. Almost always, the name is the last name of the benefactor. But apparently the choice of the name is up to the giver. Well, one donation to the renovation of a certain building earned the donor naming rights. The gentleman chose a name other than his own. It wasn't until the project neared completion that someone actually asked about the origin of the name. Turns out the renovated area is now named after.... a horse. It's obviously not an outlandish name that stands out. It's simply the name of a horse. I wonder if any student will realize it as they ponder their surroundings while recovering from mononucleosis.
Hall Notes:
More on Elsie's Promise...
I know that my roommate, Dan Delgado, appreciated these regular gigs, as he could count on my arriving back at the dorm at 3:30am on Thursday and Saturday nights, like clockwork. And when I say "appreciated" I mean "disdained." You see, after a long night of playing VERY loud rock and roll music, my ears were still ringing well into the early morning. I returned to the dorm, gathered my toiletries, and proceeded to shower before I went to bed. Well, I thought I was being as quiet as a mouse, but apparently I was only being as quiet as a dump truck driving through a nitroglycerine factory. But my good roommate never raised a fuss, he just pulled the covers over his head and quietly mumbled to himself, "Damn Elsie’s Promise. If they weren’t so good, I’d be very annoyed."
At least that’s what I think he said.
A retort from Mr. Delgado will follow next week.
NDSportscenter:
The lottery results are out. You can call the ticket office and find out the status of your football tickets. Or you can wait for a check. Refund checks were sent out totaling $8.6 million. Last year the total was $11.7 million.
Omar Hunter is the 14th recruit. He's a 6'1", 300 lb nose tackle from Buford (Ga.) High School. This is the same school as Darius Walker. Last year he had 85 tackles, 13 of them for a loss. Hunter is strong, has good hands and quick feet. His acceleration and run-stopping ability have him as the #1 nose tackle on Tom Lemming's board. Omar is in Lemming's top 100. He can dunk a basketball even at 300 lbs. Interest is Hunter came from Florida, Auburn, Tennessee, South Carolina, and Michigan. In fact, Omar acknowledges that he was all set to commit to Michigan. But we took him away just before he pledged to be a Wolverine. Thank Corwin Brown.
We finished 22nd in the Directors' Cup. Last year we were 6th, our all-time best. The last time we were in the 20s was '99-'00 when we were 21st.
Junior-to-be Kerri Hanks is one of five up for "Best Female College Athlete" at the ESPYs. The honor was in recognition of her phenomenal sophomore soccer season.
The men's tennis team started the year ranked 9th. They continued to climb in the rankings and were 4th by the time they beat Louisville 4-0 in the Big East Championship. Senior Stephen Bass was named Most Outstanding Performer and Bobby Bayliss received the Big East Coach of the Year honor. The men entered the NCAAs with a record of 24-3 and the #5 seed. They hosted the first two rounds and knocked off Butler (4-0) and Wisconsin (4-0). In the Sweet 16 the squad faced #12 USC. We fell 4-3 to end the season. Stephen Basss went on to compete in the NCAA singles tournament. Bass, the #8 seed, won in the first round but was then upset in the second round.
Campus News:
In the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting, the University is adding a new communications system that will allow the administration to contact large numbers of students and employees quickly in case of an emergency. Connect-ED will allow voice and text messages to be sent quickly through cell phones, landline phones, and email. The system should be up and running by August. Connect-ED can send the same message to up to six different telephone numbers per person and do text messaging, text-to- speech recognition and voice-to-text recognition.
During the past school year, the University launched a new online course database that will make some courses available for free on the internet. OpenCourseWare (OCW) offers free access to all content within the courses including lecture notes, course outlines, reading lists and assignments. We are one of about sixty schools to participate in OCW. It began in 2002 at MIT. Notre Dame's initial outing included eight courses. They hope to add 30 by the end of two years.
OCW is not distance learning. There is no exchange of information between professors and internet users. The course material is free, but no credit is given. No fee is charged and no degree is earned. Knowledge is simply shared. The available information is copyrighted. It is available for public use as long as users receive no commercial profits from the information.
Because the U.S. has the most advanced and impressive university system in the world, the OCW is dominated by American school courses. But things are changing. Already nine Japanese and 222 Chinese universities have joined the consortium. It's basically a no lose situation.
Campus Watch by Me:
Down to the wire. The NCAA voted this past spring to cut out text messaging by coaches as of August 1. Some are appealing the vote, including Rob Ianello, our recruiting coordinator. But as of today, the texting stops in a little over three weeks. We seem to have covered our bets. Knowing that August 1 may hold true, we totally got after recruits early. Recruiting analysts have said our early efforts are unlike any other year we've ever had. As of today we have 17 recruits. Only 3 other schools have more high school recruits, and two of them are from Texas where offers and commitments come fast and furious from the local boys. We seem to be maximizing the available texting time. Rivals has us with the #3 class and Scout has us at #1. At the rate we are going, we will have over 25 recruits in this class. We can go over 25 only if we take early entrees. I suspect at least two or three will do so. But that may not matter. I think we will land exactly 25.
Hall Notes:
And so Elsie’s Promise began to get her farm legs (I’m not sure what that means, other than the band started to play more shows in that fall semester of 1995). But the stage was a bit crowded. As I mentioned before, we had three guitarists. Who was lead? Who was rhythm? Who was just taking up space? Well, the band decided that Mr. Gilleece, my former sort-of bandmate from sophomore year, was the weakest link. Not that he was a bad guitarist; he was actually pretty good. But his Eddie Van Halen style just didn’t fit with the more jam-oriented, laid back direction that the band was heading in. Also, he had a pretty abrasive personality, and some were starting to dislike him.
So we drew straws to see who would be the bearer of bad news. Guess who got the short straw? I think it was rigged, because they knew that I had the longest history with him. Or maybe the rest of my bandmates were just wusses. In any case, I informed Mr. Gilleece that we were divorcing him due to irreconcilable musical differences. No hard feelings, hope we can still be friends, etc... Now that we had that unpleasantness behind us, Elsie’s Promise forged ahead, as though a great weight had been removed from the psychedelic cow’s neck. We lined up regular gigs at Club 23, Jazzman’s and Corby’s, and the Elsie’s Promise groupies-Cowheads, as they became known-began to grow in number.
NDSportscenter:
Our changing defensive scheme of three down lineman helped bring in recruit #13, Brandon Newman of Louisville, Kentucky. Newman, a 6'1", 300 lb nose tackle, attends Pleasure Ridge Park High. Brandon is our third defensive line commitment. Our 3-4 defense matches his high school alignment. As a junior he had 68 tackles (22 for a loss) and nine sacks. Newman benches 365 lbs and squats 600 lbs. He committed after visiting us three times and turned down offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Stanford, Indiana, Cincinnati, and Mississippi. Tom Lemming gives him four stars and says the run stuffer is a top five nose tackle.
The University has officially ended its partnership with Westwood One Radio after 40 years. The upcoming season will be our last with Westwood One. The new radio carrier will be ISP Sports. It is unknown if the Domer pair of commentators will be retained following this season.
Our women won the Big East Outdoor Track and Field Championships for the first time ever. The men were third. For the women, Molly Huddle won her second consecutive Most Outstanding Performer at the meet. She's only the third to win the honor back to back. Huddle also won her fourth 5000 meters title. Then it was on to the NCAAs. The men's team sent four and the women's team two. Huddle, a 5th year senior, was 3rd in the 5000 meters and earned her tenth All American honor. Her 10th is a school record. The women came in 41st. The men were 54th. Kurt Benninger ran a best-ever 3:39.80 in the 1500 meters. He was 5th and received his 4th All American honor. Two others became first time All Americans. Sophomore Patrick Smyth was 9th in the 5000 meters and senior Todd Ptacek was 13th in the 3000 meter steeplechase.
Campus News:
John Arlotta '71 has pledged a lead gift toward a new lacrosse stadium to be built to the east of the JACC. Arlottas' children - Mindy, Andy and Jon - also pledged an additional gift from The Arlotta Family Foundation. The stadium, to be named Arlotta Stadium, will be a $5 million project. Construction will not begin until the project is fully funded and architectural design plans are available. The tentative stadium plan calls for a 3,000-seat lighted field with artificial turf, lockerrooms, restrooms, and a concession area.
The project is part of the long-term athletics master plan. Ground just broke on a new softball stadium. Other projects are a new soccer stadium, track and field stadium, and tennis facility. There will also be three relocated football practice fields with one of them being artificial turf.
Arlotta graduated in 1971 with a degree in marketing. He was in the Army ROTC program and is a retired captain in the U.S. Army Reserves. John is currently the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Denver-based Coram Inc. The company is a privately held provider of home infusion and specialty pharmacy services with $500 million in revenues.
Bobbie Arlotta, John's wife, is actually the direct link to lacrosse. She is a Philadelphia native and a former high school lacrosse and field hockey player.
Campus Watch by Me:
Kyle McAlarney is back on campus. As you may (or may not) recall, initial reports had Kyle being suspended for the spring and summer sessions about being busted with marijuana. Well, he's back for the summer. During the spring he took two classes back home in New York and worked out on his own. He stayed in touch with the team and his coaches. In fact after he arrived on campus, a press conference was called to alert the media to his return. Nothing like coming in under the radar. Apparently we are taking our public relation instructions from Paris Hilton. If Kyle gets out of her car and flashes his crotch I'm totally canceling my season tickets.
Hall Notes:
Part 4 of Elsie's Promise
We spent the next few days practicing for our first gig on the back porch of the Hill Street house. We had a limited repertoire, to be sure, but it was a fairly low pressure show--just a late afternoon house party in the large back yard. We set up on the deck, and began warming up. The first song ever played by Elsie’s Promise in public was one that we had never even practiced. It grew out of the soundcheck. A couple chords, a couple riffs, something reminiscent of "Stuck in the Middle with You," turned into a fifteen minute jam version of the song. And so it was with many Elsie’s Promise shows. At the risk of sounding like a hippie, the music just took us where it wanted. If my memory serves me correctly, we played a few more songs - Chalk Dust Torture by Phish, Lessons, an original, Hard to Handle by the Black Crowes, and American Girl by Tom Petty. It was not a long show, but we left the crowd wanting more. And more they would soon get...
NDSportscenter:
Our 12th recruit is a punishing offensive lineman by the name of Lane Clelland. The 6'5", 265 lb Clelland attends McDonogh High in Owings Mills, Maryland. Scout gives him four stars while Tom Lemming gives him five. Lane is very athletic with good mobility and runs a 4.9 - 40. He is a fierce blocker who locks in on an opponent and drives him into a pancake. He had received offers from the likes of Florida State, Maryland, Michigan, Florida, and Virginia.
Joe Harden has left the men's basketball team. The California native has decided to return home after one year in the midwest. This past year he averaged 1.2 ppg and 0.9 rpg. He saw limited minutes coming his way for the upcoming season and decided he could score more if he returned to Laguna Beach. We now have two available scholarships.
Both of our golf teams struggled this year. The men and women were second in the Big East Championships. Louisville hosted and won both titles. The women made it close. They tied Louisville but lost on the first playoff hole.
Last weekend we (along with adidas) hosted a 7-on-7 football camp. Really? Yeah, I saw the signs up around the JACC parking lot entry points. I thought those camps were for California, Florida, and Texas locations. We really are trying to get in on this recruiting thing. Good for us.