Campus News:
The Observer recently ran a piece titled "du Lac policies facing possible revisions." The University began a "major revision" of du Lac in the fall of 2007. The re-working will involve the administration seeking input from student government and the student body. Student government is discussing possible changes in several areas, including alcohol policy, disciplinary sanctions, and sexual assault. Also, the wording fo parietals violations is one of the portions currently under examination. du Lac currently states that "violations shall be subject to disciplinary suspension or permanent dismissal." The vagueness gives ResLife full discretion. The re-working may provide more specifics.
Apparently du Lac is reviewed every six to eight years. Student government is pushing for a medical amnesty policy this time. For example, if a person is injured while breaking parietals, a person can go for help and not have the parietals violation held against them. (Good luck with that.) Another suggestion is that all first time offenses be handled in the dorm. Student government wants to "localize" the offense and subsequent punishment. The proposal would give the rector the choice to handle it or pass it to ResLife. Yet another suggestion is to life the ban on drinking games. (Dude, there was a ban?) The belief is they involve casual (not binge) drinking and it would reduce students going off-campus to drink and possibly drive. (No chance.) Finally, it was recommended students work for ResLife and sit on the decision-making panel in hearings. (Good way to make friends.) We'll see how it plays out.
Campus Watch by the Gipper from Scholastic:
One next tale boasts yet another instance of a daring (and timely) escape in the time-honored tradition of the college student's triathlon: the Drink, Doze and Dash. After much beer-bribed persuasion and a few convincing Facebook wall posts, our young friend Frodo decided at long last to pay a visit to an old buddy studying at Notre Dame. He arrived in South Bend in the early evening, and like most Friday nights, this one clearly called for its due share of mischief. The boys quickly took to tossing back some beverages and before long, a steady state of intoxication set in.
It was at this point that young Frodo lost his ability to recount the night's happenings; he was only able to infer what likely occurred after the following events:
It was the morning after. Frodo saw a light. He squinted his eyes. They hurt - a lot - and so did his head. The late dawn sun was blinding. With much effort he hoisted himself to a sitting position (though he hadn't noticed he was lying down) and looked around. He saw an Etch-A-Sketch. This was odd. Then a SpongeBob SquarePants doll the size of a large rodent. Even stranger. Next a few plastic teacups, an open box of crayons, a bedazzled tiara and a slightly possessed-looking stuffed animal. Frodo then realized he was in a car - the back seat of a moderately-sized SUV, to be exact. His head had been resting on a car seat, and his cell phone and wallet were nowhere to be found. Continued next week.
Hall Notes:
The Vermin Redemption
Remember the good ole January days? Trudging to the Rock to do laundry on a crisp, brisk morn? I recall the times fondly. Many a Vermin knows the trek. We mimicked Santa Claus with our boutiful bags of goodies: ripe in one direction, fabric softened in the other. Those days came to an end after some Vermin resourcefulness.
The teller of this tale has had his ability to recall marred by the years of grad school. Please forgive his somewhat spotty memory. He's getting on in years despite his Vermin nickname. Jim "Sweet Baby" Zawada '97 details "The Vermin Redemption" from the spring of '96....
One fine spring evening during my time as a Vermin (I can't remember when, it all blurs together now), I was at a hall council meeting for some unknown reason. With Booker and Fumai running the show (or was it Darryl and Rudy, or someone else?), it was a safe bet nothing would be accomplished. But that didn't really bother me since I was more than half way to being comfortably numb - courtesy of a few rum and Barq's. One of the issues brought up was the possibility of getting a laundry room in Carroll. That's when a bolt of inspiration struck me. Thanks to having just watched "The Shawshank Redemption" at the Delgado Cinema, it occurred to me that the best way to actually get some attention from the fine administration would be a letter writing campaign. So, I drafted a letter, printed a bunch of copies, and spread the word through the dorm with the help of a few Vermin (I can't remember who now). By the end of the week, approximately 100 individual letters (one from just about every Vermin) were dropped into campus mail for Bill Kirk.
A couple of days later, the Man summoned us to his office. He bowed before our presence and begged for mercy, "You can have the laundry, just please stop sending the letter," (or something like that). The following summer, the laundry was installed in the abandoned food sales room.
The end.
NDSportscenter:
The women's basketball team opened the NCAA tournament in spectacular fashion. The ladies are the #2 seed and crushed Cleveland State 86-58 in the first round. They advanced to take on #10 seed Vermont. Freshman sensation Skylar Diggins exploded in the 84-66 victory. She scored 19 points in just the first half. She finished with 31 points on 13 of 21 from the field. That went along with 7 steals and 6 assists. The Irish moved on to the Sweet 16 where they would face #3 seed Oklahoma, a team we beat earlier in the year.
Loftus was the site of an NFL Pro Day on March 23. Players not invited to the NFL Combine attempted to put on a show. Eight seniors worked out for scouts. They were RB James Aldridge, S Sergio Brown, OT Paul Duncan, CB Raeshon McNeil, WR Robby Parris, DE Morrice Richardson, LB Scott Smith, and CB Toryan Smith. Previous graduates worked out also. FB Asaph Schwapp and WR David Grimes continue to have NFL aspirations. Golden Tate, Sam Young, Eric Olsen, and Kyle McCarthy also had some activity, albeit limited. Jimmy works out on Apr. 9.
Spring practice is now underway. There are a few position switches. Sophomore offensive lineman Lane Clelland has been moved to defensive end. Junior fullback Steve Paskorz is now an inside linebacker. The Blue-Gold Game will end spring practice. The game will also serve as our second Junior Day. We have one commitment so far. Details on him next week.
Brady Quinn has been traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Denver Broncos.
Men's basketball player Tim Abromaitis does stellar work off the court as well. Tim was named the Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Campus News:
This year's recipient of the Laetare Medal has been announced. Dana Gioia is a poet and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). He will be given the medal during the 2010 Commencement ceremony on May 16. The medal is the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics and is awarded annually to a Catholic "whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the Church and enriched the heritage of humanity."
A medal was not awarded last year. Former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Mary Ann Glendon accepted the medal last year, but declined the honor after hearing the University would award an honorary degree to President Obama.
Father Jenkins spoke glowingly of Gioia, saying, "In his vocation as poet and avocation as arts administrator, Dana Gioia has given vivid witness to the mutual flourishing of faith and culture." Gioia is the second poet to receive the medal. Poet Phyllis McGinley was presented the award in 1964.
Gioia had published three collections of poetry, one of which won the 2002 American Book Award. He also published eight smaller collections of poems, two opera libretti, and many translations of Latin, Italian and German poetry. He has edited over 20 literary anthologies and has written essays and reviews in various magazines including The New Yorker. Gioia served as the chairman of the NEA from 2003 to 2009. He said art and Catholicism work together because "the Catholic, literally from birth, when he or she is baptized, is raised in a culture that understands symbols and signs." Gioia graduated from Stanford in 1973. He earned a master's degree in comparative literature from Harvard in 1975 and then returned to Stanford for his MBA in 1977.
Campus Watch by the Gipper from Scholastic:
Continued from last week....
All was well until the next morning, when the roommates heard their overnight guest hurriedly vacate the premises. The roommate whose room had been occupied - we shall call him The Unfortunate Guy - returned to his quarters to ensure that all was in order. Sitting down on his bed, he noticed that the lady guest had left him a special yellow surprise that was soaking through his sheets - not exactly a "thank you" note.
He dashed to the kitchen where he discovered the guest's similarly-soaked dress on the floor. The Unfortunate Guy also realized that a pair of his sweatpants was missing, along with the third roommate's jacket - with his car keys in the jacket pocket. The mystery mistress had taken off with a whole slew of their beloved possessions, without leaving so much as a phone number. So, all you Domers that have flipped a finger to on-campus housing, be advised: Facilitating states of drunken delirium for total strangers might warrant some calamitous consequences... and maybe a new set of sheets.
Hall Notes:
Do you think the current Vermin have any appreciation for the in-dorm laundry facilities they have? Do they realize what some of us went through back in the day? I'm proud of what the '90s Vermin were able to pull off for the betterment of Carroll. It's a rather incredible tale actually. The voice of the people was genuinely heard and the powers-that-were listened. They didn't exactly appreciate how we got our point across, but how can you argue with Jim "Sweet Baby" Zawada '97? Dude was (and still is) smarter than all of ResLife put together. The story will be re-counted next week.
NDSportscenter:
Somehow the men's basketball team received a #6 in the NCAA tournament. Their late season run without our All American was nothing short of remarkable. The team made their second ever appearance in the Big East tournament semi-finals. We lost by 2 to eventual NCAA #2 seed West Virginia. In the first round of the NCAAs we faced #11 seed Old Dominion. We fell 51-50. Luke Harangody scored only 4 points, and those came within the last 13 seconds. He finished with 2,476 career points, 84 points behind Austin Carr's school record of 2,560. Once again Mike Brey has done just enough to retain his job and prove that he is exceptional at being an average coach at best.
This past weekend Coach Brian Kelly, his staff, and the team hosted a Junior Day. In the past Charlie would have these during the basketball season and recruits would take in a home game. Kelly pushed it back a bit as the new staff works to play catch-up with the juniors. Apparently about 60 top players (including at least 2 sophomores) were expected to visit. Of the 60 or so players, about 15 of them already have offers. Many more offers were expected to go out. The new staff is making up time quickly. Offers seem to be going out almost daily. Prior to the Junior Day we did not yet have a verbal commitment for next year. Assuming no one transfers or leaves the team, and assuming we retain about six 5th year senior, we will have 16 scholarships for 2011. Well, we have a lot more offers than that out. First come, first served.
In other football news, running back Theo Riddick has been moved from running back to wide receiver. The next Golden Tate?
Campus News:
Four new businesses have recently been established at Innovation Park, the facility just south of campus. Current faculty and students helped found two of these businesses - Emu Solutions and Unlimited Juice, LLC.
Jay Brockman is an associate dean of engineering and a co-founder of Emu Solutions. He and his co-founders settled here because being part of the University's research efforst was important to their business plan. One co-founder said, "Being so close to campus enables us to consider projects that take our core designs and extend them into new application areas, where the expertise of other university faculty can be beneficial." Emu stands for Enhanced Memory Utilization. It is a company that develops computer technology to help "bridge the gape between memory and logic capabilities in computer systems." Emu benefits from skilled students, faculty, and alumni, who aid in research and marketing endeavors. More than half of the consultants have Notre Dame connections.
Unlimited Juice was founded by Landon Spitalnik, an MBA candidate at the University. The company develops technology that will use environmentally friendly methods to extend the battery life of consumer electronic devices. Spitalnik stated, "When choosing an MBA program, it was essential that I find a place conducive to the launch and continued growth of my business." Innovation Park assists with forming a successful business - from manufacturing to warehousing, from customer service to back-office operations. The Park is designed to serve a variety of businesses in various stages of development which includes expected commercial applications from core University research areas.
Campus Watch by the Gipper from Scholastic:
This first story is a warning to all you off-campusers: If you're going to be benevolent enough to throw a house party, don't expect benevolence in return from your guests....especially if they're perfect strangers (which, let's face it, is almost always the case).
It began on a regular weekend night, when our friend The Nice Guy returned to his foreigner-filled home at 3 a.m. His roommates had staged a successful party, and nothing seemed to be too far out of the ordinary: The questionable attire, questionable "dance moves" and questionable substances spilt on the floor were all to be expected. But when The Nice Guy swung open the door to his roommate's quarters to use the connected bathroom, he found quite a surprise indeed - a love-sick (or perhaps just Natty-inspired) young couple, enjoying the privacy and comfort of his roommate's bed.
This precious moment was adulterated by the fact that neither participating party was actually The Nice Guy's roommate. Concerned, confused and incensed, The Nice Guy and friends demanded that the mysterious visitors be gone and left the two to make themselves presentable enough to journey home. While the male guest scampered out apologetically, his lady friend had found her new abode too agreeable to abandon; she was snoozing in peaceful slumber and was not about to be relocated. So, being nice guys, The Nice Guy and roommates decided to let her stay the night and recuperate.
Continued next week.
Hall Notes:
What dorm has better hallways for throwing things? The answer.... I don't know. I've not been in all the dorms. But I'll wager ours kicks the most ass. Anyway....Certainly footballs have been thrown. And thanks to our high ceilings, we could even throw touch passes that drop right into the hands of the sophomores' top possession receiver. Can frisbees (or aero-bees) travel the entire hallway? Ask Mr. Busack. Do you remember lawn darts from the '80s? They were somewhat replicated in the hall with regular darts, bare feet, and a How's-your-accuracy?/I-dare-you attitude. I believe someone once illegally had a pet hedgehog in the dorm. Yes, it was tossed. (Maybe just in a room, but let's say the hallway. Geography was never my bread and butter.) And there's one other thing that flew through the air in the hall. The American flag. A patriotic and heavily inebriated Vermin ran back and forth down the hallway with Old Glory like a soldier charging a battalion of slovenly winos (Is there any other kind?). It made me want to pledge allegiance to the Carroll hallway right then and there. Definitely one dorm under God with liberty of throwing for all.
NDSportscenter:
Luke Harangody has been named to the Big East 1st Team. He's the first Domer to be a 3-time 1st Team selection. That makes him 1 of 11 in Big East history. Junior Tim Abromaitis was named an Honorable Mention.
Abromaitis made more news. ESPN The Magazine named Tim a 1st Team Academic All American. He is the 8th basketball Domer to be so named and our first since Chris Quinn in 2006. He is the seventh 1st Team member. Tim will graduate this spring, a full year early. He carries a 3.72 GPA and will work toward his Master's next year. Abromaitis averages about 16 ppg, shoots over 50% from the floor, around 45% from three, and close to 90% from the line.
In the fall, the 5th Graduation Success Rate information was released. We had a 100% graduation rate in 19 of 22 sports. No sport was below 93%. No football school had a higher graduation rate. For the fourth time in five years we had the highest percentage of 100% scores. All 11 women's sports were 100%. Football and hockey were at 96%. Men's tennis was 93%. Our 96% for football was tied for the best with Duke.
Jimmy Clausen will have an individual workout here in early to mid April. Various mock drafts have him going to the Redskins, Seahawks, or Bills.
We had five players at the recent NFL Combine. Clausen was three, but only to be met and interviewed. Golden Tate, Kyle McCarthy, Sam Young, and Eric Olsen worked out for clubs.
Campus News:
For the 2010-11 academic year, tuition, room and board will be set at $50,785 per student. This marked a 3.8 percent increase from this year. That is the lowest percentage increase since 1960. Tuition will be $39,919. Room and board comes in at $10,866. Last year's tuition was a 4.4 percent increase from the previous year.
Scholarship assistance in 2010-11 will increase by 18 percent to $98 million.
Graduate and professional school tuition will also increase by 3.8 percent. Graduate School will cost $39,310. The Law School and the Master of Business Administration Program charge students $40,430.
In other news....
Father Jenkins went to Washington D.C. and joined in the March for Life.
In still other news....
The first all-sophomore ticket won the election for student body president. Catherine Soler will be president and Andrew Bell will be the vice president.
In still OTHER news....
Last weekend Bengal Bouts concluded. Normally that would only be a sports feature. But the bouts are also about charity. Bengal Bouts celebrated their 80th year by sending its millionth dollar to the Holy Cross Mission in Bangladesh. The goal this year was to raise $80,000. To raise money, each boxer is given 15 tickets to sell. This year 199 students participated in the tournament. The boxing club recently teamed with the Center for Social Concerns to establish an International Summer Service Learning Project in Bangladesh. The club had a high number of novice fighters this year. Some attribute this to increased awareness for the service mission of the tournament.
Campus Watch by Me:
Guess who I ran into last weekend?.... Rudy. The real Rudy, not the actor who played him who was far superior in "The Goonies." I was getting some lunch at the cafe of the new Eddy Commons Notre Dame Bookstore. I actually got to the counter first, but Rudy slid his order in first. It's all good. I wasn't in a hurry and I needed to scan for a proper dessert. (I didn't know it was Rudy at the time, by the way.)
So he ordered a coffee. He was told a cost of $2. Rudy expressed a slight consternation. He said he was from Vegas and told me there he gets coffee for under a $1. I commented, "Really? I thought drinks in Vegas were free." He seemed surprised I went for a casino joke and it took a second to sink in. (Remember, he was hit in the head a lot at practice back in the day.) Rudy said he enjoyed going around to discover costs at various places around the country. He asked where I was from. "Southern Minnesota," I replied. We bonded. It was magical. But I needed to order. He sauntered off. (Still didn't know it was Rudy.)
Somehow the word then got out. A women's group then found out and went to get pictures. Rudy then came back to the cafe, sat down with them, and chatted up a storm. They were about to have a book reading. I think it was titled "Chicken Soup for the School Teacher" (or something like that). One of the teachers in the book told her story and read part of her entry. Rudy was attentive and applauded. The book club host thanked the teacher and gave Rudy a shoutout.
I was able to take all this in while doing email and chowing down on a meatball sandwich. I declined seeking an autograph. Too busy inhaling a cinnamon roll and yearning to once again see Chunk do the Truffle Shuffle.
Hall Notes:
Winter in the Bend is almost over. Because the winters back in the day limited outside activity, the Vermin used to turn to indoor hoops. It wasn't uncommon for a dozen or so lads to head over to the JACC on the weekend. Who remembers The Pit? The lower level basketball court within the heart of the JACC. (By the way, I believe The Pit is no longer available for undergrad weekend pickup games.) Man, I loved to play in The Pit. The rims were softer than cookies right out of the oven. The games involved Vermin from all years. Everyone was welcome. But my favorite thing was the game duration. Was there a timer? No. A set hour to be finished? No. We simply played until some team scored 100. Sometimes I thought I was only invited because I was an engineer and I would be counted on to....well...count. That was until I buried my first three-pointer.
NDSportscenter:
The Observer recently ran an article on a Domer boxer that is turning pro. Recent grad Mike Lee has a degree in finance and three Bengal Bouts titles. He returned to campus to announce his intention to become a professional boxer at a press conference in the JACC.
Lee signed a contract with Bob Arum's Top Rank. Top Rank represents current world champion Manny Pacquaio and previously promoted legends like Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Oscar De La Hoya. Lee has teamed up with respected trainer Ronnie Shields, one-time trainer of Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. For the past month and a half, Lee and his trainer have been living in Houston and working from new amateur to polished professional. Shields was quoted as saying, "I don't anybody who I don't think is going to be a world champion." Shields is putting his reputation on the line with Lee.
Lee first introduced himself to Shields with a phone call. Lee told him of winning the amateur Chicago Golden Gloves light heavyweight title last spring. Shields gave Lee a commitment check: when could he make a trip to workout at his gym in Houston. Mike said, "I can come tomorrow. I'm ready to go." His days typically begin at 5am. The day includes cardio workouts, sparring, and strength and conditioning at night. It's a full day.
Tom Zbikowski was on hand for the JACC press conference. Tom had scored a first-round knockout in his only professional fight with Top Rank.
Lee is staying true to his Bengal Bouts upbringing. He plans on donating a percentage of his fight proceeds to the Holy Cross Missions of Bangladesh. He even travled to Bangladesh in January and it had an impact. Boxing will allow him "a platform to give back."
Lee's professional debut will be May 29 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago.
Campus News:
The Keenan Revue is no longer welcome at St. Mary's. Originally the show was at Washington Hall. But to accommodate a bigger audience, the show had moved to St. Mary's O'Laughlin Auditorium. In mid-February, after this year's revue, the St. Mary's administrators announced the content of the variety show are not "congruent" with the college's mission statement. Therefore, the annual contract will not be renewed. Apparently the decision was made before reviewing this year's show and it's a decision the cabinet discusses every year. The general content of the revue from year to year shaped the decision to discontinue the contract. The "disparaging remarks about women and sexuality in the show" did it in. The revue organizers were surprised why the change was occurring now. Keenan has been performing there for 34 years. The revue started in the late 1970s. It was at Washington Hall for two years and then moved to St. Mary's and its 1,300-seat auditorium.
The revue at St. Mary's allowed three campuses to come together. It was estimated that around 1,000 St. Mary's students attended the show while around 50 Holy Cross students took it in.
A new venue is being sought for 2011, of course. Washington Hall is an option. But it is small and usually booked. The JACC is possible, but it lacks a traditional theater setting and a curtain. The Morris Performing Arts Center has the necessary capacity, but would require transportation.
Revue organizers refused to hold a grudge: "We all understand that it is completely within the right of the adminstration to not renew the contract. We are going to make the most of the transition and look at this purely as a change of venue."
Campus Watch by the Gipper from Scholastic:
Continued from last week...
Excited by the evening's acquisition and well aware of the promise of prolonging the events long into the night, Loverboy had a sudden and distressing ephiphay - his bed sheets were still in the washing machine. He stealthily sneaked back to his house, put his laundry in the dryer, returned to the party and resumed conversation (and activity) with his potential houseguest. An hour later he repeated the process and returned knowing his well-dressed mattress was ready for action. Loverboy's cryptic disappearances didn't seem to disturb his eager escort, and the two relocated to his house for the rest of the evening.
When they awoke the next morning, they were greeted by the alarming sound of Loverboy's parents' voices wafting up the stairs - they had arrived several hours earlier than anticipated, and now Loverboy was faced with a fast-approaching disaster. His roommates were stalling with small talk, in the midst of a desperate attempt to bail their buddy out of the oncoming crisis. Leaving his guest upstairs, he descended to greet his parents and covertly alerted his friends of a plan, and the house leapt swiftly into action.
Mom and Dad were swept into the kitchen, located in the back of the house, to help the roomies make breakfast. With his parents distracted and deep in conversation, Loverboy grabbed his gal and darted downstairs to the getaway car. He dropped her off unobtrusively and returned shortly thereafter, but the quick exit had not been executed as precisely as the previous night's endeavors. When his parents inquired suspiciously about his unexplained absence, the roommates cringed, preparing to witness the entire plan unravel. But without missing a beat, Loverboy reached into a plastic bag, pulled out a gallon of milk and grinned: "I thought we could use this."
From big-city brainlessness to crafty conundrum cracking, you Domers never cease to make Old Gipp marvel at the absurdity of your exploits.
Hall Notes:
Here's a re-post from the past...
Originally added on Jan. 19, 2003. "15 Minutes From DeBartolo." That is the name of the photograpsh that appeared on the inside back cover of the last Scholastic of 2002. Carroll sophomore Ryan Greenberg snapped a shot that all Vermin can recognize and appreciate. My face lit-up as soon as I saw it. I remember it like it was yesterday. Here's a trip down memory lane for all of us that endured the winter walks to class....
NDSportscenter:
We recently received the 2009 Academic Achievement Award from the American Football Coaches Association. It is our 8th winning of the award. We had a 100% graduation rate for the freshman class that began in 2002. Believe it or not, we tied Miami with 100%.
The Baseball Opening Night Dinner was recently held. The guest speakers were Coach Brian Kelly and Domer and former Major League pitcher Ron Reed '65. Reed was actually selected 4th overall in the NBA Draft and played with the Piston for two years. He then played pro baseball for 19 years with the Braves, Cardinals, Phillies, and White Sox. Reed is only one of three pitchers to have 100 wins, 100 saves, and 50 complete games.
Kyle Rudolph is healing well after successful shoulder surgery. And Dayne Crist is ahead of schedule on his knee rehabilitation. It is believed he will be ready for spring ball but will receive no contact.
We recently had three men's soccer players selected in the Major League Soccer Draft. Forward Bright Duke was taken in the 1st round, 12th overall by the Columbus Crew. Two othere Irish stars were picked in the second round. The San Jose Earthquakes took them both. Michael Thomas and Justin Morrow went 19th and 28th overall, respectively.
Our #17 women's tennis team may have recently had the biggest win in program history. The ladies beat #11 Northwestern 5-2.
At the second to last home game, basketball star Luke Harangody became our first inductee into the Ring of Honor. A banner now hangs in the JACC commemmorating #44. Stars of the past (and future) will be honored in due time.
Campus News:
In late January, demonstrators attempted to deliver a letter to Father Jenkins demanding that sexual orientation be included in the University's non-discrimination clause. The letter was accepted by an administrative assistant after students and faculty of the "No Home Under the Dome" demonstration were denied access to the building by a campus police officer. The letter asked that the University "move beyond words and into concrete actions which fully bring [lesbian, gay, and bisexual students] into equality at Notre Dame" and formally support a gay-straight alliance on campus.
The protest began at the corner of Angela Blvd. and Notre Dame Ave. Over 200 participants walked to the Main Building. After the students were denied entry, about 40 faculty members requested entry. They too were not admitted. The protestors wore white t-shirts and covered their mouths with a strip of purple tape. The tape represented "the silence of people on campus about this issue."
One faculty member said the clause is an "issue of equality." She called homophobia among students "embarrassing" and that it makes it more difficult for the University to attract top-tier faculty and graduate students. She continued, "I haven't seen evidence of [homophobia] in faculty and staff... It operates on the level of the students."
Organizers of the protest will now turn their efforts toward recruiting people to sign the online petition supporting adding sexual orientation to the non-discrimination clause.
The University issued a statement defending its current non-discrimination policy and the "Spirit of Inclusion," which represents the University's "commitment to an inclusive community."
Campus Watch by the Gipper from Scholastic:
Our next story brings us back to the magical Midwest, where a recently single Loverboy looked forward to a long weekend of third-class beer, second-class basketball and, hopefully, a free first-class dinner, for his parents had plans to drive in from out of town on Saturday morning to go to the game against DePaul. As Friday night crept closer and grand party plans were made, his friends grew giddy with post-pubescent glee: With Loverboy's long-time girlfriend no longer on the fornication forecast, watching him navigate the newly-available Notre Dame hookup scene was almost as hysterically atrocious as watching Snookie do a carthwheel in a miniskirt.
In the midst of the early evening cocktail consumption, an unprecedented instance of maturity overtook young Loverboy in the wake of his parents' impending visit: He needed to do laundry. At this same moment, his friends decided it was prime time to party and dragged Loverboy out the door with barely enough time to toss in the Tide and start the laundry load.
The party proved to be an extraordinary hospitable habitat for the restless rascal, and Loverboy soon found himself surrounded by a swarm of potential partners. One particularly enticing individual had her gooey gaze fixed on the charming chap for quite some time, and, throwing both caution and decorum out the window, she moved in for the kill.
Continued next week...
Hall Notes:
We used to put a lot of faith in our dormmates back in the day. Letters and magazines went into each room's mailbox. But packages? Well, they were thrown on the floor in front of the mailboxes for all to see. Who was getting a care package? Who was getting new CDs from BMG? More importantly, what fabricated names were getting CDs from BMG? To many Vermin's surprise, Kathy Ireland lived in Carroll for a spell. So did Dave Matthews. That's what I heard anyway. I don't recall much in the way of thievery. (Although I did have a CD pilfered.) For the most part, mail worked out well, especially for the dorm's mail carrier. What a great gig. And the mailman got a dolly. So even if everyone got a care package on the same day, they could all be delivered. Neither rain nor sleet nor snow nor the farthest dorm....
NDSportscenter:
Coach Kelly has altered the walk-on tryouts. The tryouts will move from spring to fall. That is Kelly's way, but the primary reason given is that this allows coaches in the spring to "spend as much time evaluating the current roster as it stands right now." There are currently 25 walk-on players working out with the team. Their status will not be affected by the change. Spring practice begins March 26. There will be 15 official practices and the Blue-Gold Game on April 24.
Forbes Magazine recently ranked our football program as the second most valuable college football program in the country. Texas was ranked first with a value of $119 million. We were at $108 million. Forbes used a set of standardized revenue and expense streams. Forbes also listed the dividends generated by analyzing how much money was contributed back to the University as a whole and to other athletic programs after subtracting the cost of running the football operation. We had an overall dividend of $38 million.
In early January, College Soccer News named the men's Team of the Decade. Goalkeeper Chris Sawyer (2001-04) was named to the first team. He was a 2-time 1st team All American and posted a 0.66 goals-against-average. He was the Big East Goalkeeper of the Year in 2003 and 2004.
Forward Joseph Lapira (2004-07) was on the second All Decade Team. He was the first male Domer to win the Hermann Trophy (2006). He led the country in goals (22) and scoring (50). He was 1st team All American as a junior and senior. Joseph was also the 2006 Big East Offensive Player of the Year.
Campus News:
Once again this year's early applicant pool was higher in GPA and test scores than any other pool. There were 4,330 received applications for Early Action. That was up 13.5 percent from last year. That included a greater increase in the number of minority and international applicants. Some schools have reported declines in early applications, which has been attributed to the weak economy. There are multiple thoughts on the applicant increase. One may be the switch to the Common Application in the admissions process. Admissions believes others factors are that we have gotten a stronger reputation and that we're committed to the necessary financial need of every admitted student.
In mid-January it was revealed that 1,801 students were admitted early. Admissions speculates that around 60 percent would commit. The early admitted students had an average class rank in the top 3.3 percent, an average SAT score of 1460, and an average ACT score of 33.1. Of those admitted, 24 percent were minority. The group included 75 international students.
In other news...
The University recently issued a campus sustainability report. In 2008-09, the campus reduced its carbon dioxide emissions from energy use by 7.5 percent. We also invested $25 million installing energy-efficient equipment in 25 campus buildings. The report also notes a campus-wide shift to recycled-content paper, the launch of a comprehensive recycling program on football Saturdays, and construction of several campus buildings certified as environmentally friendly.
Campus Watch by Gipper from Scholastic:
One Domer found himself in a particularly precarious situation full of booze, babes and booby-trapped bathrooms while celebrating the dawning of the New Year in the Big Apple. Our friend - who we shall call "Houdini" - was in a Red Bull and vodka state of mind with his evening well underway - several hours at a city bar had left him and his friends with the party ants in their pants. In the wee hours of the mornin' they hailed a taxi and were en route to the next big bash when Houdini decided that the cab wasn't worth the cash. At the next stoplight he disengaged the door and dashed off into the New York night.
Soon after, Houdini was high-tailin' it on a train headed in what he hoped was the general direction of his friend's abode. He was seated between two fine female specimens, equally intoxicated as he, who found his mysterious musk to be worthy of their advancements. Quite pleased with himself and his dumb luck, Houdini made a quick exit to relieve himself in the train bathroom. But the lavatory was vengefully sabotaged - after zippin' it up he couldn't open the door! This was one trap that the great magician could not escape. When help arrived some 15 minutes later, the lady friends had already ditched the train. The dashing Houdini,while mourning his loss, came to the revitalizing realization that he had actually managed to board the correct train! But his adventure in the concrete jungle was not quite over. With a dead cell phone and no sober sense to consider alternatives, he embarked on the wobbly walk from the train station to his final destination. The journey included a trek across the three-mile-long, no-pedestrian-pathed, police-monitored Tappan Zee Bridge. From here the story goes as you might predict: Houdini was intercepted by the cops, who responded to his bizarre behavior by demanding that he drop trou in the middle of the bridge to search for weapons and drugs before agreeing to drive him home - drunk, disturbed and severely dispirited. Some kids would be better off sticking to small-town Indiana.
Hall Notes:
I haven't given up reading "Scholastic." I swing by campus every couple of weeks to pick one up. But things have changed. Back in the day I believe there used to be six issues per semester. Somewhere along the way things changed. First, the initial issue now comes out in the summer, before the fall semester. So the student body would basically begin with the second edition. Now there seem to only be 9 or 10 issues over the course of the year. However, they have been supersized. The older ones, I believe, were under 30 pages. Then it grew to a little over 30. Because the number of issues have been reduced, there has been an increase in pages to 44.
A new Scholastic was greeted heartily by the Vermin back in the day. Usually the first Vermin to SDH would grab four or five and throw them on the Vermin tables so the fellas could glean the latest campus info while dining. Once the table filled in, the magazine was filed away and mostly non-sensical banter began. Prior to the gabbing, though, it was like an episode of "Reading Rainbow." Good times.
NDSportscenter:
Time to catch up on some older news...
Earlier this year Luke Harangody became our 7th player to score 2,000 points. Luke is the only player to score 2,000 points and record 1,000 rebounds. Luke has also set the school record for double-doubles which he basically re-sets after every game.
Coach Mike Brey recently won his 200th game with the Irish.
We had two recruits play in the Offense-Defense Bowl. Quarterback Andrew Hendrix and defensive lineman Justin Utupo were in the game.
The Under Armour Senior Bowl featured three Irish stars. Safety Kyle McCarthy, center Eric Olsen, and tackle Sam Young played in the Mobile, Alabama event on Jan. 30.
Chris Zorich was one of three men recently selected to the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame. Chris played in the bowl in 1990 and 1991. He was the defensive MVP in '91 when he made 10 tackles (8 solo, 2 for a loss) and a sack. Ara, Lou, and the Rocket were already in the hall.
Tim Brown was recently inducted in New York into the College Football Hall of Fame. He is our 43rd player to go in and 49th ND representative. (We have 6 coaches in as well.)
Soccer America named Randy Waldrum the Coach of the Year. This is his first national honor in 11 years here. The team was 21-4-1 this year and finished at #4.
Freshman right wing Kyle Palmieri was selected to the 22-man 2010 U.S. Junior National Team. The world championships were held from Dec. 26 - Jan. 5. Kyle and the squad won gold.
Campus News:
In mid January three students were assaulted while trying to board a Transpo bus. The students approached the bus after leaving a house party south of campus. A man accompanied by several people attacked them. One student was punched in the face and was knocked out. He woke up bleeding on the bus. The attack occurred at the bus stop. The bus driver actually helped the students to get on and quickly drove away. Before the attack about 20 students had just boarded the bus.
In other news....
The University's first study abroad program has been cancelled. The Innsbruck program is ending after 46 years and 1,300 students. The Austria program will be terminated after this spring, but the University will continue to provide a German study abroad opportunity at its Berlin site. Berlin was initiated in 2001.
Innsbruck was discontinued because its popularity had decreased over the last decade. It got to the point where only two students applied for the full-year program. A large part of the decline was likely the added variety of other study abroad destinations. Directors tried to rebuild the program by incorporating an option for business students and adding a semester option. Students said these actions actually decreased its popularity. Cutting it from a year-long program to a semester-long program was seen as a turnoff, as were classes in English. Apparently prior to the changes, Innsbruck was the main German program and was more structured than the Berlin program. In Innsbruck students lived in dorms with European students during the week and with a guest family on the weekends to better immerse themselves with the Austrian culture.
Berlin is appealing because the language program is more demanding. Students enroll at an elite German institution which requires higher level German language proficiency.
Campus Watch by Me:
So I've got some news on the inner workings for the Athletic Department from a campus insider. I previously mentioned that we were putting in a training table because the football team was losing too much weight over the season. I learned that our lineman lost an average of 17 lbs. over the course of the season. Ouch. And it's not just football. For example, the women's soccer team lost an average of 6 lbs. per player.
We were the only Division I program to not have a training table. Double ouch. A student could potentially eat 21 meals at the dining hall. Due to time constraints, the football players on campus averaged 8 trips to the dining hall during the week. The Gug is the site of the training table. As soon as the workout ends, the consuming begins. Apparently there are still some kinks to work out. The training table is fine for full scholarship athletes, but there seems to be a question for partial scholarship athletes and walk-ons, who may need to pay for the meals or pay a portion. Hopefully the training table can cure some of our late season woes.
Hall Notes:
I don't miss the winter laundry walk. The walk to class never bothered me. I preferred to walk off the pounds and preferred to be farther away from zahm and morri-suck. I didn't even mind the laundry walk in the fall or spring. Come wintertime, though, I tried to dirty clothes as little as possible. Carrying a big sack over my shoulder made me appear Santa- like. But I was never merry nor jolly. Today's Vermin with their washing contraptions have it so easy. I bet they don't even have to say "heads up" when they flush the urinal.
NDSportscenter:
Another Signing Day has come and gone. There has been aplethora of news since last week. But first, I forgot to mention another de-commitment last week. Florida running back Giovannit Bernard bailed to North Carolina.
Verbals #18, #19, and #20 came after last weekend's recruiting bonanza. The 18th player was quarterback Luke Massa of Cincinnati, Ohio. The 6'4", 205 lb. QB de-committed from the Bearcats. The St. Xavier High School product is our 3rd QB in this class. Rivals and Scout both give him 3 stars.
Derek Roback was our 19th commitment. Derek, a 6'3", 220 lb. athlete, de-committed from Toledo. The Waverly, Ohio player had been a Cincinnati prospect. Derek runs a 4.58 - 40 and received 3 stars and 2 stars from Rivals and Scout, respectively. As a sophomore Roback was a receiver. He was a QB his final two years. His collegiate position has yet to be determined.
Bruce Heggis had no other Division I offers. He was our 20th verbal. Heggie is a 6'6", 240 lb. defensive end. His father was a defensive end and outside linebacker at Florida State. Due to the lack of offers, Bruce is a 1-star prospect. Heggie had preferred walk-on status at Florida, Central Florida, and South Florida had he decided to go that route.
Then on Monday we snagged #21 in Danny Spond of Littleton, Colorado. He is 6'3", 230 lbs. and is also tagged an "athlete." Spond played QB and LB at Columbine High School. Weis recruited him before he committed to Colorado. The Rivals 4-star and Scout 3-star recruit re-opened his commitment and chose us over TCU. Spond carries a 3.91 GPA. He only played half of his senior season after a serious concussion.
Then on Signing Day the class grew to 23. Offensive tackle Matt James, a teammate of Luke Massa, chose us over Ohio State. James is 6'8", 290 lbs. The Cincinnati native is the #11 tackle prospect and is rated 4-stars by Scout and Rivals.
The final player was Kona Schwenke of Kahuku, Hawaii. Kona is a 6'5", 215 lb. defensive end. He runs a 4.7 - 40 and selected us over Washington. Scout gave him 4 stars and Rivals gave 3. Overall Scout had this class as the 19th best while Rivals felt it was 14th.
Campus News:
A recent Observer article stated that Phase Two of the Library renovation is now under way. The pre-planning began during the 2007-08 academic year. The design is on-going. The actual construction is targeted to begin during the summer of 2011. The cost is estimated at $26.6 million.
Phase Two of the renovation includes the space north of the central concourse, the Faculty Lounge on the first floor, and the entire second floor. The design will be by the architectural firm Shepley Bulfinch Richardson & Abbott. One of the biggest goals of the renovation is to improve the overall appearance of the library - "to make it a more comfortable, inclusive space where people can spend hours at a time. Currently the Campus Committee planning the library renovation is looking at programming - identifying what technology and resources are needed. In March they will begin looking at schematics.
Phase Two will be done in two parts. Each part will take about 10 to 12 months. The library will remain open and functioning at all times during the construction.
There will be many specific changes. One may be the building of a "grand reading room" where faculty members can find their primary texts close to an area where they can work. Scattered staff offices will be brought together in one location. There will be more group consultation rooms, classrooms, and training rooms. The committe is also attempting to create a social and academic space "that embodies the traditional ideals of a library but also looks towards the future." Good luck with that.
Campus Watch by Me from The Observer:
The band OK Go, best known for its treadmill-filled video to the song "Here It Goes Again," released a new music video on Jan. 12. The single, "This Too Shall Pass," features members of the Notre Dame Marching Band. The video took nearly a week of production during last semester's Fall Break. The making was long and painstaking and involved one continuous take. Rehearsals began on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday involved figuring out what to do. The video wasn't set and was created as it went along. Thursday involved over 20 takes. Elementary-aged kids were also featured. OK Go was seen as "very approachable and fun to collaborate with." Check out the video at the link below....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJKythlXAIY
Hall Notes:
You know what I missed out on all four years? The supposed snowball fight between north and south quad. It was basically an urban legend to many of us in Carroll. I had heard that it usually began somewhere near Stonehenge, where a southerner would begin the affair. At the time, Flanner and Grace were full of lads. Once they joined in the contest, the frontline continually shifted back to the south. The sheer numbers allowed the north to back the south up to the Rock (despite the south having better generals). As I was told, the event ended once the south was pinned against the Rock. I never had the good fortune to partake of such festivities. I would have liked to see the north try to march on Carroll. We had a natural defense in the lake. We were on a hill and had an open front lawn to see an enemy advancement. And thanks to Food Sales and cheese fries, we could easily have held out for weeks should the north bombard us with an assault. Have fun stormin' The Hotel! (They're gonna need it.)
NDSportscenter:
Well, last week it was mentioned that Brian Kelly had secured Charlie's remaining players. Not so fast. Stanford came along and scooped up defensive lineman Blake Lueders. Oh well, we took three players from them. Sadly we've lost two of our three best defensive recruits and both are lineman, which we desperately need.
Last week we mentioned Louis Nix, a defensive lineman who was the first commit post-Weis. The first Kelly commit was Austin Collinsworth, son of former NFL receiver and current NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth. Austin has received three stars from Rivals and Scout. He attends Highlands High School in Fort Thomas, Kentucky near Cincinnati. Collinsworth is 6'0", 180 lbs and was a running back in high school. Some project him as a safety but apparently he will give receiver a try. Austin visited campus on Dec. 17 and committed on Dec. 18. His official visit was set for January. He also looked at Cincinnati, Stanford, and Oregon. A broken thumb kept him out of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl where he could have teamed with fellow recruit offensive lineman Christian Lombard.
Campus News:
The 2010 Commencement address will be made by NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams. Williams is the managing editor of NBC Nightly News. He joined NBC in 1993 after seven years at CBS News where he was a correspondent and anchor. He is one of several journalists to deliver the keynote address. Tom Brokaw ('93), Tim Russert ('02), William F. Buckley Jr. ('78), and Mark Shields ('97) all spoke at graduation. Williams has received numerous awards for anchoring and reporting. He has won four Edward R. Murrow awards, five Emmy Awards, the duPont-Columbia University Award, the 2009 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism and the industry's highest honor, the George Foster Peabody Award.
Stinson-Remick Hall of Engineering is officially open. The 142,000 square-foot building houses offices for professors, classrooms, and other facilities. The $70 million building has a nanotechnology research center, an interdisciplinary learning center, and the new Energy Center. The center is an 11,800 square foot semiconductor processing and device fabrication clean room. The hall has ample space to allow work on group projects. The learning center allows "a big group class where you do more of the hands-on engineering stuff." Space difficulties existed in the older engineering building. Apparently the new areas not only have space but also available computers and even a 55-inch television screen "that a student can hook their computer up to so everyone working in the group can see what is going on." Some areas are still unfinished, but all is expected to be completed over the next few months.
Campus Watch by Me from The Observer:
Oh the drama on campus. A cartoon in The Observer recently made headlines. It was in the first issue after break. It was a three-panel strip called "Mobile Party." The comic went like this... A talking saw asks, "What is the easiest way to turn a fruit into a vegetable?"... "No idea," a man responds...."A baseball bat," says the saw. There was an outcry locally and from at least one national organization at how the strip plays on violence against gay people. The Observer's editor-in-chief and staff professed their outrage. They issued a written apology. The cartoon was developed by three seniors. They also issued an apology. Father Jenkins issued a written statement: "The University denounces the implication that violence or expression of hate toward any person or group of people is acceptable or a matter that should be taken lightly." The comic's creators, in their apology, wrote that they "use the tool characters to emphasize a mindset that we simply find ridiculous." They wrote that their strip relies on "shock value" and that "now...we have gone too far."
In the Jan. 18 Observer, it was announced that the Editorial Board has discontinued the publication of the cartoon. The Board does not feel the comic strip aligns with community standards in terms of content and taste. The Observer was also made aware of an outside blog authored by the writers that republished copies of their cartoons as well as cartoons deemed inappropriate for print. This blog is apparently in violation of Observer policy.
Hall Notes:
So how did the other two Vermin in the NFL fair? Julius Jones spent his second season with the Seattle Seahawks. In his sixth NFL season, Julius played in 14 games and had a rough go of it. His best game came in week 1 versus St. Louis. Against the Rams he ran for 117 yards (with a long of 62) and 1 touchdown. For the season he had 663 yards and 2 touchdowns. His average was 3.7 yards per carry.
Bert Berry just finished his 12th NFL campaign. This was his 6th with Arizona. In 15 games he had 10 tackles and 6 sacks. Bert's leadership helped take the Cardinals into the playoffs. Unfortunately the Saints were on a crusade and knocked Bert and Arizona out of the playoffs.
NDSportscenter:
The first recruiting commitment of the post-Weis era was Louis Nix of Jacksonville, Florida. The most significant item of this verbal was that it came BEFORE we hired Kelly. BEFORE. He committed without a coach! Could another school do that? Nix also happens to be the highest rated recruit of our class. He attends Raines High and is 6'2", 315 lbs. Tom Lemming says he is one of the top five defensive tackles in the country. He played in the Under Armour All American game and was a force. (Receiver commit Tai-ler Jones also played in the game.) Scout and Rivals both give him four stars. Louis had offers from Florida, Florida State and Miami. Nix actually de-committed from Miami in favor of us. He has speed, strength, is explosive, and has great quickness off the ball. Louis benches 350 lbs and as a junior had 60 tackles and 10 sacks.
Women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw recently earned her 500th victory here. She had coached over 700 games for us.
Word on the street is we will bring back five 5th year seniors. Cornerback Darrin Walls, guard Chris Stewart, center Dan Wegner, receiver/kick returner Barry Gallup Jr., and tight end Bobby Berger are expected to return. Also returning is quarterback Nate Montana. He has spent the fall semester at Pasadena City College in hopes of gaining playing experience. That didn't turn out too well. He connected on 31 of 88 games (35%) for 324 yards with 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
More news on recruiting next week. Apparently the staff has been impressive and have supposedly locked down all of the remaining Charlie commitments. Now on to some new blood.
The women's volleyball team made the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately they fell in the first round to MAC Champ Ohio, 3-2. We finished the year at 21-7.
Jan. 17, 2009
Campus News:
In the fall, many University employees had their personal information inadvertently made available on the internet. Information such as names and social security numbers was accidentally placed in a publicly accessible location. The data breach affected about 24,000 employees, including some students who work for the University. Once discovered, the information was quickly secured and there was no evidence the information was inappropriately used. However, the logs indicate the information had been available for awhile. Those affected by the data breach were informed by letter around November 30.
Some recipients of the letter were upset with the University's handling of the situation. One woman wanted automatically offered credit checks and access to the general cousels office for possible legal advice. Since mailing the letter, the University provided access to credit monitoring services for those who were affected. However, it is up to the individual to sort it out and pay for any legal advice.
Various technical measures have been employed to prevent this from happening again. Changes were also made in the human resources department. No single person was singled out for the error.
In other news...
School is back in session. Classes kicked off last Tuesday. The new engineering building should be open now. Hopefully I can get over to campus and check it out and maybe snap some photos. It is on the site of the former University Club. But this structure seems to be about 20 times larger than the one-story club. The upsizing is very similar to what happened after the old Bookstore was torn down and the Morse-Coleman Center built.
Campus Watch by Me from the wire:
Uh-oh. Sophomore receiver Michael Floyd recently made the paper for all the wrong reasons. He was involved in a fight in Minneapolis on Jan. 8, according to police reports. Apparently he was involved in a "physical altercation" outside of a party. Floyd had blood on his hands, feet and shirt. The police were responding to a report of about 10 people being involved in a "physical dispute in the street." But the headline read: "Floyd receives citation for underage drinking." The police report said Floyd admitted to doing "a couple of shots" earlier in the night. He was cited in lieu of being arrested. Floyd was cited for underage consumption of liquor which is a misdemeanor. He could face a fine, a court appearance, or a diversion program. As of the news report, University officials and Coach Kelly had yet to comment on the situation. Next stop: Res Life.
Hall Notes:
For the 2008 NFL season, there were four Vermin playing in the pros. For the 2009 NFL season, we were down to three. I recently discovered that defensive end Anthony Weaver apparently did not make a roster for 2009. After three seasons with the Houston Texans, Weaver was released. In 2008 he had 45 tackles and an interception. Despite that he was let go in February 2009.
Arnaz Battle just completed his seventh season with the San Francisco 49ers. His role has shifted. Arnaz used to be a starting receiver. In 15 games played this year he only caught 5 balls for 40 yards. Battle mainly played special teams and was a punt and kickoff returner.
News on two more next week.
NDSportscenter:
Brian Kelly has announced his staff. Our new offensive line coach is Ed Warinner, who is also an offensive coordinator. He had been the Kansas o-coordinator, a team that was 12-1 in 2007 with the #8 offense. He had been at Army, Air Force, Illinois, and Michigan State and was a recruiting coordinator. We are switching to a 3-4 defense and it will be led by coordinator and inside linebackers coach Bob Diaco. Bob was a linebacker at Iowa and was with Kelly at Cincinnati. Charley Molnar, the Cincinnati offensive coordinator, is also comingh and will coach the quarterbacks. Kerry Cooks will lead the outside linebackers and be the lead recruiter. Tight ends coach Mike Denbrock had been here previously with Willingham. Denbrock was also with Kelly when he was at Grand Valley State. He will recruit the west coast. Mike Elston has the defensive line and will recruit Florida. The Grand Valley State head coach has left that position to be our defensive backs coach. Chuck Martin was 74-7 (.914) and had won two National titles in '05 and '06. He will coach our secondary and recruit Chicago. Tim Hinton will coach the running backs, which means Tony Alford, the only retained coach, will take over the wide receivers. Finally, Paul Longo will be our strength and conditioning coach.
Bryant Young was told he could stay on as a graduate assistant coach. He passed and took a full time position with San Jose State. (That may be our biggest loss.)
Jimmy Clausen will have surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right big toe. He will be out 2 to 3 months and will miss the NFL Combine, Feb. 24 - Mar. 2. Jimmy is expected to be ready for a Pro Day in April.
Joe Montana and receiver Kris Haines were elected to the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame. They were made famous in the Chicken Soup comeback versus Houston. Haines caught the winning touchdown that Joe delivered.
Recruiting news next week.
Campus News:
More news on the Eddy Street Commons project....
Previously the businesses on the ground floor were discussed. The apartments were also detailed. The apartments were Foundry West, on the northwest corner of Napoleon and Eddy Streets. The Foundry South, on the northeast corner of Eddy and Napoleon, opened in December. In June, the Foundry North will open. It will be on the southeast corner of Eddy and Angela Blvd. The tenants are a mix of working adults, retirees, alumni, grad students and a small undergrad population.
Homes are also on the way. The first for-sale residential units are expected to be available in 2010. They will be called Champion's Way City Homes.
The hotels are a bit behind schedule. The smaller, limited-service Fairfield Inn & Suites hotel will most likely be opened in time for the 2010 football season. The full-service Marriott "has been delayed due to market conditions, and will be commenced when conditions improve."
And then there is Ivy Quad. It is an off-campus residence complex. It is in the process of being LEED certified with each unit being 40 percent more efficient than the standard home. One building is completed and occupied. Ten buildings have been designed. The complex is just east of campus and it is open to undergrads, grad students, alumni and professors. Ivy Quad is being built around an actual quadrangle of grass and is located where Ivy Road used to run before Twyckenham Drive was expanded. In addition to the quad-based living environment, the building style is collegiate gothic, similar to the campus buildings. The homes feature granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and hardwood floors.
Campus Watch by the Gipper from Scholastic:
Okay, on to the bun run! Here's a comical quickie for you (because who doesn't love a quickie?):
It was a quiet weekday evening on North Quad. Some students filtered into the dining hall for an early meal while others slouched back from class. But in the dusky lights of the Daylight Savings afternoon, one Domer stood out from the rest. Maybe it was because he was running, or maybe because he was naked, but like a third-grader on Pixie Stix, a lanky and unfortunate fellow dashed frantically across the Quad toward Farley Hall. In a flash he had reached his destination, slapped the outside wall of Farley, and darted back across the quad into Zahm where his defeaters howled with delight.
Thankfully the details are a bit blurry, but without question he was 100 percent in the nude and clutching his boxers in his hand. Some passersby stared incredulously at one another on the sidewalks before erupting into laughter, but others missed the scandalous spectacle altogether.
One poor Zahmbie suffered a loss in one of those "never ever played on campus" drinking games, only to be fated for the one thing more humiliating than not hitting a single beer pong cup: a North Quad bun run.
Hall Notes:
I went by Carroll last weekend just to see what was up. Well, the Christmas tree was not. Apparently is had not been tethered too tightly. Unlike a weeble wooble, it did fall down.
I also went by the door to see the dorm directory. There was none. Why? I don't know for sure but I'm guessing it is because of the cell phone era. Very few undergrads have a campus phone anymore. The days of dialing 4 and then four digits seem to be a thing of the past. And likely no dorm wants to list cell phone numbers. I suppose they could list a resident and their room number, but women's dorms seemed to shy away from that. The phone is still there, though. Cord and all. But you can't dial up the 1990s. I tried.
NDSportscenter:
This is a little late, but Golden Tate won the Biletnikoff Award for being the nation's best receiver. He is the first Domer to win the award. Golden set the following single season records: receptions (93); yards (1,496); touchdowns (15); yards per game (124.7); and 100+ yard games (9). His career records are in yards (2,707) and 100+ yard games (15). Tate was named to five All-American teams: The Sporting News, the Football Writers Association of America, Walter Camp, Associated Press, and the American Football Coaches Association. In doing so he has become our 31st unanimous All American and our first since Shane Walton in '02. We have the most unanimous All Americans.
Jimmy Clausen and Eric Olsen were named 3rd Team All American by The Sporting News.
Other football notes: only running backs coach Tony Alford has been kept on....Ron Powlus has gone to Akron to be the quarterback coach and the passing-game coordinator....our top recruit, five-star defensive end Chris Martin de-committed after Charlie was let go. Cornerback Toney Hurd has also de-committed. Five players that remain committed are enrolling this January: QB Tommy Rees, S Chris Badger, WR Tai-ler Jones, CB Lo Wood, and CB Spencer Boyd....Manti Te'o has decided to put his Mormon mission on hold and will return this semester and prepare for next season. Last year he was 4th on the team in tackles. That is the 3rd highest total by a freshman in school history. He had 57 of his 63 tackles in the last seven games when he was put in the starting rotation....A.D. Jack Swarbrick hopes to get a training table for the football team to dine differently during the season. Jack said "our weight loss (by players) on the defensive side of the ball during the year was frankly a little shocking."
More news next week on the new coaching staff, the current team, and players of old.