The commencement speaker: President Obama

Fr. Jonathan Morris is FOX News’ religious contributor, and he is not happy. As it turns out, the University of Notre Dame had the audacity to invite the president of the United States to speak at commencement this year, as well as receive an honorary law degree. He accepted – those honorary degrees have got to be the best perk ever.

In a recent blog post, Morris wrote that “hundreds of thousands of American Catholics, including high-ranking church officials, have expressed outrage over what they see as Notre Dame’s betrayal of [distinctly Catholic] values for the sake of worldly prestige.” Calling Notre Dame the “jewel of American Catholicism,” Morris questions how “Notre Dame officials can reconcile their choice to honor a president who has rejected – and continues to reject so aggressively – their cornerstone value of the right to life.”

Morris uses misleading language. First, people aren’t upset because they believe President Obama betrays “distinctly Catholic values” – they’re upset because he’s a pro-choice president. (Only use the plural when you’re referring to more than one distinctly Catholic value, Father.) But, if this is about the sanctity of life, then why wasn’t there an outcry when President Bush spoke at Notre Dame’s 2001 commencement? He was the guy who’d later go to war and cause thousands of American deaths, not to mention huge Iraqi and Afghani casualties. You’ll have to forgive me for remembering that abortion and stem-cell research aren’t the only issues when it comes to the right to life.

In other news, Notre Dame doesn’t need any more prestige, Fr. Morris. To accuse the university of seeking Obama as its commencement speaker for the sake of fame is as close-minded as saying Obama shouldn’t be president simply because of his stance on a single issue. Notre Dame, who has clearly said they don’t support all of the president’s views, sends a clear message with this invitation: “We’re open to dialogue, and won’t completely shut those with differing opinions out.” It’s funny, because in a Feb. 2006 blog post, Morris wrote, “Respect for belief is just as important as freedom of expression. They were never meant to be at odds with each other.” I guess that doesn’t apply when the other person’s belief isn’t the same as yours.

Morris thinks that Notre Dame sends out a different message, though: “As you go forth into this world, the best way to find common ground on divisive issues, as President Obama has invited us to do, is to whitewash our institutions of what makes us uniquely Catholic, Protestant, Jewish . . . or whatever else gets in the way of prestige, or the sitting president’s agenda.” I’d like to see that press release. How about this, Padre Morris: By speaking at the commencement of a Catholic institution, President Obama is gesturing that he’s willing to be in conversation even with those who expressly disagree with him, in an ecumenical spirit of sorts. That’s kind of what presidents do.

As a Catholic, I certainly stand in opposition to some of what Obama stands for.
The world – the Church especially – would benefit from a certain spirit of open-mindedness, though, that at the very least would allow people to enter into dialogue with those they disagree with. If Obama came to LMU for commencement, what would it say about our University if we were to start a petition like this to prevent that from happening? Can we really say we’re committed to a service of faith, the promotion of justice and the education of the whole person if we shut out those who don’t think the same way we do? Fr. Morris seems to think so.

Kudos to Notre Dame for nabbing the president of the United States for commencement speaker. Kudos to President Obama for agreeing to speak at a Catholic institution. Fr. Morris, and anyone who signed the petition with the sensationalist title (“Notre Dame Scandal”): Wake up.

-Jose Martinez

A pleasurable experience

So it’s sometime in the morning before you have class and you stop by the lair to grab some food. You’re in a rush. Problem: There is only one line to pay for your things and there are 25 people in front of you. Why? Because the esteemed Sodexo employee working the register is intent on taking the maximum amount of time to do the simple tasks of pushing buttons on a register and sliding a card.

Every morning I hope that maybe they will assign someone new to the register, but I’m not surprised to see that they have, yet again, chosen the most irritating person to run the register. Making my way to the front of the line, ten minutes later, I find my helpful cashier staring me down as if my intentions of buying food are somehow less than honorable.

Next she counts up the items I wish to purchase, not once, but twice. She finally deems it an appropriate time to push the buttons on the register. Now, I’ve been charged for either chow mein or a salad, when all I’ve tried to buy is my oatmeal. When the mistake is corrected she starts over. On the most special of occasions, I will be one of the lucky few who have made the cut of paying double for my cereal because I have committed the ultimate in Sodexo sins by overflowing my cereal bowl. Naturally this makes clear my true thieving nature, so she proceeds to glare at me as I hand over my one card.

Not to move too quickly, she asks if I would like to use Lion. She must imagine it’s a hobby of mine to change up my daily payment methods to confuse her – not the case by any means.

Finally, I’m in the home stretch and even though I tell her I don’t need a receipt, she guards my OneCard as collateral. She asks me if I’m sure, as if I will really have such a strong change of heart in five seconds. She hands me my OneCard as slowly as possible, as if to warn me that we will meet again. Now that I’m late for class, it really doesn’t matter. I just feel for all those poor kids behind me who will soon have the same pleasurable experience.
-Isa Gillette

For a completely different opinion on this matter, see Jose Martinez' post: "Entitled to being a jerk?"

CollegeFest 2009 Live Blog

Experience the sights and sounds of Collegefest 2009 as it happens on our first Live Blog below....



After the show, comment below on what you think of the live blog.

---Faiza Mokhtar

Beating the Election - All Quiet on the Facebook Front

Facebook has been a force to be reckon with at LMU since 2004; it has become part of LMU's social fabric. Facebook certainly made quite the impression a few years later during Campaign Week that Facebook groups and pages have become the standard campaign tool to reel in supporters and more importantly votes. Facebook groups and pages for Presidential tickets and Senatorial candidates were overwhelmed with information about their platform and posed as another way to communicate with the candidate.

As for this year, I cannot really say Facebook groups of the tickets provide wealth of information but really something left to be desired. Going through the Presidential tickets all I read is fluff and not much substance. Every time a ticket mentioned an issue that they wanted to fix, the next question was how? From this, it definitely still needs work. It's disappointing considering that the voter has very little to go on, just a vague promise and a catchy slogan (and sometimes not even that). Although props to the Frontiera-Aiello ticket, they got one new idea that they want to implement "Free CONVOsation" which sounds promising but all they do is mention it.

The goal of these Facebook groups is to provide a complete and clear platform for the student who may not be able (or really wanting) to go to a debate or Town Hall. Providing such information is paramount as disclosure of a ticket's platform is indicative of the accountability they plan to maintain if they are elected. Unfortunately in this case, both tickets fail to do this leaving the voters to scratch their heads and possibly not trust.

Judge for yourself and see if these Facebook groups for the Presidential Ticket fit the bill:

Nick Frontiera and Alexis Aiello for ASLMU President/VP

Katherine BARDIS and Stephanie CHAPLUK for ASLMU PRESIDENT/VICE PRESIDENT

---Faiza Mokhtar

"Beating the Election" is a week-long series that takes the unconventional and satirical route in understanding this year's ASLMU elections.

Photos courtesy of Facebook

CollegeFest 2009

A tradition unlike any other.

No, I'm not talking about the Masters Golf Tournament, but there still might be plenty of greens.

CollegeFest is here once again, and reggae stars Rebelution will join the likes of Shiny Toy Guns and headliners Cold War Kids for the annual concert hosted by ASLMU.

Although I'm not too familiar with the music of these three bands, I'm more than willing to give them a chance for the sake of a good time.

Thankfully, LMU's administration reconsidered its misguided position of outlawing outdoor concerts. It would have been quite a shame if our picturesque bluff went unused on a Sunday afternoon in March.

Now here's the point of interest: Will attendance, or the overall vibe, be affected by the concert being held on a SUNDAY AFTERNOON?

Holding a concert on a Friday or Saturday allows for the requisite day of recovery often necessary in the wake of a giant festival or party. Sunday, as dictated by scripture, should be used as a day of rest (or when students do all of their homework for the week).

Will a Sunday concert make some students reconsider going to the show? I guess we'll have to wait and see, but CollegeFest veterans should keep their eyes peeled, comparing this year's turnout to that of years past.

--- O.S. Borboa

Beating the Election - How to avoid the candidate

Happy campaign week! Not really.

Today starts the longest and most annoying week of the year at LMU, ASLMU Elections. I say this having campaigned as a Senatorial candidate 3 years ago, being a campaign manager for 2 years and serving as the Election Chair; so I have been in the business of annoying students in past elections. Rather than hearing empty promises and candidates drone on and on this week, here are four quick ways to avoid the candidates:

1. Do not go to convo - You may think this is easier said than done, but actually it's quite easy to do. The hot spots during convo are Alumni Mall, the Lair and the Lair Patio. Apparently candidates' canvassing to hit up students for votes is concentrated in this area.

2. Sport those elusive white earbuds - based on a makeshift experience I did a few years ago I find that walking around campus with your iPod, that's a sign that you do not want to be bothered and you'll be avoided. So if #1 is too difficult, listening to your iPod is a safe bet.

3. Go to the gym - The gym is one of the "safe zones" on campus during campaign week. Years ago, campaigning at the gym was not allowed so the gym became a "safe zone" from annoying campaigning (because working out is serious business). So if you're thinking about getting in shape or shedding a few pounds, this would be a great week to start!

4. Use the "I'm in a rush!" line - There are times where encountering the candidate is inevitable. However, you can get out of it quickly. I have encountered solicitors, and many surprisingly are polite. They'll ask me if I have a moment and I'll respond with a guilty look, "I'm really sorry but I'm in a rush." Then they let me go on my merry way. Candidates don't want to get a potential voter angry so they'll honor your request and desist.

Use these four tools wisely and campaign week and voting will be just an afterthought.

--- Faiza Mokhtar

"Beating the Election" is a week-long series that takes the unconventional and satirical route in understanding this year's ASLMU elections.

What about those vegetarians?!

I think I'm going to stick with the topic of Sodexo because, well, they always seem to have room for improvement. I don't, of course.

Anyway, I recently found something out quite interesting or rather, appalling after I had taken a fancy to the "new" salad bar, Garden Daze, in the Lair.

I wanted to see what my salad was like without meat for a couple of reasons. One: I was doing it for an article. And two: I was really low on money and figured that without chicken the price of the salad would be cheaper

Appalling factor? As I strolled over to the cash register, I coolly told the cashier, “Chinese chicken salad. No meat.”

She said there was no button to reduce the price. If I were a tea kettle, you would have heard my high pitched whistle – it probably would have made you deaf.

Sodexo doesn’t discount the salads if there is no meat on them. I suddenly felt a great deal of sympathy for vegetarians on campus, who never get discounted for being a better person than me.

There’s all this talk about people being rewarded for acting “green.” Well, what about not acting “red” by being a lover of meat? Plus, being "green" can include eating less meat. Cows emit some serious CO2. Eat less cow, have less CO2. Talk about bad gas.

Look, I love meat, don’t get me wrong, But if a salad costs the same price with or without meat in the Lair, that is just one less incentive for me to go cold turkey on eating meat.

In terms of running a business, I have no idea how this is fair to the consumer. In terms of principal, when you buy more merchandise, you pay more money. You should never be paying the same amount of money for less merchandise.

That’s like saying “the sky is down,” “Christmas is Halloween,” “children are dragons” and “Sodexo runs a perfect business.”

None of these statements make sense.

-Alex Tandy

Photo courtesy of Tomas Castelazo

Entitled to being a jerk?

The other day, while standing in the sandwich line at Roski, I witnessed the ugly side of the LMU student body (and no, I wasn’t looking at my reflection in the sandwich display). I was second in line, and the person in front of me was unhappy with the fact that he’d been waiting more than 30 seconds for a Sodexo employee to come and help him. To show that was upset, he pursed his lips, exhaled loudly and shook his head. (It’s hard for most people to express disapproval without coming off like an inconsiderate numbskull.) Then he turned to me and, because idiocy loves company, said, “Can you believe these people? Who do they think they are?”

I smiled halfheartedly in response, which I regret. What I should have said was, “They’re underpaid employees dealing with thousands of students like you who feel entitled, and therefore treat them like second-class citizens.” And yes, I can believe them.

The way that some LMU students treat the workers in our school’s eateries, quite frankly, disgusts me. During my freshman year alone, I lost count of how many times people chose not to say please or thank you. That’s hardly the worst of it – I’ve seen many people demand their order, instead of asking for it. I’ve witnessed students throw fits because they got rice on their burrito, or because their breakfast sandwich took five minutes instead of two.

This needs to stop now.

I understand that we’re paying for this food, and that Sodexo employees are getting paid to prepare it to us. They’re not getting paid, however, to put up with students with an inflated sense of entitlement; they’re not getting paid to listen to you strip them of their dignity by bossing them around and expecting them to attend to your every whim.

But, some might argue, why should we treat them this way when they appear to have bad attitudes themselves?

Well, why do you think some of them have a bad attitude?

I’d like to see how well the students in question deal with serving people like themselves all day long. I’m sure students’ rolling their eyes gets old for anyone after a while. I admit that I have somewhat of a double standard when it comes to Sodexo employees’ attitudes: I sympathize with those that seem like they’re miserable and treat customers with a sense of detachment, and I admire those who strive to enjoy their job and interactions with students. But after seeing so many students treat so many employees unjustifiably poorly, I think such a double standard is only fair.

This is not a blanket criticism of the LMU student body – I understand that many students treat the employees in our dining facilities with perfect respect, and even go out of the way to make conversation with them at times. I applaud these students. To the rest, who feel that because you’re paying a large sum of money, you can treat the employees however you want, I challenge you to remember that you’re representing a Jesuit institution, a tenet of which is social justice. To treat any fellow human being as less deserving of respect and dignity than you are is a huge violation of this justice, and is something that nothing, not even an exorbitant cost of attendance at LMU, can justify.

-Jose Martinez


Photo by Liz Brownback | Loyolan

You've Just Been Facebook'd!

Think of getting "Facebook'd" as getting Rick Roll'd on Youtube by a "friend" but really giving your computer an unpleasant surprise and you a major headache through Facebook. I'll let the man in the video explain it to you...


In case in you didn't want to hear the CNN reporter drone on about this, basically you can get a worm on Facebook. How you ask? Essentially, you get a message from one of your Facebook friends to check out a cool (read: very lame) video on Youtube. On YouTube, you're prompted to download a Flash plugin update. Download the plugin and you've just been Facebook'd with the Koobface Worm which is malware on your computer.

Thanks to the Koobface worm (which is book spelled backwards plus "face," how cute), life on Facebook is a bit more complicated; as if we already have enough problems with this social networking tool such as vague and ambiguous Terms of use, "Social ads," annoying photos and note memes and petty Facebook drama. This is a bit overwhelming. My experience on Facebook is not as pleasant as it used to be. It's too late to go back to the days where nuisances such as hacking your account and make unauthorized posts happened on MySpace or better yet when Facebook was available to only users with a college e-mail address.

It was a simpler time, I wish we can return to that. Too bad technology will never allow for that to happen.

---Faiza Mokhtar