Author Archive
ND professor addresses Pope Benedict and Buddhism
“Dear friends, God is love. Such is our faith,” began Notre Dame Theology Professor John Cavadini in his introduction to the conference “God is Love: Explorations in the Theology of Benedict XVI.” Held March 25 – 27, the conference was organized and sponsored by the Institute for Church Life. Scholars from around the world gathered to reflect on the ongoing theological achievements [...]
Arabic culture night impresses
The fifth annual Arabic Culture Night took place in Mendoza’s Jordan Auditorium on March 23. The event was a collaborative effort directed by Arabic Club President Joe Dufour, Arabic Professor Ghadha Bualuan, Ramzi Bualuan, professor of computer science and engineering, and Matthew Getze assistant director of the Center for the Study of Languages and Culture. Dufour commented, “The audience [...]
Contraception and conscience
A few weeks ago two ROVER editors were presented with a textbook case for evangelization. “Convince me that I’m wrong!” a young man engaged to be married quite literally cried to us, on the topic of contraception. He requested evidence that Catholic arguments for Natural Family Planning (NFP) as the only moral means of birth control did not simply commit a gigantic naturalistic fallacy, in [...]
Keeping the faith in matters of conscience
Something truly terrible emanated from the White House a couple of weeks ago. There are bad decisions, and there are evil decisions. There are evil decisions disguised with sophistication as progressive, or hidden in the riddles of the law; then there are evil decisions that rear their ugly heads and roar for recognition. This terrible emanation was neither hidden nor progressive; in fact, as [...]
Irene Engel shares life lessons on chastity
About 5 years ago, Irene Engel began noticing a troubling theme in her conversations with other grandmothers. “We were hearing too many reports that CATHOLIC girls did not understand the need for chastity, protecting their bodies, and we made the statement, ‘Somebody should say something.’” Growing up in a “typical family” in the “typical Midwestern town” of Lacrosse, [...]
Deans, drugs, and debauchery
I have a friend with a pretty shaky notion of reality. She took the dean’s words as gospel when he said at opening Mass our freshman year that underage drinking WAS NOT tolerated on campus. He said it with a gleam of severity in his eye that struck awe and obedience into the bones of all in attendance, she thought. So it was with shock that she received her roommate’s invitation to share [...]
MTV star gives advice to undergrads on career search
Nationally-renown Career Coach and star of MTV’s HIRED!, Ryan Kahn (or rather, Ryan Kahn’s people) contacted the IRISH ROVER with an exclusive interview offer. Ryan lectures to thousands of students each year, and links hundreds of graduates with their dream career. Featured in the WALL STREET JOURNAL, USATODAY, YAHOO! NEWS, the CHICAGO TRIBUNE, STAR, the HUFFINGTON POST, and now the IRISH [...]
University concessions outsourced to Centerplate
Centerplate, one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, will now handle all Notre Dame concessions. David Harr, associate vice president for auxiliary operations at Notre Dame, informed The Rover that “Centerplate has worked all summer to ramp up its operations and has a full complement of staff in place to service the many events and activities that actually began on June 30 with a [...]
Easter reflections from London
Not all of London is sunshine and rhododendrons. In fact, the distinct lack of sunshine prevents me from using a hairdryer in the bathroom and opening an upper story window to its fullest extent--suicide preventative measures instituted as part of the infamous “health and safety” legislation. The winter gloom and city anti-sociality provoked two goons, christening themselves the “Love [...]
Out of Facebook and into somebody’s face: Thomas Friedman at ND Forum
A large audience came to the Leighton Concert Hall on November 3 to hear Thomas Friedman contribute his perspective to this year’s forum, the Global Marketplace and the Common Good. Norah O’Donnell of NBC News moderated the affair. Friedman, a triple recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, writes for the New York Times and has published several books, including THE WORLD IS FLAT and THE LEXUS AND [...]
Forum-Inspired Student Debate: The Moral Responsibility of Producers vs. Consumers
Introduction: The most staunchly free-market thinkers in history have acknowledged both a moral and an immoral manner of economic activity. Even Ayn Rand, author of the audaciously titled The Virtue of Selfishness, recognized, for example, that government must exist to uphold property rights, and that anarcho-capitalism – the belief that the free market should exist instead of a state [...]
On Learning to Love Rightly
Ponder with me the following three scenarios, based on real life events. Scene one: You’re at a luxurious media retreat on the university’s dollar, lounging in your armchairs after a sumptuous square meal, and ready to humor the “diversity” training segment. The moderator poses the question, “Where do we, as a Catholic institution, draw the line on rap music? Though the beat may [...]