Saint Mary’s College is the new home for a reproduction of the Saint John’s Bible, a book worth about $145,000, comprised of seven volumes, and nearly two feet tall when all seven volumes are stacked upon one another. After being blessed at the College’s opening Mass Wednesday morning, a reproduction of the Bible was presented to the Cushwa-Leighton Library, where it will be be displayed permanently. “It’s a physical treasure, its beauty, its craftsmanship,” the College’s president, Carol Ann Mooney, said. “But because it’s also a book containing the Word of God, it’s so appropriate for it to have a home at Saint Mary’s.” The Bible, which is the Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible, was a gift from Judy Rauenhorst Mahoney, a 1974 graduate of the College. “I thought ‘Oh, I love books, I love Saint Mary’s, I really need to get the word out about this wonderful book,’” Mahoney said. “Here at Saint Mary’s College, it can be an influence on students, faculty and the broader South Bend community.” The book is composed of seven volumes; however, only four volumes were presented to the College Wednesday. The other three volumes will be presented after they are completed. Each day, the librarians will choose a new page of the Bible to display, said Fr. Eric Hollas, senior associate for Arts and Cultural Affairs at Saint John University. “As they change the pages each day and alternate volumes, people will read pages just to meditate on that passage in the Bible,” Hollas said. “Other people are going to be interested because of the art. Other people are going to be interested just because it’s a masterpiece. “With the changes in the pages every day, there’s always something new to look at, something new to appreciate.” Hollas said he hopes the Bible will still draw attention for years to come. “My hope is that in a thousand years from now, people will be looking at it,” Hollas said.
Early exit by Irish adds insult to injury
Many students’ faces turned Oklahoma crimson Saturday when some football players entered the tunnel before singing the Alma Mater in the team’s first home loss since Oct. 22, 2011. In a press conference Sunday, Irish coach Brian Kelly said he implemented a policy to not sing the Alma Mater after home losses two years ago, but had neglected to communicate it clearly to some of the team’s younger players. “I wasn’t thinking about losing a football game,” Kelly said. “It wasn’t on my to-do list to go over with our team.” Kelly said he decided the team would not sing the Alma Mater after home losses, a change in policy he said protected his players. The football team first joined the student section to sing the Alma Mater under the direction of former Irish coach Charlie Weis. The tradition of the team joining the student section to sing the Alma Mater after games started during the 2006 season under the direction of former Irish coach Charlie Weis. “I just don’t think it’s appropriate to put your players after defeat in a situation where they are exposed,” Kelly said. “I want to get them in the locker room. It’s important to be able to talk to them, and I just felt like in those situations after a loss, there’s a lot of emotions. It’s important to get the team back into the locker room and get them under my guidance.” Senior Ben Finan said most students were also unaware of the policy and reacted emotionally to the confusion over the Alma Mater. “I was confused. The policy had not been announced previously,” Finan said. “This was something that was not addressed publicly and apparently some of the players didn’t know.” According to gameday.nd.edu, singing the Alma Mater after all home games is a “stadium tradition.” The website states, “And whether or not Notre Dame wins, you’ll see the Fighting Irish team approach the student section to sing the Alma Mater together.” Sophomore Megan Ball said most students expected the team to uphold this tradition and were shocked to see players leaving the stadium. However, she said her opinion of the players who left changed when she learned of the policy. “I wasn’t aware of the policy not to sing the Alma Mater after a loss so initially I thought it was rude that they were leaving and not singing the Alma Mater with the student body,” Ball said. “I understand that they were told to leave, but at the same time I definitely admire the players who chose to override that policy.” Freshman Morgan Widhalm said even the freshmen knew something was not right. “We were really confused because we hadn’t seen many games yet. But … when people started walking out, I know almost everyone in the stands was gesturing, ‘Come here, come here,’” she said. “It was almost like everything I knew about the world was flipped over because that was such a Notre Dame thing and we just didn’t understand.” Finan said Kelly’s decision to have players enter the locker room immediately after home losses does not respect the players’ dual roles as students and athletes. “Part of what makes Notre Dame the Notre Dame family is that we treat our student athletes as students and athletes,” Finan said. “… Telling them to go into the locker room tells me that [Kelly] values them as athletes before students and that’s incorrect.” Senior Jen Gallic said Kelly’s choice disrespects the Alma Mater’s religious component. “Our Alma Mater is actually a prayer too, so God first,” Gallic said. “‘God, country, Notre Dame.’” Because of the unifying quality of the post-game tradition, senior Connor Sullivan said she thinks the players are far from “exposed” when they’re singing the Alma Mater. “For the most part, people stay until the end of the game. Losing a game and being able to as a player stand down there and see that your whole school is still there and is still behind you – that probably is more emotionally stabilizing than going in and having your coach try and debrief you about what just happened,” Sullivan said. Finan said he feels singing the Alma Mater shows the student body’s support for the players. “I feel like the players are no better protected ever than when they’re one of us, and it’s one student body, and it’s not that the players are down there and we’re up here,” he said. “He’s basically saying, ‘I don’t want you to be with the student body. I want us to be together as a team,’ and it’s very frustrating.” Senior quarterback Tommy Rees and graduate student linebacker Carlo Calabrese, two of the team’s leaders, did choose to sing the Alma Mater. Finan said he appreciated their choice to stand with their peers. “I know that if [Kelly] would’ve asked those players about this decision, they would’ve obviously disagreed with him because they felt strongly enough that they were willing to defy his direct instructions,” Finan said. Senior Matthew Cunningham, president of the Leprechaun Legion, said he personally disagrees with Kelly’s decision. Still, he said he retainss faith in the coach’s motivations. “If it’s a team policy that they don’t [sing], then that’s just something that I have to accept,” he said. Cunningham said the student section should not have booed right before the Alma Mater or at the end of the first half when Kelly chose to take a knee with 40 seconds left. “I don’t think it was right to boo. As Coach Kelly said in his press conference … in his estimation he didn’t think there was enough time to go and get a field goal and he has a better sense of the flow of the game, how his offense is working,” Cunningham said. “As the head coach, I’m sure his players trust his judgment.” Finan said the students were not booing the players but the coaching staff, even though NBC commentators misinterpreted the situation. “To take a knee from the 30 yard line says to me, ‘I don’t have faith that you can produce right now,’” Finan said. “I understand that you want to be on damage control, as well, of not allowing things to get worse, but you have to try to win the game, and part of that is picking up the momentum going into the locker room, not just going out.”
SMC discusses Ferguson in Justice Fridays Series
Saint Mary’s students and the College’s Justice Department gathered Oct. 17, to reflect on the events in Ferguson, Missouri. The discussion was introduced and facilitated by associate professor of religious studies Stacy Davis as part of the Justice Fridays series held in the Saint Mary’s Student Center.Davis said responses regarding Ferguson can be divided into four sources: residents of the cities of Ferguson and St. Louis, the police shift between Ferguson and St. Louis County, the Department of Justice and social justice groups.Davis said the circumstances in Ferguson raise the question: “What does it mean when police act like military?”Ferguson began to pique to public’s interest when the police “left the uncovered body” of Michael Brown in the streets and began to “cover their nametags with black tape” to conceal their identities, Davis said.She said the public was surprised and appalled by “nonviolent protesters getting gassed in this country.”Davis said the Pentagon should reconsider the consequences before it distributes extra military equipment to police officers.“They are not soldiers,” she said.Davis discussed the significance of the Ferguson and St. Louis County police representations in the media.“The police response to the shootings, in many ways, has been bigger than the shootings itself,” she said.Davis said the issues highlighted during the protests should not wane the same way passing trends do.“We want to keep this in the forefront,” Davis said. “We don’t want people to forget. Last month, colleges across the country have had panels and peaceful protests. [Saint Mary’s] did the same. On our first day of classes, Aug. 25th, there was a nationally renown #handsupwalkout campaign to raise awareness of police brutality and cruelty.”Davis said supporters of the peaceful protest gathered in Ferguson and St. Louis between October 9 and 13 to raise awareness about police brutality.“What happened there affects all of us no matter where our political interests stand,” Davis said.Tags: Ferguson, handsupwalkout, Justice Fridays, militant police force, Stacy Davis
Tributes spring up across campus
Since the death of Fr. Theodore Hesburgh on Thursday night, the Notre Dame community has honored him with various tributes around campus, spontaneous and planned. We have collected some of those moments here.March 110 a.m. — University President Emeritus Fr. Edward “Monk” Malloy celebrates Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and reflects on Fr. Hesburgh’s legacy in the homily. The Liturgical choir led a rendition of the Alma Mater in Hesburgh’s honor at the end of the Mass.9:33 a.m. — The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team unveiled the patches it will wear to honor Fr. Hesburgh in its Sunday afternoon game against Duke.Feb. 281 p.m. — The No. 2 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team observed a moment of silence in honor of Fr. Hesburgh before its game against Dartmouth in Loftus Sports Center. The team also wore “Fr. Ted” stickers on its helmets.“If you look at the history of Notre Dame, Knute Rockne made Notre Dame famous, and Fr. Ted took that and made Notre Dame a great university,” Irish coach Kevin Corrigan said.All day — The American flag in the middle of South Quad flies at half staff.Feb. 279:45 p.m. — Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra played the Notre Dame Alma Mater in honor of Fr. Ted following its concert Friday night.“Notre Dame lost her greatest son,” orchestra director Daniel Stowe said.7:00 p.m. — Fr. Ted was honored by the hockey team before its game against No. 9 Boston College at Compton Family Ice Arena with a moment of silence and a video tribute, in addition to “Fr. Ted” stickers on the Irish helmets.“I had no idea when I first started here what kind of man we had with us here on campus,” Irish coach Jeff Jackson said.7:00 p.m. — The 85th annual Bengal Bouts Tournament remembered Fr. Hesburgh with a moment of silence and a 10-bell salute while his picture was put up on the video boards.5:27 p.m. — Senior Associate Athletics Director John Heisler sent out an email to the Notre Dame football media list reading, “Beginning today, Notre Dame athletic teams will wear ‘Fr. Ted’ patches or stickers on some combination of their uniforms, warm-ups or helmets. Moments of silence will be observed prior to home events in each of Notre Dame’s 26 varsity sports. In the near future, there will be commemorative signage created for each Notre Dame home athletic venue — to be featured either on the field or court itself or displayed elsewhere at the facility.”3:28 p.m. — The Notre Dame softball team announced through its Twitter account that players would wear black ribbons in their hair during two games against No. 20 Missouri and Georgetown “in honor of the late Father Theodore.”3:00 p.m. — A bouquet of flowers sits in the snow at the feet of the Fr. Hesburgh statue in front of the “Word of Life” mural on the south face of Hesburgh Library.11:00 a.m. — Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins held a press conference to reflect on Fr. Hesburgh’s influence on the University and to provide details about the schedule for the upcoming days.“Next to Fr. Sorin, no one had a greater impact on this University,” Jenkins said. “Notre Dame lost a piece of its heart last night. But Fr. Ted lives on.”At first light — The Notre Dame Grounds Crew began putting up Hesburgh banners on light poles across campus.Throughout the night — Notre Dame students, faculty and community members gathered at the Grotto to remember Fr. Ted. Candles spelling out “TED” were arranged on one of the racks, and some people sang the Alma Mater.1:07 a.m. — The Observer tweeted out the news Fr. Theodore Hesburgh died at the age of 97, confirmed by a University spokesperson. Tags: campus tributes, Remembering Father Hesburgh
NYU professor leads talk on persona of Frank Sinatra
The Notre Dame department of Film, Television and Theatre hosted professor of cinema studies Dana Polan of New York University on Tuesday night for a talk on singer and actor Frank Sinatra, whom Polan called an American entertainment icon, particularly after World War II.The talk, titled “Ring-a-ding-ding: Performance Styles in the Movies and Music of Frank Sinatra,” took place at the Browning Cinema in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center and was followed by a screening of the 1955 Sinatra film “Young at Heart.” The department of American Studies and the Gender Studies and Teaching Beyond the Classroom programs also sponsored the event. Jack Lyons | The Observer Dana Polan, a New York University professor, uses scenes from Frank SInatra’s films to facilitate a discussion on his persona before a screening of the 1955 film “Young at Heart” on Tuesday.The visit by Polan overlapped with “Sinatra,” a class Film, Television and Theatre professor Pam Wojcik is teaching this semester.Polan discussed the “voyeuristic” nature of film throughout his lecture, touching on the saying, “You’re watching something that’s for you, but is pretending you’re not really there.”Few stars did this better than Sinatra, Polan said.Polan used multiple clips of the star exhibiting what he called a “confrontational” style, where a confident Sinatra establishes a bond with an audience that “avowed how he seemed to be singing personally to each audience member,” Polan said.However, Polan said this manner of “force strutting and swagger,” which appeared in Sinatra’s more energetic swing tunes, was only one side of the Sinatra coin. Polan also touched on the other side; he noted that, while Sinatra’s ballads addressed the singer himself, the performance still existed for the purpose of the audience.In addition to his ability to cross emotions in his performance, both Polan and Wojcik said they studied Sinatra for his ability to cross media.While known primarily as a singer, Sinatra’s acting career earned praises from critics and audiences alike. Appearing alongside the method actors of the 1950s, the untrained Sinatra channeled his abilities to become what Wojcik called a “method singer” to portray his complex characters.“There’s a virtuosic performance of vulnerability,” Wojcik said in an interview. “He’s broken in so many ways that I think are surprising if you just think of him as a singer.”Despite his vulnerability, Sinatra existed as an icon of masculinity in 1950s American culture, Polan said.“The person who would want to be Elvis is an Elvis impersonator, whereas the person who wants to be Sinatra is every American in the postwar period,” Polan said.For Polan, who is authoring a book on the legendary Sinatra album “Songs for Swingin’ Lovers” with Sinatra scholar Chuck Granata, Sinatra’s performance resonates even today from his ability to captivate an audience while making it appear natural at the same time.“Part of his power is that it doesn’t seem studied, it doesn’t seem mannered, it seems like who he is, even if it is a performance,” Polan said.Tags: Browning Cinema, dana polan, Department of Film Television and Theatre, Frank Sinatra
Notre Dame to announce fall semester plans mid-June
With other universities making announcements regarding the 2020 fall semester, the Office of the President said in an email to faculty that while there are no definite plans at this time, an update will be provided by mid-June.The University has created several groups which will work together to plan for the reopening of campus, the email signed by University President Fr. John Jenkins, Provost Thomas Burish and provost-elect Marie Lynn Miranda said. The Academic Year Continuity Working Group will consider alternative approaches for the start of the academic year. “Given the uncertainty about future conditions, the Working Group members are developing plans that maximize flexibility, considering factors such as the start date of the academic year, modes of delivery of instruction, and options for making changes during the course of the year as circumstances change,” the email said.According to the email, in “crafting a response to the disruption wrought by the current crisis, we will be guided by our central University goals, found here, and some of the principles they imply.”The Research Task Force, headed by Bob Bernhard, vice president for research, will create plans for reopening labs, libraries and studios.To determine the steps necessary to bring the Notre Dame community back to campus, the Working Group will consider advice from experts in medicine, public health and epidemiology. This may include extensive diagnostics and immunity testing, contact tracing and quarantining students as necessary, the email said.A Faculty Advisory Committee will also help evaluate plans and offer recommendations which will be relayed to University President Fr. John Jenkins.As information regarding the virus and its transmission continue to change, the email said the predictions are still uncertain.“We can take encouragement from the devotion and incredible work being done by health care providers and scientific researchers worldwide — including here on Notre Dame’s campus,” the email said. “Nevertheless, at present, we cannot be sure when and if drugs will be developed to treat those with the virus, when tests for the virus and antibodies will be widely available, or when an effective vaccine will be found.”Tags: COVID-19, in-person classes, John Jenkins, Thomas Burish
SUNY Fredonia Postpones Commencement Ceremonies
WNY News Now Stock Image.FREDONIA – The State University of New York at Fredonia has postponed its 2020 Commencement ceremonies due to the COVID-19 outbreak.Officials say the decision was made after consulting with students at the school.Furthermore, officials say the postponement will not delay the delivery of degrees.Earlier this month, New York State directed all public schools to move to distance learning classes amid the growing pandemic. Share:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
Report Forecasts Potential Revenue From Legalizing Recreational Marijuana In State
Pexels Stock Image.ALBANY — A new report is foreshadowing potential revenues the state could see if lawmakers legalized recreational marijuana in New York.The Citizens Budget Commission’s report however says state leaders should be cautious about relying on those potential revenues to help close budget gaps.“What we’ve seen is that that takes generally over a year to get from legalization to a functioning commercial market. Those times have been trimmed quite a bit, frankly, as more states have implemented and states can draw on what has happened around the country. So about one year is reasonable there,” said Patrick Orecki, the report’s author.Orecki says once the commercial market is in operation, it takes time for people to start using dispensaries to buy products. “That generally takes about two to three years consistently for customers to move to those marketplaces and for those marketplaces to yield substantial tax revenues for the state,” furthered Orecki.He explained that in the past the Governor’s Administration has forecasted about $300 million in revenue from the legalization of recreational marijuana annually once established, but, it can be reliant on different factors like tax framework structure.“California is generating the most revenue of any state because of its size, especially, but it has experienced a lot slower maturation of that revenue source than some other states did,” explained Orecki. “They’ve had a fairly sticky illicit market where people are still just using the same channels that they use to purchase marijuana previously. So, every state’s experience is absolutely different in it.”Governor Andrew Cuomo has voiced support for legalizing recreational marijuana use.Earlier this month, he called it the “right policy” and said, “the state is going to be desperate for funding.”According to the Citizens Budget Commission, California brought in about $764,000,000 from recreational marijuana revenues from July 2019 to June 2020. Share:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
Tops Expands ‘Flashfood’ App; Helping Shoppers Save Money, Reduce Waste
Share:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Image via Apple App Store.JAMESTOWN – A new app that aims to help shoppers save money and reduce food waste is now available to shoppers at Tops Friendly Markets in Chautauqua County.The grocery chain expanded its use of an app called Flashfood.In the app, you will find a variety of items like produce, baked goods, meats and more that are close to the ‘sell-by’ date. You can then buy those items at half off or better.Tops expanded the program in the last couple of weeks, shoppers can now use the app at 33 locations around Western New York Last August, Tops tried the app out at six of its stores. From August through December, 1,000 shoppers helped save 30,000 pounds of waste from landfills.All you have to do is download the free Flashfood app on your smartphone.Then, pick the store you’d like to shop at and then add the items you would like to buy to your online cart. When you head to the store, go to customer service to get help finding your items in a specially marked fridge.
Zosia Mamet, Christian Borle & More Set for MCC’s 2014 Miscast Gala, Honoring Allison Janney
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Tony winner Christian Borle and star of HBO’s Girls Zosia Mamet are among the stars slated to perform at Miscast 2014, MCC’s annual gala featuring actors performing songs from roles in which they would never be cast. Victor Garber will return to host the one-night-only event at the Hammerstein Ballroom on March 31. As was previously reported, this year’s gala will honor Emmy winner and Tony nominee Allison Janney.In addition to Borle and Mamet, the evening will include performances from Tony winner Anika Noni Rose (A Raisin in the Sun), Tony winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights), Steven Pasquale (The Bridges of Madison County), Jesse L. Martin (Rent), Sasha Allen (Hair), Tony nominee Keala Settle (Les Miserables) and Nicole Parker (Wicked). Additional performers will be announced at a later date.Proceeds from the gala support the producing efforts of MCC Theater as well as its Youth Company and partnerships with New York City public high schools.Check out Borle and Tony nominee Jonathan Groff from last year’s gala performing “If Mama Was Married” from Gypsy.