----~~-~~~~~~~~~~~~---------------------------- THE The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary's VOLUME 40: ISSUE 84 WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 14,2007 NDSMCOBSERVER.COM ND, SMC grads manage debt well Pellchange back government-guaranteed By EILEEN DUFFY student loans - according to could ease Assistant News Editor the U.S. Department of Education's 2004 statistics As indebted college stu­ (the most recent available) - dents and recent post-gradu­ just one "defaulted," or was high costs ates nationwide struggle to late on his payments. fork over money for their Statistics from 2003 show credit card and student loan that Saint Mary's had a zero By STEVE KERINS bills on time, Notre Dame cohort default rate, meaning News Writer and Saint Mary's students not one graduate paid her are taking a different route bill late. President Bush's administra­ and paying them back in a "All I can quote are num­ tion recently announced his fashion that's not only timely bers, but that's exceptionally 2008 budget will include a - it's "amazing," said an low," said Rick Burden, sen­ proposal to increase the maxi­ executive at Notre Dame ior vice president and chief mum value of Pell Grants by Federal Credit Union lending officer at NDFCU - $550 to $4,600. For low­ (NDFCU). where two-thirds to three-' income students who want to Of the 300 Notre Danie fourths of incoming freshmen attend Notre Dame but cannot graduates who were paying afford the high tuition, these JEFF ALBERT!The Observer see LOANS/page 3 grants could help bridge the payment gap, said Director of Financial Aid Joe Russo. Russo is optimistic about the implications for Notre Dame and its peers should Bush's Albion: Engineers anticipate new hall proposed budget be approved by Congress. By JOHN-PAUL WITT "The good news of possibly News Writer improved Pel! Grant funding Work for should serve as an encourag­ The $69.4 million Stinson­ ing signal to many applicants Remick Hall will house some of and result in increases in the most sophisticated equip­ applications nationally," he goals, not ment known to Notre Dame, said. College of Engineering officials Pell Grants, which do not said Tuesday. need to be repaid, are The new facilities, to be com­ designed to help low-income money pleted in the next three years students pay for college. where the University Oub cur­ Students who receive these rently stands, will allow for grants can use them at Notre Dame to lower the total cost of By MEG HAN WONS pioneering work in circuitry, Illustrations courtesy of the College of Engineering particularly in the "clean An artist's rendition depicts the south (top) and west (bottom) their tuition. News Writer room" - an advanced lab for views of the new Stinson-Remick Hall. Construction on the project "Any improvement in maxi­ constructing complex circuits, will begin in November on the current site of the University Club. mum awards would result in Mark Albion co-founded six said Thomas Fuja, the chair of increases in the amount of start-ups, wrote a New York the department of electrical such aid to our Pell-eligible Times bestseller, taught at engineering. students and thus result in Harvard Business School and The clean room will contain increases in need-based assis­ spoke both in front of the air 20,000 times more pure tance for our undergraduates," United than normal air, electrical Russo said. Nations and engineering professor Gregory But many questions remain. with Mother Snider said. While educators and policy Teresa "This will allow us to do analysts have lauded the pro­ but he told computations with individual posed increase, many are con­ his audience electrons, and construct at the cerned about how it will be at the nano level," Snider said. "This funded, including professor Mendoza College of see BUILDING/page 6 see GRANTS/page 4 Business Albion Tuesday night he was simply a fellow journeyman. A social entrepreneur and cofounder of Net Impact, a nationwide organization of Students celebrate Valentine's Day graduate students and profes­ sionals supporting responsi­ Steinbrenner said students ble business, Albion came to By AMANDA GONZALES could have cut back their campus after Notre Dame's News Writer Valentine Day's errands by MBA Net Impact chapter ordering last Friday to invited him to participate in Cupid, flower shops and receive free personal deliv- its annual Ethics Week. young Notre Dame couples in ery. Albion urged students to love may feel warmth in their Despite these attractive work for more than a pay­ hearts today - despite the promotions, Irish Gardens check. find an occupation that snow outside - thanks to faced competition from makes them passionate and Valentine's Day. Pasquerilla West Hall resi­ use it to impact the world. Employees at. Irish dents and their popular $1 "What's your contribution Gardens, a student-run carnation sale. going to be?" he said. "What florist, are inundated with Florists, however, will not are you going to do with your requests and said February is be the only businesses to God-given life? That's the big one of the shop's most lucra­ bring in profits today. question." tive months. Local restaurants - includ­ Albion recalled the day that Junior employee Laura ing LaSalle Grill and changed his perception of his Steinbrenner said customers Tippecanoe Place - have career and put him on a "dif­ continued to request the tra­ been busy taking reservations ferent path." ditional dozen red roses more for tonight, in some cases On June 5, 1986, Albion than any other arrangement three months in advance. said, he was a Harvard busi- in the Irish Gardens selection. Tippecanoe employee Katie CASEY CARNEY!The Observer Gillis said she expects nearly Freshman Hector Avitia picks up flowers and a balloon from see ALBION/page 4 see CUPID/page 6 500 couples to eat at the Irish Gardens for Valentine's Day. ,...---------------------~--- page 2 The Observer+ PAGE 2 Wednesday, February 14, 2007 INSIDE COLUMN QUESTION OF THE DAY: WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY? Celebrating today "On the morning of 14 February 1969, during a company-sized patrol in Quang Nam Province ... " Amanda Jaszkowski Jordan DeiPalacio Kevin Crowley Melissa Cruz Rick King The first time I read these words, Valentine's Day stopped being about sophomore sophomore junior sophomore senior buying my mom a Welsh Family Keenan Alumni Cavanaugh off campus heart-shaped choco- John-Paul Witt late container or 'Tm celebrating "Cure AIDS with "Watching 'Tm getting 'Tm going to exchanging notes News Wzre my peers. 'Lost. , What excited to watch Hooters with with pretty girls. Editor Valentine's Day These lines open March ro when else?" the Mike Peterson the boys. That's the Silver Star cita- I visit my Show at Legends where I spend tion awarded to my uncle, James ,, Patrick Witt, for his actions on boyfriend in Thursday. every special Valentine's Day, 1969. Rome.,, holiday.,, This medal was awarded posthu­ mously. He succumbed to the wounds he suffered in combat 38 years ago. This letter is what I have of him, what I can touch and see. All else are ancient memories gleaned from once-soldiers over too much wine, too late at night. Read on: "the point element took the IN BRIEF command post of a North Vietnamese Army company by surprise." The point element. My uncle. Dale Recinella, a Notre Dame "Second lieutenant Witt ... while ini­ graduate, will speak today at 7 tiating an aggressive assault on the p.m. in room c-103 of the enemy bunker, received multiple Heshurgh Center about his . I wounds as he moved across the fire­ career as a lay chaplain to pris­ swept terrain ... Although painfully oners on death row. wounded, Second lieutenant Witt calm­ ly ... delivered explicit directions The student body presidential regarding the course of action to be fol­ election run-off debate will take lowed by his men." place at 7:30 p.m. today in the I never knew my uncle. In my home, Main Lounge of LaFortune. he was always spoken of in quiet, hushed tones. The Ballroom Dance Club is "Your uncle Jim was a Marine," my hosting a Valentine's Day ball father would say. today from 8 p.m. to 10:30 in Marine. Not "brave," not "a leader," the LaFortune ball room. The but. Marine. As if no other word was eost is $4 for the night. necessary. But all I had of him was a sheaf of The student body president paper bearing a red and gold seal, and run-off election will take place a plaque of medals, for bravery and Thursday. Students can vote valor. online between 8 a.m. and 8 I felt I was missing something. A part p.m. at the Judicial Council Web of my family. A part of me that runs site or by clicking on a link in an through my veins. CASEY CARNEYrfhe Observer e-mail from the Council. I don't know how my father bore it, From left to right, students Raquel Rios, Ricardo Pineda, Luis Silva, Cassie every year. He would take me to a Montoya and Carlos Amaya audition at the Latin Expressions tryouts Tuesday. The men's basketball team candy store on the 13th, and I would will play Providence College buy something for my mother. Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Joyce If I were him, I would still weep. Center. As I grew in age and wisdom, I resolved to learn about my uncle, from The Second City Comedy the ones who knew him best. OFFBEAT Tour will perform at I traveled to Orlando for a reunion of Washington Hall at 6:30 p.m.