Welcome to the Class of 2020 Vol. 16 No. 2

August 2016 The admissions process at Notre Personal attributes and motivation Dame is not the simple numbers for accomplishment figure Table of Contents game that many high school prominently in the committee’s Class of 2020 students believe. Instead, decision. To illustrate the Golf Tournament Associate Vice-President of importance of non-academic VP Becca Blais Undergraduate Admissions, Don factors, half of applicants who UND Night Bishop, describes Notre Dame’s finished in the top 1% in either Service Project evaluation of applicants as class rank or standardized tests Pre-season Football Poll “uniquely holistic” rather than a were denied admission. Student Send-off Picnic simple quantification of ability. SSLP: Faine House The first-year class numbers 2,040 While SAT an d ACT scores are out of an applicant pool of 19,499. important, standardized tests are All 50 states plus 56 foreign Items of Interest weighted less than a decade ag o. countries are represented. The Fighting Irish open the Combined with class performance, Twenty-three percent are children football season in Austin the top factor, this only gives the of alumni. Please welcome the vs. the Texas Longhorns on Admissions Committee an academic very talented Notre Dame Class of Sunday , Sept. 4 at 7:30 pm. view of the student. 2020:

Notre Dame will play the Parker Boudreaux Bishop Moore H.S. Marketing Midshipmen of Navy in Claire Callan Trinity Prep Classics Jacksonville , Florida on Matthew Callan Trinity Prep History November 5 at 11:30 am. Isabella Delgado-Castillo Foundation Academy Environmental Engineering Marcus Figaro Bishop Moore H.S. Aerospace Engineering Jonathan Jones Oak Ridge H.S. Management Consulting Steven Marvin Paul J Hagerty H.S. Finance August: John Mooney Lake Brantley H.S. Marketing Classes begin at ND (23 rd ) Jared Pino Lake Highland Prep Finance Allie Tessitore Bishop Moore H.S. Marketing September: AlexanderTrahe-Valencia Edgewater H.S. Mechanical Engineering First Game Watch (4 th )

October: Michaela Wiese, sister of graduate student Jon Wiese ND’16, has transferred Excellence in Teaching (21-23) to Notre Dame, Class of 2019. St. Mary’s welcomes Nicole Borah and Region 17 Meeting (22 nd ) Hannah Etscorn and Holy Cross College welcomes Anthony Salerno.

Golf Tournament a Big Success By Rob Thomson

On Monday May 2, the 24th Annual Notre Dame Club Scholarship and Charity Golf Tournament teed off with over 100 golfers participating at The Legacy Club Course at Alaqua Lakes. Over $19,000 was raised for scholarships for our local students attending Notre Dame plus Bishop Moore High School, New Hope for Kids, and ’s 3 rd and Goal Foundation.

Special thanks goes to the tournament leadership triumverate of Paul Partyka , Rob Thomson and Dave Anderson , who had great help along the way from David Mack and day volunteers Mary Heaton , Khakie Kruczek , Kathleen Sabol , and club newcomers Amy Geist and Claire George, plus friends from New Hope for Kids.

Panera Bread (Gavin Ford) was once again our title Dave Anderson, Kathleen Sabol, Brady sponsor. Our other major sponsors included Quinn, Paul Partyka, Rob Thomson SchenkelShultz (Tom Chandler), The Flooring Center (Dick Rusnak), Guignard Company (Neal Ungar), LeCesse Development (Sal Leccese), Bishop Moore High School and the Michael Brady Lynch Law Firm. And thank-you to “the regulars” who continue to support our tournament and to the newcomers who keep us energized!

The usual fun was had with the Bishop Moore Band playing pre-tee music including the National Anthem and the Notre Dame Victory March. The players enjoyed free beer, a frozen margarita machine at the turn, and a chance to win a BMW with a hole-in-one. Greg Velho’s shot rimmed the cup but didn’t drop in. We had a small live auction before the tee- off and a silent auction with awards and more food and drink after the tournament. Brady Quinn held the crowd in th e palm of his hand. Every player received a Panera box lunch at check in, an OrlaNDo Leeds insulated metal cup, a coupon for a free haircut and shave at Kennedy’s All-American Barber Club, and goodies from Bonefish Grill and Stonewood Grill.

The tournament champion was the Florida Business Interiors Team who won despite not having their team captain and long-time participant, Denny Bowman, as office duty called that day. Past champions Kiley/Horan/Peckels came in second and past champions Greg Velho’s Wells Fargo team finished third. We switched things up a little to accommodate our Good Fellow Brady Quinn , who spoke to a packed and attentive room before we teed off. He got to interact with about half of the golfers as we drove him through the front nine of the course. As far as Good Fellows go, he was one of the best we have had: honest, open, funny, and engaging.

Thank you to everyone who participated at any level of sponsorship or participation. Annually, this is one of the proudest moments for our club. See you in May 2017 for Tournament #25! Brady Quinn shows them how it’s done.

Becca Blais Elected Student Body Vice President

Our club’s own Becca Blais took office as Student Body Vice President on April 1. Heading the successful ticket was President Corey Robinson who will not be seen this year streaking down the sideline in search of a pass. After three concussions, he decided that it was wise to hang up his cleats and retire from football.

The contest was a 3-way race and no run-off election was required because the Robinson- Blais ticket received a majority of the votes on the first ballot. Becca credited their successful campaign to “the people who have appeared out of seemingly nowhere and were just so supportive and wonderful.”

The new administration launched a Student Senate reform initiative, separating senators Preside nt Corey Robinson and Vice President, our into four committees: health and wellness, club’s own, Becca Blais sustainability, student affairs and community engagement. Under “health and wellness,” Becca hopes to increase awareness of University resources such as the McDonald Center for Student Well-Being. And under “community engagement,” Corey will be working to increase student involvement in the Riverlights Music Festival, a three-day event in South Bend featuring local bands and other performers at various venues throughout the area.

Universal Notre Dame Night

A very-entertaining Marc Burdell, ND’87 was our guest speaker at UND Night on April 29 at the University Club in downtown Orlando. Many in our club already knew him from his previous position with the Alumni Association. He coordinated our preparation for the Champs Sports Bowl that pitted Notre Dame against Florida State in 2011.

The event kicked off with a 14-minute video on the history of the Congregation of Holy Cross, highlighting many of the priests. Attendees added anecdotes about the more contemporary priests that they knew personally: Rev. Edward “Monk” Malloy (varsity basketball player, University President 1987-2005); Rev. Paul Doyle (rector of who served milkshakes after Thursday evening Mass); and Rev. Bernard Lange (who ran the only weight room on campus, which was off-limits to players under because he thought it would slow them down but was used frequently by players coached by ).

Attendees also added stories they had read or heard about priests from the 19 th and early 20 th centuries: Rev. John “Pop” Farley John Farley’s request to study the priesthood at (football captain 1900, Notre Dame rector of three dorms for 30 years, and namesake of Farley Hall, dedicated in 1946); and Rev. John Zahm (University Vice President and Holy Fr. Zahm with his friend, former Cross Provincial, namesake of which opened in President Theodore Roosevelt, 1937, and author of Evolution and Dogma which tried to exploring the interior of South give a Catholic interpretation of Darwinism and which was America in 1913. placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Vatican).

Marc Burdell’s new position is Director of LSES (Low Socio-Economic Status), a new initiative still in search of a permanent name. The 10% of students whose expected family contribution is less than $7,500 per year, most of whom are first-generation in college, fall into this category. The University will pay the full $65,500 cost of attending Notre Dame, but he found that many are reluctant to ask for more to cover items such as bedding and football tickets. South Bend residents have been supportive, housing students over break who cannot afford to travel home. Notre Dame Club Honors Fr. Hesburgh

Each year during May, proclaimed the Hesburgh Month of Service , Notre Dame clubs around the world would dedicate a service project to Fr. Ted as a birthday gift. He celebrated his 97 th and final birthday on May 25, 2014. Notre Dame clubs continue to honor his memory and his service and love for our Blessed Mother and her University by continuing the tradition.

Saturday, May 14 was the U.S. Postal Service’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Postal patrons left bags of non-perishable food items at their mail boxes to be collected by the mail carriers as they made their rounds. Members of the Notre Dame Club of Greater Orlando staffed the loading docks at both the Lake Mary and The Lake Mary crew: Joe Gavigan; Tom and De bbie Steedle; Mary Winter Park post offices to Heaton; and Paul, Charlotte and Amelia Vasquez unload the mail trucks and sort the food by category into huge boxes for transport to the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Last year, partnering with 550 local emergency food assistance programs that distribute the donations, the Second Harvest Food Bank provided 43 million meals in six central Florida counties!

Amway Coaches Pre-season Poll

The Amway Coaches Poll (formerly the USA Today Coaches Poll) is conducted weekly throughout the regular season from a panel of head coaches chosen at random, conference by conference, plus independents. Each coach submits a Top 25 list with a first-place vote worth 25 points, a second-place vote worth 24 points, etc.

The pre-season poll was released August 4. The Fighting Irish play No. 7 Stanford and 1. Alabama 6. LSU No. 11 Michigan State at home and finish the 2. Clemson 7. Stanford regular season away at No. 17 USC. Here’s 3. Oklahoma 8. Michigan the pre-season Top 10: 4. Florida State 9. Notre Dame 5. Ohio State 10. Tennessee How good is the poll at correctly choosing the ultimate national champion? Mack Brown’s Texas Longhorns were the last correct pick—in 2005! Notre Dame Club Sends New Students Off to Campus

Our club’s Student Send-Off Picnic is the event where new students and their families are welcomed to the Notre Dame family. It’s always the best-attended club event of the year. On Saturday, August 6, we gathered on the campus of Annunciation Catholic Academy in Altamonte Springs for food, fun and fellowship.

Bubbalou’s catered a lunch of pulled pork, turkey, As the freshmen families arrived, they hot dogs, mac-and-cheese, baked beans, brownies, were presented green-beaded necklaces iced tea, lemonade and beer -on -tap. so that they could be easily identified. Sophomores and juniors wore blue and seniors and graduate students wore gold. Dave Anderson explained the significance of the necklaces from stage and then told a story from his first week on campus which he could have entitled How Not to Sound Like a Freshman :

Dave and a friend stopped another student to ask for directions to the Memorial Building . They were greeted with a chuckle and “You two must be freshmen. Nobody calls it that. It’s called The Rock. ”

Our club chaplain, Fr. George Dunne , was introduced by Rob Thomson , who thanked Fr. George for his service and dedication to our club and to Notre Dame. This was Fr. George’s last club function. His religious order, the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, is transferring him to New York. He led the grace before meals and bestowed a blessing upon the students, their families, the alumni and friends of Notre Dame. Farewell and Godspeed, Fr. George.

After a catered lunch by Bubbalou’s Bodacious Bar-B-Q, we all went outside for the traditional water balloon toss. Those who got wet didn’t seem to mind because it was a hot day. Then we all returned inside to cool off and hold the raffle. Tom Steedle won a picture of Brady Quinn dropping back to pass that had been autographed when he was our special guest at the Notre Dame Club’s Charity/Scholarship Golf Tournament in May. The Grand Prize, two tickets to the Michigan State game, was won by the Miller family .

Rob Thomson introduced the upper classmen and saved the introduction of the Notre Dame Student Body Vice-President for last. Our club’s own Becca Blais spoke words of encouragement and excitement about the Notre Dame journey that the new students were about embark upon.

After practicing the Alma Mater in the back room the new students were each introduced to stage by Rob Thomson and James Marvin and John presented the 2016 edition of The Shirt . They did an Adams won the water balloon admirable job singing Notre Dame, Our Mother with the rest toss in the student division. of us, reading the lyrics on their cell phones.

Claire Callan, Matthew Callan, Isabella Delgado -Castillo, Marcus Figaro, Steven Marvin, Jared Pino, Allie Tessitore, Alexander Trahe-Valencia, Nicole Borah (SMC), Hannah Etscorn (SMC), Michaela Wiese (sophomore transfer to ND), Anthony Salerno (HCC)

The three freshmen on sports scholarships could not attend: Parker Boudreaux (football, offensive lineman), Jonathan Jones (football, linebacker), and John Mooney (basketball, power forward).

Board of Directors Tours Faine House

The Notre Dame Club arranged to hold its June board meeting at the Faine House. We were accompanied on the tour by our Summer Service Learning Program (SSLP) student, Roslyn Joseph, ND’19 , who was in her 7 th of eight weeks volunteering there.

In April, 2009 Children’s Home Society of Florida and , ND’03 , then the center for the , joined in a common cause: to develop a safe haven for youth who would “age out” of foster care.

These 18 year olds were being released into society without the necessary skills to provide for Jeff Faine points out the “Mike” (middle themselves. Many had no high school diploma linebacker) to set the blocking assignments. and they suddenly found themselves responsible for all of life’s necessities including food, clothing and shelter. Without support, 25% of these youth will become homeless within a year. They are ten times more likely to be arrested and 60% of the teen-age girls will become single mothers.

The Faine House opened in 2013, completely privately funded, receiving no government support. It is much like a college dormitory with 24 hour staff. The focus is on helping these teens complete their education, find employment, and develop independent living skills while providing a safe and stable place to live. Guest speakers conduct career seminars and the staff coach the residents on how to write a Roslyn Joseph successfully coached a resident in resumé and how to dress and conduct science and now they’re working on the math section themselves in a job interview. of the GED. Signed permission to use photo obtained.

Joe Gavigan is our liaison with the SSLP and he wishes to thank those who housed Roslyn for two weeks each: Pat and Mike Brown, Patrick and Louise Rainey, Kevin and Linda Shaughnessy, and the Gavigan Family.