THE The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary's OLUME 43: ISSUE 49 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10,2008 NDSMCOBSERVER.COM Women's 'Bouts' benefits charity My neighbor, Baraka Bouts held Friday; program grows in participation, funds raised the president her neighbor would soon By CHRIS MASOUD By CHRIS HINE News Writer change and so would life in News Writer Kopko's neighborhood. A few years later, in 2004, After. two grueling months of Sophomore Tom Kopko, a that guy down the block, training and preparation, the lady guard on Notre Dame's bas­ Barack Obama, became a U.S. Irish squared off in the ring ketball team, can still remem­ Senator and last Tuesday was Friday night in the annual Baraka ber the day his mother came elected president of the Bouts boxing competition. home from a campaign United States. Senior captain Lauren fundraiser for the guy down "I saw him around the Cummings believes 'this year's the block who was running neighborhood, just like any event will be setting precedents for the Illinois State Senate. other neighbor, when he was for years to come. Kopko, a native of Hyde an up and coming politician," "We had more girls, more Park, Ill., said that his mom, Kopko said. "No one ever fundraising and more passion Mary Beth, came away unim­ gave any thought that he than ever," Cummings said. "It's a pressed by the young politi­ would ever be president. It's testament to the success of the cian. really crazy." program." "She came back and said, Kopko said he can remem­ Baraka Bouts, the female ver­ 'There's this young guy, a lot ber Obama walking his dog sion of Bengal Bouts, raises of people like him, but a lot of down the street and playing money annually for the Holy Cross COLEMAN COLLINSffhe Observer us didn't think he spoke that pick up basketball at the Senior Laura Ahn, left, defeated sophomore Laura Szejka in well,"' Kopko said. see BOUTS/page 3 their match during Friday's annual Baraka Bouts. But Mary Beth's opinion of see OBAMNpage 3 Students disheartened by Irish loss LeMans By NORA KENNEY and he was forced to pretend he was a Boston College student, purchase a stean1 not News Writer $150 ticket from a student, and sit in their student section. As all teams know. winning and los­ For him, the game was especially dangerous ing is part of the game, but it's never frustrating. easy to watch your favorite team lose "Having to sit in the student section and never easy for Notre Dame stu­ was a rough experience. I was sur­ _By LIZ HARTER dents to suffer through a loss in foot­ rounded by 8,000 students and they Saint Mary's Editor ball weren't happy about having me And many students expressed their there," he said. Students living in and walking disappointment after Saturday night's He also commented on the behavior through LeMans the past few 17-0 loss to Boston College. of the students around him. weeks have probably noticed a "I was depressed because I had "They ripped off of some of our cloud of steam being released higher expectations going into the cheers, like they ripped off of the from a vent intermittently nea~ game and I felt like we just played push-ups ... They were generally say­ the west entrance of LeMans really poorly as a team," sophomore ing [chants] like 'Notre Dame sucks,' Hall. Mackenzie Keller said. 'Clausen sucks,' chants like that," he Junior Mary Ellen Toth, who Fereshman Bobby Abdo traveled to said. "Its bad enough the team was saw the steam for the first time Boston for the game and to visit some losing, but to experience it at Boston IAN GAVLICK!The Observer about a month ago when walking friends. He was upset because Notre Irish fans were disappointed by Notre Dame's Dame did not have a ticket lottery, see GAME/page 4 17-0 loss to Boston College Saturday. see STEAM/page 4 Ecuador visit provides medical aid McKenna to give Notre Dame students travel to country with Timmy Foundation over break first 'Last Lecture' By MADELINE BUCKLEY News Writer Notre Dame, according to a By TESS CIVANTOS University press release from Instead of using fall break to catch News Writer 2001, when he was awarded the up on sleep, 11 students spent their Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C ... break in Ecuador giving medical Professor James McKenna will Chair of Anthropology. treatment to people without access be the first in a series of four ·McKenna was also a recipient to affordable health care. Notre Dame professors to deliver of the Thomas Madden Teaching Senior Megan Rybarczyk organ­ a "Last Lecture," in which he Award for outstanding instruction ized the trip through the Timmy shares the most important lessons of first-year students in 2000, Foundation. a medical service he has learned. according to the press release. organization. The trip was unaffiliat­ McKenna, the Rev. Edmund P. According to the website of the ed with the University this year Joyce, C.S.C., Chair of Office of the Provost, "It is pre­ because the Foundation does not Anthropology, will deliver a lec­ sented annually to that member have a Notre Dame chapter, ture on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. of the faculty who, in the opinion Rybarczyk said. in the Coleman-Morse Lounge. of a committee of former Madden "I am trying to start a chapter He taught at both Ponoma Award winners, contributed most here because the Foundation mainly Photo Courtesy of MEGAN RYBARCZYK College in California and the to the teaching of first-year stu- Senior Zyra Cortez visits with children in Victoria de Ia University of California at see ECUADOR/page 4 Fe, Ecuador during a fall break trip to the country. Berkeley prior to teaching at see LECTURE/page 4 page 2 The Observer+ PAGE 2 Monday, November I 0, 2008 INSIDE COLUMN QUESTION OF THE DAY: WHAT DOG SHOULD PRESIDENT-ELECT 0BAMA CHOOSE AND WHY? Evervvood IIleiilories• I rnado an amazing diseovnry yester­ day. I am probably one of the tnn people in this country who dneply larnnnted the Jorge Romero Andy Masak Caitlin Hildebrand Shannon Brown M.C. O'Donnell cancellation of Thn WB's dramadey l~vnrwood about three years ago. junior senior senior freshman freshman Television is probably the oxtraeurricu­ off-campus McGlinn McGlinn lar activity I dovote Duncan off-campus the most of my time Jenn Metz to, which is a little "Golden "SnoopDogg "Wishbone ':4 Husky 'cause "He shouldn "t sad for me, but very Retriever 'cause he's the because he's they're the get a dog." good liw the box set News Editor industry. because he one and only 'D' good at solving bomb." My box set collec- could totally be ·a·- double problems. " tion rnmains incomplete, however. the first dog. " ~G:Jn I havn Everwood season one, which came out shortly after the first season finale in 2003. The other three seasons have yet to appnar on l>VD, and could not be fiiUnd online. Unill ynswrday. that is. TheWb.com now has full episodes of its old. cancnled shows - Everwood, Cilmore Cirls, Jack and Bobby, Friends IN BRIEF and morn - and makes for a great way to spend an hour, or three. A lecture entitled Unfilrtunately lilr me, there are only "Economic Inequality & fivn episodes of Evnrwood, the critically­ Attitudes toward acdaimnd tale of Dr. Andrew Brown and Homosexuality" featuring his misinformnd parnnting and freP med­ Tina Fetner, assistant profes­ ical practkn in a small mountain town in sor of sociology, McMaster Colorado, up on tho Web sito as of now. University, will be given I am so nxeitnd that more episodes are tomorrow from 4:15 p.m. to availabln online for my viewing pleasure. 5:45 p.m .. It will be held in Bm:ausn Everwood tops my list of series room Cl o:~ of the Hesburgh that wore nmeellnd far too early, but Center for International now, thanks to technology, can be Studies. This event is free watchnd right anytime, right on my lap­ and open to the public and is top. sponsored by the Kroc Otlmr wondnrful Web sites to book­ Institute f'or International mark: I lulu.com. Sidereel.com (which Peace Studies, Center for the may or may not dirnet you to a screen Study of' Soda( Movements almost nntirnly filled with yellow Chinese and Social Change, Gender subtitles) and thn trusty IMI>b.eom, Studies and the Department which now ofl'ers full episodes of some of Sociology. shows. So, if you're looking li1r a study break, St. Edward's llall is hosting dwck out these two shows: "NO's Got Talent!" Tuesday 1. Evnrwood - This is one show my at 8 p.m. in Washington Hall. rrilmds in high school always made run of There are going to be first, me for watehing. Ephram Brown might COLLINSfThe Observer second and third place prizes be one or the most angst-ridden Junior Kristin Burke defeated sophomore Chelsi Gallegos during Baraka Bouts Friday night. and it's to support Holy Cross teenagnrs to 1wer grace primctime net­ Last year, the program raised $9,000 to build a boy's donnatory in Uganda. schools in Uganda. Any ques­ work television. It's very well acted, and tions can contact Michael the story lines, though a little ofT the wall Eardley a [email protected] sometimns. arc really very heartwarm­ ing.