-----------· ~. THE The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary's VOLUME 39: ISSUE 40 TUESDAY. OCTOBER26, 2004 NDSMCOBSERVER.COM Ejection Students vote before Election Day nun1bers Absentee ballots, early voting Increase• set national count in motion Citations of ND, BC voted absentee in Cincinnati MADDIE HANNA because he had no other option. fans also rise at game News Writer "If you're going to be out of the county on Election Day, you have Though millions of Americans · to do it this way [in Ohio]," will head out to the polls one week Reynolds said. from today, many voters, including On voting a week before the Notre Dame students, have actual election, Reynolds said he already made their choices. was unconcerned about having to During fall break, many students .decide early. had the chance to vote early or "I pretty much knew where I pick up and mail in absentee bal­ stood on things," Reynolds said. lots. "That wasn't going to change in Sophomore Ashley St. Pierre the last week." turned in her absentee ballot dur­ Early voting means an individual ing break in her home state of can cast his ballot during a specific New Hampshire, a process she period prior to Election Day. described as very easy. Absentee voting involves request­ Explaining her motivation for ing a ballot in the mail and return­ taking the time to vote at home, St. ing it by mail or by hand. I Police cited 34 people and Pierre said voting is a privilege According to data from arrested 7 fans at Saturday's many people take for granted. HelpingAmericansVote.org, 27 Boston College game. "In such a close race, this is a states do not restrict early or time when each vote is going to absentee voting, while 23 states PAMELA LOCKfThe Observer have an effect on the outcome of have state-specific requirements. Notre Dame junior Christine Burns fills out her Oregon the election," St. Pierre said. By CLAIRE HEININGER absentee ballot Monday. Junior Dan Reynolds said he see VOTING/page 4 News Editor In numbers indicative of the schools' bitter rivalry, more Notre Dame and Boston College fans received citations for alcohol-related offenses and more people were eject­ Yale professor traces development of Islam ed from Notre Dame Stadium Saturday than at any home football game this year. The joint task force of Indiana Bowering: Christianity had vital influence on history offaith State Excise Police, St. Joseph County Police, South Bend Police and Notre Dame Security/Police cited a total of "Islam and Christianity," and the first lecture the advent of Islam. 34 people before and during the By STEVE KERINS was entitled "Origins and Common Roots." "The earliest Christian writers looked at game - the vast majority of which News Writer Bi.iwering began by introducing Islam in Islam as just another heresy that had were Boston College fans, judging by its modern context. appeared," he said. their east coast addresses, said NDSP Contact with other contemporary faith tra­ "Islam is a world religion that has come He described the rise of Islamic civilization director Rex Rakow. into our purview through world events," he both in the context of the pagan religions ditions, including Christianity, played a key "If not the toughest, [Boston said. He examined some of the various eth­ that had existed previously on the Arabian role in the early development of Islam, said College] is one .of the toughest nic and cultural groups that comprise the Peninsula, and in terms of its increasing Gerhard Bi.iwering, a Jesuit professor of crowds we face," Rakow said, adding contemporary Islamic world and then contact with the Christian world. Islamic studies at Yale University, in a lec­ that NDSP has observed a pattern of turned to the origins of Islam in seventh cen­ After reviewing major occurrences in the ture on the history of Islam Monday night at increased incidents on recent years' the Hesburgh Center. tury Mecca. life of Muhammad, Bi.iwering began to relate His talk was the first of this year's Bi.iwering noted that Christianity had been Erasmus Lectures. The theme of the series is developing for nearly six centuries before see TALK/ page 4 see EJECTIONS/page 4 City shuts down Benchvvarmer's Downtown bar was site offights, underage drinking 2003 nuisance lawsuit against downtown, causing officers to By ANGELA SAOUD owner Stephen Mitchell alleging work overtime, according to the Saint Mary's Editor that underage drinking and Tribune. fighting had occurred. In January 2001, 50-60 Notre Benchwarmer's Sports Mitchell owned the bar for 10 Dame and Saint Mary's students Lounge closed its doors for good years and told the Tribune that were cited for underage drink­ Oct. 18, after the city of South he plans to move to the Atlanta ing in a police raid on the bar. Bend agreed to purchase the area as health problems moti­ Last May, a young woman's bar for $55,640. vated him to sell. arm was broken during an The bar, which has been the Neither Mitchell nor his arrest outside the bar. scene for numerous instances of lawyers could be reached for Saint Mary's senior Erin underage drinking and fights as comment. Korreck said the bar closing of late, sold the entire facility, Fighting and unruly behavior will not affect her weekend including all items in at the bar had become a nui­ entertainment. Benchwarmer's, along with the sance to the city and police offi­ "It doesn't change anything lounge's liquor license to South cers. On Saturdays, four officers for me because I've never been Bend, according to the South were usually assigned to patrol there, and hadn't really ever RICHARD FRIEDMAN/The Observer Bend Tribune. Benchwarmer's in addition to The city of South Bend recently purchased Benchwarmer's, the site The city also agreed to drop a the regular officers working see BAR/page 4 of many fights and much underage drinking. the last several years. page 2 The Observer+ PAGE 2 Tuesday, October 26, 2004 INSIDE COLUMN QUESTION OF THE DAY: WHAT WAS THE BEST THING ABOUT FALL BREAK? Parents aren't so bad after all Sean Cullen Anne Drolet Stephanie Lutz Nicole Thaner Chris Nicol Tom Dorwart Parents aren't so useless after all. Alumni LeMans Holy Cross LeMans Holy Cross Dillon When I went home for fall break, I freshman junior junior junior junior freshman was excited to see my family again. As a freshman, it was the first time I'd been away from them for an extended "Being a "Visiting New "Going home to "Passing a "Tailgating at "Appalachia period of time. Yankees fan in York City and Mississippi football the Navy seminar. " However, after the Chris Khorey between cars on game and initial pleasure of Boston after the 'Today,, where we had reunion, I was Game 7·" Show. record highs in an interstate. " shotgunning greeted with Sports Wire the 9os for Cokes and something I defi­ Editor nitely had not October." Sprites." missed: Nagging. My mom had made a to-do list for fall break. I had to balance my check­ ing account, buy winter clothes and clean up my room I'd been gone for two months. how was it messy? But now that I'm back at school, something has dawned on me. IN BRIEF Sometimes when parents nag in high school, it seems pointless. I learned Notre Dame students, faculty, that if I ignored a task, my mom would students and staff can donate just end up doing it. blood today from 9 a.m. to But at college, if I ignore a task, it 3:30 p.m. at Rolfs Sports doesn't get done at all. Recreation Center. Volunteers For instance, earlier this year I was should sign up for a time in busy and ignored my laundry. It piled advance with RecSports. up and before I realized what was happening, I had run out of clothes. The Notre Dame bookstore Plus my laundry bag fell over and will host stories and activities spilled all over the floor. That was the in the children's section today first time I realized I wasn't in the from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bring proverbial Kansas anymore. your own costume. At home, my mom would always comment that my desk was a mess. I Rock the Vote will host a used it as a repository of all the ran­ panel of speakers on "Africa, dom pieces of paper I received. When I Trade, Debt and the U.S. got here, this habit got even worse. Presidential Elections" today With less space then at home, the area from 7 to 8:15 p.m. in the next to my laptop on my desk became Hesburgh Center Auditorium. a jumbled pile of paper, books, hats and even my cell phone. I learned the Robin Lakoff. University of hard way to organize myself when I California-Berkeley professor became convinced I had lost my check­ of linguistics, will talk today book. from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. in 102 Another instance happened to my DeBartolo about "Boys will be roommate earlier this year. At home, RICHARD FRIEDMAN/The Observer Boys: Redrawing the Gender mothers call the entire family to the Members of the Notre Dame marching band, including one of the drum majors, Line in the Sand." table, or at least tell you there's food in practice outside of the Joyce Center on Monday evening. the fridge for when you get hungry.