THE The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary's OLUME 41: ISSUE 57 MONDAY, NOVEMBER20, 2006 NDSMCOBSERVER.COM Enthusiasm surrounds season's final home game Army game exciting, Pep rally attendance nostalgic for seniors recovers for finale By AARON STEINER By ROHAN ANAND News Writer News Writer Clad in green jerseys, The Joyce Center was teeming Notre Dame's 28 seniors with thousands of students, visi­ joined the rest of the tors and alumni during Friday's Fighting Irish to topple Army pep rally before the Fighting 41-9 in their - and their Irish faced Army on Saturday. senior fans' - last home But while the masses turned - game of the season Saturday. out for Friday's rally - the last The game was bittersweet of the season, organized by Hall for some, including those 28 Presidents Council fHPCJ - it seniors and their graduating became apparent this fall that classmates in the stands, but pep rallies hit a low point mid­ students said an enthusiasm way through the semester. Given that doesn't usually charac­ the decades of tradition behind terize lopsided games also the rallies, students and alumni rocked the crowd. who have noticed a decline in Members of the marching band, wearing pirate outfits, enthusiastically shout "are" see GAME/ page 3 the "We-are-NO" cheer Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. see PEP RALLY/ page 4 ND near top of graduation ratings CEO gives who enrolled between 1996 advice to By JOE PIARULLI and 1999. The NCAA bases Assistant News Editor graduation rates on the per­ centage of student-athletes who enter a school and gradu­ fresh111en If there were a national ate within six years. Students championship combining aca­ who transfer out are consid­ demics and athletics, Notre ered non-graduates. Graduation Success Rate*: Rolls Royce executive Dame might have a tough time Notre Dame graduated 89 99 finding room for its trophies. speaks to engineers percent of its student-athletes, 98 In the latest NCAA student­ behind only Duke University at athlete graduation ratings, 90 percent. 97 By RYAN SYDLIK Notre Dame set a gold stan­ Associate athletic director 96 96 News Writer dard among the 118 Division 88 88 I John Heisler called the rank­ ~~~ 1-A football-playing colleges ings a big honor. "'W" Steven Dwyer, the man and universities, placing near "I think it underscores the <~' responsible for the engines that the top of virtually every commitment of the student­ ·a~ power America's newest fighter reported category. athletes and the commitment w' aircraft, the F-35 Lighting II, Though there are no tro­ of the institution to be able to e;. gave career advice to about 300 phies, the rankings, released combine athletics and academ­ 0 freshman engineering students Nov. 9, serve to measure a ics at a very high level," he z during their Introduction to school's success in graduating said. "You need to combine *includes transfer data Engineering course Friday in its athletes. those [graduation ratings] with DeBartolo 101. The 16th annual federally the fact that we're coming off Dwyer, the CEO of the mandated NCAA Graduation MADELINE NIES/ObseNer Graphic Indianapolis division of Rolls Rates Report included students see RATINGS/ page 3 Royce, stressed individualism in career planning. But the most important step, he said, has nothing to do with work. "Family comes first," he said. Dwyer said no one should Darfur campaign w-orks to effect change ever let someone in the work­ place lay out his career for him. "You are going to hear you By BRIDGET KEATING have to go overseas, you have to News Writer get an MBA, you have to do this, you have to do that ... baloney," While LaFortune serves daily as the hub of he said. "Don't let people run campus, on Friday, the student center played your life; you run your life. host to an effort toward world peace. "But make sure that family is A 6-by-4-yard flag with more than 1,000 the heart bfit," he added. signatures and a large "Save Darfur" was Dwyer said he values engi­ hung in the main atrium - one piece of the neers that are creative rather Darfur Project headed by the Student Senate than generic and who do not Social Concerns committee. The prominent simply go though the motions location put the global genocide crisis at the on the job. forefront of the Notre Dame community. ~·1 can't tell you how many But that support will go beyond a day's people work at Rolls Royce that work. Students behind the campaign are are great people, but they'll making sure the message gets to those who never get to the next level can effect change in Washington, D.C. because all they do is what they This week, the Social Concerns Committee think they're supposed to do. will mail the flag, letters and signatures to They don't create, they don't Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), Foreign innovate, they don't break the BRIDGET KEATING/The Observer Relations committee chairman. This 30-year mold," he said. "For every hun- Freshman Chris Meister adds his signature to over 1,000 on the 6-by-4 yard flag that hung in the LaFortune atrium as part of the Darfur project. see DARFUR/ page4 see LECTURE/ page 4 page 2 The Observer+ PAGE 2 Monday, November 20, 2006 INSIDE COLUMN QUESTION OF THE DAY: WHO DO YOU THINK IS THE HOTTEST NO FOOTBALL PLAYER AND WHY? My blessings With the stresses of upcoming exams, projects, and papers, what is keeping me motivated throughout it all is the simple Talia Daly Christine Haunert Calliemae Hoeft Kimberly Farah Kelsey Hitchcock Elsa Summerville thought of Thanksgiving break. Of all the holidays in the year, junior junior junior sophomore freshman sophomore Thanksgiving Walsh LeMans McCandless LeMans Walsh LeMans is definitely Hy Pham one of my "D.J. Fitzpatrick "Ron Powlus "Jeff "John Carlson, "I'd have to say "Brady Quinn ... favorites, just because it has- Photographer ... because I because when I Samardzija, because I like Neil Kennedy, [sigh/ ... n't become as miss him." watched him obviously, his curly blonde No. 69, because because I just , commercial- when I was because of his hair." he's got a great do. ized as the rest. Not being about buying h . f" gifts or spending money on costumes, young, he was azr. personality and fireworks, or the like, it is a holiday con­ everything I is incredibly cerned with just spending time with the thought a man svelte." people you love, eating great food and reflecting on the blessings you have should be!" received throughout the year. If you ask me, everyday should be Thanksgiving. This year, I do have much to be grate­ ful for. Here is my top 10 list of what I am thankful for. IN BRIEF No. 10: Having had another great year of Notre Dame football. Although our chances now for a National Title game Faculty, staff, students and are slim, the fact that we have the oppor­ the general public are all tunity to be in a BCS bowl game for the invited to watch Chicago second consecutive year isn't too bad. artist Esperanza Gama No. 9: Living in the best dorm on cam­ construct this year's altar for pus, Morrissey Hall. To be clear, I am the annual Day of the Dead being serious, not funny. Despite popular celebration at the Snite belief, it is actually a cool place to live. Museum between 10 a.m. Yes, our rooms may be small, but hey, and 4 p.m. Tuesday. The what we lack in size we do make up in altar will be dedicated to spirit and, of course, in total dominance those who died crossing the of Interhall sports. Congrats to the Manor United States-Mexico border. baseball, volleyball and football teams for Admission is free. taking home the gold. No. 8: Being a part of The Observer A colloquium on staff. When you're a photographer here "Simplifying the Nuclear at The Observer, every moment's a Many-Body Problem with the Kodak moment. Renormalization Group," No. 7: Participating in Navy ROTC. The featuring Dr. Scott Bogner of training and what I have learned through Ohio State University, will the program have already been priceless. take place Tuesday between I am extre~ely grateful for the future 2 and 3:30 p.m. in room 127 opportunity to serve and give back to a of the Nieuwland Science country that has indeed given me so Hall. much. No.6: The honor and privilege of being At 8 p.m. Tuesday in the part of the Notre Dame cross country KELLY HIGGINS/The Observer Reyes Organ and Choral and track & field teams. As their manag­ A member of the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team touches down in Notre Hall of -the DeBartolo er, I really do have the best job on cam­ Dame Stadium prior to the kickoff of Notre Dame's 41-9 victory over Army Saturday. Performing Arts Center, the pus. The coaches and athletes are really department of music will great people. It's all about trust, responsi­ honor its patron saint Cecilia bility and respect, and in this line of on her feast day with a work, you definitely get a lot of it. OFFBEAT concert of sacred music. No. 5: My amazing physique and Notre Dame faculty and rugged, good looks, which are simply Ohio lottery picks match nation were 10,000 to 1. referee noticed the bolt students will perform a irresistible amongst the ladies here and Ohio State game score Cohen said 913 $1 bets embedded in the field.