THE b s e r v e r O The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Marys OLUM E 39 : ISSUE 119 THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2005 NDSMCOBSERVER.COM 3,478 admitted from first-rate pool U.S. sees 956 minority students ADMISSIONS STATISI ICS effect of invited to class of2009 Number of Total Applicants: late pope By JULIE BENDER Class of 2008 Class of 2009 News Writer 11,483 11,316 By MARY KATE MALONE Notre Dame will be slightly News W riter smarter come enrollment time Total NumberAccepted: this August. Pope John Paul II was noth­ The prospective students for Class of 2008 Claw of 2009 ing less than an international the class of 2009 — with the 3J59 3,478 globetrotter. When he visited strongest applicant pool in the United States for the first terms of academics to date — time in 1979, Americans have received their acceptance Numberof Minority Applicants: granted him unprecedented letters and are currently decid­ Class of 2008 Class of 2009 celebrity status for a religious ing whether or not Notre Dame figure. Despite his enormous is the place they want to spend 1,879 2.028 popularity, the U.S. Church the next four years of their lives. and the pope have had a com­ “The applicant pool was clear­ plicated relationship from the ly stronger than ever in terms of Number of Minority Applicants beginning. college prep courses, grades, Accepted: Under John Paul II, the rank-in-class and test scores,” said Dan Saracino, director of Class of 2008 Class of 2009 Church saw an increase in the number of Catholics on a admissions at Notre Dame. 885 956 Statistics prove Saracino’s global level, a reinvigoration KERRY O'CONNOR/The Observer of Catholic conservatism and An admissions office tour guide shows a group of prospective a new appreciation for the see 2009/page 4 Notre Dame students around campus, pointing out notable sights. youth of the world. But the late pope also leaves behind him a struggling Church in the United States, a church that clashed with the Vatican S e n a te over John Paul IPs firm con­ trol of church leadership and refusal to compromise with Baron, Shappell lead fledgling representatives American Catholics seeking a more democratic approach. Some church experts, such served as a “ day o f in tro d u c ­ as law professor Cathleen By M A D D IE H AN N A tion,” as old committee chairs Kaveny, attribute the tension Associate News Editor described past achievements between the United Stales and new committee chairs pro­ and the Vatican to a natural Student government veterans posed future goals, providing result of the coexistence of took fledgling senators under information to new senators two hugely powerful global their wings at Wednesday who then decided what com­ institutions. night’s Senate meeting, intro­ mittees they would like to join. “There's always going to be ducing them to parliamentary Outgoing senator Vi jay tension between the procedure and the various com­ Ramanan said the Academic American Church and the mittees. Affairs committee focused on universal Church because I the “The entire meeting was a course registration, teacher United States] is the only learning experience for them,” course evaluations, DARTing empire left in the world.” she student body vice president and the College Readership said. “The Vatican is about Lizzi Shappell said. Program. Incoming committee caring for the whole world Student body president Dave chair Chris Harris said while he and that’s going to create ten­ a Baron agreed, saying the meet­ has 10 to 12 projects in mind, sion in terms of the perspec­ ing laid the groundwork for the the College Readership tive of our nation.” year. Program is the “number one The U.S. C hurch, though “Things could get going p riority.” united in its mourning of the [quicker] this year than last Outgoing chair of the pope, is struggling with inter­ year,” Baron said. Baron noted Diversity Affairs committee nal problems. the new senators’ energetic Nick Coleman noted last year’s In 2002, the sexual abuse CLAIRE KELLEYZThe Observer attitude and willingness to ask Student body president Dave Baron and student body vice president questions as reasons why. Llzzi Shappell preside over their first meeting with senators. Shappell said the meeting see SEN ATE/page 6 see CHURCH/page 6 Women gather to envision future for Catholic Church cameras present, and at the official affiliation with the so. vocations to the priesthood, Discussion ensues at end of the night there would Catholic Common Ground When she asked herself specifically the order of Saint Mary's College be no smoke, gray or white, Initiative, a movement found­ w hat she would like to see in Jesuits that deeply influence wafting from the bell tower. ed by former Chicago Cardinal the Catholic Church, llenold her, is frightening. But students and faculty Joseph Bernardin. said, there were several obvi­ “I’m willing to lake on more By MEGAN O ’NEIL talked with energy and some­ Mary llenold, professor at ous answers including the responsibility as a layperson, Saint Mary's Editor times emotion about issues Roanoke College and an ordination of women and the so that the church I love ranging from the ordination of expert on Catholic feminism, recognition of single, non-celi­ remains vibrant and visionary While members of the women to homosexuality to told the audience she was a bate women whom, she said, in the changing world, ” College of Cardinals gathered Terri Schiavo. x “contradiction” within the the church currently ignores. llenold said. in Vatican City this week to The discussion, entitled Church. Other responses, Henold llenold said the Church bury Pope John Paul II and to “The Church Women Want,” “1 am unapologetically pro­ said, took her by surprise and should once again embrace appoint a new leader, a group began with opening comments gressive and thoroughly will take further thought to itself and its history. Henold of roughly equal size met in from two church exports and Catholic,” Hen old said. “I develop fully. believes the Church has lost l.e Mans 11 all at Saint Mary’s five students and then contin­ can’t imagine ever leaving the “First,” Henold said, “the some of its identity in the last to discuss hope for the future ued in small groups. It was church, although I have come Church 1 want is a church that h a lf o f the century, of the Catholic Church. part of an ongoing dialogue at to understand that others are lives.” There were no television the college in relation to its perfectly justified in doing Henold said the decline in see WOMEN/page 4 page 2 The Observer ♦ PAGE 2 Thursday, April 7, 2005 I n s id e C o l u m n Question of the Day: If yo u w e r e p r e s id e n t o f T h e S h ir t, w h a t w o u l d it l o o k l ik e? I'm not offended * One hazy night in London, I mis­ takenly boarded bus number 23 without my lovely roommates. When they realized back in Flat 16 Aaron Zielinski Tom Martin Lukas Mendoza Darius Stewart Patrick Welch Andrew Yi that I was missing, they “organ­ junior freshman sophomore gth year sophomore sophomore ized ” a m akeshift Stanford Siegfried St. Ed’s off-campus St. Ed’s St. Ed’s “search party” Christie Bolsen that consisted of them wandering Assistant “Wins and “A picture of a “Like the shirt “On the front a “Not crappy.' “I ’d have around in a Scene Editor losses, but no bright gold from last year, picture of pictures of past Strongbow- induced stupor, Ty.” dome w ith a picture of the Waldo and on greats such as asking randoms if anyone had seen scaffolding. ” team. ” the back Montana, Tim “the Asian.” ‘W here’s Ty?” ’ Brown, etc. ” Judging by the offended reaction of passers-by, we apparently find ethnic jokes a bit too funny. I must have the sensitivity of a rhinoceros when it comes to the fine nuances of the diversity debate, since it’s okay for people to refer to me as “the Asian,” or to make me keep the cups score because “my kind” is “good with numbers,” or to tell me that we’re only good at Little I n B r ie f League and hot dog eating contests. We’re all careful about being Author and historian Mae politically correct, so saying you Ngai of the University of hate Asians in Scholastic is not Chicago w ill give a seminar received as humorous, and Latin today entitled “Chinese Expressions emcees are perceived Americans and World’s as alienating non-Latinos. Is it Fairs.” It w ill begin at 3:30 really the people making good- p.m. in the Hesburgh Center natured jokes we should worry auditorium and is sponsored about, when we know for a fact by the department of that they are not at all racist? American studies. Please, let’s rally our efforts instead against the boorishly igno­ Deborah Yashar, professor rant, like people who try to find out of politics and international what kind of Asian you are by ask­ affairs at Princeton ing, “Where are you from?” If you University, w ill lecture on really want to know what kind of “Contesting Citizenship in Asian someone is, the effectiveness Latin America: The Rise of of this question is clearly depend­ Indigenous Movements and ent on the assumption that we all the Postliberal Challenge” recently stepped off a plane from today.