the Observer The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s Volume 44 : Issue 107 TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2010 ndsmcobserver.com Poet Dana Gioia awarded Laetare Medal Mary Ann Glendon rejected highest honor for an American Catholic last year; award was last bestowed in 2008 awarded since 2008, when actor University President Fr. John Award. He also published eight NEA grants more widely. By SARAH MERVOSH Martin Sheen accepted the Jenkins commended Gioia’s smaller collections of poems, In a lecture he delivered in News Editor honor. Former U.S. commitment to both faith and two opera libretti and many 2000, Gioia said art and Ambassoador to the Holy See culture. translations of Latin, Italian and Catholicism work together Dana Gioia, poet and former Mary Ann Glendon initially “In his vocation as poet and German poetry. because “the Catholic, literally chairman of the National accepted the Laetare Medal last avocation as arts administrator, He also has edited over 20 lit- from birth, when he or she is Endowment for the Arts (NEA), year, but Dana Gioia has given vivid wit- erary anthologies and has writ- baptized, is raised in a culture will receive the Laetare Medal, declined the ness to the mutual flourishing of ten essays and reviews in maga- that understands symbols and during the 2010 honor after faith and culture,” Jenkins said zines, such as The New Yorker, signs.” Commencement ceremony May hearing the in the press release. “By award- The Washington Post Book “[Catholicism] also trains you 16, the University announced University ing him our University’s highest World, The New York Times in understanding the relation- Sunday. w o u l d honor we hope both to celebrate Book Review and Slate. ship between the visible and the The Medal is the oldest and award an and participate in that witness.” Gioia served as chairman of invisible,” he said. most prestigious honor given to h o n o r a r y Gioia is the second poet to the NEA from 2003 to 2009. “Consequently, allegory finds its American Catholics and is degree to receive the Laetare Medal. The During his tenure, he sought to greatest realization in Catholic awarded annually to a Catholic P r e s i d e n t University presented poet Phyllis strengthen bipartisan support artists like Dante.” “whose genius has ennobled the B a r a c k Gioia McGinley with the medal in for public funding of arts and A native of Hawthorne, Calif., arts and sciences, illustrated the Obama. 1964. art education, to champion jazz Gioia graduated from Stanford ideals of the Church and University spokesman Dennis Gioia has published three col- as a uniquely American art University in 1973. He earned a enriched the heritage of human- Brown said last year’s events lections of poetry, including form, to promote Shakespeare master’s degree in comparative ity.” did not affect the selection “Interrogations at Noon,” which readings and performances The Medal has not been process this year. won the 2002 American Book nationwide and to distribute see LAETARE/page 6 Mendoza takes top spot in rankings Students es to students and student- By JOSEPH McMAHON faculty ratio. volunteer Associate News Editor “Students boasting about the school’s commitment to The Mendoza College of ethics, Catholic beliefs and on Mexico Business was named the passionate professors top undergraduate busi- helped land Mendoza in ness school in the nation first place,” the for the first time in BusinessWeek article said. border Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s “During an economic crisis fifth annual rankings, that has left many young By AMANDA GRAY which were released people unemployed, Assistant News Editor March 4. Mendoza also managed a Notre Dame, which was strong showing in career ranked second in 2009, placement, with 95 percent While many students were finished ahead of the busi- of grads landing a job offer vacationing or relaxing at ness schools of University within three months of home, some Notre Dame stu- of Virginia, the graduation.” dents saved lives along the Massachusetts Institute of Carolyn Woo, dean of the U.S. and Mexico border this Technology and University Mendoza College of Spring Break, senior Joan of Pennsylvania. The crite- Business, said the Swiontoniowski said. ria include students’ University’s top spot was Swiontoniowski helped lead response to teachers, SAT a group of 15 students who BLAIR CHEMIDLIN | Observer Graphic scores, recruiters’ respons- see MENDOZA/page 8 traveled to Arizona to work with No More Deaths, a national organization provid- ing humanitarian aid to migrants along the U.S.- Mexico border. Brain Awareness Week to stimulate dialogue “No More Deaths provides basic humanitarian assis- tance [in the form of food, Organizers hope that week will increase water, and medical aid] to awareness of neuroscience at Notre Dame those migrants who cross the desert in search of a better life,” Swiontoniowski By KRISTEN DURBIN are interested in neuroscience. said. “To me, this humanitar- In response to this growing ian aid is something we can News Writer interest in the subject, juniors all stand behind — in spite of Kevin Mickey and Annette what our political and other After the much-needed men- Ruth are founding Notre beliefs may be — as it simply tal relaxation of Spring Break, Dame’s first neuroscience club, serves to keep people alive.” the Psychology Club is sponsor- the Society for Mind, Brain and No More Deaths began in ing the first annual Brain Behavior. 2004 at the Multi-Faith Awareness Week to get stu- The idea for Brain Border Conference, accord- dents more interested and Awareness Week came from ing to the organization’s Web involved in the field of neuro- the Dana Foundation, an inter- site. The group seeks to science and how it applies to national organization that monitor U.S. border prac- daily life. spreads knowledge and aware- tices and lower the number Fifth-year student and Brain ness of the arts, the brain and of migrant deaths by provid- Awareness Week coordinator immunology research, Chung ing water, food and medical Bryce Chung said a growing number of students on campus see BRAIN/page 6 BLAIR CHEMIDLIN | Observer Graphic see MEXICO/page 8 INSIDE TODAY’S PAPER Glenn Close visits Saint Mary’s page 3 N ‘Alice in Wonderland’ review page 12 N Men’s Basketball page 24 N Viewpoint page 10 page 2 The Observer N PAGE 2 Tuesday, March 16, 2010 INSIDE COLUMN QUESTION OF THE DAY: WHAT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR SPRING BREAK? What the heck is a Hoosier? I suspect that for many transplanted Domers, the state of Indiana is a weird place in which to spend four years. The Brian Wysocki Pat Mines Gavin Do Alejandro Sigala weather is impossible to predict, it has no topography to speak of and the state nick- junior sophomore sophomore freshman name —“Hoosiers” — makes almost as Fisher Keenan Siegfried Keenan much sense as the mission of the Indiana Excise Police. “Irish women's “I stayed on A demonym is the “Picking up “The migrant name given to the basketball in trash in campus so there experiences inhabitants of a certain Hartford, southwest Little really was no seminar and region. For many Conn.!” highlight.” locales, the demonym Rock with my soaking up the is a straightforward cousin Jacob” Florida sun!” transmutation of a place’s name. Europeans call the continent of Europe Jordan Gamble their home, Canadians are from Canada, Floridians Scene Editor live in Florida, Chicagoans come from Chicago. It’s all IN BRIEF quite commonsense, until you get to places like Indiana. What the heck is a “Hoosier,” The exhibit “Yin Yu Tang: anyway? Is it a tire? Gene Hackman? A A Chinese Home” will be redneck hick? Indiana University doesn’t shown today from 10 a.m. to even know – they just settle for an amor- 4 p.m. in the Snite Museum phous mascot and the colors cream and of Art. The exhibit will run crimson. So does that mean a “Hoosier” is a until April 25. Admission is pitchfork-shaped monogram? free. Not really. While we were studying Indiana history, my fourth grade class actu- Daily Mass will be held at ally had to make up our own stories 11:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. because no one else had much of an idea today in The Basilica of the anyway. As inspiration, Mrs. Goodrich told Sacred Heart. us about other people’s theories. The most colorful explanation came from James A lecture titled “Living the Whitcomb Riley, Indiana’s most famous Dead Sea Scrolls? Medieval poet. He said the term came out of frontier Jewish Sectarianism and barrooms, where there was enough brawl- Qumran” will begin at 5:15 ing and knife fights to hear “whose ear?” p.m. The lecture will be held on a regular basis. Another story has less in 126 DeBartolo Hall today. vicious Indiana residents calling out “whose here?” to travelers approaching their cab- The 16th Annual Hesburgh ins. Lecture in Ethics and Public The most likely and boring answer is that Policy: “Education as a Tool Indiana residents appropriated “Hoosier” in Preventing Violent after migrating from the southern states TOM LA/The Observer Conflict: Suggestions for the and Appalachia, where “hoosher” and Leprechaun Dan Collins cheers on the Notre Dame faithful at Madison Square Garden during Notre Dame’s 68-56 win over Seton Hall in the Big East International Criminal “hoosier” meant hillbilly or backwoods (lit- Championship March 10th. Court” will be held at 4:15 erally, the Anglo-Saxon root “hoo” means p.m. today at the Hesburgh hill or high ground).