THE The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary's OLUME 41: ISSUE 3 THURSDAY, AUGUST 24,2006 NDSMCOBSERVER.COM ND, SMC excel on ranking lists Shappell, and Information Don Wycliff said University nabs No. 20 rankings have meaning for their Andrichik spot; College still leads readers. However, he said, "precise­ ly what that meaning is and Midwest Comprehensives whether [readers] attach a lot of optin1istic importance to a two-point differ­ ence" is something the publication's By KATIE PERRY editors should decide. Assistant News Editor Regardless, Notre Dame's position Grab and Go changes, as a top-20 school is "extremely A flurry of rankings recently important" to the University, he College Readership announced by top national publica­ said. tions once again placed Notre Dame "Notre Dame obviously values a Program underway and Saint Mary's in the upper eche­ good ranking," Wycliff said. "I don't lon of American academia - dis­ think we need to apologize for valu­ tinctions still esteemed by leader­ ing that. We try to put things into By KAITLYNN RIELY ship from both campuses. perspective and recognize we have News Writer Notre Dame placed No. 20 in the certain strengths and certain things 2007 U.S. News & World Report that are becoming strengths." Lizzi Shappell and Bill ranking of national universities - a Princeton University nabbed the Andrichik wasted no time for­ two-point slip from last year's top spot and was followed by fellow warding the agenda they pro­ placement. In the 2006 list, the Ivies Harvard and Yale at second posed when the two were University tied Vanderbilt at No. 18. elected student body president Associate Vice President for News see RANKINGS/page 8 and vice president last year. "So far I feel like we've made progress, and it's only the sec­ ond day of classes," Shappell said. Their combined experience in student government and the Cable installation complete in all27 dorms groundwork they laid in the spring and over the summer has allowed them to hit the By BECKY HOGAN ground running, she said. News Writer Andrichik said the pair has used its time in office so far to Dreams of "Pardon the Interruption," make "some big groundwork" Rachael Ray's recipes and Kristen on large initiatives. Cavallari in a swimsuit are now a reality "The rest of [the initiatives] for Notre Dame students, thanks to the we are confident we can University's installation of Comcast cable accomplish," Andrichik said. in all 27 dorms. Their administration has The process, which began in December already fulfilled its campaign 2005 and continued throughout the sum­ promise to improve Grab and mer, went hand-in-hand with the instal­ Go options, the pair said. lation of wireless Internet access. Last spring, students filled Notre Dame made its decision follow­ out food preference surveys. ing an investigation into other universi­ Andrichik personally tabulated ties' policies. the results, then worked with "In looking at other institutions, we Food Services to discuss the realized other schools [provided] cable. cost effectiveness of the top We realized that we needed to upgrade choices. ResNet and so we figured we might as On Monday, when Grab and well install cable," said Jeffrey Shoup, Go service opened for the first director of Residence Life and Housing. HY PHAM/The Observer time this year, students could Junior Vince Caro, left, and sophomore John Soltis take in the Uttle League World Series on see CABLE/page 8 ESPN Tuesday, a cable channel that was recently made available to the Morrissey residents. see SHAPPELL! page 6 STUDENT SENATE Group discusses plans for '06-'07 Tickets can be exchanged on - not strangers on the By MARY KATE MALONE the Tuesday before a home Internet. News Editor game from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at As a result, students who the Gate 10 Box Office at the wish to exchange their student The wheels started turning in Joyce Center. In previous years, tickets for a non-student one the Student Senate Monday as students could exchange them must provide the first and last senators gathered for their first on Wednesday as well. name of the person who will be meeting of the 2006-07 school Berlo said there has been using their ticket. year. "rampant abuse" of the ticket "That puts the onus on the University Director of Ticket exchange process in recent student to tell us who is going Operations Josh Berlo and years, as students have sold to use their ticket. .. The other Associate Director of Ticketing their tickets for profit on Web option was to do away with the Maja Hansen spoke to senators sites like Ebay.com. program," Berlo said. about changes that were made "[Tickets] were getting out The ticket office will only to the football ticket exchange into the secondary market," exchange 300 student tickets program - a procedure that said Berlo, adding that the tick­ per home game and 750 for the allowed students to swap a foot­ et exchange process was UCLA game, since it is at the LAURIE HUNT/The Observer ball ticket from their student designed to provide tickets for Student body president Lizzi Shappell and vice president Bill booklet for a non-student ticket. close family members or friends see SENATE/page 6 Andrichik review their notes at Wednesday night's meeting. --------- page 2 The Observer+ PAGE 2 Thursday, August 24, 2006 INSIDE COLUMN QUESTION OF THE DAY: WHAT SHOULD BE THE UNIVERSITY'S NEXT CONSTRUCTION PROJECT? Temporary tovvnie I knew it was true when the kind woman reached over the counter to hand me my bag of newly purchased home accessories. Andre Valdivia Fernando Quijano Melia West Huadong Sam Chen Mallory Mecham Peter Hadley Her blue eyes youthfully pierced through her worn complex­ senior junior sophomore grad student sophomore junior ion as she thanked Carroll Carroll Breen-Phillips off-campus Cavanaugh Carroll me for shopping at my local Family Dollar. ''A 'The ''A girls' dorm ''An amusement ''A landing port "Renovating the ''Afewmore I had become a Octagon."' right next to park with roller for spaceships Brownson hideous and townie. Carroll." coasters themed on top of bathrooms and completely After attending Saint Mary's for after every Fitzpatrick. " the room with worthless three years, I had dorm." the couch. " geodesic domes never actually con­ Kelly Meehan modeled after the sidered South Bend my home. True, I did marvel ofmodem utilize the city's bars Saint Mary's architecture, and restaurants, but Editor Stepan Center." only for a brief time before I would quickly return to the safe surroundings of the collegiate "bubble" in which I lived. This year, however, things are a bit dif­ IN BRIEF ferent. I moved into my Saint Peter's Street Father Reginald Foster, abode- which idyllically resembles a gin­ principal Latin scholar for gerbread house - only to discover not Pope Benedict XVI, will be only did having an off-campus residence giving the lecture "Is Latin mean no parietals or coin laundry but also Really Dead: Why the an entire readjustment of one's personal Academy and the Church lifestyle. Should Preserve the Latin Never did I think I would call Family Language" today at 4:30 Dollar my favorite store, walking there p.m. in room 120 of the Law sometimes twice each day, but I do. School. Never did I think I would live between both a lawyers' office and a mental reha­ As part of the Summer bilitation center, but I do. Classic Film Series, "The Never did I think I would wander bare­ Leopard" will be screened foot to my neighbors' or go to McDonald's tonight at 7 p.m. in the twice in one day, but the thing is that I Browning Cinema in the have. Debartolo Center for the I paint beer pong tables a light blue hue Performing Arts. The film is in my backyard at all hours of the night. I in the Italian language with witness neighborhood children fight in the English subtitles. U.S. volleyball association standard size sand volleyball court that is my back yard. The Summer Shakespeare I watch in awe as mullet-clad men race cast, directed by William their pick-up trucks through the intricate Brown,present Shakespeare's alleyways that run parallel and perpendic­ LAURIE HUNT/The Observer "The Comedy of Errors" on ularly near my home. Freshman Colleen Fleshman enjoys the warm weather by tossing around a frisbee the Decio Mainstage Theatre My roommates and I have named the with fellow Walsh Hall residents on South Quad Wednesday. in the DeBartolo Performing potentially problematic mouse that fre­ Arts Center. The show con­ quents our kitchen Stuart little, and we tinues its run tonight at 7:30 also stick our head out of the skylight that p.m. and goes until Sunday. adorns the steep slope of our second floor roof. Saint Mary's "Senior I have had a bungee-corded beach chair OFFBEAT Career Kickoff Night" will rest happily upon my roof and prayed that be tonight from 5 p.m. to 6 I would not become the stereotypical Killer raccoons terrorize drew 40 people. "They're charges of narcotics impor­ followed by the "Junior bankrupt college student, spending seem­ pet dogs and cats urban raccoons, and tation and possession. Career Kickofr' from 7 p.m. ingly endless funds on bars, booze, bills OLYMPIA, Washington - they're not afraid." The woman had about 11 to 8 in Vander Vennet and, of course, new home decor. A fierce group of raccoons Tony Benjamins, whose pounds of brown heroin on Theater.