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Volume 47, Issue 1 | tuesday, august 27, 2013 | ndsmcobserver.com

Incoming freshmen exceed expectations Notre Dame’s Class of 2017 sets admissions records

Saint Mary’s firstyear class expands diversity

By ANN MARIE JAKUBOWSKI

By KAITLYN RABACH

News Editor

Saint Mary’s Editor

Last fall, many members of the applicant pool for Notre Dame’s Class of 2017 boasted the stellar test scores and transcripts up to the Irish standard, so the Office of Undergraduate Admissions needed to go a step beyond academic evaluation when selecting the 2,074 members now enrolled as freshmen. Don Bishop, associate vice president for undergraduate enrollment, said the office adopted a “holistic admissions process” to examine not just the results of applicants’ endeavors, but also the motivations behind their success. “We believe that we have a

When first-year orientation began Thursday, the Saint Mary’s Class of 2017 officially became the most diverse class in Belles history. Director of Admission Kristin McAndrew said 23 percent of the 441 first-year students come from historically underrepresented groups within the United States. “We have been very thoughtful about what high schools we chose to visit and where we led our recruiting efforts to make sure we reached as diverse of a population as we could,” McAndrew said. “We also had a lot of help from our current multicultural students and encouraged them to reach out to

see FRESHMEN PAGE 5

STEPH WULZ | The Observer

see SMC PAGE 8

ND welcomes new students Ex-student pleads guilty of murder

By CHRISTIAN MYERS News Writer

Int’l affairs PAGE 3

By MEGHAN THOMASSEN Managing Editor

KEVIN SONG | The Observer

Badin freshman Alexa Palisi reaches out to touch the South Quad cup during orientation activities Sunday.

the campus community. “Everyone we’ve met from our dorm and other dorms has been great,” Schmelling said. “They make you feel like you’ve already been here and are already part of it.” Farley Hall freshman Hannah

Viewpoint PAGE 12

Dakin said she appreciated the opportunity to meet people from various dorms during DomerFest. “I liked DomerFest because we got to meet a lot of people see ORIENTATION PAGE 9

Scene PAGE 14

Patrick Mikes Jr.

Former Notre Dame honors student Patrick Mikes Jr., 22, will be sentenced Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. after pleading guilty but mentally ill to the seconddegree murder of his father, Patrick Mikes Sr. Former Notre Dame student

This year’s freshmen relished a hectic, awkward and exciting freshman orientation this past weekend as they settled into life on campus. Many freshmen enjoyed the opportunity to meet other students during the orientation weekend, which took place Aug. 23 through 26. Fisher Hall freshmen and roommates Andy Miles and Garrett Schmelling said they put a sign on their door reading “free cookies,” hoping their fellow Fishermen would stop by and get to know them. Miles said his favorite part of Frosh-O was the chance to meet other residents of Fisher Hall. “The best part has been meeting the other guys in my dorm,” Miles said. “You meet guys from all over the country with different stories and experiences.” Schmelling said he also enjoyed meeting new people during Frosh-O, because the experience made him feel part of

Oakland County, Mich. Prosecutor Jessica Cooper said the judge accepted Mikes’ plea Aug. 6 when the defense presented documentation of his mental illness. “In terms of forensic evidence, there was nothing new,” Cooper said. “[The

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defense] had the opportunity to evaluate [its plea] because of a pending procedural appeal that slowed the case down.” Mikes initially pleaded not guilty to the open murder charge, which meant the jury would decide if the crime was first- or second-degree murder, Cooper said. His current plea of guilty but mentally ill means he will receive mental health treatment while in prison. Mikes’ attorney, Christopher Andreoff, told local reporters Mikes was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2008. “He will serve his sentence in prison because his mental illness did not rise to Michigan’s legal definition of insanity,” Cooper said. “This is a much more humane way f treating him, since he will see MURDER PAGE 9

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