The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s Volume 45: Issue 81
Monday, February 6, 2012
Ndsmcobserver.com
ND listed as a top Peace Corps university Observer With 35 alumni currently serving, Irish ranks 10th on list of top schools to produce volunteers
BRANDON KEELEAN
By DA N BROMBACH Ne w s Writer
Placi ng on t he Peace Cor ps’ l i st of top u n iver sit ies nat ionw ide for t he 12t h st ra ig ht yea r, Not re Da me ha s est a bl i shed a t rad it ion of ex pa nd i ng lea r n i ng beyond t he cla ssroom. Not re Da me ra n ked 10 t h on t he Peace Cor ps’ l i st of Med iu m Col leges a nd Un iver sit ies to produce t he most Peace Cor ps volu nteer s i n 2011. Accord i ng to a recent Not re Da me press relea se,
35 a lu m n i cu r rent ly ser ve i n t he Peace Cor ps a rou nd t he world. A mong t hat l i st i s 2010 Not re Da me a lu m na Meg ha n Costel lo, who ha s spent t he pa st 16 mont h s i n Rwa nda. Costel lo sa id her pr i ma r y role i n Rwa nda i s teach i ng Eng l i sh, yet her m i ssion goes fa r beyond teach i ng it sel f. “Peace Cor ps i s d i f ferent f rom ot her orga n i zat ion s becau se it i s so much more t ha n t he pr i ma r y a ssig nment,” she sa id. “It’s a bout i nteg rat ion i nto a com mu-
n it y, lea r n i ng a bout a not her cu lt u re a nd spread i ng A mer ica n cu lt u re. Th roug h t hese steps, you ca n f i nd ot her ways to be u sef u l i n t he com mu n it y.” The prospect of joi n i ng t he Peace Cor ps wa s somet h i ng t hat Costel lo sa id she had a lways con sidered, a nd a f ter joi n i ng, it beca me t he per fect f it for her. “I t h i n k Peace Cor ps wa s a lways i n my head, a l it t le t h i ng i n side t hat I a lways wa nted, but d id n’t t h i n k I wou ld ever act ua l ly ex per ience,” she sa id. “ W hen it
beca me a pa r t of my rea l it y, I had t he suppor t of a l l my fa m i ly a nd f r iend s. It felt so r ig ht.” The at mosphere a nd t he people of Not re Da me a re what mot ivated Costel lo to joi n t he Peace Cor ps, she sa id. In add it ion, a st udy a broad t r ip to Rome helped her rea l i ze a pa ssion for apply i ng her educat ion outside of t he cla ssroom. “St udy i ng a broad i n Rome cer t a i n ly helped i n my desi re to ex per ience ot her cu lt u res,” she sa id. “I wa nted to u nder st a nd what I wa s read i ng i n cla ss a nd to ex per ience t he rea l it y of t hese sit uat ion s, whatever t he rea l it y wa s.” A lt houg h Costel lo sa id l i fe i n Rwa nda ca n be d i f f icu lt a nd lonely at t i mes, she f i nd s com for t i n her t a sk s a nd respon si bi l it ies. “The h ig h l ig ht s a lways come w it h good work,” she sa id. “I have recent ly been plu ng i ng i nto project s i n my com mu n it y, a nd t hey br i ng me joy — t he k i nd of joy t hat comes a f ter f i n i sh
see CORPS/page 4
announces top four Observer Staff Report Megan Doyle, Andrew Owens and Sam Stryker have been chosen to help oversee The Observer’s operations in 2011-12, incoming Editor-in-Chief Allan Joseph announced Sunday. Doyle will serve as managing editor, the No. 2 position at the paper, and Owens and Stryker will each assume the position of assistant managing editor. Doyle, a junior majoring in English with a minor in Journalism, Ethics and Democracy, will assist Joseph in managing all aspects of The Observer’s operations. Originally hailing from Granger, Ind., Doyle lives in Lyons Hall and is currently studying in London. Doyle served as News Editor in the fall semester and has a wide range of experience with The Observer,
see FOUR/page 4
Symposium encourages Giant success for New York interreligious dialogue By K R IS T E N DU R BI N Ne w s Wr iter
A s one of t he n at ion’s mo s t prom i nent C at hol ic u n iver s it y, Not re Da me w i l l uphold t he C hu rch’s c omm it ment t o p ea c ef u l i nt erfa it h d ia log ue by ho s t i ng a s y mp o s iu m feat u r i n g l e a d i n g members of t he w o r l d ’s foremost rel ig ion s. “Stories of P ra c t ical Hol ine s s : An Exercise Cavadini in I nt erreligious Under s t a nd i ng,” wh ich t a ke s pla c e Feb. 5 t o 8 a nd i s s p on s ored by t he I n s t it ut e for C hu rch L i fe ( IC L) , br i ng s t oget her Budd h i s t , Si k h, C at hol ic, Mu sl i m
Inside today’s paper
a nd Jew i sh p er s p ec t ive s on t he c om mon element of hol i ne s s t o fa c i l it at e a dm i rat ion a c ro s s rel ig iou s b ou nda r ie s, IC L d i rec t or Joh n C ava d i n i s a id. “ The rea s on we cho s e t h i s fo c u s i s b ec au s e we w a nt ed it t o b e s omet h i ng i r reduci bly rel ig iou s, l i ke hol i ne s s, but a l s o pra c t ic a l, a s i n ho l i ne s s t h at h a s a n ef fec t i n s o c ia l or c u lt u ra l renewa l,” he s a id. “ We w a nt t o g ive p eople who t h i n k rel ig ion i s on ly a s ou rc e of v iolenc e or problem s a w ay of s ee i ng s omet h i ng i r reduc i bly rel ig iou s t h at h a s a n obv iou s pra c t ic a l i mpa c t , not i n s pit e of it s b ei ng rel ig iou s but b ec au s e it i s rel ig iou s.” C ava d i n i s a id t he c onferenc e’s fo c u s on s t or ie s of hol i ne s s s t em s f rom a n idea out l i ned by Pop e Joh n Pau l I I i n h i s enc ycl ic a l lett er, “ Ver it at i s Splendor.” “ [Joh n Pau l] rem i nded u s
see STORIES/page 4
AP
New York Giants linebacker Chase Blackburn intercepts a pass intended for New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl XLVI game. By NICOLE TOCZAUER News Writer
With its championship teams, thrilling commercials and star-studded halftime show, Super Bowl XLVI’s Giants 21-17 win over the Patriots left students screaming in both joy and grief. Sophomore Giants fan Nick Lupica said the game kept him captivated until the very end. “It came down to the last
quarter, which makes all games interesting,” Lupica said. Watching the game with both Giants and Patriots fans made for an exciting atmosphere, and regardless of the winner, Lupica said he was happy both teams made it to the championship. “It was a split room,” he said. “[But,] I was happy to see anyone but the Green Bay Packers or the Chicago
Bears make the Super Bowl,” he said. “Notre Dame has too big of a fan base for both of those.” Junior Adam Wisbrock, a Packers fan, said he watched the game as a neutral third party, but was happy when the Giants won. “I wasn’t invested in either team, but I think I subconsciously wanted the Giants to
see GIANTS/page 4
OIT introduces technology page 3 u Viewpoint page 8 u Late Night with Jimmy Fallon page 10 u Men’s basketball beats Marquette page 20