Observer the
The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s Volume 44 : Issue 123
FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2011
ndsmcobserver.com
Shirt Project benefits ND, charity Candlelight By SAM STRYKER News Editor
Far away from the runways of Milan and the boutiques of Paris, Notre Dame will host a fashion event of its own Friday at The Shirt Unveiling. The festivities, which begin at 4 p.m. at the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore, will reveal the 22nd installment of the signature Notre Dame clothing item. The event will feature Irish coach Brian K e l l y, t h e G l e e C l u b , t h e Notre Dame cheerleaders and other student groups. Junior Lauren Marzouca, president of The Shirt Project 2011, said the group hopes to sell 20,000 Shirts over the weekend and more than 150,000 overall. Despite the huge sales, she said most students are not aware of the goals The Shirt Project helps fund. “I know that so many peo-
tradition returns
p l e a r e u n a w a r e , a n d i t ’s such a profitable and amazing thing that I think it is extremely necessary to get the point across,” Marzouca said. Half of the revenue from the sales goes to The Shirt Charity Fund, which aids students with extraordinary medical conditions, Marzouca said. “By paying medical bills on behalf of the students, The Shirt Charity Fund allows Notre Dame students to continue their education and recuperation without the fear of not being able to return the next semester because of financial limitations,” she said. The other half is donated to student clubs, organizations and residence halls. Marzouca said $100,000 is designated for The Rector Fund, where rectors can request money for students
By EMILY SCHRANK News Writer
As students, alumni and their families gear up for the annual Blue-Gold Game Saturday, they can also look forward to the return of a beloved football weekend tradition — candlelight dinner in the campus dining halls. Marc Poklinkowski, general manager of South Dining Hall, said candlelight dinners have been a staple accompanying Notre Dame football weekends for at least 25 years. “Since there is such a rich tradition with Notre Dame football, the managers of the dining hall wanted to tie in an event to make it special for
see SHIRT/page 5
see CANDLE/page 5
LAUREN KALINOSKI | Observer Graphic
Students wear class rings to show pride, ‘solidarity’ By NICOLE TOCZAUER News Writer
N o t r e D a m e ’s l e g e n d a r y ‘ring by spring’ tradition has invaded campus once again, though not in the usual sense of the phrase, as sophomores recently received information to order Notre Dame class
Judge expunges record Observer Staff Report
A St. Joseph County judge expunged the record Thursday of a former Notre Dame student who was accused of rape in 2009. Patrick Augustyn, now 22, was accused of raping a female student in his dorm room in the early hours of Feb. 23, 2009, according to court documents. Augustyn was charged with one count of rape, a Class B felony, in the St. Joseph County
see EXPUNGED/page 4
INSIDE
TODAY’S PAPER
rings. But the shamrock-embellished ring is much more t h a n a p i e c e o f j e w e l r y. According to Notre Dame’s official class ring website, only alumni and juniors and seniors who have earned at least 60 credit hours are eligible to purchase the ring. Graduate students are
required to complete 50 percent of their work before they qualify to purchase a ring. The website said it verifies all orders to confirm customer eligibility. Junior Drew Davis said he wears his Notre Dame class ring with pride because it simultaneously represents love for his family and
uncle’s fellow college alumni easily recognized him when he wore his class ring. Davis wanted to experience that same sense of camaraderie with fellow Notre Dame graduates. “I wanted to have people r e c o g n i z e i t a n d s a y, ‘ O h ,
school. “My dad showed me his class ring when I got into Notre Dame, except his was from Tennessee,” Davis said. “I also bought a high school class ring, so I got a college one too. This is how I show my solidarity.” Davis said when he was younger he noticed how his
see RINGS/page 5
Professors reflect on budget deficit By KRISTEN DURBIN News Writer
President Barack Obama presented his plan to cut $4 trillion from the nation’s budget deficit over the next 12 years Wednesday, but American Studies professor Bob Schmuhl said party polarization will continue to be an obstacle in alleviating the country’s economic woes. “Brinksmanship has certainly replaced bipartisanship in Washington,” Schmuhl said. “The conundrum is that Democrats don’t really want to make spending cuts, and Republicans don’t really want to raise taxes. Given that, getting to an agreement that satisfies both sides is probably
beyond difficult.” Top members of Congress narrowly avoided a partial government shutdown last week by agreeing to a deal that would cut $38 billion in federal spending for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year. Both the House and Senate approved the budget deal Thursday, sending it to Obama for final approval. But this short-term agreement will not achieve the AP country’s long-term debt goals, which includes the attainment Representatives of Congress discuss a federal budget deal that of a national legal debt ceiling was proposed last week. Congress passed the resolution Thursday. of $14.29 trillion in May, Nelson Mark, professor of eco- deficit will still be nearly insur- wouldn’t balance the budget,” nomics, said. he said. “Then you have to go mountable in the near future. Mark said while both “Most of the budget is after entitlements. If you’re not Obama’s plan and Congress’ nondiscretionary spending, so willing to do that, you have to deal promise to slash federal even if you cut out all discresee BUDGET/page 6 spending, the overall budget tionary spending, that still
Judy Shepard speaks on hate page 3
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Viewpoint page 8
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St. Baldrick’s Day page 10
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Baseball preview page 20