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Volume 46, Issue 119 | THURsday, April 11, 2013 | ndsmcobserver.com
Pass-In-Review honors ROTC members University president addresses participants, emphasizes commitment to service
Fou r teen exempla r y members of Not re Da me’s Reser ve Of f icer Tra i n i ng Cor ps ( ROTC ) prog ra m received awa rds for i nteg r it y, leadersh ip a nd com mu n it y i nvolvement at t he 2013 P resident ia l Pa ss-In-Rev iew ceremony yesterday. T he for ma l m i l ita r y ceremony, held i n t he Stepa n Center, gat hered a l l cadet s a nd m idsh ipmen on ca mpus. M idsh ipma n Ja son Koncsol spoke about t he i mpor ta nce of Not re Da me’s ROTC prog ra m. Un iversit y P resident Fr. Joh n Jen k i ns opened t he Pa ss-In-Rev iew w it h a n
EMILY DANAHER | The Observer
see ROTC PAGE 3
Senior awarded scholarship By MEL FLANAGAN News Writer
Senior Catherine Reidy will take the Notre Dame tradition across the pond next year to study for her master’s degree in African Studies on a Clarendon Scholarship at Oxford University. Reidy, a psychology major and member of the International Scholars Program at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, was offered a scholarship by the Social Sciences Division of Oxford to further develop her interest in international affairs and related see SCHOLARSHIP PAGE 6
University hires digital officer By LESLEY STEVENSON News Writer
Photo courtesy of Catherine Reidy
Catherine Reidy, center, poses for a photo in Sierra Leone, where she conducted independent research during the summers of 2011 and 2012.
Among several technology-based initiatives in the works for next year, the University created a new position called chief academic digital officer to promote digital learning and appointed Elliott Visconsi to fill the position, according to a University press release. Visconsi, associate professor of English and concurrent associate professor of law, said he will work to guide and support students
and faculty in technology research, investment and
Elliott Visconsi
Ne w s Wr iter
add ress. “T he m i l ita r y ha s a long a nd h istor ic i nvolvement at Not re Da me, w it h members of t he m i l ita r y attend i ng t he Un iversit y a s fa r back a s 1858,” he sa id. “Not re Da me is one of on ly 56 u n iversit ies w it h a ROTC prog ra m represent i ng a l l fou r bra nches of t he Un ited States m i l ita r y.” Jen k i ns sa id he respect s t he ded icat ion of t he ROTC st udent s a nd t he work t hey do. “People w i l l look to you for leadersh ip. T hey w i l l look to you for pu r pose,” he sa id. “I k now t hat w hat you do a s a ROTC pa r t icipa nt is not ea s y. On top of
Chief academic digital officer
By CH A R L IE DUCE Y
application. “W hat we are trying to do is figure out [is] how do we integrate digital tools into our overall educational mission?” Visconsi said. see DIGITAL PAGE 5
Annual banquet honors student leadership The Division of Student Affairs honored six Notre Dame seniors and one post-baccalaureate student for their academic, journalistic and service contributions to the University at the April 3 Student Leadership
Awards Banquet. The awards recognize students whose efforts benefit not only the University community but also disadvantaged populations across the globe, according to a University press release. Senior Emily Conron received the John W. Gardner Student Leadership
Award for her work with the Notre Dame Fighting Neglected Tropical Diseases club. Conron said the trajectory of her service work was unexpected yet purposeful. “My involvement with the club has shaped everything else that I’ve undertaken in college, even though I got into it by accident,” Conron
said. “I’m not a hard science major, but I’ve learned a lot. Over this past winter break, I was able to unite my psychology major with my theology major with my interest in NTDs by traveling to Haiti and interviewing patients there about their mental health and religious beliefs.” Conron said students should not
necessarily limit their extracurricular activities to groups related to preexisting interests. “You need to be open to finding new passions and when things creep up on you that seem interesting, even if you think it will be a diversion from
NEWS PAGE 4
VIEWPOINT PAGE 8
SCENE PAGE 10
FOOTBALL PAGE 20
SOFTBALL PAGE 20
By AUBREY BUTTS News Writer
see AWARDS PAGE 4