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Volume 46, Issue 18 | Thursday, September 13, 2012 | ndsmcobserver.com
Teach for America ranks ND highly
‘A terrific growth’ Hesburgh reflects on changes made during tenure in office
Students explore overseas programs
By MEL FLANAGAN
By CHRISTIAN MYERS
News Writer
News Writer
For the fourth time in the past five years, Notre Dame ranked among the top colleges and universities contributing graduates to Teach for America’s newest class of teachers. Teach for America (TFA), a nonprofit organization that recruits college graduates and professionals to teach in underserved neighborhoods and schools, issued a press release ranking the schools that sent the most graduates into the 2012 Teaching Corps according to three categories: large, medium and small schools. Notre Dame ranked 12th among medium-sized schools after 27 members of the class of 2012 joined TFA’s ranks of teachers. Gaby Barahona, TFA’s manager of regional communications, said some schools send more graduates to the program than others for a variety of reasons. “It hinges on a few things, like how well TFA is known on campus or what the leaders on campus decide to do after their undergrad career,” she said. “I think it has to do with what our presence looks like. Do we have active recruiters on campus trying to engage the top leaders?” Northwestern University, Harvard University and Georgetown University ranked in the top three spots respectively for medium schools, which are defined as those with between 3,000 and 9,999 undergraduates. The high numbers of Notre Dame students who have entered the TFA Teaching Corps may assist future University applicants because because ititbrings brings a greater a greater familiarity familiarity with the with organization the organization to campus, to campus,
“We really do have some more work to do in being welcoming and inclusive,” she said. “I see from our students in surveys when they graduate that they are not satisfied with the diverse experience they’re offered here.” Harding’s office is actively evaluating opportunities to expand inclusivity to both LGBT students
Members of the football team are not the only Notre Dame students to bring their talents to foreign shores. The International Open House presented an array of international opportunities to students in the Hesburgh Center for International Studies on Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Anne Hayes, assistant director of the Office for International Studies and one of the event’s organizers, said each year the International Open House is an opportunity for all undergraduate students to learn about Notre Dame’s various international programs. “The idea is to introduce students to the wide array of international options that are available through various offices at Notre Dame. Most students know about study abroad programs through Notre Dame, but we also want them to know about international research, service learning and internship opportunities,” she said. “The Open House provides underclassmen with a chance to begin exploring options to spend time abroad. It is also a great way for students who have already spent time abroad to reflect and to expand on [their] international experiences.” Senior Tom Mitchell, a finance and economics major, said he studied abroad in Hong Kong and is interested in returning. “I enjoyed studying in Hong Kong and I’m hoping to return through work or a research opportunity,” he said. “I’m going to visit the Career Center’s table.” Freshman Evelyn Bauman said she attended to learn more about study abroad opportunities in general. “I’m here to find out about study abroad, really anything I can get my hands on,” she said. “I’m considering language programs and I’m taking French, so I’m leaning toward Africa.” Freshman Daniel
see HARDING PAGE 6
see ABROAD PAGE 7
see TEACH PAGE 6
Observer File Photo
University President Emeritus Fr. Theodore Hesburgh revolutionized Notre Dame during his recordsetting 35 years as president. At 95, he is a living legend with a lasting legacy. By MEGAN DOYLE Managing Editor
Editor’s Note: This story is the first installment in a two-part series on University President Emeritus Fr. Theodore Hesburgh’s legacy at Notre Dame. This series is also the final installment in the “From the Office of the President” series. He befriended popes and presidents. His name is on
the University library. Time Magazine featured him on its cover. He served on the Civil Rights Commission and stood hand-in-hand with Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1960s. Women can earn a Notre Dame degree because of him. But at the beginning of it all, University President Emeritus Fr. Ted Hesburgh didn’t want the job.
“[Being president was] the last thing in the world I wanted to do, and I was not aching to get these big jobs,” Hesburgh said. “I just wanted to teach and be in the hall and work for the students. That’s literally what I had in mind of what I was going to spend my life doing. And I come back here, and within six or seven years, I wind see HESBURGH PAGE 7
A steward of student life
KEVIN SONG | The Observer
Vice President for Student Affairs Erin Hoffman Harding, pictured in her office, seeks to ensure students get the most out of their time at Notre Dame by promoting inclusivity and community. By JOHN CAMERON News Editor
Put simply, Vice President for Student Affairs Erin Hoffmann Harding’s role is to make sure every student’s undergraduate years at Notre Dame are as fulfilling as hers were. “I had a really wonderful experience as a student, and I want to make sure that’s true of every
student,” she said. “In a very direct sense, I’m trying to give back.” Harding said her goal is to offer the same traditional experiences that make Notre Dame special to an evolving student body. The need for greater inclusiveness, she said, was highlighted in the spring by the movement for a Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) and the response to a racist incident on campus.
Mitt Romney on Health Care ND flirts PAGE 3
Sports PAGE 20
viewpoint PAGE 8