What about sophomores?
Letter to the editor
Like the sophomores' interviews for the reaction article in Friday's paper, I am also extremely disappointed in the cancellation of Sophomore Siblings Weekend.
The front page article by Laura Rompf that explained the Office of Student Activities' reasons for its cancellation frustrated me even more due to what I see as ridiculous reasons and justifications for their actions. Low attendance, Notre Dame's "national nature" and the "national trend in the decreasing size of families" are laughable excuses for cancelling the weekend. I seem to recall a line that stretched out of South Dining Hall all the way across South Quad at last year's event — the number of people that were there to enjoy the event was not insignificant.
Secondly, just because Notre Dame students come from all 50 states and from many nations is not a reason to cancel the event. While it might be more difficult for siblings from farther away to attend, shouldn't it be the family's decision to make whether to send a child, not the University's? Just how I decide whether or not it's worth it to come all the way here from Honolulu, Hawaii, to attend school is up to me.
My family saw the importance of this event and was finding a way to send my younger brother here for the visit. The absurdity of the last reason in regards to decreasing family size does not even deserve to be acknowldeged.
The bottom line is that the tradition of Notre Dame has always emphasized the importance of family. Freshmen get Orientation Weekend, juniors get Junior Parents Weekend and seniors get Graduation Weekend.
What about the sophomores?
Malia Lam
Sophomore
Lyons Hall
January 21, 2000
All Viewpoint Stories for Monday, January 24, 2000
