The Vietnam War, apartheid, the Civil Rights Movement, the Women's Rights Movement, respecting diversity, the Kent State student shootings, election fraud, the Aids epidemic, the Church's crackdown on academic freedom, the Gulf War, gay and lesbian rights, health care debacle and alcohol policy.

Of all these things, among others, only one has been capable of mobilizing the students of Notre Dame to assert their right to expression and voice loud protest. No, not Vietnam, not women's rights. Only alcohol policy has had this power to gather the student community around an issue to make its opinion heard.

I arrived on campus the year after the 1984 alcohol protests, "the keg riots," and was regaled by upperclass-persons with tales of civil disobedience and student audacity. During the course of my years as an undergraduate, I tried several times with others to tap into this largely unused reservoir of student activism: the anti-apartheid movement, the pro-choice movement, Presidential elections, women's ordination, social justice issues of all stripes — even peace and justice in Northern Ireland. Nothing.

I finally had to come to the conclusion that the particular causes which were relevant during my time there were just not of sufficient interest to arouse, anger or move my compadres on campus.

I was wrong. In fact there is no cause but the cause of alcohol which can arouse the students of Notre Dame to action. So sleep easy tyrants around the world and at home. So long as your evil intentions do not disrupt the steady flow of booze to SYRs, tailgaters and the like, you will face no opposition from the student body of the University of Notre Dame.

Mary Ann Hennessey

class of '90

Strasbourg, France

Mar. 25, 2002

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