The Year in Review
By ERIN PIROUTEK
Associate News Editor
This was supposed to be the year for Notre Dame football. The 1999 team, like in 1988, 1977 and 1966 seemed destined for a national championship.
Instead the much-anticipated season ended with a 5-7 record and the NCAA handing Notre Dame its first major violation. Because of Kimberly Dunbar's improper gifts to Irish football players, Notre Dame lost two scholarships and received a two-year probation.
"A jury of our peers said that it was major and they gave us a penalty," said Father Edward Malloy, University president, after the decision. "We will accept this and move on."
"Moving on" has included a restructuring of the athletic department. Athletic Director Michael Wadsworth — whose five-year contract had expired — resigned in February and was replaced with Kevin White, former athletic director at Arizona State. Father William Beauchamp, who was the executive vice president, was removed from all athletic duties.
The athletic director now reports directly to the president's office instead of to the executive vice president. This month the Board of Trustees decided to remove Beauchamp and named Father Timothy Scully the new executive vice president.
Although completely unrelated to Notre Dame's restructuring, Saint Mary's also has a new face at the helm of the athletic department. Lynn Kachmarik became athletic director at the beginning of the spring semester.
Catholic identity
Controversial decisions were not limited to athletics. The nation's bishops voted in November to implement Ex Corde Ecclesiae, a papal document on Catholic higher education. The document will have a direct impact on the way the 235 American Catholic colleges and universities are governed, raising questions about Catholic schools' institutional and academic freedom.
Malloy repeatedly criticized the document as being too legalistic and worked to keep it from passing. Saint Mary's shared Malloy's opposition to the decision.
"I'm disappointed," Karen Ristau, vice president and dean of faculty at Saint Mary's said of the decision.
The document's implications remain indefinite, so there is still uncertainty regarding exactly what Ex Corde will mean for the two schools.
Many officials, however, agree at least with the spirit of the document – to further the distinctive mission of Catholic higher education — even if the specific details of the document are questionable.
Tragedy
Students returned from spring break to learn that Saint Mary's senior Kristi Morris was killed in a car accident while traveling during the break. Morris, driving through the night to reach Myrtle Beach, S.C., apparently fell asleep at the wheel. Another student, Sarah Williams, was injured in the crash.
"Kristi intended on being here and touching hundreds of lives, and people who never knew her will miss her and not even know," said Margie Wasoski, Morris' mother.
The news came not two months after the unexpected death of men's soccer coach Mike Berticelli. Berticelli, 48, suffered a heart attack Jan. 25. Head coach at Notre Dame since 1990, Berticelli was highly respected by colleagues and players for his work ethic and dedication to his players.
"He taught me everything I know about soccer," said Chris Petrucelli, who was an assistant coach under Berticelli.
The family reaches out
Zahm sophomore Conor Murphy was diagnosed with leukemia this spring and required a bone marrow transplant. Murphy, fortunate to find a match in the National Marrow Donor Registry, requested a bone marrow drive in hopes of expanding the registry. Students flooded LaFortune in response to his call, and more than 600 people from both campuses joined the registry, many waiting in lines for more than two hours.
The test is also expensive, at $96 a person. Due to the large turnout, costs for the drive skyrocketed. Dorms and groups across campus launched fundraising drives ranging from concerts, to T-shirt sales, to going door-to-door asking for donations to cover the expense.
"I think it's going to be one of those things I look back on after my four years at Notre Dame and remember as one of the great examples of the Notre Dame community supporting one of their own," said Murphy's roommate Steve Napleton.
Fighting sweatshops:
ND and SMC diverge
At schools across the nation, sweatshops gained the limelight as many students protested in favor of their institutions joining the Worker's Rights Consortium (WRC), an organization focused on investigating labor conditions in factories that manufacture apparel for colleges and universities.
The Progressive Student Alliance asked University officials to join the WRC beginning in November. In March, Notre Dame decided to retain its membership in the Fair Labor Association (FLA) while waiting for more information about the recently-formed WRC.
The main difference between the FLA and the WRC is how the organization handles manufacturers that utilize sweatshop labor. The FLA promotes a collaborative effort between the organization and the corporation to correct violations, while the WRC supports full public disclosure of any corporation's manufacturing conditions.
Saint Mary's chose to join the WRC.
"It seemed to us, as we learned more about the WRC, that the WRC fits the size of the College," said Marilou Eldred, College president. "Because the WRC has a grassroots structure, this is important for a college like Saint Mary's."
Notre Dame also adopted its own stringent sweatshop policy in January. It prohibits the manufacture of Notre Dame merchandise in countries that do not recognize workers' rights to unionize and requests full public disclosure of manufacturing sites from its licensees.
Acceptance denied
OUTreachND, an unofficial gay and lesbian student group that applied for official recognition was denied in April. It was the fourth time that a gay and lesbian student group had been denied official recognition.
"It is through programs and services offered through committed professionals and ministers that we wish to work with gay and lesbian students at Notre Dame," said Joe Cassidy, director of Student Activities, in a letter explaining his decision.
In the last few years, the University has established a Standing Committee on Gay and Lesbian Student Needs, and created programs through Campus Ministry and the University Counseling Center. But last year, the Board of Trustees decided not to include sexual orientation in the University's non-discrimination clause.
"By not recognizing us they color us as somehow `other' still, and by coloring us as `other' they say we're not normal," said OUTreach co-president Dave Wyncott.
Election nightmare
It should be a simple process: the democratic election of student leaders by a popular vote. But for both Saint Mary's and Notre Dame, the student body elections were fraught with drama, difficulties and protests.
After Saint Mary's initial election, two tickets, Emily Koelsch/Rachele Rodarte and Chrissie Renner/Michelle Nagle, advanced to a run-off election. The run-off, however, resulted in a tie, with both tickets earning 49 percent of the vote. Students voted again, two days later, declaring Koelsch/Rodarte winners with 51 percent of the vote.
But Renner/Nagle filed a protest, alleging improper voting procedures to handle the unprecedented tie. The elections committee decided to combine votes from the primary and the first run-off, which nullified the revote, instead declaring Renner/Nagle the winner. Another appeal from Koelsch/Rodarte was denied.
The Notre Dame elections proved almost as confusing.
During the early stages of the campaign, the Brian O'Donoghue/Brooke Norton ticket received a one-day suspension for a radio appearance prior to official campaigning. After the primary, O'Donoghue/ Norton and Hunt Hanover/John Micek advanced to a run-off. The Judicial Council named O'Donoghue/Norton the winners due to the disqualification of Hanover/Micek due to e-mail campaign violations. Hanover/Micek decided not to appeal, but John Osborn/Mark Donahey, the ticket that finished third in the primary election, appealed, saying that Hanover/Micek's disqualification should have placed them in a run-off with O'Donoghue/ Norton. The appeal was denied, with O'Donoghue/Norton remaining the winners.
Planning for the future
Both Notre Dame and Saint Mary's are involved in extensive fundraising to ensure the future success of the schools.
This year marks the beginning of a 10-year Master Plan at Saint Mary's. This is the final year for the historic Dalloway's Coffeehouse, a gift from the Class of 1922. Groundbreaking on a new Dalloway's Coffeehouse and Welcome Center began March 30 with construction expected to be complete in the fall.
Fundraising is in progress for the $100 million Master Plan, which will also include improvements to athletic facilities, residence halls and social space.
Notre Dame's Generations fundraising campaign has been a huge success. It surpassed its initial goal of $767 million last summer, 18 months ahead of schedule.
On March 21, Tom and Kathy Mendoza donated $35 million to the College of Business, which is the largest single monetary gift in University history.
The Mendozas' gift brings the Generations campaign's total to more than $900 million. Next year, the campaign will continue.
The campaign will continue next yeanext year.
All News Stories for Friday, May 19, 2000
