It’s finals week at Notre Dame! The weather is finally getting warmer, and there’s only a week left to go until summer vacation. Finals week at a school like ND can be difficult if you don’t know what to do. The toughest thing is finding good study space. Personally, I hate studying in my room. When I’m in my room, I like to think that it’s a work-free zone, at least mostly. Plus, there are too many distractions in my room for me to be able to concentrate. Like a lot of students, I walk over to the Theodore M. Hesburgh Library to study. There’s never much room there during finals week, but there are always a few spots around. The studious atmosphere really helps to get into a studying mood. I usually get a drink on my way over in LaFortune. During finals week, the library is open 24/7 (it usually closes at 2 am), but I never like to stay past 1. By then, I’m losing more by studying than I’m gaining. This semester, I have four finals. I have two Wednesday, one in the morning and one in the evening, and two on Thursday, both in the afternoon. I like to have my tests bunched together like that. It makes the whole process feel much faster, even if it does complicate studying a little bit. For my Wednesday morning American Literary Traditions final, I have a take-home paper which I’ve already finished. The rest of the test should be easy. My Intro Psychology final is not really a final, but more like a third midterm. That should also be pretty easy. My Philosophy final Thursday afternoon should be like the midterm, which I did pretty well on, so I’m not too worried about that. My hardest test should be my last one, my Satire final Thursday evening. The previous midterms have been difficult, and this one will consist of two long essays. I’ve never been very good at writing handwritten essays under a time constraint, so I’ll focus my studying on my Satire final. Often times, I study more for one test than another, based off how hard the exams will be and the grades I have in the class. I have a revised paper to hand in on Friday, and then I get to relax for a day before heading back to Massachusetts on Saturday afternoon. Though my motivation will certainly wane at times, especially if the weather continues to be nice, I just have to think about going home Saturday and I’ll get through it. That’s how everyone approaches finals week; it’s really the only way not to get overwhelmed.
The safety situation at Notre Dame is in the spotlight again this week after a sexual assault. Just this past Wednesday, a girl was sexually assaulted at 10:00 pm walking along St. Mary’s road, which runs parallel to both lakes. According to an email sent out by the Notre Dame Security Police, the girl was sexually assaulted by two men wearing black clothes and black masks. One was holding a knife. The email did not say this explicitly but she was likely stabbed. The girl is fine. Obviously this is very chilling news. There have been many mugging reports this year, especially on Mod Quad, but this is different. First, it’s a sexual assault, not a robbery. Second, the men were wearing masks. Maybe it’s just me, but the inclusion of masks makes it seem a whole lot more serious. I think it’s important to note where the attack took place. St. Mary’s Road, at least to me, is not part of campus. The road leads to Route 933, and once you cross that road you are on the Saint Mary’s College campus. It is the most popular way for SMC and ND students to commute between the two schools. During the day, it is very safe. There are usually many people on the road and around the lakes. However, at night it is very dangerous. There is a long stretch of road where there is nothing but forest around. There are blue emergency lights around, but if you get jumped they’re not much help. After dark nobody should be walking down that road alone. I feel safe on campus. That being said, I’m a man and I’m not an easy target. But I think the general opinion is that if you take the necessary precautions, campus is safe. Notre Dame offers a program called “Safewalk.” It is a free and confidential service run by NDSP. If you are alone and need an escort, you can call Safewalk and a student volunteer will meet you. After 2:00 am, all calls are handled by NDSP staff. The NDSP emergency number is 5555; this is something that I feel more students should be aware of. The key to being safe while on campus is to be smart. NDSP can offer all the services they want but if people do not utilize them it makes no difference. Compared to most universities, Notre Dame has a very safe campus. But there is no substitute for self-awareness.
Cue “Centerfield”, it’s baseball season! The sun is shining again in South Bend, which means baseball season has returned. It also means a lot more baseball caps and shirts are seen around campus. Three teams are by far the most popular: perhaps unsurprisingly, they are the Yankees, Cubs, and of course the best team around, the Boston Red Sox. The White Sox are a little less popular than their Wrigleyville counterparts. The Minnesota Twins are surprisingly popular; though they can never seem to get too far in the playoffs, it seems like every student from Minnesota owns a few pieces of Twins gear. I have to admire that. Though Pittsburgh Penguins and Steelers hats and jerseys are prevalent, nobody wears Pirates gear; nobody wants to admit to being a Pirates fan. The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry certainly extends to Notre Dame. I work with two Yankees fans, and there is one in my section in O’Neill. With the terrible start the Red Sox have had, I’ve been getting a lot of grief lately. However, there are still 151 games left, counting tonight’s rainout, and I still have faith. As far as ND baseball goes, there’s not much I can say. It’s not a very popular team on campus. There is also a minor league team, the South Bend Silver Hawks, that plays at Coveleski Stadium. They are also not very popular. You do, however, often see people playing catch on the quads. When it’s sunny out, the baseball gloves come out. It’s really a tremendous feeling, playing catch on the quad, especially after a long winter. Baseball becomes a way to bring people together. When I’m wearing my Red Sox hat at work, other people from Massachusetts always ask about it. This sadly does not happen when I’m wearing my Bruins hat. I’ve seen the same thing happen with coworkers who are Yankees and Twins fans. It’s a great feeling when the sun is out after a long winter and the baseball hats start coming out. Hopefully when summer vacation is over and I return for my junior year, the Red Sox will at least be over .500. It’s a long season, right?
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