THE INDEPENDENT
TO UNCOVER
NEWSPAPER SERVING
THE TRUTH
NOTRE DAME, SAINT MARY’S
AND REPORT
AND HOLY CROSS
IT ACCURATELY
VOLUME 59, ISSUE 68 | MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2025 | NDSMCOBSERVER.COM
Admitted students reflect on The Rally The weekend event offered admitted Notre Dame students a glimpse into campus life and culture By SOPHIE HANAWALT AND MEGAN CORNELL Notre Dame News Editor and Staff Writer
As prospective students and their families arrived at The Rally on Thursday, Notre Dame student volunteers and admissions team members welcomed them to the Joyce Center, their hub for the weekend. The Rally, Notre Dame’s admitted student event, drew thousands of visitors to campus. At “Commit Alley at the Rally” in the Joyce Center, admitted students celebrated their commitment to the University with photo-ops, confetti and the chance to build a take-home Lego figure. Freshman Nora Kulak
volunteered at the Lego station, inspired by her own positive experience at The Rally. “I was in charge of the Lego station ... I chose to work at this station because I remember making a Lego when I came to the Rally and still have it on a shelf in my room,” she wrote in a statement to The Observer. After arriving on campus, prospective students took campus tours and visited residence halls. Kulak helped walk the prospective students to the starting locations for these tours. “I really enjoyed this, as I got to talk with the students and share with them the best parts of residential life and Notre Dame in general. I also enjoyed answering their questions and I could
Trump protests reach South Bend
see how excited they had gotten about residential life on our way back from the hall tours,” Kulak wrote. Prospective students gathered in Purcell Pavilion on Thursday evening for the official kick off of The Rally, where members of the Notre Dame community such as the band, spirit squad and current students welcomed them to campus. Afterward, the admitted students met in the Loftus Sports Center for the “Class of 2029 Connect,” where students had a chance to meet each other, talk with current students and play games. “My favorite event was the ‘Connect’ event last night and the official opening to The Rally. The
Notre Dame News Editor
Several protestors part of the “Hands Off ” movement were seen protesting from the side of Indiana State Road 933 to Angela Boulevard. By BERHAN HAGEZOM Saint Mary’s News Editor
On Saturday at noon, a nationwide protest called “Hands Off!” occurred throughout all 50 states, including on the side of Indiana State Road 933 to Angela Boulevard. The protest was a pushback of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s control over current national and global issues. Signs were held by individuals throughout the protest that carried the ‘hands off’ theme, including
NEWS PAGE 3
“Hands off Canada”, “Hands off the post office” and “Hands off the Judiciary.” Chants were also said throughout the protest, including “Throw him out” and “Show me what democracy looks like - This is what democracy looks like.” The local protest was organized by the Michiana Alliance for Democracy-Indiana (MADIndiana), part of the Indivisible Network, a progressive organization established after the 2016 see PROTEST PAGE 3
VIEWPOINT PAGE 5
Good” to a class on cancer cells offered by the College of Science. Faculty in various colleges and programs also held panels for students to ask questions. “I sat in a class learning about cancer cells and how they divide. It was really cool seeing that aspect of college life,” said Ryan Crafton, a committed student. Throughout the weekend, the admissions team held concurrent sessions on studying abroad, residential life, financial aid, accessibility, spirituality and pursuing research opportunities. For students who were not already committed to Notre Dame, attending The Rally provided insight into the University’s see RALLY PAGE 3
College Democrats travel to DC for career trek By SOPHIE HANAWALT
MARIELLA TADDONIO | The Observer
band played the ‘Victory March’ and that was really cool,” said John Vincent, a newly admitted freshman. Vincent officially accepted his place in the class of 2029 this weekend. “I met so many interesting, smart and fun people that I can’t wait to call my classmates,” William Cahill wrote in a statement to The Observer. Cahill has been committed to Notre Dame since December. On Friday, the events were split by college and academic interest. Depending on their prospective major, admitted students could attend a wide variety of classes, ranging from the philosophy department’s “God and the Good Life,” the sociology department’s “Becoming a Force for Social
Notre Dame’s College Democrats (CDems) concluded their career trek to DC last Tuesday. While CDems have traveled to DC for the past five years, outgoing political director of CDems and this year’s director of the trip Jack Sirianni shared that he changed the format of the trip from being a lobbying weekend to a career trek. Rather than attending conferences and lobbying Indiana legislators, the group attended a series of panels and networking events organized by Sirianni and the club’s seniors. Editor’s note: Sirianni is a columnist for The Observer. “It was always one of my favorite things, so it meant the world to me when I got the opportunity to lead it, but I knew I wanted it to look a little different,” said Sirianni, a Fisher Hall senior. For past renditions of the trip, Sirianni explained, “what would happen is, as Democrats, if we’re talking to the Indiana members of Congress, they’re all Republicans. So as nice as they were, we never really got taken very seriously.
SCENE PAGE 7
Although we had put a lot of time and effort into it, they always just kind of ignored us, which didn’t feel good.” This year, Sirianni elected to organize a boot camp teaching the 24 students who were chosen via application to attend what it looks like to “live, work and be a force for good in DC.” While the group hasn’t had to turn interested club members away in the past, Sirianni shared, the group had enough interest this year to warrant participants being chosen carefully. “Everyone who was chosen for this, we chose them for a reason. It’s kind of like an investment,” he said. Rather than attending pre-organized conferences, “we had to organize every single one of our about 10 to 15 events, meaning we had to coordinate with everyone’s schedule. I don’t know how we did it all, but the entire trip went off without a hitch. I have a lot of people to thank for that,” Sirianni said. “Everyone we talked to was a Notre Dame alum, so the first question was always what dorm were you in? For kids who’ve never been to DC or haven’t really engaged in these communities
before, it was really cool,” Sirianni said. For Sirianni and the other outgoing seniors, the trip was a way for them to think about what kind of legacy they’d like to leave for the club, saying “we wanted to leave behind a group of students who really care about the values of Democratic Party and who are committed to one day working in DC and being a force for good.” The trip’s budget, which came from their NDDay funding and Club Coordination Council allocation funds, was $35,000. Sirianni cited a “record breaking year in fundraising” for the club last year in preparation for the 2024 election that made the trip possible. “Going to DC as a first year, it really changed my outlook. It changed what I wanted to do after I graduated. It made me really, really passionate about giving back to the club. That really changed my life,” Sirianni said. Sirianni explained that the group arrived Friday and spent the weekend “bonding.” Freshman and newly appointed political co-director for the
SPORTS PAGE 8
SPORTS PAGE 12
see CAREER PAGE 3