"

Hey Domers! 

It has been wonderful to be back — to see faces, hug one another and be with each other. We have loved to see our Irish back in action on the football field, soccer pitch and volleyball court. Our theme for the year as Student Government has been “Onward.” Through this student-driven campaign, we look to inspire the recovery of the Notre Dame spirit by moving onwards to connection, tradition and reflection. 

Before the school year, we were blessed with student leaders who worked tirelessly to build a better Notre Dame for all of us. Eliza Smith, Cassidy Ferrell, Amaya Medeiros, Grace Franco, Luzolo Mataundu, Natalie Ortega, Max Siegel, Zoë Case, Renee Pierson and many others spent a large part of the summer advocating for full observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. On Aug. 23, as a direct result of their advocacy, the Academic Council unanimously voted to observe MLK Day!

In other corners of our campus, students worked to ensure the voices of students were heard. Notre Dame’s Design For America, alongside Student Government, organized our first Student and Faculty Voice Summit in late April. One hundred students and faculty from various disciplines across the university came together to discuss one overarching question: What should education at Notre Dame look like, post-pandemic? This summer, Megan Rogers, Sophie Scroth and other members of DFA compiled the findings from the Summit. Emerging themes from the Summit include extensive alignment of faculty and student opinion on flexibility, autonomy, relevance, connection, environment, passion for learning, and organization and accessibility. These findings and insights are readily available for anyone to view on the recently completed website: https://www.notredamevoicesummits.org

Beyond that, we are excited to announce that through the work of our Director of Gender Relations, Hallie Butterfield, Callisto, a sexual assault reporting and informational tool, has been whitelisted for use at Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross College! We look forward to the informational roll-out for Callisto and ensuring students are aware of available resources. 

Additionally, these past few weeks we’ve been happy to connect with students at various traditional and reflective Student Government events such as Flick on the Field, Health & Well-Being Resource Fair, Suicide Healing and Memorial Prayer Service, Student Union Showcase and the 20th Anniversary 9/11 Memorial Prayer Service. Thank you to all the students that joined us, and we are excited for more programming throughout the semester!

As we settle into the school year, we have focused on our promise to ensure students have the support they deserve. Across our 17 departments, we are working with administrators to address the affordability of Notre Dame, student faith leaders are coming together to form an Interfaith Council and the Student Union is supporting our University’s commitment to sustainability. A rallying point for these efforts (and many others) is elevating student voice in the decision-making process of our university. 

With this in mind, we continue to invite students to reach out to us with opinions, concerns and ideas. As your Student Government leadership, we remain committed to be in service to you. Moreover, our space in LaFortune 203 continues to be open to all students — whether you want to do homework or just hang out!

We know it's been good to be back at Notre Dame, but we also acknowledge that it can be difficult to get back into the swing of things right away. As we approach mid-terms and project due dates, the campus climate can quickly become more stressful and mentally straining. Therefore, it’s important we take care of each other and we show one another grace. Whether by stopping by the Grotto, talking to a close friend or taking advantage of the university’s student services in McWell, the UCC and the UHS, we hope that you feel supported this term.

Yours in Notre Dame,

Allan, Matty & Alix