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Howdy Notre Dame, 

 

When we penned our first letter to you, we were filled with eagerness as the vaccine rollout seemingly marked the beginning of the end of the pandemic. While the end is still not here a year later, we continue to be grateful for the sense of normalcy we’ve experienced this school year. As our term concludes and we reflect on the past year, we are proud of the resiliency shown by the Notre Dame community in the face of adversity. Over the past four years, each of us have weathered storms both personal and global. We know every other student has done the same, and have worked with so many dedicated people over the past year to celebrate them, listen to them, and advocate for them.

 

We have gotten to know a lot of these students through our Executive Cabinet. It is through their leadership and initiative that we have seen great achievement over the course of our term. Our department directors and members advocated, successfully, the university’s full observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the first time in Notre Dame’s history. We have initiated the implementation and promotion of Callisto, a sexual assault reporting service. Directors’ work has also renewed movements for Fossil Fuel Divestment through marches and on-campus petitions. Our cabinet members established partnerships with University Health Services to serve as student voices in their communications campaigns and give feedback each month to health professionals on campus, along with advocating for increased funding for the University Counseling Center.

 

In the last days we have as your Executive Officers, we will host the University’s inaugural PrideFest, celebrating and uplifting the voices of the LGBTQ+ community across the tri-campus. We will also support local businesses in the South Bend area with our Taste of South Bend event on March 31, which will feature local restaurants and food trucks. Finally, we will give back to the community in a way we have not been able to do since 2019 with Back the Bend, a massive service day in the community with numerous projects on April 2. We hope to see you at these events!

 

We are excited to cheer on Patrick, Sofie, and Nicole as they undertake their new roles. They are motivated and passionate leaders, and will continue the role of Student Government as a listening ear to the worries and joys of the student body. 

 

Thank you for trust in us and our leadership this past year. We know that we will leave Notre Dame in just a few short weeks’ time, but Notre Dame will never truly leave us. Our Lady’s University has had an indelible impact on us as people and we hope that the changes we made this year will help future students to feel the same love that we do. 

 

Love thee,

Allan Njomo, President

Matty Bisner, Vice-President

Alix Basden, Chief of Staff