Tag: the observer

Notre Dame student won on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ in 2020

Some shocking news brings this moment to mind.

The television world has been rocked by the news that longtime “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak will retire after the show’s next season. Having held that post since late 1981, Sajak has become a part of our everyday lives much like Bob Barker and Alex Trebek were. The question now is whether Vanna White, his co-host for nearly as long, will follow him out the door.

Anyway, with this news, it’s worth looking back at Notre Dame’s Amanda Pottorff, who made it to the show’s bonus round in March 2020:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Pa2ZJFuie/?hl=en

Pottorff didn’t solve the episode’s final puzzle, but she walked away with a nice chunk of change and a trip to Antigua. The Observer, Notre Dame’s student newspaper, ran a story about her if you want to know more about her experience. Her appearance came tnearly two years after that another student, Kathleen Capella, who won $20,201, including a trip to Aruba, but also lost in the bonus round.

Most importantly, Pottorff has completed her studies at Notre Dame. She graduated last month with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. Here’s hoping she does great things.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame Professors Write Letter Against Sending Students Home

On Sunday, Notre Dame responded to an editorial written in the student newspaper, The Observer, about the university’s response to COVID-19.

On Sunday, Notre Dame responded to an editorial written in the student newspaper, The Observer, about the university’s response to COVID-19. Now, five professors from four different departments, none of them related to health or science, have decided to speak out. The Observer published a letter co-authored by these professors Tuesday.

The letter argues that closing down the university would adversely affect the students in ways beyond a lack of in-person education. Specifically, the professors worry that an isolated college experience would be detrimental to the students both socially and psychologically. What’s more, they would not be able to be tested or supervised on campus and might even be more at risk since they’d likely go out in their hometowns.

While it’s true that students have lost a lot during this pandemic, including a normal college experience, it’s all happening for a reason. Call it overabundance if you want, but until this virus is contained to a reasonable degree and/or a vaccine is developed, the option of sending students home can’t be ruled out. Almost every day, we’re seeing new rules and regulations being put in place as dictated by the progression of the virus, so plans for every scenario must be kept on the table. Though it’s unfortunate, it’s a result of the new normal: one that seems to place physical health above all other types.

Notre Dame Issues Response to Student Newspaper’s COVID-19 Editorial

On Friday, Notre Dame began hearing about its response to the COVID-19 outbreak on campus from its own student newspaper.

On Friday, Notre Dame began hearing about its response to the COVID-19 outbreak on campus from its own student newspaper. In an editorial by The Observer, which covers Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross, made its stance clear: “Don’t make us write obituaries.” For anyone who’s ever worked on a student paper, the idea of having to produce such a section is unfathomable.

Notre’s Dame response to the editorial came Sunday via a statement from university spokesman Dennis K. Brown that was provided to CNN:

“Students, faculty and staff are all in this together, and it’s only by working together that we can stay safe and continue to stay on campus for the remainder of the semester.”

Earlier Sunday, Notre Dame released its latest COVID-19 testing numbers. An additional 19 positive tests were reported, its lowest daily total in a week. That brings the total to 408 confirmed cases out of 2,339 tests conducted since Aug. 3.

The university’s dashboard containing its COVID-19 numbers is updated daily at noon, Eastern Standard Time. While the number of daily cases appears to be dropping, we’ll have to see how this all plays out as remote learning is enacted. Hopefully, students can get back to in-person learning soon.

Meet Notre Dame’s Newest Hero

When I saw this story I thought it was going to end like a bad Hollywood movie or music video, with McNamara beating the tar out of the thief and getting the purse back.  I’m beyond thrilled to now know that isn’t the case.

Tommy McNamara is all of 6’1”, 166 pounds and is in the middle of his senior year at Notre Dame.  Unless you’re a fan or follower of a certain team on campus, you’ve probably never heard of him.

But McNamara became Notre Dame’s newest hero this past weekend.

Now before you start looking for a list of football walk-on’s or basketball bench guys, know that you won’t find his name there.

Nor will you find him listed as a forward on the hockey team or any team currently in-season for that matter.

So who in the world is Tommy McNamara then and why should you care about him?

Because the senior lacrosse player did something this past Friday that almost nobody, let alone a young man in his early-20’s with undoubtedly a million other things on his mind, would do.

According to The Observer, McNamara was having lunch with a friend in a South Bend restaurant last Friday when he noticed a patron acting suspicious.

McNamara watched the person long enough to see them walk in and out of the restaurant multiple times before they grabbed a purse and made a break for the door.

Instead of simply yelling “stop!” from his seat, McNamara decided to chase the suspect.

But it wasn’t a fight McNamara was looking for to get the purse back, it was help he was simply trying to offer the troubled youngster he pursued.

“He was entirely apologetic. The first thing he said was ‘I’m sorry,’” McNamara said. “He’s sitting there thinking, ‘do I or do I not want to steal this woman’s purse?’ What’s crazy is I saw him leave the place a couple times — he would walk out, then walk back in. … That’s kind of why he was in the corner of my eye. He was just apologetic. … He was like ‘I don’t want to be doing this.’ It was a tough conversation, but a real one. That’s why I wanted him to be able to reach out.”

Upon his return to the restaurant McNamara was greeted like a hero, receiving a round of applause and even a blessing from a priest who was also happened to be grabbing lunch.

When I saw this story I thought it was going to end like a bad Hollywood movie or music video, with McNamara beating the tar out of the thief and getting the purse back.  I’m beyond thrilled to now know that isn’t the case.

Instead he took the opportunity to see a teenager do something inexcusable and instead of teaching them a lesson physically that he like could have, McNamara offered a helping hand to what he seemed to see as some sort of cry-for-help.

I don’t have anything much to add to this story besides that on Thanksgiving week and with the rest of the holidays approaching, it felt like a story that should be shared.

Hopefully we can all take a lesson from McNamara and the next time we see someone crying for help in whichever way it may be, we offer a helping hand instead of simply ignoring them or worse even, judging them to ourselves before ignoring them as we walk by.