Two weeks ago, Randy W. Schekman, a Nobel laureate and UCLA alum, spoke at my brother’s graduation at UCLA. Although a great speaker and an obviously incredibly intelligent man, his speech seemed to teeter close to being a tangential rant at times. To be fair, as someone who did not even attend his own college or PhD graduation ceremonies, Schekman may not have had a lot of experience with graduation speeches. He was trying to emphasize how the diversity and size of UCLA made it great, but he focused more on the “flaws” of so-called elitist private universities. As a Berkley professor, I’m sure his speech was targeted at Stanford, in northern California, but sitting there as a Notre Dame student it sounded like he was throwing down on us too.
A lot of it was really indisputable. The percentage of first-generation college graduates at UCLA far outweighs ND’s. UCLA’s degree comes with a smaller price tag (although as my parents will be quick to point out, not as small as you may think) than Notre Dame’s, so it’s more accessible. Its size lends itself to more diversity among its students, research, and events. Obviously, a lack of diversity resurfaces as a major issue on our campus routinely. But, a month ago I went to lunch with my brother at UCLA and I’m pretty sure there was more diversity in that one restaurant than in any of my classes at Notre Dame. For the record, I’m a Political Science major, which attracts a pretty good mix of people, including international students.
So, what was his point? It was essentially that UCLA’s diversity, size, and accessibility all create opportunities and a college experience that makes UCLA a great university. But also, that the same things which make UCLA great must be found in any top university lest it be just an elitist hotspot.
But, as anyone who truly knows Notre Dame, we know we are more than just the “Old Boys Club” he was pinning us, and many other private institutions, as. What makes Notre Dame so great? To name a few things: community, loyalty, tradition, and focus.
Our smaller size actually creates a stronger, more unified community. Community, much like tradition, never graduates. Take a look at the involvement and accessibility of our alumni. Larger schools may have a larger alumni pool, but I don’t think there are many universities competing with the strength of our alumni network.
Our community is, of course, bolstered by the nature of being a Catholic university with a large Catholic population. And although our diversity could be improved considerably, our community is one of the strongest draws for students from all backgrounds wanting to attend Notre Dame. Additionally, Notre Dame’s focus also stems from its Catholic tradition. We are a Catholic university; there is no way to sugarcoat that–the top Catholic university in academics (and football) by the way. But, what does that mean?
There are certain assumptions people often make when they hear you go to ND. Beyond just recognizing that you’re book smart, they assume you’re a good person. Notre Dame carries with it a reputation of faith and service that translates into our Catholic tradition. Yeah, we get a bad rep for our parietals and sometimes-awkward gender relations, but every student at Notre Dame knows that being a Catholic university means so much more than that.
I’m not talking about going to mass every Sunday type of Catholic. I’m talking about the more abstract type. The way we act, the things we do, what we fight for. If you have ever watched an ND football home game on TV, then you’ve seen those “What Would You Fight For?” commercials (if not, here you go). And if you’re a boxing fan, consider Bengal Bouts and its motto: “Strong bodies fight, that weak bodies may be nourished.” These are more than just slogans; they are mission statements.
I think that because of our community and focus as a university we can be considered catholic, as well as a Catholic, university. But, being a catholic university means we cannot shut out discussion of non-traditional political and societal views, which is something that Notre Dame as a community needs to improve on. We could learn to discuss things in ways that are not condescending or condemning. Catholicism, after all, was meant to make redemption accessible universally; Catholicism was intended to be the inclusive, not the exclusive, faith.
Yeah, sure we meet a lot of those “elitist” characteristics Schekman threw out, but there’s more to us than that. Our small size is integral to our community. And our community is what makes Notre Dame great because it allows us to maintain focus. Enjoying the things that make Notre Dame great doesn’t make you an elitist. At the same time, we cannot forget the qualities that keep Notre Dame non-elitist. Although increasing diversity doesn’t happen overnight, there are a lot of different sources of diversity. The type that we can and should endorse right now at Notre Dame is increasing the circulation and discussion of different ideas, instead of having partisan debates without counter-arguments. Each generation of Notre Dame students reshapes Notre Dame’s image. Now that it’s our turn, let’s remember that Notre Dame’s real reputation stems from the actions of its students.
By the way, it was at the UCLA-Notre Dame game in 2006 that I decided I wanted to go to Notre Dame. I was sitting next to my Dad (a UCLA lettermen, but you’d never know it with his closet decked out with ND gear) when we were down with only a minute left when he said “I’m sorry that the Irish couldn’t pull out a win at your first game here.” But, I turned to him and said, “The game’s not over, Quinn’s going to throw to Samardzija for a touchdown to win.” As any Irish girl alive during that era knows, you could always count on Brady Quinn, the ultimate Campus Cutie. Seriously though, who wasn’t obsessed with him?! And sure enough…when you throw to your All-American WR you get results. It couldn’t have just been a coincidence that that’s exactly what happened or that a Quinn to Samardzija play was nothing out of the ordinary. Nope, I took it as a sign that I had to go to Notre Dame. Here’s the clip of that last play, it’s a great pump up!
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