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This weekend, Holy Cross College will host alumni and families of current students in the College’s inaugural Alumni and Family Homecoming Weekend.

Holy Cross marketed the weekend as an opportunity for alumni to return to campus to reconnect with classmates, as well as network with current students and families and celebrate the College’s 60th anniversary.

Adam DeBeck, associate vice president for college relations, planned the event. DeBeck explained although this year’s event represents a revamped platform, it is not new.

“This event started as an alumni reunion weekend for athletics, a time for them to come back and a time to celebrate achievements in sports,” DeBeck said. “And suddenly, they started to go, ‘Well, why aren’t more of my friends here?’”

After feedback from athlete alumni, DeBeck and assistant director of alumni and parent relations Marijka Lynch-Pastoor came together to plan an event for all alumni.

By Andrew Moniz and Adiel Flores
Photo by Mariella Taddonio

Read more through the news link in our bio by @ndsmcobserver

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At least four on-campus restaurants are charging a sales tax for their orders this semester, including in transactions using flex points — FujiSan, Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh and Barberitos.

“The Indiana tax code (IC 6-2.5-5.22) exempts meals sold directly by non-profit colleges and universities to their students from sales tax. Because third-party dining vendors operate independently, they don’t fall under that exemption and must collect state sales tax as required by law,” Notre Dame Dining wrote in a statement to The Observer. “This mixture between University-owned retail dining establishments and independently owned establishments gives us the flexibility and leverage to offer a greater variety of retail outlets and to adapt more quickly to the changes in student preferences.”

While Freddy’s and Barberitos are new to campus, FujiSan and Garbanzo are not. The latter two restaurants listed $0 in the tax portion of their receipts last semester.

All four of the restaurants charging sales tax are chain restaurants. Other chains on campus include Starbucks in LaFortune Student Center, Chick-fil-A in Duncan Student Center and Au Bon Pain in Hesburgh Library.

Written by Mara Hall
Photo by Gray Nocjar by @ndsmcobserver

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Dartmouth provost Santiago Schnell will no longer give the Friday keynote address at the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture’s annual fall conference.

The cancellation comes amid Schnell’s admission of AI use in some of his published writing — a revelation first publicized by Dartmouth’s student newspaper.

Schnell served as dean of the College of Science at Notre Dame from 2021-2025.

In an email to conference attendees sent Thursday, the de Nicola Center stated Schnell “has indicated he is regrettably unable to join us for the conference.”

Michael Hurley, a professor of literature and theology at Cambridge University, will speak in Schnell’s place. Hurley will deliver a keynote address on “What Only Poetry Knows.”

The Observer reported Tuesday that Schnell was still giving the keynote address, based on email confirmation from Ken Hallenius, the center’s communications specialist.
By Observer News Staff

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Hesburgh Library has expanded art initiatives by placing works from experienced members of the University of Notre Dame community into student study spaces.

In a statement to The Observer, Margaret Meserve, dean of Hesburgh Libraries, wrote, “On the 12th and the 13th floors, we’re piloting a new program to place art in the stacks that’s related to the collections housed nearby.”

In the philosophy section of the 13th floor, it was decided to exhibit portraits by Russian artist Maxim Kantor depicting four philosophers along the back wall. Additionally, Kantor is displayed on the 12th floor of the Department of Theology, with three more paintings depicting theologians.

“We’ll be putting up more portraits and/or portrait busts in other areas of the tower in the coming months,” Meserve said.

Maxim Kantor, former director’s fellow of Notre Dame’s Institute for Advanced Study, created eight portraits during his time at Notre Dame, which are currently displayed in Hesburgh Library.

By Gracie Shea and Mara Hall

Photo by Mara Hall

Get the whole story at the news link in our bio

#ndsmcobserver by @ndsmcobserver

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Eddy Street Commons establishments, such as Five Guys, Brothers Bar & Grill, O’Rourke’s Public House and Dave’s Hot Chicken, now operate under a mandatory midnight closing policy.

The directive follows a Sept. 19 shooting that resulted in the injury of two people and a campus-wide shelter in place. With the curfew implementation, property management Kite Realty and local officials plan to curb late-night crowds and enhance public safety for all Eddy Street Commons businesses.

While the policy aims to bolster community safety, the change shifts weekend routines for Notre Dame students, reduces late-night options off-campus and forces local businesses to alter operational procedures.

For many businesses, the transition means prioritizing community well-being over late-night foot traffic. Amber Goddard, general manager of O’Rourke’s Public House, emphasized that safety comes before any concerns about lost sales.

“We’re not really thinking about that [profits],” Goddard said. “We understand why Kite has made this decision, and we think it’s unfortunate that it had to happen. Public safety is our number one priority.”

By Madeline Ferguson

Photo by Erik Gunderson

Find the full story through the news link in our bio

#ndsmcobserver by @ndsmcobserver

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Dartmouth Provost and former Dean of Notre Dame’s College of Science Santiago Schnell will give a keynote address at the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture’s annual fall conference Friday.

Schnell served as dean from 2021, upon the resignation of Mary Galvin, until 2025, when he was appointed Dartmouth’s provost.

Last week, The Dartmouth reported that an investigation of Schnell’s academic articles and opinion pieces yielded a median 96% “AI-written” text percentage, using Panagram, an artificial intelligence detector.

The article cited an October 2025 University of Chicago audit, which found Panagram to have a “near-zero error rate.”

Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock announced in an email to campus that she is conducting a “rigorous, objective review” of Schnell’s use of AI in “his academic publications and public writing.”

By Observer News Staff

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Best photos of the week from the photography department!

Photos by Mariella Taddonio, Julian Orozco, and Jonathan Karr by @ndsmcobserver

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As part of the United States’ semiquincentennial this year, Catholic bishops from around the country gathered to consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 11 in Florida.

Friday, members of the Notre Dame community, along with Bishop Kevin Rhoades of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, celebrated the same, consecrating the University of Notre Dame to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

This consecration is deeply connected to the University; the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the patron saint of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, and the Basilica is officially titled the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Fr. Brian Ching, rector of the Basilica, explained that the consecration is a “dedication of oneself to a particular religious reality.”

“In this case, it’s the Sacred Heart of Jesus. You want to emulate that witness to a life of faith in your own life — in the way you carry yourself, go about your business and interact with others,” Ching said.

By Matthew Morin and Jackson Musto
Photo by Jonathan Karr

Read more through the news link in our bio by @ndsmcobserver

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On Saturday, the McGlinn Hall and O’Neill Hall joint SYR in Stepan Center was shut down around 9:40 p.m., roughly an hour after doors opened. This came after multiple liquor violations were issued and four ambulances were called to the Stepan Center.

In a statement to The Observer, university spokesperson Erin Blasko wrote, “The University reserves the right to intervene when individual or collective behavior or actions threaten the health and safety of the campus community and/or overwhelm campus and community resources. Notre Dame students are expected to behave in a manner consistent with the University’s Standards of Conduct. This includes those standards related to the legal and responsible possession and consumption of alcohol.”
University alcohol possession policy regulates that no underage student may consume or be in possession of alcohol.

“Students of legal age may possess or transport a reasonable amount of alcohol for personal use to their on-campus residence in closed containers and in suitable packaging, consistent with the concept of responsible and moderate consumption,” the policy states.

By Mara Hall

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