Bishop Rhoades To Notre Dame: “Rectify the Situation.”
Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades has called upon Notre Dame’s leadership to reverse the appointment of Associate Professor Susan Ostermann as director of the Liu Institute, citing her public advocacy for abortion and the scandal caused to the faithful. As the bishop of the diocese that includes Notre Dame, he bears responsibility for safeguarding its Catholic identity — and in this case, he has spoken with clarity and resolve.
Abortion Activist to Lead Asian Studies Institute
Last month, the University announced the appointment of Associate Professor Susan Ostermann as Director of the Keough School’s Liu Institute of Asia and Asian Studies. Ostermann is a frequent and full-throated advocate of abortion. Her elevation to a position of prominence and influence is a scandal of the first order and, since the issue of abortion looms especially large in Asian countries within the Institute’s purview, a subversion of the University’s mission to seek the truth.
The Irish Rover Responds to Notre Dame’s Mission Requirement Removal
A follow-up to our earlier reporting on Notre Dame’s staff mission controversy, this bulletin features The Irish Rover’s editorial response. Editor-in-chief Lucy Spence explains why restoring mission language is insufficient when institutional actions continue to undermine Catholic identity.
From Clarity to Confusion: Notre Dame’s Values Rewrite
Notre Dame quietly removed the call for staff to support its Catholic mission from its official Values statement—then offered a weak substitute after backlash. In this Bulletin, we expose the implications for the University’s Catholic identity and the troubling signs of deepening secularization.
Notre Dame’s Pornography Gateway
Notre Dame continues to act as a digital pornography distributor to students. Despite student petitions and clear Church teaching, the administration has refused to act—or even explain. This Bulletin lays out the facts and Catholic teaching, and invites readers to join an Open Letter calling on university leadership to end this moral scandal.
Zahm Rector Investigation Opened
Notre Dame has announced an external investigation into allegations that Rev. Thomas King, C.S.C., engaged in sexual misconduct during his tenure as rector of Zahm Hall from 1980 to 1997. The review—led by outside counsel Helen Cantwell—will also scrutinize the university’s response to any prior complaints. The move comes amid renewed public attention to the case through survivor networks and alumni advocacy.
Dowd, Cupich, McElroy, and the Atomic Bomb
While in Japan last month with Cardinals Blase Cupich and Robert McElroy, Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., the new president of the University of Notre Dame, joined them in condemning the storing of nuclear weapons as a deterrent to nuclear war and also denounced the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States that ended World War II.
Standing Out at the Law School
Professor Tamara Kay has left Notre Dame for the University of Pittsburgh after the Indiana courts threw out her lawsuit against The Irish Rover as a meritless attempt to silence free speech. At the same time, Notre Dame’s Law School has surged in national prestige, ranking among the very top in placing graduates in federal clerkships and Supreme Court positions — a success rooted in the school’s fidelity to its Catholic mission. Yet a decades-old exchange between Bill Dempsey and the University’s then–Board Chair foreshadowed Father Jenkins’s eventual accommodation to secular pressures, reminding us that where Notre Dame stands firm in Catholic identity it flourishes, and where it compromises, it fades.
A Victory for Truth
The Rover Prevails Against Pro-Abortion Defamation Suit
In a decisive affirmation of journalistic integrity and student courage, The Irish Rover has emerged victorious in a high-stakes defamation lawsuit filed by Notre Dame professor Tamara Kay over its reporting on her pro-abortion activism. With three Indiana courts, including the state Supreme Court, siding emphatically with the Rover, this vindication underscores the indispensable role of faithful Catholic witness within Catholic higher education. Yet the University administration’s deafening silence—and continued endorsement of Kay as an “expert” on abortion—lays bare a troubling indifference to truth, justice, and Notre Dame’s Catholic mission. This case is a clarion call for alumni to rally behind the Rover and those students who still dare to stand for life under the Dome.
Breakfast 2025 Talks – James Bopp, Jr.
At our 17th Annual Breakfast during Reunion Weekend, Rev. Wilson (Bill) Miscamble, C.S.C., provided an insightful assessment of the challenges to Notre Dame’s Catholic identity. He highlighted the pursuit of truth as essential to Catholic higher education and addressed ideological conformity and DEI influences. As he honored notable Catholic scholars, Fr. Miscamble urged the University to focus on truth-seeking rather than secular trends. Discover more about his insights for Notre Dame’s future.
