Mayor Pete, Notre Dame, and the Church
Mayor Pete, Notre Dame, and the Church In late June, Notre Dame announced that Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend and erstwhile Democratic presidential candidate, would join the faculty as a fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study. With the permission of First Things in which it first appeared, we reprint below a standout article […]
The New York Times and Notre Dame
As we reported last year, at the instance of student government Notre Dame is providing every student a free online subscription to the New York Times, and only the New York Times. This is a major departure from a prior program under which free copies of both the Times and the Wall Street Journal were available […]
Drowning in BS
Introduction We reproduce below a searing indictment of American higher education by Dr. Christian Smith, the William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Sociology at Notre Dame. During his time at Notre Dame since 2006 and before that at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Smith has become one of the nation’s foremost and most […]
Civil Discourse Double Standard
Introduction After its utter silence in response to a horrific poster and video attacking faithfully Catholic members of the university this past fall, the Notre Dame administration responded to an incident of racist hate speech with remarkable swiftness. This stark contrast unveils the disappointing double standard the university follows when it comes to defending civil […]
Call for Unity and Justice
A few days ago on June 1, several hundred members of the Notre Dame community gathered on campus in prayerful reflection on the death of George Floyd while in police custody and on similar past episodes. Father Pete McCormick, C.S.C., the Director of Campus Ministry, presided, and Father Jenkins was the principal speaker. You can watch […]
COVID-19 Turnabout
Several weeks ago, there was a burst of publicity when a number of wealthy universities declared they wouldn’t apply for federal grants to help them defray the expenses of students caused by school closings. When Notre Dame declined to join them, Bill Dempsey wrote Father Jenkins expressing Sycamore Trust’s disappointment and observed: [quote]I am frank […]
Gender Studies Program on the Loose
Gender Studies Program on the Loose With regret, we follow our recent sunny report about the law school with an uncommonly discouraging report about the Gender Studies Program (“GSP”) and the administration. The episode we describe below centers on a recent panel presentation sponsored by GSP that was emphatically hostile to the Church’s teaching on […]
Easter Message
An Easter Like None Other!!! by Father John Raphael, ’89 I believe that it is fair to say — an understatement even — that this year’s was truly a Holy Week Like None Other! But the fact of the matter is, for our Jewish brothers and sisters, it was a Passover Like None Other!And for […]
Remembering Joe Reich, ’57
Joe Reich, ’57, a founding board member of Sycamore Trust, our long-serving Vice President, and good friend to many, has died, and we want to say a few words in tribute and gratitude about this fine man and loyal son of Notre Dame. After graduation from Notre Dame and service as a Naval officer, Joe […]
Good News at the Law School
As Sycamore Trust has often observed, the Notre Dame Law School, with a much stronger Catholic faculty presence than the University’s other schools, is both the most Catholic and one of the best law schools in the country. We are pleased to report that its excellence in both respects is mirrored in the appointment of […]
