A lefty at ND?

<p>I'm currently looking at Notre Dame and would LOVE to go there... but I'm a little concerned about my "liberalness." If I had to declare conservative or liberal I would have to say liberal... but not to the reputation of Oberlin or Cal. I'm also an estranged Catholic I guess you could say. The Catholic environment would not bother me as long as it did not radically influence my education or social life. And while becoming reaquainted with the church would be great I would still have my own disagreements with the church (like many Catholics do). Basically right now I'm wondering if I should still consider Notre Dame or if I should look elsewhere. Any advice/info from ND students would be awesome, thanks!</p>

<p>i think it would be good--you may learn a lot there, whether it's about catholicism or another religion. i know they have other religious groups, and you're bound to find other liberals. according to my cousin who just graduated from nd, everyone there is too liberal for his taste anyway. (but he's an extreme rightie lol.)</p>

<p>i think you'll find that nd being catholic could be an asset--if it's not, i doubt it will be a problem.</p>

<p>I would tell you this: while I have not encountered any pushing of Catholicness by the faculty on the student body, this is definitely a Catholic Institution. What do I mean by this you might ask? For instance the following events whenver they happen on campus are guarenteed to stir up viewpoint articles in the Observer:</p>

<ul>
<li>the Vagina Monologues</li>
<li>the Queer Film Festival (held last year...)</li>
<li>things such as the "Gay? Fine by Me" T-shirt project.</li>
</ul>

<p>I'll try to explain my earlier statements now. The VM have been performed every year I've been at ND. I don't forsee them ending anytime soon. My own personal thoughts on any of the above events I'm going to withhold because I want to objectively present info as much as possible. Now back to VM, they get critized every year. They are performed every year. A small contingent of Catholics will protest. A lot of uninformed opinions are offered up in the viewpoint editorials around this time. Usually it is someone critizing them and offering a condemnation in Catholic terms. Person B responds accuisng Person A from never having seen them. Person C chimes in another rebuttal...it snowballs...</p>

<p>QFF...heard scuttlebut how the new admin might not let this happen again in spring '06. Or that if it does happen it can't use the title Queer Film festival. This event definitely brought out opinions last year. It raises the question about academic freedom and the role it plays in an institution that at its fundamental core is Catholic. I know this one even had bishop D'Arcey offering an opinion...</p>

<p>The "Gay? Fine by Me" orange t-shirts. Worn on certain days of the year. As I understand it this campaign stems from the fact that outreach ND, the student run G/L/B/Q student group is not accorded club status by the Student Activities Office...the official university response, and I'm going to paraphrase somewhat from what I remember, revolves around the assertion that the university feels as though there are already resources in place for students through the counseling center and also through a student/faculty/staff panel or organization. The TShirt movement also might tie in with the fact that an old (like 2001 or 2002) Princeton Review ranking had ND listed as the least tolerant school for students of an alternative lifestyle. </p>

<p>Now then my own observations. There are liberals and conservatives on campus. There are the usual political discussions and arguments amongst friends and dormmates. Are there more "conservatives" or "independents" than "liberals" on campus, I would say that is a safe assumption. At times there is a definite culture of apathy on campus. By this I mean that there is not a lot of interest in by the majority of students for activist activities. It is argued this is because of the amount of focus placed on academics. </p>

<p>This is not to say that activism is not present on campus. You have both the College Republicans and the College Democrats who are fairly active groups. There is a progressive student alliance. </p>

<p>The professors for the most part are very good at keeping personal political beliefs out of class discussions. By this I mean while students might end up arguing and revealing what side of the political spectrum they fall into, I haven't had too many professors who have "screamed" idealogue or thrust their beliefs on me. </p>

<p>If you are really seeking to make an informed opinion try doing the following things:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>visit this website... <a href="http://www.ndsmcobserver.com%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ndsmcobserver.com&lt;/a> This is the online version of the student newspaper for ND. You can get a better handle on any of the events I outlined above if you want, or you can read through old issues and see how some of your concerns might surface in the text.</p></li>
<li><p>use ND's website and take a look at club webpages, email those clubs that might interest you. If you are liberal who wants to be involved in activism on campus see if those groups have webpages that are up to date. Email the club officers and ask them specific questions. </p></li>
</ul>

<p>If you want me to try to explain things in clearer terms or want more info on one aspect of the things I outlined above please state that and I will try to outline things in more depth on those subjects. I know liberals who love ND and don't feel out of place at all up there. I know liberals who hate ND and have transferred out. Then again the same can be said for "conservatives." </p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

<p>this information is great! i have a much better idea of what's up and i think i'll be 100% fine. thanks for the responses!</p>

<p>Nice post Nemo. I think that ND is more liberal than a lot of people think (then again, I am far right) and I think it makes for a good mix overall though it does annoy me at times. Really, you want a mix because then both sides are strong enough to get their word out and I think that is what we have. I don't think you will have problems at ND, in fact, you may be amazed at how many people are similar to you. That is just my opinion, however.</p>