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Some students and professors spoke out, due to his views on abortion, but more wanted him to speak there, despite those views. All new presidents are invited to speak there in their first year of office. </p>
<p>Notre Dame is about 50/50 in Republican/Democrat in mock elections. Because of issues like abortion and gay marriage, they’re often branded as conservative, yet Catholic teachings on social justice and wealth and poverty can sound outright socialist/communist (favor the poor, rich men can’t go to heaven, capitalism condemned), and there’s always massive support for social programs. So there’s social conservatism (on things like abortion), economic liberalism, and political views all across the spectrum.</p>
<p>So, no, Notre Dame isn’t very conservative. It’s actually quite evenly split. Single-sex dorms (and the priest rectors) do seem more socially conservative than the co-ed by room or floor dorms of other schools, but that doesn’t speak to the social, political, or economic views of its students.</p>