Alexandra DeSanctis, Staff Writer

While intelligent, Notre Dame students are often criticized for being intellectually complacent and conservative; subsequently, they are supposedly reluctant to be engage in protests and other controversial activities. This criticism, however, is not applicable to many Notre Dame pro-life supporters.

This past January 25, 615 Notre Dame students and faculty left the comfort of South Bend to attend the annual March for Life in Washington, DC.  Braving the 13 hour bus trip and the cold streets of our nation’s capital, the Notre Dame contingent set a record for the most university attendees in the school’s history.

This year marked the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that legalized abortion in all 50 states.  In light of this fact, it was a particularly significant year for the March for Life and an even greater success for Notre Dame in marking historic attendance levels.

The trip to Washington was sponsored by the Notre Dame Right to Life Club but was open to all Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College students.  Through the efforts of the club’s leadership, Notre Dame was offered the distinct honor of leading the March.  50 of the attending students were selected to carry the iconic March for Life banner and lead the crowd of over 650,000 people.

Jen Gallic, President of the Notre Dame Right to Life Club, offered some perspective on the planning that went into organizing the trip.  “I wanted to ensure that every single student on campus knew about the March,” she said.  “I had set a goal of bringing 500 students.”

The club’s Vice President of Communications, Stephen Wandor, spearheaded an advertising campaign that included posters and banners throughout campus, ads in the Observer and the Irish Rover and the use of social media.  These efforts succeeded; when registration for the March closed, officers realized over 600 students had signed up.

The success of the ad campaign sent organization efforts into overdrive.  The club’s March for Life coordinator, Andrew Lynch, was tasked with the details and logistics of bringing such a large group.  Chris Damian, the Vice President of Events, put in countless hours  to ensure that transportation and lodging would accommodate the abundance of students.

Overwhelmed by the record-breaking numbers, club leadership had to find a second lodging space for students as the usual parish could not fit the enormous turnout. The customary bus company had to outsource to other companies for the 12 buses required to send everyone; however, these logistical challenges only made the final success more rewarding and made the students more grateful for the opportunity.

“While every year I hope it will be the last time we have to go,” said freshman Frankie Cipollone, “the March has always been a fun time hanging out with friends and standing up for what we believe in.”

Freshman Hailey Vrdolyak agreed, “I went to the March because I felt it was my duty as a citizen to defend innocent life. The fact that it was snowing and freezing cold made it a worthwhile challenge.”

“It was great to see such a display of support from Notre Dame,” sophomore Jamie Towey commented after returning from the trip.

Freshman Joe Kelly also appreciated the experience.

“Coming from a big Catholic family, I’ve always been especially aware of the pro-life movement,” Kelly remarked.  “Abortion is the greatest tragedy in America today.  Once you accept the fact that the unborn child is a human life, it is impossible to ignore the fact that over a million babies are killed every year by abortion.  Anything I can do to help change the culture to one of life is well worth my time and effort.”

Reflecting upon the March, Gallic seemed pleased.

“I had never been so proud to be part of the Notre Dame community as when I looked back and realized that not only were we leading the March, but we also had one of the biggest groups there,” she said.

“The size of our group,” Gallic continued, “was a great testament to the culture of life on campus and to the importance of pro-life issues to college students today.”  Notre Dame’s historic presence at the March provided an emphatic voice of support to the pro-life movement and set the bar high for years to come.

Alexandra DeSanctis is a freshman political science major who has a fish named Fish. She loves to wear her jeans tucked into her socks.  If you wear socks, email her at adesanct@nd.edu.