Cheers:

Fall Break. When the leaves turn to gold, and the wind starts to blow, you know it’s the time of year I adore. Every fall most Notre Dame students depart for fall break during what inevitably is one of the most beautiful weeks of the year in South Bend. Remaining on campus during break (or, perhaps, being a native of our town and having nowhere else to go) is refreshing—one almost wishes the students would remain away.

Humility. My reaction to a recent experience caused me to reflect on the importance of humility. We all need a reminder every now and then that we are filled with pride, and that this pride can blind us and cause us to act in ways that hurt others and ourselves. We all should learn to laugh at ourselves and not take ourselves too seriously.

Carving pumpkins. Halloween awaits us, and with Halloween comes the opportunity to carve pumpkins. Moving well beyond the traditional jack-o’-lantern style, the staff of the Rover boasts members who can carve with the best of them, even producing pumpkins featuring the Headless Horseman.

Jeers:

Bodily harm. Recently, I have seen an unusual number of people hobbled, on crutches, or otherwise afflicted with ailments of the legs. I could be counted amongst their number, bearing the marks of torn ligaments in my foot. Let us hope this is just a passing trend, and that all involved enjoy a full and speedy recovery.

Bashing Ross Douthat. On October 26, a cohort of liberal Catholic academics wrote to the editor of the New York Times, complaining that Ross Douthat has “no professional qualifications for writing on the subject” of Catholicism and that he accuses other members of the Catholic Church of heresy—serious business, they note. They conclude, “This is not what we expect of the New York Times.” It is a remarkable letter, revealing just how intolerant these figures—who praised the recent Synod as an opportunity for the open airing of differing views—on the Catholic left are. They are all for the open sharing of differing views, until you share a view that they disagree with, at which point they seek to ostracize and marginalize you.

Lacking a humor apprentice. The Rover is looking to hire a Humor Apprentice, in order that the Cheers and Jeers feature may return to being a humorous part of the paper. If you are interested, please speak up.

Tim Bradley is a senior. Contact him at tbradle5@nd.edu.