Cheers

Football is finally here. The sport we love—or at least pretend to love—each and every fall. We love tailgates and fun times and a roaring stadium and the Alma Mater. But most of all, we love not being Michigan fans.

Fresh Flex Points. Ladies and gents, welcome back to campus (read: TYJC, we have Flex Points again!). If anything in your life seems bleak now—you are homesick, your best friend is abroad, you are just now contemplating the reality of your senior thesis, your five year plan is just as existent as an ND undefeated season—fear not. Because you have Flex Points. And as long as you have Flex Points, everything will be okay.

Smashburger. R.I.P. Burger King (Who Cares – Spring 2016), and welcome Smashburger. We are happy that you have joined us, with your tasty burgers and Häagen-Dazs milkshakes. We’ve been waiting eagerly for your arrival. I am sure you will be responsible for the depletion of our aforementioned fresh Flex Points.

Jeers

Loss of booths in LaFun. While ringing in the new semester with the opening of Smashburger is a cause for joyous cheering, we now take this moment to mourn the loss of some of LaFun’s finest booths, which were apparently collateral damage in the renovation process. Dearest booths, we will miss your proximity to windows and your spacious capability of seating our large squad of friends (or more likely just one of us, sitting and eating Subway alone but with lots of legroom).

Campus Crossroads. Expectation: “Come to Notre Dame, our campus is pristine!” Reality: “Everything about what is happening around the football stadium just looks like a tetanus shot waiting to happen.”

Texas. It is too soon, I know. Still, Texas may have won the battle, but we still have Rudy and the Grotto and Burger Night every other Wednesday and not one but two quarterbacks (apparently that is supposed to mean something good). And best of all, our colors are way better than that noxious Texas orange. Ultimately, that is all that really matters.

Lacey Silvestri is a junior English and history major. She looks like Princess Merida and sometimes longs to be a giraffe. Contact her at lsilvest@nd.edu.