Dear readers—and especially the class of 2025,

What a joy it is to begin this semester! These past days have been a welcome reminder of the goodness abundant in friendship, community, and the common pursuit of truth—both inside and outside the classroom.

My dear freshmen, embrace this time, with all its chaos and novelty. College life begins this side of Welcome Weekend, and you have four precious years (which, I might add, slip by all too quickly) to learn and grow. You are faced with daunting questions: Who do I want to be? In what direction am I being called? To what should I devote my time? How on earth does the room numbering system in Debart work?

These are questions worth pondering, both freshman year and every year. Answers come gradually. And, as in the case of the last question, complete certainty is often impossible. Yet, hope finds a path forward through the myriad queries of our college years. The important thing is to ask these questions, to live—if I may—the examined life, intentionally cultivating goodness, truth, and beauty through your years at Notre Dame.

The Irish Rover offers a distinct perspective from which to approach these questions of identity, vocation, and passion. Since 2003, we have worked to promote the Catholic identity of the university, for it is under Our Lady’s mantle that we can most freely and truly pursue the good life. Through coverage of campus news, politics, religion, and culture, the Rover contributes a valuable voice to campus dialogue—a voice shaped by faith, tradition, and a genuine pursuit of truth.

Our mission is simple: to promote the Catholic identity of this university, to articulate conservative principles, and to engage in collegial debate. The Rover seeks to facilitate the desire expressed in the university’s mission statement for “a forum where, through free inquiry and open discussion, the various lines of Catholic thought may intersect with all the forms of knowledge found in the arts, sciences, professions, and every other area of human scholarship and creativity.”

This issue is a compilation of popular articles from past issues of the Rover curated to introduce you to our work and our voice on campus. We hope that you will continue to read the Rover through the academic year and beyond.

The Rover is always eager for new writers, so please reach out if you are interested in joining our ever-growing team of staff writers. You can email me at mmyler@nd.edu to express interest, or stop by our booth at activities night on Monday, August 30. Additionally, I encourage all readers to stay in the know by following our social media accounts (@IrishRoverND on Twitter and Instagram) and bookmarking our website (https://irishrover.net/).

As we begin this new academic year, I invite you to contemplate anew the questions posed by college life. The Rover offers companionship along the journey to answers, and we begin this year with our gaze firmly fixed on the cross. After all, it is in Christ that we find the answers to the deepest desires of our hearts. It is through a life with Christ that these answers unfurl, beautifully and gradually revealed by grace. What a beautiful adventure!

May your time at Notre Dame be marked by growth, joy, prayer, peace, and an undefeated football season!

In Notre Dame,

Mary Frances Myler

Editor in Chief