Asking the AR.

Out of the courtroom, Heintz is all smiles

Recently, I posed a question to Jon Heintz ’09, Assistant Rector of Steds and 3^rd year law student. I asked, “Who should receive an invitation to give a lecture to the Gentlemen of St. Edward’s Hall: Vice-President Joe Biden, “Good Will Ambassador” Dennis Rodman, or “Legion of Boom” member Richard Sherman?”

Heintz: First of all, I would eliminate Dennis Rodman.  There's no other way to put this: to improve America's image abroad, we need Dennis Rodman to keep up his diplomatic mission as long as he can.  Despite being passed over for Secretary of State, Ambassador Rodman has continued to strive for excellence in the world of foreign affairs.  And while the Stedsmen would certainly benefit from his never-say-die attitude, I think we will just have to wait for this inspiration in the form of his tell-all book.  Plus, Rodman has a history of flying in quickly and having some immediate success, only to leave his team in shambles.  St. Ed's Hall has had a dark and stormy history that I need not recount, and with the big renovation coming up, things are looking great.  We just can't take the chance of Rodman leaving his "mark" on the Hall.

Who will Heintz eliminate next? Stay tuned...more to come.

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They're getting married!

The future Mr. and Mrs. Jay Williams

It's official. They're getting married! Jay Williams '12, Stedsman and soon to be dentist, and Liz Douville ‘12 are to be married this July at Notre Dame's Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Congratulations and best wishes to Jay and Liz respectively. When asked about her upcoming marriage, Liz said,

“I'll admit it. All I ever really wanted was to go to the coveted Yacht Dance all four years as an undergrad, and now, I'm kind of stuck with...well, I am honored to have been selected to join the small, elite class of women who get to call themselves "The Stedsmen's Wives.” Yacht dances aside, any girl would be lucky to associate with a Gentleman of St. Edward's Hall!!!”

Better you than me.

I think the answer is "empty set" or "7"... I am in the ballpark.

While subzero temps continue outside, Nicholas Kelsey '15, Steds Junior, and Marge Fisher '15 are doing late night differential equations in the first floor lounge. On completing differential equations, Kelsey said, "At this point, I think that both my myself and the equations are indifferent."

Snow day declared!

                                                                                           Photo by N. Sielski.

Promise me. If you catch anything in that lake, toss it back.

Prayers were answered as the University declared a snow day on Monday afternoon due to extremely cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills. What do you do on a snow day? Head outside and go ice fishing of course! Using simple tools, Stedsmen, Spencer Edman, John Mueller and Eric O'Donnell, gave it the old college go on St. Joseph's Lake until NDSP put the fun on ice. Sorry, but I couldn't resist saying that.

What is he doing?

And what is he thinking?

Cory Stockard '15, Stedman and resident day dreamer, takes in a frozen vista on a winter's morn through the new window installed in St Edward's north stairwell. This window, with its different design and better energy efficiency, will be installed during the renovation, becoming the new standard at St. Edward's. Too bad we can't have them now!

An "A" for effort.

Guess we'll be seeing "sister " again next year

Brendan McCarthy '09, M. Ed. '11, Stedsman and Double Domer, was recently at the ND vs FSU men's baseball game in Tallahassee, Florida. While the Irish went down to FSU in a heartbreaker of a game, 74 to 72, there was heartbreak off the court as well. McCarthy's efforts to convert a “wayward” FSU fan to the cause of the “Blue and Gold” failed.

Shining in the darkness.

Now only if we could get some light at St. Ed's.

Here's an unique night view of our neighbor, the Dome, and yes, it was VERY COLD when this photo was taken! Again, kids, stay inside!

They're getting married!

The future Mr. and Mrs. Peter McCormick

It's official. They're getting married! Peter McCormick '08, Stedsman and now New Yorker, and Learose, St. Mary's '08, are to be married this June at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame. Congratulations and best wishes to Peter and Learose, respectively, and again, I am getting them the toaster.

Passing the winter.

Keep him occupied while I call the authorities

Some like to pass the winter by going to Florida, soaking up the sun and surf. Others like to pass it by staying close to their hearth, enjoying a nice fire. But for Liam McGee, Steds sophomore, running in round two of the "Polar Vortex" is a great and perfectly normal way to pass a Notre Dame winter. When asked what he was running away from, McGee said, "frostbite." Indeed you are Liam...indeed you are.

Ice time.

Girardi brings " a positive energy" to the team and a "friendly face" to the game

Tuesday marked the beginning of the inter-Hall hockey season. Coach Zach Daniel, returning to the coaching helm after finding no ice Australia, led the Steds hockey team against the combined powers of O'Neill and Carroll Halls, who were unable to field a team of their own. Despite playing their hearts out last night, Steds went down 5 to 2. 

Where are they now?: Alumni Spotlight.

I never knew Williams to be shy.

James "Jay" Williams '12, Stedsmen and avid dodge ball player, recently had the opportunity to talk with me. Here's what the soon to be "Doctor Jay" had to say...

St. Ed: So, what are you up to these days?

Williams: I am currently enrolled in dental school at the University of Detroit Mercy. Our football team is really coming on strong recently.

St. Ed: Say, that means you can write prescriptions, right?

Williams: I am not at liberty to discuss such matters. My licensure is at stake. But lets put it this way- I could throw one hell of a party with the powers vested in me.

St. Ed: Maybe you can’t answer this since you’re a part of the “industry,” but do we really need to floss? 

Williams: The answer to that question, my friends, really just depends how much you care; and also if you enjoy teeth that are so weak that they just begin falling out of your mouth when you are chilling on the couch watching TV when you are 80 years old.

St. Ed: When you have a dental office of your own, what will it have to set it a part as well as make me think, “I’ve gotta come back to this dentist!”

Williams: I’ll probably incorporate a mix between dueling pianos in my waiting room as well as the sport of curling. You do not get to see the dentist until you win a game of curling. It’s a part of a master plan to really instill in the US a sense of pride in our up-and-coming US curling squad for Sochi. 

 St. Ed: What advice would you have for the men at Steds?

 Williams: I believe it was said best by Billy Madison. Watch this video.

Well said, Williams, well said...

Bow ties are in...

He's got until April 30th to figure it out

literally and figuratively. Bow ties, sold during the fall semester, have arrived and appear to be a "must have" for the upcoming Yacht Dance. When asked if he knew how to tie a bow tie, Chris Hecht, Steds sophomore, said, "No, but I can Youtube it." 

Where are all the people?

Look at all the snow

Inside because it's still cold! With the windchill factored in, it feels like 11F, and with colder temps and more snow in this week's forecast, residents should stay indoors and hunker down with homework. Just a suggestion...

TED Talk at ND.

Yes, you are not seeing things. Eichler (right) is sporting a mohawk.

Thanks to Ben Eichler, Steds senior and Student Executive Director of TEDxUND, and John Wetzel, Steds junior and Student Executive Co-Director, Notre Dame will host a TED Talk this coming Tuesday. When asked what the TED Talk will focus on, Eichler said, "It will be a grab bag of topics that students will find interesting." I love gift bags, oh, I mean grab bags.

Here's a previous TED Talk with a Notre Dame connection.

VIDEO: MUST SEE TED TALK VIDEO

Tour de St Edward.

Open books- that’s a first!

As we continue the “Tour,” we make a short visit to a first-floor freshmen room, Room 122, home to Andrew and Ian. Here’s what they had to say when I stopped by...

St. Ed: With two persons in the room, isn't it a tight fit?

Andrew & Ian: Is the Pope Catholic? Keeping it in perspective though, we would always take a humble abode in Steds over a cavernous suite in Zahm.

St. Ed: Well said; however, are you disappointed that you’re living on the first floor?

Andrew & Ian: We actually like the nice view of the Sted’s Basketball Court and appreciate the smoke from the grill drifting into our room in the brisk fall wind. We always enjoy the late-night knocks of fellow Stedsmen on the window requesting access to the back door. More seriously though, we have a great group of boys on the first floor that are inseparable no matter where we are on campus. Over break, we both felt quite alone without our 15 closest friends a few feet away.

St. Ed: What you do wish that your room had?

Andrew & Ian: We wish we had a few minor upgrades to our room. We’d start with a hot tub, wall-to-wall carpeting, a fingerprint lock, a Hawaiian Punch drinking fountain, a putting green, a ten-foot basketball hoop, a full-size mural of the Last Supper and finally a faucet that doesn’t leak. 

St. Ed: Well, I can fix the faucet now, but that’s a tall order. You’ve gotta give me some time. Still, what would you like to see in this summer's Hall renovation?

Andrew & Ian: Everything listed above, a sixteen-man suite, escalators, moving walkways, and lastly we would like to see the building’s exterior aesthetics returned to their original state. We love the old 2^nd floor grand staircase entrances and the fountain out in St. Edward’s Park. Classic, to say the least.

Oh, my kingdom for the "Golden Days" of St. Edward's Hall...