Thank...

Our dear leaders: Lynch and McKenna

... you. Yes, thank you to our Welcome Week Committee. Thank you to our capable leaders, Michael Lynch and Greg McKenna, the leaders-in-training, Michael Jekot and Jack Kalicak, AND their dedicated and devoted Welcome Week Committee workers. Indeed, the Hall is in their debt for the running of the Steds Welcome Week. The hours sat in meetings in the spring, the time spent securing approvals over the summer, the working of schedules, and the last minute fixes on Move In Day that our leaders, leaders-in-training, and committee workers did is unknown and incalculable, but what is known is that we, especially the newest residents of the Hall, are better off for all of their sacrifices. Thanks to a generous benefaction the entire Welcome Week Committee was treated to an off campus dinner at Rocco's, the place for Italian food in South Bend. On the culmination of Welcome Week, Michael Lynch said, "Thanks to our phenomenal move-in team, all the new Freshmen are settled into the Hall. The heat and the extended move-in times were no match for our devotion to Hall and King. Windows were cleaned, futons were carried, and smiles were shared as we welcomed home our newest Stedsmen!"

In memoriam.

Lil' Smokey: 2020-2021

Amid all the hellos and welcomes, we have to say a good bye. Now, good byes can be difficult to say, and that's certainly the case here. Our good bye is a trying one because it's said to such a good friend of the Hall, Lil' Smokey. Sadly, this past weekend, Lil' Smokey smoked his last as his bottom fell out.

Again, it's tough to say good bye because last year, making your way on campus took everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure helped a lot. Sometimes you wanted to go where everybody knew your name, and they're always glad you came. You wanted be where you could see your troubles were all the same. You wanted be where everybody knows your name. So, what did you do? You went and saw Lil' Smokey. 

Always out back at the Steds patio, Lil' Smokey was a pandemic fixture, holding court and convening the conversations. And all of this was done while providing a gentle warmth, a gemütlikite really, for all who gathered. Oh, the conversations shared, laughs had, tears shed, spirits buoyed, smiles cracked by this unassuming, little friend. Gone, but certainly, never forgotten.

On the demise of our dear friend, Nicky Haskell, Steds sophomore and resident Floridan, shared, "As Lil' Smokey's chapter in Steds history comes to a close, many Stedsmen will share fond memories of joyous times spent around him."

Operation...

Foss: If it only needed batteries

... Refresh. After a refreshing of the gym space with new flooring, mirrors, and wall treatments, what's needed now in the Steds gym is a refreshing of the equipment. Relying on retired equipment from various campus gyms, the Stedsmen need reliable and dependable equipment to get them the "gainz" they desire. So, initiate Operation Refresh... a complete overhaul of Steds gym equipment. Tasked with overseeing Operation Refresh was Paddy Foss, the newest addition to the Steds staff. When taking a break from his MBA studies, this assistant rector is working overtime- thanks to Covid and supply chain breakdowns- to secure new equipment. It's not easy, really. Today, one of his purchases, a new exercise bike, arrived to delight of many.  But that delight quickly dissipated as Foss discovered the new bike needed assemble. After forty-five minutes or so, Foss declared victory and the bike was being used, delivering gainz. On the new bicycle, Foss said, "With all the required assembly, it was as if we purchased an exercise bike made by IKEA."

The first...

Avey and Onders: The learning has started...

... day of classes for the 2021-2022 academic year is TODAY! While the weather for move-in was anything but comfortable, the weather for the first day of classes was a bit more comfortable...hotter but less humid. Still, spirits are high and the zeal for learning palatable among the Stedsmen, especially for the forty-nine newest members of the Steds Family. One of those new members is Daniel Jung, who happened to celebrate his birthday on the first day of classes. Lucky him? On the first of day of classes, Jung said, “There’s truly, truly nothing more I could have wanted from my 19th birthday then spending my first waking hours learning about scarcity in microeconomics.” 

... on the most beautiful campus.

Your Sunday picture...

Looking brighter

... from Notre Dame. Here's a close up of Mary and the Dome after an isolated afternoon shower. With temps in the high eighties and humidity making everything sticky, isolated showers have been popping up, but sadly, they bring no relief from the heat. Still, after a shower, the Dome always looks a bit brighter. Now, that's finding the silver lining, or should I say gold lining, of the cloud. Enjoy, and enjoy your Sunday wherever you may be!

Move in...

As the first Steds car arrives...

... Day 2021! Unlike last year, the Steds Welcome Week committee was front and center on Move In Day directing, washing windows, and of course, unloading the cars of some forty incoming freshmen. Yes, amid the heat and humidity, which made it feel like the low nineties, the Welcome Week crew discharged their duties with speed, precision, and a healthy amount of gusto. As the day went on and the day grew hotter, the crew did not wilt. No, the crew only honed their skills so that cars were unloaded BEFORE the new Stedsmen entered the Hall. Amazing! Yet, there is something else to note... the actions of the Steds standard bearer, Michael Mitchell. Waving the Steds Hall flag as if he was at the Olympics, Mitchell directed cars to Steds and the awaiting move in crew. On the day, Michael Mitchell, Steds sophomore, said, "As a Welcome Week Committee, it was our finest hour, and on Friday, August 21st, a flag was planted for the next great generation of Stedsmen to follow."

... Mitchell grabs the flag...

... and he and the crew take a breather after unloading.

They are...

Who's making all that noise?

... here! Even the wildlife at Notre Dame have taken note. Yes, students are returning, and while it may be a trickle right now, it soon will be a raging torrent. New students arrive on Friday and continuing students on Sunday. And while the wildlife will once again have to share campus, it's not a complete lost. Why? Simple... one word. Handouts!

Apples!