Over my two years at Notre Dame, I have been constantly impressed by the conversations I have had or have overheard here. Students, faculty and staff on this campus are asking the big questions. On a daily basis, whether in classrooms or dorm rooms, people are wrestling with the many issues in our world. Poverty, war, justice, ethics, religion, global health, literacy, feminism, oppression, compassion — I know that the members of the Notre Dame community have incredibly important and significant thoughts to contribute to discussions on these topics and many more. Where two or more people are gathered, there’s something special happening. There’s a potential for something great even in an ordinary group of friends or classmates. There’s an opportunity to discuss, to debate, to learn and to grow. These types of gatherings and conversations happen all the time at Notre Dame, and the growth that occurs from them is evident to anyone who compares who they are now to who they were at the beginning of freshman year. But why limit these life-giving, life-questioning discussions just to our closest group of friends or to the people in our classes? Let’s learn from each other on a bigger scale. The Viewpoint section, at its core, is meant to be the public forum where we can grow together, wrestling with the issues that matter to us and challenge us. The Viewpoint section also is a forum where we show the world what we care about, what we struggle with and how we define ourselves. It is extremely crucial, then, that everyone at Notre Dame is involved in creating a Viewpoint section that accurately reflects the diversity and unity of this wonderful community. Each person at Notre Dame has a unique history and identity, and thus, has a unique perspective and opinion to share. What Viewpoint strives to do is bring as many voices as possible into one place. A place where the value of our opinions is not derived in how strongly we assert them, but in how eloquently and respectfully we articulate them and in how effectively we can foster further critical discussion. Together, let’s make the Viewpoint section mirror the classrooms where philosophies and theories are discussed, the common rooms where intelligent debates are held over a drink on Saturday night, and the hallways where deep conversations steal us from our studies. Let’s make the Viewpoint section the place where we come to discuss, to debate, to learn and to grow. Why not start today?
