University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame Stadium became the first outdoor college venue to implement Wi-Fi 6E this fall. To do so, the University of Notre Dame’s Office of Information Technology partnered with PIER Group to overhaul the stadium’s wireless network.

Wi-Fi 6E standard power taps into a new part of the Wi-Fi “highway” in the 6 GHz band, offering faster speeds, stronger connections and less congestion — even in packed venues.

For fans of the Fighting Irish, that means reliable streaming, no dead zones and a consistently strong signal no matter where they’re sitting.

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The 6E Wi-Fi infrastructure is built to handle these data-heavy applications even in a sold-out stadium. Ticketless entry, in-seat concessions ordering and many other aspects of the fan experience are also supported by this network. The technological innovation will also benefit stadium staff through improved crowd management, optimized concessions and advanced security monitoring.

To preserve the aesthetics of the historic stadium, the network was designed to be as invisible as it is reliable, Buysse said. More than 1,100 access points were carefully installed across the stadium, seamlessly integrated into the architecture to maintain the venue’s iconic look.

For special events, such as concerts or movie nights, the team also introduced flexible, movable Wi-Fi setups that ensure coverage wherever needed — even on the field.

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The University has embraced a Wireless First initiative, a three-pronged plan to install cutting-edge wireless technology all over campus. The 6E standard wireless network is future-proofed to accommodate the growing needs of the University, in sports as well as academics and research.

The rapid introduction of generative AI has created a wild west of policies at colleges, complicating the use of long-standing editing and writing tools.

Notre Dame first developed its AI policy for students in August 2023, leaving it up to individual professors to decide if students are—or aren’t—allowed to use generative AI to help complete assignments.

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To avoid further confusion about Grammarly—which many students were accustomed to using—Notre Dame updated its policy this August to clarify that because “AI-powered editing tools like Grammarly and WordTune work by using AI to suggest revisions to your writing,” if an instructor “prohibits the use of gen AI on an assignment or in a class, this prohibition includes the use of editing tools, unless explicitly stated otherwise.”

Notre Dame Right to Life (RtL) kicked off their new “Be Not Afraid” Project (BNA) with a launch party on November 13, marking a major step toward supporting pregnant mothers and new parents in the Notre Dame community. The project, also sponsored by the Family Resource Center (FRC), Campus Ministry, and Student Government, aims to expand support for pregnant and parenting students on campus and provide them with comprehensive resources as they continue their education.

According to RtL, the three main objectives of the project are “to streamline and publish currently available pregnancy resources, to initiate deliverables to foster a culture of life for pregnant and parenting students, and to educate students on best practices to support a pregnant and parenting student.” The club hopes to distribute a comprehensive resource guide that includes all relevant information for pregnant and parenting students, and to revamp the FRC’s landing page.

Graham Hall residents have aimed to build community in their new dorm.

Faculty and professors speak on the pilot Moreau course run this fall semester.

The new Moreau program, by contrast, has a more unified design. This design is physically embodied by the program’s “commonplace book,” a blue, hard-cover volume containing selected readings and lined pages for personal thought and reflection. The book was given to the 20% of freshmen enrolled in the pilot.

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Contained within the commonplace books is a greater number of “enduring texts” compared to what the former curriculum featured, including excerpts from Aristotle, St. Francis of Assisi and Blaise Pascal.

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Instructors in the pilot were not alone in teaching their classes of roughly 20 students; each was aided by a “peer leader,” a sophomore, junior or senior who shares personal experiences and reflections with students during class.

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Also new to Moreau is the introduction of co-curricular experiences, a series of thematically related events for students outside of the classroom. Examples from the fall semester include poetry readings, a spiritual retreat, a day of community service and sessions on grateful attentiveness at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art.

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Another significant shift in Moreau is the program’s effort to recruit more faculty to teach the class. The class has historically included many staff members as instructors.

With its 21st-century makeover complete, Washington Hall is ready for its public debut.

Over the summer and early fall, a major renovation of Notre Dame’s landmark Victorian-era theater was accomplished.

Washington Hall was built in 1881 and its interior decorated in 1894 by Louis Rusca and Luigi Gregory, the artists who also decorated the interior of the Main Building and Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The elaborate decor was painted over in the 1950s, but much of it was uncovered or recreated during this summer’s renovation led by craftsmen from Conrad Schmitt Studios of New Berlin, Wisconsin.

There are new seats, new carpeting, a new floor and gleams of gold leaf. The auditorium seats 546 people, the same capacity as before.

The first Notre Dame campus production in the renovated auditorium, Asian Allure: The Mystery of Love, hosted by the Asian American Association, was held on Friday November 1 and Saturday November 2.

The University of Notre Dame has been awarded a $539,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support Faith-Based Frameworks for AI Ethics, a one-year planning project that will engage and build a network of leaders in higher education, technology and a diverse array of faith-based communities focused on developing faith-based ethical frameworks and applying them to emerging debates around artificial general intelligence (AGI). AGI is a field of research aimed at developing and deploying software with the ability to rival human capacities for self-organized learning, creativity and generalized reasoning. This project will be led by the Notre Dame Institute for Ethics and the Common Good (ECG).

For the second straight year, Notre Dame campus safety officials on Thursday held a Zombie Preparedness Festival outside the stadium. The event uses the premise of a zombie apocalypse to highlight issues related to emergency preparedness and safety, with information booths and demonstrations for students, faculty and staff.

On Sept. 24, U.S. News & World Report released its annual rankings of U.S. colleges and universities, with Notre Dame climbing two spots to tie for 18th nationally.

The Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame is the beneficiary of a significant gift of paintings, sculptures, and decorative art objects from the estate of Ernestine Morris Carmichael Raclin (1927-2024). The gift includes work from iconic masters Gainsborough, Reynolds, Houdon and Guillaumin, among many others.

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The Raclin Bequest includes works from the 15th through the early 20th centuries, but is especially strong in 18th-century art. A portrait by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, a landscape sketch by Hubert Robert and a fête champêtre by Nicolas Lancret, for example, offer further depth to holdings by French masters Élisabeth Vigée Lebrun and François Boucher already in the University’s collection. Portraits by Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds bolster the representation of British art in the collection with impressive demonstrations of costume and technique. Jean-Antoine Houdon’s patinated terra cotta portrait bust of his infant daughter is the first of its kind in the collection.

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With origins that date to 1875, the University’s art museum is among the first and most esteemed academic art museums in the nation. The Raclin Bequest is the cornerstone of a major initiative, 150 for 150: Art for Notre Dame, the Sesquicentennial Campaign, to strategically build the collection for students, faculty, researchers and the nation. The goal is to achieve 150 gifts for 150 years. A gift could be a single object or, as with the Raclin Bequest, an entire collection.

The Notre Dame Police Department Comfort K9 program is currently training Finn and Orla, service dogs meant to help students on campus.

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Orla, the 15-month-old fox red labrador retriever, was the first dog of the Comfort K9 program, arriving at Notre Dame in late 2023. She has a calm but lively personality and loves to play fetch on the soccer fields in the back of campus. Paul Foley, manager for the NDPD’s Outreach & Engagement and Social Media, is the primary handler for Orla, with access control coordinator TJ Dockery serving as her back-up handler.

Finn, the 12-month-old yellow labrador retriever, is new to the University’s program this semester and is still undergoing training. He is calm, laid-back and enjoys belly rubs. Finn’s primary handler is officer Evan Drinkall, and his back-up handler is officer Stephanie Palmer.

Representing a historic financial aid commitment, Pathways to Notre Dame includes two significant initiatives: a new no-loan policy for undergraduate students, ensuring middle- and low-income families who are admitted will be able to afford attendance, and an expansion of its need-blind policy — an institutional commitment to not consider a student’s financial circumstances when deciding whether to admit them — to include both domestic and international students. Notre Dame is now one of only nine highly selective colleges and universities that have a need-blind admissions policy for all students.

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Effective immediately, Notre Dame will not consider the financial situation of students or their families, domestic or international, in the application for admission. Student loans will not be a component of the financial aid offer for full-time first-year and transfer undergraduate students entering fall 2025; instead, that need will be met with gift aid. While Notre Dame will not include loans in financial aid packages, families may still elect to take out federal student or private loans.

The events will begin Wednesday, Sept. 11 with the inauguration picnic on Library Lawn from 5-8 p.m. The picnic, open to students, faculty, staff and families, will feature free food and live music. Because of the picnic, both dining halls will be closed for late lunch (2-4:30 p.m.) and dinner.

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The Notre Dame Forum’s inauguration speaker series will take place Thursday, Sept. 12. The forum will consist of four conversations between different global leaders, each centered around the Notre Dame Forum 2024-25 question, “What do we owe each other?”

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Friday’s events will begin with the inauguration mass at 10 a.m. Seating inside of the Basilica is reserved, but a covered seating area on Bond Quad will be available for those who would like to attend. The service will also be livestreamed.

At 1 p.m., students are invited to gather on DeBartolo Quad for a student rally featuring ice cream, lemonade and guest DJ Fr. Pete McCormick.

Students will proceed to Purcell Pavilion at 2:15 p.m. for the inauguration. The academic procession will begin at 2:20 p.m., following a reading of letters written by University founder, Fr. Edward Sorin, on the Main Building steps at 2:15 p.m. The convocation and inauguration ceremony will start at 2:45 p.m.

Columnist Jonah Tran says brainrot is all over campus.

It's official! The DeBartolo Performing Arts Center’s 20th-anniversary 2024/2025 Presenting Series season begins next week.

"The second way is the way of the fully engaged student, the student who refuses to let their regard for Notre Dame stop them from criticizing it to make it better — more loving, more inclusive, more just."

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Right now, our University is invested in the creation of weapons that are currently being used in the genocide of the Palestinian people. The profits from the destruction of others is the same money that helps construct our dorms and research centers. We at Occupation Free Notre Dame find this to be a moral affront. We believe that we cannot be free to learn when all the universities in Gaza have been destroyed. Right now, even as the Pope calls a Gazan parish daily to pray with them, even as he calls Israel’s attacks on Gaza “terrorism,” even as our own Catholic Social Teaching compels us to reject war and genocide at all costs, we remain invested in the mass destruction of Palestinian culture, infrastructure and people. Worse, in the spring when students gathered to non-violently protest this reality, the University decided to arrest 17 peaceful students instead of engaging in good-faith dialogue about bettering our communal values. This is the University community that you are joining.

Listed below are several clubs that the Irish Rover staff recommends to students who are interested in diving deeper in their faith. We hope this will be a helpful guide as you navigate your first year on campus.

• Right to Life
• Students for Child-Oriented Policy
• Knights of Columbus
• Children of Mary
• Militia of the Immaculata
• Sorin Fellows

1. Domer Dollars are convenient electronic funds that can be programmed to your Notre Dame Irish1Card.

2. Interested in viewing menus online? Visit our Campus Dining site to view the menu for North and South Dining Halls.

3. 65% of food waste in the dining halls comes from consumers. In order to avoid unnecessary waste, it’s important to be mindful of your portions.

4. Campus Dining has two nutritionists to serve our campus community.

5. Short on time? Grubhub can help.

6. We value your feedback and want to hear from you. Visit our website and share your thoughts.

7. Follow Campus Dining on Instagram, Facebook, and X to stay up to date on hours, events, and more.

John and Jill Coyle from Greenwich, Connecticut, have made a significant leadership gift to the University of Notre Dame for the construction of Coyle Hall. The new men’s residence hall on the south side of campus will honor the family’s long and generous philanthropy to Notre Dame.

Coyle Hall, currently under construction, will be located on the site of the former Fisher Hall, which was decommissioned at the end of the spring 2024 semester. The University expects to welcome the first residents of Coyle Hall in fall 2026.

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The new men’s residence hall will reflect the collegiate gothic campus architecture represented in other newly constructed residence halls. It will be 82,728 square feet and include 258 beds for undergraduate students. Coyle Hall will feature a variety of room types, community and study spaces, kitchens, laundry, a chapel, fitness space and a basement with storage.

Because Notre Dame is a university committed to the pursuit of truth through teaching, learning, inquiry, and dialogue, we are committed fully to the academic freedom of scholars to research and publish the results of their research and to teach in accord with their obligations and training. For the same reason, we are committed to students learning in accord with their obligations, vision, and interests.

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The right of free expression does not, of course, extend to speech that threatens violence or constitutes harassment against an individual or a group. Such expressions violate University values and policies and will not be tolerated. We are committed to taking all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of members of our community. In addition, compliance with Notre Dame’s policy regarding time, place, and manner for free expression is essential so that the work of the University—the teaching, learning, research, and intellectual exchange core to our mission—can continue even as we grapple with these important issues. ...

Distinct from threats and harassment are remarks that attack a dialogical opponent personally and show contempt. Such language seeks to vilify, rather than counter arguments; it tries to vanquish an opponent, rather than illumine the truth. Although such remarks do not foster dialogue in pursuit of truth, we do not, because of our commitment to freedom of expression, prohibit them or exclude those who make them. They are, however, corrosive of the culture of inquiry we seek to cultivate and certainly do not reflect the values at the core of Notre Dame’s mission.

Students, faculty and staff at the University of Notre Dame now have online access to award-winning, in-depth journalism from The Atlantic.

The acceptance rate for the class of 2028 was a record low of 11.1% compared to an 11.9% acceptance rate for the previous year. In recent years, the acceptance rate has decreased by about one percent each year.

First-year class size has grown in the last two years, but remains consistent from last year. Approximately 2,090 freshmen make up the class of 2028, compared to 2,075 that enrolled in the fall of 2023 for the class of 2027.

Of the students that submitted test scores, the mid 50% range was 1470-1540 for the SAT and 33-35 for ACT. The class of 2027 had an average SAT score of 1500 and ACT score of 34.

The class of 2027 was Notre Dame’s remains most diverse class to date, with roughly 40% of students being students of color or international students. Kidder detailed the diversity of this year's class.

Roesselet and a team of fellow artisans have been at work since early June inside Washington Hall, the University’s 143-year-old campus auditorium. The major renovation is scheduled to be completed in October.

The project is recreating many of the elaborate details that were added inside the auditorium in 1894 by Luigi Gregori and Louis Rusca, the artists who also decorated the interior of the Main Building and Sacred Heart Basilica.

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During the summer of the library project, Roesselet visited the campus bookstore and saw a copy of The University of Notre Dame: A Portrait of Its History and Campus, the 1976 campus history by the late professor Thomas J. Schereth ’63.

There, on page 102, was a black-and-white circa 1895 photograph showing the ornately decorated interior of Washington Hall. (That photo became the foundation for this year’s renovation project.)

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Early this year, Roesselet started chipping away at the layers of paint inside Washington Hall. That’s when he discovered that most of the luminous 1890s artwork was there underneath. He and his team have been exposing and recreating it during the renovation.

He says the trompe l’oeil work he’s uncovered in Washington Hall (and during an earlier renovation of the Main Building) is among the best he’s seen in his career. Most of it was the work of Louis Rusca, a Swiss-Italian artist — who signed his work in painted script just to the left side of the Washington Hall stage: “Dec(orated) by L. Rusca, A.D. 1894.”

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To Roesselet, the renovated auditorium is a symbol of hope both from the past and for the future. People should view it as a sign “that we should continue to support the arts today, in all their manifestations, both visual and performing.”

The University of Notre Dame's College of Science has announced the creation of a new, strategic faculty position: professor for the public understanding of science. This role is designed to enhance the college’s visibility both nationally and internationally. Renowned chemist and science communicator Kate Biberdorf, popularly known as “Kate the Chemist,” will be the first to hold this prestigious position, starting Sept. 1, 2024.

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The professor for the public understanding of science will work to make science accessible to all and to build public trust in science. This will be achieved through a comprehensive platform of activities that engage the local community and help coordinate and amplify these efforts through national and international platforms such as social media, public lectures, articles, books and appearances on television, radio and podcasts. In this role, and with a new, collaborative makerspace, Biberdorf will leverage these platforms to make science more accessible and engaging to diverse audiences.

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Biberdorf is a celebrated scientist known for her dynamic and entertaining approach to science communication. She holds a doctorate in chemistry and has gained widespread acclaim for her ability to make complex scientific concepts understandable and exciting. As “Kate the Chemist,” she has inspired millions through her books, live demonstrations and media appearances, promoting science literacy and enthusiasm among people of all ages. She has been featured by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Today Show, and presented the 2023 Christmas Lecture at Notre Dame.

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The new position is part of a comprehensive plan to integrate public engagement into the fabric of Notre Dame’s scientific endeavors. As the inaugural professor for the public understanding of science, Biberdorf will assess the current state of public engagement in science within the college, identify key stakeholders and set clear and measurable goals for increasing public engagement in science. This college-wide strategy will coordinate, elevate and expand the reach of efforts across the faculty in the College of Science.

The University of Notre Dame is part of a new National Science Foundation (NSF) Gen-4 Engineering Research Center (ERC) called EARTH, which stands for Environmental Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub. Led by the University of Kansas, EARTH will bring together 80 institutions and researchers from a wide array of disciplines. In addition to Notre Dame, the University of Maryland, the University of Hawai'i, the University of South Dakota and Lehigh University will serve as core university partners.

All partners will collaborate around a shared goal: creating a sustainable refrigerant economy.

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The first stream focuses on innovative ways to handle current refrigerants. Notre Dame researchers will develop new, more economical ways to separate HFCs to reuse or recycle them. A second research stream aims to achieve safer refrigerants that maintain or improve performance but do not negatively affect Earth’s atmosphere over time. Notre Dame will do computational prediction work for this stream in collaboration with atmospheric scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi. As part of a third stream, researchers at Notre Dame will pioneer technologies that will increase the energy efficiency of refrigeration systems to reduce the electricity demand on the grid.