Dillon Hall Rector Fr. Paul Doyle shocked residents Sunday when he announced the residence hall's pep rally, held every year before the first home football game of the season, was cancelled.
The pep rally, a series of skits mocking aspects of Notre Dame life, has been a Dillon Hall tradition since the late 1970s, lead pep rally scriptwriter Ryan O'Connor said.
Fr. Doyle cited two reasons for his decision.
"I failed to provide the necessary direction and support," he said.
The rector also told his residents the pep rally "was not coming together in a timely fashion."
Though this year's event is not intended be rescheduled, Fr. Doyle expressed his intent to hold a pep rally in the future.
"I hope we can have a pep rally next year that is the sort of pep rally the Dillon men and campus community have come to expect," he said.
We know Fr. Doyle. We know the sort of man Fr. Doyle is. We know (all too well) that Fr. Doyle will do everything in his power to protect "his men." So we say with great certainty that this decision was not his.
It's not that if, say, Notre Dame were to run the table and win the National Championship that the absence of the Dillon Hall Pep Rally would ruin the season for us. It's just that, well, it would make winning a national championship fall under the "pizza and sex rule." Even if it's not as great as it could be, it's still pretty good.
By Bad Kermit September 2, 2008 - 2:09 pm
I sort of doubt the decision came from higher up than Fr. Doyle. The guys writing the script probably didn’t get it to him in enough time for him to review and approve it, or they wrote a bunch of stuff that was “too far” and didn’t have time to make it less blue.
“I failed to provide the necessary direction and support,” reads, to me, “These guys didn’t realize we couldn’t have Tyrone Willingham fellating a horse on stage, and now we can’t change it.”
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By domer.mq September 2, 2008 - 2:21 pm
BK,
There’s no way true ND guys would want Ty anywhere near enough campus to blow a horse.
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By The Biscuit September 2, 2008 - 3:02 pm
ugh, this is the worst! i am pretty sure it was a combo of 1) the guys didnt have their shite together and 2) their shite was too shitey to pass muster from the Padre’s perspective. bummer.
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By domer.mq September 2, 2008 - 3:05 pm
Let’s be honest, Biscuit. Sometimes the writers really do turn in some shite.
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By ILDomer17 September 2, 2008 - 4:06 pm
I heard recently that the Alumni Wake and Fisher Zoo have been cancelled indefinitely. As a former Fisherman, it’s sad to see those traditions fall. I hope the Pep Rally isn’t next on the chopping block.
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By Bad Kermit September 2, 2008 - 5:55 pm
I guess they just weren’t clever enough to ape Back to the Future. Incidentally, I am available for ghost writing.
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By The Biscuit September 2, 2008 - 5:59 pm
Course MQ – a ton of it is shite. Our year it was shite too in the first draft, but then we fixed it up and it was brilliant. It’s always a battle to get there, bc college kids are lazy and unimaginative, and start out at the lowest common denominator.
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By The Biscuit September 2, 2008 - 6:00 pm
IL – what’s the “Fisher Zoo”? No offense, but in 4 years of undergrad and X years as an alum (not gonna date myself here) I’ve never heard of it.
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By ILDomer17 September 2, 2008 - 6:30 pm
Maybe it was only known by that name in the dorm. That’s what we called the night before the Fisher Regatta. We got a bunch of booze, threw the doors open, and tried not to send too many people to the ER.
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By Matt '09 September 2, 2008 - 8:30 pm
I’m a current senior in Fisher, and that is correct. The Fisher Zoo was (yup, WAS) a full-dorm party the night before the Regatta where all 9 quads in the dorm throw parties, and our rector sits at the front door limiting outside entries to 300 people. It was pretty awesome, and it sucks that they’ve cancelled it.
It’s a pretty common theme this year, and I don’t like it. The administration cancelled the Fisher Zoo, the Calling (part of the Wake), and I’m sure they’re behind this Dillon Pep Rally plot. I’m also in the marching band, and they’ve been working for years to force our directors to take the last bit of unrestrained fun out of that too.
I swear, they’re trying to squeeze every last bit of unprovoked student spirit out of this university. It won’t be long until the Department of Manufactured Spirit will be all that’s left…
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By trey September 2, 2008 - 8:49 pm
Jumbotron and “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” are both on standby.
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By ROC September 2, 2008 - 11:19 pm
lest more speculation continue…
i am one of the primary writers of the rally, and i was one of the names in the observer today. the pep rally was completely written, tryouts were about to occur, and all was ready for this thursday. i never thought i would have to say this, but please do not blame this year’s cancellation on those who spent countless hours putting the script together this summer and in the last few weeks. fr. doyle told us his decision, but (as a four year resident and RA of dillon) I find it hard to believe that it was his alone. the cancellation of the rally is, just like the scaling down of the Wake and the elimination of the Zoo, yet another move by the Dome to make Notre Dame into a Disneyland for tourists, alumni, and prospective students. the keenan review is surely the next to get the axe of censureship. we are doing our best here in Dillon to make the show go on, but if you really want to make the Dome listen, threaten to remove the only thing they respond to in the 21st century: donations.
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By The Biscuit September 3, 2008 - 12:37 am
ROC, thanks for letting us know. Based on our own laziness and last minute prep style for the rally, we just assumed you all would slack like we did, and then pull something amazing off at the last minute (like we did). That said, it’s crazy that you sound so well prepared and it got axed. (And shame on you for being well-prepared Dillonites. That’s like saying smart OSU students.it doesn’t make sense at first. I digress). I hope you guys can make it happen. Talk to Doyle and the higher ups and let them know HLS’ 10 readers (and 2.5 writers) support you 100 percent. Fight the good fight my friend.
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By domer.mq September 3, 2008 - 12:40 am
Which 3 writers are counted as .333 (repeating of course)?
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By Bad Kermit September 3, 2008 - 8:07 pm
Man, this is lame as hell. For the first time in almost 10 years, I’m glad I’m not an undergrad down there.
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By domer.mq September 3, 2008 - 9:15 pm
Don’t worry, BK. Remember they canceled it our freshman year?
Well, I guess technically it was on suspension because of the year before.
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By ILDomer17 September 4, 2008 - 9:36 am
I wonder how much the percentage of upperclassmen living on campus has dropped since they started changing things, starting with the new alcohol policy in 2002.
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By domer.mq September 4, 2008 - 11:29 am
“Since they started changing things,” is tough to define, ILDomer.
When I arrived on campus my freshman year, the seniors were full of stories about how much has changed. And then when I was a senior, I was filling the freshman in on all they’d be missing too.
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By (A Planned?) Death of Tradition « Her Loyal Sons May 14, 2010 - 12:30 pm
[...] gone. The most badass and awesome Dillon Pep Rally (the original version), gone. On-campus boozing and a general focus on on-campus housing/campus-centric living, gone. Lame Alumni [...]
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