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Someone else said this: "At least USC is what it is; ND no longer is what it was intended to be."

To which I say: let's not confuse football programs with campus life. It is fair to say that the overriding PC atmostphere on all campuses is one of political correctness and "diversity." I know both of these campuses well, and do you really think heartland ND is more screwed up than Southern California USC, which is just a pimple on the crap city of Los Angeles? For more, see below:

And you said this: "Our daughter will be attending college in 5 years. We are looking for a Christian school, we are Catholic, but Notre Dame will definitely not be on our list."

First of all, do your daughter a favor. Visit ND. See it, feel it. Our daughter is a junior there now, and most of the kids--as in 85%+--are very conservative. All this transgendered $hit is somethign that's...tolerated--not condemned, not necessarily frowned upon...and very often, just laughed at. Strange kids come to campus and, since we're all so "inclusive" these days, a place must be made for them. Campuses are freewheeling places: You wanna set up a "solidarity" booth on the quad--hey, go for it. NO university is going to be on record as opposing any type of minority's rights to express itself.

The younger generation is a lot cooler about this sort of stuff than we are. They take it with a worldly grain of salt, and a sidelong snarky glance.

Notre Dame is very conservative, very Catholic (upwards of 90%), and just because a literal part of a fraction of the student body or even the faculty "acts out" doesn't mean that such behavior has any real impact on the life of most of the students. Most of these kids arrive with their characters and attitudes fully formed, and they're here to make friends, learn, and have a beer. They're not looking to "find themselves"--they already know who they are, where they are, and what they want. Most of them.

Your daughter, in five years? I suspect you've already formed her. Five more years, she'll be ready for almost anything.

Now, for ND (and I know it very well at this point): The students are conservative (not just in politics, but in many ways), disciplined, responsible...yet pretty cool. Corporate recruiters BEG to come to campus, because ND grads have always made great employees.

And very Catholic. Forget the handouts at mass...they go, they pray, they visit the Grotto.

If you're starting to think about giving ND another shot, know this: ND has never been easy to get into. Today, it is one of the hardest schools in the country to get into.

I hope you're right!

Here are some statistics about life in the mainstream "Catholic" university system (Marquette, Loyola, Notre Dame, Georgetown, et. al.):

The Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA compared results of a survey administered to college freshmen in 1997 with a survey given to these same students as graduating seniors in 2001.

The results? Students attending Catholic colleges are more likely to increase in support for legalized abortion and same-sex marriages than students attending private four-year colleges. See for yourself:

* After four years at a Catholic college, student support for abortion increased from 46.3 percent to 60.1 percent, a sharper increase than among students at private colleges (51 percent to 62.2 percent).

* With regards to same-sex marriage, Catholic student support jumped from 57.3 percent to 73.5 percent (80.4 percent among women). Students at private schools saw less of an increase, from 55.7 percent to 67.3 percent.

* Catholic college students increasingly agreed with the following statement after four years at school: "If two people really like each other, it's all right for them to have sex even if they've known each other for only a very short time." Agreement rose from 32.8 percent to 54.3 percent (68.6 percent among men), compared to only 51.8 at four-year colleges (62.5 percent of men).

* The number of students professing to be Roman Catholics at a Catholic college dropped from 73.4 percent to 68.8 percent. At the same time, students professing no religion rose from 6 percent to 10.9 percent.

John Robertson wrote:

First of all, do your daughter a favor. Visit ND. See it, feel it....
...they go, they pray, they visit the Grotto.

My sons and I have prayed at the Grotto too

I've taken my youngest to Notre Dame the past two summers. He went to football camp and there's no doubt that football is big at Notre Dame, but in my opinion, our Catholic faith comes first. As I was wandering about campus, I could feel the spirituality. The Grotto and the Basilica are indeed special places. I am a Catholic in good standing and would have no problem sending my son to Notre Dame. I'm actually encouraging it:

I know both of these campuses well, and do you really think heartland ND is more screwed up than Southern California USC, which is just a pimple on the crap city of Los Angeles?

Notre Dame du Lac is not a 'pimple on the city of South Bend' It is purported to be a CATHOLIC University advocating CATHOLIC principles. Since Hegsberg (sp?) It has gone so PC so as to lose its way for the sake of a few Federal dollars and a free ride thru the law courts. If you want steadfastness see Hillsdale College a few miles to the north. Their principles matter.